Chapter 34
Cain’s eyes grew round. “Dakota? I met him in the kitchen! Sofia said he cooks the meals she brings me.”
“That’s right…and remember my warning…never piss him off.”
Shaking his head violently, Cain whispered, “I won’t, I promise. One of my cellmates got into a fight with another prisoner who was buddies with a cook who spat in every one of his meals for a year.”
Laughing, Steel said, “Dakota won’t do that, but when he’s unhappy, he lets everyone know by slamming his pots and pans around.”
“Got it,” Cain murmured, vowing to himself to steer clear of Dakota at all costs. Even though it didn’t sound like Dakota would do what the cook in the prison did, he wasn’t willing to chance it.
“Hey,” Steel said, “Don’t worry…the only person I know who has pissed off Dakota was my brother.”
Looking up, Cain blinked several times. “Really? Why would he do that?”
“Because he’s a dumb asshole, remember?” Steel said, laughing. “But our mother straightened him out, and I don’t think he’ll make that mistake again.”
“Why? Did she punish him?”
Smirking, Steel replied, “Not physically, but when she speaks, she can easily make you see the error of your ways.”
Cain wasn’t sure what that involved, but if it was anything like how the prison guards gave orders, he added Steel’s mother to the list of those to be wary of.
But then he remembered the beautiful woman who had talked to him in his cell.
“I think I met your mother when I was in prison,” he said faintly.
“She said Jackson was her son-in-law...she said her name was Oracle.”
“You did…and you’re right…her name is Oracle,” Steel said.
“She saved my life,” Cain whispered.
“You saved your life by agreeing to help Jackson.”
Cain wasn’t going to argue that point with the Alpha Mate, but deep down in his soul, he knew who was responsible for him ending up here.
If Oracle hadn’t made the offer, he’d probably be dead by now.
Sarge’s voice in his head reminded him he hadn’t thanked her yet, so he asked, “Do you see your mother often?”
“Sure…she and my father live here.”
Surprised, Cain asked, “She’s here…in the house?”
“When she isn’t away on some assignment…why?”
“Uhm…no reason,” Cain said, deciding to ask Sofia to take him to see her so he could thank her in person. But that would have to wait. His lack of sleep was catching up as he fought a yawn.
Steel smiled to himself at Cain's unsuccessful attempt, then asked, “Did you get any rest last night?”
Shaking his head sheepishly, Cain said, “I came here instead of going to bed like Sofia wanted me to, but I guess I shouldn’t have since I fell asleep here.”
“Sleeping is overrated,” Steel said, smiling. “I’ve always thought a good book can do more for your mind and body than tossing and turning all night long could ever do. But right now, you need some rest.”
As much as he wanted to disagree, Cain couldn’t. Giving in to the demands of his body, Cain reached for the books on the side table, intending to put them back on the shelves.
“You can leave them there for now,” Steel said, getting up. “I’m sure you’ll be back later.”
“Okay, but I’m not sure when that will be,” Cain replied, putting the book in his lap on the side table along with the rest of them. “Sofia has a schedule of what I’m supposed to do every day, so I’m not sure when I’ll have some free time.”
“No hurry…they’ll be there when you come back,” Steel said, heading for the door. “C’mon, I want to show you something before you go to bed.”
Cain glanced longingly at his pile of books for a moment before hurrying after Steel. He didn’t know where they were going, but he hoped he’d be able to find his way back to his bedroom.
~/~/~/~/~
Waking up, Mac kept his eyes closed, savoring the heaviness of Ollie’s head on his chest. A mate! And a perfect one, too! Everything he had ever wanted was now his—a fact that would take some time getting used to.
It was still hard to believe that he had found his Fated Mate after years of praying to the gods for one throughout his youth.
It was the one thing he wanted most. There were times he thought it would never happen, and he’d contemplated just picking someone he could bond with, but Sawyer had always talked him out of it.
It hadn’t been easy, at times, to believe his brother, but in the end, his trust in Sawyer persuaded Mac to keep looking. Thank goodness I did!
“Fleetwood,” Ollie murmured sleepily. “Is it morning yet?”
Mac glanced down at his mate and grinned. “Fleetwood, huh?”
“My mother loved their songs.”
“Oh yeah? Which one was her favorite?”
“Don’t Stop…it’s mine, too,” Ollie said. “I used to listen to it a lot after my parents died.”
“Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow…” Mac sang softly.
“Yeah…it became my mantra during the first year after their deaths. It got me through the worst of my grief.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
Shrugging, Ollie murmured, “It is what it is… did I wish it never happened? Of course, but we don’t get to pick and choose what happens to us in our lives, only how we react.
It took me a while to figure that out, but once I did, the grayness of my world faded and was replaced with color.
Now, I no longer try to forget the memories I have of my parents and the good times we shared but treasure them instead. ”
“That’s a good way of looking at it.”
“What about you?”
“It’s different for me…neither of my parents died unexpectedly.
My father hadn’t been well for a while, so it was almost a relief when he died because then he wasn’t suffering anymore.
It was the same with my mother…she was a seer and knew she was dying, so she spent every day she had left giving us her knowledge and advice.
Some of it didn’t make sense, but one thing she was very insistent about was that my brothers and I visit our cousins, and that’s why we’re here. ”
“Did she know you’d meet me here?” asked Ollie.
“I don’t know…she never said anything, at least not to me. However, I have a feeling she knew since three of us have met our mates here.”
“You know that’s weird, right?”
“Why?”
Rolling his eyes, Ollie said, “The odds of one person meeting his mate are astronomical, but for it to happen to three people—and all in the same place—is simply unheard of.”
“Well, technically, Sawyer met his mates in LA,” Mac said, smirking.
Snorting, Ollie said, “Doesn’t count since he wouldn’t have been there if you hadn’t come to the Blackwood Pack.”
“You make a good point,” Mac said, laughing.
“I usually do,” Ollie grinned. Then, dropping the smile, he looked up at Mac and said, “I know we’re going to the Silver Point Pack to take care of Theo, but I really believe the best medicine for him is to spend time with his parents.”
“I agree.”
“But last night you said Jackson wouldn’t allow it.”
“No, I said until Jackson knows who sent Theo to Arald’s, he won’t let Wesley and Heather get close to him. That’s why it’s important that we do everything possible to help them regain their memories of that night.”
“But what if we can’t...even if we discover which drug caused them to forget that night?”
“Then we’ll just have to figure out something else,” Mac said, keeping an idea he had to himself for the moment. “Because failure isn’t an option…Theo’s life and the life of his cub depend on us doing our job… right?”
“Absolutely,” Ollie said, sitting up on the edge of the bed. “Maybe if we’re lucky, the test results will be back.”
“Otherwise, it’s time to see if Ian can help.”
Rising, Ollie headed for the bathroom, grinning as he yelled, “Last one in the shower has to suck dick.”
Laughing, Mac got out of bed and slowly followed his mate, knowing this was one time he’d be happy if he lost.
~/~/~/~/~
Cain followed the Alpha Mate through the great room, into the kitchen and out the door to the back porch, where Steel stopped at the stairs going down into the backyard.
Standing next to him, Cain glanced up at the Alpha Mate before following his gaze.
There, in front of them, lay a large, fenced-in rectangle of bare ground. Theo’s garden!
The fresh scent of recently tilled soil filled his nose and triggered the few joyful memories he had of his childhood.
Closing his eyes, Cain allowed them to fill his mind, retreating to the one time he’d been truly happy.
Even now, in the early morning light, he could feel the heat of the afternoon sun on his back as he planted seedlings alongside his foster mom.
It was the first time he’d felt loved since his parents abandoned him, and he remembered hoping he would finally be adopted.
And he almost was—until his foster dad fell ill and he was sent to another home.
It was then he realized that hope was useless because life was cruel and luck didn’t exist.
So consumed was he by his thoughts, it took Cain a moment to realize Steel was speaking to him. Opening his eyes, he glanced up at the Alpha Mate for a moment before murmuring, “Sorry…what did you say?”
Pointing to a container sitting next to the back door, Steel said, “According to Theo, those seeds need to be planted, so you should get started soon. He left a plan showing where they go, but if you have questions, see me.”
“I’ll be with Theo, so why can’t I ask him?” Cain was confused. He was supposed to help Theo, but the Alpha Mate made it sound like he would take care of the garden by himself. If it were true, he wasn’t sure he could do that and the other chores Jackson would give him.
“Theo isn’t here right now, so it’ll be your responsibility. Is that gonna be a problem?”
Is it? Cain didn’t think so, but…“Does Theo know about this?” he asked. The last thing he wanted to do was to make a shifter angry at him—he’d learned that the hard way in the paranormal prison.
“Yes, and it’s fine with him,” Steel replied.
“What about Jackson? Is it okay with him?”
“It was his idea,” Steel murmured.
Cain nodded as he stared at the garden and visualized how it would look several months from now—full of life and beauty—just like the one he and his foster mom had planted.
Grinning, he headed down the steps and walked over to the garden gate, pausing for a moment to take it all in.
Then, opening the gate, he stepped inside, his feet sinking down into the rich soil.
Bending down, he grabbed a handful of it and squeezed.
Opening his hand, he noticed that the soil had clumped firmly together, yet when he touched it with a finger of his other hand, it easily broke apart.
Perfect! Looking over his shoulder at Steel, Cain asked, “When can I start?”
“Today…after breakfast…if that’s okay with you.”
It was. Actually, he would’ve liked to begin immediately except for the fact that Sofia would soon arrive with his breakfast. And that thought reminded him of the schedule she had made for him and the need for it to be changed so he could spend time each day in the garden.
Excitement bloomed in him as he shook the soil off his hands and headed back to Steel.
It was turning out to be a very good day—something he’d never expected when he woke up in the library this morning.
~/~/~/~/~
Frowning, Ian studied Wesley and Heather’s blood test results, looking for any clue that would explain their loss of memory.
But whatever they’d been given was gone from their systems or was undetectable with the current technology available.
As far as he knew, there weren’t any drugs currently approved for the paranormal world that had memory loss as a side effect.
His curiosity piqued, he turned to his computer and entered the symptoms into a medical search engine specializing in human drugs.
Then he sat back and waited. It would be a miracle if he found the answer, but it was worth a try.
After a list of drugs popped up on his screen, Ian printed out several copies before beginning his research. Starting with the first drug on the list, he entered the name into the computer and read the description of its side effects before crossing it off and moving to the next one.
It was slow going, but he was making steady progress in whittling down the possibilities when the door to his office opened. Looking up, Ian smiled at Mac and Ollie. “Come in…I could use some help.”
Ushering Ollie over to a chair in front of Ian’s desk, Mac asked, “Are the test results back yet?”
“Yes,” Ian muttered, sliding them over to him. “Nothing showed up that would explain Wesley and Heather’s memory loss.”
Mac glanced at the test results quickly and wasn’t surprised. Passing it to Ollie, he turned back to Ian. “What are you doing?”
After explaining his idea to Mac and Ollie, Ian ended by saying, “I know it’s a long shot.”
Chuckling, Mac said, “Can’t disagree on that…but there might be a better option.”
Raising an eyebrow, Ian said, “If it’s quicker than going through this list of drugs, let’s hear it.”
“After thinking it over, I believe Wesley and Heather still have their memories of what happened that night, but something is blocking their access to them. If that’s the case, it’s possible Dakota can use his gift to break through whatever it is and bring their memories back.”
“Hmm…” Ian thought for a moment, then said, “It wouldn’t hurt to try.”
“Exactly,” Mac agreed. “Especially if Jackson gets the assurance he wants that neither Wesley nor Heather sent Theo to Arald’s. Then, they can come with us when we go to the Silver Point Pack. Ollie and I both think it would be good for Theo if his parents were with him.”
Nodding, Ian said, “Sounds like a plan. I’ll ask Jackson for permission, but only after we see how Wesley and Heather are doing this morning. C’mon.” Getting up, he headed out of his office with Mac and Ollie following close behind.