“I’m guessing it has to do with the relationship you had with your cousin when you were young. He was more of a big brother than anything else and you looked up to him…always thought he knew what he was doing, which is why you followed him around. Back then, Hunter had all the answers, knew all about being an Alpha, so when he arrived yesterday and started acting weird because he’d found his mate, a part of your mind reverted back to being the kid who thought your cousin was a better Alpha than you.”
Jackson had to admit everything Steel said was true. It was that part of him—thinking Hunter was the better Alpha—that was pissing him off. And it was affecting everything he did. Groaning as he remembered Theo’s fearful face, he kicked himself for putting it there. “Gods, I really fucked up with Theo…probably brought back all his horrible memories of Arald in Tajikistan.”
“Norm will take care of him,” Steel assured his mate. “But babe, you must make it right with your cousin or else Fionn will be torn between the two of you. Hunter is his mate, given to Fionn by the Fates, to protect and love him. Your role is to guide Fionn—to be the non-judgmental person in his life he can speak freely to about his responsibilities as a white dragon and how to handle the supernatural gift he’ll receive. Fionn needs both of you right now.”
“Any suggestions on how to begin with Hunter?”
“Yes, tell him everything…the gifts, who Fionn is, what your role is in Fionn’s life…everything. He’s a member of this pack and has a right to know. And when you’ve done that, Hunter might just be willing to answer your questions about why he decided not to become the Alpha of his home pack and more about why he kept your mother a secret.”
“But there are no guarantees he’ll tell me.”
“No, there aren’t, but that’s not why you’re doing it, babe. You’re the Alpha, welcoming a new pack member, letting him know you trust him with our secrets,” replied Steel.
Examining his behavior since yesterday, Jackson’s forehead wrinkled, seeing for the first time how badly he’d treated his cousin, always assuming the worst, never giving him the benefit of the doubt he’d give to every other pack member. What made his behavior worse was that Hunter was family, his mother’s nephew and Jackson knew his mom would be so disappointed at how he’d treated him.
Vowing to make amends, Jackson smiled, thanking the Fates for giving him Steel as a mate. So many times his counsel had been spot on, helping Jackson navigate the storm-tossed waters his life had become since his brothers began to find their mates. Lightly kissing Steel, Jackson asked, “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
Chapter 16
“Just a minute,macushla,” Kieran said, steering his mate into Dakota’s hospital room. “Hi Kota, how ya doing? I’m here for my ultrasound cause the doc wants to make sure our squirt is doing okay but I already know he is though I wish he would kick because I really want to feel him. Have you felt your sprout kick yet? I bet you’re excited too.Macushlasaid we’ll get the first picture of our squirt today and I can’t wait to put it in his baby book that I bought in Scotland. It has a place for it along with loads of spaces for all kinds of other stuff, including a place for a lock of his hair, footprints and his first newborn picture. Have you thought of any names? We haven’t settled on one yet, but we’ll tell you as soon as we pick one, so you don’t choose the same one. Huh, wouldn’t that be funny if our pups ended up with the same name? Don’t you think so,macushla?”
Logan chuckled. “It would be, babe, but I’m sure there are enough names that we won’t run into that problem.” Looking at his brother and Slate, he asked, “Hey, everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good,” said Dakota. “I’m just waiting for Ian so I can get up,”
“Babe, we agreed yesterday you’d stay in bed for a few days,” Slate said.
“But I feel fine, and besides, I already told Steel I’d be reclaiming my chef’s hat from him this morning,” replied Dakota.
“No way, bro,” Colton said, walking into Dakota’s room. “Ian’s orders state you are to have complete bed rest for two more days. And Jackson won’t let you anywhere near the kitchen unless Ian agrees.”
“Where’s Ian now?” asked Dakota, anxious to settle the issue.
“Up with Oracle, and no, I don’t know when he’ll be back,” said Colton before asking, “Kieran, Logan…ready to see your pup?”
“Will you be doing an ultrasound on Dakota, too?” asked Slate.
“It’s scheduled for tomorrow,” Colton said. “In the meantime, get some rest, bro,” he said to Dakota. “Kieran and Logan, follow me.”
Waiting until they were out of his room, Dakota said, “Babe, bring me my clothes. I’m not staying in bed anymore.”
Shaking his head, Slate sat down in the chair next to Dakota’s bed. “Yes, you are, babe. We agreed to Ian’s terms last night when you wanted to see your mother…several more days spent resting. I know it’s a pain in the ass, but how would you feel if something happened to our pup that you could have prevented? Would you be able to live with that? Don’t bother answering because I know you couldn’t.” Reaching over to the bedside table, Slate opened the drawer, sliding out his laptop. “Last night, while you were sleeping, I downloaded a bunch of cooking shows you mentioned you wanted to see. I know it’s not the same as being in the kitchen, but I was hoping they’d help you pass the time.”
His mate was right about everything. Throwing back the covers, Dakota moved over, smiling. “I’ll enjoy them more if you’re next to me.”
Slate grinned—his mate wasn’t angry at him. Settling in, he placed his arm around Dakota’s shoulders and started the first video.
~/~/~/~/~
“Oh. My. Gods!” Kieran exclaimed staring at the ultrasound picture Colton handed him. “Lookmacushla,he has your nose!”
“How can you tell?” asked Logan, studying the picture, not even sure what he was looking at.
“Here.” Kieran pointed to a dark spot. “See? Just like yours. Oh I wonder if he’s going to have your hair color too and maybe your eyes and mouth and…”
“Babe, trust me, our squirt isn’t going to be a carbon copy of me.”
“Why not? You are the mostest gorgeous man alive and it would be so cute to have a mini you following you around, can’t you see it now? I could even buy you matching onesies and pajamas and t-shirts and jeans, but I don’t think I can do shoes because they don’t make baby shoes big enough for you. But I can do matching everything else, oh my gods, we could name him Logan Junior, and wouldn’t that be just perfect? Although I would have to come up with a really cute nickname because otherwise if someone said ‘Logan’ neither of you would know who they wanted. Oh my, this is the bestest idea I ever had!”
