Anger surged through Hunter—not at his brother—but at himself for being a piss poor Alpha. Knowing Mase was right, he swallowed his anxiety over the disappearance of his mate and, bracing himself, said, “My Fated Mate is a member of the Blackwood Pack. I’m sorry for ignoring everyone but when he disappeared, my wolf went crazy, so I was trying to calm him down by keeping my eyes on the pack house.”
Stunned by Hunter’s confession, Mason’s mouth opened then closed when he realized he was at a loss for words. Never did he ever expect to hear that.A Fated Mate? Things dreams are made of? And my brother has found his? Here? The place he never wanted to go?A shot of jealousy tore through him when the impact of Hunter’s disclosure became clear.Why does Hunter get a mate? He never wanted one.Tossing aside his envious feelings, knowing it wasn’t fair to his brother, Mason concentrated on the news. “Who’s your mate? Please don’t tell me it’s one of the cousins.”
“What? Fuck no!”
“Then who?”
“I don’t know his name, but he was standing on the porch when we drove up,” Hunter mumbled, stepping to the side a bit so he could see the house.
“Does Jackson know?” asked Mason.
“He knows one of his pack members is my mate, but I don’t think he knows who. Please don’t say anything to our brothers, yet. I’d like to meet him first.”
Mason nodded in agreement. “Okay, for now.”
Hunter smiled. Giving his brother a pat on the back, he said, “C’mon, in the meantime, I can let them know what happened with Aunt Hope and that everything’s okay.”
Chapter 4
Jackson’s knuckles rapped softly on the door to Dakota’s room before he opened it. “Hey, up for a visitor?” he asked, pausing in the doorway.
Slate looked at Dakota and, receiving a small nod, said, “Come on in.”
Walking over to the hospital bed, Jackson was pleased with what he saw. Dakota looked relaxed and he hoped his discussion wouldn’t change that. “Ian said your pup is okay.”
“Yeah, sorry for fainting,” Dakota said, softly.
“Not necessary. I’m just glad everything’s all right,” replied Jackson.
Sighing, Dakota knew his brother wanted to know what triggered it. “I didn’t believe Mom was alive…I couldn’t believe it…not after all this time. I wanted to prove you wrong so I used my Shadow Voice…and…”
When his brother hesitated, Jackson said, “And you found mom is alive and is here with us now.”
“Is she?...Is she really the same person we remember?” asked Dakota.
“I don’t know…”
“I do and she’s not!” cried Dakota. “If you saw what she went through…her mind is filled with what she experienced…there’s nothing of us left. She thinks we’re dead…wearedead to her…she wants to die to be with her pups and that includes us.” His body began shaking with sorrow.
Slate gathered his mate in his arms, infusing Dakota with his scent. “It’s okay, babe, everything will be okay,” he crooned.
Holding Slate tightly, Dakota wanted to believe it so badly, wanted to believe in a miracle, wanted to believe his pup would know what a wonderful grandmother she was—but he knew it couldn’t happen. His body racked with grief over losing his mother all over again, Dakota felt his heart breaking into a million pieces and tears streamed down his face.
Jackson couldn’t give his brother guarantees about their mother, but hecouldcomfort him. Sending out his Alpha Power, he surrounded Dakota with the security he urgently needed right now, hoping it would help. Exchanging glances with Slate, Jackson squeezed his brother’s hand, reassuring him he’d always be there for him. But Jackson was also mulling over what Dakota said about their mother and what she witnessed. He’d deliberately avoided thinking about the massacre, not wanting to imagine what his family had gone through, never wanting images of their terror in his mind, but now it was going to be indelibly etched there after Hunter told them what happened.
If the horror in his mother’s mind was as bad as Dakota said, Jackson wondered if Kieran did her any favors by saving her; even if she came out of her coma and found she hadn’t lost all of her pups, how would she live with the knowledge that the others hadn’t survived. For the first time in a long time, he remembered his sisters and brothers and the trip he never got to take them on, the pain now as intense as when he found out they were killed. Somehow, though, his mother had survived, and Jackson needed his cousins to fill in the blank spaces of how she had. Jackson leaned over, kissing his brother’s cheek before saying, “I’m here for you…we’re all here for you…so whatever we can do to help, please let me know.” Then, giving his brother a hug, Jackson left. Dakota wouldn’t have to hear Hunter describe what happened; he’d already seen it in their mother’s mind.
~/~/~/~/~
“Quin, you okay?” asked Mason, looking at his younger brother who was sitting on the bed, staring at the floor. He’d come in to get Quin because Hunter, along with Robin and Sawyer, were waiting for both of them in the living room of the motorhome.
“I’m fine,” Quin whispered, but he wasn’t—not really. There was too much Alpha power swirling around, and it was bringing up all those bad memories he was trying to forget. He wanted to go home, back where it was safe, where no one could find him, but that wasn’t going to happen for two more long weeks.How am I ever going to make it?Quin hadn’t figured it out yet but hoped Hunt would let him stay in the motorhome where he could lock the door, shutting out the world until it was time to leave.
“Honey? Hunter is going to tell us what’s going on. Don’t you want to come out? You know, in case you have any questions?” asked Mason.
Shaking his head, Quin didn’t want to know because then he’d have to face a reality he wasn’t sure he was ready for. “Can you find out for me?”
Sitting down next to his brother, Mason hugged Quin. “I can do that if you want. Is there anything I can ask Hunter for you?”
