Chapter 10

Staring at the map on his desk, Reeve listened with renewed hope as the leader of his tech team explained what they'd discovered about Josiah's whereabouts. Once he had that psycho in custody, all he had to do was deliver him to the High Council, along with his report, and he'd be free to claim Kahn. It couldn't come soon enough. "You're sure he's in this area?" he asked, pointing to a spot circled on the map.

"Yes, sir," Eddie replied.

"How positive? Did he turn on his phone?"

"Not yet, but now that we have the number of the burner phone he's using, we were able to track him to that approximate location. According to satellite photos, there aren't any buildings there so my guess is he's using a tent."

"Hmm…he must feel safe there," Reeve muttered to himself. "He's surrounded by forest…who owns the land he's on?"

"Not sure…do you want me to find out?"

"Do it," Reeve said, looking up at Eddie. "And ASAP."

"Understood. It shouldn't take long," Eddie said, scooping up the rest of his notes before leaving Reeve's office.

Finally, a solid lead.Concentrating on the map, Reeve located the only road leading into Josiah's location, making it more than likely it was boobytrapped—something he would have to take into consideration in a plan to capture the Alpha.

~/~/~/~/~

Bending down, Oracle picked up Cain's folder from the sofa, hesitating for a moment before standing up. Looking over at her husband, she attempted a brave smile which quickly fizzled.

Rising, Maximus walked slowly over to his wife, gathering her in his arms. Brushing his lips against her forehead, he murmured, "Would you like me to attend your meeting with Jackson?" Her quick intake of air gave him her answer.

"Do you mind?" she whispered.

Shaking his head, Maximus kissed her again before saying, "Not at all…but you have nothing to worry about. Jackson will not turn you down."

"But what if he does? Then I have failed our world…and the Fates. How can I ever face them again?"

Maximus leaned back and cupped her chin, raising it until her eyes found his. "You won't fail, my love. I have complete faith in you and obviously so do the Fates, or else they wouldn't have given this task to you. Trust in them…and yourself."

Her eyes searched Maximus' face, looking for any sign of doubt he might have but, finding none, she nodded. "I will try."

"Good." Releasing her, Maximus took her hand in his, squeezing it gently. "Let's go. The more you put this off, the more you'll worry." After seeing Oracle nod in agreement, he led her from their suite and down the hall to Jackson's study. Glancing at his wife, Maximus could see that the tightness on her face had relaxed somewhat, though he knew she still doubted her ability to convince the Alpha. And truth to tell, he felt there was good cause for it; the Fates' price for having saved Jackson and his brothers was way out of line.

Knocking on Jackson's door, he smiled reassuringly at Oracle and sent love through their bond. He'd be there for her no matter how it turned out. She had become part of his life and gained his loyalty and protection and that would never change.

"Come in."

"You can do this," Maximus whispered in Oracle's ear before opening the door.

Looking up from his computer, Jackson smiled when he saw who it was. "Hey, Oracle, I didn't know you were back."

Glancing at Maximus first, she gave an imperceptible nod before turning to Jackson. Squaring her shoulders, she embraced the trust her husband and the Fates had in her. She would succeed in her mission. After all, she was halfway there. "I have a request for you from the Fates."

Surprised at the formality of Oracle's pose, Jackson paused a moment, studying her and, more importantly, trying to figure out why Maximus was with her. Previously, she'd met with him alone and had certainly been more relaxed than she appeared to be now. A thread of foreboding wound itself around his heart and he knew, without hearing the message, that his world was about to turn upside down again. Nodding briefly, he said, "Sure, have a seat. You don't mind if Steel joins us, do you?"

"I think that's an excellent idea," Maximus said, guiding Oracle to one of the chairs in front of Jackson's desk. "It certainly will save you from having to repeat everything later."

"Is there anyone else that needs to be here? My brothers, maybe?"

"I don't think that's necessary for now," Maximus replied, warmly.

Before Jackson could say another word, Steel joined them. Taking the seat next to Jackson, he leaned over and whispered in his mate's ear, "Mo chroí, are you all right?"

Nodding briefly, Jackson grasped Steel's hand, before saying. "Oracle has a request from the Fates for me and I thought you'd want to hear it."

Steel raised an eyebrow as he processed Jackson's statement. Then glancing at his mother, he frowned at the stiffness of her posture. It was something he rarely saw, in fact, he couldn't recall the last time he had. Giving his father a quick glance, Steel found nothing in his face that would give him a clue as to what was coming. Tightening his hold on Jackson's hand, he asked, "What's the request?"

"I think it is best if you read this first," Oracle replied, placing the folder on the desk. "Then I will tell you."

Jackson slowly reached for the folder, sliding it over to him and Steel. Opening it, he stared at the picture first before continuing on with the rest. Reading slowly, he handed each page to his mate after he'd read it. When he was finally finished, he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out how the criminal he'd read about and the Fates' request were related.

After Steele finished reading the last page of the file, he closed it and set it down slowly, exchanging glances with Jackson before asking, "What is Jackson's involvement with this felon? The only link I see is the man's attendance at Arald's auction where Theo and Norm were up for sale. But other than Jackson withdrawing his complaint against all who participated…"

"I won't do that," Jackson said. "Theo and Norm deserve justice for all they endured at Arald's hands…nor would I even think of asking them to give it up."

"I agree," Oracle said softly. "The Fates are firmly committed to Arald paying for all the harm he has done not only to Theo and Norm, but to every other shifter who suffered under his brutality. The Fate's request pertains to Cain Foster."

"This man?" Jackson said, tapping the folder on his desk.

"Yes," Oracle replied. "There are many people in our world whose souls are infected with evil. Josiah was one of them but he is not alone. Other paranormals seek to rule our world and lead it into the darkness of the past. The Fates, along with the gods, are trying to prevent this from happening…"

"Which is the reason for the gifts they have given to me and other members of my pack, correct?" asked Jackson.

"Exactly," Oracle said. "The Fates selected your pack for the gifts they felt were necessary to fight and defeat these warped souls. As you have already seen, the darkness has spread from shifters to the magical realm…and beyond."

"I'm well aware of that, but what you haven't told me is how Cain Foster fits into all of this."

Oracle hesitated for a moment, gathering up her nerve. Then she raised her eyes and said, "Even though our world is facing a threat from within, there is a greater threat from the outside…one that will, if not stopped, destroy our world even before you will be able to save it. To stop that from happening, you will need Cain Foster."

Jackson stared at Oracle in disbelief as he tried to put the pieces together in his mind. Then, unable to do so, he glanced at his mate before turning back to Oracle. "I don't understand…exactly what threat could possibly require the help of a dangerous criminal?"

"A human or group of humans is intent on exposing our world to the rest of the human world. If they are successful, then what happened in the past will seem mild compared to what will occur if they succeed. Our survival depends on secrecy. It first came to the gods' attention when humans attempted to buy shifters in Arald's auction, but that was just the beginning. Since then, there have been a number of incidents—some affecting members of this pack—in which humans were involved. The group has now stepped up their efforts…the latest one involving humans, who were captured after attempting to kill Kevin's parents. And each subsequent attempt to harm paranormals has gotten more sophisticated and violent."

"So the Fates want me to stop the interference of humans in our world?" Jackson asked.

"Yes."

"How does Foster fit into this?" asked Steel.

"He has knowledge that will help you succeed in this quest," Oracle replied.

"What knowledge…and why would he tell us anything?" asked Jackson.

"He will gain his freedom if he helps you take down the humans who are assaulting our world," Oracle said.

Jackson nodded. "That's quite an incentive…considering the sentence he's facing. Has he agreed to the deal?"

"Yes, he has," Oracle replied.

Jackson paused, thinking it over for a moment before asking, "What haven't you told me yet?"

Oracle glanced at Maximus, seeking his strength for what she had to say next. After seeing him nod, she turned back to Jackson. "Cain not only will provide you with names and locations, he will also be able to infiltrate the enemy because he is human."

"And how are we supposed to coordinate with him while he's sitting in…oh hell…no, no, no…he's gonna live here?…at the packhouse? That's the Fates' request?" asked Jackson, incredulously.

"Mom, why would you agree to this?" exclaimed Steel. "What about the pups? And Remy and Carson's boys? How the hell are we supposed to keep them safe from the likes of him. What about Theo and Norm? And what about Kieran? Arald kept him as a slave. How the hell do you think it will affect their pregnancies?"

"On top of that," Jackson said angrily, "what am I supposed to do if he decides to escape? Does the Council expect me to track him down? And furthermore, if he does run, he'll have prime information about my pack he can sell to the highest bidder…putting everyone in the Blackwood Pack directly in the crosshairs of the group of humans who have already shown they have no compunctions about killing us."

Steel turned to Maximus. "Dad, you certainly can't be okay with this?"

Without waiting for Maximus to answer, Jackson continued, "And what about all the gifts the gods and Fates gave us? Remember the response when Colton was captured and put up for sale? And he didn't even have Rapheal's Power then! Just imagine how valuable Zane would be…or Cody…or Dakota…or what about Remy and Carson and then there is Fionn and Hunter…oh shit…Sawyer…and Logan. All of those gifts are rare and…and…and it boggles my mind what could happen if this information falls into the wrong hands."

"Stop!" Maximus commanded, holding up his hand. His mate's distress flooded their bond and he was going to stop the attack on her immediately. "Shame on both of you. Neither of you have allowed Oracle to finish. May I remind you, Oracle is simply delivering the Fate's request. She's not responsible for it nor does she have any power over their decisions."

Jackson swallowed hard before saying, "I'm sorry Oracle…"

"We're both sorry Mom for our reaction and for not hearing you out," said Steel, glancing over at Jackson and seeing the regret reflected in his mate's eyes. "Please Mom, continue. Promise…no more questions…at least until you're finished."

"Humph," Maximus muttered. "Better…but next time you have something to say, son, have some respect for your mother. I can still put you over my knee, you know."

The tension in the room broke as laughter erupted from Jackson at the picture his mind conjured up. "I bet that would be a new experience for Steel."

"New?" asked Maximus.

"Yeah," Jackson replied. "According to my mate, he was the good son who…"

"Let's not get sidetracked," Steel grumbled. "Mom, go ahead…and tell us the rest."

Oracle smiled briefly before returning to the serious matter still before her. She understood her son and Jackson's concerns because they'd also been expressed by Frank. After sharing them with the Fates, they had modified their original edict. She could only hope Jackson would agree. "Your…"

"Wait," Jackson interrupted. "Sorry Oracle…I know Steel said we wouldn't ask any more questions, but I have to know…have you met and spoken to Foster?"

"Yes, I have," Oracle said. "Why do you ask?"

Tapping the folder, Jackson said, "I know what's in here, and on face value, it doesn't paint a very good picture of the man. But these things can be deceiving. A mistake made young can be used to dig a grave for someone if it's used maliciously. Everything in this folder doesn't really tell me what kind of man Foster is, especially since I haven't met him. But you have, so I would like to hear your opinion of him."

"Hmm…" Oracle thought for a moment, then began. "I know Cain Foster has had a tough life and, before you ask me, I do not know his story but I know this…life has not been kind to him. Whatever good has happened in his life is far overshadowed by the bad. Is he a bad person? His file would indicate he is, but I believe it is more a case of him trying to survive in a world that had seen nothing worthwhile in him so it kicked him out and he has been trying to survive in any way he can, ever since.

"Cain made one wrong decision when he was young," Oracle continued, "and without anyone to guide or protect him, the bad decisions multiplied until he is where he is today. I did not see hope in his eyes, but I did see a wounded animal, desperate for someone…anyone to love him. That is something he has never experienced in his life.

"I cannot forget he was caught trying to buy a shifter, but that action might be the only ticket he will ever have to right his life. Does he see that? No, I don't believe he does…or maybe he can't allow himself to hope that it does…but I do believe he will help you and the Blackwood Pack find and eliminate the human threat to our world."

Oracle took a deep breath, her message delivered. Now it was up to Jackson.