“Cocky…I like that about you,” Dylon said, returning the grin.
“Not cocky…just pure, fucking talent.”
“True…and you’re gonna need it when you do a deep dive into Reeve Nicolet for me.”
“The guy from the High Council?”
“Yeah…him. According to Jackson, he’s a white buffalo shifter…”
“Holy guacamole! For real? You aren’t shittin’ me, are you?”
Chuckling, Dylon shook his head. “For real. So get going cuz Jackson and I need it asap.”
“I’ll get right on it,” Zane promised, turning back to his computer.
“Send me a text when you have something…I’ll be with Jackson.”
Leaving Zane to it, Dylon folded up the photocopies and slipped them into his pocket before heading upstairs to Jackson’s study. The only reason Reeve could have for bringing up the beating was to use it to get something out of Jackson. But what that something was he’d have to figure out quickly to stop Reeve from pursuing it any further.
Chapter 30
Kahn stood nervously in the middle of the room, looking at his mother, waiting for her to respond, but she remained silent. For the last ten minutes, she’d sat on the sofa, buried as deep in the corner as possible. The only movement that came from her was twisting the wedding ring on her left hand as she stared down at it. He was beginning to worry his mother was in shock. “Mom?” he called softly. “Do you have any questions? I don’t know all the details but I…”
Looking up at her son, she shook her head. “I was just thinking of your father when he was younger…before jealousy ate away at him until nothing was left other than a shell. He was so proud when you were born and would stop anyone he met to tell them the news before handing them a cigar. It didn’t matter whether they smoked or not, your father just wanted everyone to share in his joy.”
Slowly she slipped the ring off her finger and set it down on the table next to the sofa. “I’ve tried over the years to pinpoint the moment our love for each other died, but finally realized I couldn’t, because it wasn’t anything in particular; it just died a slow death on its own. Neither of us were willing to put in the work to keep it alive, I guess.”
Staring at the ring, she continued, “Maybe it was during the time when my life was busy with our children that your father turned his attention to Hope…or maybe it was later when neither of us said much to the other, except ‘good morning’ and ‘good night.’ I don’t really know, but the failure of our marriage was my fault just as much as it was your father’s.”
“Bullshit!” Kahn growled. “I had a front-row seat to his actions, and the one thing I know, without a doubt, was that he wasselfish to the core. The pack always came first and the only use he had for any of us was to enhance his position.”
His mother smiled sadly at Kahn. “I know you don’t believe it, but he loved you very much.”
Kahn snorted. “He had a funny way of showing it.”
“He didn’t know any other way…it was the way he was raised. From the time your father and his brother were young, their father…your grandfather…pitted them against each other in order to control them. Instead of fostering a relationship of love and trust, he made it one of competition, each trying to outdo the other in order to gain his approval. In the end, the relationship between your father and his brother became so poisonous, I just knew their ongoing feud would end badly…but I never thought it would result in your father killing his brother and family the way he did. Ever since that night—when he went insane—I prayed to the gods to keep Jackson and his brothers safe…and out of the clutches of your father.”
Kahn shook his head in denial at his mother’s claim that his father was insane. “Mom, you’re wrong…Dad wasn’t crazy, he was just jealous and greedy. Even though he’d built his pack up from nothing, that was never good enough because he was always comparing us to what his brother had.”
“Kahn,” she whispered, “don’t you see…your father had to be insane to kill all those children.”
Opening his mouth to disagree only to snap it shut, Kahn realized his mother needed to believe that about her husband, the man she fell in love with, married, and whose children she’d borne. It was obvious she felt responsible for what Josiah had become, but it pissed him off that even though his father wasdead, he could still hurt her. “You’re right, Mom. There isn’t any other explanation for my father’s behavior.”
Then, troubled by how frail his mother suddenly looked, Kahn sat down next to her. He folded her into his arms, giving her the love and support she so desperately needed while he fought to keep his tears back at his newfound knowledge that his mother was also Josiah’s victim.
~/~/~/~/~
Approaching Jackson’s study, Dylon smiled as Daniel scooted around his legs and darting into the room ahead of him. Pausing for a moment before entering, he smiled when he saw the pup standing on Jackson’s desk, growling at Reeve.
“Danny, no!” Steel shouted, as he reached the doorway at about the same time as Dylon. Though he tried, he could not suppress a smile as he watched his Uber-Alpha son trying to protect Jackson.
“It appears your son has now added Jackson to his pack,” Dylon muttered under his breath.
“So it seems,” Steel grinned.
Mystified at the small wolf’s continued warning growls at him, Reeve glanced up at Jackson quickly before returning his focus to the pup who seemed ready to attack him. “Uhm…”
“Daniel, stop it right now,” Jackson ordered, picking his son up and handing him to Steel.
