Chapter 31

Chuckling to himself about Daniel's Alpha behavior, Maximus turned to Oracle. "Have you read our son's text about our grandpup?"

Walking over to her husband, Oracle ran her hand through his hair before bending down and kissing his cheek. "I did…does Danny remind you of someone?"

"Two, to be precise."

"Yes, I really did enjoy that stage our sons went through."

"I did too, but I'm going to enjoy it more with Danny," Maximus said. "Do you remember the time Steel bit the ambassador from the Fae Kingdom? Horrified, the man believed he'd committed a faux pas and couldn't apologize enough."

Oracle's trilling laugh filled the room. "I have never been so embarrassed in my life. That poor man…it took me forever to finally get him to believe he had done nothing wrong."

"Well, payback's a bitch, and I, for one, will enjoy watching Steel try to keep Danny in line," Maximus said, rising. "I better go tell the boys what they have to look forward to."

"Give them my love."

"I will…are you leaving?"

"Yes, Mystia will be here shortly."

"Be safe, my love," Maximus murmured, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug before giving her a kiss. "I'll be here waiting for you."

~/~/~/~/~

Slowing down, Reeve turned onto the dirt road leading to the Silver Point Pack. He hoped Heath had some good news for him because that would be the cherry on top of an already great day. It had started with Kahn's agreement to stay and ended with Dylon providing the names of Rudy's possible allies. Now all he had to do was to confirm Dylon's information before telling Kahn there wasn't any need to leave since all threats to him and his family had been eliminated—that is, if Heath had been successful.

Pulling up to the building, Reeve turned off the engine and climbed out. Glancing around, everything seemed to be under control. Walking up the path to the door of the Silver Point building, he noted that the guard detail had been doubled. Pleased, Reeve entered and headed directly to the conference room where Heath was waiting. Opening the door, he saw his second-in-command surrounded by stacks of files. "Hey…what's all this?"

Looking up, Heath grinned. "You look happy."

"I am," Reeve replied, sitting down across the table from his friend. "Your advice was spot on…I apologized and then listened to my mate. He brought up some good points I hadn't considered."

"So all's good in lover land?" Heath asked, smirking.

"Yup…for now, at least. So what did you find about Bruno, Hans, and Seth?"

"A ton of shit. Once you sent me their names, we separated them from the others—by the way, Bruno was really pissed about it—and right now your interrogation team is questioning everyone."

"Have they found out anything yet?"

"Oh yeah. According to several enforcers, Bruno has been actively looking for volunteers to join him for a secret mission for Rudy."

"Does anyone know what it is?" asked Reeve.

"Not yet, but there's still more questioning to do. In the meantime, the tech team found a whole bunch of secret files on one of the old computers and printed them out for me," said Heath, gesturing to the files on the table.

"Why print them when they could send us the files electronically?"

"Because you will need hard copies for your boss," Heath said grinning.

"And why is that?"

"Because…drum roll, please," Heath said, chuckling at Reeve's eye roll. "Because the files identify every enforcer who participated in the massacre and, more importantly, where they are buried."

"Fucking hell! Can you tie any of this to Rudy?" asked Reeve, excitedly.

"Yup…Rudy was ordered to get rid of loose ends by making sure there weren't any eyewitnesses left."

"And he kept records of it?" Reeve shook his head. "How fucking stupid can he be?"

"I know, right? My guess is he did it because he didn't trust Josiah."

"Yeah…no honor among thieves…or murderers, I guess."

"And there's something else," Heath said, digging through one of the piles and pulling out a file. Sliding it across the table, he said, "Rudy has been a busy little beaver. The other reason so many of the pack members are poor is that Rudy had a sweet little racket going. Since he had access to the sum each family received from the pack coffers, he knew exactly how much they could afford to pay him for protection. And guess who did the collecting?"

"Bruno."

"Yup, along with Hans and Seth."

After glancing through the file, Reeve snorted in disgust. "What a fucking asshole…you're right…it was a sweet racket. Rudy gave pack money to each family, then he lined his pockets by forcing them all to pay him for protection. And if they refused, he sent his ‘enforcers' to show what would happen should anyone else not pay up. And I thought Josiah was as bad as they got."

"The good news is we'll be able to recover most of the money Rudy extorted from them. After another search of the fucker's house, we discovered the location of his off-shore bank accounts. Here, have a look for yourself," Heath said, handing a sheaf of papers to his boss."

Shuffling through the bank statements, Reeve quickly added up the amounts before shifting his gaze back to Heath. "How fucking long has this been going on?"

"Since before the massacre, but that's just a guess. We won't know for sure until the forensic accountant finishes reviewing the records."

Slamming his fist down on the table, Reeve growled, "Where the hell was Josiah while this was going on? It doesn't take a genius to see something's wrong when you see your pack members walking around in rags and hungry all the time."

"My guess, he was too busy plotting his takeover of the Fox River Pack," Heath muttered.

Everything was starting to fall into place with the evidence Heath uncovered which made Reeve's path forward much easier. "There's enough proof to charge Bruno, Hans, and Seth with extortion, racketeering and accessory to attempted murder. I want them secured with anti-shifting cuffs immediately. Then, tomorrow, escort them to the High Council jail. The sooner they're out of here, the safer this pack will be. Let me know once you've picked your team and I'll make arrangements."

"Will you be staying here?" asked Heath.

"Not tonight…I have to talk to Kahn, but I'll be back before you leave in the morning."

"Okay…see you then," Heath said, bones cracking in his neck as he stood and stretched. "These old bones just aren't what they used to be."

"You're so full of bullshit. If there is one thing you are not, it's old," Reeve said, picking up his phone. "Send Eddie in, wouldja?"

"Sure."

~/~/~/~/~

After Mac gave him reassurance that Hope was on her way to a full recovery, Jackson stopped in to see Dakota and Slate. Rapping his knuckles against the door, he waited until his brother looked up. "Hey, how's everything?"

"Great," Dakota said, smiling, "now that Josiah's dead."

Surprised that word had already reached him, Jackson asked, "Who told you?"

Dakota grinned. "Duh! No one…they didn't have too."

Seeing Jackson's confusion, Slate chuckled. "According to my mate, there were so much joy in the house he could feel it without even using his empath ability."

"I couldn't help myself," Dakota said. "It was so long since I felt that much happiness, I was curious about what caused it…"

"So you used your Shadow Voice to find out," Jackson concluded.

"Yup," Dakota said, pointing a finger at Jackson. "Stop that right now!"

"What? I'm happy for you."

"Yeah, you are, but you're also pissed off at yourself for not telling me last night."

Jackson grinned sheepishly. "Maybe a little…I was concerned…"

Waving his hand dismissively, Dakota said, "I got it…my big brother still watching out for me."

"Always."

"While you're here, what's up with Danny?" Dakota asked. "Is he going to be my new Alpha?"

"Har, har…you're funny," Jackson replied, grinning. "Speaking about pups, how's my nephew doing?"

Rubbing his belly, Dakota replied, "Other than kicking up a storm and sitting on my bladder all night long, he's good. Mac said my blood pressure is normal now and if it stays that way for the next three days, I can get out of bed."

"Only for short periods, babe," Slate insisted.

"Listen to Mac, Kota," Jackson said. "You don't have long to go before your son arrives."

"I can't wait…we can't wait," Dakota corrected himself, patting his belly.

"Neither can I," agreed Jackson, giving his brother a hug before leaving. It was time to sort out the issue with Danny. Walking upstairs, he thought about that morning and his son's behavior. Seeing his pup challenge a huge white buffalo shifter had scared the shit out of him. He was certain it was his fast response, along with Reeve's confusion, that saved Daniel from learning a very painful lesson. Sighing as he reached the top step, he froze as he watched Maximus bow his head to Daniel.

Out of the corner of his eye, Maximus saw Jackson staring at him in disbelief. Chuckling, he finished his bow to Daniel before turning to his son-in-law. "I was on my way to see you when I was waylaid by Daniel."

"I see that," Jackson said, moving slowly towards his son. "It appears he has now added you to his pack."

"Not at all," Maximus said smiling. "He was just making sure I wasn't a threat to you."

"To me?" Jackson asked incredulously. "Are you serious?"

"I can explain," Maximus replied, his eyes twinkling with merriment.

"I can't wait to hear it." Scooping up Danny, Jackson cuddled his son's wolf to his chest, relishing the feel of his fur, already rougher than a month ago. His son was growing up faster than Jackson would have liked. It seemed just yesterday, Jackson was holding newborn Daniel, and now his son was challenging him for the Alpha position. Worried and feeling guilty, he sat down at his desk, still cuddling Daniel in his arms, refusing to let go of him.

While everyone found his son's behavior adorable, Jackson knew that as Daniel grew older, it would begin to tear apart the fabric of the pack. Loyalty to the Alpha was absolute and if there was even a hint of dissension, he'd have no choice but to step in and stop it. And what would that do to his son? Nothing good, that was for sure.

"Hi babe," Steel said to Jackson as he walked in. Bending down, he went nose-to-nose with Danny's wolf, chuckling when his son licked him. After sitting down next to his mate, he turned to his father. "Jackson said you know what's going on with our son."

"I do," Maximus said. "It's perfectly normal."

"It is?" asked Jackson. "Does it have to do with his ability to talk with animals?"

"No, not at all," Maximus replied. "Every Dire Wolf pup goes through this stage. However, in this case, the difference is Danny, himself. Even at his age, everyone can recognize he's a powerful Alpha, which is why Norm and Theo's full-grown bears followed him yesterday."

"I don't remember Slate or myself behaving this way at all," Steel replied.

"While neither of your wolves at that age were as powerful as Danny's, trust me, you did," Maximus said, chuckling.

"Tell me more about Daniel and why he's challenging me?" Jackson asked Maximus.

"He's not challenging you…if anything, he views himself as your protector, the same he does with every member of the Blackwood Pack," Maximus explained.

"You mean like an enforcer?" asked Steel.

"Exactly."

"But he's an Alpha," Jackson said. "Danny will become the Alpha of the Blackwood Pack someday."

"Yes, indeed," Maximus agreed.

"I don't get it," Steel said.

"Look at Danny as an Alpha-in-training. Do you remember, early on, when you saw how he was with Jake and Jessica? Everyone thought it was cute when Danny protected Jessica while she was reaching for one of Cody's shirt buttons."

"Yeah…Alpha of the Blackwood Puppy Pack," Steel said, smirking.

"That's because you saw his actions through the lens of an adult. In reality, Danny was practicing the skills he'd need in the future when he became the Alpha."

"What about now?" asked Jackson. "Danny tried to follow Smokey yesterday and if it weren't for Norm stopping him, he could have gotten shot."

"Smokey wouldn't have let that happen," Steel assured his mate.

"Maybe…" Jackson said, then looked at Maximus. "I understand Danny is flexing his Alpha muscles, but there needs to be limits as to what he's allowed to do, because he's too young at this point to fully understand the potential danger in a situation."

"I agree," Steel said. "Protecting pack members is only one part of being the Alpha, but knowing how to avoid danger is just as important…if not more. That skill has kept wolf packs safe throughout the centuries."

"You said every Dire Wolf Alpha pup goes through this stage but isn't Danny still too young to be exhibiting this behavior?" Jackson asked. "I was much older when my father taught me about being the Alpha."

"It usually happens sooner for a Dire Wolf pup," Maximus said. "But I'll admit, I've never heard of it happening in one as young as Danny."

"Do you know why?" asked Jackson.

"It's only a guess," Maximus said, "but I think it's because of your Alpha power. It's like the pull of a full moon for Danny, especially when he's in his wolf form. That's why he acts this way only after he's shifted."

"If that's the case, shouldn't we be doing something to protect Danny from himself?" asked Jackson, worriedly. "I just can't stand by and hope he doesn't get hurt."

"Give him rules his wolf needs right now, and the best way to do that is in your wolf form," Maximus suggested. "His wolf knows you're his Alpha and will obey whatever you say without question."

"Is that what you did for Steel and Slate?" asked Jackson.

"Yes…it's also a good way to teach other lessons about being a leader," Maximus said, smiling. "And it'll help you get rid of the guilt you feel about Danny's behavior being the result of your not spending enough time with him."

Jackson's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know about that?"

"Because I felt the same way when Oracle informed me that Steel had bitten the Ambassador from the Fae Kingdom," Maximus said, laughing.

"I did not!" Steel protested, emphatically.

"Oh yes, you did. If you don't believe me, ask your mother," Maximus replied.

"Tell me more!" Jackson smirked. "What else did Steel do?"

"Dad," Steel growled. "We're talking about Daniel…not me and what I supposedly did when I was a pup."

"But babe," Jackson said, grinning, "it would help us if we knew what to expect from Danny."

"I don't think so because my son would never bite anyone," Steel insisted haughtily.

"Right…mainly because the likelihood of an ambassador from the Fae Kingdom showing up here is nil to none," Jackson laughed.