Chapter 15 #2
Shaking his head at his mate’s teasing threat, Jackson said, “How can I trust him when he wasn’t honest with me right from the beginning in his first email?
Babe, he lied to me…not directly, but by omission.
And then there’s his mate. Does he plan to challenge me when he finds out about Fionn’s white dragon or his superpower?
He’s an Alpha, meant to lead a pack…he trained for it his entire life.
And you know what? He was much better at it than I was.
I feel like a little kid again with my big cousin watching me, waiting for his chance to take over.
With Fionn at his side, Hunter would be more powerful than I could ever be.
And his freaking attitude…always so fucking smirky. ”
“Smirky? Is that even a word?”
Batting his mate’s arm, Jackson said, “You know what I mean. My cousin comes across like he knows everything. Fuck, he probably does…at least more than I do about being an Alpha…”
As Jackson’s voice trailed off into silence, Steel waited, making sure his mate had finished, before saying, “Babe, I think Hunter is desperately trying to control his need to seek his mate and claim him. And that’s overpowering everything else in him, making him appear smirky at times, simply as a defensive mechanism against the one person who…
as his wolf sees it…is keeping his mate from him. ”
“But I’m not! I told him that.”
“Babe, you’re thinking logically while Hunter is overcome with the mating drive.
Did I ever tell you what Colton did in Mexico when he realized Ian was his mate?
” After Jackson shook his head, Steel said, “No, I didn’t think so.
Your brother was in a jeep with Ian waiting for Slate, Cody and me.
The plan was for Colton to claim Ian when we got back here but he couldn’t wait.
He bit Ian right then, in the jeep, needing to mark and claim him.
This was way out of character for your brother…
who’s always so methodical in his thinking and actions.
Hunter is an Alpha…a powerful one…and his need to mark and claim his mate must be driving him crazy, just as it was with Colton.
“No matter what you told him, Hunter’s wolf saw his mate…
only to find out later, after he agreed to wait so you could deal with your brothers, that his mate was gone.
And no matter how often you explain where Fionn is, it doesn’t matter because the longer Hunter is apart from his mate, the harder it is for him and his wolf.
All I can say is thank the gods Kieran did his magic this morning and calmed them both. ”
“What you say makes sense,” Jackson conceded, “but why do I get the feeling Hunter wants my pack?”
“I’m guessing it has to do with the relationship you had with your cousin when you were young.
He was more of a big brother than anything else and you looked up to him…
always thought he knew what he was doing, which is why you followed him around.
Back then, Hunter had all the answers, knew all about being an Alpha, so when he arrived yesterday and started acting weird because he’d found his mate, a part of your mind reverted back to being the kid who thought your cousin was a better Alpha than you. ”
Jackson had to admit everything Steel said was true.
It was that part of him—thinking Hunter was the better Alpha—that was pissing him off.
And it was affecting everything he did. Groaning as he remembered Theo’s fearful face, he kicked himself for putting it there.
“Gods, I really fucked up with Theo…probably brought back all his horrible memories of Arald in Tajikistan.”
“Norm will take care of him,” Steel assured his mate.
“But babe, you must make it right with your cousin or else Fionn will be torn between the two of you. Hunter is his mate, given to Fionn by the Fates, to protect and love him. Your role is to guide Fionn—to be the non-judgmental person in his life he can speak freely to about his responsibilities as a white dragon and how to handle the supernatural gift he’ll receive. Fionn needs both of you right now.”
“Any suggestions on how to begin with Hunter?”
“Yes, tell him everything…the gifts, who Fionn is, what your role is in Fionn’s life…
everything. He’s a member of this pack and has a right to know.
And when you’ve done that, Hunter might just be willing to answer your questions about why he decided not to become the Alpha of his home pack and more about why he kept your mother a secret. ”
“But there are no guarantees he’ll tell me.”
“No, there aren’t, but that’s not why you’re doing it, babe. You’re the Alpha, welcoming a new pack member, letting him know you trust him with our secrets,” replied Steel.
Examining his behavior since yesterday, Jackson’s forehead wrinkled, seeing for the first time how badly he’d treated his cousin, always assuming the worst, never giving him the benefit of the doubt he’d give to every other pack member.
What made his behavior worse was that Hunter was family, his mother’s nephew and Jackson knew his mom would be so disappointed at how he’d treated him.
Vowing to make amends, Jackson smiled, thanking the Fates for giving him Steel as a mate.
So many times his counsel had been spot on, helping Jackson navigate the storm-tossed waters his life had become since his brothers began to find their mates.
Lightly kissing Steel, Jackson asked, “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”