“Okay, Carson, would you close the door?”
Cody spoke up, “But I don’t want Carson here. He invaded my and my mate’s privacy without cause.”
“What do you mean, Cody? I’m saving you,” exclaimed Carson.
Cody did not respond nor did he look at his brother.
“Cody, Carson has a point. If what he said is true, then he saved your wolf.”
“If he stays, Dylon and I will leave this house. Your choice, Jackson.”
Jackson studied Cody. He looked better than he had in some time. Certainly, he saw no evidence of harm to his wolf. “Carson, leave us. But, don’t go far.”
Carson was pissed. He knew Dylon would spin some lie and convince Jackson he meant no harm to Cody. “But I’m a witness”
“I said leave, now,” Jackson demanded, using his Alpha power to force compliance. He kept his eyes on Cody and Dylon, while waiting for Carson to leave the room and shut the door behind him. “Now…”
“I already know what Carson told you,” said Cody, “but he’s wrong. My mate is saving me, not killing me or my wolf.”
“But Cody, I saw the picture. Dylon chained you to the bed. Your wolf will die if he is restrained that way. You know this and so does Dylon.”
“You know brother, I have never asked what you do in the privacy of your bedroom with your mate and I fail to see what business it is of yours…even as Alpha…what my mate and I do in ours. Would you please explain what right you claim that allows you to question us about this?”
“Normally, I would never interfere but…”
“But nothing. You are interfering because you still have concerns about my mate’s roll in the massacre. You just won’t admit it.”
“Cody, as Alpha, it’s my right and duty to investigate a complaint that’s brought before me concerning the welfare of a pack member. You know as well as I do, if any of us are restrained like that, our wolves die. You were chained to a bed. What? You think I should just ignore a threat to one of my pack just because it occurred in the bedroom?”
Dylon spoke quietly to his mate, “Ma moitié,your brother has a point. Please don’t argue with him about this.”
“Cody,” said Oracle, “you requested my presence so if you agree, may I explain to Jackson what has been happening and how Dylon is helping you?”
“Please, darling,” said Dylon, “let Oracle help.”
Cody was furious that he was forced to stand there and defend his mate—the person he owed his life to. Sighing, he relented. “Go ahead, Oracle. But Jackson, just so you know, you are wrong about chains causing a wolf to die.”
Dylon led his mate over to the couch where he took a seat and then pulled Cody onto his lap. He knew what was coming and he wanted his mate in his arms. This wasn’t going to be pleasant.
Oracle spoke, “You know Cody has foresight and his visions have become more intense since the massacre. It is what happens to himaftera vision that is causing him harm. During the vision he only sees what is happening but when it is over Cody feels whatever the person in the vision is feeling. It doesn’t matter what is causing the pain, if the person feels pain so does he. So, if someone is being whipped, Cody feels the whip on his body.”
Jackson was appalled to learn his brother had this burden. “Is this true, Cody?”
“Yes,” was his muffled answer as he kept his head buried in his mate’s neck.
“But,” she went on, “Cody also feels the emotional pain of the person in his vision. These emotions run the gambit of despair to grief and even hate. All are absorbed by Cody every time he has a vision. While he feels nothing during a vision, whatever feelings the people in the vision have, Cody will experience them upon his return to this world.
“Oh, my gods,” exclaimed Jackson. “How long has this been going on?”
“Since the massacre,” Oracle explained, “though the visions have increased in frequency and intensity in the last year.”
“Oh, Cody, I wish you’d have come to me about what was happening.”
“Sorry, Jackson,” Cody mumbled.
“No,ma moitié,don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong,” Dylon murmured to his mate. Looking at Jackson, he said, “Cody kept his promise to his mother as you kept your promise about Colton’s ability. If you are going to blame him for not telling you about it, then you should blame yourself for keeping Colton’s secret. You can’t have it both ways.”
“I think Cody misunderstood me,” said Jackson. “I wasn’t blaming him for keeping it a secret, I was sad he went through all of this without support.”
