Chapter 28
When Jackson arrived at Dylon’s office, he noticed that all the rescue team members had arrived and were listening to Dylon’s briefing regarding the mission.
It was a well-crafted plan, and Jackson had high hopes of it succeeding.
If not, he’d have to find another way. Of course, if Theo’s parents were complicit in the Alpha’s scheme to have Theo and Norm arrested, that was another matter.
It would be devastating on many levels, but most of all on Theo and the well-being of his cub.
Mentally shaking off those dark thoughts, he turned his attention back to the group as Dylon finished.
“Questions?” Dylon asked.
“Yeah…what are their names…other than Theo’s parents?” asked Colton. “It would help me put them at ease if they needed medical care.”
“Wesley and Heather,” Ollie spoke up.
Nodding, Colton said, “Thanks…also, I see you have listed me as the medical team leader, but I think Mac would be better, as he can assess each patient and assign them to whoever he thinks can best treat them.”
“I don’t have a problem with that,” Dylon said. “What about you, Mac?”
Glancing at Ollie for a moment and seeing his nod of approval, Mac agreed. “That’s fine…according to Oliver, both parents are in rough shape, so my goal is to get them stabilized and back here asap for further treatment as needed.”
“That’s the plan,” Dylon said. “A fast in-and-out before their Alpha realizes they’re gone.”
“The only potential complication I see is if they shift while we’re treating them,” Mac said. “Their bears’ first reaction will be to shift to protect themselves.”
“Ian mentioned that,” Dylon said, reaching behind him and grabbing two metal collars. “These prevent shifting, so as soon as Sawyer cloaks them, I’ll snap these on. You won’t have to worry.”
“Good,” Mac replied.
“Anything else?” asked Dylon, looking at each member of his team.
“Yeah,” Jackson spoke up. “I’ve decided to send Glenn with your team in case you run into an unforeseen problem.
His tiger is even stronger than the Alpha’s bear.
I want him to stand guard while you are all in the Alpha’s house.
We don’t know what traps the Alpha may have set, and while all of you will be cloaked, that doesn’t prevent you from setting off an alarm. ”
Dylon made a note on his plan before looking at Jackson. “I’ll need to brief him before we go.”
“He knows he has to see you first,” Jackson said.
“Okay…once that happens, we’ll be ready to go.”
Nodding, Jackson said, “Remy will be back soon.” Then, pausing for a moment, he continued, “Even though it would appear we have the advantage here, keep your head on a swivel. Whatever this Alpha is up to, I know one thing for sure—he’s devious and cruel.
Theo and Norm can attest to that firsthand, and so can Theo’s parents.
So, remember the goal here is to rescue two shifters who are being held…
most likely against their will…not to start a war with a Ghost Bear Alpha. Understand?”
After receiving nods and murmured ‘yeses’ from Dylon’s team, Jackson said, “Good luck,” before turning and leaving the room.
~/~/~/~/~
Alex sat on their bed, frowning, as Glenn changed his clothes. “I don’t see why I can’t go,” he said.
“It’s not safe,” Glenn growled, tugging up his jeans. “We’ll be in hostile territory…”
“Ghost Bears’ territory!” Alex injected. “Pfff…my dragon will eat them alive if they try anything. And besides, Wolf mate can cloak me like he’s gonna do to you. No one will even see me.”
Stepping into their closet, Glenn didn’t respond; he was too busy digging around for a clean t-shirt.
Finally finding one, he walked out, pulling it over his head.
Then he headed over to the bed and sat down next to his mate.
“Buttercup,” he said, taking Alex’s hand in his, “Jackson would never agree for you to go…and while I know your dragon can even beat my tiger, Jackson doesn’t care about that.
All he sees is an untrained Omega who is pregnant. ”
“So if I were trained…”
Glenn closed his eyes for a second, cursing himself for the slip-up, before he realized maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. He lifted Alex’s hand to his lips and kissed it before saying, “Yes, if you were trained, I’m sure Jackson would see that your dragon could be very helpful on missions.”
Nodding eagerly, Alex said, “Then you have to train me…and Smokey and Ghost too! Don’t you and Smokey have to go to LA to interrogate the men Ghost has in custody? I can go with you, and Ghost can train me while you’re doing whatever you do to get info out of the bad dudes.”
“Before we do that, there are things you need to know first.”
“Okay…but I know a lot of stuff about spying already.”
“You do?” Glenn asked, smiling.
“Yup.”
“You were keeping a secret from me? Where did you learn about spying?”
Giggling, Alex said, “Movies…spy movies are my favorites. I must have seen every one ever made at least five times. See, I already know a lot.”
“Then maybe you can teach me a few things,” Glenn replied.
“You and Wolf mate. I can start now.”
“Unfortunately, the lessons will have to wait until tomorrow,” Glenn replied, slipping his feet into the boots he wore on missions. Then, he stood up and gazed down at his mate. “Get some sleep while we’re gone, buttercup. Tomorrow, spy school starts.”
Pouting, Alex said, “I’ll try, but it’ll be hard when neither of my mates is in bed with me.”
Leaning down, Glenn grasped Alex’s chin, lifting it until their eyes met. “We’ll be back soon, full of testosterone from battling badasses and needing a fuck like crazy. And while Wolf mate and me could fuck each other, it would be better for us if we fucked you instead.”
Alex’s cock grew hard at the image of his mates fucking him to slake their lust. “I could do that,” he said breathlessly.
Smirking, Glenn straightened up. “Thought so. Get some sleep, buttercup…you’re gonna need it.”
Listening to the tiny click of the door closing as Tiger mate left their bedroom, Alex fantasized for a moment, images of the three of them going wild exploding in his mind.
Then, knowing Glenn was right about getting some rest, he slid under the covers, inhaling the scent of his two mates and, within minutes, was asleep.
~/~/~/~/~
Wesley was finally dismissed after an hour of making drinks and serving the Alpha’s guests.
As usual, it always amazed him how much liquor the Alpha could consume at these get-togethers without being affected by it; he was just as boisterous and aware of his surroundings at the end of the evening as he was at the beginning of it.
Sandwiched between two enforcers, Wesley was forced to keep pace with them even though he was exhausted.
Hopefully, the extra time he spent tending to the Alpha had allowed Heather time to finish the dishes.
Following the lead enforcer into the kitchen, his eyes located his wife sitting on a stool in the corner, eyes closed as her body slumped against the wall.
Worry filled him, and he quickly glanced at the sink, relieved to see it spotless and with all the dishes put away.
Moving around the giant table in the middle of the room, he approached his wife, gently lifting her up into his arms.
“Hey…you trying to get a punishment?” growled one of the enforcers.
Glancing over at him, Wesley murmured, “She can’t walk…would you like to carry her instead?”
“Let him do it,” the other enforcer muttered. “It’ll be quicker.”
The first enforcer shrugged and walked over to the door leading to the basement, unlocking it before saying to Wesley, “Move…I got other stuff to do than babysit you two.”
Wesley headed quickly to the steps leading to their cell in the basement.
The faster he moved, the more time his wife would have to rest—something she desperately needed.
Finally reaching the bottom step, he moved aside so the enforcer could open their cell door.
Once inside, he heard the door slam shut, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
It was a rare night they weren’t chained to the wall, but when it happened, it was a bright spot in an otherwise dismal life.
Placing his wife gently on the small bed, he took off her shoes before massaging her bloody and swollen feet, and he felt guilty at not being able to do more to ease her pain.
“Wesley,” Heather whispered, “is Theo okay? He’s late.”
His eyes filled with tears when Wes realized his wife had drifted into the past once again. It was happening more and more frequently, but there was nothing he could do about it except pretend with her that they were there. “Yes, my love…Theodore is fine and will be home soon.”
Heather sighed, then turned over and faced the stone wall.
Within minutes, Wes heard her breathing slow down as his wife slipped into a world of darkness where she could find peace.
He then carefully undressed her, leaving her bra and panties on, before covering her with the threadbare blanket.
Then he joined her, wrapping himself around her cold body, hoping his heat would be enough to warm her up.
Lying in the darkness, Wes obsessed about his failure to protect his son.
Theodore was gone, most likely dead, but he didn’t dare voice that thought to his wife.
It would destroy her last remnant of her hope, and he knew when that was gone, it would break her will to live. And that he wouldn’t…couldn’t do.
Wes waited until it grew quiet upstairs before he slowly slid out of bed and walked over to the basement window, their only source of light.
Grasping one of the bars blocking it, he twisted it, using what remained of his bear’s strength to help him.
He’d already loosened three of them, and there were only three more to go.
It was slow, exhausting work since the bars were three feet long and embedded in concrete, but he wouldn’t give up.
It was their only chance to escape from hell.
Wes grimaced at first as he applied his muscle to turn the bar, but it turned to a grim smile when he felt the bar move a fraction of an inch.
He continued for the next hour, successfully turning the bar a quarter of an inch. But with sweat running down his face and his muscles crying out for rest, Wes was forced to stop. Climbing back into bed with his wife, he dropped into a deep sleep. Morning would come all too soon.
~/~/~/~/~
It was time. Dylon and his team stood in the great room, waiting for Jackson to join them for any last words of advice.
He knew his Alpha was worried about them heading into an Alpha bear’s territory, but Dylon wasn’t.
His plan was good, and with the addition of Glenn’s tiger, it was better.
He should have thought of it—hell, he did think of it—but the tension between him and Glenn kept him from acting on it.
Grinning inwardly, Dylon remembered the hell his mate had given him for not including Glenn in the strike force.
Cody had made it very clear that the only thing Dylon should think about was making sure every team member—including himself—made it back safely.
His mate was right. Thankfully, Jackson had stepped in and ordered Glenn to join the team.
Dylon vowed not to make that mistake again, and if that meant finding common ground where he and Glenn could co-exist, then that’s what he would do.
Just then, Jackson walked into the room along with Remy.
“Is your team ready?” asked Jackson.
“All set,” Dylon responded.
Jackson nodded. “Remy is gonna drop you off at the back door of the Alpha’s house.”
“Right,” Dylon replied. “Time to get the show on the road…Sawyer, you’re up first.”
Grinning, Sawyer said, “On it, boss.”
In the blink of an eye, the team disappeared as Sawyer cloaked each member, including Remy.
Jackson stood there for a moment, silently wishing them godspeed, before turning to leave the room.
Dylon expected the mission to take less than an hour, but Jackson knew that prediction would only be accurate if nothing went sideways.
He paused at the bottom of the steps leading upstairs, but before he could decide, he saw Steel walking down the steps. “I thought you’d be asleep,” Jackson said, smiling.
Reaching his mate, Steel wrapped his arms around Jackson, hugging him tight to his chest. “And leave you alone to fret about your pack members’ safety?” he murmured.
“I wasn’t fretting.”
Leaning back, Steel gazed down at Jackson and smirked. “I’m sorry…I meant worry.”
“Hush…I’m the Alpha…that’s my job,” Jackson said, patting Steel’s chest.
“So it is…but it’s also my job as Alpha Mate to be there for you when needed. And knowing you won’t get any rest until all your chicks are back in their coop, safe and sound, it appears this is one of those times.”
Smiling, Jackson snuggled against his mate’s broad chest, thanking the Fates for giving him the best mate in the world.
Never, during the years of suffering his father’s wrath for being gay, did he ever expect to find a partner who not only loved him unconditionally but also knew him so well.
“I love you, babe…so much,” he murmured.
“As I do too, mo chroí,” Steel crooned. Sweeping Jackson up into his arms, he headed towards his mate’s study, giving him light kisses until they were inside with the door securely locked behind them.
Then, after setting Jackson down on the loveseat, he knelt down between his legs before unzipping his mate’s jeans.
Whether or not Jackson would admit it, Steel saw the tension in his mate’s body, so he did what was needed to relieve it.
Pulling out Jackson’s cock, Steel leaned down and kissed its head before running his tongue around it.
“Oh, fuck, babe,” Jackson moaned, his head falling back against the loveseat.
Burying his fingers in his mate’s hair, Jackson gripped it tightly, loving the control it gave him over Steel’s movements.
Getting a blowjob from his mate tonight wasn’t on his bingo card, but he had to admit it was just fucking perfect.
It took less time than Jackson had hoped, but once his cock was buried deep in Steel's throat, there wasn’t any way to stop coming when his mate gave his mouth over to him to fuck.
With the humming and moaning coming from Steel providing the icing on the cake, Jackson experienced one of the most intense orgasms he’d had in a while.