“That’s fine with us, but do you think they’ll want to?” asked Dylon.
Jackson glanced over to the door and saw Dakota and Slate standing there. “Perfect timing,” he grinned. “Sit down, guys. I have several things to cover with you but the most important is Fionn.” After bringing them up to speed, Jackson said, “Everyone agrees, Fionn would be safer here than in Scotland but I don’t want him traveling alone because of the threat that hangs over him. Neither Logan or Colton can accompany him back here. Would you guys be willing to go and get Fionn and bring him back?”
Slate and Dakota exchanged glances before Slate asked, “When do you plan to do this?”
“I’d like it done as soon as possible. Right now Fionn is safe but I don’t trust his father, so I’m sure this won’t be the last attempt,” Jackson replied.
Slate looked at his mate who nodded. “We’ll do it. We’ll need to stay overnight; the pilots will have to rest before they can fly back the next day. Have my brother book a room at the same hotel.”
“Done. Cody, Dylon any objections?” asked Jackson.
“Nope,” Cody said. Then he looked at Dakota and Slate, and said, “We really appreciate you guys doing this. We’ll owe you one.”
Chuckling, Slate said, “Never fear, we will collect one day.”
“Jackson, is there something else you wanted to talk about?” asked Dakota.
“Uhmm, yes…just a minute,” Jackson said, looking at Cody and Dylon. “Guys, I’m finished with you so if there isn’t anything else…”
“Just let us know when everything’s set,” said Cody, before leaving with his mate.
“Will do.” Seeing the worry on Dakota’s face, Jackson said, “Bro, there’s nothing to worry about. The only reason I wanted Cody and Dylon gone is that you haven’t made an announcement about your pregnancy yet.”
“You lost me. What does my pregnancy have to do with anything?” asked Dakota.
“The last few months of a Dire Wolf pregnancy will be hard on your body and, trust me when I say this, the last thing you’ll want to do is stand on your feet all day, cooking.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“Plus, Steel tells me he’s given you one day a week off.”
“Where are you going with this?” asked Dakota, suddenly apprehensive about what his brother intended to do.
Slate cut in. “If you think you can use Dakota’s pregnancy to fire him, you better rethink it,” he growled.
Just then Steel arrived and, hearing his brother growling at his mate said, “Slate, cool it. All Jackson wants to do is hire a full time sous chef for Dakota so when he has a day off or isn’t feeling well because of his pregnancy, he won’t have to worry about who’s going to cook for thepack. He’ll always be the head chef until he doesn’t want to anymore.”
Slate turned to Jackson. “So you just want to hire someone to make it easier for my mate?”
“Yes,” answered Jackson. “The reason I wanted to talk to you before I did anything is to see what you thought about the idea and if you know anyone you’d like me to hire,” answered Jackson.
“What do you think, babe?” Slate asked his mate.
“That sounds okay…” Dakota said, hesitantly.
Slate picked up where his mate left off. “So to make this clear, everything having to do with the kitchen still falls under Dakota’s control and you’re just hiring someone to help out during his last month or so when he can’t cook every day, right?”
“Dakota, look at me,” Jackson said, waiting until his brother did. “I give you my promise as the Alpha of the Blackwood Pack, you will remain as the primary chef for my pack for as long as you want to. That said, I’m sure you realize it’s also my duty as the Alpha to make sure all members stay healthy. Even if you were not pregnant, I would still want to hire someone to help you because of all the changes that are planned for the near future. When you took over the kitchen after the massacre, there were only seven of us you were cooking for. Now there are seventeen members, three pups and more on the way. Your work load has almost tripled. I should have addressed this before, but you make cooking look so damn easy, I never thought about how much work it is until my mate corrected that impression.”
Jackson held up his hand to forestall any interruptions, and continued. “Besides the increased work load, you are newly mated and deserve to have some free time to spendgetting to know Slate better. Then there’s your pregnancy…a Dire Wolf pregnancy…which will force you to rest and take care of your growing pup. I know, because I went through it. It was the hardest thing I ever did in my life…accepting help from my mate and Logan in carrying out my duties as Alpha. All I want to do is help you.”
Feeling Jackson’s love and concern for his and his bean’s well-being, Dakota’s eyes filled with tears.My father was so wrong about Jackson never making a good Alpha. He’s exactly how an Alpha should be.Nodding, Dakota said softly, “Okay, thanks, I really appreciate it because I was worried about how I would manage when I was in my last month.”
“You’re welcome,” Jackson said, then adding with a grin, “Besides, this way I won’t have to listen to my mate grumble about KP duty.”
“Hey, I wasn’t that bad,” protested Steel.
“Uhhh, yeah you were,” Jackson said.
