Chapter 2

"Well, what do you think?" asked Steel, after Nicolet had left.

"He hasn't told us the whole story, yet," Jackson murmured. "And I don't think he has any idea where Josiah is."

"I agree, which means Josiah is now more of a threat since his pack has been taken from him."

"Finding Josiah has to be our top priority," Jackson said. "I'll put Zane, Dylon, and Glenn on it as soon as they get back."

"Hopefully, Glenn knows Agent Nicolet and can answer a few questions about him."

Smirking, Jackson asked, "Like what is he?"

"Exactly. I couldn't pick up his scent so…"

"Right…he can't be a shifter."

"Which piques my curiosity as to why the High Council selected a non-shifter to lead a wolf pack," Steel said.

"Maybe Dylon can find out."

"Or Glenn, since he still works for the agency."

"I wonder why he didn't want to speak to Willow?" Jackson mused. "Penn thought the High Council would need to do that before taking any action."

"You should probably call him and give him an update. I bet Nicolet hasn't kept Penn in the loop."

"Is he supposed to?" asked Jackson.

"Normally he should, since Penn represents you," Steel replied.

"Maybe he just hasn't gotten around to it yet."

Shrugging his shoulder, Steel wasn't going to disagree with his mate's speculation, but he was sure Penn would have a thing or two to say about it. "Maybe…"

Hearing a knock, Jackson looked over at the doorway and smiled at Mac. "Hey, come in. How's Mom doing?"

"Much better," Mac said, sitting down opposite Jackson. "We had a long talk and I found out what triggered her reaction."

Raising an eyebrow, Jackson asked, "Rune?"

"No…well, partly. You see, while Kieran did remove the darkness of Aunt Hope's grief, unfortunately he couldn't do the same for her fear."

"Fear? Of what?" Steel asked.

"She is deathly afraid Josiah will come here and do the same to the Blackwood Pack as he did to Fox River. When Steel mentioned Rune, Aunt Hope's mind moved from thinking of him to hearing screams as the fire consumed your younger siblings…and that brought back that night…the night she lost everything, or so she thought. But as she found out…that wasn't true. Learning that the seven of you were alive gave her a reason to live. And now, the fear that all of us…her sons, nephews, and more importantly, her grandbabies…could be taken from her by Josiah, is something she's finding hard to deal with," Mac said, softly.

"Maybe this will help…the High Council has taken over Josiah's pack," Steel said.

"What about Josiah?" asked Mac. "I think Aunt Hope's fear is centered more on him than his pack."

"He'll be arrested…when they find him," Jackson replied. "I know that won't help Mom right now but at least it might provide some relief."

Rubbing his chin, Mac thought about it before saying, "I don't think so…the only thing that will eliminate her fears is Josiah's death, because that will permanently remove the threat to her family."

"Fine…but there must be something we can do in the meantime to help Mom cope with her fear," Jackson said.

"Before I can answer that, I want to find out what Ian suggests," Mac replied.

"Have you told Dakota what triggered Hope's episode?" asked Steel.

"Not yet," replied Mac. "But I will after Ian and I talk."

"How's Dakota doing?" asked Jackson.

"So far…good. His vitals are back to normal…thank the gods…but that's only because he's been confined to bed rest. I can't stress enough how important it is to the health of Dakota and his pup that he remain there until he gives birth."

"Meaning we have to figure out a way to help Mom cope with her fear for the time being," Jackson murmured, his brow furrowed in thought.

"Yes, that would be the best solution for now," Mac replied. "Dakota is so in tune with his mother's emotions, that it's impossible to hide anything from him…especially since he has nothing else to think about right now."

"Maybe there is something Dakota could do, and it might help Hope at the same time," Steel suggested. "Earlier, your mom told me Dakota had drawn up a menu for Theo, Norm, and Smokey's mating breakfast and then gave it to her, along with instructions for how to make it."

"Oh shit," Jackson said, giggling. "That's like giving your teacher lessons on how to teach."

"Ya think, right?" Steel said, smirking. "However, Hope didn't have any problem with it. What if Mac suggests Dakota does it for every meal?"

Smiling, Jackson nodded. "It would kill two birds with one stone…so to speak. Dakota has something to do while he's confined to bed rest, and it helps keep Mom's fear at bay."

Impressed with Steel's proposal, Mac grinned. "Especially if each of them thinks they're helping the other."

"Exactly," Jackson agreed. "But we just have to make sure neither of them ever figures out our game plan."

"What about Theo?" asked Steel. "Should we tell him about it?"

Jackson thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, if this backfires, it's better he's not put in the middle…I'll take the blame."

Nodding, Mac stood up. "Good…the fewer people who know about it, the better. In the meantime, I'll talk to Ian and see what thoughts he has about Aunt Hope."

"Fine," Jackson replied. "Let me know if anything changes; otherwise, go ahead with the plan."

"Will do," Mac said, getting up to leave.

Jackson waited until he and his mate were alone before saying, "Babe, can you check with Remy and find out how long it will be before Cody and Dylon can return? The only way my mom will truly be free of her worst nightmare is if Josiah is dead and, as far as I'm concerned, it can't happen fast enough. That asshole has caused all of us enough pain and I'm damned sick and tired of it!"

Sensing his mate's distress, Steel pulled Jackson onto his lap, hugging him tightly while releasing his Alpha pheromones. Slowly, Jackson's body responded to them and his tension receded. Relaxing his grip, Steel bent his head down, burying his nose in his mate's hair and inhaling his scent. Jackson was right. It was time for Josiah to die and he was going to be the one to do it. He owed that much to Jackson and his brothers.

~/~/~/~/~

Standing outside Cain's cell with Frank at her side, Oracle quietly took a deep breath, aware that convincing this prisoner wasn't going to be easy. But she was determined to succeed; there really wasn't any other choice. Cain was only half of her assignment?Jackson was the other half. And if she thought Cain was going to be a challenge, Jackson would be ten times harder to persuade. She probably should have started with the Alpha, but after thinking it over, felt there was no need to upset him if Cain refused.

Slowly exhaling, she mentally assumed her armor—at least that is what Maximus always called it. And in a way he was right. It wasn't often she needed to toughen up because the majority who sought her out were only too happy to receive her help. Peering thru the narrow window in the door, she saw Cain with his chin resting on his chest; clearly he was still feeling the effects of the drug the guards used.

Oracle's gaze continued its journey down his naked body, taking in the wrist and ankle shackles linked to chains dangling from eye bolts in the ceiling and side walls, forcing him into a very uncomfortable starfish position. Noting the strain on his shoulders and the occasional shakiness of his legs, it was obvious the guards had taken a show-no-mercy stance in securing Cain and, after reading his file, Oracle couldn't fault them.

Seeing the security precautions Frank had insisted on presented a clearer picture of the peril she could face once she entered. Her wolf had begun to whine as he paced back and forth, sensing danger behind the locked, cell door. Refusing to let fear derail her mission, Oracle's gaze traveled upward to meet Cain's eyes, all the while reminding herself he was no match for her wolf.

A shiver skated up her spine when her eyes finally locked with Cain's. His eyes were shining with pure hatred. They bored into her, unblinking, with a promise to rain down horrors upon her she couldn't even imagine. Never before in her life had she experienced so much hostility, causing her to stumble backward a few steps before regaining her control again.

Straightening up, Oracle broke eye contact with Cain, thwarting his attempts to mess with her mind. The task the Fates had given her was vitally important to the paranormal world and she would not fail them. Looking at Frank, Oracle murmured, "I am ready…you can open the door and please make sure I have complete privacy…that means no cameras recording my discussion…or listening in."

Frank gazed at Oracle, fear and frustration clearly reflected in his stance. Even though Cain was securely immobilized, he still worried his prisoner might figure out a way to harm Oracle. "No way…I can promise no audio, but there will be a live, silent video feed while you're in there. It's the best I can do."

"He will not attack me, Frank."

"You don't know that and I'm not willing to gamble on it," Frank said. "Either accept my terms or forget about speaking with him…my offer is non-negotiable."

Oracle knew by the determination on Frank's face, there was nothing further to gain by continuing the debate. "I accept...now would you please open the door?"

Giving the signal to the guard, Frank waited for the prisoner to react, knowing the guard would be Cain's focus until Oracle came into view. Then, all bets would be off and he wondered if Oracle would change her mind after hearing the vitriolic language the prisoner was sure to spew at her.

~/~/~/~/~

Peeking out from behind their bedroom door, Theo checked the hallway. Finding it clear, he quietly shut the door. Turning to Norm, he whispered, "The coast is clear."

Chuckling, Norm replied, "I think you've been reading too many spy romances, Shining Star. Now why did you send Smokey away?"

"I didn't send him away," protested Theo, giggling. "I just suggested he go and get his backpack from his car."

"Right, because he definitely needs it right now," Norm replied, smirking.

"No, because we have to figure out how we're gonna propose to him without him hearing our plans...otherwise it won't be a surprise...like it was when you proposed to me," Theo murmured, pressing his hands to his heart. "It was so romantic…very swoon-worthy and that's what I want for Smokey."

Gathering Theo in his arms, Norm nuzzled his neck and licked the site of Smokey's mating bite, smiling at his mate's shiver. "You don't think it's too soon?" he whispered.

Leaning back, Theo's eyes searched Norm's face before answering. "Do you?"

"Not at all…I just want to make sure you want to do it as much as I do," Norm answered. "Smokey is ours…today, tomorrow, and forever…and it's time he knows it. Now, what ideas do you have for making it romantic and swoon-worthy for him?"

~/~/~/~/~

Smokey's mind was filled with images of his naked mates as he reached the window at the top of the stairs that overlooked his parked car outside. He was eager to get back to them to see what they had planned next. Whatever it was, he knew he'd enjoy it. Deep in thought about the possibilities, it was only by chance that he glanced out the window.

What the fuck?Smokey quickly moved sideways to conceal himself from being seen by anyone looking up at the house from the outside. Peering down, he watched as Reeve Nicolet briefly glanced at the house before getting into his pickup and driving away.

Smokey exhaled slowly as the car disappeared. It had been a long time since he'd seen Nicolet, and he never expected to see him again. So what the hell is he doing at the Blackwood Pack? The man was ruthless, which was saying something, considering the number of kills Smokey had next to his own name. And even if he added Ghost's and Snow White's kills to his, the number wouldn't come close to Nicolet's. The man was feared by every new recruit in the agency; no one wanted to be partnered with him on their first assignment. He knew because he was the unlucky one in his class who got the short straw. By the time he and Reeve had completed the mission, Smokey was sure a one-way ticket home was waiting for him back at the agency.

How he survived and was retained as an agent was still a puzzle Smokey hadn't solved yet, but somehow he had, no thanks to that douchbag, Nicolet. The bastard had carved up Smokey's self-confidence so quickly it took him months to figure out how to make himself whole again. Thankfully Harte had helped him and, after several long talks, Smokey slowly began to regain his self-confidence.

Shaking those memories from his mind, Smokey continued down the stairs, resuming his journey to the car, refusing to let that asshole mindfuck him anymore. Stepping outside the house, he hurried to his SUV and grabbed his backpack from the rear compartment. Setting it on the ground, he pulled out his phone and took a quick look around to make sure no one was nearby before hitting a button.

"Don't tell me your mates kicked you out so soon?" Ghost snickered.

"Fuck off," Smokey growled, keeping his voice low, knowing there were too many ears around with exceptional hearing capabilities.

Immediately picking up the tension in Smokey's voice, Ghost put aside his teasing. "What happened?"

"Nicolet was here!"

"Reeve Nicolet? Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm fucking sure! I saw him myself."

"What the fuck is he doing there?" asked Ghost.

"How the hell should I know?"

"Fuck…this ain't good."

"No shit!" Smokey exclaimed. "I need Riley to find out what that asshole is involved in and what it has to do with the Blackwood Pack. I need to know if my mates are in danger."

"Hmm…" Ghost thought for a moment, then said, "Maybe it has to do with Willow's kidnapping and The Collector."

"If that's the case, then Glenn needs to know since his mate was also targeted by The Collector. Has he contacted you yet?"

"No." Ghost thought about the info Smokey had just given him before answering. "I'll have Riley poke around and see if he can find out anything. The agency's known about The Collector for a while, so why bring the best asset they have in on it now…it just doesn't make sense."

"Maybe because Glenn raised hell over the agency's failure to protect his mom?"

"Maybe…but then why wasn't Glenn told about it?" asked Ghost.

"We don't know they haven't tried," Smokey muttered. "With Snow White running silent, there wouldn't be any way to reach him."

"True," Ghost replied. "Look, nose around on your end while Riley works on it here. If we're lucky, there's a simple explanation why Nicolet was there, and it doesn't have anything to do with your mates."

Smokey snorted, then quickly surveyed the area, confirming he was still alone. "I'll do that…just make sure you call me with Riley's findings…no waiting until you hear from Glenn. Am I clear?"

"Like crystal."