by Mary Rundle
“Yes but…” Colton started to answer, but Jackson cut in.
“Right now, mom’s condition is stable, but I want to hear from Ian first. If he approves, I’ll schedule visits for everyone. Okay?”
“Yeah,” Zane replied.
“Is Carson coming?” asked Colton.
“Yup,” Carson answered his brother as he claimed a chair in front of Jackson’s desk. Looking around, he asked, “Is Logan coming?”
“I’m not sure,” replied Jackson. “Did he say anything to you, Colton?”
“Me? No, why?”
“Isn’t Logan in the hospital with Kieran?” asked Jackson.
“Oh, I see,” replied Colton. “No, Kieran wanted to rest in their bedroom and Ian agreed so I haven’t seen them since they left the motorhome.”
“Well, that’s good to know,” said Jackson.
“What is?” asked Logan, striding into the room with Steel behind him.
“Colton said Kieran is better,” answered Jackson, as Steel sat down next to him.
Grabbing the other chair in front of his brother’s desk, Logan said, “He’s much better and, hopefully, sleeping by now.”
“Babe, will you get Hunter?” Jackson asked his mate. “Everyone’s here.”
“Sure,” Steel replied. “Be right back.” As he left the study, Dylon walked in and sat next to Cody.
Looking around the room, Jackson noted the stiffness of his brothers’ bodies as if bracing themselves against some unknown force. He couldn’t blame them because he felt the same way—Hunter’s recital would affect them all. The question he was wrestling with in his mind, though, was whether the outcome would make his pack stronger or tear it apart. Then, he spoke. “A couple of ground rules. First, do not attack Hunter…physically or verbally. He isn’t responsible for what mom went through. Second, if you have questions, ask them respectfully. The reason is the same as number one—he’s just the messenger.”
“But he is responsible for not telling us sooner,” Carson said.
“Maybe. But until we know what happened, let’s not assume anything. And remember, only I get to decide if he’s responsible,” Jackson emphasized, before continuing. “Third, please let him finish an answer before asking him another question and finally, if at any time, it becomes too much for any of you, just get up and leave. Attendance is not mandatory.”
“When can we see mom?” Zane asked Jackson, again, worried she would die before he saw her.
“Probably sometime tomorrow…once Ian gives the okay. Any other questions?” Hearing none, Jackson stood, waiting to greet his cousin.
~/~/~/~/~
Norm brought in the empty platters, setting them down on the island, noticing Theo was still making sandwiches. “Why are you making more, honeybunch?”
“For the cousins. They haven’t eaten yet.” Continuing to slice the roast beef, Theo’s mind was busy thinking about what else he could add. Stopping for a moment, he checked the pantry and smiled when he found some bags of chips. Grabbing a couple, he added them to the pile of wrapped sandwiches already made.
“But honeybunch, the Alpha won’t allow them in the house until Hunter can answer all the questions,” Norm replied.
“I know…I plan to take them out to the motorhome. Will you look for the picnic basket Dakota has? I know it’s here somewhere, just forgot where I saw it.”
“Wait! I don’t want you near the cousins. Didn’t you hear what the Alpha said? He doesn’t trust them!” exclaimed Norm.
“Whether he trusts them or not doesn’t matter. They need to eat and, besides, Dakota would want me to take care of them. He always says food tames all beasts, so I hardly think the cousins are going to attack me if I bring them sandwiches,” Theo grinned.
“But honeybunch…”
“You can come with me if you’re so worried about my safety,” Theo said. Finished with wrapping the sandwiches, he wiped his hands on a towel and then, placing them on Norms’ chest nipped at his fiancé’s jaw before kissing him. “Pooh bear, this is my job and I love it. When we were in Scotland, Kota asked me if I’d like to assume more duties in the kitchen. When I asked him if he thought I was ready, he told me I was a natural and he had complete faith in me. No one, other than you …and Ki, ever had complete faith in me, not even my parents, and that means so much to me, especially because it’s my job. I feel useful for the first time in my life. I don’t want to let Kota down, so please, please, please, let me go.”
Swallowing his objections after hearing Theo’s plea, Norm smiled, “Dakota’s right, you know, you’re very talented and I’m so happy you found your passion. I’ll be proud to go with you, honeybunch.”
“Aww, thanks, pooh bear. I love you.”
~/~/~/~/~
Mason wasn’t happy about Hunter insisting on going to meet their cousins without him, but there was little he could do about it. So far, nothing had gone to plan and Jackson’s request for only Hunter to meet with him and his brothers was just another example of how fucked up the trip had become. The shifter who’d come to get his brother introduced himself as Steel, the Alpha’s mate, which didn’t make much sense since it was clear he was a bigger, more powerful wolf than Jackson. Watching Hunter walk away towards the Blackwood Pack house caused Mason’s stomach to do summersaults because nothing was as it should be. Sighing, he turned away after Hunter was swallowed up by the huge house. Then he faced three of his brothers who’d gathered in the dinette.
Sawyer stared at Mason. “Well, are you going to tell us what’s really going on?”
“What’s so hard to understand?” asked Mason. “Hunt told you Jackson just wanted him to talk to our cousins.”
“Sawyer’s right, Mase. Hunter isn’t telling us the whole story,” Robin said.
Damn Hunter! Leaving me in a bind! “Sorry…think what you want but if you have questions, ask Hunter,” Mason growled, tired of being the one his brothers always accosted when Hunter was less than truthful. Leaving the dinette he said, “I’m going to check on Quin.”
Waiting till Mason was gone, Mac, who’d been silent during the conversation, said, “Remember the guy who rushed in here to find Aunt Hope? Well, you’ll never believe this, but he’s a Shaman.”
“So what’s the big deal? Packs usually have Shamans,” Sawyer said.
“Yeah, I know that,” replied Mac, “but this Shaman is different.”
“How?” asked Robin.
“Well, first of all, he has extraordinary power,” Mac said. “Do you know what he did? He laid his hands on Aunt Hope and removed the darkness that was killing her. He saved her! I watched as his aura became pitch black...he collapsed…his heart stopped beating. When his mate came…”
“Who’s his mate?” asked Sawyer.
“Our cousin, Logan…Jackson’s twin. Anyway, Logan put his hands on the Shaman, and sucked the black out of the Shaman’s aura and his heart began to beat again,” Mac said. “I’m telling you…I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
“I wonder if Hunter knew Logan and Jackson had mates?” asked Robin.
“I don’t think so,” Mac said. “Neither he nor Mase ever said anything about mates. And listen to this. You know that doctor who came back to take over from me? He’s a pregnant Omega wolf shifter.”
“A male Omega? You’re shittin’ me,” uttered Sawyer.
“No, I’m not. And I’m not sure, but I think our other cousin, Colton, is the doc’s mate,” Mac said.
“Colton? Isn’t he one of the triplets?” asked Robin.
“Yeah, he is,” Mac said.
“You’re sure the Shaman saved Aunt Hope?” asked Sawyer.
“Yup. When we arrived, I’d have sworn she’d die within the hour. But after the Shaman treated her, Aunt Hope is much better and resting quietly.”
Sawyer’s eyes widened., “What the fuck is this Blackwood Pack? I mean…look at what they have…off the charts Alpha power…a Shaman with tricks up the gazoo…a pregnant Omega. No wonder the
y don’t want us to get any closer.”
Chapter 7
Hunter hid his reaction to the Blackwood Pack house while following Steel through the great room to Jackson’s study, where the brothers were waiting. Where did Jackie get the money to build something like this? Stumped again for an answer, he set it aside as he entered the room. Whoa! That’s a lot of power Jackie is throwing out! Jackson was standing and his mate moved close to him. Like he’s guarding my cousin. From me?
“Hunter, thanks for coming,” Jackson said.
Huh, like I had a choice. Looking around the room, Hunter saw one empty chair and assumed it was meant for him. Striding over, he sat down, then waited; the meeting was Jackie’s to run so he kept quiet.
“You’ve met Logan and Colton,” Jackson said, sitting down. Then, pointing at the others in turn, continued, “This is Cody, his mate Dylon, Zane and his mate David, and Carson.”
Glancing over at Zane, who was born after his family moved east, Hunter got a close-up look at the mark of the gods on David. What the hell! Was this who mom told me about! Staring at the shifter, he suddenly heard a low growl that, raised his wolf’s ruff. Trying to pinpoint the source, he zeroed in on Zane again. Now what? Before he could figure it out, he felt a surge of Alpha power forcing him to look at Jackson, after which the growl subsided.
“Go ahead, Hunter,” Jackson said.
“Where’s Dakota?” asked Hunter.
“He won’t be joining us,” Jackson replied.
Why Not? Hunter stared at Jackson, wanting to know the answer but bit back his question. Remembering why he was here, he ran a hand over his face, inhaling, then slowly letting his breath out. Fuck! Where to start? Dropping his hand, Hunter began. “On the day of the massacre, Aunt Hope had gone to meet a friend who’d called that morning. After arranging for her pups to be fed and put to bed by one of the girls who usually helped her, she left to pick up her friend in a town that was some distance from the pack’s land.”
“Do you know the name of the friend or what town they met in?” asked Cody.
“No,” said Hunter, shaking his head, before continuing. “After their evening out, she headed back home with her friend who was going to stay overnight because it was so late. When they turned off the highway, they could smell smoke and see flames shooting up into the sky. Aunt Hope sped up, worried about her pups, but her friend made her pull over, insisting they go the rest of the way on foot. Approaching the house through the woods, they finally got close enough to see what was happening.”
Hunter hung his head, gathering strength to go on. Burying his face in his hands, he hid the tears that filled his eyes; the next part of the story would hurt his cousins deeply and he didn’t want to do that. The pain Aunt Hope carried all these years would settle in his cousins’ heart and they’d never be the same again. How could my mother ever have thought doing this would be the right thing? It was beyond his understanding.
Immersed in his thoughts, Hunter felt himself slipping away until he felt a hand gently squeezing his shoulder. Lifting his eyes, he found Colton standing next to him, his face gentled with sympathy.
“Hunter, are you okay? Can I do anything to help?” Colton asked, softly.
Shaking his head, Hunter replied, “No, I’m just gathering my thoughts.”
Nodding, Colton gave him another reassuring squeeze before returning to his chair.
Picking his words carefully, Hunter resumed, his voice and face emotionless. “When they emerged from the woods, Aunt Hope’s friend saw what was happening and realizing they were in danger, pulled your mother back into the safety of the forest. Then, crouching in the bushes, they heard a shifter shouting to someone—who turned out to be Josiah—that everyone was dead, all of you, your siblings, your father and mother. Josiah then ordered the shifter to make sure the fire kept burning until the bodies and pack house were reduced to ashes.
“Aunt Hope fainted when she realized all her pups were dead. Her friend pulled her deeper into the woods, hiding both of them from Josiah. When daylight came, Aunt Hope was still unconscious, but her friend sneaked back to see if anyone had survived. She found no one—the massacre had taken them all. Eventually Aunt Hope woke up, never saying anything about what she’d seen and just silently followed her friend to the car.
“My mother received a call that morning from the friend, explaining what happened. Mom sent Mac out to California to get your mom and, thankfully, her friend agreed to wait with her until my brother arrived. According to Mac, your mother said nothing during the flight home—just sat there with tears streaming slowly from her eyes. When they finally arrived and Aunt Hope saw my mother, something snapped. She began sobbing hysterically, trying to escape, screaming she was going to kill Josiah. Finally Mac had to sedate her.”
Hunter paused, his eyes seeking out each cousin, hoping they wouldn’t ask him for details about the massacre. It was bad enough to carry them in his head; it would be so much worse for his cousins. “Mac was forced to keep Aunt Hope under sedation for quite a while until she was able to cope with her loss—at least better than she had when she arrived. Even though my father was sick, he made sure Aunt Hope was protected and safe. I think he and my mom felt if they could do that, your mother would recover.
“But she never did. Day after day, she’d sit on the back porch, looking west into the forest, her eyes always moving, looking for her pups to come home. When she became too agitated, my brother, Robin, would sit with her, playing his guitar, and that would help calm her down again.
“When my father died, I didn’t become Alpha, so I moved our family to a new home, away from our pack. Aunt Hope seemed to do better, there. Mac thought it was because there were no pups scampering around to remind her of the tragedy. Everything was going okay, but then my mother got sick. Aunt Hope nursed her, but when my mother died…” Hunter paused, bending his head forward as he fought back tears before getting control of himself so he could continue. “When my mother died, Aunt Hope suffered a relapse. It was as if the massacre had just happened, but this time she didn’t have any more will left in her to fight her overwhelming grief.”
Silence filled the room. Jackson glanced at his brothers, finding tears and grief on their faces and reacting the same way. Though Hunter had spared them the graphic details of the massacre, their imaginations did not. Picturing their mother’s suffering caused by Josiah’s horrific act, their wolves howled for revenge, yet they all sat still, refusing to give into it. At that moment, Jackson saw how far he and his brothers had come since that fateful night. They were older of course, but it was more than just that. Each had walked through the fires of hell and somehow survived to find happiness. Jackson vowed at that moment that no matter what it took, he’d help his mother find happiness again.
When his eyes finally landed on Hunter, Jackson saw the toll it had taken on him—forced to relive the story of Josiah’s treachery. Hearing it was bad enough, but his cousin…all of his cousins…had lived it since the day they received the call from his mother’s friend. And no matter how hard they might have tried to let it fade their Aunt Hope was a constant reminder of the hideous deaths Jackson’s siblings suffered. “Hunter, thank you,” Jackson said, softly, the omega in him wanting to offer comfort and ease his cousin’s pain. “It wasn’t easy for you, but I know I speak for my brothers when I say how much we appreciate it. We owe you and your family a lot for taking care of our mom all these years.”
Jackson’s words soothed the jagged edges of Hunter’s pain; he was grateful for it. Telling his cousins the story was what he’d dreaded most since learning from his mother they were still alive. And it was the reason he’d dragged his feet asking for permission to visit. Mason knew why, but thankfully his brother never called him out on it. In the back of his mind, Hunter had hoped his cousins would become so involved with getting their mother back, that he’d then be able to quietly leave without having to say much. But that hope was shot to hell when he discovered his mate standing o
n the porch. Anyway, now that the ordeal of the meeting was over, Hunter could breathe again and finally begin to lock up the bad memories in the back of his mind. Responding to Jackson’s words of gratitude, Hunter said, “Thanks, but you owe us nothing. She’s family.”
The room fell silent. Then Dylon turned to his Alpha. “Jackson, I have a couple of questions.”
Glancing at Cody’s mate, Hunter sensed Dylon’s strength, far more than a wolf shifter should have. Another Blackwood Pack mystery. He waited for Jackson to answer Dylon.
“Go ahead.”
“If I got this right, your family thought everyone in the Fox River Pack was dead, is that correct?” asked Dylon.
“Yes,” Hunter replied.
“So what changed that caused you to inquire about the pack several months ago?”
“My mother had several visions before she died…one of them was about the seven of you. That’s why she thought you guys might be alive. Finding all of you was one of the last requests she made to me before she died,” Hunter answered.
“Was your mother a seer?” asked Cody.
“Yes.”
“Whose idea was it to contact the High Council?” asked Dylon.
“My brother, Mason. I didn’t think anything would come of it but since I couldn’t come up with a better idea, I asked him to do it,” Hunter said.
“Have you seen the complaint Jackson filed against Josiah?” asked Dylon.
“I have.”
Dylon then pushed further. “Why didn’t you become Alpha when your father died?”
“Personal reasons…nothing to do with Aunt Hope,” Hunter answered.
“Why didn’t you mention his mother was alive in your emails to Jackson?”
“Why do you think?” Hunter asked. “To protect her, of course. My mother was very worried Josiah would find out Aunt Hope was alive and come after her.”
“But she’s our mother,” Colton said. “It also seems like you thought she needed to be protected from us. Why?”
“Because I knew nothing about any of you. Hell, maybe you were in cahoots with Josiah…maybe you made a deal with him and that’s why you were alive…maybe he was spying on you through Jackson’s email…there are a million reasons why I chose to keep that information secure,” Hunter growled. “I promised my mother I would protect Aunt Hope, so I did what I felt was necessary to fulfill my promise.”