Chapter 1

Heading for the Blackwood Pack, Reeve Nicolet's thoughts were racing faster than the wheels of his pickup. Fated Mate…a fuckin' Fated Mate! He knew a clusterfuck of epic proportions when he saw one, and if he had any doubts, they'd been erased by Heath's reaction to the news. The only thing working in his favor was that Kahn didn't know—yet. And to make sure he didn't find out, Reeve decided to keep his distance until the current case was wrapped up. While it seemed like a piss-poor solution, it was the only way he could think of to control his animal, whose sole focus was now on claiming Kahn. It took all the iron-fisted control Reeve learned as a child to keep him from pouncing his mate when they visited Kahn's condo.

Forcing thoughts of his mate from his mind, he followed the directions on his GPS as he drove to his destination, spending his time reviewing the information—little as it was—about the Blackwood Pack. It was a new pack and there wasn't much about them in the High Council's files, leaving him with only the research he'd produced during his investigation into Jackson's complaint. And unfortunately, that only ended up raising more questions which bugged the shit out of him.

"Your destination is on the right," announced his GPS, prompting Reeve to slow down and turn into a driveway, only to be confronted by fifteen-foot-high iron gates barricading the entry. Snorting quietly at the ostentatious display of wealth, Reeve rolled down his window and pressed the button on an intercom, which stood guard like a lone sentinel at the side of the driveway. Waiting for someone to answer, he glanced through the gates, making out a road disappearing into a forest. It was obvious the Blackwood Pack wanted privacy, but that wasn't surprising, considering the Alpha Mate was CEO of Dire Enterprises.

"Hello, may I help you?"

Reeve quickly turned back to the intercom. "Reeve Nicolet…I have an appointment with Alpha Jackson Blackwood."

"One moment, please."

After about a minute, Reeve heard a motor start up, followed by the gates opening and, at the same time, the voice said, "Kindly follow the road…Alpha Blackwood is waiting for you."

Raising an eyebrow at the formality of the interaction, Reeve shifted his pickup into gear and drove past the open gates. It was just another piece of information regarding the Blackwood Pack that he didn't have before and, hopefully, his meeting with the Alpha would give him a lot more. But he'd have to be careful not to offend Jackson, especially since the son of the Vice Chairman of the High Council was a pack member. His boss repeatedly warned him about that, making sure Reeve understood the political implications if the Blackwood Pack Alpha filed a complaint against him. "Just be cool," his boss had said, "unless you want to kiss your fucking career goodbye."

Quietly chuckling at the memory of that conversation, Reeve slowed down as a house came into view. Turning off the engine, he sat there, looking at the timber and glass modern house in front of him. Holy hell! It filled his view, yet that was just part of the house; more was nestled into the woods surrounding it. He'd bet it was 10,000 sq ft, if not more, and his mind gave up when it came to computing how much it might have cost to build. For the first time ever, his animal had nothing to say, which really made him uneasy.

Reeve finally understood the gravity of his boss's warning about the consequences of pissing off the Alpha, because someone with this amount of wealth could buy anything, maybe even order his death, though that might be taking it a bit far. His eyes landed on two men standing on the front porch, one of whom he recognized as Steel Valentin, head of Dire Enterprises, so the other must be his mate, Jackson Blackwood. Quickly glancing around, he was surprised at the lack of enforcers, filing that tidbit away for the future. Climbing slowly out of his truck, Reeve walked around it, stopping in front of the two of them. Tilting his head, he said, "Alpha Blackwood, thank you for agreeing to see me."

"Welcome to the Blackwood Pack. Please call me Jackson, and this is my mate, Steel."

Giving Steel a nod, Reeve turned his attention back to Jackson, his eyes noting the well-worn jeans and soft chambray shirt with the rolled-up sleeves, revealing Jackson's corded forearm muscles. Causal and relaxed was an apt description, and he wondered how much of it was a front to put him at ease before Jackson would show his true colors.

After shaking Reeve's hand, Jackson pushed open the front door and smiled. "I hope you don't mind a little chaos…my brother Colton decided it would be fun if the kids played hide and seek…something I think he's regretting."

Following Jackson into the house, Reeve's jaw dropped at the chorus of young voices filling the room. The Alpha was right about the chaos; in fact, he'd probably understated it. Looking around, he quickly counted three children—one a toddler and two others about four and six years old—along with three wolf pups. Surprise flitted through him; he'd never found any information to indicate there were children in the Blackwood Pack. Just another piece of intel to tuck away.

"Danny," Galen cried, crouched behind a chair. "Go away. I'm hidin' from Colty."

Growling, Daniel's wolf charged at Galen, knocking him on his butt.

"Ah, dang it," Galen muttered, pushing the young wolf away from him. "You supposta hide…you know, like behind somethin'." Getting up, he yelled, "Colty, this don't count cuz Danny found me. You need to tell him he can't do that."

Looking over his shoulder at Galen, Colton said, "Danny, you got to hide by yourself…Galen, go find another spot."

"Jesse, stop," Eamon yelled, giggling. "Gally, help me…Jesse won't stop licking me."

"Jesse's supposta' be hidin'," Galen shouted, trying to get away from Daniel.

"Jessica, no," Colton said, picking the small wolf up and setting her down away from Eamon. "He doesn't need a bath." Then, pointing her in the opposite direction, he said, "I'm counting to twenty and you better be hidden by the time I'm done, Miss Jessica. And stop licking Eamon…you know your Grandma Lizzie wouldn't approve of such behavior."

"Hey, stop eatin' my sword!" Running across the room, Galen grabbed the handle of his sword, trying to pull it out of Jake's mouth. "C'mon Jakey…let go!"

Seeing a potential fight brewing, Colton headed over to Galen and picked up Jake, who had the toy sword firmly clenched in his teeth. "Hey buddy, this is definitely a no-no. Your dads aren't going to like it if they find out you wrecked Galen's sword," he muttered, trying to wiggle the toy free.

"He's eatin' my sword!" Galen shouted, jumping up and down, trying to reach it. "Colty, he can't do that! Make him stop!"

Glancing at Reeve, Jackson grinned. "My brother's getting a taste of what to expect with his triplets."

"Triplets?" asked Reeve, looking at Jackson.

"Yeah, he and his mate just had triplets," Jackson murmured. "C'mon, I have a quiet place where we can talk." Weaving through the scattered toys on the floor, Jackson led Reeve across the great room and down the hall to his study.

Following Jackson, Reeve caught himself smiling at the happy sounds and antics taking place in the great room—a far cry from the mausoleum-like ambiance of Josiah's house. In just the few minutes he'd spent in the Blackwood Pack house, he understood why Kahn left Silver Point and its stifling atmosphere to seek freedom to express himself through his paintings. The only thing he could compare it to was what happened to him as a child and his feeling of finally being able to breathe. Taking the seat Jackson waved him toward, Reeve glanced around the room, noting its warmth and coziness before returning his gaze to Jackson.

"What can I do for you, Agent Nicolet?" asked Jackson, smiling.

Reeve's eyes flicked over to Steel before returning to the Alpha's. Neither of their faces gave any clues to their thoughts about his visit other than friendly curiosity. Returning the smile, Reeve said, "The High Council has removed Josiah as Alpha of the Silver Point Pack and has assumed control of the pack for the interim."

"Who replaced Josiah?" Jackson held his breath, hoping it wasn't Josiah's second.

"Me."

Raising one eyebrow, Jackson murmured, "I'm surprised Rudy allowed it."

Reeve chuckled. "Rudy wasn't in any position to object…he was arrested for the killing of your family and the rest of the Fox River Pack. And I expect more charges will be forthcoming once I have completed my investigation."

"What about Josiah?" asked Steel.

"We haven't found him yet," Reeve replied. "Do you have any idea where he might have gone?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Jackson shook his head. "I have no idea…maybe to see his son. As far as I know, Kahn is the only family he has other than his wife and daughters."

"He's not there," Reeve replied. "But don't worry, we'll find him."

"Excuse me, Agent Nicolet," Steel said, the power of his Dire Wolf coming through in his voice. "While I appreciate your confidence in capturing the fugitive, it provides very little comfort to us. This miserable excuse for an Alpha has been hunting my mate and his brothers since the massacre, so I'm sorry, but from where I'm sitting, we have a lot to worry about."

"My apologies," Reeve said, tilting his head in respect. "I certainly didn't mean to make light of the situation Alpha Blackwood and his brothers were thrust into by Josiah. May I assure you, I take this matter very seriously, as does the High Council. It's been a long time since an Alpha ordered an attack that killed an entire pack, and the High Council is determined that all parties involved in the act be punished and that full restitution be made to everyone who suffered as a result of it."

"Have you identified any others who were there that night?" asked Jackson.

"My investigative team is currently questioning every member of the Silver Point Pack to determine if any were involved or had knowledge of the pending attack," Reeve answered. "And until a pack member is cleared of any wrongdoing by my team, they are prohibited from leaving."

"What about the Silver Point enforcers?" asked Steel. "They were hunting my mate and his brothers…what safeguards do you have in place to prevent that from happening now?"

"My enforcers have replaced Josiah's enforcers who are now confined to their quarters until they're cleared by my investigative team. Once that happens, they will be escorted off Silver Point lands and warned about what will happen if they set foot on it again."

"What about my mate and his brothers?" asked Steel. "Kicking them off Silver Point lands still won't prevent them from coming after us, will it?"

"You have a good point," replied Reeve. "However, I don't have the authorization to do anything else. I'll speak to my boss to see what can be done and then get back to you…if that's all right?"

"Fine," Steel growled, "but don't take too long."

"I won't," Reeve said. "Do you have any other questions or concerns?"

"Will we get a copy of the results of your investigation?" asked Steel.

"Yes, once I've submitted the final report to the High Council, and after they've reviewed it, a copy will be sent to you," Reeve replied.

"Do you need anything from me?" asked Jackson.

"Actually, I do," Reeve replied. "Usually, the High Council decides on the restitution, but in this case, they'd like you to indicate what you feel would be a fair settlement. I know…"

"You don't know shit," growled Steel, his anger rising.

Placing his hand on his mate's knee to calm him, Jackson waited a moment, allowing Steel to regain control of his wolf. Then, giving Reeve a withering look, Jackson's voice suddenly hardened. "How can I put a price on my family's lives or the lives of the other members of the Fox River Pack? Will the death of Josiah and Rudy and whoever else was involved be enough? Will those deaths give me and my brothers back the years we were forced to hide while Josiah hunted us? The dreams we had to give up? What about the emotional scars we still endure? What amount of money will ease the guilt we bear because we survived while our younger siblings died?"

Reeve had finally come face to face with Jackson's real Alpha—the man staring at him with ice-cold, blue eyes was the reason his brothers survived the years Josiah hunted them. Young as Jackson was for an Alpha, his spine was diamond hard; he had more courage than most Alphas Reeve had met. Without a doubt, he knew there wasn't any way Jackson ever would have allowed anyone to harm his brothers, no matter what was required of him. Bowing his head, he murmured, "I didn't mean to offend you, Alpha, and I apologize if I did. I'll pass along your comments to my boss."

Taking a deep breath, Jackson slowly exhaled, then said, "Please do…in the meantime, I'll talk to my brothers."

"Thank you…is there anything else you'd like for me to tell my boss?"

Jackson looked at Steel and, after seeing a curt shake of his head, turned to Reeve. "Not at the moment…but I expect to be kept apprised of any potential danger to my pack so I can take steps to protect my members. Understood?"

"Absolutely," Reeve said, taking a card from his jacket. "And I would appreciate letting me know if you hear from Josiah. You can reach me at the number listed."

Taking the card, Jackson looked at it briefly before handing it to Steel. "You can count on it. The sooner Josiah is in custody, the better it will be for all of us here."

"Agreed," Reeve said, rising. "Thank you for your time. I'll see myself out."

~/~/~/~/~

Shifting back to his human form, Josiah quickly got dressed before checking his phone. His time was running out according to the last message he received from Alice. Courting her was paying off.

With Rudy in the hands of the High Council, he bet it would take less than a day for that fucking disloyal, piece of shit to spill his guts. He should have killed him a long time ago. He wouldn't be living in the woods as a hunted fugitive if that prick had just done what he was supposed to do and kill Jackson and his brothers. Nor would there be any complaint, or arrest warrants. He'd just be hauling in money by the fistfuls selling the gold he'd found on his brother's land.

Cursing, he turned off his phone and headed to the tent. There was still a way to win; he just had to find it. Digging out his maps, he sat down and began to study them carefully.

A new plan began to take shape in his mind.