Raising one eyebrow, Jackson stared at Reeve, waiting for him to concede. When the man refused to lower his gaze, Jackson released some of his Alpha power, but other than a blink or two, Reeve stood his ground. Debating whether he’d gain anything by using his full Alpha power, Jackson decided against it—the law was on his side. “As you know full well, registering is not necessary to make Smokey a member. In fact, even if he hadn’t claimed a member of my pack, it’s up to me—and me, alone—to grant him membership.”
Gritting his teeth, Reeve nodded, pissed that Jackson knew the law, but he still had several tricks he could pull out of his hat that the Alpha probably wouldn’t know about. Nevertheless, he’d have to proceed carefully, at least until he discovered the secret Jackson was hiding about the power he tried using on Reeve. Gesturing for Jackson to go first, he asked, “Should we see what your pack member did that warranted his celebratory bellows?”
Without answering Reeve, Jackson gave the signal for his enforcers to move again and they all headed towards Smokeyand, hopefully, Jackson’s mother. Drawing closer, he heard Smokey and Hope talking which helped ease his worry. Eager to see for himself that Josiah had done her no harm, he sped up. Rounding the last bend in the path, he began to breathe easily for there, before him, stood his mother. His eyes quickly searched her for injuries, and he was relieved to see nothing more than a few bruises.
Slipping past Jackson, Reeve paused, surveying the bloody remains scattered about on the forest floor. Looking at Smokey, he asked, “Josiah?”
Smokey nodded, but before he could say anything, he glimpsed Jackson holding a finger up to his lips, cautioning him to remain silent. And considering Smokey was now face to face with the asshole who made his time in training a living hell, he had no problem whatsoever with that.
“What happened?” asked Reeve.
“Not now,” Jackson said testily. “My mother’s been traumatized and I insist that any questions must wait until both she and Smokey are home.” Then, stepping around Reeve, Jackson walked over to his mother, reaching out to hug her.
Leaving Smokey’s side, Hope eagerly responded, hugging him back. It felt so good and she thanked the gods for saving her from Josiah’s cruelty. Now, her family was safe. “I can’t believe it’s finally over,” she whispered, looking up at her eldest son. “I owe so much to Smokey.”
“We all do,” Jackson murmured, savoring his mother’s scent. He wondered how he could repay Smokey, but it would start with protecting him from Reeve. Jackson had a sneaking suspicion the man was going to charge Smokey for the killing of Josiah and, if so, he would discover it wasn’t going to be easy.
Tucking Hope under his arm, Jackson looked at the gruesome scene surrounding them before shifting his gaze to Reeve. “I’ll leave this to you to clean up,” he said. “I’m sure the Council will want proof Josiah is dead. When you’re finished, you can come to the pack house and talk to Smokey.”
With a nod from Jackson, Groose signaled his men to form a protective circle around Jackson, Hope and Smokey. Once that was done, he said, “Ready, boss.”
Satisfied, Jackson said, “Let’s go home.”
~/~/~/~/~
Willow had told Jackson she’d promised Smokey she’d make sure Hope’s grandbabies got home safely. But after being assured that Steel, Norm and a contingent of enforcers were on their way to bring the kids and Theo back, she decided to return to the house to wait. Once there, however, anxiety began to gnaw at her and to keep it in check, she headed to the kitchen, knowing they’d all be hungry when they got home.
As she prepared some beef stew, Willow checked the time, surprised it was so late. Once the table was set, she headed outside to wait and began to worry again about why Steel and the kids hadn’t arrived yet. Her tiger was restless, which didn’t help, and when her impatience finally got the better of her she decided to shift; her tiger would be better suited to fight in case there was trouble. She was just about to shift when Carson, Remy and the others who’d accompanied them to the Witches’ Council, materialized on the grass in front of the porch.
“That was fun,” Kieran giggled. “Almost as much fun as riding onmacushla’sdragon…it’s certainly faster but then you don’t get to see the stars at night or the moon…of course, there’s not much else you see at night so I guess it’s kinda like transporting.”Lifting the cover on Queenie’s cage, he peered in at the quiet bird. Poking a finger through the bars he stroked his feathers, murmuring, “Hey, sweetie, I bet you’re hungry.”
“Suck me! Fuck me!”
Giggling, Quin said, “I think you better find Queenie a mate soon, Ki.”
Carson shook his head. “More like you better cover him up before Galen and Eamon hear him…or Jessica. Lizzy won’t be happy if her little princess becomes a potty mouth.”
After they’d landed, Dylon’s wolf had begun to growl in warning. Glancing around, he found the house guarded by a phalanx of enforcers who’d formed a barrier between them and the forest behind them. They were clearly ready to do battle, but against what enemy? Jackson hadn’t informed him about any impending threats. Shifting his gaze over to Willow, he could see the tension in her body as her eyes fixated on the trees.
Slowly, Dylon made his way around the group, thankful they were all focused on Kieran’s bird. Quietly climbing the stairs, he kept his eyes on her, looking for any signs of danger. Finally reaching her, he muttered, “What happened…and where’s Jackson?”
Glancing sideways at Dylon, Willow murmured, “Josiah…” and before she could say anything else, Danny emerged from the woods, trotting merrily in front of Jake and Jessica. “Oh thank the gods…they’re safe.” Ignoring Dylon, she hurried down the steps, smiling broadly as she saw Norm, holding Eamon, and Theo, leading Galen, followed by Steel and the enforcers.
“Remee!” Eamon screamed, struggling to get down when he caught sight of his brother. “Carsso!”
Shaking off Theo’s hand, Galen raced to his brother, throwing his arms around his legs. “You can’t go aways anymore!”
Joining his brother, Eamon grabbed Remy’s hand, pulling on it to get his brother’s attention. “Bad men came and we hadda hide and it waz dark but Normny made a fire and I waz cold.”
Looking at his brother, Galen shook his head. “No you wasn’t cuz Jakie and Jesse…”
“I waz, too, cold,” Eamon said, pouting that his brother had contradicted him.
Grinning, Cody scooped up Jake and Jessica’s wolves, cuddling them in his arms. “I missed you guys so much!”
After giving his twins a pat and a kiss, Dylon headed over to Steel, Norm, and Theo. “What the fuck is going on?” he muttered. “Willow mentioned Josiah…is that why the enforcers are guarding the house? And where the hell is Jackson?”
“It’s a long story, but let’s wait until Jackson gets back,” Steel murmured. “In the meantime, the kids are tired, hungry, and in dire need of baths.”
