Chapter 8 #2
“Really?” asked Theo, looking down the short hallway and spotting a closed door.
Lifting the basket, he hurried there with Norm in tow.
Giving a quick rap before entering the room, Theo inhaled deeply, finally finding the source of the scent that had tantalized him since he first entered the motorhome.
“Hi, I’m Theo. I love romance novels, which one are you reading?
Gosh you look fabulous. I brought you a couple of my special roast beef sandwiches before your brothers wolf them all down,” he said, giggling at his pun.
Startled, Quin stared first at Theo…and then at Norm, who remained in the doorway.
Then, smiling, he said, “Hi, I’m Quin. That’s so nice of you.
” Swinging his feet over the edge of the bed, he slipped on his high heels, rose, and pulled over a small table and chair.
“Please, Theo, join me.” Then, Quin sat back down on the bed, watching his visitor claim the chair.
It took a minute for Mason to realize the bear shifter had entered Quin’s room.
Jumping up from the table, he came up behind Norman who was obviously standing guard in the doorway.
Glancing over the bear shifter’s shoulder, he saw his brother smiling as he took a sandwich from Theodore.
Perplexed by Quin’s unexpected behavior, he asked, “Quin, honey? Are you all right?”
Waving his brother away, Quin replied, “I’m fine, Mase. Go eat your food. Theo’s going to keep me company.”
Then Theo glanced at Norm. “Oh, good, you’re still here, pooh bear. Quin, I’d like you to meet my fiancé, Norm,” Whispering to Quin, he said, “I call him pooh bear.”
In the doorway, Quin saw a very handsome man, staring at Theo, vigilance etched on his face. “Hi Norm,” he said, “would you like to join us?”
Nodding, Norm pulled another chair next to Theo’s and said, “Hi,” as he sat down.
“I was about to tell Theo about the romance I’m reading. Do you like romance novels too?” asked Quin.
“He does,” grinned Theo, “Pooh bear reads them to me at night before we fall asleep.”
“Oh, my,” Quin said, fanning himself, “how romantic…”
Mason stood quietly in the doorway, observing the bonding between his shy brother and the two bear shifters. Then, shaking his head in disbelief, he pulled the door partly closed and returned to his brothers.
~/~/~/~/~
After his brothers and their mates had left his study and only he and Hunter remained, Jackson turned to his cousin. “Thank you for not going into all the details of what our mother saw,” he said.
Getting up and moving over to a chair in front of his cousin’s desk, Hunter asked, “How did you know?”
“Because I know you, Hunt, and you would do anything you could to spare hurting someone.” Jackson paused, thinking about his mother before continuing. “My brothers don’t need to know the details. It would only cause them pain, exactly what they don’t need any more of.”
Shaking his head, Hunter said, “I can’t figure out how you all survived, knowing your uncle was trying to find and kill you. I’m truly impressed with what you’ve done, Jackie.”
“It was a long journey…at times, I wasn’t sure we’d make it.”
“But you did.”
“Yeah, we did,” Jackson agreed before changing the subject. “I’m sorry to hear of the passing of your father and mother.”
“Thanks.”
Studying his cousin, Jackson knew Hunter’s short answers were his way of moving past the niceties and onto the topic of his Fated Mate.
He intended to keep his promise, but first there were still a few questions requiring answers before his cousin’s mate would be discussed.
“Is my mother in danger from anyone in your old pack? Someone who would tell Josiah she’s alive now? ”
“No-o-o, I don’t think so. Aunt Hope spent most of her time in her bedroom or on the back porch which faced the woods.”
“What about the other pack members who lived with you?”
“No one lived with us…it was just family…like your father and mother’s house was. All pack business was conducted in the pack hall. It’s a communal place for pack members to meet; we had dances there and other social events,” explained Hunter.
“Gotcha. So no one knows my mother is alive, correct?”
“The only person other than me and my brothers is my father’s brother, who became Alpha of the Rolling Hill Pack.”
“Can he be trusted?” asked Jackson, then, seeing his cousin grimace, continued, “Look, I’m not implying he can’t but without knowing why you turned down becoming Alpha, I’m just going over all the possibilities.
If Josiah finds out my mother is alive, I’m sure he’ll want to kill her…
hell, he’ll have to kill her. That’ll put me and my brothers, our mates, the pups and the other members of my pack in extreme danger.
It’s something I want to be prepared for. ”
Looking down at the floor, Hunter knew Jackie was subtly probing, trying to find the reason he’d rejected becoming Alpha.
And honestly, he would have done the same if he was in his cousin’s shoes, but he wasn’t going to tell him.
Flicking his gaze up, staring at Jackson, Hunter responded, “While I can’t be a hundred percent sure he can be trusted, I’m pretty sure he won’t say anything.
But if I were you, I wouldn’t trust anyone, so my advice is to make plans for the worst possible case.
” Frustrated at the game he was sure his cousin was playing, Hunter decided to take control.
Slapping his thighs loudly, he stood up and began pacing.
His wolf was angry, the scent of his mate was strong in the pack house and Hunter was fucking tired of waiting.
Stopping in front of Jackson, he growled, “Enough with the twenty questions. I did what you wanted, now please introduce me to my mate.”