Shaking his head, Hunter said, “I can’t figure out how you all survived, knowing your uncle was trying to find and kill you. I’m truly impressed with what you’ve done, Jackie.”
“It was a long journey…at times, I wasn’t sure we’d make it.”
“But you did.”
“Yeah, we did,” Jackson agreed before changing the subject. “I’m sorry to hear of the passing of your father and mother.”
“Thanks.”
Studying his cousin, Jackson knew Hunter’s short answers were his way of moving past the niceties and onto the topic of his Fated Mate. He intended to keep his promise, but first there were still a few questions requiring answers before his cousin’s mate would be discussed. “Is my mother in danger from anyone in your old pack? Someone who would tell Josiah she’s alive now?”
“No-o-o, I don’t think so. Aunt Hope spent most of her time in her bedroom or on the back porch which faced the woods.”
“What about the other pack members who lived with you?”
“No one lived with us…it was just family…like your father and mother’s house was. All pack business was conducted in the pack hall. It’s a communal place for pack members to meet; we had dances there and other social events,” explained Hunter.
“Gotcha. So no one knows my mother is alive, correct?”
“The only person other than me and my brothers is my father’s brother, who became Alpha of the Rolling Hill Pack.”
“Can he be trusted?” asked Jackson, then, seeing his cousin grimace, continued, “Look, I’m not implying he can’t but without knowing why you turned down becoming Alpha, I’m just going over all the possibilities. If Josiah finds out my mother is alive, I’m sure he’ll want to kill her…hell, he’llhaveto kill her. That’ll put me and my brothers, our mates, the pups and the other members of my pack in extreme danger. It’s something I want to be prepared for.”
Looking down at the floor, Hunter knew Jackie was subtly probing, trying to find the reason he’d rejected becoming Alpha. And honestly, he would have done the same if he was in his cousin’s shoes, but he wasn’t going to tell him. Flicking his gaze up, staring at Jackson, Hunter responded, “While I can’t be a hundred percent sure he can be trusted, I’m pretty sure he won’t say anything. But if I were you, I wouldn’t trust anyone, so my advice is to make plans for the worst possible case.” Frustrated at the game he was sure his cousin was playing, Hunter decided to take control. Slapping his thighs loudly, he stood up and began pacing. His wolf was angry, the scent of his mate was strong in the pack house and Hunter was fucking tired of waiting. Stopping in front of Jackson, he growled, “Enough with the twenty questions. I did what you wanted, now please introduce me to my mate.”
Chapter 9
“Sit down, Hunter,” Jackson said, stonily. Whether his cousin liked it or not, there were still things to discuss before Hunter met with one of Jackson’s pack members.
Stalking around the room, his anger evident, Hunter tried to ignore Jackie’s command, but finally was forced to do as ordered. “Fine, I’m sitting,” he said petulantly, “now what?”
Seeing how close his cousin was to the edge, Jackson sighed, making a decision he hoped wouldn’t come back to bite him. “Even though there are issues we need to discuss, I’m willing to wait on those if you promise not to pressure your mate to leave with you until I’m satisfied he’s doing it of his own free will.”
Clenching his teeth, Hunter nodded, knowing he had little choice since he didn’t know what relationship his mate had with Jackson.
“Okay, then, there are four members who could be your mate.” Opening a file on his computer, Jackson selected the photographs, then opened them. Turning his monitor around, he asked, “Which one is it?”
Hunter’s eyes zeroed in on the face of his mate. “That one,” he said, pointing to one of the images.
Fuck no!Keeping his face expressionless, Jackson said, “Okay.” After sending a text, continued, “I’ve asked him to come to my study.”
“What’s his name?” Hunter asked, determined to get at least that piece of information.
“Fionn MacDùghlas.”
“He’s Scottish?”
“Yes, he is,” Jackson said, tapping his fingers on the desk, then deciding, continued, “He’s a dragon, Hunter.”
A dragon? The Fates gave me a dragon as my Fated Mate? Fucking hell!Staring at his cousin, Hunter was stunned into silence, trying to sort it all out. He’d better say something soon, he thought, or Jackie might misconstrue his reaction. “I thought the Fates were very selective when it came to picking the mate of a dragon. I mean…aren’t dragons usually mated to other dragons?”
“Well, I guess they had a good reason for picking a wolf shifter to be his mate,” Jackson replied.
Hunter’s eyes narrowed at the tone of his cousin’s voice. Studying the taut expression on Jackson’s face, he said, “And let me guess…you’re not happy about it.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Jackson replied, “Not my call.”
“But if it were, you wouldn’t have picked me.”
