Reeve’s eyes flicked over to Steel before returning to the Alpha’s. Neither of their faces gave any clues to their thoughts about his visit other than friendly curiosity. Returning the smile, Reeve said, “The High Council has removed Josiah as Alpha of the Silver Point Pack and has assumed control of the pack for the interim.”
“Who replaced Josiah?” Jackson held his breath, hoping it wasn’t Josiah’s second.
“Me.”
Raising one eyebrow, Jackson murmured, “I’m surprised Rudy allowed it.”
Reeve chuckled. “Rudy wasn’t in any position to object…he was arrested for the killing of your family and the rest of the Fox River Pack. And I expect more charges will be forthcoming once I have completed my investigation.”
“What about Josiah?” asked Steel.
“We haven’t found him yet,” Reeve replied. “Do you have any idea where he might have gone?”
Shrugging his shoulders, Jackson shook his head. “I have no idea…maybe to see his son. As far as I know, Kahn is the only family he has other than his wife and daughters.”
“He’s not there,” Reeve replied. “But don’t worry, we’ll find him.”
“Excuse me, Agent Nicolet,” Steel said, the power of his Dire Wolf coming through in his voice. “While I appreciate your confidence in capturing the fugitive, it provides very little comfort to us. This miserable excuse for an Alpha has been hunting my mate and his brothers since the massacre, so I’m sorry, but from where I’m sitting, we havea lotto worry about.”
“My apologies,” Reeve said, tilting his head in respect. “I certainly didn’t mean to make light of the situation Alpha Blackwood and his brothers were thrust into by Josiah. May I assure you, I take this matter very seriously, as does the High Council. It’s been a long time since an Alpha ordered an attackthat killed an entire pack, and the High Council is determined that all parties involved in the act be punished and that full restitution be made to everyone who suffered as a result of it.”
“Have you identified any others who were there that night?” asked Jackson.
“My investigative team is currently questioning every member of the Silver Point Pack to determine if any were involved or had knowledge of the pending attack,” Reeve answered. “And until a pack member is cleared of any wrongdoing by my team, they are prohibited from leaving.”
“What about the Silver Point enforcers?” asked Steel. “They were hunting my mate and his brothers…what safeguards do you have in place to prevent that from happening now?”
“My enforcers have replaced Josiah’s enforcers who are now confined to their quarters until they’re cleared by my investigative team. Once that happens, they will be escorted off Silver Point lands and warned about what will happen if they set foot on it again.”
“What about my mate and his brothers?” asked Steel. “Kicking them off Silver Point lands still won’t prevent them from coming after us, will it?”
“You have a good point,” replied Reeve. “However, I don’t have the authorization to do anything else. I’ll speak to my boss to see what can be done and then get back to you…if that’s all right?”
“Fine,” Steel growled, “but don’t take too long.”
“I won’t,” Reeve said. “Do you have any other questions or concerns?”
“Will we get a copy of the results of your investigation?” asked Steel.
“Yes, once I’ve submitted the final report to the High Council, and after they’ve reviewed it, a copy will be sent to you,” Reeve replied.
“Do you need anything from me?” asked Jackson.
“Actually, I do,” Reeve replied. “Usually, the High Council decides on the restitution, but in this case, they’d like you to indicate what you feel would be a fair settlement. I know…”
“You don’t know shit,” growled Steel, his anger rising.
Placing his hand on his mate’s knee to calm him, Jackson waited a moment, allowing Steel to regain control of his wolf. Then, giving Reeve a withering look, Jackson’s voice suddenly hardened. “How can I put a price on my family’s lives or the lives of the other members of the Fox River Pack? Will the death of Josiah and Rudy and whoever else was involved be enough? Will those deaths give me and my brothers back the years we were forced to hide while Josiah hunted us? The dreams we had to give up? What about the emotional scars we still endure? What amount of money will ease the guilt we bear because we survived while our younger siblings died?”
Reeve had finally come face to face with Jackson’srealAlpha—the man staring at him with ice-cold, blue eyes was the reason his brothers survived the years Josiah hunted them. Young as Jackson was for an Alpha, his spine was diamond hard; he had more courage than most Alphas Reeve had met. Without a doubt, he knew there wasn’t any way Jackson ever would have allowed anyone to harm his brothers, no matter what was required of him. Bowing his head, he murmured, “I didn’t meanto offend you, Alpha, and I apologize if I did. I’ll pass along your comments to my boss.”
Taking a deep breath, Jackson slowly exhaled, then said, “Please do…in the meantime, I’ll talk to my brothers.”
“Thank you…is there anything else you’d like for me to tell my boss?”
Jackson looked at Steel and, after seeing a curt shake of his head, turned to Reeve. “Not at the moment…but I expect to be kept apprised of any potential danger to my pack so I can take steps to protect my members. Understood?”
“Absolutely,” Reeve said, taking a card from his jacket. “And I would appreciate letting me know if you hear from Josiah. You can reach me at the number listed.”
