Chapter 5

Staring disbelievingly at Heath, Reeve echoed what his friend said, “Your mate? Are you sure? Does he know?”

Nodding miserably, Heath mumbled, “He laughed at me when I told him he was my mate.”

Reeve couldn’t fathom any shifter reacting that way when told the news—unless Heath was mistaken. But even then, it was a cruel thing to do to his friend. Regardless of his promise not to kick the shit out of the shifter, he’d be paying a visit to teach that fucker a thing or two about the right way to let someone down. “Who’s your mate?”

“I don’t know…I didn’t stay around enough to find out. What’s the difference? He rejected me.”

“Where did you meet him? Back home? Maybe your parents would know who he is.”

“No…in your office. I don’t know what he was doing there, but he was sitting at your desk when I came in.”

Reeve’s jaw dropped. Holy fuck! “Tristan is your mate?”

Looking up, Heath asked, “Who’s Tristan?”

“Josiah’s eldest son. He showed up while you were gone, ready to fight his father.”

“I thought Kahn was the eldest.”

Shaking his head, Reeve said, “No one knew about Tristan. His mother, who was pregnant with him at the time, was kicked out of the pack by Josiah when he took Elenor as a mate. Tristan’s mother never told him who his father was, but after she died, he found his birth record. Grieving for his mother and pissed at his father for leaving them, he showed up the day you left and, mistaking me for Josiah, issued a challenge.”

“Holy fuck!”

“That about sums it up,” Reeve said.

Suddenly, a thought hit Heath, and he growled, “You didn’t hurt him, did you?”

“I should smack you for even thinking I would.”

“Well, he did challenge you and I’ve never known you to back down from one.”

“Did you not hear me…he thought I was Josiah!”

“Yeah…so what did you do?” asked Heath.

“Fed him and asked if he wanted the Alpha job,” Reeve said, grinning. “He did and that’s why he was in my office last night while my mate and I were elsewhere getting better acquainted.”

“Holy fuck!”

“Yup, your mate is the new Alpha of the Silver Point Pack. Congratulations, Alpha Mate.”

Heath smiled, but it quickly turned into a frown when the memory of his mate’s reaction to his announcement came back. “You forget…he rejected me.”

Setting down his empty mug, Reeve said, “Tristan is a good guy…there’s got to be another explanation. I’m sure it’s a simple case of misunderstanding. I was going to head over there after lunch but I’ll go now. It’s better to get this straightened out right away before it gets worse. Gimme a minute to tell Kahn I’m going.”

Hope bloomed in Heath’s chest at the possibility that Reeve was right about it being a mistake. An Alpha as my mate…Mom and Dad are gonna be so proud! After drinking the rest of his coffee, Heath rinsed his mug and set it in the sink while waiting for his friend to return.

~/~/~/~/~

Jackson looked up at Mystia as she appeared in his study. “Thanks for coming. How’s Jimmy?”

“Missing his grandpups, especially Max,” she said, smiling. “I’ve convinced him to hire some extra help.”

“And he agreed?” Jackson asked, surprised.

“Only because I pointed out how much he’s missing out on since they’re growing up so fast.”

“Clever.”

“I can’t take credit for it,” Mystia replied, smiling. “Oracle told me she used the same reasoning on Maximus when Steel and Slate were small. Now, what do you need?”

Picking up the list Brady had written, Jackson said, “I promised Cain some gardening books, but I was totally unaware of how many there are. I finally asked Brady…”

Nodding, Mystia took the list from Jackson’s hand. “Brady would know which ones are good.”

“That’s what I thought. Too bad it took me several days to figure it out,” Jackson chuckled.

“Hmmm…you’re worried Cain might think you deserted him,” Mystia murmured, scanning the list.

“Yeah…so I was hoping you…”

“Consider it done,” Mystia replied before disappearing.

Jackson’s ‘thanks’ were made to an empty room. Smiling to himself, he turned back to the next problem waiting for a solution…a decision about Cain. He’d he ld off calling a pack meeting to talk about restitution from the Silver Point pack because he wanted to announce his decision regarding the human at the same time. But he expected Reeve to push the restitution issue once again at the meeting scheduled for that afternoon. Swiveling his chair around, Jackson looked out his window into the forest surrounding the pack house and thought about the protection it gave to his pack. But that would change if he made the wrong decision.

~/~/~/~/~

Staring up at the ceiling of his cell, Cain wondered if today would be the day he learned his fate. As the days passed, he found it harder and harder to not give up, and it was only Jackson’s whispered words that were keeping him sane at this point.

Sighing, Cain rolled over on his side. The time he’d allotted for ceiling gazing was over and next on his schedule was scanning the walls of his cell. Life in prison was boring and it was even more so in solitary confinement with no one to talk to. Time slowed down and counting the minutes until the next scheduled meal did nothing but emphasize how futile life was for him.

Finally reaching his limit of boredom, Cain closed his eyes, ready to use sleep as his next ploy to help pass the time of day. It was one of many tricks he’d picked up from his previous times of incarceration.

“Cain? Jackson sent me.”

The sound of the soft musical voice flowed over him like a cool mountain stream but Cain didn’t bother to open his eyes. It didn’t belong to Oracle, so he decided it was a figment of his imagination, something that had happened to him before.

“ Mon chaton, here are the books Jackson promised…don’t you want them?”

Cain’s eyes shot open and focused on the willowy, graceful woman dressed in a flowing black gown trailing behind her on the ground. Long, white, silky hair caressed a beautiful face lined with a few wrinkles. She was surrounded by light that matched her silver eyes and he knew right away she wasn’t human. “Who are you?”

“Mystia.”

“What are you?”

“A magic user.”

Oh shit! A witch! Quickly looking around his cell, Cain realized escape was impossible, so he did the next best thing. Rolling out of his bunk, he scooted under it, moving until his back met the wall. Trying to keep his fear under control, he kept his eyes on her feet, hoping she’d leave just as fast as she’d come.

Startled by Cain’s reaction, Mystia bent down and peered at him, “ Mon chaton, are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Cain said, his voice coming out in a high pitch.

“Why are you under the bed?”

Fuck! Because you want to turn me into a frog? But Cain withheld that answer, lest it give the witch an idea. Unable to come up with an alternative reason, he remained silent.

Seeing the fear in Cain’s eyes, Mystia had her answer. Placing the books on the floor so he could see them, She rose and, with a wave of her hand, vanished from Cain’s cell, only to reappear in Frank’s office. The fear Cain felt was real and, though there was no reason for it, she knew that for humans, it could lead to death. After sharing her concerns with Frank, who assured her he’d keep an eye on Cain, she thanked him and disappeared.

Cain had remained rigidly frozen under his bunk, his eyes focused on the witch’s feet, but when he blinked, she was gone…just as he remembered in some fairy tales his mother read to him before she left him to fend for himself. In the witch’s place was a stack of books. Squinting at them, Cain’s heart started to beat faster as he read the titles on their spines. His hands itched to touch them, but he fought off the urge. According to the men who indoctrinated him about shifters and other paranormal beings, witches were the trickiest of all.

So he remained under the bed, listening for any sounds that would reveal her location in his cell. For all he knew, she could be hovering over his bed on her broom, waiting until he came out before casting a spell on him and turning into a frog or something worse.

Time passed slowly and his muscles complained about the cramped position they were in, but Cain fought it until he no longer could. Pain shot through his left calf muscle, forcing him to emerge from his confined quarters. Rising quickly, he stomped his heel down on the floor, groaning as the pain slowly lessened.

Then, sitting down on his bunk, he realized he was alone in his cell once more. Reaching down, he picked up the first book, reverently running his hand over the cover before opening it. Within minutes, he was so engrossed in it that he never heard his jailor deliver his meal.

~/~/~/~/ ~

Parking next to the Silver Point building that housed his office, Reeve turned off the engine and glanced over at his passenger who was nervously tapping his foot and staring out the windshield. The easy-going Heath was gone and in his place was a man on the edge. Placing his hand on Heath’s thigh to stop its bouncing, he murmured, “Hey, trust me…Tristan didn’t mean to laugh.”

Finally turning to look at his friend, Heath asked softly, “But what if you’re wrong?”

“There’s only one way to know for sure…c’mon, let’s go find your mate.”

Heaving a big sigh, Heath unbuckled his seat belt, hesitating for a moment before opening the SUV’s door and getting out. No matter what Reeve said, he knew there wasn’t going to be a happy ending to his mating story.

Shaking his head at his friend’s hang-dog expression, Reeve strode into the building and headed straight to his office. The sooner this was resolved the sooner they all could move on. After reaching his office door, he had to wait for Heath who’d been dragging his feet. “Get it together,” he whispered once his friend was next to him. “You look like you’re about to face a firing squad.”

Heath grimaced; Reeve was right. But he found it wasn’t easy to change his expression when his heart was filled with the pain of rejection.

Rolling his eyes, Reeve turned the doorknob and pushed open the door. Stepping inside, he stared in amazement at what greeted him.

Following his grandmother’s instructions, Tristan had showered, shaved, and styled his hair before selecting the only suit he’d brought with him. His mother always claimed a well-dressed man conveyed confidence and that was exactly what he needed when meeting his mate again. He’d practiced his apology over and over, fine-tuning it until it was perfect. Now, all he had to do was wait for his mate to show up.

Suddenly the door started to open. Not waiting to see who it was, Tristan grabbed the wrapped gift box and stood, ready to apologize. His shoulders fell as his eyes connected with Reeve’s. “Oh, it’s you.”

“Me, and Heath…your mate,” Reeve announced. Then, stepping aside so Tristan could see the man behind him, he grinned at the stunned look on both their faces.

“You came back!” Tristan blurted out. “Oh my gods, I’m so sorry I hurt you last night…I didn’t mean to, but…you won’t believe this, but I thought you were joking. My mother never told me about mates and it wasn’t until this morning that I could ask my grandparents what it meant.” Then holding out his present, he added, “This is for you…I hope you like them.”

Walking slowly over to his mate, Heath could only stare at the handsome man talking to him. Last night, his mate’s scent had blinded him to everything else, but now he could see a tall, dreamy man. Fucking hell! My mate is hot! Stopping in front of Tristan, Heath took the gift and grinned. “Wow! Thanks…but I should be giving you something and…I shouldn’t have left the way I did.”

“No…no…no…I shouldn’t have laughed.” Then gesturing at the box, Tristan added, “Go ahead, open it. My grandmother made them. They’re my favorite.”

Quickly untying the bow, Heath opened the tin box and groaned as the aroma hit his nose. Taking one out, he handed it to his mate, then grabbed one for himself. “I love blueberry muffins…my mother makes them for me every time I visit.” Taking a bite, Heath moaned. “Oh my gods! This is the best I’ve ever had.”

Satisfied the two of them would sort out the rest, Reeve interrupted the moan and groan feast. “Tristan, don’t forget we have to see Jackson this afternoon.”

“I won’t,” Tristan said before turning back to his mate. “Will you come with me?”

Glancing over his shoulder at Reeve, Heath smiled when his boss nodded. Then, turning back to his mate, he replied, “Yup…here, have another before I eat them all up.”

Shutting the door behind him, Reeve whistled a favorite tune as he headed outside to call Kahn and tell him everything was good with the lovebirds. In fact, it was better than good, it was fantastic, and he was positive the Great Spirit had a hand in it.

His worry about Jackson accepting Tristan as the new Alpha of the Silver Point Pack had now mostly disappeared. Nothing stabilized a pack more than its Alpha finding his Fated Mate and that, in turn, would ease Jackson’s concern about the safety of his brothers.

Reeve would have to notify the High Council of the latest turn of events but he had no doubt they’d give their approval quickly. All that was left to do was work out the restitution issue with Jackson before he could put his new plan into action.

Walking into the woods, Reeve found a fallen tree and sat down on it, soaking in the peace around him. The assignment he thought was an easy one, turned out to have more twists and turns than a meandering mountain stream but, in the end, it was worth it. Taking out his phone, he tapped Kahn’s phone number and listened as it rang, thinking back to his feelings when he first met his mate, smiling at the wonder of the moment.

“Hi, how did it go? Did my brother apologize?”

“Yup…he dressed up and even had a gift ready for Heath.”

“Wow! I can’t wait to meet him. Did he say anything about dinner?”

“Hmm, that would be a big ‘no’ since I never had a chance once your brother saw Heath…but I’ll ask him this afternoon.”

“Do you think Jackson will approve of my brother?”

“Yeah, I do,” Reeve replied. Seeing one of his men approach him, he added, “I gotta go but I’ll be home afterward and tell you all about it.” Ending the call, he looked up at Eddie and asked, “What’s up?”