Chapter 26

Kahn had made it very clear that their conversation was over, which pissed off Reeve to no end because there was a lot more he had to say about his mate's lack of self-preservation. Given Kahn's mood, it would be impossible to convince him of the danger he faced, much less reveal that they were Fated Mates. Clamping his mouth shut, he left the room in a petulant mood, trying to control his frustration. Once outside the door, he began to think about how to reason with his headstrong mate, but every solution was clouded by fantasies of his cock buried deep inside Kahn. He was sure his mate also felt the pull between them by how quickly his cock had responded to Reeve's touch, but he also saw how quickly his mate had suppressed it. He'd be kidding himself if he claimed he hadn't felt hurt, but could hardly blame his mate for rejecting him when he, himself, was guilty of not revealing their connection.

Sighing, he leaned his forehead against the bedroom door, inhaling his mate's scent through the cracks. If the Fates had to give me a wolf as a mate, then why couldn't they have given me an Omega? Someone who's sweet and gentle…someone who wouldn't fight me every inch of the way. He turned and leaned his back against the door, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor. It was going to be a bitch of a night standing guard over Kahn—or sitting, as was now the case. The only good thing, so far, was that his mate hadn't blamed him for Josiah's death.

Kahn heard a thump against his door and though he didn't know what caused it, his gut told him who it was. "Go away!" he shouted. It was time Reeve learned he wasn't a pushover. Ever since Reeve had burst into his life, Kahn's world had been turned upside down, but he could only blame himself for folding under the pressure. Yes, sir…anything you say, sir…no, sir…whatever you want, sir. His father would have called him a pussy for acquiescing so quickly to every one of Reeve's commands. But no more!

It would be foolish to rely on anyone but himself for the safety of his family, especially if, like Reeve, they were working for the High Council. His distrust of it had been implanted in him by his father over the years and, until he had proof otherwise, his mind wasn't going to change.

Reeve and his sidekick kept telling him about the danger the Silver Point enforcers posed to him, but they never mentioned possible threats by Jackson and his brothers. At first, he thought their focus was on arresting Josiah, but when Reeve hadn't mentioned the Blackwood Pack as another reason to stay, it raised a big red flag for him. From his point of view, they were just as much a risk, if not bigger. Kahn was well versed in how deep the need for revenge ran in a wolf pack—his father's actions had proved that—although he'd never understand what his Uncle Striker did to warrant such a drastic response from his father. Whatever it was, Kahn was sure his father had felt justified. But it was crazy to think that after what happened, Jackson would forgive and forget. My family and I have got to get the hell out of here and find somewhere to hide.

When his mother's parents died, they left him the cabin he'd helped his grandfather build one summer. Though he was heartbroken at losing them, the love they had for him lived on in that place. No one except his mother, who was named the sole executor of their estate, knew about it. Both the cabin and money left to him by her parents would allow them to survive until he could get back to painting.

Pushing his backpack to the floor, Kahn rolled over, thinking about Reeve's refusal to let his mother and sisters leave with him. He couldn't figure out what that was all about other than a ploy to keep him at the safe house. Snorting into his pillow, Kahn rejected that thought since Reeve was willing to let him leave tonight—just not his mother or sisters. Strange. Maybe Reeve planned to marry CeCe, and that certainly would explain why he was so willing to let Kahn leave. Once her big brother was out of the picture, it would be much easier to convince their mother to give her approval. And as much as he hated to admit it, it certainly would be better than CeCe marrying Rudy.

If that was the game plan, Kahn would have to outsmart Reeve by whisking his mother and sisters out from under his nose. CeCe was too young to make a commitment required for a successful marriage. His mother had always hoped she would go to college, but he wasn't sure his sister wanted to do that. Education had never been CeCe's forté, and Kahn was certainly in favor of her getting out into the world and experiencing all it had to offer before settling down. But that would never happen if she was forced into a marriage now.

Kahn's mind shifted to Josiah and what to do with his body. Tomorrow, he'd have to tell his mother about her husband's death and hoped she wouldn't ask too many questions. The shame she'd have to endure once it came out that Josiah was a mass murderer was bad enough, but the fact that Josiah had kidnapped Aunt Hope would be disastrous, and he just knew his mother's heart would break.

Turning on his side, he stared out the window at the nearly full moon high in the sky, feeling the pull of it in his soul. His mind and body were exhausted from the mental anguish his father's death had brought him. Tomorrow would be a repeat of today, and it would fall to him to provide the support and comfort his mother and sisters needed. It was too much to think about at the moment, so Kahn closed his eyes and hoped sleep would find him soon.

~/~/~/~/~

His phone's vibration woke Reeve up. Sitting up, he looked around, finding one of his men guarding the stairs. He hadn't ordered it, so Heath must have, but why? Finding his phone on the floor, he picked it up and answered in a low voice, "Problem?"

"No, everything is still quiet," Heath replied. "Do you know the son of Frank Royd used to be an enforcer for the Silver Point Pack?"

"No…just a minute." Getting up, Reeve headed to an empty bedroom at the top of the stairs. Closing the door, he walked over to the bed and turned on the bedside lamp before sitting down. "Are you sure? I was told he belonged to the Blackwood Pack."

"Ahh…yes. Let me guess, your boss told you to be nice to his Alpha."

"Would you expect anything less?"

"Nope…it's the old ‘cover-your-ass' routine," Heath laughed.

"How did you find out he was previously an enforcer for Josiah?"

"Well, I got to thinking on the way back that Rudy's computer might contain something that would help identify who his allies are."

Impressed, Reeve said, "Good thinking…did you find anything?"

"Not yet…there's a shitload of files on there. I have the tech guys going through it now, but before they came, I quickly scanned the names of the files and found one with Dylon Royd's name."

"Did you look at it?"

"Yup…it contained his application for an enforcer position, the terms of his employment…stuff like that," Heath replied, pausing for a moment before adding, "I also found photos of him…at least I think it was him…badly beaten…and I mean really badly beaten. His face looked like chopped meat and, as for the rest of him, I can't tell because he was wearing clothes. "

"Did the file have the date when he resigned from the Silver Point Pack?" asked Reeve.

"That's the weird thing…according to Rudy's notes, Dylon Royd is dead."

"Dead?"

"Yes…killed supposedly by another shifter!"

Stunned, Reeve was speechless. It didn't make sense. If Dylon Royd was dead, then who the hell was at the Blackwood Pack? "Can you do some…"

"I already did," Heath replied. "There's no record of his death…at least none I can find."

"So maybe he didn't die after all."

"Maybe…but I don't see how he could have survived, not even if he'd shifted."

"That bad, eh?"

"That bad," Heath muttered.

"Hmmm…" Reeve thought for a moment. "Nothing is adding up. Frank Royd would certainly know if his son was dead, so Rudy obviously got it wrong."

"But the beating…even if his son survived, why didn't his father bring charges against the shifter?" asked Heath.

"Could be his son was at fault," mused Reeve.

"I don't buy that," Heath said. "From everything I read, Dylon Royd wasn't one to pick a fight. His record is spotless."

"I think the only way we'll know for sure is for me to talk with Dylon. I'll call Jackson in the morning. In the meantime, send me the file."

"Will do," Heath replied. "By the way, did you see Kahn? How's he doing?"

Reeve snorted.

"Oh shit," Heath said, chuckling. "I guess you discovered your mate has a mind of his own."

"How do you know that?" Reeve asked, frustration in his voice. But before Heath could respond, he continued, "He won't listen to me and all I'm trying to do is keep him safe. But by the way he acts, it's like I don't know what I'm talking about."

"Well, he's an Alpha."

"So what? Being an Alpha doesn't mean he gets a free pass on making dumb decisions."

"Maybe dumb from your point of view…but did you listen to his reasons for those decisions?" asked Heath. "They may not be so dumb. Look, can I give you some advice?"

"Like I have a choice?"

"Not really, but as my boss, it's always good to ask first," Heath said, chuckling.

"Asshole."

"True, but I'm an adorable one."

Reeve couldn't help laughing. "That's up for debate…but go ahead, I'm dying to hear what advice my best friend has for me."

"Stop leading and start listening."

"That's it? What the hell does that even mean?"

"Look, Kahn isn't a member of your team…"

"I know that!"

"Yeah, well, I'm guessing you aren't acting that way…and I get it, I do. You're a great leader, which is why your men…including moi…are so fucking loyal. We know you'll always do what's best for us, even if it's at your own expense. Whether you know this or not…that's rare from my experience. Most leaders put themselves first and, if it's good for the team, well, let's just say it's a happy coincidence.

"But Kahn isn't one of your men. He doesn't have any past experience with you to draw on that would make him willing to follow your lead. Plus, from what I gathered, he's been making his own decisions for quite a while and now you come in and expect him to what? Bow down to you and obey without even questioning if your decisions are right for him? Not gonna happen."

Well, shit! Reeve could kick himself. His friend was right. Treating his mate as if he was Kahn's superior officer was insulting to the man. No wonder his mate told him to go to hell. Shaking his head at his own insensitivity, he owed Kahn an apology, and made a promise to himself to treat him as an equal from now on. "Thanks for the kick in the ass," he muttered.

"My pleasure," Heath said, chuckling. "If you need any more mate advice, you know where to find me."

"How did you get so smart about mates?"

"My brother. He went through the same shit when he found his Fated Mate. Had the hardest time forgetting he was the Alpha of the pack and not of his mate," Heath said. "But he finally figured it out, so there's hope for you."

"Gee, thanks," Reeve replied, sarcastically.

"You're welcome!" Heath said cheerily.

"Asshole!"

"But an…"

"I know…you're an adorable one."

"And don't you forget it," Heath said, still chuckling. "Now go and apologize to Kahn…but first, maybe you should get him some flowers."

"What the fuck for?"

Laughing, Heath said, "Hell if I know, but that's what my brother does whenever he fucks up with his mate."

Rolling his eyes at the suggestion, Reeve growled, "I'm not doing that."

"Suit yourself," Heath replied, before changing the subject. "Do you want me to ask the Silver Point enforcers if any of them knows what happened to Dylon Royd?"

Reeve thought for a moment before replying. "No, let's see what Jackson says first. Maybe he knows who was responsible for the beating Dylon received."

"You think it might be Rudy?"

"Probably not him because I doubt he'd risk doing that to the son of the High Council Vice Chair," Reeve said. "However, I'm curious how photos of the beating ended up on Rudy's computer."

"And why he listed him as dead."

"That, too."

"Hey, I got to go…it's time for a shift change. I'll call if the tech team finds out anything else."

After ending the call, Reeve opened the file Heath sent him and read through Dylon Royd's employment paperwork. He found nothing but routine information. Looking at the photos was a different matter entirely. Never in all his years had he seen any shifter as badly beaten as Royd was. How the hell did he survive? Whoever was responsible was certainly guilty of attempted murder, and he wondered why neither Frank Royd or his son didn't pursue the matter. It was a mystery that needed to be solved, especially if Rudy had anything to do with it.

Reeve closed the file but remained sitting while his mind kicked around possible explanations, all of which he finally rejected. Speculation wasn't going to give him the answers; only facts would. And there were only three people who could give them to him and Jackson was at the top of his list. But he'd have to tread carefully in case Frank Royd had ordered the cover-up in a misguided attempt to protect his son.

What a fucking mess!It had appeared to be a simple job—arrest two men—but as he was finding out, it was far from that. Sighing, Reeve stood, stretching out his cramped muscles. His apology would have to wait until morning when, hopefully, Kahn would be in a better mood.

Leaving the bedroom, Reeve stopped to talk to his man at the top of the stairs before heading down to the kitchen for another cup of coffee. His buffalo had been restless since arriving at the safe house, and Reeve knew better than to ignore it. There were still a few more hours until dawn and, with what he'd learned about Dylon Royd, he was sure the new day was going to bring another shitstorm.