Chapter 23
Morning couldn’t come soon enough. Jaxom had achieved a few hours of sleep after talking to Drake. It had been just enough to dream of fleeing with his Luna again, which pushed his temper even higher.
The sun finally stuck her lazy head up over the horizon. Any other day, he’d think it was beautiful. Today, it reminded him that his new mate was in bad shape and someone, other than Marcus, wanted him dead.
Jaxom mind-linked Yager, How are the boys?
Lance is in a cast and resting. They’ve both had breakfast and we’ll be headed your way shortly.
Call for a couple of warriors to escort you.
Yes, Alpha.
“Gamma Peter,” Jaxom said as he stomped to the breakfast buffet in their camp.
“We’re turning this place over today. In twos, the men need to stick their noses into every nook and cranny.
I need a tech savvy wolf to get into the computers to go through pack finances.
If we need to take the computers, we’ll do that.
We need to know if it’s Alpha Gideon as Beta Allen claims. His men didn’t protest me taking in the two rogues. ”
“Says a lot, doesn't it?”
“Yep. I’m taking the dungeons. Make a bet Alpha Gideon isn’t out of bed yet. He sure didn’t look very injured.”
Jaxom finished breakfast and started his prowl. It had always felt weird to bring camping equipment and their own food to a pack. This time he was grateful. He didn’t trust the Alpha and the few people he saw were too thin, like food was a scarcity.
All across the realm, crops had been failing. Blight was attacking trees, specifically nut and fruit trees. But most packs had done fine weathering the farming problems because they had gardens and fields planted. This pack had nothing of the sort.
And, where were Alpha Gideon’s other warriors? He’d only seen activity from Beta Allen’s select few. They had his respect for trying to guard the pack but so few men would get burnt out quickly.
“Alpha Jaxom,” Ben Jensen said as he came into camp. “Beta Allen sent me to escort you.” The man was red haired with a grizzled beard and scars that promised he could throw down in a fight. He had the look of a man who had seen some things. Jaxom had liked working with the man yesterday.
“Beta Allen has suggested I see the dungeons.” Two of Jaxom’s warriors had wolfed down breakfast and ran to catch up to him.
“This way, Alpha,” Ben said as he led the way.
The dungeon was a short walk through the woods.
Some Alpha’s wanted their prisons close to keep tabs on the goings on.
Some, as in this case, didn’t want prisons too close to keep the seeming peace of the pack forefront.
Alpha Steven had rebuilt their jail right beside the pack house.
The facade matched the pack house. It brought continuity to the look and convenience of access.
Ben knocked on the door asking for entrance. A surly man opened a peephole. He looked Ben up and down, glanced at Jaxom and said, “No touring this place. Prisoners would get too rowdy.”
Jaxom placed a hand on the door and leaned towards the man. “You don’t want to refuse me.”
“Not my problem. Already asked Alpha Gideon. He said this place isn’t your need to know.”
Jaxom had enough. He’d given the man a warning. That was all he got. Jaxom twisted the handle of the door until it squealed and broke off in his hand. Two hard kicks and the pathetic bolt broke allowing Jaxom and his little party access.
His men had the surly guard down on the ground and restrained. Ben retrieved the keys off the guy’s belt. “There’s a small cell to the side here where he can chill out while we observe the goings on here. I didn’t think the door was that breakable. At least, you made it look easy.”
“I’m in a bad mood. Lead on, Ben.”
Two guards were already at attention as Ben unlocked the door to the room. Ten cages on each side of the hallway were filled with at least 40 men. That wasn’t a good sign.
“How many of you answer to Gideon?” Jaxom yelled for all to hear. No one answered. “How many of you answer to Beta Allen?”
“I do,” rang out in all the cells.
Jaxom nodded. It didn’t surprise him. What really caught his attention was in the last cell. He was already in a bad mood, rage had him hitting the roof.
A woman stood in the corner of the cell naked, bruised, and battered. Her light brown hair hung in greasy clumps. Her face was bruised and swollen. There were cuts on her swollen lips. The dried blood between her thighs spoke of acts too vile to comprehend.
A young boy stood in front of her as her shield from prying eyes.
The bruises on his chest, face, and arms said he’d tried to be more than just a shield.
His shirt was in tatters on the floor. A stained mattress told of activities Jaxom knew shouldn’t have happened in there.
The boy’s ankle was chained to the wall the young woman was pressed against. Four feet in length if Jaxom was being generous.
Not long enough to get to the mattress on the other side of the cell and stop things from happening.
“Leave her alone,” the pup yelled at Jaxom. He had his fists in the air ready to box whoever came into the cell.
“Who is she to you, pup?” Jaxom asked.
“My sister. I’ll kill you if you touch her,” the boy raged. Spittle flow out of his mouth.
“It’s okay, Sean,” the woman said softly. She patted his back, trying to soothe him.
“Sean’s right. It’s not okay.” Jaxom took his shirt off and threw it through the bars. Sean caught it and handed it to his sister, fists back in the air to defend her. “Who are you? How’d you get in here.”
The woman straightened her shoulders and back. Jaxom was impressed to see the strength return to her by just having a shirt.
“I’m Sonja McKinley. You’ve met my brother.
Alpha Gideon is my fated mate. He rejected me four days ago but didn’t want to give up the, um, perks of, well…
” Sonja closed her eyes as she stuttered to a halt.
After she collected herself, she was able to go on.
“Sean broke in yesterday. Him being here didn’t stop anything.
I told him to stay away but you can see how well he listened. ”
“Sean is a warrior. I’d have done the same at his age if I’d had a sister,” Jaxom said softly as his wolf was battering at him to get out. It took effort to hold him back just a little longer. “I’m Alpha Jaxom of the Blood Moon Pack. You are welcome to join my pack.”
“Thank you, Alpha,” Sonja said as she wilted in relief and probably a lack of food.
Jaxom mind-linked Gamma Peter, We need five men here. The Alpha is a dead man.
Ben had the cell unlocked and the boy unchained.
“You can’t take her. You have no authority here,” a guard protested.
“You didn’t keep your hands off my sister, either,” Sean railed at him.
Jaxom’s wolf took over. Claws popped out of his hand and the guard looked at him in shock as he bled out from the slash marks to his throat.
“And that one?” Jaxom asked Sean, pointing at the other guard.
“He’s the only one that fed the prisoners,” the boy looked at Jaxom in a fair amount of awe.
“Let’s get your sister out of here, little warrior.” Jaxom turned to address the other prisoners. “My men will be questioning you. Does anyone have any grudge against this guard?”
“No, sir. The boy has it right. The only good one in the lot. I even heard him tell the other guards to keep their hands off the girl, but they didn’t listen.”
“Looks like you run this place now,” Jaxom said to the stunned guard. The man must not have expected the prisoners to stick up for him. Jaxom stepped over the body with Sonja and Sean close behind him. Five warriors were already in the main entrance of the dungeon as Jaxom left.
Yager, I need clothes for a woman and young man, Jaxom mind-linked.
They got Sean and Sonja in a tent. The pack medic was in with them to assess injuries. Sonja needed more medical treatment at their pack hospital but that would have to wait a little longer. Jaxom would be home tonight.
Jaxom’s phone rang.
“Hey, dad.”
“You killed a guard of Alpha Gideon’s?”
“Yes. And he’s next.”
“No.”
“Yes,” Jaxom growled.
“Arrest him and bring him here. Put the Beta in charge if you’re comfortable with him.”
“How’s Drake and Hayden?”
“Hayden is up and moving every few hours. They say he’s in pain but taking it like a champ. I take it you’re coming home tonight? You have enough evidence against Alpha Gideon?”
“Plenty. I’ll try not to kill the scum.”
“I can’t defend you if you do. Pull it together just a few hours longer.”
“Fine.”
Alpha Gideon did not appreciate being jerked out of bed by Jaxom. Apparently the little weasel had never been spanked as a child. There was no room for pity for this man.
“I found your mate,” Jaxom roared as he slammed the man into the wall.
“She tried to kill me!”
“Try again,” Jaxom shoved him down the stairs.
Little Alpha Gideon yelped in pain at the bottom of the steps.
His casts had mysteriously fallen off. Props from a play.
“Is that what Alphas do? Play sick in bed to let others protect the pack for them? Rape women in front of their brothers? Allow good men to get locked up so your Beta can be taken out by rogues? Or how about spending pack funds and then selling pack members into all kinds of slavery to refill the funds so you can play some more?”
Jaxom picked the pathetic so called Alpha up by the nape of his neck. He threw him out of the pack house and down the stairs to the front lawn. The man’s arm was now officially broken.
“Beta Allen,” Jaxom pointed at the man. “Do you agree to take the temporary Alpha position for this pack?”
“I do,” he stepped forward.
“Does anyone here object to Alpha Allen’s leadership?” Jaxom roared for all to hear. Most of the men from the dungeon were standing behind the man.
“Allen!” A man yelled, fist in the air. The chant was quickly taken up.
Jaxom’s men hauled Gideon to the truck where he was restrained and locked down for the trip home. Jaxom got in the first SUV with Sonja and Sean in the backseat. Yager had Lance and Turk in a vehicle with Gamma Peter.
“Dad?” Jaxom said over the phone. He’d put the divider up between the front and back. Hayden was private.
“You almost killed him,” his dad answered drolly.
“Almost is not did,” Jaxom replied with indifference.
“At least you know there’s still a line. Hayden is doing well. Definitely confused to be holed up in your suite.”
“You talk to him yet?”
“Yes. We’ve taken custody of him until his 18th. Drake is loving playing nursemaid. He won’t admit it, but he’s completely smitten.”
Jaxom felt his chest ease. He’d felt that through the mate-bond. It made the drive home easier. He was able to switch out driving so he could text with Drake. His big guy was already comfortable enough with Hayden to not be guarded around him. He couldn’t wait to meet his new mate.
Gamma Peter got their new pack members settled in the hospital.
Gideon taken to his own cell at Beta Tim’s escort.
The rest of the men took care of the gear.
Oddly, they didn't want Jaxom’s help. He was firmly told to get in the pack house as fast as possible.
It wasn’t like he was riding a temper or something.