“It wasn’t relevant to my investigation,” retorted Reeve.
“Well, for one thing, you knew who my mate was, so obviously you knew Maximus was my father-in-law.”
“So…I still don’t see why my personal relationships are any of your business, Alpha…no offense intended.”
“Normally, they aren’t, but then this isn’t a normal situation, is it?” Jackson replied. “Whether I like it or not, you are connected to my pack because of your connection to Smokey.”
Sighing, Reeve got the message and he knew Jackson was right. “Look, I didn’t mention it at our first meeting because I didn’t know Smokey was a pack member. And even if I had, I still wouldn’t have said anything for two reasons: one, as far as I knew, Smokey had rejected who he was, and two, I learned very early in my career to keep my mouth shut when it comes to my friends in order to protect them. Making enemies happens more often than you’d think in my line of work…and I learned early on that it was best to keep my personal life private.”
“Understood…but that will have to change. If I can’t trust you, then I won’t allow you to have contact with anyone in my pack. I’m responsible for making sure my pack members are safe and I can’t do that if you keep secrets.”
“I know that…and I’m sorry. It’s just second nature to me, especially with Maximus and Mystia. No one knows…not even anyone in the High Council. I owe my life to them and would never do anything that could put them in danger.”
“I get that…I really do. And I appreciate it. Both of them mean a lot to me, also.”
“Look, I don’t have many secrets…except the one you already know. I don’t have any family or connections to the herd I was born into and the only person I have in my life is Kahn. But if you distrust him because he was Josiah’s son, and that prevents you from trusting me, then you and I are through concerning Smokey because I won’t give up my mate.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to. However, I won’t lie to you, either. I’m still concerned about him and how much I can trust him.”
“You should leave my mate out of this,” Reeve growled. “He has nothing to do with my future work with Smokey.”
“As much as I’d love to, unfortunately, I can’t,” Jackson replied. “You and Smokey will need the help of my pack members. Because of that, you’ll be privy to information about my pack that could put it in danger.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“It means I need to trust you totally before you and Smokey work together with my pack.”
“Okay…how do I do that?” asked Reeve.
“I’m not sure, but keeping information from me about previous relationships with my pack members—and in case you’re wondering, Maximus is one of them—is a surefire way to get banned permanently from my pack territory.”
Fuck! Reeve had underestimated how pissed Jackson would be about his friendship with Maximus and he didn’t know how to fix it, mainly because he’d never been in that position before. “I’m sorry, Jackson. I truly didn’t mean any disrespect.”
Rubbing his hand over his face, Jackson reined in his anger, knowing it wouldn’t be helpful. “I accept your apology,” he said. “That said, I need to find a solution regarding your involvement with my pack. Give me a few days to think about it and then let’s talk again.”
Relieved, Reeve replied, “Sounds good…call me when you want to discuss it.”
“Will do,” Jackson said, rising again. “Tristan and Heath are waiting for you in the great room.”
“Ready to get back to their claiming, no doubt,” Reeve said, chuckling.
“As you are to get back to Kahn,” Jackson said.
“True,” Reeve murmured, then paused as his eyes found Jackson’s. “I know Tristan has already thanked you but I want to add mine. What you have done for the Silver Point members will not be forgotten by either of us.”
Jackson watched Reeve leave before sitting back down. It had been a tense meeting with Tristan, followed by a contentious one with Reeve, and Jackson was satisfied only with the outcome of one.
~/~/~/~/~
Walking into the great room, Reeve smiled at the chaos, pausing to take it all in. Shifting his eyes over to Tristan, he chuckled at the two pups running circles around his feet, yapping loudly. A young magic user was pulling on his hand, begging him for a ride on his wolf while the other magic user was brandishing a wooden sword at him with threats of death if he hurt someone named Remee.
Off to the side, Maximus’ grandpup, Danny, intently watched Tristan. Glancing around the room, Reeve found Heath standing next to Steel, chatting with him. Before Reeve could rescue Tristan from the onslaught of pups and junior warlocks, a loud growl echoed around the room. Instantly, the pups at Tristan’s feet sat down, while the two magic users stepped back and stood still. Then to Reeve’s amazement, Danny rose and headed for Tristan.
The room fell silent as all eyes were now on the Dire Wolf pup. Holding his breath Reeve remembered the first time the pup…oh yeah, Jackson called him Danny…confronted him. Luckily for him, Jackson was there to intercede, preventing an escalation. But Jackson wasn’t here now. Flicking his gaze to Steel, Danny’s other father, Reeve found him watching his son, but making no effort to control him.What the fuck?
Reeve quickly decided to come to Tristan’s aid in order to prevent an incident that could undo all the progress Tristan had made with Jackson. Moving slowly, he made his way over to the two of them, but before he was close enough to step in front of the pup, Tristan held out his hand to stop him.
Grinning at the brave Alpha pup, Tristan squatted down, holding out his hand. “Hello cousin, nice to meet you.”
