Chapter 26

Damn it! Hurrying to his study, Jackson hoped Reeve wasn’t calling about harboring a fugitive, even though Cain hadn’t really escaped. No, he was definitely innocent but Mystia and Jimmy weren’t. If the High Council decided to pursue charges against them, it was going to be a cluster-fuck of epic proportions. The only thing going for them was no one would be able to identify them as the ones who were responsible for Cain’s escape… no not escape…definitely a rescue. But, even if the High Council viewed it as a rescue, how would Jackson explain that Cain had died, especially with no evidence of a wound? And how come he was now alive? Jackson couldn’t explain that without exposing Smokey. And he would never do that.

Entering the study, Jackson closed the door behind him, hitting the call return button on his phone as he made his way to his desk and sat down. When Reeve answered, he said, “What’s up?”

“You alone?”

“Yes…why?” asked Jackson warily.

“Last night, a number of prisoners escaped from the High Council jail led by Rudy.”

“Rudy! How the hell is that even possible? Wasn’t he in a maximum security cell?”

“No…his intake process hadn’t been completed,” Reeve replied, “and until that was done, he’d be in with the regular prison population.”

“Even so, how the hell was it possible for him to escape from there, especially since the prison was built specifically to hold paranormals? I could understand it if he was being held in a human jail…but not the High Council’s.”

“We believe he had inside help but that hasn’t been confirmed yet.”

“What about the rest…Bruno, Hans, Seth…are they gone too?”

“Yeah, and at least fifty more though I don’t know who. I haven’t received a list with the names of all escaped prisoners from the Council yet.”

Jackson quietly exhaled. For once, he was grateful for the inability of the High Council to respond to problems quickly. It would give him the time needed to speak with Oracle to figure out how to explain Cain’s sudden appearance at his pack.

“Jackson…did I lose you?” asked Reeve after a few seconds of silence.

“I’m here. Did they say when you could expect the list?” asked Jackson.

“No…but considering what’s happened, it won’t be soon.”

A red flag went up in Jackson’s head at Reeve’s tone. He knew instantly Reeve hadn’t told him everything, so he asked, “What else aren’t you telling me?”

“Frank Royd, Dylon’s father is missing and the High Council believes Rudy took him as a hostage to use as a bargaining tool,” Reeve said. “They don’t know this for sure because all the security videos were wiped, but they do know he was down there last night when it happened.”

“Why wasn’t Dylon informed his father is missing? What about his wife? Does she know?” demanded Jackson, his anger barely under control. “Don’t bother answering because I already know the answer.”

“Look, I know it doesn’t help…but I called as soon as I found out. According to my boss, the High Council wanted to keep it quiet until they heard from Rudy.”

“Stupid fucking decision,” fumed Jackson. “They wasted all this time while we could have been searching for Rudy and his band of merry men. Tell me…do they at least know if Frank is alive?”

“No, Rudy never called, and obviously someone on the High Council decided you and I needed to know what had happened since they believe Rudy is headed here to kill Kahn and Tristan so he can claim the Alpha title.”

“They believe? Fuck! What they really mean is they don’t have a fucking clue where their escaped prisoners are…or Frank, for that matter. A cover-their-ass move if I ever saw one.”

“That’s a fair assumption,” Reeve replied.

“Right. Anything else I should know?”

“No, except the High Council requested you keep this info confidential. They still hope to receive a call from Rudy.”

“I won’t agree to that,” Jackson replied. “Dylon has the right to know about his father, and the other pack members have the same right to know Rudy might be a threat.”

“I expect Tristan will feel the same way once I tell him what happened.”

“You haven’t done that, yet?” asked Jackson, surprised.

“He’s next on my list, but I wanted to know first if you’d consider joining forces with us to find Dylon’s father…to protect our respective packs from whatever shit Rudy has up his sleeve.”

“Are you asking me or is the Alpha of the Silver Point Pack making the request?”

Reeve knew he was out of line asking on behalf of Tristan, but it was a calculated risk he was taking, hoping Jackson wouldn’t call him on it. Jackson was pure Alpha and would not likely tolerate any disrespect toward another Alpha. “I’m asking you,” Reeve explained, “because Tristan has never been in a situation like this where not only is his life in danger, but also those of his pack members. No disrespect was intended, but Tristan is going to look to me for help, and I thought if you would agree to my proposal, it would soften the blow, so to speak.”

“ Soften the blow ? If you continue to think and act this way, you aren’t of any use to Tristan. He’s the Alpha and, believe me, shit is gonna keep coming his way as long as he remains Alpha. That’s the part I was referring to when I pointed out he hadn’t had the benefit of learning to be an Alpha that both Kahn and I got from our fathers when we were growing up. Those were lessons I relied on when Josiah put out a kill order on me and my brothers. And they were the lessons that kept us safe during all those years.

“There are always threats Alphas must deal with, whether from inside his pack or outside. And granted, this one is serious, but Tristan has to learn how to handle it or else his time as Alpha will be very short.” Jackson paused, trying to get his temper under control before continuing.

“As for you asking me without Tristan’s approval—did the loyalty oath you swore to Tristan as Alpha come with an escape clause? Does it state you and only you can decide when to give your loyalty, or was it absolute, as I suspect? If that’s the case, you owe Tristan an apology for going behind his back to ask me a question only he as the right to do.”

Reeve knew he deserved a dressing-down, but never expected to have Jackson ream him a new asshole. It was just one more thing he’d underestimated about the man. “Alpha, I meant no offense…”

“That’s the problem…you never do…whether it’s keeping a secret from me or undermining Tristan’s position as Alpha. Luckily for you, I believe it’s more a case of not truly understanding the dynamics in a pack rather than an intention to cause harm. But you’d better learn quickly, Reeve, or get out of the way so someone else can step in to advise Tristan. He has a lot to learn and, as this latest shitstorm demonstrates, he doesn’t have much time to do it in. Now, after you inform your Alpha of Rudy’s escape, please ask him to call me.”

“I’ll do that,” Reeve replied.

“Good,” Jackson said. “Also, regarding access to Smokey, I have thought about it…”

“Jackson, you don’t understand how important it is,” Reeve interrupted.

“You’re wrong…I do understand. Which is why I’ve decided the only thing standing in the way of my approval is my cousin…”

“He doesn’t have…”

“Will you please let me finish?” Jackson growled.

“Sorry,” Reeve mumbled. “Go ahead.”

“So it’s time Kahn and I talk, but it can wait until Rudy is caught. ”

Confused, Reeve asked, “What do you need to talk to him about?”

“Mainly about Josiah and whether he knew what his father was planning.”

“He didn’t! He told me himself.”

“Reeve, I need to hear it from Kahn,” Jackson replied, quietly. “We grew up together and shared the misery of being first-born more times than I can count. If what you say is true…and I have no reason to doubt it…then it’s time Kahn and I made peace since it now seems we’re both victims of Josiah’s cruelty…me and my brothers and he and his sisters.”

“I’ll talk to Kahn, but I can’t make any promises,” Reeve replied.

“Fair enough. In the meantime, speak to Tristan.”

“Will do.”

Jackson ended the call and sent a text message to Dylon. The fact the High Council hadn’t bothered to notify Dylon or Lizzie that Frank was missing wasn’t going to go over well. After getting a confirmation that Dylon was on his way to see him, he sent a text to Zane. The High Council believed the videos were gone, but Jackson had faith that his brother might be able to recover them.

~/~/~/~/~

Cain tried to ignore the knocking on his door, hoping the person would give up and leave. He was pretty sure it wasn’t Jackson, Steel, or Smokey so it was a good bet the person outside was at the wrong door. Turning the page in a book about roses he’d found on the bookshelf, he resumed reading, which became impossible when he heard a female voice call his name .

Using a slip of paper from a notepad on the desk as a bookmark, Cain carefully closed the book and set it down on a side table before getting up and heading to the door in the other room. He pressed his ear against it and listened, but jerked back when the same voice said his name again.

Biting his lower lip, he hesitated before finally asking, “Who is it?”

“Sofia…David’s mother. Steel asked me to bring your lunch up to you.”

“That can’t be good,” Cain muttered to himself. He distinctly remembered Jackson insisting that he eat with the pack. Slowly opening the door a crack, he said, “I’m supposed to eat with everyone else.”

Nodding, Sofia replied, “Steel told me this was your first day here and thought you would appreciate a little time to get used to everything. I know I did when I first arrived, and my David is still struggling a bit…too many years of eating alone, I suppose. But everyone was very kind to me, even though I’m human…”

“You’re human?” asked Cain, opening the door wider. “How did you end up with wolf shifters?”

“I’ll tell you, but first, may I come in?” Sofia asked, gesturing to the food cart next to her. “There’s more than a human can eat…at least more than I can…but Steel wasn’t sure what would appeal to you, so he made several different dishes.”

Nodding, Cain opened the door wide and stood back to give Sofia enough room to wheel in the cart, sniffing the tantalizing aromas as the food passed him. “I didn’t realize I was hungry,” he murmured, after hearing a loud growl from his stomach. During his time in different human prisons, he regarded food only as currency to be traded for things he needed—like soap or toothpaste. And because of that, he didn’t care what was on the prison menu since he’d be saving most of his meal to use. But now, it seemed food could become something he actually enjoyed.

“Is this okay?” asked Sofia standing next to the table in the sitting room.

As he followed Sofia, his mind got lost in memories he hated to think about. Coming back to the present when she spoke, he realized he’d missed what she’d said to him. “Huh?” he asked, clearly confused.

“Do you want to eat here?” Sofia asked, pointing to the table. Then, looking at Cain, she said, “When I first arrived, I was too nervous to eat with the pack, so sometimes David would eat with me in my room.”

Cain glanced down at the table, then up at Sofia, noticing her kind smile and sparkling, deep blue eyes gazing at him. She reminded him of the only foster mother who had loved him, and he suddenly knew he could trust her. “Will you join me? I ate earlier so I’m sure there’ll be enough for both of us,” he said, holding his breath while waiting for her answer.

“I’d love to,” Sofia said, “that is, if you’re sure.”

Nodding vigorously, Cain began transferring the covered dishes to the table. “I am, and besides, you promised to tell me how you ended up here.”

Giggling, Sofia sat down in the chair Cain had pulled out for her. “Such a gentleman…someone is going to be very lucky when they find you. That’s what happened to my David. ”

Sitting down opposite Sofia, Cain waited until she’d filled her plate before helping himself. “David’s your son, right?”

“My only child. I nearly lost him, but Zane found him and then they both rescued me.”

“Is David human, too?”

“Oh, goodness no. He’s a wolf shifter, same as Zane.”

Stunned, Cain could only stare at Sofia. According to the guys who told him about shifters, it was impossible for a human to give birth to a shifter, yet if she was telling the truth, then it was just some more of their bullshit.

Sofia smiled at Cain. “I know…it’s rather hard to believe, isn’t it?”

Nodding his head slowly, Cain said, “I think now would be a good time to tell me how it happened.”

“It all started when my father found out I was pregnant…”

Listening closely, Cain began to eat slowly, rarely interrupting Sofia. It was a story filled with sadness, strength, hope, and love, and by the time it ended, he was so enthralled with her he’d forgotten the food on his plate.

“So here I am, with my David and his mate, happier than I ever thought would be possible,” Sofia concluded.

“That’s amazing,” Cain murmured softly. “I can’t wait to meet your son.”

“You’ll like him…such a gentle soul…and so handsome.” Setting down her fork, Sofia looked at Cain . “Can you tell me how you ended up at the Blackwood Pack?”

Cain thought about Sofia’s request and his first reaction was a ‘hell no’. But that was the response he usually made in his old life where he’d learned during his first incarceration the importance of keeping his mouth shut about why he was there. Choices …Jackson had reminded him they were his, alone, to make. Glancing back up at Sofia, he licked his lips nervously before he began. “My story started when I was a child and my parents decided they didn’t want me anymore…”