White Knight (Blackwood Pack Book 8)

by Mary Rundle

  ~/~/~/~/~

  “Who are you?” asked Mac after Kieran entered the bedroom, wondering how this powerful Shaman found out about his patient.

  “I’m Kieran,” he said softly, walking to the side of the bed, looking down at the person his spirit told him about. “I can help, do not worry.” Sitting on the edge of the bed, he placed his hands on the frail arm resting on top of the covers and began drawing out the darkness smothering the heart.

  Keeping an eye on the Shaman, Mac checked his patient’s vitals, surprised to see them improving. “What are you doing?” he asked, moving to the other side of the bed.”

  “Removing the darkness that’s killing her,” Kieran whispered, absorbing the grief, despair, and hopelessness inside and replacing them with love. It was an arduous task to peel back each layer and, as he removed years of crippling blackness, his aura slowly began to darken. He knew many repetitions would be necessary before she’d show any improvement but his determination to give her a fighting chance kept him stripping away as much as he could this time.

  ~/~/~/~/~

  Giving Hunter one last dirty look, Logan headed over to the porch, hoping no one asked questions about why Kieran disappeared into the motorhome because he had no answers to give. Stopping at the foot of the steps, he looked up, zeroing in on the duo Jackson wanted. “Ian, Colton, Jackson needs you right away,” Logan said quietly, not wanting to reveal his agitation.

  “Is someone sick?” asked Ian, squeezing through the crowd. “Do I need my bag?”

  “Yeah, you might need it,” Logan answered.

  “I have it, babe,” Colton said, taking his mate’s hand as they descended the front steps.

  “Is there a problem?” asked Slate, wrapping his arms around Dakota who was holding Daniel.

  Cursing to himself, Logan debated what to say; any lie would be detected. Not able to come up with anything, he glanced at Steel, knowing Jackson had already told him what was happening and, seeing him silently mouth “no,” said nothing.

  Steel then answered Slate’s question. “Someone is sick in the motorhome and Jackson wants Ian and Colton to see if they can help.” Turning toward Dakota, he reached for Daniel.

  Giving a quick nod of assent, Logan said, “Ian, Colton. C’mon, Jackson wants to talk to you first.” Then, abruptly leaving with them, he was able to dodge answering any questions.

  ~/~/~/~/~

  “What the fuck do you mean, Hunter—you ‘did what your mother wanted’,” growled Jackson, pissed at his cousin’s explanation. “What does your mother have to do with this? Why didn’t she contact me? Don’t you think I…hell…my brothers have the right to know?” He was getting worked up, now, trying to control his raging wolf. “Don’t you think we might have helped? You didn’t think about that? Fuck—you’re an Alpha! You could have simply called me, and no one would’ve stopped you.” Jackson averted his gaze, unable to look at the man he’d spent his youth admiring. Now those fond memories evaporated when he found out the real reason his cousin had contacted him.

  Stepping away, Jackson fought to keep his power under control, knowing he’d regret any action taken in the heat of anger. Clenching and unclenching his fists, he stared at the ground, searching for his Omega part to help cool his Alpha half. Inhaling deeply, Jackson began to calm down.

  “Jackie?” murmured Logan, standing behind his brother. “I have Ian and Colton.”

  His emotions now under control, Jackson swiveled and said, “What I’m about to tell you will be shocking but neither of you can reveal anything…especially you, Colton. I’m worried about Dakota and until we can sort everything out, I don’t want him to know because of his condition. Understood?”

  ~/~/~/~/~

  Mac sat down next to his patient, watching as the aura of the Shaman continued to grow darker and heavier, forcing his body to bend forward. Unsure of exactly what Kieran was doing, there was no doubt it was helping—his patient’s restlessness had quieted, the thin and thready pulse was stronger, and her breathing had improved.

  Remaining silent, Mac sent a prayer of appreciation to the Fates about the miracle he was seeing. He knew some would never believe it, but he was ready to take on all doubters. His patient was barely alive when Hunter brought the motorhome to a stop in front of the Blackwood Pack house and, though he’d tried everything that worked in the past, nothing was working now, not even Robin’s voice. When Hunter stuck his head in before going out to meet Jackson, he told his brother she didn’t have much time left so he’d better act quickly. Now, though, the Shaman had bought her a little more time, and for that, Mac owed him a lot.

  Kieran fought back against the blackness consuming him, knowing the toll it was taking on him, but afraid if he stopped, she’d die, so he struggled on. His body nearly bent in two, his breathing labored, the weight of the darkness crippling him, yet he refused to remove his hands. Fighting his spirit who wanted him to stop, Kieran knew if he could save her, it would be the greatest gift he could ever give his mate.

  ~/~/~/~/~

  Speechless at what Jackson revealed to Ian and himself, Colton stared at his brother, refusing to believe what he just heard. How? It can’t be! This is some kind of trick! Deciding he had to see for himself, he turned away from his brother, taking a step toward the motorhome before Jackson stopped him.

  “Cool it, Colton,” Jackson ordered. “I have your other brothers to consider. Now, Ian, given everything you know, how do you suggest we proceed without causing any harm?”

  Hearing Colton’s name, Hunter glanced at the large wolf shifter standing next to the smaller one. Taking a discrete sniff, he was surprised to find an omega—a pregnant omega—who was in deep discussion with Jackson. How the hell did a male omega end up in Jackson’s pack? Turning his gaze back to the porch, he saw two of the other triplets, one of whom was holding a pup, along with two other large wolf shifters each holding a pup. How come Mason didn’t tell me about pups being in this pack?

  Now that Jackson knew why his cousins had come to visit, Hunter was close to fulfilling his late mother’s request. All he and his wolf wanted to do was grab their mate and leave, letting Jackson handle everything else. Hopefully, it would be easy, but somehow Hunter knew in his gut it wouldn’t, especially with the Alpha power Jackson possessed. That was another strange thing he couldn’t explain and, when he added in the omega, well that was just too many questions he didn’t have answers for. Hunter hated not knowing answers. His father always warned him never to make a decision if there were still unknown factors and the longer he was here, the more questions with no answers filled his mind.

  Setting those thoughts aside, Hunter’s eyes roamed over the rest of the group, looking for his mate, wondering if his mother knew his mate would be waiting for him here. He wouldn’t put it past her; she always held her cards close to her chest, but this was too much. As to how the Alpha would react to losing a pack member, he couldn’t hazard a guess. He just hoped Jackson wouldn’t try to stop it or fuck it up in some way. Locking his gaze once more with his mate, Hunter smiled, feeling the bond growing between them as his wolf strutted back and forth, showing off his gleaming black coat while assuming the proud posture of an Alpha.

  ~/~/~/~/~

  Mac was looking down at his patient when the Shaman collapsed on the floor, lying deathly still. Jumping up from the bed and crouching down to examine him, he was shocked. Rising and yanking the bedroom door open, he shouted, “Mase, get Hunter, NOW!” Returning to his new patient, he began giving him CPR.

  Hearing a rapping on a window from inside the motorhome, Hunter turned to see Mason frantically gesturing to him. Holding up a finger to let his brother know he’d be there shortly, Hunter turned back to look at his mate, who was no longer there. Alarmed, he searched the group, trying to see where he was. Taking several steps to his right so he could see behind the huge shifters blocking his view, Hunter’s eyes narrowed. What the fuck? Where did he go?

  Chapter 2

  Log
an was listening to Ian when he felt the pull on his mate’s bond and their spirit screaming in his head. Kieran was in trouble! Turning on his heels, he raced toward the motorhome, calling out “Ian, Colton, come quick! It’s Kieran!” Grabbing the door handle, Logan nearly pulled it off in his rush to get to his mate. Taking the steps in one bound, he found himself facing his astonished cousins. Ignoring them, he followed his spirit to where his mate was and pushed open the door. Kieran was lying lifeless on the floor. Logan cried out in anguish as he knelt next to Mac, placing his hands on his mate and closing his eyes as he tried to revive him.

  Hearing Logan yelling to him, Ian rushed to the motorhome with Colton behind him. Once inside, he homed in on Kieran’s scent, heading to the back where he found him receiving CPR from an unknown man. “Get out of the way, please, I’m a doctor. Colton, take over giving CPR. Logan, please move up to Kieran’s head but keep your hands on him.” Ian ordered, pushing the man aside.

  After seeing three of his pack members disappear into the motorhome, Jackson took a step towards it before stopping. Turning to Hunter, he said, “C’mon. Logan’s mate’s in trouble and I don’t want any problems with your brothers.” Then the two of them ran toward the motorhome.

  Kneeling down, Ian quickly examined Kieran before saying, “Colton stop, please.” Observing an imperceptible rise of the Shaman’s chest, Ian said, “Logan, Kieran’s alive but very weak.”

  “I know. I’m trying to remove some of the negative emotions he received,” said Logan. “He did too much. I should have been here with him.”

  “His aura has lightened since you arrived,” Mac said.

  Looking up, Ian snarled, “You saw how dark it was and you let him continue?”

  Joining them, Jackson glanced at the bed and, realizing the truth of Logan’s words about their mother, offered a quick prayer to the gods, thanking them for their gift. Looking down at Ian, he asked, “How’s Kieran?”

  “He’s extremely weak, but with rest and his mate’s strength, I believe he’ll be okay,” Ian responded.

  “Do you want to move him to a bed in the hospital?” asked Jackson.

  “Not right now. Whatever Logan is doing is working and I would prefer to wait for Kieran’s vitals to become stronger before moving him,” Ian replied.

  “What about Mom?” asked Jackson.

  “I haven’t examined her yet,” Ian replied.

  “I asked him to stop, you know,” Mac said. “He refused. He said he could do it. And he did. He saved her. He saved your mother.”

  Looking over at Mac, Jackson asked, “Who are you?”

  Hunter spoke up. “Jackson, he’s my brother, Dr. Mac Evans.”

  “So,” growled Ian, “you were willing to let someone die so you could save your patient?”

  “Now, wait a minute…” Hunter snarled.

  “We can discuss it later,” ordered Jackson. “Right now, I want to know when we can move both patients to the hospital. Ian, when you get a chance, can you please check Mom?”

  Nodding, Ian bit his tongue to keep him from saying anything else about his thoughts on medical competency of Dr. Mac Evans.

  “In the meantime, Hunter, “Jackson said, “I’d like to meet the rest of my cousins.”

  Bristling at the implied order, Hunter hesitated, pissed at being treated as something less than the Alpha he was but, in the end, gave in. He led Jackson to the front of the motorhome where three of his brothers sat, all eyeing him warily. “Jackson, this is Mason, Sawyer and Robin. Guys, this is Jackson Alpha of the Blackwood Pack—and your cousin.”

  After hellos were exchanged, Jackson asked, “I assume Mac is your twin, Sawyer?”

  “Yes, but I’m the handsome one.”

  “Bullshit!” Mason snorted.

  “You wish!” snickered Robin.

  Giving a brief smile at the responses, Jackson asked, “Where’s Quin?”

  When he heard the question, Mason stood, giving an inscrutable look to Hunter and Jackson before walking around them and disappearing into his younger brother’s bedroom.

  Raising his eyebrow, Jackson looked at Hunter, “What was that for?”

  Shaking his head and not wanting to get into Quin’s history, Hunter headed for his bedroom. Opening the door and sticking his head in, he smiled at his brother. “Quin, honey, Jackson wants to meet you.”

  Moving slightly behind Mason, Quin nodded. He wasn’t sure he wanted to meet the Alpha who radiated so much power it even penetrated the walls of his bedroom, but knew he had no choice. At least Mase was here to protect him.

  Listening to his cousin speak to his brother, Jackson wondered what to expect when he met Quin. Then, moving aside, Hunter let him get his first glimpse of his youngest cousin. Schooling his face to remain impassive, Jackson nevertheless saw the fear in Quin’s eyes, triggering Jackson’s protective instincts. Gentling his features and pulling back his Alpha power, he smiled and said, “Hi, Quin, I’m Jackson. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

  Flicking his eyes between Jackson and his brother, Quin tried to figure out what was making Hunter so upset. It was obvious something was going on that neither of the Alphas wanted to talk about and that increased his anxiety. Moving behind Mason, Quin looked at the floor, but knowing Jackson was waiting for a reply, murmured, “Nice to meet you, too.”

  After hearing his cousin’s soft voice, Jackson backed out of the room to give Quin back his sense of security; he wondered what was causing the fear he saw. Heading to the other bedroom, he vowed he’d find out and see if there was anything he could do to help. Now, though, it was time to make a decision. Looking at his mother and then Kieran, he breathed a sigh of relief as both seemed to be doing better. “Ian, what’s the status on Kieran and Mom?”

  “Kieran is much better, but I want him to spend the night in the hospital so I can keep an eye on him. We’ll make up a room so Logan can be with him. Your mom is in a light coma but is resting comfortably. According to Dr. Evans, Kieran’s efforts helped her tremendously; of course, I can’t verify that until I have a chance to review her chart.”

  Ignoring Ian’s sharp tone, Jackson asked, “Can we move them to the hospital now?”

  “Shortly. Colton has to get the rooms ready before we do.”

  “That’s okay. I have to tell everyone about Mom first,” Jackson replied. “Do you want to be there when I do?”

  “I think I should.” Turning to his mate, he said, “Colton, stay here until I get back.”

  “If Colton is needed at the hospital, I can watch over the Shaman and Aunt Hope,” Mac offered.

  Hunter saw the hesitation in Ian, and it pissed him off. “My brother, Doctor Mac Evans, is a fully certified doctor and has been caring for Aunt Hope for the last several years.”

  “That’s okay, Hunt,” said Mac, softly, “I understand why they’d want their own doctor to take over.”

  Ian exchanged glances with Colton, then sighed. He didn’t know why he was being so rude to a fellow physician and it wasn’t helping the situation. But after Jackson had told him about Dakota’s close relationship with his mother, there was a real possibility the shock of finding out she survived the massacre could cause him to miscarry his pup. Putting aside his animosity toward Mac, Ian replied, “That would be fine. The sooner we move them, the better.” Then looking at Dr. Evans, he said, “Please check Kieran’s vitals every five minutes to make sure they continue to improve. If that doesn’t happen, send someone to get me. The same goes with Hope.”

  “Will do,” said Mac, glancing at his watch, before getting ready to take his Aunt Hope’s pulse.

  “Hunter, may I speak with you outside?” asked Jackson.

  Snorting at the thinly veiled order, Hunter turned, heading to the front of the motorhome. “Stay here guys,” he said to Robin and Sawyer. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Once outside, he walked far enough away so his brothers couldn’t hear anything, then turned around to face Jackson, crossing his arms defiantly in front of him.
Hunter knew what was coming next and he’d be damned if Jackson interfered with his mating.

  “Look, I know one of my pack members is your mate, but I’m asking you to back off for a while until I handle this thing about my mother,” Jackson said.

  “Why should I? My mate isn’t one of your brothers.”

  “I know that, but the news of our mother surviving when we all thought she was dead will be earthshattering to them and I need to concentrate on that first. I give you my word, once this crisis is over, I’ll introduce you to your mate.”

  Hunter studied his cousin, the cousin who worshipped him when they were children, but unlike him, had risen to the role of an Alpha with unbelievable power. Now instead of using it to force his way, Jackson was asking him nicely—which didn’t make sense at all considering how he’d used his Alpha power to put him down, before. Why the about-face? Another question without an answer. Hunter was at a decided disadvantage since he didn’t know the name of his mate nor what connection he had to the Blackwood Pack. Swallowing his anger at the whole mess, he nodded. “Fine, I’ll wait.”

  “Thanks. One more thing, would you keep an eye on Logan and Kieran? If anything happened to Kieran, my brother would die.”

  “Sure.” Hunter pushed past his cousin as he headed back to the motorhome, bumping Jackson’s shoulder but not caring about it. All he wanted to do was to take his mate and head back home as soon as he could and, if it required babysitting Logan and his mate, he’d swallow his pride and do it.

  As Ian opened the door of the motorhome to leave, he nearly smashed Hunter in the face. Apologizing but getting no response other than a grunt, he smirked and, walking over to Jackson, asked, “What’s got his panties in a twist?”

  Chuckling at Ian’s apt description of Hunter’s persona, Jackson said, “Who knows? Hunter’s always kept his motives hidden. Let’s go. Tell me how you want to do this.”

  ~/~/~/~/~

  Their spirit helped Logan dissipate the blackness in Kieran. Slowly, he felt their bond grow stronger, allowing his mate to breathe easily again. He’d never forget seeing his lifeless mate on the floor and he owed Dr. Mac Evans an enormous debt for keeping Kieran alive until he and their spirit could take over. Watching the doctor check his mate’s pulse, he said, “Thank you for what you did. By saving my mate, you saved me because he truly is my life. If there’s anything within my power I can ever do for you, please let me know—no matter what. I swear it will be done.”