“What do they want?” asked Rudy.
“I’m not sure, but I’ve been ducking their calls for over a week. And if it’s anything to do with Fox River, I don’t want to talk to them until after you’ve taken care of the problem. So, what’s the news? Have you found them?”
“Not yet. I’ve checked all the towns south, east, and west of North Ridge and turned up nothing. Me and the boys are heading north next. I’ll find them, boss, because it’s the only place left to search.”
“Make sure you do,” barked Josiah, slamming the receiver down. He had a fairly good idea why the High Council was calling. His stupid nephew finally found his cojones and made a complaint.Well, fuck him!He’d be damned if Jackson was going to keep what rightfully would have been Josiah’s if his brother, Striker, had done the right thing and made him the Alpha after their fatherdied. But no, his asshole brother had the audacity to tell him he’d forfeited his rights once their father won Josiah’s challenge. One more week was all he could give Rudy before he had to return the High Council’s call.
~/~/~/~/~
Everything had been unpacked and put away in their bedroom and Jackson was exhausted. He now thought it was due to his pregnancy but wasn’t sure, which was worrying him. Turning to his mate who was organizing their clothes in the dresser, he said, “I think we should sit down with your mother and Colton to find out what to expect with this pregnancy.”
Steel stopped, looking at him with a worried expression. “Why, is something wrong?”
“No babe, I’ve wanted to do this for some time and since everyone is settled, I think it’s time. I know Colton has quite a few questions and while he’s been researching for answers, he told me yesterday he hasn’t had much luck,” replied Jackson. “He may be the only one here at the time of the birth so he should have all the knowledge he can so I have a healthy pup.”
Steel nodded his assent. “Okay, I also want to ask my mother about a doctor who can be on call for the birth, so how about tomorrow morning, before your morning sickness hits?”
Nodding, Jackson lay down on the bed, falling asleep immediately. Steel looked over at his mate with a frown on his face, worried about how tired Jackson had been lately. Tomorrow, he was going to ask Colton to help him set up a mini hospital in the house just in case his mate needed it.
Chapter 25
Rudy knew his Alpha was going to be pissed when he told Josiah he found the pack house deserted and no new leads. Well, no sense in calling Josiah with the bad news. He yelled to his boys to head back to the vehicles they’d left parked five miles away. Shifting one by one, they ran off leaving only him.
He wanted one more look to see if he missed any clues as to the brothers’ whereabouts. The house contained only Jackson’s scent, which puzzled Rudy, but something else worried him more. Walking through it, he came to a bedroom, and smelled not only Jackson, but the presence of another wolf. In fact, the house contained three unknown wolf scents which caused the hackles on Rudy’s neck to rise just thinking about it. The three were from the same pack but he couldn’t identify it. The scent that alarmed him most, though, was Jackson’s, because if he wasn’t mistaken, Jackson had mated with one of the three unknown wolves. “Shit, shit, shit,” cursed Rudy, heading outside, knowing his Alpha wouldn’t like this news at all.
~/~/~/~/~
Khan came into Josiah’s office, worry written all over his face. “Dad, a representative of the Universal Paranormal High Council is here and wants to see you immediately.”
Josiah looked up at his son, knowing his time had run out. He could only hope Rudy had been successful and the Fox River brothers were dead. He stood up and said, “Show him in and shut the door when you leave.”
The High Council representative greeted Josiah with, “Alpha Silver Point, I presume. I’m Wolfgrim Morris of the Universal Paranormal High Council.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Morris. Just call me Josiah and please have a seat,” he said, sitting down behind his desk, waiting for the man to speak.
“I couldn’t get hold of you by phone which is why I’ve come to see you since time is of the essence.”
“That sounds important. What is it you want to see me about?”
“A very serious complaint has been filed against you by the Blackwood Pack…”
“Blackwood Pack??? Wait a minute! I’ve never had any dealings with a Blackwood Pack. In fact, I don’t even know who this pack is. Are you sure the complaint is against the Silver Point Pack?”
“The Blackwood Pack consists of seven brothers who were previously part of the Fox River Pack. Their complaint alleges the Silver Point Pack committed a heinous act against their former pack. I have a copy of the complaint for your records,” he said, leaning forward and placing some papers on Josiah’s desk.
“The accusations in it are detailed and you have 60 days in which to file an answer with the Universal Paranormal High Council. Also, please consider this as putting you and your pack on notice; if harm befalls any member of the Blackwood Pack, you and your pack will be held responsible for it—whether or not any of you personally caused the harm.” Morris then stood up. “Good day, Alpha,” he said, walking out.
~/~/~/~/~
His mate was sleeping when Steel left the room to seek his mother and Colton. He found Jackson’s brother in the library, reading one of the many books there.
Colton looked up as Steel approached, waiting to see what his brother-in-law wanted.
“Good morning,” said Steel, sitting down. “I need your help in a matter concerning Jackson.”
Startled, Colton asked, “Is my brother okay?”
“Yes, sorry, I didn’t mean to alarm you. What I want to do is to set up a mini hospital in case Jackson needs it during the birth of our pup. I just want to be prepared for the worst, though I hope it’ll never happen. Can you tell me what should be in it?” Steel asked.
