Chapter 17 - Shawn
Walking into town with Sara, I can feel how miserable she is. I know I might never be able to make this up to her, but I’m prepared to do whatever it takes.
I should just reveal everything. I have to trust her.
We greet the main pack, and I can feel that something is definitely wrong with Sara, and it isn’t just that she’s upset with me. She seems to fade out, almost like she isn’t fully awake.
Well, it’s been a rough few days for both of us. It’s no surprise she’s feeling out of it.
Further up the road, I can see the others arriving, and the relief I feel when I see my friends is almost painful.
Finally, some backup. I didn’t realize how hard it was to do this alone until I was stuck up here without them.
I take one last look at Sara as the other women arrive, feeling like I shouldn’t leave her, but not knowing what else to do.
I’ll ask the others if I should reveal everything to her. Giving her all the information might end up putting her in danger, and that’s the last thing I want to do.
“Rex,” I say, approaching the others. My oldest buddy leans in, and we give each other a brief slap on the shoulder, then I shake hands with Brad, greeting Luke and Dan as well.
“The gang’s all here,” I say, trying not to show how relieved I am.
Rex gives me a lopsided grin, letting me know he can see right through me. “We had to bring the whole troop to see your town,” he says. “You know I like to check up on your work.”
“Ha,” I mutter. “This from the guy who forgot how to read his map and got us lost in the desert that time on a recon mission.”
“I didn’t forget,” Rex growls.
“No, he had it upside down!” Brad laughs.
“I had heatstroke,” Rex snaps.
All of us laugh, and it feels so good to release the tension. I feel like I might actually fall down.
“So,” Luke says. “You look like hell.”
“Damn, you always know how to cheer a guy up,” I retort, shaking my head.
“Well, he’s not wrong,” Dan says. “You’ve only been here a week. What’s been going on?”
“Big hunt yesterday,” I say, turning to walk back to the main square near the hall. “It was pretty grueling, and I honestly believe Jackson is plotting against me.”
“Really?” Rex says. “That’s exactly what we came back to check on. Do you know anything about the attack on Eccles?”
“No,” I answer, shaking my head. “Jackson gave me a lot of garbage about Talon wanting to keep the town isolated, even to the point of killing people to keep the pack within limits.”
“Whoa,” Brad says. “Did he?”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “I really don’t think so. Jackson claims it was his father and a few others who got killed, but they never found any evidence, and Talon definitely doesn’t seem like that kind of guy.”
“So, what happened to them?” Rex asks.
I stop under a tree, taking advantage of the shade, but making sure we’re a good distance from anyone who might overhear.
“I think they’re still alive and well,” I say quietly. “They’re in a nearby town, like Caliente, and they’re running a supply chain of goods for Jackson and his chosen few.”
Rex lets out a low whistle. “Are you sure about this?”
“Not even close,” I answer. “But it makes sense. He has things that are brand new and obviously modern. A few others in town have similar items, while the majority live in absolute poverty.”
“We can’t let this go on!” Brad growls. “It’s appalling!”
“I agree,” I say, nodding. “But we can’t just execute Jackson and his three goons.
He has support in the pack, and even a lot of the poor folk look up to him.
It looks like he kept the pack suspicious of Talon.
Even though he couldn’t fully turn everyone against him, they sure as hell didn’t trust their alpha. ”
“But what’s the end game?” Rex asks. “This is the most complicated leadership coup I’ve ever heard.”
“That’s because it all went wrong,” I say. “This is Jackson’s attempt at damage control. I can’t be sure of any of this, but here goes.”
I take a breath and another quick look around to make sure no one can hear us.
So far, the other members of the pack have stayed away from us as they gather in the park, and even though I’m happy to be left alone, I know it’s a bad thing that they aren’t welcoming my friends as allies to the Clover pack.
“I think either Jackson or his father was planning to take the alpha position,” I explain.
“When they tried, the pack split, and Leah, the eldest, appointed Talon. The pack almost fought over it, but she won. After that, Jackson got close to Talon and stuck on him like a rash, pretending to be loyal, but sowing distrust in the rest of the pack.”
“If this is true, this guy is the lowest possible form of pond scum,” Luke mutters.
“I think Jackson’s dad and a few friends just fucked off to start the supply chain and used the disappearance to turn more people against Talon,” I continue. “Jackson has to have a link to the human world for everything he’s doing, and it makes sense they’d use it against Talon.”
“We need to investigate that,” Rex says.
I nod in agreement. “This is why we can’t just confront or challenge Jackson. We need him to lead us to that evidence. It will utterly condemn him and prove to the pack he only cares about himself and his favored few.”
“Okay,” Rex says. “I’m with you so far. Keep talking.”
“There’s this really weird superstition in town about leaving the boundary, particularly about going east,” I say. “Especially near Eccles.”
“Then why the fuck would they attack it?” Brad asks.
I shake my head. “I think I know why—at least superficially—but I don’t know how.
It’s obvious that Jackson was trying to get rid of Talon, and I think he convinced him to go full force against Eccles, knowing they’d get slaughtered.
I have no idea how he convinced him, but I’m pretty sure that’s why it was done. ”
“Jesus, fuck,” Rex mutters, running a hand through his hair. “We killed an innocent man. Jackson used us like a weapon.”
“I think so, yeah,” I say grimly.
“Fuck him with a rusty cactus,” Brad hisses. “Where is this fucker? I want to look right into his lying face and pile on the pressure.”
“Wait,” I say. “It gets worse.”
“How could it be fucking worse?” Luke asks.
“I think he knows about the snake.”
The silence that falls between us is absolute. The shock on Rex’s face is extreme.
“I know we suspected they knew something,” Rex says. “But does he actually know the legend? Would he come for the power?”
“He might,” I say. “Look, I really don’t know. It was just a hint he gave me. I might be imagining it, or just being plain paranoid.”
“We can’t dismiss it,” Brad says. “People do crazy fucking things for that snake, and it never works out well for them, or anyone else.”
“Agreed,” I reply.
“Any other good news?” Rex asks.
“Only this—I have a gut feeling Talon wanted to join the pack back to the human world. Jackson says that Talon wanted them isolated, and it was misguided, but I’m almost positive that Jackson is the one setting up the place, so he is the supreme power, and they are completely cut off and dependent on him. ”
“If Talon was killed in Eccles, wouldn’t that confirm all the old suspicions?” Brad asks. “Jackson could really use that to his advantage.”
“But he wasn’t counting on us,” Rex says, smiling. “He probably thought we’d just take out their guys and not bother tracking them all the way up here.”
“It’s just the right amount of cunning and short-sightedness for that fucker,” I say.
“It would have been very neat,” Rex says. “‘Oh no, Talon’s dead, and it was evil Eccles that killed him. Now we have to lock down, and woe is me, I guess I’ll take up the heavy burden of leadership.’”
“That sounds about right,” I reply, nodding.
“Where is this crazy little fuck?” Luke demands. “I want to squeeze him a bit and see what oozes out.”
“He should be here by now,” I say, turning to lead the others over to the park.
As predicted, Jackson has arrived, and he’s standing in a group of adoring public. The grill is sizzling with meat from the previous day’s hunt, and a picnic is being set up, most of it from Jackson’s private stock.
If I’m right about his plan, how is he going to get it back on track? He needs to get rid of all of us if he wants to rule Clover like a little dictator.
“Shawn!” Jackson says, hurrying over to shake my hand. “Good morning to you—and our allies from Rose Hollow and Eccles. Come on in, Alpha Rex and Alpha Bradley. These must be your lieutenants?”
“Yes,” Rex says, giving Jackson’s hand a firm shake. “Thank you for the warm welcome.”
“My pleasure,” Jackson says. “Sit down, please, and have some cold beer. I’ve brought plenty of food so everyone can indulge themselves today.”
“Much appreciated,” Brad says. “We had a long journey.”
“Now that our alpha is here, and his friends from the nearby packs, I’ll continue with my announcement,” Jackson says, turning back to the people. A lot of them are smiling up at him, and I start to get a weird, creepy feeling.
“Renovations will be done on every single building in town,” Jackson says. “I will see to it that the standard of living is raised for all the wolves in the pack. My men and I will personally supervise supply runs to Eccles and Rose Hollow for resources.”
“Excuse me?” Rex mutters.
“Along with improvements to the buildings, we’ll be linking our supply routes to theirs to bring in modern amenities, including technology.”
Grateful whispers run through the crowd, and most people gaze at Jackson like he’s the second coming.
“What the fuck?” Brad hisses.
Jackson goes to open his mouth again, and I step forward and grab his shoulder.
“Jackson, what the fuck are you talking about?”
He turns to me with a puzzled smile. “Didn’t you want to raise the standard of living here?”
“Yes, of course I do, but—”
“And don’t your friends have resources to spare?”
“Somewhat, but not—”
“I’m your beta,” Jackson says firmly as a challenging glint comes into his eye. “And I am your voice in the pack. I’ve personally made arrangements for all of this to be done. Do you have a problem with any of it?”
“I do, actually,” I state, my voice firm.
“We made no such plans. You do not have my permission to allocate resources or begin any public works. Yes, we plan to change things around here, and the other packs are planning to help, but you can’t just assign assets that don’t belong to you without negotiating with the other alphas. ”
“My apologies,” Jackson says, lowering his head. “I thought you’d be pleased.”
“Well, I’m not!” I snap. “You do not act on my behalf, nor do you speak for me. I am the alpha, and all major decisions regarding the pack will be made and announced by me. Is that clear?”
“Crystal,” Jackson answers, nodding, and I see just a hint of a smile on his face. “I’m very sorry, Alpha Shawn.”
I take a step back and look at the crowd, seeing a sea of disappointed faces. At that moment, I realized I stumbled headfirst into a well-laid trap.
Jackson just made me look like a tyrant. But what can I do? I can’t let him act like an alpha, either—then I’d look like a piss-weak pup!
Jackson looks up at me again, and I can see hatred simmering in his gaze. I’d hoped for a peaceful solution to this situation, but now it looks like that will be impossible.
I need some evidence against him to show the pack who he really is, or they will just hate me for killing him. How can I make him show his true colors to them?