Chapter 28

“Oh, you poor baby,” Sofia murmured, after Cain finished telling her his story. “But you don’t have to fret anymore because you’re in the Blackwood Pack now.”

“At least until I’m not needed any more,” Cain muttered. “Then I’m on my own again.”

Shaking her head, Sofia said, “I don’t think Jackson looks at it that way because he’s too kind hearted. If you want to stay on, then I’m sure he will agree.”

“Maybe,” Cain said doubtfully. Luck had always been in short supply in his life and he had used up most of it getting out of the hands of the High Council. But he had no illusions about his luck continuing after he gave Jackson the information about the humans who recruited him for Arald’s auction.

Looking at Cain, Sofia saw the same look she’d seen so many times on her son’s face and she wanted to cheer Cain up and give him hope. Seizing on the little information Steel had given her, she glanced around the room until her eyes landed on the closed laptop, giving her an idea. “When I was rescued, Zane gave me a credit card and told me to buy whatever I wanted. I thought he meant I was supposed to go shopping, you know, in a real store and I was scared silly of walking into one. So much had changed since I was young. But then Zane showed me how to use the computer to shop and…well, isn’t it amazing what you can buy over the internet?”

“You know how to use a computer?” asked Cain, a small bit of hope sneaking into his voice.

Chuckling Sofia replied, “I’m not an expert or anything like that, but I do know how to shop online. It’s actually one of my secret passions because I love buying gifts for my son and Zane. Have you done any shopping? Steel told me he set up accounts for you. Did you find anything you like?”

Shrugging, Cain looked down and mumbled, “Idon’tknowhowtodoit.”

It took a moment for Sofia to decipher what he said. Then, tapping his arm to get his attention, she waited until Cain glanced up at her before asking, softly, “Would you like me to show you?”

“Yes ma’am,” Cain replied, his voice barely more than a whisper. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was once again. Following Sofia to the desk where the bane of his existence waited for him like a sleeping lion, he held his breath as she lifted the lid of the laptop.

“Now let’s see what the Alpha Mate has done,” Sofia murmured to herself. When she had sorted the different clothing companies into separate windows, she glanced up at Cain and asked, “Is there a brand you like?”

“No…whatever is the cheapest.”

“Okay…what about colors…what do you like?”

“Doesn’t matter…I buy what’s on sale.”

“Hmm…what about style? Do you like shirts with collars or without?”

“T-shirts are good.”

It only took a few answers for Sofia to realize Cain’s problem. Her questions and the choices online were overwhelming him since, during his time in foster homes, he probably got hand-me-downs and, once he was on his own, had bought only the cheapest clothes with the little money he earned. Pushing back the desk chair, she turned to Cain and said, “You know what? I have some clothes I think will fit you. Want to see them?”

Cain’s eyes grew big at the thought of wearing women’s clothing. Shaking his head, he said, “Uhm…thank you ma’am but I would rather wear men’s clothes.”

“Oh my, no, dear boy,” Sofia laughed, “I have some men’s clothes I bought and then realized they were the wrong size for my son. I was going to return them but if they fit you, it will save me the trouble of boxing them up to send back.”

“Oh…OH! Okay…that’s good, then.”

“Come on,” Sofia said, standing up and heading for the door. “You’d be doing me a big favor by taking the clothes off my hands.”

Cain didn’t understand everything Sofia had said, but he did understand she was giving him some clothes and saving him from owing a debt to the Alpha Mate—a debt he had no way to pay at the moment. Following her out of his bedroom, he smiled at the thought that luck had not deserted him…yet.

~/~/~/~/~

After Heath finished telling Tristan what he knew about Rudy, his mate nodded and then said, “I want you to round up the enforcers and bring them to me…also see if there’s a map of the Silver Point Pack grounds.”

“Are you gonna call Jackson?”

“Not yet…and send Reeve in on your way out,” Tristan said, before turning back to his computer. Pulling up the program he’d been using before Oracle appeared, he resumed working while mulling over various scenarios. Fo r sure, he needed more than the enforcers currently assigned to him and couldn’t wait for the High Council to send them.

Closing Tristan’s office door behind him, Heath walked over to Reeve who was sitting on a chair in the hallway. “Don’t you ever go over my mate’s head again or I will personally kick your sorry ass all the way back to San Francisco. Am I clear?”

“He chewed you a new one, huh?” asked Reeve.

“I deserved it for going along with your plan to talk to Jackson without my mate’s approval. My father would skin me alive if he ever found out,” Heath said. “It’s your turn next—Tristan wants you in his office, so good luck getting yourself out of this one.”

After Heath left, Reeve got up and headed to the Alpha’s office. It had been a long time since he had seen his friend as shaken as he’d been after his meeting with Tristan. Knocking, he waited until he was granted permission to enter and then, bracing himself for a dressing-down that would probably match the one that Jackson had given him, he entered.

“Have a seat,” Tristan said, not looking up from his computer screen.

Reeve did as ordered and sat down in front of Tristan’s desk. Waiting for Tristan to begin, he took advantage of the time and studied the man who was now Alpha. After the High Council had met Jackson’s demands, nothing was left to block Tristan from assuming the position his father previously held. And for the first time since Tristan had taken the Alpha oath, Reeve realized there was something very different about him .

After clicking the print button, Tristan looked over at Reeve, and asked, “What’s your best guess for when Rudy will be here?”

“If it’s just Rudy and his three flunkies, then a couple of hours,” Reeve replied. “I can’t pin it down more than that because the Council doesn’t know exactly when the escape occurred. If he’s bringing the rest of the inmates who escaped with him, then maybe eight to ten hours.”

Nodding, Tristan said, “Since you know my enforcers better than I do at this point, I want you to make a list of who are the strongest fighters among them.”

“I can do that, but there won’t be enough to protect your pack and yourself. Even if I add those enforcers who stayed with me, you’re still going to be outnumbered, especially since Rudy and his gang have nothing to lose. But if Jackson will add…”

“I intend to call him shortly,” Tristan said, curtly. “What steps are you taking to protect my brother, Kahn, his sisters, and their mother?”

“They’re all together in Elenor’s condo with my men guarding them and the building.”

“How many entrances are there?”

“Two…the main and the service entrance. I have men watching both of them for now.”

“Okay…get me the list of enforcers…and I asked Heath for a map of my lands…see if he’s found one yet and if not, help him get one,” Tristan ordered, turning back to his computer screen.

Tristan’s abrupt dismissal stung, but Reeve understood why. Hesitating for a moment, he thought about the unfinished business between them that needed to be addressed sooner than later. And if Tristan didn’t want to bring it up, then he would. “Tristan, about my call to Jackson…”

“Let it go, Reeve.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea…not with what’s facing us.”

Slamming his fist down on the desk, Tristan growled, “Don’t you mean facing me ? Or are you the Alpha of the Silver Point Pack?”

“No…that’s not what I meant.”

“I know that, but you act as if you still are, or at the very least, a co-Alpha with me. Is that why you thought you had the right to call Jackson before telling me?”

“I know you’re the Alpha…I was just trying to…”

“Stop. I know you thought protecting me was more important than anyone else, including my pack. But let me disabuse you of that notion. The welfare of my pack comes first, above anything or anyone else. I took an oath to do just that and I will keep it no matter what. Your role is to advise, not make decisions for me. If you can’t understand that, then you should leave.”

“You’re right and I’m sorry for forgetting it. It won’t happen again, Alpha.”

“I accept your apology, now go.”

“Thank you, Alpha,” Reeve murmured before leaving. Closing Tristan’s door behind him, he paused for a moment, remembering the man who burst into his office to issue a challenge. Brave, but stupid was Reeve’s first impression of Tristan, but after finding out he was the first-born son of Josiah, he had set that impression aside and spent time getting to know him. Now he realized he’d missed the powerful Alpha spirit hidden inside Tristan—and which had suddenly been revealed. Finally, the Silver Point Pack now had an Alpha they could be proud of. He could feel Tristan’s newly found Alpha Power even through the closed door and he had to smile; Rudy was in for a surprise when he finally arrived. Chuckling, he left to make the list and find Heath.

~/~/~/~/~

Digging through her closet, Sofia found the clothes she’d bought for David and after gathering them up in her arms, she walked out into her bedroom. Setting them down on a chair, she looked at Cain and said, “I have more, but you can start with these.”

Looking at the huge pile, Cain’s eyebrows shot up almost to his hairline. “I don’t need much…some jeans and a few t-shirts,” he murmured.

“I understand,” Sofia said, pulling out a t-shirt and holding it out to him. “What about this one? It’s a nice shade of green.”

Cain stared at it for a moment before taking it from her. The first thing he noticed was how soft it felt—a far cry from the coarse fabrics prison uniforms were made of. No matter how many times they were washed, they never got softer. But the one Sofia gave him was just as soft and fluffy as the clouds he used to watch float by in the sky when he was a child. Lifting it up to his face, Cain rubbed it against his cheek, smiling when he realized it was actually softer than he’d thought. Suddenly, he couldn’t wait to feel it against his body. “I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going?” Sofia asked, surprised.

“Uh…my room…so I can put this on,” Cain said, hesitantly. “That’s why you gave it to me, right? ”

“Yes…but I thought you might want to try these on too,” Sofia replied, shuffling through the clothes before offering Cain a pair of jeans.

Examining them closely, Cain couldn’t believe they were actually jeans. All the jeans he’d worn in the past were stiff, with rough, scratchy seams and had fit him badly. But Sarge told him to always be grateful for what the Good Lord saw fit to give him. He never could figure out who the ‘Good Lord’ was, but he did what Sarge told him to do and on a cold night when he slept outside, he learned to be really grateful that the ‘Good Lord’ had decided to give him any jeans at all.

When Cain kept staring at the jeans in his hand without saying a word, Sofia said, “If you don’t like them, I have others you can try on.”

Forcing his memories back to the place in his mind where they couldn’t hurt him, he slowly shook his head. “No ma’am, they’re just fine.”

Smiling Sofia said, “Good…you can use my bathroom to try them on. It’s right through that door.”

Looking at the door Sofia was pointing to, Cain headed for it and stepped into the biggest bathroom he’d ever seen. Shutting the door behind him, he first noticed the bathtub. It had been so long since he’d taken a bath; there were only showers in prison and could only be used for a few minutes. Bending down, he ran his hand along the inside of the tub, marveling at the smoothness of the cool porcelain. He hoped there was a bathtub in his bathroom because, if there was, he could hardly wait to use it.

Straightening up, he glanced at the large glass-enclosed shower and the many handles in it, wondering what they were for. Shrugging, he decided it didn’t matter because if there was a bathtub he’d be using it, instead. Smiling, he turned around, setting the clothes down on the wide sink counter before stripping off the ones Smokey had given him.

Cain wasn’t sure why the Alpha Mate wanted him to buy new clothes when the ones he had on were okay—and much better than his prison ones. But, while he was waiting to find out if Jackson had decided to accept him into his pack, he promised himself he’d do everything he was told to do. So if he was supposed to wear new clothes, then that’s what he was going to do.

Quickly stepping into the jeans, Cain moaned quietly at their softness, pulling them up over his naked body. His underwear had been left behind in his cell, so he was very careful with the zipper. After slipping on the t-shirt, Cain ran his hands over it, smoothing out a few wrinkles. Then turning to the mirror, he stared at his image in disbelief, wondering who the man was looking back at him.

Cain never could remember having clothes that fit him like these. As a kid they’d always been someone else’s, either too big or too small. Then when he went to prison, uniforms were always too tight or baggy; The guards couldn’t care less about giving him the right size. Not that he ever dared to object. His motto was keep his head down, fly under the radar, and don’t make a fuss. It had served him well in his foster homes and it was the one he lived by when he ended up in jail.

Concerned because Cain was taking so long, Sofia called out, “Is everything all right in there?”

Nodding to himself, Cain yelled back, “Yeah…I’ll be right out.” Then, taking one last look at himself, he opened the door, taking a few steps into the bedroom. Nervously he waited for Sofia’s reaction.

“Oh my goodness!” Sofia exclaimed. “Don’t you look handsome.”