Immersed in his thoughts, Hunter felt himself slipping away until he felt a hand gently squeezing his shoulder. Lifting his eyes, he found Colton standing next to him, his face gentled with sympathy.
“Hunter, are you okay? Can I do anything to help?” Colton asked, softly.
Shaking his head, Hunter replied, “No, I’m just gathering my thoughts.”
Nodding, Colton gave him another reassuring squeeze before returning to his chair.
Picking his words carefully, Hunter resumed, his voice and face emotionless. “When they emerged from the woods, Aunt Hope’s friend saw what was happening and realizing they were in danger, pulled your mother back into the safety of the forest. Then, crouching in the bushes, they heard a shifter shouting to someone—who turned out to be Josiah—that everyone was dead, all of you, your siblings, your father and mother. Josiah then ordered the shifter to make sure the fire kept burning until the bodies and pack house were reduced to ashes.
“Aunt Hope fainted when she realized all her pups were dead. Her friend pulled her deeper into the woods, hiding both of them from Josiah. When daylight came, Aunt Hope was still unconscious, but her friend sneaked back to see if anyone had survived. She found no one—the massacre had taken them all. Eventually Aunt Hope woke up, never saying anything about what she’d seen and just silently followed her friend to the car.
“My mother received a call that morning from the friend, explaining what happened. Mom sent Mac out to California to get your mom and, thankfully, her friend agreed to wait with her until my brother arrived. According to Mac, your mother said nothing during the flight home—just sat there with tears streaming slowly from her eyes. When they finally arrived and Aunt Hope saw my mother, something snapped. She began sobbing hysterically, trying to escape, screaming she was going to kill Josiah. Finally Mac had to sedate her.”
Hunter paused, his eyes seeking out each cousin, hoping they wouldn’t ask him for details about the massacre. It was bad enough to carry them in his head; it would be so much worse for his cousins. “Mac was forced to keep Aunt Hope under sedation for quite a while until she was able to cope with her loss—at least better than she had when she arrived. Even though my father was sick, he made sure Aunt Hope was protected and safe. I think he and my mom felt if they could do that, your mother would recover.
“But she never did. Day after day, she’d sit on the back porch, looking west into the forest, her eyes always moving, looking for her pups to come home. When she became too agitated, my brother, Robin, would sit with her, playing his guitar, and that would help calm her down again.
“When my father died, I didn’t become Alpha, so I moved our family to a new home, away from our pack. Aunt Hope seemed to do better there. Mac thought it was because there were no pups scampering around to remind her of the tragedy. Everything was going okay, but then my mother got sick. Aunt Hope nursed her, but when my mother died…” Hunter paused, bending his head forward as he fought back tears before getting control of himself so he could continue. “When my mother died, Aunt Hope suffered a relapse. It was as if the massacre had just happened, but this time she didn’t have any more will left in her to fight her overwhelming grief.”
Silence filled the room. Jackson glanced at his brothers, finding tears and grief on their faces and reacting the same way. Though Hunter had spared them the graphic details of the massacre, their imaginations did not. Picturing their mother’s suffering caused by Josiah’s horrific act, their wolves howled for revenge, yet they all sat still, refusing to give into it. At that moment, Jacksonsaw how far he and his brothers had come since that fateful night. They were older of course, but it was more than just that. Each had walked through the fires of hell and somehow survived to find happiness. Jackson vowed at that moment that no matter what it took, he’d help his mother find happiness again.
When his eyes finally landed on Hunter, Jackson saw the toll it had taken on him—forced to relive the story of Josiah’s treachery. Hearing it was bad enough, but his cousin…all of his cousins…had lived it since the day they received the call from his mother’s friend. And no matter how hard they might have tried to let it fade, their Aunt Hope was a constant reminder of the hideous deaths Jackson’s siblings suffered. “Hunter, thank you,” Jackson said, softly, the omega in him wanting to offer comfort and ease his cousin’s pain. “It wasn’t easy for you, but I know I speak for my brothers when I say how much we appreciate it. We owe you and your family a lot for taking care of our mom all these years.”
Jackson’s words soothed the jagged edges of Hunter’s pain; he was grateful for it. Telling his cousins the story was what he’d dreaded most since learning from his mother they were still alive. And it was the reason he’d dragged his feet asking for permission to visit. Mason knew why, but thankfully his brother never called him out on it. In the back of his mind, Hunter had hoped his cousins would become so involved with getting their mother back, that he’d then be able to quietly leave without having to say much. But that hope was shot to hell when he discovered his mate standing on the porch. Anyway, now that the ordeal of the meeting was over, Hunter could breathe again and finally begin to lock up the bad memories in the back of his mind. Responding to Jackson’s words of gratitude, Hunter said, “Thanks, but you owe us nothing. She’s family.”
The room fell silent. Then Dylon turned to his Alpha. “Jackson, I have a couple of questions.”
Glancing at Cody’s mate, Hunter sensed Dylon’s strength, far more than a wolf shifter should have.Another Blackwood Pack mystery.He waited for Jackson to answer Dylon.
“Go ahead.”
“If I got this right, your family thought everyone in the Fox River Pack was dead, is that correct?” asked Dylon.
“Yes,” Hunter replied.
“What changed that caused you to inquire about the pack several months ago?”
“My mother had several visions before she died…one of them was about the seven of you. That’s why she thought you guys might be alive. Finding all of you was one of the last requests she made to me before she died,” Hunter answered.
“Was your mother a seer?” asked Cody.
“Yes.”
“Whose idea was it to contact the High Council?” asked Dylon.
“My brother, Mason. I didn’t think anything would come of it but since I couldn’t come up with a better idea, I asked him to do it,” Hunter said.
“Have you seen the complaint Jackson filed against Josiah?” asked Dylon.
“I have.”
Dylon then pushed further. “Why didn’t you become Alpha when your father died?”
“Personal reasons…nothing to do with Aunt Hope,” Hunter answered.
“Why didn’t you mention his mother was alive in your emails to Jackson?”
“Why do you think?” Hunter asked. “To protect her, of course. My mother was very worried Josiah would find out Aunt Hope was alive and come after her.”
