“Speaking of secrets,” said Slate, “what about the knowledge Cain will get about the special gifts the Fates gave us…how do you know he won’t use that for personal gain?”
“I don’t…but that’s where trust comes in,” Jackson replied. “It has to work both ways in order for this to succeed.”
“Do you honestly believe you can trust him?” asked Slate.
Pausing for a moment, Jackson thought about his meeting with Cain, before saying, “Actually, I do.”
“You sound surprised,” Slate said.
“I guess I am,” Jackson replied, smiling. “When Oracle told me about the Fates’ plan, to say I was skeptical is an understatement. But I’ve since changed my opinion.”
“Why?” asked Cody.
“I met with Cain and found out he has good in him…”
“Right!” Slate snarled. “Tell that to the shifters who were about to be sold off.”
“Back down…I’m not warning you again, brother,” growled Steel.
“The measure of a man cannot be judged by one act, but by who he is inside,” Jackson said, quietly. “Cain was dealt a shitty hand in life; his troubles started in childhood when his parents abandoned him and he was forced to survive any way he could. It’s easy to judge a person who made bad choices when you haven’t walked in his shoes and don’t know if you would’ve made the same decisions.
“Cain has good inside him…I know it, but that doesn’t mean he gets a free pass from me based on his tough life. It just means he has to work harder to overcome his past in order to have the quality of life he always wanted. The Fates know this and, more importantly, I know it. Rest assured, Cain has not and will never fool me. I expect him to live by my rules and if he fucks up, he knows I’ll punish him. But I’ll also be there to support him, just as I have done for other members of this pack.”
“I have to agree with the Fates’ reasoning,” Dylon said. “We haven’t been able to make any headway in finding our adversaries. Every web search Zane does ends up as a dead end. And even if there were leads, we’re still at a disadvantage because we know nothing about the shifters involved. What iftheyalso have special gifts? Going in without complete knowledge would put us all at risk.”
“Will you have a problem working with Cain?” Jackson asked Dylon.
“No…my job is to make sure this pack remains safe and if that means working with a human, then so be it.”
“I agree with my mate,” Cody said. “However, I have one suggestion…give Cain time to get used to living in a pack.”
“Good idea…he’ll have a job along with assigned chores. How he handles it will give me an indication of how well he’s integrating into pack life,” Jackson replied.
“I’ll hold off questioning him until you give me the go-ahead,” Dylon said.
“Yes…I need to build trust between him and the pack and it can’t happen if Cain feels threatened,” Jackson replied. “Other than the ones in this room, no one else will know he was charged with a crime.”
Shaking his head, Slate murmured, “Throwing the wolf in with the sheep.”
“Don’t you mean throwing the sheep to the wolves?” asked Cody, smirking. “Slate, do you really think the Fates would do that to us?”
Running his hand through his hair, Slate said, “No…yes…honestly, I just don’t know, but what I do know is my mate and pup are not safe anymore in the Blackwood Pack if Cain is allowed to join.”
“You can’t mean that!” Cody exclaimed, clearly distressed at the thought of his brother and nephew leaving.
“They are safe, Slate,” Steel said. “Even though Cain is a human, Jackson’s Alpha Power will control him if he decides to harm any of us. Furthermore…”
“Wait a minute…Jackson’s Alpha Power will work on a human? Are you sure?” asked Slate.
“Yes,” Steel assured his brother, “and not only on Cain but also on any other human who poses a threat to our world. According to our mother, the gods and the Fates felt it necessary to expand Jackson’s power so the Blackwood Pack would be protected.”
“The other thing you should know,” Jackson said, “is that Cain will be implanted with a tracking device that will tell me where he is at any time. He won’t be able to remove or disable it, nor can anyone else, without my explicit permission.”
“Well…that’s something, I suppose,” Slate muttered.
“I won’t stop you if you want to leave,” Jackson said, softly. “But you owe it to your mate to discuss it with him first. Dakota has the right to make his own decision.”
Slate’s shoulders slumped in resignation. “I already know Dakota won’t leave…he’s happy here and I can’t take that away from him. It’s just…”
