Leaning back in his chair, Jackson’s thoughts turned to Daniel and his new-found Alpha attitude.No, not attitude…behavior…my son acts as if he’s the Alpha…of what exactly?It was no longer just the other pups since Daniel had included Galen and Eamon. Normally, he’d have no problem with that, but according to Steel, their son had also added Theo, Norm, and Smokey. And that’s where he had to draw a line. Wolf packs could have only one Alpha; otherwise chaos would reign.
For the safety and health of his pack, Jackson had to put a stop to Daniel’s behavior but was at a loss as to how to approach theproblem. While he knew his own Alpha Power could force his son to submit to him, he didn’t like that idea—it was too close to his father’s method of compelling obedience.
It also didn’t help that Daniel preferred his wolf right now instead of his human form because that just fed his wolf’s need to be the Alpha. It was just a stage he was going through and Jackson knew he’d outgrow it, but the big question was if it would happen soon enough.
Jackson agreed with Steel; consulting Maximus was the best bet, especially if Daniel’s behavior was linked to his ability to talk to animals.Uber-Alpha…so fucking fitting.Standing, Jackson snorted out a laugh.Who would ever have thought the first challenge to me as Alpha would come from my son.Switching off the desk lamp, Jackson left his study, and headed down to see Mac for an update on his mother.
~/~/~/~/~
Tristan waited until all the mourners had left, leaving him alone at his mother’s grave. Staring at the coffin in the ground, he refused to accept the cause of death listed by the doctor. His mother might have had cancer, but that wasn’t what killed her. No, it was her heart, broken by his father over thirty-three years ago when he rejected her for another woman, even though his mother was pregnant.
Ignoring the cold wind whipping around him, Tristan looked up to the sky, knowing his mother was where she wouldn’t suffer anymore. Raising his fist, he shouted, “I promise you, Mother, Iwillmake my father pay for what he did to you, to us…you have my word.” Then, grief washed over him again, forcing his shoulders to droop in defeat at his failure to save the only personin the world who’d loved him. And whether he liked it or not, it was time to start a new life.
Picking up a spade, Tristan began to shovel earth into his mother’s grave as his tears fell. When the job was done, he placed a single red rose, picked from his mother’s garden that morning, atop the mound. Wiping the wetness from his face, he took one last look at his mother’s final resting place before walking slowly back to his car. Emotionally exhausted from the turmoil of the last few days, all he wanted now was to sleep, but that was not to be. He still had packing to do.
Tristan was not looking forward to going through the rest of his mother’s personal papers and memorabilia, deciding what to keep or throw away. If he could, he’d have kept it all, but that was impossible because his car was too small. Once he left, he never wanted to return to the little cottage where his mother took her last breath.
A single tear rolled slowly down his cheek as the memory of her last night on earth resurfaced in his mind. Kneeling by her bedside, he prayed to the gods to save the only person who loved him, asking them to take him instead. It was a foolish thing to wish for; his mother never would’ve wanted that, but he was desperate.
As the darkness of night enveloped them, rumbles of thunder sounded in the distance. Tristan grasped her hand, willing her his strength as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. It was then, with her last breath, that he heard her whisper his name. Burying his face in his hands, he began to sob uncontrollably, thinking about his mother and the life that had been stolen from her.
Chapter 29
Reeve wasn’t sure what to expect from the Alpha when questioned about Dylon, but he’d bet anything Jackson would not be forthcoming with answers. As he entered the Alpha’s study, he nodded to Jackson before sitting down in the chair in front of him.
Studying him, Jackson noted the lines creasing Reeve’s forehead, alerting him to the fact that their conversation wasn’t going to be a pleasant one. “What’s on your mind?” he asked.
Yeah…what’s on my mind…just you killing my mate.While Reeve wanted to say it out loud, he knew better than to accuse Jackson without facts. “There are two things I actually needed to ask you about, starting with Kahn Silver Point.”
“My cousin? What about him?” Jackson asked, puzzled.
“A complaint…well not really a complaint…but it has been suggested you and your brothers might seek to punish him for Josiah’s crimes.”
Jackson snorted in disgust. “If I wanted to, trust me, neither you nor the High Council could ever stop me. But to put my cousin’s mind at ease, as far as I’m concerned, the matter was closed when Josiah died.”
“So you have no intention to seek revenge for the death of your father and siblings?” Reeve asked, shifting uneasily in his chair at Jackson’s claim that no one could prevent him from carrying out his quest for justice if he wanted to.
“That’s what I said.”
“Not exactly,” Reeve replied, deciding to take a different approach. “Look, I know how you feel…”
“You have no idea how I feel!!” roared Jackson, pounding his desk with his fist. Then, pausing to get control of his emotions, he rose and walked over to the window. Looking out at the forest always calmed him and, hopefully, it would do so again. He hadn’t meant to lose his temper but he was pissed that it looked like the only thing Kahn was concerned about was his own skin.What did I expect…condolences for my loss...yeah, right…like father, like son.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”
“Luck,” Jackson said quietly, keeping his back to Reeve. “My brother Zane was lucky that night because he was with us in Las Vegas where we made an unplanned stop to have a night of fun. Luck…it was just luck that kept us all from being killed while it was the lack of it that killed our brothers and sisters. Ironic isn’t it, that the luckiest night of our lives happened in Las Vegas…the place where everyone expects to be lucky and yet it can be so elusive…”
Jackson paused for a moment, before going on. “I didn’t know it was going to be the last time we would laugh for a very long time nor did I know we’d never see our brothers and sisters again. Each of us reacted differently at what Josiah had done, but I can tell you the one thing we all had in common was guilt…guilt that we were enjoying ourselves while our brothers and sisters were dying horrible deaths…guilt because we weren’t there to try to save them...and the list goes on. You know…that’s the interesting thing about guilt…it never goes away. No matter how hard a person tries to forget, guilt is always lurking there, trying to find a way in…and if you don’t fight to keep it out, it’ll destroy you.
“I know, because it almost happened to me and my brothers. Dakota asked if we could bury them but that was impossible because Josiah made sure there wasn’t anything left but ashes.Sometimes I think it was better that way because it allowed us to run without feeling guilty that we hadn’t given them the respect they deserved.
“But in the end, guilt or no guilt, it didn’t matter. Josiah gave us no choice because he was hunting us to finish the job he’d begun. If it weren’t for a wolf shifter and a magic user giving us a safe place to hide, my brothers and I would’ve have been dead long ago.”
Stopping to gain control of his emotions, Jackson’s thoughts spiraled back into that dark time and it took him a few moments to push them back before he could continue. “That we survived was, in and of itself, a miracle, because each of us had to fight the demons that had invaded our souls when doubt was the only emotion we had. How do you go on living when you constantly question yourself if a decision you’re making is the right one? That someone you love might suffer because of what you do? Josiah did that to me and my brothers. He ripped away our confidence and replaced it with uncertainty.
“It has taken me a long time to finally make peace with my decision to stop in Las Vegas that night. For years, every night, I dreaded going to sleep because of the dreams I knew would come…nightmares, actually. I can’t begin to tell you how often I heard my younger siblings calling out for me as the fire crept closer…their screams of pain as the fire consumed them…it took years before the nightmares finally stopped.
“The worst part was waking up and realizing over and over again, it wasn’t just a dream—it really happened. I would never take my brothers and sisters on that trip they were looking forward to…I would never see them grow up and find their mates…and never, ever would I get to hold their pups…my nieces and nephews.
