52. Jax

52

Jax

It was just before dawn when I saw the figure sneaking from my house toward the wooded backyard, although sneaking was probably not the right word for it. Maeve would never stoop so low as to sneak somewhere, but she was alone, and that was suspicious.

Since Anna had only left a few moments ago to observe the autopsy, my hackles immediately went up. Maeve was following the same path she took.

Following her scent.

I waited a few more moments to make certain that no one was meant to be following her, and then I headed in after her. She was doing nothing to hide her trail, but she seemed to be walking straight toward the infirmary.

Straight toward Anna.

Before she could breach the other side of the woods, I picked up the pace and easily caught up to her. Before I could touch her, she whirled, closed her hands around my throat and tried to pin me to a tree.

I was bigger than her, but Maeve's power was still impressive. When she realized it was me, she released me and growled. "Why are you following me, Jax?"

"Why are you following my mate?"

"Your mate?" Her eyes glowed yellow as she sniffed. "Ah. That is her scent. I knew I was following something, but I hadn't paid that much attention to it. Her scent is odd. I should have known."

"So you weren't following her?"

"Of course not," Maeve snapped. "Why would I need to follow your mate? What would she even be doing up at this hour?"

"Taking a walk. She likes the quiet of the morning. You?"

Maeve's eyes narrowed. "Same."

"Without any of your guards? There might be a killer wolf running around."

Her eyes sparkled. She might be hiding something, but she liked the game. "We're all killers, Jax. There aren't many who could take me on here and survive to tell the tale."

"More than usual," I pointed out, myself included. I glanced in the direction she was headed.

"You're heading toward the infirmary. Are you hurt?"

"I thought I might speak to your healer about something. Did you send your mate to check up on the dead witch? You must trust her to give her so much responsibility."

I nodded my head. "I'll walk you the rest of the way, and maybe before we get there, you'll tell me the truth."

"There is so little distrust among us packs, I do not know if we will ever come to an agreement," Maeve sighed dramatically but fell into step next to me. "Do you really think we are at risk? Taking on a few witches is one thing, but taking on the four packs of the mountains?

Who would do such a thing?"

"You forget how big the rogue population is, Maeve. They outnumber my pack." It bothered me how many wolves no longer wanted to be part of a pack. Nearly every week, I had a juvenile come to me and petition to leave the pack. To leave the mountain. The more wolves that intermingled with the human world, the more of a chance that we would be discovered.

"But to take on the mountain, they would have to choose a leader. The very nature of a rogue wolf is that they want to be alone," Maeve pointed out. "Although, I suppose it does happen from time to time that a wolf isn't given a choice when they're exiled from a pack."

Her voice softened just a little, and I realized I was an idiot. Maeve wasn't out here to see Anna. "How did you know that he was in the infirmary?"

"Hmm? Who?"

"Don't play dumb, Maeve. You're still trying to see Finn even though I haven't given you permission. I've kept his injuries a secret. How did you know that he was there?" When she didn't answer right away, I grabbed her arm and whirled her around. "We aren't playing games anymore. If I have a security risk, I want to know about it."

Another security risk. Bridget's betrayal was still an ache in my chest.

Maeve removed my hand. "Calm yourself, Jax. You don't have a security risk. I know Finn's scent. I smelled his blood by that bar your mate is trying to reopen. I went by the infirmary yesterday, and I could smell him there."

"And you thought it was your best chance to see him?"

For a second, so brief I almost missed it, Maeve's eyes flickered with emotion. "You are not old enough, pup, to regret the things you are doing now, but there will come a day, when you look back on your leadership, and wish you'd done things differently."

She acted as if I'd only been in power for a few months. I'd already made choices that I regretted.

"I will ask Finn if he's ready to see you, but if he is not, you are to leave it alone, Maeve."

"It's fine, Jax."

I didn't turn my head, knowing that Finn had been there the whole time. Right behind him was Anna and Amelia. Their eyes were rounded, as if they couldn't believe what they'd just heard Maeve say.

The female alpha's lips pressed together in anger, but she turned to face Finn. "You look like your father," she said finally. "But perhaps only because I am looking for him in you."

"I'd say I'm nothing like him, but I don't have any adult memories of him." Finn shrugged.

"And you know how skewed children's memories are. To me, he's a hero. To you, he's a villain."

"He wasn't just a villain to me," Maeve snapped. "But that is neither here nor there. You lived for a long time as a rogue. It's impressive."

Finn smiled briefly. "You didn't expect a child to live so long?"

"I didn't expect you to be a rogue at all. I sent a wolf out to meet you and take you somewhere safe. She was killed before she could get to you, and then you were gone. I sent three more wolves searching for you, and none of them could pick up your scent."

Finn's eyes widened, and even I was taken aback. So it had all been a ruse that had gone terribly wrong. "You're lying," Finn growled.

"I am not."

"You said she," Anna inserted quietly. "How did she die?"

Smiling coldly, Maeve smiled at her. "I have reason to believe that your father killed her, but perhaps you're the one I should be asking. Her name was Kylie."

I did not like where this conversation was heading. "Anna is not responsible for her father's actions."

"And I did not know all of their names," Anna said softly. "But if you describe her to me, I may remember her."

"She would have been in her twenties, and she would have looked like a younger version of me, only she was blonde. In wolf form, she was grey with brown markings. A white spot on her left foot."

Anna's studied Maeve before her eyes widened just a little. "She had a silver ring with a purple gem."

Inhaling sharply, Maeve took a step toward her. Immediately, Finn, Amelia, and I were between her. "She was my niece," Maeve said coldly. "And I was very fond of her. When she returned, I'd planned for her to challenge my third-in-command. She was a strong wolf."

Anna put a hand on my arm and stepped around me. I tensed. "How did you know that my father was the killer?"

"When I dispatched my wolves to see what happened, they were told by some rogues of a wolf killing pack members. It was the first time I'd heard of your father."

"Do you blame him for losing me?" Finn asked in a hard voice.

Maeve laughed dryly. "No, you idiot boy. I blame him for killing my sister, but I blame me for losing you. Your father hurt me in ways that I will never heal from, but you did not deserve what I did to you. I would like for you to come home with me."

"I am bound to Jax. I am home."

"Perhaps, but how far will you go here? Surely you've realized that you're stronger than everyone here? One day, you will be tempted to take this pack from Jax. How will you feel then?"

I growled, and Maeve just shrugged. "It is the truth, and you know it well, alpha. Finn, when you are ready, Indigo Peak is yours for the taking."

Amelia made an odd, strangled sound in her voice, and she looked at Finn and back to Maeve.

Even Anna looked a little panicked.

It took me a minute, but now that I was seeing them side-by-side, I saw why Finn was taking a quick step back.

Shit balls.