Setting aside his concern about the interloper, he spent the rest of the day fishing with them, enjoying their boasting as they each tried to outdo the others’ catch. Finally, as the sun sunk low in the sky, he returned to the dock with four very happy passengers, each thanking him profusely for a great day. After they departed, his disquiet returned in full force; who would dare enter his territory without gaining his permission?Dammit!This washisloch and this intruder better be prepared to answer to him.
~/~/~/~/~
Zane placed the phone on the small desk in the bedroom, then sat down, pulling his mate onto his lap. “Babe, is there anything you don’t want to tell Jackson?”
“All of it,” David muttered. “But if it’ll help get the High Priestess out of our lives, then he can know everything.”
“You can trust my brother. Are you worried about what he’ll think?” Zane asked.
“In a way, yes. Once he finds out I was fooled by a fake High Priestess, what’s he going to think of me?” David shook his head in disgust. “It was bad enough when I thought she was a holy person but now? Now, I just look stupid.”
“No, babe, no. Nobody will think that, I swear. What my brother will see is a child who suffered tremendously at the hands of an adult and somehow survived. He will see a wolf who has the heart of a lion.”
David looked at Zane quizzically. “What does that mean?”
“It means you are exceptionally brave, that you possess the courage to overcome anything. That, tesoro mio,is you and I’m so honored and humbled that the Fates chose me to be your mate. Knowing what you suffered and yet survived gives me the courage to fight any battle for you. So, no, you aren’t stupid, and I really don’t want you to ever say that about yourself again,” Zane said. Then, placing his hand over David’s heart, he added, “Babe, always remember your lion heart and hold your head up high, for all to see how fearless you are. Promise?”
“I promise,” David whispered, moved by his mate’s words.
The phone began to ring just then, causing Zane to chuckle. “Perfect timing. Ready?” After his mate nodded, Zane answered and hit the speakerphone button. “Hey bro, how’s Daniel?”
“I think he’ll be walking by the time you get home,” Jackson said, adding, “Steel is figuring out how to pup-proof the house so my curious son will be safe.”
“Ha, good luck with that,” Zane snorted. “Jackson, David, my mate, is here with me. I asked Logan if we could speak with you in private, so you’ll know everything the High Priestess did to my mate.”
“Hi David, I’m Jackson and I try to keep my brothers in line so if Zane ever misbehaves, you let me know and I’ll have him sorted out right away.”
David giggled, “I will.”
“Good,” Jackson said, before continuing. “Welcome to the Blackwood Pack. Sorry we can’t do this in person,but I feel we need to proceed quickly so I appreciate you sharing your story. Everything will be kept confidential and if I feel Penn needs to know something, I’ll ask your permission first. Is that okay?”
“Yes,” David said, softly. And then began.
Chapter 38
Entering Jackson’s study, Steel found his mate staring out the window, something he did whenever there was a problem. “Hey, is everything all right?” he asked, sitting down next to him on the love seat.
“David told me about his childhood, and I can’t figure out how he ever survived it. I thought I’d heard the worst when Dylon told me what happened to Theo, Norman and Kieran, but…but...” Jackson said, shaking his head. “Call me naïve but I never knew or even thought a shifter could treat another shifter…a pup no less…the way that bitch treated David. I’m disgusted to think how willing I was to order his death just because of some crap in a book. I owe Logan a lot for talking me out of it.”
Sensing his mate’s distress, Steel put his arm around him. “Listen to me, babe, the important thing is you changed your mind.”
“No, what’s important is that I was willing to kill Zane’s Fated Mate. Do you know how cruel that would have been? Thank the gods my brother had the good sense to flee with him ‘cause little did he know he was really protecting David from me, his Alpha,” Jackson said, guilt and worry etched on his face. “If it wasn't for Logan…”
“Stop it, babe. Don’t keep beating yourself up over something that never happened. Yes, you thought about it, but then you pulled back and sought more information before making that decision. You listened to everyone, you thought it through and then you made the right decision. That’s a sign of a good Alpha and it’s all that matters.”
Sighing, Jackson laid his head on Steel’s shoulder, and said, “Thanks, but I’m woefully unprepared for being our Alpha and sometimes I feel as if I’m drowning. Each problem has so many possible decisions and I’m constantly worrying whether I’ve made the right one. After our family was killed, it was so easy…just stay alive…but now, look at what this pack has become. Colton has the power of an archangel, Kieran is the most powerful shaman on earth, David is the High Priest, the moral compass of the paranormal world with a direct line to the gods. And that doesn’t even include the gifts my brothers and their mates received from the Fates. Oh, and lest we forget, we have the King of the Scottish Wolves, the last known royal in the wolf world. And I’m supposed to lead this pack, keeping everyone safe from all the assholes out there who want to use or exploit my members.”
“Mo chroí,you left out a very important fact,” Steel said. “Your Alpha power. I know you don’t want to talk about it, but we need to. It has been growing since you had Daniel and is now more powerful than my dad’s. That’s saying a lot since he was always the most powerful Alpha on earth…did you know that?”
“No, I didn’t realize…he’s always been so easy going. I guess it never occurred to me…really?”
“Yes, really. My father is a gentle man but he can and does use it when needed. Do you remember what happened when Ian shifted? All your brothers heard his howls and rushed to the room to see what was going on. Then you walked in and when Ian’s wolf growled, everyone went into attack mode to protect you and our pup.”
“Yeah, I remember. That’s when I got the shock of my life and found out Ian was royalty.”
“True, but who calmed down the situation?”
“Your father,” Jackson recalled.
