Chapter 5 - Shawn
The next morning, the girls wake me up early and practically chase me out of the house to get Sara ready for the wedding. I meet the guys in front of the hall, where Rex has a nice suit waiting for me, and the four of us wait for the rest of the pack to arrive.
“You look nervous,” Cody says.
“Because I am nervous,” I answer. “Wait until it’s your turn.”
“No fucking way,” Cody replies, laughing. “I’m not a black ops hotshot like you guys, and I’m perfectly happy in my position as beta, thank you very much.”
“A pity,” Brad says. “You’d make a good alpha.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Cody scoffs. “I can follow orders, but I’m shit at giving them.”
“He’s not lying,” Rex says. “We put him in charge of a school dance once, and the thing was an absolute circus.”
“A circus would have been fun, at least,” Cody mutters. “We had no decorations, half the school didn’t get invited, and I booked the catering for the wrong day.”
“I see your point,” Brad laughs. “I guess we’ll keep you as beta for now.”
“It was good of Luke and Dan to step in as acting alphas back home,” Cody says. “I do feel much better about leaving with them in charge.”
“They’ll be on top of everything,” Rex assures him. “If the snake even flicks its tongue, they’ll know about it.”
“Our fiery friend has been quiet for a while,” Brad points out.
“Actually, that reminds me,” I say. “Sara said something about the snake last night. There was an old fairytale, a child’s rhyme that told them not to leave Clover because of a scary snake made of fire.”
“That is interesting,” Rex says. “We’re miles from the incursion site, and just outside the blast radius.”
“That’s what I figured,” I reply.
“Whoa,” Brad lets out a low whistle. “You think that the ancestors of these guys had to run from an incursion, and it scared them so bad, they isolated themselves up here for generations?”
“I think there’s a fair chance of it,” I say, nodding.
“Well, do some digging,” Rex says. “And see what you can find out.”
“I will,” I reply. “But Sara didn’t seem to know much about it.”
“Maybe the knowledge was lost along the way. We should ask the older folk, as discreetly as possible.”
“She said it was the alpha’s mate who sang the song. It’s a pity we can’t ask her,” I say.
A moment of silence falls over us. Jess was the only female killed in the attack. It was a small strike force of warriors, the alpha, and his mate.
“I deeply regret this,” Rex whispers. “Every aspect of it. She was a strong female to follow her mate into battle.”
“Ours would do no less,” Brad says, giving Rex a squeeze on the shoulder.
Rex nods, but I know his heart is torn to shreds over this.
“I will get to the bottom of it,” I promise him. “I swear. I will find out what they were doing out there, and how all this went down.”
“I’ve already got a pretty good idea who the instigator was,” Rex mutters, gesturing with his head.
I follow the gesture and see a small group of people walking up the dirt track towards us, Jackson in the lead.
That guy makes my skin crawl.
I can tell by the reactions of my buddies that he has the exact same effect on them. All of us have to go to some effort to compose ourselves and look welcoming as Jackson approaches with a sly grin on his face.
It’s as if he knows how we feel, and he doesn’t care. What is this fucker cooking up behind that cold gaze?
“Good morning!” Jackson says, enthusiastically shaking my hand. “Where is that daughter of mine? Is she making us wait to get this happy day started?”
“She is being prepared by our mates,” Rex tells him. “And when they decide she is ready, we will begin.”
“As you like, Alpha Rex,” Jackson says with a nod. “Allow me to introduce you to our prominent families and elders. This is my mate, Melanie.”
The thin, mean-faced woman from yesterday steps forward, shaking hands with each of us.
“Pleased tah meetcha,” she mutters in a country accent so thick, I can barely understand it.
“This is Leah, our oldest pack member and revered elder,” Jackson says, gesturing to a tall, slender woman with long, silvery hair.
She nods in our direction, but doesn’t speak. Her pale gray eyes rest briefly on each of our faces, and I feel a chill down my spine, as if she can see right through to my soul.
“You must forgive Leah her silence,” Jackson says. “She’s always been a woman of few words, but she is in mourning for Talon still. She appointed him as alpha when he was very young and has felt his loss deeply.”
I look closely at Jackson, sure that I can hear a hint of jealousy in his tone. I decide to give Leah the utmost respect because she is probably the most valuable person here, and from her perspective, she is being forced to accept her conquerors as rulers.
I swear I’ll make you proud, great lady. The murder of your alpha was an accident, and I will prove it to you.
I resolve to speak to her privately as soon as possible and hopefully put her mind at ease.
And find out what she knows about the history of this place, and the snake.
Jackson introduces us to Nick, Mal, and Seline, whom he calls the heads of the first families. The other three men, Bruce, Axe, and Rafe, look like goons that share one tiny brain cell between them.
That’s exactly the kind of person I expected Jackson to keep around him. More brawn than brains, practically made to take orders and smash things without question.
“Are we ready?” Gen asks, coming around the side of the hall. She looks beautiful in a full-length, dark blue dress, and I see Cody take an extra-long look.
A marriage between the beta of Rose Hollow and the youngest elder of Eccles would be a good move politically. I’ll have to mention it to Rex…
All of us affirm our readiness—even though I most certainly am not ready—and we go into the hall where a small podium waits at the front of a row of chairs.
Leah takes her place behind it, and the townsfolk sit down.
I stand between Bruce and Rex, beginning to sweat and wondering what the fuck I’m doing.
A few minutes later, I see Scarlett and Alisha in the doorway ahead of us, with Sara just behind them. Grace and Gen bring up the rear, but instead of looking like a bridal party, they look like jailers bringing a captive to prison.
Jesus fuck, they didn’t have to tie her up or anything, did they?
As they get closer, I realize Sara isn’t actually bound, but her head is bowed, and her shoulders slumped forward as if she is carrying a heavy burden.
I will be worthy of you, Sara. I promise!
When they reach us, Scarlett and Alisha move to either side and lift Sara’s veil. The shimmering white net flicks back over her long, honey-blond hair as she looks up at me, and I’m struck again by her huge, dark brown eyes, glimmering with depths of shimmering gold.
Slowly, the rest of the details register.
The girls have done her makeup, enhancing the pale pink glow of her cheeks and deep red, bow-shaped mouth.
Her golden hair curls in little braids across the crown of her head, neatly tucked around the headband of the veil, held in place by tiny white flowers.
Her white gown hugs her luscious, generous curves, framing her big, soft breasts with a deep, heart-shaped neckline. Folds of cream-colored fabric fall in waves from her hips all the way to the floor.
When I finally look back up at her face, there is a hard edge to her beautiful brown eyes. I look back at the floor, gulping with just a touch of embarrassment.
She probably doesn’t appreciate me ogling her like that. I’ve got to get myself under control.
As Leah calls us to face her, we take each other’s hands. Sara’s skin is ice cold. It hurts me to know that she’s this scared, but it makes me even more determined to make it up to her.
I hoped that my bride would be beautiful, and that we had enough in common to make our union amicable. I never even imagined I’d be gifted with a woman this stunning and intelligent. Someone I could actually fall in love with, if she would just give me a chance.
Leah speaks the ritual words, and I’m so busy looking at Sara, I barely hear her. I know I can hope until the end of the world, but I have to accept that Sara might never love the man who married her for duty, and even accepted a cash payment as compensation.
Why did I take the fucking money? It’s not like I need it, and Jackson’s gesture was weird as fuck.
After the ceremony, Jackson leads us outside, where a table of food has been laid out. We are greeted by the rest of the pack, and I’m struck again by how poor everyone looks.
Threadbare clothes, old shoes, simple food. How long have these people been isolated—and why are their resources so low?
I also notice how Jackson, his mate, and the goons that follow him seem to have decent apparel in comparison. It makes me even more determined to find out how Talon ran the pack, and if he was such a good guy, how he let this happen.
The food is decent, even if there isn’t much of it, and the people are mostly of good humor, so the afternoon is pleasant—or it would be, if Melanie and Jackson hadn’t immediately sat down on either side of me to talk both my ears off.
“Let us know if you need anything, anything at all,” Jackson says, smoothly. “I can get it for you.”
“For sure!” Melanie agrees in her shrill voice. “We do it tough out here, but my man, he’s a provider!”
“How exactly does your supply chain work?” I ask. “The town seems very poor, and yet you’re offering luxuries to me?”
“Oh, I didn’t mean modern amenities,” Jackson says, his face somber. “I was referring to the simple wares we have in town. I’m sure now that you’re here to lead us, you can connect us to the new packs and improve the standard of living for us all.”
“Of course,” I mutter, looking closely at Jackson.
His clothes look store-bought—everyone else is in homespun. He’s also clean-shaven, and it’s too neat to be from a knife or straight razor.
“Don’t worry about it today!” Jackson says, putting another plate of food in front of me and filling my cup with moonshine. “Enjoy your wedding. We’ve got plenty of time to go over the finer details.”
And we definitely will be.
I catch Rex’s eye across the table, and he nods, showing me he’s following my thoughts.
We came here to improve the conditions of this pack, and it looks worse than I feared. Still, we can’t rock the boat. Jackson has too many people looking up to him, and they are obviously still hurting because of Talon’s death—and we killed him!
Clover pack seems to react well to the women, and Gen is at her diplomatic best, promising joint programs between packs and market fairs for them to attend. Everything seems to be going well until she mentions inviting people from Clover into Eccles, and the mood of the party shifts immediately.
No one is outright rude, but it’s as if a switch has been flipped, and suddenly, no one wants to talk to our people anymore. I notice Leah glaring at me, her pale gray eyes cutting into me like diamonds.
Is this because they’re so used to being isolated, and they’re scared to leave their boundary? Or they don’t trust us?
Deciding that it’s probably both, I try to turn the mood, and Scarlett promises to bring her sewing circle to town, with fabric and thread to donate.
The energy shifts again as people discuss how good it will be to have new clothes.
Alisha and Grace follow her lead, promising plants and gardening supplies.
As the day draws to a close, we manage to end on an amicable note. I’m satisfied that we’ve made some progress as I take Sara’s hand and head back towards Talon’s house.
My house. I’ve got to get used to that.
Sara’s skin is icy cold again, and the anxiety spreads to me.
I have to convince her that I don’t want anything from her, and she’s safe with me. I wanted to spend time with her today, but I couldn’t avoid my duties. We have the rest of our lives to get to know each other. I just pray she gives me a chance.
We’ve made it all the way to the steps of the house when I realize Jackson has been following behind us the whole time.
He moves like a secret agent! I have to keep an eye on this guy—why does he have fucking ninja skills?
“Can I help you, Jackson?” I ask, letting go of Sara’s hand as I turn around.
“Oh, I’ve got to stick around,” he says. “To make sure you consummate.”
“Excuse me?” I ask, my voice low and dangerous.
“It’s tradition,” Jackson says, a cruel smile growing on his face as his eyes travel up to the porch to lock on to his daughter. “The marriage isn’t sealed until you…make it official.”
Fury simmers in my blood as I think of the many ways he could have ended that sentence. His mask is slipping, and I’m beginning to see the slimeball underneath.
“No,” I say firmly.
Jackson’s eyes snap back to me. “What?”
“I said no.”
“But you have to—it’s tradition!”
I take a slow step towards Jackson, feeling adrenaline flood my body. I keep myself under control, the full force of my rage only showing in my eyes.
“I’m prepared to honor your traditions,” I say softly. “So long as they don’t disagree with my moral code. This one does. I will consummate with my wife when I say, and not before. No one dictates what I do—and I am your alpha now, Jackson. Back the fuck off, right fucking now.”
Even though a glimmer of rage flickers in his slate blue eyes, Jackson takes a slow step back and nods.
“As you wish, Alpha,” he says, turning and walking away. I watch him go, making sure he leaves before I turn back to Sara.
She’s standing on the porch looking down on me, her big, dark brown eyes wide as she stares at me in surprise.