Library
Home / Tatanka Spirit / Chapter 15

Chapter 15

After hearing the despair in Cain's voice, Oracle hesitated at first, but then her deep well of compassion drove her to help ease his pain. Walking softly over to him, she murmured, "Do not let your past decide your future. You claim to be evil but the Fates see something else in you…and they are never wrong…so believe them until you can see it in yourself. Life is never easy, not for anyone. We are given trials to overcome. You must fight for this life…the one you deserve…the one that you want."

"I can't…" murmured Cain, unable to look at the woman.

"Yes, you can…forget everything in your past and concentrate on the future that awaits you. I know you can do it because you are strong…far stronger than you think…so take the risk…meet with Jackson…take the first step toward achieving the life you should have had all along."

Falling silent, Oracle waited for Cain to decide. It would be hard to take that first step, especially for someone like him whom no one had ever believed in and, because he didn't believe in himself, made it all the harder. Seeing him standing dejectedly against the wall, his head bowed in despair, had nearly moved her to tears. The Fates were right—Cain had goodness in him.

For the first time in her life as an Oracle, she wished she could be more than just the voice of the Fates, but it was forbidden. She'd been close to crossing that line when she'd rubbed his back, offering him the comfort he'd desperately sought but failed to find throughout his life.

Oracle rarely questioned the Fates, but Cain was an exception and she was hard-pressed to figure out why. And if the Fates were forcing him to take that first step as a test, she hoped he'd not only pass, but would do so with flying colors. Fighting her urge to help Cain make his decision, Oracle knew there was nothing more she could say or do. Now it was up to him—and she could only pray that he would make the right choice.

~/~/~/~/~

By the time they had arrived at the meadow, Smokey felt like he'd gone fifteen rounds with Ghost. During one of their missions for the agency, he'd discovered they had something in common—a love of boxing. For him, it started in his childhood when his grandfather taught him the sport as a means to control his anger. Not only did it help, but boxing also gave him valuable fighting skills that came in handy when he joined the agency. The praise he received from his instructors helped mitigate some of the shitty treatment Reeve Nicolet had dished out to him.

But his confidence in his boxing skills suffered a setback the first time he stepped into the ring with Ghost. After only three rounds, he found himself flat on his back, staring up at a smirking opponent. Grasping Ghost's extended hand, Smokey got up, shaking his head to clear the ringing in it and found out his friend had spent years boxing with some of the greats. Seizing the opportunity that had suddenly presented itself, he asked Ghost to train him—and train him, Ghost did. Time after time, he'd limp out of the ring, collapsing on the nearest bench. And that's exactly how he felt now, after trying to keep the peace between Galen and Eamon along with answering more questions than he could ever remember being asked.

Standing at the edge of the woods, Smokey watched his two charges whoop and holler, running in the tall meadow grass. Where the fuck do they get all their energy? I walked the same path they did and right about now a nap sounds really good. Sighing, he slowly trailed behind Galen and Eamon, realizing there was more to being a parent than he'd originally thought.

Smokey was so deep in thought, he didn't see Theo come up beside him until he felt his mate's hand on his arm. Stopping, he turned slightly, waiting for him to speak.

Smiling gently, Theo said, "I'm so proud of you."

"Proud? Of me?" Smokey asked, sure his mate was joking.

Rising up on his toes, Theo brushed his lips against Smokey's before whispering, "Yeah…you're gonna make a great dad to our cub."

Smokey's eyes widened in surprise. "But…but…Galen and Eamon…"

"Love you," Theo murmured. "I saw how you were so patient with their endless questions…simply amazing. Our cub is certain to win the daddy lottery with you and Norm. I couldn't have picked two more perfect choices."

Smokey had a hard time believing his mate, but after searching Theo's face, he found nothing other than pride shining in his eyes. Finally accepting his mate's praise, Smokey's lips twitched before breaking into a broad grin. "Thanks, Shining Star…I appreciate it."

"No thanks are necessary," Theo replied. "I only told the truth." Then turning his gaze to the meadow, he chuckled as Danny removed his clothes and shifted with Jake and Jessica following quickly.

Looking over his shoulder, Smokey groaned as Danny's wolf headed for Galen, nipping at his heels. "Oh hell, someone better tell Galen about Alphas."

"You want to?" asked Theo, smirking.

Shaking his head vigorously, Smokey muttered, "No way…let Jackson do it…or maybe Carson should."

"Or maybe this is something the two of them should sort out by themselves," Theo said, smiling. "C'mon, let's round up the puppy pack…they need to eat and you need your surprise."

Surprise?Watching Theo walk away, he yelled, "But I thought this was my surprise."

Norm sidled up to Smokey, laughing. "Fooled ya!"

Frowning, Smokey tore his gaze from Theo, glaring at Norm. "You tricked me?"

"Did it work?"

"Fucker!" Smokey muttered under his breath.

"Hey…look at it as a reward for doing a great job with the boys."

Smokey paused for a moment, then grinned. "I did do a great job, didn't I?"

"I couldn't have done better," Norm said, giving Smokey's ass a slap before heading over to Theo.

"Hey!" Smokey yelled, trotting after Norm. "Did anyone ever tell you payback's a bitch?"

Swirling around Norm smirked at Smokey. "Oh yeah? Bring it on, Golden Sun! I'll be waiting."

Shaking his head, Smokey chuckled to himself, thinking about all the pranks he'd pulled on Ghost and Glenn. And now he had a mate who liked to play also—life couldn't be more perfect than that.

~/~/~/~/~

Hanging up after Heath explained what he'd found out about Rudy, Reeve paused for a moment, trying to keep his anger under control. But his animal was having none of it. Rage surged through Reeve and, unable to remain sitting, he rose so abruptly his chair fell over. Clenching his fists, he could feel his body vibrating with the need to kill, anticipating the taste of his enemies' blood on his tongue. Only then would his animal be mollified.

Finally forcing his body to move, Reeve walked woodenly over to the window, staring out at the Silver Point pack members lining up for food. Any one of them could be plotting to kill his mate, just so that motherfucker, Rudy, could claim the right to be the pack's Alpha. Turning away, he closed his eyes, realizing everything had just turned to shit and he was further than ever from being able to claim his mate.

Cursing, Reeve's rage finally exploded with the violence his animal demanded. Punching the wall, he did it again and again, wanting and needing pain to distract himself from facing the new dilemma that had suddenly complicated his life. Finally, with blood trickling down his throbbing hand, he stopped, staring at a large hole he'd left in the wall. Sighing, he picked up his chair and sat down. It was just another thing he had to add to his fix-it list, but for the time being, the damage to the wall would remain, reminding him not to take anything for granted concerning Josiah or Rudy.

Disregarding his first instinct to hunt down and kill Rudy, Reeve opened his computer and started writing out new orders for his men. No one could leave, not until he was certain they were not an ally of either Josiah or Rudy. And that would mean he'd need more resources to conduct interrogations, starting with the Silver Point's enforcers. But that wasn't the only problem. Drafting an email to his boss, he explained the situation and then asked for more funds to help feed the pack's children and their parents.

After sending it, Reeve leaned back in his chair, knowing the Council wasn't going to be happy with what was in his email, but corruption ran deep in Silver Point Pack—far deeper than he'd been led to believe when he first accepted the job. His boss had assured him it would be a piece of cake since the Council didn't believe Jackson's complaint. But it soon became evident they'd got it wrong. After months of investigation—and Willow's sworn statement validating the other eyewitness' account of the massacre—Reeve was ordered to arrest Josiah and Rudy.

That job was supposed to be easy since the Council was now satisfied Josiah was guilty of the crimes Jackson had accused him of. Rubbing his chin, Reeve thought about how wrong the Council had been about the "routine" arrest; everything began to unravel from the moment he arrived and found Josiah missing. From there, it had gone from bad to worse; the only good thing about it being the discovery of his mate. But the recent news from Heath had cast a shadow on even that.

Pensive, Reeve held his injured hand up, turning it slightly as he watched it heal. It was a blessing that it was impossible to cause any real harm to his body and he owed that to his extraordinary animal. Taking one last look, he dropped his now scar-free hand, returning his attention to sorting out the problems of the Silver Point Pack.

~/~/~/~/~

While Theo was setting out the food for their picnic, Smokey helped Norm capture and dress the three wolf pups. It was much easier this time but he still was only able to dress Jake while Norm handled the other two. Once everyone was seated, Theo started handing out sandwiches, starting with Daniel—which promptly caught Smokey's attention. It appeared his mate already knew who was Alpha of the puppy pack even if he hadn't admitted it.

Smokey's nose twitched at the scent of roast beef. Unwrapping a sandwich Theo handed him, he was delighted to find it made just the way he liked it. Eagerly biting into it, he couldn't help moaning with pleasure as the taste of the rare roast beef flooded his mouth.

Chuckling, Norm looked over at Smokey. "Does that moan mean it gave you an…"

Afraid of how Norm was going to finish his comment, Smokey quickly interrupted him. "Giving a compliment to the chef…that's all."

Raising his eyebrow, Norm smirked at his mate's red cheeks, before answering, "I was only going to say ‘an out-of-body experience,' cause every time I eat Theo's cooking, it does that to me."

Smokey grunted at Norm's bullshit but didn't answer, instead returning to his delicious sandwich. After downing two more, he carefully licked each of his fingers to ferret out every remaining taste of beef. Looking over at Theo, he grinned. "That's the best surprise ever!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed them," Theo said, smiling, as he passed a cookie to Galen.

Taking his dragon cookie, Galen asked, "Can I go now?"

"Me, too!" Eamon yelled jumping up and down, clutching his bear cookie.

Theo looked around, before pointing to a huge tree that had fallen not too far from where they were. It would make a perfect jungle gym for the kids to climb on. "Yes, but you guys can't go further than that tree," he said, before handing out the rest of the cookies. "And no shifting."

Smiling, Theo watched the kids for a few moments as they ran to the tree, before turning back to his mate. "That wasn't your surprise." Digging down through the food remaining in the basket, Theo pulled out a plastic container and passed it to Smokey. "Here…Dakota found the recipe and Sofia helped me make them."

Smokey peeked inside, smiling at the sight. "Honey Cinamon rolls? You made them for me? Holy shit! I can't believe you did! My mother used to make them all the time." Removing the cover, he passed the container to Norm. "Have one…you're gonna love it." Then, after giving one to Theo, he reached in and grabbed one for himself, taking a huge bite. Closing his eyes as the flavors burst forth in his mouth, Smokey groaned in ecstasy, his mind filling with memories of cold winter mornings and the scent of honey cinnamon rolls in their cabin.

Finally, Smokey reached his limit. "I'm gonna need some serious gym time if you keep feeding me like this," he said, rubbing his stomach.

Laughing, Norm packed the rest of the food into the picnic basket. "Theo's an amazing chef." Then handing a bottle of water to each of his mates, he continued, "Personally, I think he's even better than Kota…though if you tell Kota I said that, I'll have your balls."

Smokey saw how much pleasure Norm's compliment gave Theo when their mate broke into a broad smile…and he hoped he'd see more of that in Theo's face in the future. "I agree with Eagle Feather," he said grinning. "Your food is absolutely the best I've ever eaten." Then taking Theo in his arms, Smokey kissed him until his mate was breathless.

Seeing his two mates together, excited Norm, more than he'd thought, stimulating him to join in on the fun. Crawling over, he pressed himself against Theo's back, nuzzling his mate's neck, becoming intoxicated with his scent. Turning his head, Theo found Norm's lips, kissing him passionately allowing him to savor the taste of Smokey on his tongue. So lost was he in his mates' loving, Theo never heard the gunshot.

But Smokey did. Abruptly pulling back from Theo, he searched the immediate area to make sure the kids were all right. But before he could say anything, another gunshot echoed in the woods followed by a scream.

Slightly dazed by his Theo's kisses, Norm looked over at Smokey with wide eyes. "Was that a gunshot?"

Jumping up, Smokey cursed. "Two…Willow's in trouble. Round up the kids and find a place to hide. Stay there…and make sure they remain quiet."

"Where are you going?" asked Theo, untangling himself from Norm before getting up.

"To find Willow!"

"Shouldn't we get Jackson?" asked Norm.

Just then another scream pierced the air. Smokey tilted his head in its direction before answering. "I don't know who that was but it wasn't Willow. I gotta go…just get those kids somewhere safe…and don't fucking move until I come back."

Comments

0 Comments
Best Newest

Contents
Settings
  • T
  • T
  • T
  • T
Font

Welcome to FullEpub

Create or log into your account to access terrific novels and protect your data

Don’t Have an account?
Click above to create an account.

lf you continue, you are agreeing to the
Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy.