Chapter 2 #2
Since Jesse got tired so easily, he couldn’t go out and roughhouse with the other pups in the den. It killed Quinn inside that he couldn’t let his son go out and be a normal little pup, but if he did, Jesse would just grow weaker faster.
He had no idea what to do, and the fact that no one had been through this before made him feel so damn helpless. Helena had not only killed a part of him when she’d left, she’d irrevocably changed the way their son would grow up.
He would never be able to forgive her for deciding that she didn’t want to be a mate and mom anymore.
That was, if he could ever find her.
She’d run away and cut ties with the Pack by using a dark witch. That fucking witch and her powers had ruined everything in his life, and he was only now able to pick up the pieces.
Just another reason he wanted nothing to do with Gina.
He didn’t trust witches. Not when they had the power to hurt his son and any bond he might have had.
He didn’t know what Gina could do, nor did he want to bother learning.
The more he learned about her, the more she could learn about him, which would give her more power to hurt those he loved.
He was done being a doormat for those who wanted something better.
That little Redwood wolf would just have to deal with him in meetings and then go home. He wouldn’t be finding out more about her, wouldn’t be learning how she worked or what she did in her free time.
He’d do his duty because his Alpha had ordered it, and then he’d leave.
He couldn’t afford to follow the path his wolf seemed to want. Oh yes, he felt the way his wolf brushed up against his skin, wanting contact, wanting the brunette Redwood wolf.
Well, that wasn’t going to happen. His wolf would just have to deal with the hand they’d been dealt five years ago. It had worked so far, and he wasn’t going to chance fate and his son’s life again.
“Daddy? Uncle Walker says you are going to be on a council. What’s a council?” Jesse asked and Quinn bent down so he was at eye level with his son.
He ran a hand over Jesse’s hair and smiled. “It’s a group of wolves that works together for a common goal. I’m on one now with the Redwoods and some of the Talons you know.”
Jesse nodded, his little face serious. “Do you think I can be on a council when I get older?”
Something inside Quinn clutched at the thought of his little boy older but he pushed it away. “Of course. You can be anything you want to be.”
Jesse grinned then looked over at Walker quickly. “Cool. Because Uncle Walker said if you could do it, anyone can.”
Quinn growled, gripped his son around the stomach. “I think it’s time for you to learn what happens when you listen to Uncle Walker. It’s the tickle monster!”
Jesse giggled and tried to get away, but Quinn didn’t relent, tickling his son until they were both laughing and out of breath on the floor.
“No mercy!”
“Please, Daddy!”
“Tell me I’m the master of the universe!”
“You’re the master of the universe!”
“Tell me Uncle Walker stinks!”
“Uncle Walker stinks!”
Quinn grinned over his shoulder at Walker, then patted his son’s stomach. “You were saved. But remember, I am always watching.”
Jesse yawned and Quinn shook his head to clear his thoughts.
Already the new council and one of its members were distracting him from what was really important in his life.
Yes, the Pack and the danger from within and what seemed to be coming was number two on his priorities. His son was number one.
Gideon knew about the broken mate bond and had given Quinn leeway when it came to Pack responsibilities.
Quinn was one of Gideon’s lieutenants, in essence, a bodyguard. He would willingly lay down his life to save his Alpha’s. Though that would leave Jesse alone without him, he knew the Brentwoods would take him in as one of their own.
The parallel to Gina’s own history was not lost on him.
That didn’t mean he’d listen to those thoughts.
Instead, he pushed them aside and picked up his son. Jesse mumbled something intelligible in his ear then fell asleep on his shoulder. Quinn sighed, gave Walker a look, and then went to go tuck his son in.
It wasn’t even dark yet and Jesse was asleep.
Quinn knew Jess was deteriorating, but it was as though Jesse—and Quinn for that matter—were trapped in quicksand.
No matter what he did, nothing helped. Whenever he tried to find a way to help his son, he and Walker ended up in pain, and his son was no better.
There had to be a way to keep Jesse from fading away, but Quinn didn’t know what it was.
Maybe, just maybe, if they found favor with the moon goddess again, she’d save his son.
He didn’t hold out much hope for that, though. He’d given up on fate long ago, but if it meant that his son would live a healthy life, he’d do everything in his power to make that happen.
He tucked Jesse in then went back into the kitchen where Walker sat with two beers. Though they were wolves and their metabolism burned through alcohol quickly, it was the symbol that mattered. Plus, he just liked the taste.
Walker sipped his beer and studied him. Quinn just sighed and let it happen.
The other wolf always seemed to do that.
He was a thoughtful Healer who used his quiet nature to put his patients at ease, unlike the Redwood Healer, Hannah, the witch who used her smiles and soft words to help her den.
Quinn had only met the woman a few times over the years, but he’d had no qualms about her or her two mates.
They were a true triad, and their bond helped Hannah’s Healing.
Walker had only himself, and sometimes Quinn thought the other wolf figured it wasn’t enough.
The fact that no one could heal Jesse made it seem only more evident.
Maybe when Walker took a mate, things would be better.
Just another reason they had to figure out what was wrong with their Pack.
“Gideon is on his way,” Walker finally said.
Quinn took a sip of his beer, letting the amber ale settle on his tongue before he swallowed. Right then, if he could find a way to get drunk without drinking a couple of bottles of tequila, he’d eagerly take it.
As it was, he was forced to deal with his warring thoughts and the fact that his Alpha had put such trust in him. He didn’t know that he was worthy.
He wasn’t the same wolf he’d been before Helena. He was only forty-five, yet he felt so much older.
“Did he tell you about what the meeting covered?” Quinn finally asked. He needed to get his head out of his ass and actually pay attention to the man in front of him, rather than a past he couldn’t change.
Walker nodded. “Yes. You’re leading a new council.” He raised a brow. “Or, rather, co-leading with Gina.”
Quinn scowled at the way the other man said her name. As if he knew her more than he should or something.
“How do you know Gina?”
Walker took a sip of his beer, his gaze on Quinn. “She sometimes works with Hannah when she’s not working with Adam.”
Quinn frowned. “I thought she was going to be the Enforcer. Not the Healer. Why would she need to work with Hannah? And how did I not know you work with Hannah?”
Walker rolled his eyes then put his beer down.
“First, I work with Hannah because she’s the closest Healer to me.
It’s nice to have another person who understands the bonds I hold with the Pack.
Though her power is different because it comes from her witch blood, rather than being a wolf, it has the same basic premise as mine.
As for Gina, she works with Hannah because Hannah is not only family, but a witch. ”
At Quinn’s dumbfounded look, Walker shook his head.
“Gina needs guidance when it comes to her powers. She’s only in her twenties, so she has a lot to learn.
Hannah had not only her own mother to teach her how to use her powers, but the coven as well before she left years ago.
Years before she even met the Redwoods and her mates.
Gina doesn’t have a mother who can show her the ropes.
I believe Gina’s mother, Larissa, was just beginning to get to the baser parts of their magic when she and her mate, Neil, were killed.
” Walker sighed. “Melanie might be a strong and powerful Alpha female and a fantastic mother, but she is not a witch. She can’t show Gina what she needs because it’s not inherent to her. So Hannah helps.”
“That’s nice of her,” Quinn mumbled.
Walker snorted. “The whole Jamenson family works as a unit. I mean, all of them are mated, and most of them have two or three children. Kade and Melanie have seven kids, just like Kade’s parents had.
They’re a huge family. They might be around our age, but they’re further along than the Brentwoods when it comes to matings and procreating. ”
Quinn sighed. “Well, they also had a previous Alpha pair who knew what the hell they were doing. Edward and Patricia were wolves of legend.” He shook his head. “Our previous Alpha? Not so much.”
The fact that Quinn was talking about Walker’s father was not lost on him. Then again, there was no love lost with that family tale and the history of the Talons.
Walter just lifted a brow then picked up his beer for another drink.
Quinn looked over when he scented his Alpha and Beta at the door. They didn’t bother to knock since he hadn’t locked the door behind him. Plus, they were always welcome in his home because they helped protect his son.
“I see you’ve started on the drinking without us,” Gideon said, his voice tired. Quinn didn’t know what it felt like to be Alpha, but he knew he’d never want the weight of that responsibility on his shoulders.
Mitchell scowled then went to the fridge, pulling out a couple of beers. Mitchell was a pain in the ass, but considering what the man had gone through, Quinn didn’t blame him one bit.
“So, a council,” Quinn said once they were all seated and drinking. “Why didn’t you warn me?”