3. Jagger Silvershade

Chapter 3

Jagger Silvershade

As I soared above the trees as conspicuously as I could without being suspicious, I kept an eye on the vehicle that made its way down the road that separated the Bronzeheart and Silvershade estates—the SUV that held my precious mate. My treasure.

Rationally, I knew that Bexley was safe—extremely safe—but I couldn't help the paranoia that something bad would happen while I wasn't by her side. It didn't help that I didn't have my mark on her pretty little neck yet, nor her scaled markings on my own. That our bond wasn't complete and etched into us for all of eternity.

Until we were completely tied to one another—until every threat to my mate was truly taken care of, like fucking Clanguard—I would feel uneasy. Even after that I'd probably still be uncomfortable leaving her side.

Unfortunately, Linan made a grievous mistake if he thought for a second we would take this lightly. Linan would pay for what he'd done and what he planned to do—especially to Bexley .

Expanding my attention outward to the other two territories, I searched for any sign of reinforcements heading toward the Silvershade estate. After about twenty minutes of flying, I was met with nothing but silence, the landscape calm in the darkness of the night. He hadn't sent troops anywhere else; only to our meeting.

Despite the calm of the clan lands, the city center was anything but. In addition to the normal urban soundscapes, the distant sound of fighting reached my finely tuned ears.

Whether it was related to what was going on or not wasn't something I could tell, but I didn't like not knowing, especially with my mate and my brothers driving right down a central road. Speeding ahead, I swept above the city, drawing looks as I tried to target the source of the loud noise of conflict…only to find a relatively small section to the northeast under attack. Specifically the avian sector, which was closest to the Clanguard pack lands.

Landing on a rooftop, I shifted into my human form and pulled out my phone, thankful for the magic that allowed me to keep my clothes and personal items on me. It would have been a bitch to constantly carry around and store clothes and other items in caches throughout the territory simply to ensure I wasn't walking around naked. Then again…seeing Bexley shift back without clothes was an appealing thought.

"Jagger, son, is everything okay?" My father answered my call after the fifth ring.

"The avian community is under attack right now—tell Alpha Spencer. I just flew above it and landed to call you."

"I'll tell her," he promised. "Did you see any reinforcements heading our way? I don't have eyes on any, but it's possible they're still leaving the city."

"No reinforcements," I agreed. "It seems Fletcher was right—this was a warning."

"Lay low for the night. We're leaving now, and while I don't see any reinforcements, I have a feeling this is going to get worse before it gets better." My father's voice was thick with concern, and my brows dipped, wondering if we should have left them. I knew they were more than capable of taking care of themselves, but sometimes the enemy could surprise you.

"Agreed." I inhaled sharply. "Both of you stay safe, okay?"

"Of course. I love you, son."

His words caught me off guard as he quickly ended the phone call. I stared down at the phone in thought. I knew my father loved me, but he rarely said it. It wasn't that my family was unaffectionate; my parents were just emotionally reserved, especially around others.

Deciding to send my parents a message saying ‘I love you both, stay safe,' I stared at it for a moment longer, wondering if I should call back, before hitting send. I needed to get back to Bexley and ensure she'd arrived at the safe house.

Not waiting for a response, I put away my phone and sprinted to the edge of the building, leaping off and shifting back into my full form mid-air. Soaring above the city once more, I flew toward the southern district before eventually landing in the middle of the street, the area much quieter than the other sector. While street lamps lit up the area, there was no one out, and it gave me the eerie feeling that someone was watching me from the shadows.

Knowing that the SUV had most likely already reached the safe house, I walked several city blocks with my hood up, navigating through alleys to keep out of view as much as I could. When I reached the alley with the SUV parked at the end, I slipped past it and opened the rusted side door to the apartment building. I cringed as I stepped into the stairwell and the door creaked closed—the sound echoing loudly in the night. Shit. Jogging up three flights of stairs, I spotted Breaker outside the door to the hallway, typing away on his phone.

When he looked up, I saw the relief on his face and felt a surge of guilt. I'd been gone longer than what either of them would've considered normal.

"Got lost?" he asked as he stood and stepped into the hallway.

"Had to shift back and call our parents. Clanguard's pack is attacking the avian sector as we speak," I explained, anger seeping into my voice. "I'm not sure why—if it's a simple attack or part of a bigger plan—but it's something we need to keep an eye on as we head toward the pack lands."

"Could also serve as a good distraction," Breaker suggested.

The two of us ducked into the apartment, the doorway shorter than normal, and walked down the steps that created a sunken effect to the unit. The furniture in the place was outdated and dusty, but other than that it was in pretty good condition. I frowned, hating that we weren't at someplace better, a place where Bexley could truly relax.

"Jagger!" Bexley's face filled with a look of relief as she stopped washing down one of the counters to round the dining table and wrap her arms around me. Pulling her close, I buried my nose in her sweet smelling hair as my chest relaxed, warmth radiating through my body at her nearness. There were so many damn emotions the woman made me feel, but this contentment and sense of belonging was like nothing I'd ever experienced before.

"I was so worried when you didn't beat us here," she admitted. Despite her smile, the slight dip in her brow hinted at the concerns weighing heavily on her.

"Something was going on in the avian sector," I explained. "I wanted to give our parents and the council leaders a heads up."

"Oh." Bexley's smile faded as her gaze went momentarily distant. "I hate that. I hate how he seems to be affecting everyone at once—I hate the reach he has."

"I promise you that reach will mean nothing soon," I whispered, kissing her lightly. She sighed into it before pulling away with a small nod, and I watched as she walked back into the kitchen to continue cleaning.

I hated the idea of Bexley lifting a finger…but I also knew she'd want to help everyone else in their attempt to make the place comfortable for the night. I still didn't have to like it though.

"I like this place," Rachel said as she stepped into one of the apartment's four bedrooms. It wasn't much, but safe houses didn't need to live up to our usual standard of living—they just needed the bare necessities.

"It could be really cozy and cute," Bexley agreed as she joined her friend. I approached her, unable to ignore the magnetic pull my mate had on me, reaching her right as her stomach rumbled. Fuck.

Bexley looked up at me with an embarrassed smile as I turned towards the others. "We need food—I'm going to grab some." I was less noticeable and more quiet than the other two.

Thomas nodded towards the door. "I'll go with you. Everyone else should stay here."

"Be safe," Bexley said as I kissed her once more and then set out, trusting Breaker and Gage to keep her safe. I let Thomas lead, and when we finally reached a take-out restaurant lit up by flickering neon signs, I scanned over the menu, ultimately deciding to order one of everything.

Thomas placed a similar order, to the delight of the older woman behind the counter. She offered to have us wait inside the lobby, but we chose instead to sit at a table right outside the restaurant. The clear night sky and silence of the neutral territory once again had me feeling on edge, every single sound making me tense. I almost would have preferred chaos. After the past few days, it would have felt a bit more normal.

We needed tonight to be peaceful, though. We needed a good night's rest before figuring out what our plan was for tomorrow.

"What do you think about all this?" I asked Thomas, curious how he felt now that he was involved in something he'd tried to avoid for so long.

"I have no idea how this is going to end," Thomas admitted, his foot bouncing in agitation. "My father is persistent, and I have a feeling he's never going to stop going after her."

A low, defensive rumble threatened to escape, but I managed to control it. "Even knowing that his two sons are out of his control? I thought the entire point was to have her mate with one of you?" The thought alone made me see fucking red. It made me want to remove Fletcher and Thomas from the equation—forever—despite knowing that they absolutely wanted no part in it.

"Of course, he considers himself a viable option as well," Thomas scoffed.

I had to actively restrain myself as my dragon threatened to break out and cause me to shift, my eyes closing as a scowl of disgust contorted my face. Fucking disgusting bastard.

"Or maybe not." Thomas shrugged. "Maybe it's about control at this point. Maybe any male wolf under his control will do—I'm honestly not sure. I've done my best to remove my father from my life to the furthest extent, stopping only when I thought I would lose my brother. Now that won't be an issue."

"You know Linan is going to die, right?" I wanted to be crystal clear about what was going to happen. While I understood Bexley not wanting others to die and would try to help her with that, Linan was another story.

"He deserves worse than that," Thomas said on a low hiss. "Fletcher and I watched for years as he abused our mother, abused other women, abused pack members—unable to do anything. I got out, and now Fletcher has too, but someone will have to fill the void of power left behind after we kill him. If left alone, one of his followers will, and the situation won't be any better. That's the only snag in all of this. But yes…I'm aware my father has to die."

It felt good to hear him say it. I had trusted them, but his conviction and the venom in his voice were reassuring. At the same time, it didn't completely surprise me. I even remembered meeting Linan for the first time at a young age and seeing how he treated his wife, naturally recognizing how wrong it was.

"Son, this is Alpha Clanguard, and these are his sons, Fletcher and Thomas."

I straightened in the presence of another alpha, offering him a hard nod. His eyes flashed with cruel amusement as he met my handshake in a crushing hold, and the longer I looked at him, the more I realized there was something cold and clinical to his gaze. Something that had me turning my attention to his sons instead.

Both of them were staring up at a woman who hadn't yet been introduced. Their mom, I guessed.

"And this is Ca ? —"

Alpha Clanguard interrupted my mom as she tried to introduce her. "It doesn't matter, at least to you." He offered a dismissive wave without even looking at his wife, ignoring the woman's wounded expression. Both boys shot their father angry looks, which he also completely ignored. "Now, Jagger, you're right around Fletcher's age, right?"

I distinctly remember asking my parents about the interaction later that night, feeling that it was purposefully malicious on his end. My father's response had been to emphasize Clanguard not valuing his mate, but now I realized that the explanation had been the tame, kid-friendly version. I didn't understand then, and I certainly didn't understand now, how a man could treat anyone—let alone his wife, mate, and mother to his children—like that. And for him to want to involve Bexley….

A ding had me looking down to my phone. My parents messaged that they had arrived safely in the Bronzeheart territory, but that some security had stayed behind to show a presence, understanding they were putting their lives at risk. I looked back up to find that Thomas had stood, a bell ringing from the restaurant alerting us that our food was ready.

We grabbed our bags of food and made our way back to the apartment in silence, each of us trapped in our own thoughts. By the time we reached the apartment and locked the door behind us, Bexley had already fallen asleep. Gage was on the couch with her, and Rachel and Fletcher had disappeared. Thomas took their bag of food to them down the hall as I set ours down on the coffee table, Breaker appearing with freshly washed plates and silverware.

"Everything good?" Gage asked.

I nodded. "Tired. Just tired. How's Bex? I wish she hadn't fallen asleep without eating." I felt like we hadn't been able to take care of our mate enough lately, something that made me extremely uncomfortable.

"She was exhausted, fell asleep the minute she sat down," Gage explained, his brows furrowed in concern as he brushed a piece of her golden hair back from her face.

"She should eat," I murmured, though I wasn't willing to wake her up. Instead I fixed myself a plate and sat in a chair diagonal to the couch. They had finished cleaning while we were gone, the windows cracked to relieve the mustiness. Bexley had also changed and showered, her golden hair drying in waves. It was partially pulled back, showcasing her marks from Gage and Breaker.

I forced myself to not feel jealousy over them, knowing that there was a time for everything, and our time would come. Even if recently it felt like we were shorter on time than I would have preferred.

"Everyone made it to the Bronzeheart estate safely," I said, filling them in on my parents' message. "Now we have to figure out how we're going to manage to find her parents."

"The brothers seem to have a good idea of where they are," Gage pointed out, "but I do worry about Linan discovering our intention. If the location is in the pack lands or the main packhouse, our plan includes significant risk. One I am not willing to put Bexley through. I mean, what are the chances that he'll decide to leave now?"

"It's possible he will since our parents gave up the Silvershade estate," Breaker said, his wording making me grimace. "He'll probably want to be there himself to deliver the blow to their ego and pride, so I think there's a good chance we'll only have to deal with whatever forces he leaves at the pack house. After all, why would he assume we'd go there? Why would he assume, after all these years, that we'd know about them being there? He's been playing offensively up until now; I doubt that will change."

"You're right. And the move to our estate would show confidence," I agreed.

"Our biggest obstacle," Fletcher said as he entered the room to grab some extra silverware, "is ensuring we can release her parents from wherever they're contained. It won't be a normal prison. I'm not sure what it will be, but not that. We need to be prepared for the possibility that we don't have the strength or means to release them, even if we locate them."

"If they can't break out of it, why would we be able to break into it?" Gage agreed. "Is it possible that it's a simple lock-and-key situation?"

"Unlikely. It's probably warded or something. My father has a few friends from the witch sector that have helped him throughout the years?—"

A whimper left Bexley's lips, and we all snapped our gazes towards her, panic slamming into my chest at the unexpected tear rolling down her cheek. Surging forward to kneel next to her, I ran my fingers over her face. Her mark on my neck burned, and as I lifted my other hand to it, I was thrown headfirst into Bexley's dreamscape.