Chapter 10

Jackson gave Reeve’s answer some thought before he said, “That’s a good beginning, but who will your enforcers report to? You…the High Council…the Alpha of Silver Point Pack? It’s bound to breed confusion when there are three bosses, each with his own agenda.”

“You want to know…”

“Yeah…to put it bluntly, I want to know where the buck stops. Who has the final word on telling your men what to do,” Jackson asked. “You can see how confusing it could become when their loyalty is to you, but the High Council is signing their paychecks. Now, here comes a newbie Alpha that hasn’t even learned how to use his Alpha Power, and you want me to believe that your men will follow and obey him…why? Because you ordered them to?”

Tristan sat quietly, listening to Jackson once again question his ability to lead a pack. It was beginning to piss him off, but he had a feeling it was exactly what Jackson hoped to do. Refusing to play that game, he flooded the room with his Alpha Power, making all of them tilt their heads in submission, except Jackson, who sat there, smirking. “The buck stops with me,” Tristan said, quietly. “When the High Council offered me the loan of Reeve’s men, I accepted, with one condition—each had to swear their loyalty to me until I released them from my employment.”

“And have they done so?” asked Jackson.

“Yes.”

“You should also know Reeve will be staying on indefinitely as my advisor,” Tristan said. “I asked for and also received his oath of loyalty to me. ”

Nodding briefly, Jackson turned his attention to Reeve. “I haven’t ever heard of the High Council doing this before…what’s their reason behind this act of generosity?”

“Strictly political,” Reeve replied. “They want this mess to disappear with as little fanfare as possible. They fully expected you to take over Silver Point Pack and when you didn’t, it was a shock to them. Then they figured Kahn would do it, but when he also turned down the position, the High Council went into full panic mode until Tristan agreed to be Alpha, effectively putting an end to any claim Rudy might have made. While that problem was solved, a new one arose…mainly Tristan’s lack of experience.”

“That’s the only reason for their magnanimity?” asked Jackson.

“Not exactly…to truly make this problem go away, Silver Point Pack must be stable and, as you pointed out, it’s far from that right now,” Reeve replied.

“So you’re saying the High Council doesn’t have faith in my cousin,” Jackson growled.

“No…I’m not saying that at all. You are a known quantity. If anyone has doubts about you, all they have to do is look at your track record. Tristan doesn’t have that so the High Council wants to make sure he knows he has their full support in rebuilding the Silver Point Pack. That’s why they’ve decided to do whatever is needed to achieve that goal. As my boss explained…the High Council believes it is the cheapest and most efficient way to handle the problem and show themselves in a good light.”

Snorting, Steel muttered sarcastically, “How fucking altruistic. ”

Jackson grinned. “Politics is all about managing the message.”

“Then you get it,” Reeve said.

“I do and that’s why my approval of Tristan as Alpha comes with conditions,” Jackson said.

“Now, wait a minute,” Tristan growled.

Ignoring his cousin’s protest, Jackson said, “The High Council will repair the homes, or, if they can’t be saved, provide the necessary funds to build new dwellings for all members of the Silver Point Pack who need them. In addition, adequate food and medical care will be provided for five years.”

“I’m…not sure they’ll agree,” Reeve replied, hesitantly.

“They will,” Jackson assured him, “otherwise I will pursue legal action against the High Council for dereliction of their responsibilities. And I can guarantee that the entire paranormal world will find out how the High Council failed to protect the Fox River Pack.”

Chuckling, Reeve said, “You should’ve gone into politics—you know how to play the game perfectly. I’ll relay your terms to the Council but before they’ll agree to them, I’m sure they’ll require that, in return, you approve Tristan as the new Alpha of the Silver Point Pack.”

“I will, if my terms are met,” Jackson said. “And by the way…I want it in writing.”

“Of course,” Reeve replied.

Standing, Jackson looked at Tristan, holding out his hand, “The Silver Point Pack is lucky to have you as their Alpha…congratulations, cousin. ”

Stunned, Tristan froze for a moment before realizing the significance of what Jackson had just said. Then, he jumped up and shook his cousin’s hand. “Thank you…very much. I swear I’ll do my best.”

“I have no doubts about that,” Jackson replied. “You’re a good man.”

Rising, Reeve shook Jackson’s hand, murmuring, “Thanks for your time.”

Holding onto Reeve’s hand, Jackson said, “We need to talk…now.” After receiving a reluctant nod, Jackson continued, “Steel, would you please introduce Tristan to the rest of his cousins.”

“Sure,” Steel replied. Rising from his chair, he smiled, “This way, gentlemen,” and ushered both Tristan and Heath out of the room. Releasing Reeve’s hand, Jackson sat back down, noticing the wariness on his guest’s face. Ignoring it, he dove right in. “When did you meet Maximus and Mystia?”

“A long time ago…when I was twelve.”

“Why didn’t you mention your relationship with Maximus when we first met?”

“It wasn’t relevant to my investigation,” retorted Reeve.

“Well, for one thing, you knew who my mate was, so obviously you knew Maximus was my father-in-law.”

“So…I still don’t see why my personal relationships are any of your business, Alpha…no offense intended.”

“Normally, they aren’t, but then this isn’t a normal situation, is it?” Jackson replied. “Whether I like it or not, you are connected to my pack because of your connection to Smokey. ”

Sighing, Reeve got the message and he knew Jackson was right. “Look, I didn’t mention it at our first meeting because I didn’t know Smokey was a pack member. And even if I had, I still wouldn’t have said anything for two reasons: one, as far as I knew, Smokey had rejected who he was, and two, I learned very early in my career to keep my mouth shut when it comes to my friends in order to protect them. Making enemies happens more often than you’d think in my line of work…and I learned early on that it was best to keep my personal life private.”

“Understood…but that will have to change. If I can’t trust you, then I won’t allow you to have contact with anyone in my pack. I’m responsible for making sure my pack members are safe and I can’t do that if you keep secrets.”

“I know that…and I’m sorry. It’s just second nature to me, especially with Maximus and Mystia. No one knows…not even anyone in the High Council. I owe my life to them and would never do anything that could put them in danger.”

“I get that…I really do. And I appreciate it. Both of them mean a lot to me, also.”

“Look, I don’t have many secrets…except the one you already know. I don’t have any family or connections to the herd I was born into and the only person I have in my life is Kahn. But if you distrust him because he was Josiah’s son, and that prevents you from trusting me, then you and I are through concerning Smokey because I won’t give up my mate.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to. However, I won’t lie to you, either. I’m still concerned about him and how much I can trust him. ”

“You should leave my mate out of this,” Reeve growled. “He has nothing to do with my future work with Smokey.”

“As much as I’d love to, unfortunately, I can’t,” Jackson replied. “You and Smokey will need the help of my pack members. Because of that, you’ll be privy to information about my pack that could put it in danger.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means I need to trust you totally before you and Smokey work together with my pack.”

“Okay…how do I do that?” asked Reeve.

“I’m not sure, but keeping information from me about previous relationships with my pack members—and in case you’re wondering, Maximus is one of them—is a surefire way to get banned permanently from my pack territory.”

Fuck ! Reeve had underestimated how pissed Jackson would be about his friendship with Maximus and he didn’t know how to fix it, mainly because he’d never been in that position before. “I’m sorry, Jackson. I truly didn’t mean any disrespect.”

Rubbing his hand over his face, Jackson reined in his anger, knowing it wouldn’t be helpful. “I accept your apology,” he said. “That said, I need to find a solution regarding your involvement with my pack. Give me a few days to think about it and then let’s talk again.”

Relieved, Reeve replied, “Sounds good…call me when you want to discuss it.”

“Will do,” Jackson said, rising again. “Tristan and Heath are waiting for you in the great room. ”

“Ready to get back to their claiming, no doubt,” Reeve said, chuckling.

“As you are to get back to Kahn,” Jackson said.

“True,” Reeve murmured, then paused as his eyes found Jackson’s. “I know Tristan has already thanked you but I want to add mine. What you have done for the Silver Point members will not be forgotten by either of us.”

Jackson watched Reeve leave before sitting back down. It had been a tense meeting with Tristan, followed by a contentious one with Reeve, and Jackson was satisfied only with the outcome of one.

~/~/~/~/~

Walking into the great room, Reeve smiled at the chaos, pausing to take it all in. Shifting his eyes over to Tristan, he chuckled at the two pups running circles around his feet, yapping loudly. A young magic user was pulling on his hand, begging him for a ride on his wolf while the other magic user was brandishing a wooden sword at him with threats of death if he hurt someone named Remee.

Off to the side, Maximus’ grandpup, Danny, intently watched Tristan. Glancing around the room, Reeve found Heath standing next to Steel, chatting with him. Before Reeve could rescue Tristan from the onslaught of pups and junior warlocks, a loud growl echoed around the room. Instantly, the pups at Tristan’s feet sat down, while the two magic users stepped back and stood still. Then to Reeve’s amazement, Danny rose and headed for Tristan.

The room fell silent as all eyes were now on the Dire Wolf pup. Holding his breath Reeve remembered the first time the pup… oh yeah, Jackson called him Danny …confronted him. Luckily for him, Jackson was th ere to intercede, preventing an escalation. But Jackson wasn’t here now. Flicking his gaze to Steel, Danny’s other father, Reeve found him watching his son, but making no effort to control him. What the fuck?

Reeve quickly decided to come to Tristan’s aid in order to prevent an incident that could undo all the progress Tristan had made with Jackson. Moving slowly, he made his way over to the two of them, but before he was close enough to step in front of the pup, Tristan held out his hand to stop him.

Grinning at the brave Alpha pup, Tristan squatted down, holding out his hand. “Hello cousin, nice to meet you.”

Reeve held his breath, waiting to see what Danny would do.

Danny circled Tristan, sniffing him before stopping in front of his outstretched hand.

Looking down at his cousin, Tristan felt Danny’s Alpha Power radiating over him, but his own wolf didn’t react. Hiding his surprise at that, he remained still, waiting for the powerful pup’s next move. Growing up as an only child without a pack, he didn’t know if it was normal for an Alpha pup to be able to command a full-grown wolf, but by the quick intake of Steel’s breath, he had to assume it wasn’t. Refusing to submit to the little Dire Wolf pup, Tristan kept his face friendly and his hand out.

Chuffing, Danny made another circle around Tristan. This time, when he stopped, he sniffed and then licked Tristan’s hand before giving a series of sharp, friendly barks. Responding to Danny’s approval of Tristan, the other pups and young warlocks resumed their antics as if nothing had happened.

Clapping his hands, Steel said, “Danny, time to shift. ”

Reeve’s jaw dropped as the Dire Wolf pup shifted into a beautiful child and ran over to his father. Sensing someone next to him, Reeve turned his head and found it was Maximus.

“He’s something, isn’t he?” Maximus murmured to Reeve, keeping his eyes on Danny.

“Does he do that because he’s a Dire Wolf?” asked Reeve.

“What do you mean?”

“What we just saw,” Reeve said. “He challenged me the first time we met, and now, he just did it to Tristan…I’ve never seen a pup do that.”

“Ahh…yes…Danny’s a very powerful Alpha and his wolf is protecting those who belong to him.”

“His power is only going to grow as he gets bigger,” Reeve said. “Maybe even powerful enough to challenge Jackson.”

“That won’t happen.”

“How can you be so sure?” Reeve asked, his curiosity rising.

“The Fates have a different plan for Danny,” Maximus murmured.

Before Reeve could ask what it was, Maximus was gone, leaving him alone without giving him the opportunity to get answers to his questions. Sighing in frustration, he turned his attention back to Steel and to Danny who was grinning up at his father. Changing directions, he headed over to them, hoping to find out what Maximus’ cryptic comment meant.

“Did you have fun?” asked Steel .

Nodding vigorously, Danny said, “Hiz wuf wazn’t afaid.”

“Who’s wolf?” asked Steel.

Twisting his upper body, Danny pointed at Tristan. “Hiz wuf.”

“I see,” Steel murmured. “What about your wolf? Was he afraid?”

Looking very serious, Danny slowly shook his head. “My wuf likes hiz.”

“Well, that’s good because he’s your cousin.”

Nodding, Danny replied, “I know…my wuf told me.”

“Is that why your wolf licked him?” asked Steel.

“Yup…iz that awright?”

“Definitively,” Steel replied. “He’s family. Now you better go get dressed before Daddy sees you running around without any clothes.”

“Okie dokie, papa.” Pushing against Steel’s chest, Danny wiggled until he was free and then, ignoring Reeve, ran out of the room.

After the pups and warlocks followed Danny, Tristan walked over to Heath and took his hand. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah…but what about your fan club?” Heath asked, grinning.

“I guess I’m no longer the star attraction,” Tristan said, chuckling. Then leaning in, he whispered, “But you will be, tonight, when I sink my dick into you.”

Heath’s jeans grew tight as his cock responded to his mate’s sexy words. “Fucking asshole,” Heath muttered under his breath while wiggling discretely to relieve the pressure. “You’ll pay for this. ”

Kissing the corner of Heath’s mouth, Tristan whispered, “I sure hope so.” Then, looking at Steel, he said, “Thanks…I enjoyed meeting my new cousins, and I hope to see them again, soon.”

“It was a pleasure meeting you,” Steel replied. “Make sure you let me know what Dire Enterprises can help you with…for your pack.”

“I will…I promise.” Then looking at Reeve, Tristan said, “Time to go…I have a claiming to finish.”

“And I have a mate waiting for me,” Reeve murmured, following the Alpha and Alpha Mate of the Silver Point Pack out to their waiting car.