Chapter 12

It was still as clear in Maximus’ mind as it was the day he saw it—a boy with an iron collar around his neck, his wrists tied to two posts with pieces of wet, shrinking buckskin, and his body covered with oozing cuts made by whip lashes. Maximus shouted for Mystia as he ran to cut the boy down. Catching him in his arms to prevent him from collapsing, he gently laid him down in the shade of a lone, scrubby bush.

Swallowing the bile that the image always provoked, it took a moment before Maximus could continue. Despite the pain those memories gave him, it was important that Jackson knew the whole story.

“Who would do that to him?” Jackson asked, his anger rising.

“His father…or to be precise, the man Reeve grew up thinking was his father,” Maximus explained. “Reeve was the lone survivor of an attack by a marauding band of humans. When the first shots were fired, Reeve’s mother grabbed him and ran, trying to make it to safety, but one of the humans spotted her and gave chase. Just as she reached the edge of the thick forest surrounding their campsite, a bullet hit her and, as she fell, she pulled Reeve under her to hide him.”

“I’m guessing she didn’t survive,” Jackson murmured.

“No, but she did save him. The humans were too busy looting. They took what they could carry and left the dead for the vultures. Reeve kept calling for his mother and when she didn’t answer, he crawled out from under her and sat next to her body. In the morning, a passing hunter discovered him and took him into town where a young married couple said they’d look after him. ”

“Were they shifters?” asked Jackson.

“No, human,” Maximus replied. “They were on their way to land the husband had put a homestead claim on, so it was just by chance, they’d stopped there to load up on supplies. When the wife heard about the orphaned boy, she begged the sheriff to let her raise him and he was only too happy to hand him over to get rid of what he viewed as a problem. At first, the husband was angry because he viewed the boy as another mouth to feed, but after seeing how happy Reeve made his wife, he relented and reluctantly agreed to keep him.

“They all left town the next day and headed out to their farm. For the next few years, everything went right for the family of three; each harvest was bigger than the one before, the farmer was able to acquire more land, and his wife was happier than she’d ever thought possible as Reeve thrived under her love and care.”

“But I’ll bet it didn’t last, did it?”

Shaking his head, Maximus said, “No…during one blinding winter blizzard, the wife woke up and thought she heard their cows mooing. Alarmed she got up and looked out the window but saw nothing other than heavy snow falling. Knowing her husband was exhausted from work that day, she decided not to wake him and tend to it herself. After getting dressed, she kissed her son and hurried out to the barn.”

Maximus fell silent, needing a moment before he could continue. Recounting Reeve’s story had taken more of a toll on him than he’d thought it would, and the horror of it had nearly brought him to tears. When he’d seen Reeve earlier, he was amazed at how happy he looked, no doubt the result of finding his Fated Mate. But when he found out it was Kahn, his gut twisted into knots, knowing the uphill battle his friend might face .

Jackson waited for his father-in-law to continue, but when the silence stretched on, his eyes roamed over Maximus’ face, noting how old he suddenly appeared to be. It was a far cry from the vibrant man he’d first met.

Looking up at Jackson, Maximus murmured, “As you probably guessed, the woman died in the storm trying to find her way back to the house. It’s hard to imagine a storm so fierce that humans can’t see their hands even if they’re a foot away from their faces. But that’s what it was like that night.”

“Why would she go out on a night like that?” asked Jackson. “Certainly, she must have known it was risky.”

“She was a pioneer woman…they’re made of sturdy stock, and besides, the animals were important for their survival. They always relied on a snow rope that ran from the house to the barn to keep them from losing their way during the white-outs that regularly occurred during blizzards. She reached the barn and, after making sure their cows were not in trouble, headed back to the house. But on the way, a vicious gust of wind knocked her down and she lost her grip on the rope.

“After struggling to get up, she could no longer see her lifeline. Panicking, she called out for her husband, but her voice was carried away by the wind. As the bitter cold enveloped her, she headed in what she thought was the direction of the house, but never made it. Her husband found her in the morning, frozen to death.

“From that point on, Reeve’s life went from one filled with love to another filled with hate. Irrational with grief, his father placed the blame for his wife’s death on him and made his life a living hell. Where previously he had plenty to eat, his father began to starve him. His hatred grew for the boy his wife loved and, seeking other forms of punishment, he kept Reeve locked in the cellar for days on end or hung him from a beam in the barn until he fainted.”

“Why didn’t Reeve’s animal kill the man? Surely any human, even if he had a gun, wasn’t a match for a buffalo.”

“White buffalos are rare among the animal kingdom…but a white buffalo shifter? Well…there never was one before Reeve and he didn’t shift for the first time until he turned ten.”

“I bet that was a fucking shock to his ‘father’ when it happened,” Jackson muttered.

“It was a bigger surprise to Reeve who knew nothing about shifters. The first time it happened, he was alone in the barn, feeding the cows. His animal felt Reeve’s fear and shifted back quickly, leaving the boy with all fours on the ground and his clothes torn to pieces. Fortunately, the next day, it happened again, and his animal explained who he was and warned him that he was in danger.

“After shifting back, Reeve hurried to the house and packed his few belongings, hoping to escape, but it was too late. Unknown to Reeve, his ‘father’ had seen him shift the first time.

“Ordering Reeve outside, he snapped an iron collar around his neck and locked it. Connecting a chain, he hauled Reeve over to the barn, threw him into a stall, and told him that was his new home. After his father left, Reeve tried to free himself but couldn’t…nor could he shift because the collar made it impossible.”

“How old was Reeve when you found him?”

“Twelve. For two years the man kept him locked up, but that didn’t stop the beatings. There were many nights he cried himself to sleep, cursing his animal for making his life worse.” Maximus fell silent again, lost in his memories for a moment. “Whenever a white buffalo appears on earth, many believe it foretells change, and so it was when Reeve’s buffalo finally revealed itself. The rains stopped, crops failed, livestock died of thirst, the sunbaked soil turned to dust and was swirled away by the winds.

“Without any explanation of why his green fields had become arid, the man again blamed Reeve. And, in part, he was right, but not in the way he thought. According to the legend I read, the White Buffalo is connected to Mother Earth, and how one treats him is reflected in how nature reacts.”

“So the worse Reeve’s father treated him, the worse the conditions on earth became,” Jackson said.

“Yes, exactly. That’s why Mystia and I found the earth nearly bare of vegetation. During the two years the man kept Reeve locked up, his farm, along with the rest of the planet, paid an enormous price for his treatment of the White Buffalo. No matter how much the man tried, nothing would grow in the soil.

“After becoming very drunk one night, he was certain all his troubles had begun when Reeve joined him and his wife. In his crazed state of mind, he believed everything would be restored to the way it was if he killed the boy.”

“And that’s when you found Reeve,” Jackson murmured

“Yes. We barely got to him in time. That morning, the farmer had taken Reeve from the barn and put him in a wagon before driving out to the furthest corner of his farm. There, he set the two posts into the ground and tied Reeve to them. Over the next several hours, he whipped the boy until there wasn’t an inch of his skin that wasn’t cut. Climbing back into his wagon, he drove off, leaving Reeve to die.”

“What happened after you cut him down?” Jackson asked, softly.

“Mystia whisked us home and summoned a shifter doctor to treat him. He stayed with us for several years, slowly recovering his health and coming to terms with who he really was. Then, when he was ready, Mystia found him a tutor. When he turned eighteen, he left us to attend college. He and I have been friends ever since the day I found him.”

“When did he join the High Council?” asked Jackson.

“Shortly after he graduated from college. After the suffering he experienced during his childhood, he was determined to prevent other shifter children from going through what he had,” Maximus replied.

Leaning back in his chair, Jackson thought about everything he’d learned and while it explained a lot, there were still some unanswered questions. “Do you know about Reeve’s connection to Smokey?”

Nodding slowly, Maximus replied, “I learned of it back when he first met Smokey at the agency’s training program for new recruits.”

“Reeve told you who he was, but didn’t tell Smokey?”

“Smokey hadn’t accepted his true self and, until he did, Reeve was not allowed to say anything about it to him.”

“Why not?”

“The Great Spirit forbade it…and it nearly broke Reeve, who had waited so long to find Smokey. ”

“I wonder why,” Jackson mused.

“It had to do with the good spirits who are very sensitive to negative feelings in a Manetu. If he is force into being who he is, then those feelings will weaken the good spirits, making them susceptible to being overpowered by bad ones,” explained Maximus. “However, whether Reeve told Smokey back then or now isn’t the problem you’re wrestling with, is it?”

The corners of Jackson’s lip curled upward. “Did anyone ever tell you it’s impossible to hide anything from you?”

“My sons do all the time, “Maximus said, smiling. “So, tell me what’s really causing you to hold Reeve at arm’s length? Is it his mate? Kahn?”

“Partly…but it’s also Reeve, although now, after hearing his story, I understand why he’s so secretive.”

“Do you blame him?”

“No…not really. He told me he’s worried about you and Mystia being in danger if anyone finds out about his friendship with you.”

“He has cause to be.”

“Are you and Mystia in danger?” Jackson asked.

“No, not anymore…the threat has been eliminated. But Reeve is always worried there might be someone else.”

Nodding, Jackson trusted Maximus to tell him if the situation ever changed. Sighing, he said, “I guess that leaves his mate…my cousin and Josiah’s son.”

“Kahn…what exactly is the problem?” asked Maximus.

“I don’t trust him, and if I can’t trust him, then I can’t trust Reeve,” Jackson replied. “You know as well as I do, secrecy keeps the members of my pack safe. There are going to be times when Smokey and Reeve will need the skillset of one or more of my members to complete their mission. When that happens, Reeve will learn about the Blackwood Pack’s secrets. And if he does, then you and I both know that, as Reeve’s Fated Mate, Kahn will know also. I have already discussed this issue with Reeve and, unless I can come up with a solution, Smokey will have to be out of his life since there’s no way Reeve would ever give up his Fated Mate.”

“Hmm…you grew up with Kahn, didn’t you?”

“I did…he and I were close because we were both heirs apparent. But that changed when Josiah killed my family.”

“Do you think Kahn was in on it?”

“Honestly? No, not anymore.”

“But you did at one time,” Maximus murmured.

“I did,” Jackson said. “Right after it happened, I was angry, and I blamed Kahn for not telling me what his father was planning. But I had to put my anger on a back burner because my brothers’ survival was more important. Several years later, Logan asked me if I thought Kahn was involved, and after thinking about it without animosity coloring my thoughts, I found it hard to accept with any certainty that he was. And though Reeve has assured me the High Council cleared Kahn of any involvement, I guess there still is some residual doubt in my mind.”

“Then you need to meet with him and ask him that question. ”

“I don’t know…maybe it’s better to let it go. One thing that bothers me is that he’s never given any indication that he’s sorry about the death of my younger siblings.”

“Maybe he doesn’t know what to say. Think about it…if it were your father who killed your cousin’s family, how would you react? Would you contact Kahn…or would you be too ashamed to do so?”

“I don’t blame him.”

“Then tell him that and see what he says,” Maximus said, quietly. “Do it for Smokey, if not for yourself.”