“Say something…please?” Theo asked Jackson, worried when the room had gone silent. He could feel the tension build again in Smokey and the only person who could ease it was the Alpha.
Glancing at Norm, Smokey saw the bewilderment caused by Jackson’s silence, but he wasn’t surprised. Keeping his secret was a heavy burden, as he knew after a lifetime of doing it,I wouldn’t blame Jackson if he wanted no part of…
“Smokey,” Jackson said, finally breaking the silence and pulling Smokey out of his internal thoughts. “Who…”
Fuck, here it comes.Well, Smokey was going to save Jackson from having to say it; Jackson had been a good alpha to his mates, so it was the least he could do. “I can leave tonight…but is it all right if Norm and Theo stay…at least until our cub is born?”
Snapping his head around, Theo stared at his mate. “What? No, no, no…if you leave, we leave. Isn’t that right, Eagle Feather?”
“That’s right, Shining Star. If Golden Sun leaves, then we go with him,” Norm said.
“Wait a minute,” Dylon said. “What’s these new names you’re using?” But his question went unanswered as if it had never been asked.
Smokey glanced at Norm, before turning to Theo. “Don’t worry about me…I can go stay with Ghost.”
“We’re coming too!” Theo replied emphatically.
“Sweetheart, I would love that but there isn’t a doctor there. Stay here, have the cub and as soon as you and the baby can travel, I’ll come get you, I promise.”
“I’m with Theo…we’re going with you,” Norm said stubbornly.
“Who said anything about leaving?” asked Steel.
A loud whistle from Jackson silenced the room and suddenly all eyes were on him. “Good, now that I have everyone’s attention, let’s begin again. I was going to ask who else knows about your ability, Smokey.”
“Oh…well, my mates, you, Steel, and Dylon…however, I’m sure Willow and Hope might suspect something, as well as Ghost,” Smokey said, pausing to think. Then he said, “Oh wait, my parents and grandfather but they’re dead so I guess they don’t count.”
“Does Kevin or his parents know?” asked Jackson.
Shaking his head, Smokey said, “No, my grandfather warned me not to tell anyone…and I didn’t, not until I met my mates. They had a right to know in case it was too much…”
“Never!” cried Theo, leaning over to hug Smokey. “We love you…all of you!”
Patting Theo’s arm, Smokey murmured, “I love you both.”
“Smokey,” Jackson said, after getting his thoughts back on track, “you don’t have to worry about your secret getting out. I don’t have time to go into it now, but this pack has lots of secrets so you’re safe here. What we do need to figure out is what to tell Nicolet about your lack of bullet wounds.”
“Don’t forget Willow,” Dylon said.
“Yes, her too,” Jackson agreed. “Okay, I’m open to ideas…anyone got any?”
Shrugging, Theo said, “Why doesn’t Smokey just deny he was shot? After all, there isn’t any proof of it on his body.”
“What about Willow?” asked Steel. “She was shot too.”
“Unless there’s proof of that on her body, I don’t think she’ll be of any help to Nicolet either,” Dylon said.
Raising an eyebrow, Jackson looked at Smokey. “Did you do the same to her as you did to yourself?”
“I did…Nicolet won’t find any evidence she was shot.”
“So that leaves only Hope,” Steel murmured. “She was there when it happened and if Nicolet insists on questioning her…”
“He’ll need my permission to do so,” Jackson said. “And I have every right to refuse due to the mental and physical stress Josiah inflicted on her…and Mac would back me up on that.”
“Reeve could always subpoena her for a deposition,” Steel said.
“And I have the right to fight it as her Alpha,” Jackson snarled. “If Nicolet had done his job in the first place, Josiah would never have been on my land.”
