Chapter 9 #2
Hank understood. In the last hundred years or so, no jaguar child was raised in the kind of comfort and safety the wolves had here.
Only in recent times, since Mark had stepped up and created the community on Jaguar Island, had there been any hope for the young to grow up in safety and peace, without fear.
Without learning what it meant to fight and kill at too young an age.
“I’d almost envy these wolves,” Pax said quietly. “But their kids are weak compared to the way we were at that age.”
“Be glad of that,” Hank told them. “Otherwise, you would’ve had a worse fight on your hands tonight, and we’d be coming under fire from the Alpha for hurting children.”
Ari looked sharply at Hank. “There is that,” he admitted after a moment.
“I wonder what it would have been like,” Pax mused quietly. “To have grown up so innocent?”
All three men were quiet a moment while they considered that statement. Then, Hank spoke up.
“That’s one of the things Mark is fighting for. A peaceful place, where our young can grow up without fear. Free to be just children, not warriors at a young age.”
“But then, they’d be too soft. Too unprepared for what’s coming,” Ari protested quietly, a wistful look on his face.
“Not necessarily,” Hank countered. “They all train and are taught. They know that the world outside our island holds danger for our kind. They are never let out into the world unprepared. But while they live on the island, they are safe. Free in a way we never were.”
The twins seemed to think about that for a while. It was Pax who spoke, after a long pause.
“That sounds like…” He cleared his throat. “It sounds idyllic.”
“It is,” Hank told him. “But you’ll see it for yourself. You can make your own judgments.”
“If we ever get your mate situation straightened out,” Ari commented, somewhat sarcastically. “Any progress on that front?”
Hank bristled. He didn’t really want or need interference from these two relative strangers, but it looked like he was stuck with them for the remainder of this mission. He couldn’t tell them to buzz off. Not like he wanted to. And the smug bastards knew it.
“She sent me home,” Hank admitted. “But I think we made great strides forward before that happened.”
“I’ll translate,” Ari offered with a grin. “Our boy got laid.” He tapped his nose and winked. Hank knew they could smell the subtle hint of Tracy on him.
Hank growled at the bloody twin. “None of your business,” he said, knowing it sounded juvenile, but powerless to keep the words from coming out of his mouth.
Ari only laughed. His twin was grinning too. Idiots.
“What you need, boy-o, is a strategy,” Ari said when he finally stopped guffawing. Hank’s inner cat stilled. It liked strategy games. And, Hank had been thinking that he needed to come up with a plan, he’d just drawn a blank so far.
“You know,” Pax put in from his seat on the couch, “I think her father might help. He seemed very interested in holding you accountable, but he also looked like a man who wanted to see his daughter happy.”
“You gonna make her happy?” Ari asked slyly.
“Of course,” Hank replied without demur. His number one goal in life now, was to make his mate and child happy and keep them both safe.
“Then her dad ought to help,” Pax concluded. “From everything we’ve seen, he’s a good Alpha, with tight control over his Pack.”
“You should call him tomorrow morning,” Ari said, nodding to himself as if the matter was already settled.
Hank wouldn’t be so easily led, but he had to acknowledge—at least to himself—that the twins might have something there. He stood and headed for his bedroom.
“I’ll think about it,” was all he said before opening his door.
He heard derisive chuckles behind him as he went in and closed the door to his bedroom behind himself. Let them laugh. If it turned out for the best, he’d thank them in the end for their advice. If it didn’t, he’d hold it against them for the rest of their lives.
The next morning, the twins were already gone when Hank woke up at seven a.m. He didn’t worry too much about it.
They could take care of themselves, and they’d shown discretion last night by not wiping the floor with the juvenile wolves who’d attacked them.
The more he was around the two jaguars, the more he respected them.
Not only were they skilled operators—something Hank had known from working with them previously in the military—but they were thinking men who didn’t abuse their power.
He’d seen them at home with their small Clan in Arizona, and they were tolerant of the children and affectionate toward their family members.
They weren’t just soldiers, in his mind, anymore.
They were complex beings he felt he could be friends with, if the situation allowed it.
It all sort of depended on what happened when they got to the island.
If they rejected Mark’s offer politely, then the possibility of friendship was still open.
If, however, there was some kind of blow up, then Hank’s loyalty had to be with Mark and the larger Clan.
The best case scenario, of course, was if the twins decided to entertain Mark’s offer and begin the process of affiliating the Arizona Clan to the larger Jaguar Clan.
If they could be brought in under Mark’s overall leadership, then not only could the friendship develop further—if that’s what was going to happen—but they would be allies and Clan mates.
Hank hoped for that outcome. Not only because he found himself liking the twins more and more, but because he’d liked the Arizona Clan.
They might be small, but they were as warm and steadfast as any jaguar Clan that had survived this long.
They were good people, struggling in a world that wasn’t entirely welcoming to their species.
Hank knew all about that struggle and hoped the Arizona Clan would join the larger Clan.
They’d be stronger for it and would have all of the resources Mark had built at their disposal. They’d be safer.
Hank wanted that for them. And he wanted to add the skills of Pax and Ari Rojas to the bigger Clan’s skill set. Those twin Master Chiefs would make strong allies and even better friends. Hank hoped that was the future in store for them all, but only the Goddess knew for sure.
After a quick shower, Hank put on his last clean shirt.
He’d have to either do laundry or go shopping if he wanted to continue making a good impression.
Dirty shirts weren’t going to cut it on this particular mission.
He’d have to look into his clothing crisis later, though.
First, there was an Alpha to get on board with his plan.