Chapter 20

The quiet of the forest was broken by an explosion of roars from a bear, bringing Jackson and his group to a standstill. He figured it had to be Smokey but was unsure if it was a roar of pain—which meant Smokey had been shot again, or...

"That's the sound a grizzly bear makes after winning a battle," Reeve said, stepping up next to Jackson.

Jackson quickly glanced at Reeve before turning his attention back to the forest. "You think Smokey killed Josiah?"

"Yeah, I do. Sonofabitch!"

"You have a problem with that?" asked Jackson. "As far as I can see, Smokey had every right to whack the fucker, considering Josiah shot him."

"Shot him three times according to Willow Thatcher," Reeve replied. "Which begs the question how can Smokey walk, much less fight an Alpha Wolf, who has a gun!"

Shrugging, Jackson murmured, "Willow said he was fine when he left to go after Josiah." Then, turning to Reeve, he frowned. "I deem it was a legal kill on my land and I will not be filing any complaint with the High Council."

"That's your right," Reeve said, "but I'll still conduct an investigation into the matter, especially given the bad blood between the Blackwood Pack and Josiah."

"That's your right," Jackson replied, repeating Reeve's words back to him, "but you still need my permission to speak with any of my pack members."

"I don't see any problem with that, especially since I'll be focusing mainly on Smokey…for the time being. And since he's not a member of your…"

Holding up his hand, Jackson growled, "Stop right there. Smokey is a member of my pack."

"Since when?"

"Since he claimed two of my members as fated mates," Jackson replied. "And that now makes him a member of the Blackwood Pack. So again, you need my permission."

"You haven't registered the mating with the High Council yet," Reeve said.

Raising one eyebrow, Jackson stared at Reeve, waiting for him to concede. When the man refused to lower his gaze, Jackson released some of his Alpha power, but other than a blink or two, Reeve stood his ground. Debating whether he'd gain anything by using his full Alpha power, Jackson decided against it—the law was on his side. "As you know full well, registering is not necessary to make Smokey a member. In fact, even if he hadn't claimed a member of my pack, it's up to me—and me, alone—to grant him membership."

Gritting his teeth, Reeve nodded, pissed that Jackson knew the law, but he still had several tricks he could pull out of his hat that the Alpha probably wouldn't know about. Nevertheless, he'd have to proceed carefully, at least until he discovered the secret Jackson was hiding about the power he tried using on Reeve. Gesturing for Jackson to go first, he asked, "Should we see what your pack member did that warranted his celebratory bellows?"

Without answering Reeve, Jackson gave the signal for his enforcers to move again and they all headed towards Smokey and, hopefully, Jackson's mother. Drawing closer, he heard Smokey and Hope talking which helped ease his worry. Eager to see for himself that Josiah had done her no harm, he sped up. Rounding the last bend in the path, he began to breathe easily for there, before him, stood his mother. His eyes quickly searched her for injuries, and he was relieved to see nothing more than a few bruises.

Slipping past Jackson, Reeve paused, surveying the bloody remains scattered about on the forest floor. Looking at Smokey, he asked, "Josiah?"

Smokey nodded, but before he could say anything, he glimpsed Jackson holding a finger up to his lips, cautioning him to remain silent. And considering Smokey was now face to face with the asshole who made his time in training a living hell, he had no problem whatsoever with that.

"What happened?" asked Reeve.

"Not now," Jackson said testily. "My mother's been traumatized and I insist that any questions must wait until both she and Smokey are home." Then, stepping around Reeve, Jackson walked over to his mother, reaching out to hug her.

Leaving Smokey's side, Hope eagerly responded, hugging him back. It felt so good and she thanked the gods for saving her from Josiah's cruelty. Now, her family was safe. "I can't believe it's finally over," she whispered, looking up at her eldest son. "I owe so much to Smokey."

"We all do," Jackson murmured, savoring his mother's scent. He wondered how he could repay Smokey, but it would start with protecting him from Reeve. Jackson had a sneaking suspicion the man was going to charge Smokey for the killing of Josiah and, if so, he would discover it wasn't going to be easy.

Tucking Hope under his arm, Jackson looked at the gruesome scene surrounding them before shifting his gaze to Reeve. "I'll leave this to you to clean up," he said. "I'm sure the Council will want proof Josiah is dead. When you're finished, you can come to the pack house and talk to Smokey."

With a nod from Jackson, Groose signaled his men to form a protective circle around Jackson, Hope and Smokey. Once that was done, he said, "Ready, boss."

Satisfied, Jackson said, "Let's go home."

~/~/~/~/~

Willow had told Jackson she'd promised Smokey she'd make sure Hope's grandbabies got home safely. But after being assured that Steel, Norm and a contingent of enforcers were on their way to bring the kids and Theo back, she decided to return to the house to wait. Once there, however, anxiety began to gnaw at her and to keep it in check, she headed to the kitchen, knowing they'd all be hungry when they got home.

As she prepared some beef stew, Willow checked the time, surprised it was so late. Once the table was set, she headed outside to wait and began to worry again about why Steel and the kids hadn't arrived yet. Her tiger was restless, which didn't help, and when her impatience finally got the better of her she decided to shift; her tiger would be better suited to fight in case there was trouble. She was just about to shift when Carson, Remy and the others who'd accompanied them to the Witches' Council, materialized on the grass in front of the porch.

"That was fun," Kieran giggled. "Almost as much fun as riding on macushla'sdragon…it's certainly faster but then you don't get to see the stars at night or the moon…of course, there's not much else you see at night so I guess it's kinda like transporting." Lifting the cover on Queenie's cage, he peered in at the quiet bird. Poking a finger through the bars he stroked his feathers, murmuring, "Hey, sweetie, I bet you're hungry."

"Suck me! Fuck me!"

Giggling, Quin said, "I think you better find Queenie a mate soon, Ki."

Carson shook his head. "More like you better cover him up before Galen and Eamon hear him…or Jessica. Lizzy won't be happy if her little princess becomes a potty mouth."

After they'd landed, Dylon's wolf had begun to growl in warning. Glancing around, he found the house guarded by a phalanx of enforcers who'd formed a barrier between them and the forest behind them. They were clearly ready to do battle, but against what enemy? Jackson hadn't informed him about any impending threats. Shifting his gaze over to Willow, he could see the tension in her body as her eyes fixated on the trees.

Slowly, Dylon made his way around the group, thankful they were all focused on Kieran's bird. Quietly climbing the stairs, he kept his eyes on her, looking for any signs of danger. Finally reaching her, he muttered, "What happened…and where's Jackson?"

Glancing sideways at Dylon, Willow murmured, "Josiah…" and before she could say anything else, Danny emerged from the woods, trotting merrily in front of Jake and Jessica. "Oh thank the gods…they're safe." Ignoring Dylon, she hurried down the steps, smiling broadly as she saw Norm, holding Eamon, and Theo, leading Galen, followed by Steel and the enforcers.

"Remee!" Eamon screamed, struggling to get down when he caught sight of his brother. "Carsso!"

Shaking off Theo's hand, Galen raced to his brother, throwing his arms around his legs. "You can't go aways anymore!"

Joining his brother, Eamon grabbed Remy's hand, pulling on it to get his brother's attention. "Bad men came and we hadda hide and it waz dark but Normny made a fire and I waz cold."

Looking at his brother, Galen shook his head. "No you wasn't cuz Jakie and Jesse…"

"I waz, too, cold," Eamon said, pouting that his brother had contradicted him.

Grinning, Cody scooped up Jake and Jessica's wolves, cuddling them in his arms. "I missed you guys so much!"

After giving his twins a pat and a kiss, Dylon headed over to Steel, Norm, and Theo. "What the fuck is going on?" he muttered. "Willow mentioned Josiah…is that why the enforcers are guarding the house? And where the hell is Jackson?"

"It's a long story, but let's wait until Jackson gets back," Steel murmured. "In the meantime, the kids are tired, hungry, and in dire need of baths."

"Does Jackson need me?" asked Dylon, keeping his voice low.

Shaking his head, Steel replied, "No, he's on his way back."

"Josiah?" asked Dylon.

"Dead…Smokey killed him," Steel muttered. "Jackson will fill you in later, but for now…"

"C'mon everyone…inside now," called Willow. "Dinner's ready."

"I'm hungry," whined Eamon.

"Me, too," echoed Galen.

"Then let's go eat," Carson said, scooping up Eamon and handing him to Remy before picking up Galen.

Growls suddenly broke the air, and Dylon turned toward them only to find Danny's wolf on the porch facing them. "What the hell is he growling about?" he muttered, quickly checking the area but finding nothing out of order.

"Danny wants us to go into the house right now," Theo said, smiling at the tiny wolf.

Seeing the puzzled look on Dylon's face, Norm explained, "Danny has become an uber-Alpha and right now, he's ordering his pack to get inside."

"Uber-Alpha?" asked Dylon. "What the hell is that?"

Shrugging, Steel smiled. "Apparently it's what Danny is."

Dylon's jaw dropped as Jake and Jessica's wolves jumped down from Cody's arms and headed over to Danny, sitting down behind him. Then hearing Galen shout, he turned his head just in time to see Galen and Eamon follow suit. "Holy shit!" he muttered. "Does Jackson know about Danny's new-found uber Alpha behavior?"

"Not yet," Steel said, grinning, "but I can't wait to see his face when I tell him."

Taking Theo's hand, Norm said, "C'mon honey bunch, let's go."

Dylon watched as the two Ghost Bears climbed the steps and waited for Danny to lead the way to the dining room. "I don't fucking believe it," he muttered under his breath.

Walking up to Dylon, Cody asked, "Believe what?"

Pointing to the group on the porch, Dylon muttered, "That…it seems as if Danny has suddenly decided to become the Alpha."

Studying the group on the porch, Cody finally realized what Dylon meant. "Oh shit! Poor Jackson," he chuckled. "I'd love to be a fly on the wall when he has a discussion about that with Danny."

"You and me both," Dylon muttered, taking Cody's hand. "Let's go in…suddenly I think it's gonna be a very entertaining evening."

Overhearing their comments, Steel gave them the finger. Though he conceded Dylon had a point, he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of agreeing with him. He was very proud of his son; it wasn't every day a young Alpha pup assumed leadership when danger threatened.

~/~/~/~/~

Gabriel Hamilton! Not Gabriel anymore, but now he's Smokey according to Jackson. Reeve shook his head. The chances of ever running into him again were nil to none after Smokey resigned from the agency, yet somehow Fate was determined to bring them together again. Maybe Gabriel…Smokey is finally ready to face the truth about who he is. He certainly wasn't amenable to it when Reeve met him for the first time. There had to be a story behind Gabriel's refusal to acknowledge his power, but it now appeared Smokey had come to grips with it.

Shot three times, according to Willow Thatcher, and yet Reeve saw no evidence of it on Smokey's body. And Reeve knew the only way that could've happened was if Smokey had used his Manetu powers. So that had to be a good thing, right? He sure hoped so because he'd waited long enough for the sacred grizzly to own up to who he was.

Not really paying attention while his men bagged Josiah's remains, Reeve's remembered the first time he'd met Smokey…fuck, who the hell gave him that name? Walking into the agency's training room, Reeve's animal bellowed at finally finding Lord Manetu, but their joy was short-lived when Reeve discovered Smokey had rejected that part of him. Frustrated, he'd made it his personal mission to force Smokey to face who he was, but no matter how much he pushed him, it never happened.

Years had passed since then, and Smokey never sought him out, leading Reeve to conclude that his hopes for a reunion and a different outcome were futile. So, he moved on, focusing on his career and enjoying his different missions—that is, until his boss gave him his one. The only positive thing about it was the discovery of his Fated mate, but even that presented its own set of problems. Now, though, with Josiah dead—thank you Smokey—he could claim his mate as soon as his report was submitted to the High Council.

Thinking about Jackson's refusal to let Reeve speak with Smokey right away had pissed him off—and his animal, too—who'd roared in anger, and not without good cause. It was a classic case of three steps forward and two steps back which was frustrating as hell, but he'd have to play by Jackson's rules if there was any hope of speaking to Smokey in private.

Reeve wasn't sure how much Jackson knew about Smokey, but if Smokey's past interaction with Reeve was any indication, he'd bet the Alpha knew nothing about the Manetu's importance in the world. And Reeve wasn't about to tell Jackson about Smokey's immense power that was now at his disposal—at least not until he knew what secret Jackson was hiding—and he definitely was hiding something.

The small display of Jackson's Alpha Power had affected him, even though his animal, not being a wolf, was supposed to have immunity from it. It took every bit of self-control Reeve had to keep from bowing to Jackson's authority. It was like nothing he'd felt before…or even knew was possible. Analyzing Jackson's actions once more, Reeve realized that only he had been affected by it; none of the enforcers—his or Jackson's—had given any indication that they, too, felt it. Selective Alpha Powercould be very dangerous in the wrong hands.

"I think that's everything, Reeve," Eddie said, wiping the blood from his hands on the side of his jeans.

Coming out of his reverie, Reeve inspected the area; only pools of Josiah's blood remained which would be washed away by the next rain. "Great job," he said, as he headed for the path that would lead them back to the Blackwood Pack house and, hopefully, some answers.