Smokey said nothing. Instead, he closed his eyes and whispered the rest of the words. Within a second, the magic and good spirits that had melded with him upon entering the clearing were shared with his two mates. Opening his eyes, he said, “The answer to your question, Eagle Feather, is that we are now one in every way. Pure of heart and soul, you both will sow onlygood spirits everywhere. Evil cannot harm you, for it can never again get a foothold in either of you.”
Stunned, Theo asked, “We are Manetus?”
“In a way,” Smokey replied. “But whereas I have a choice of whether or not to use my good spirits, they will emanate from you at all times.”
“Will anyone know this about us?” asked Norm, worried that Theo and himself might be in danger.
“No one will…just us,” replied Smokey.
“What about Jackson?” asked Theo. “Should we tell him?”
“Not unless you want to,” Smokey said.
Theo glanced at Norm. “What do you think, Eagle Feather?”
“I think we should, but it can wait until Jackson meets with Smokey to tell him about the pack,” Norm answered.
“Is that the meeting where Jackson tells me about the power Dylon has?” asked Smokey.
Astonished, Theo asked, “How do you know about that?”
Chuckling, Smokey said, “Alex told me…at the meeting with Dylon. I gathered he wasn’t supposed to say anything but I already knew Zane could walk through walls, and Cody could become invisible. Glenn told Ghost and me about what happened in New York when he went to rescue his mother.”
Alarmed, Norm asked, “Does Jackson know this?”
Shrugging, Smokey said, “I don’t know…maybe…Glenn might have told him, but I know he hasn’t said anything to anyone else. He’s a tiger…a silent hunter…and they excel at keeping their mouths shut…that’s what made him such a good agent and why the Agency was willing to give Willow round-the-clock protection in exchange for Glenn remaining with them. Don’t worry, my lips are sealed.” Just then, Smokey’s stomach growled. “Oops…I guess that doesn’t apply to my gut.”
“Oh my goodness, I forgot all about the special mating dinner Dakota made for us,” Theo said, pointing over to the table laden with covered dishes.
Rising, Smokey swept Norm and Theo into his arms, kissing both of them before letting go. Gesturing toward the food, he asked, “May I escort both of my mates to our table?”
“Certainly, kind sir,” Theo giggled, linking his arm through Smokey’s while Norm did the same. “Lead the way.”
Looking up at the sparkling rainbow hue arch floating above the table, Smokey murmured, “Fucking beautiful…absolutely fucking beautiful.” Then glancing down at Theo, he asked, “When did you and Norm do all of this?”
“This afternoon…while you were with Dylon.”
Smokey’s eyebrows shot up. “No way…all of this…the lights, the arch…dinner and…and…a bed? Tell me you didn’t lift the bed.”
“No, silly. It was a group affair,” Theo replied, grinning. “Norm’s job was to keep you occupied while Kieran, Fionn, and I set up the clearing for tonight. But then Logan found out, and then Jackson got Remy involved and…voilà. Did you know magic makes everything easy-peasy? Well, except for the food. Ittook some convincing, but finally, Slate agreed Kota could make our mating dinner as long as Hope helped him.”
“Did everyone know about your proposal to me tonight?” asked Smokey.
“Pretty much so,” Norm replied. “Well, not Glenn, Sawyer, or Alex, but only because they were in the meeting with you and Dylon. C’mon, let’s eat.”
Lost for words at the news of everyone’s part in the special night his mates had planned, Smokey simply nodded and held Theo’s chair out for him before sitting down next to him, with Norm on his other side. Gazing at them, he heard his grandfather’s voice, telling him of a place where he would be safe and surrounded by those who would protect him from others who would seek to use his abilities for evil. But in his wildest dreams, he never could have imagined the place would be a wolf pack. After sending a quick thanks to the Great Spirit for guiding him to the Blackwood Pack, he said, “I can’t wait to see what Dakota’s made us.”
~/~/~/~/~
For once, Cain appreciated being in a maximum security cell since the lights remained on all night, though he never could figure out what the purpose was. All it ever did for him was make him angry…until he was given a blanket. Then it was easy to block out the light, or at least reduce the glare so he could get some sleep, but that was then. Now, he had no interest in sleeping. Shuffling through the books the witch had left, he picked the one about growing vegetables—something that reminded him of the only good time he had in a foster home. Leaning back against the concrete wall, he opened it and was soon oblivious to everything around him.
Peering in through the tiny cell window, Frank was satisfied that Mystia’s concerns seemed unwarranted, but what he saw still didn’t ease his fears about Foster ending up at the Blackwood Pack. Studying Cain, he had to admit he seemed harmless, sitting there reading a book about gardening. Snorting quietly to himself, Frank was sure it was all an illusion, an attempt by Foster to fool Jackson into giving him a ‘get out of jail’ card and his gut told him Jackson was going to fall for it.
It was a good thing he and Lizzy were moving out to California so he could keep an eye on Foster. Suddenly, an alarm sounded, pulling Frank’s attention away from Cain. Turning, he saw several of the inmates running towards him, yelling and waving guns. “What the fuck?” was the only thing Frank uttered before falling to the floor unconscious.
~/~/~/~/~
After the last scrap of food was eaten, Theo rose from the table and grasped Smokey’s hand. “It’s time, Golden Sun, for us to become one.”
