Chapter 21
“Yes, I know,” Jaxom’s dad said the moment he picked up the phone.
“I need to come home,” Jaxom said.
He’d leaned deeper into the mate-bond to feel out Drake.
Not that he didn’t believe him. He needed to feel their new mate, too.
Drake was the connection with Hayden being underage and Jaxom being three hours away.
Mind-linking would be difficult at this point but the completed mate-bond with Drake was always there no matter the distance.
It just wasn’t as strong, but it was unbreakable.
“You’ll have to see this through. We are stretched thin with the Festival,” Alpha Steven, not dad, said firmly. There was definitely an Alpha tone in that statement.
“I’m not staying away all week.” Jaxom challenged back just a firmly. He’d never felt the need to really stand up to his dad. They talked, worked things out. Most importantly, they worked together.
“Two nights. This pack is important. It needs to be investigated. Elder Kent has received complaints. My plan was to call you an hour ago but I was busy with your new mate situation.”
“What have they done?” Jaxom asked. He tried to keep the anger out of his voice but having linked in deeper to Drake, his wolf was on the prowl, demanding to go home to mate or draw blood if they didn’t go home right away.
“Abuse of pack members. Rogues have been killed without any chance to explain or ask for help. Pack members claim the Beta is trying to raise a coup against the Alpha. That his injury was caused by the Beta. I can’t tell you if the Alpha, or the Beta, could be for us or against us.”
“Dad, I…”
“I know, son,” his dad said with a degree of compassion. “Use your drive and authority to get this ironed out. If you can get a sense of pack politics, and calm down the rogues, you can come home.”
“Fine. I’m ripping the pack apart. They can put it back together,” Jaxom said with finality.
“Just don’t get yourself jailed,” Alpha Steven chuckled as he hung up.
Alpha Gideon Sarr was waiting for them on the steps of the pack house. He was using one crutch because of a broken leg. The opposite arm was in a sling. Two weeks and he’d be healed. No shifting in the meantime.
“Thank you for coming, Alpha Jaxom,” he said. “Beta Allen Waite is on the eastern boarder. Can you send some men? I can send a guide to lead them out.”
“I got this. Gamma Peter, take five and get our sleeping arrangements situated. I’ll take the rest.” Jaxom said as he and his men stripped. No need ruining clothes by shifting. “Ben Jensen, lead on.”
It was a short run to catch up to Beta Allen. Fur and claws, tooth and fang. His wolf was out to hurt whoever was stupid enough to get in his path.
Jaxom could feel rogues tracking him. They wouldn’t approach him or his men. A rogue not looking for a fight didn’t make sense. Jaxom could hear them raising havoc against Beta Allen. They were putting up a good fight.
Beta Allen was surrounded by four rogues.
His fighting skills were impressive. Jaxom charged in, snapping the leg of one rogue.
Two more retreated. The fourth squared off with Jaxom to protect the injured rogue.
And again, Jaxom couldn’t figure out why.
Rogues didn’t work together. They were solitary creatures.
The rest of the rogues had cleared out. Jaxom’s men were slowly surrounding the two remaining ones. Jaxom took the opportunity to shift. The rogue protecting the injured one was getting intimidated but didn’t want to leave him.
“Shift,” Jaxom commanded.
The two rogues and all the rest of the men had no choice. Jaxom had intended only the rogues shift. He was channeling more Alpha power than intended.
The two rogues were underfed and scrawny. And worst of all, young. They couldn’t have been a day over 18. He growled at the apparent abuse. These two should be finishing school, safe in a pack not fighting for their lives.
“Please, Alpha Jaxom, he’s my brother. We just wanted to move through.”
“What’s your names? What pack did you leave?”
“Howling Pack. I’m Turk and this is Lance. We weren’t trying to harm anyone.” Turk was visibly shaking.
“How old are you?”
“18 and my brother is 19.”
Jaxom growled. Too damn young. Thoughts of Hayden beat at him. Wolf needed his new mate.
“Why did you go rogue?”
“We just…” Turk looked down at this brother who nodded in encouragement. “We wanted to look for our sister. She disappeared. Our Alpha said we either stayed or went rogue, so…”
“Damnit.” Jaxom ran his hand through his hair. His men looked angry. Beta Allen’s men were ticked. “You’re joining my pack right now. How old is your sister?”
“Fifteen, Alpha Jaxom.”
Jaxom squinted at him, “How do you know who I am?”
The young man shifted nervously, “Everyone knows who you are.”
“Huh. I have a ceremonial knife to bring you into the pack at camp. Yager,” Jaxom called over one of his men. “Can you carry Lance back to the pack hospital?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Beta Allen, let’s talk.” There was something about the Beta that Jaxom liked. He’d felt slime around Alpha Gideon. He needed to know why.
“I’ll tell you anything you want to know,” Beta Allen said with slight bow. No one had ever bowed to him before.
“What’s wrong with your pack?”
“All of my men are loyal to me, not the Alpha. We are bleeding money and we’ve also had three young girls and two boys disappear in the past three months. Oddly enough, the bank account went back up afterward. But I can’t track where the money went or more importantly, where it came from.”
“What else?” Jaxom’s voice was rough in anger.
“Look in the dungeons. Alpha Gideon won’t let me or my men down there anymore.
I do have men imprisoned in the dungeon but I can’t check on them.
Gideon does have men left loyal to him. They’re stronger and brutal.
Nothings been the same since Alpha Gideon’s dad died.
I honestly think his death was arranged but have no proof. ”
“If I find you’ve lied to me, you’re a dead man. Tonight we help you patrol. Tomorrow I get a tour of everything.”
Jaxom and seven of his men took the first half of the night patrolling with Beta Allen’s men. After the rogues got wind of Jaxom, apparently, they’d left the pack lands. They got back to base camp around 1am and Beta Allen took seven more of Jaxom’s warriors to patrol until breakfast.
The night had been uneventful, but the movement had lulled Jaxom into some state of sleep.
Before he fell asleep, he called his dad to check on Drake and Hayden, not wanting to wake them up.
Waking his dad was pay back for sending him to this pathetic pack.
And, it amused Jaxom to mess with his dad.
He needed a source of amusement at the moment.
“You talk to Drake, yet?” His dad sounded angry.
“No. What happened?” Jaxom sat up in his cot, fully awake and ready for a fight.
“Beta Marcus assaulted Hayden. He’s out of surgery. The poor kid’s been dosed with wolf’s bane. Broken ribs and nose. Punctured lung.”
Jaxom got out of the tent before he shifted and accidentally ripped it apart. He was growling and his men were getting up to find out what was wrong. Jaxom waved over Gamma Peter.
“I’m fine. Nothing the men need to worry about. Make sure everyone gets some rest. We’re picking this place apart in the morning.”
Jaxom walked to the edge of their camp but no further. He could feel Gamma Peter’s eyes on him, watching him. No walking alone.
“They’re transferring Hayden to your suite right now with round the clock nursing. Dr. Lina said the poison is out of his bloodstream.”
“What are you doing about Marcus?” Jaxom asked low and gravely. His wolf was pissed.
“We’ve arrested him, Hayden’s mom, and the Alpha couple. They all knew what Marcus was doing. Marcus was rip roaring drunk. Doesn’t change what he did. He will pay.” Jaxom’s dad put him on hold for a moment. “I’ll call you back, son.”
Jaxom put the phone down and tried to relax in the tent. He’d sleep later. His dad called him back and Jaxom’s temper got even worse. He took a few minutes to try and get under control after he got off the phone. He needed to get home.
He had enough time to calm down before the phone rang. Drake’s handsome face popped up on the screen
“Yes, I know what happened. No, I’m not mad at you. Yes, I’m coming home late tomorrow night. Yes, I took care of most of the rogue situation because my temper is a bloody mess and someone needs to fucking kill Beta Marcus.”
Drake let out a chuckle/sob. Jaxom’s anger fueled rant made his mate relax.
“It’s good to hear your voice,” Drake said.
“Right back at ya, mate. Dad didn’t want to disturb you but you need to know. Someone tried to break into the room Hayden had been in at the hospital.”
“Oh, shit.”
Jaxom could hear Drake’s wolf was pushing to rise.
“They don’t think it was someone from the Ice Claw Pack.
Asher and Tarra will be staying with us in the spare room for the foreseeable future.
Hayden will be incredibly vulnerable until he’s marked by us.
Dad thinks there are people who don’t want to see that happen.
It’s been five hundred years since three males have been fated mates.
Since the Lycans died, all triads have died right before all three were marked. ”
“Are you in danger?” Drake asked.
“Technically, yes. But, I’m also itching for another fight so good luck to whoever wants to come at me. I’m not weak in bed because some sadistic monster was pumping me full of wolf’s bane.”
“What are they going to do with Marcus?”
“What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”
“Are you serious? They're giving him wolf’s bane?”
“They’ve already started dosing him. Dean has been demoted to Omega.
And, Hayden’s mom is never getting out of prison.
She knew what Marcus was doing. They have multiple pack members singing to the rafters about all the mismanagement of the pack and what they witnessed of Hayden’s treatment.
He had friends in that pack, Drake. They are the only reason he’s still alive. ”
“At least we know he wasn’t completely alone.”
“And, he never will be now.”
“Have you seen the picture I sent of him?”
Jaxom’s voice instantly softened. He was definitely feeling the new mate-bond through their bond. “I have. Sandy blond hair, way too thin, and amber colored eyes. He’s beautiful.”
“Yeah, he is. He let me feed him at lunch.” Drake sighed. He was sounding pretty content at the moment.
“He did? Does that mean he’s feeling a bit of the mate-bond?”
“I think so.”
Jaxom relaxed back in the chair. He’d needed to talk to Drake. It was helping him relax. Just the sound of his voice was soothing.
“I’m not going to tell him we’re mates,” Drake said. “I don’t want him feeling pressure. His job is just to get well. Relax. You and I will take care of tomorrow for him.”
“Dad’s going to be glad when I get home. I’ve probably called him eighty times for updates.”
“I’d be a frantic mess if I were you. Hell, I am a frantic mess. I feel so stupid. I should’ve known he’d go back to his abusers.”
“You know better than anyone else the kind of twisting an abuser can have on a kid. That’s why you’ll be so much help to him.”
“I hope so. We’ll see.”
“I know so and you will see. Now, Mr. Alpha Drake Loftus Bane, get your pj’s on and snuggle up close to our mate. It’ll confuse the hell out of him but he’ll also feel safe. Remember, the doc said holding hands would help.”
“Yes, sir. Get home soon Mr. Alpha Jaxom Steven Bane. I can’t wait for you to meet him.”