Chapter 38

Smirking, Jackson stood in Logan's studio, waiting for his brother's reply, but it was Logan's mate who spoke first.

Standing with his hands on his hips, Kieran said, "Absolutely not! We are not leaving and you can't make us! Cody promised Theo, Norm, and me that we'd always have a home here and you did too and what about Squirt? He won't know anyone there and all his cousins will be here and what about Theo and his cub? He's counting on me helping him with his cub when he comes and if it's a princess then I certainly have to be here to help dress her because, well, don't tell Norm I said this, although he already knows he's lacking in that area, but I have high hopes his sense of fashion will develop, especially with Q helping him. And don't tell me Theo can visit because you know that's not the same thing and what about macushla? He loves it here and besides, it's where we met and fell in love, so it's not fair to make us give it up. And what about Mac? How will he know when it's time for Squirt to be born? And what about macushla's work?He's too busy to move right now and besides, who's gonna help him if I can't, because I'll be the Alpha-Mate? And Squirt's nursery is finished and it took me forever to pick the right shade of pink. No! No! No! It just won't work and why would you do this to your brother? And what about Queenie…"

"Mo anan cara," Logan crooned, sweeping his mate into his arms and sitting down on the sofa in the room. "Shhh…we aren't going anywhere…I promise."

"But the Alpha said…"

"I said Reeve wanted to speak to Logan about the Alpha job at Silver Point Pack," Jackson clarified. "I have already told him my brother isn't interested but he wants to hear it from Logan."

"Oh…"

"See, mo anan cara," Logan murmured, "Jackson knows I would never leave here."

"Why didn't he say that to begin with? Way to scare a guy!"

Chuckling, Logan glanced over at his brother. "Yeah, Alpha, way to scare a guy."

Rolling his eyes, Jackson asked, "Would you please just call Reeve and tell him you're not interested?"

"I'll do it, macushla," Kieran volunteered,pushing against Logan's chest so he could get up.

Tightening his arms around his mate to keep him in place, Logan chuckled. "I think it's best if I do it, babe." Then, turning to his brother, he asked, "What the hell is this all about, really?"

Sitting down in one of the club chairs, Jackson explained the dilemma facing Reeve by Kahn's refusal. "When I filed the complaint against Josiah, it was never my intention to take over his pack…and now, even if I wanted to, I can't."

"So it would go to Rudy, if none of us becomes the Alpha?" asked Logan.

"Yes….and he would be just as bad as Josiah."

After listening to Jackson, Kieran tugged on Logan's arm and murmured, "Our spirit, macushla, talk to him."

Alarmed, Logan looked down at his mate. "Why? Oh fuck…you're having Squirt!"

"Are you really gonna name him Squirt?" asked Jackson, grinning.

"Call Mac!" Logan rose, cradling Kieran in his arms. "Tell him we're on our way!"

Slapping Logan's chest, Kieran giggled. "No silly. Squirt isn't ready yet…which you would know if you just checked with our spirit."

"Do you want me to call Mac?" asked Jackson.

Logan was silent for a moment, then grinned sheepishly at his brother. "No need…Squirt is fine."

"Hey, bro," said Jackson, "you really have to stop panicking every time Kieran mentions…"

"Talk to our spirit, macushla! Now!"

Finally paying attention to what their spirit had to say, relief flooded Logan, knowing Squirt would be safe. Sitting back down with Kieran, he kissed him, before looking over at Jackson. "I can't tell you what our spirit said, but I can assure you Rudy will never become Alpha of the Silver Point Pack."

Studying his brother, Jackson found what he needed and nodded slowly. "Good, but you still have to call Reeve."

"I'll call him now and get this over with," Logan replied.

~/~/~/~/~

Unpacking the groceries his mother bought, Kahn asked, "When did Patty say she would call?"

"Mom!" CeCe yelled, running down the stairs and skidding to a stop next to her brother. "Why didn't you tell me you were going shopping?"

Elenor set down the bag of flour before turning around to pin her daughter with a look that had CeCe squirming. "Don't you have something you want to say to your brother?"

Lowering her eyes, CeCe mumbled, "Sorry."

"For what, CeCe?" Elenor asked, sternly.

Sighing dramatically, CeCe said, "I'm sorry for what I said yesterday."

"And?" Elenor prodded.

"For blaming you," CeCe added.

"Thanks," Kahn said, giving his sister a hug. There were times his sisters drove him crazy but he wouldn't trade them for anything.

Snatching a bag of chips off the counter, CeCe tore it open, dug one out, and popped it into her mouth. "Ohhh…these are good."

Plucking the bag out of her daughter's hand, Elenor said, "These are for the party tonight. I can make you a sandwich instead."

CeCe's eyes grew big. "A party? For who?"

"Whom," Kahn mumbled. "For whom."

"Who…whom…whatever… just tell me why there's a party."

"Kahn found his Fated Mate," Elenor replied. "So I'm cooking a celebratory dinner for your brother and Reeve."

Turning to her brother, CeCe asked, "Really? When did this happen?"

Before Kahn could answer, his mother's phone rang. Picking it up, he grinned, handing it to her. "It's Patty."

Smiling nervously, Elenor answered, "Hi Patty, any news?"

"Who's Patty?" CeCe asked her brother.

"An agent," Kahn replied distractedly, trying to listen to his mother's conversation.

"Uh uh…yes, that would be perfect! I'll transfer the money to the escrow account immediately," Elenor said, smiling at her son. "See you soon…and thank you Patty, so much. I'm sure we'll be very happy there."

"He accepted your offer?" asked Kahn.

"What offer?" asked CeCe.

"Yes! Can you believe it? I'm so excited," Elenor said, practically vibrating with happiness. "Once the money has been received, she'll bring the documents I need to sign along with the keys to our new home."

"What are you talking about?" CeCe demanded, her voice rising. "We have a home…remember?"

"You can't live there anymore," Kahn said. "It now belongs to the new Alpha."

"And that's you! So why won't you let me and Suzie live with you? All our stuff is there."

"Calm down," Elenor ordered. "Your brother had nothing to do with it. I decided we needed a fresh start, away from the pack, so I bought a condo in San Francisco this morning."

Aghast, CeCe stared at her mother. "You did this without asking Suzie and me whether we wanted to leave the pack? How could you?" Without waiting for her mother's answer, CeCe burst into tears and ran from the room.

When Elenor started to follow her daughter, Kahn grabbed her arm. "Let her go, Mom. She's not gonna listen to anything you have to say right now."

"I should have taken them with me this morning," Elenor murmured.

"Absolutely not," Kahn said. "I love my sisters, but honestly, they are two of the most self-absorbed beings I have ever met and a lot of that is my fault. If I hadn't shielded them from the realities of life and the true nature of our father, they wouldn't be this way now."

Cupping Kahn's cheek, Elenor murmured, "It's my fault, not yours. I'm their mother and it was my responsibility. I shouldn't have overcompensated for the lack of attention their father gave them because it gave them an unrealistic view of the world."

"Well, whoever's to blame, what's done is done," Kahn murmured, squeezing his mother's hand. "Why don't you go ahead and send Patty the money while I go have a big brother talk with my sisters?"

Nodding, Elenor picked up her phone. "What are you going to say to them?"

"I'm not gonna read the riot act to them, if that's what you think," Kahn smirked. "If I tried that, CeCe would dig in her heels and play the victim. So, I've decided to appeal to her love of shopping by showing her and Suzie their new bedrooms that need decorating."

"That's a wonderful idea," Elenor agreed, laughing.

"Of course it is," Kahn said chuckling. "Now, go buy yourself an absolute dream of a home." Leaving his mother in the kitchen, he climbed the stairs slowly, dreading what was waiting for him upstairs. But he was determined not to let his sisters ruin his mother's excitement about her new home. She deserved that, and more, after all the years she'd spent putting up with Josiah and having to make excuses for him every time he neglected her children. It was time he had a heart-to-heart talk with his sisters about their father's true colors and why it was now impossible for any of them to return to their previous home.

~/~/~/~/~

Reeve was not having a good day. Ending his phone call with Logan, he let out a stream of curses before slamming his fists on the desk in his office at the Silver Point Pack. He was back to square one. Jackson had been right; none of his brothers was interested in the Alpha position. Damn!

Sticking his head in the door, Eddie said, "Hey Boss…there's someone who wants to talk to you."

"Who is it?" Reeve asked, grouchily.

"I dunno…some kid who's demanding to see the Alpha."

"What about?"

"I dunno…he won't say."

"Did you ask him?" Reeve asked, impatiently.

"Of course I did," Eddie replied, indignantly. "He asked if I was the Alpha, and I said no, and then he told me it was none of my business."

"Show him in." The kid had balls. Not many would even think of telling Eddie to fuck off; the enforcer was massive. Returning to the report he was writing, Reeve never heard the door open.

"You the Alpha?"

Looking up, Reeve saw a man scowling at him, his fists clenched at his sides. "I am…and you are?"

"I'm your fucking son! I bet you don't recognize me, but that doesn't surprise me since you refused to acknowledge who I was. But you'll remember me now because I'm issuing a formal challenge to you. After the way you treated my mother and me, you don't deserve to be the Alpha."

Setting his pen down on the table, Reeve leaned back in his chair, studying the man in front of him. His first impression had been spot on: the man definitely had balls. "I don't recall having a son," he said, laconically.

"Well you did…and what's more, you're lying to me right now."

"Those are some fighting words, son."

"Oh, so now I'm your son. Well, it's too late…my challenge stands."

There was something about the man that reminded him of…holy shit! "Well, I'd like to know the name of my opponent."

"As if you don't know."

"Humor me…what's your name, son."

"Tristan."

Inwardly smiling, Reeve nodded. "You have proof of that?"

Reaching into his back pocket, Tristan pulled out an envelope and tossed it onto Reeve's desk. "It's all there."

Picking it up, Reeve took his time opening the envelope and pulling out the papers inside. Unfolding them, he saw a birth record along with a paternity test confirming what he had suspected. After reading them, he slowly folded the papers and slipped them back into the envelope. Looking up at the young man, he asked, "So Josiah was your father?"

"You mean you're my father, don't you," Tristan growled, seething with anger at his ‘father's' evasiveness.

"No…I'm afraid you've mistaken me for your father. My name is Reeve Nicolet. I'm sorry to tell you this, but your father, Josiah Silver Point, is dead."

Tristan's eyes narrowed. "Dead? You're lying!"

"That's the second time you've accused me of lying and I highly recommend you don't do it again." Shuffling through some files, Reeve picked one up and removed a document from it, handing it to Tristan. "I work for the High Council, and I was sent here to arrest Josiah for the massacre of the Fox River pack. But before I could do so, he kidnapped a shifter, and shot two others, one of whom killed him. His body…or what's left of it…is in one of the pack freezers if you want to see it."

Tristan snatched the paper from Reeve's hand and read it. And then read it again, and, just because he couldn't believe it, had to read it a third time before it registered as to what his father had been charged with. For the first time since his mother's death, he was grateful she wasn't alive to find that the man she'd loved for her entire life was a mass murderer. Unable to stand, Tristan sank down in one of the chairs in front of Reeve's desk, his smoldering anger suddenly extinguished, leaving him numb.

He wished he could go back—back when his father was a swashbuckling adventurer who traveled the world, capturing evil pirates—but that was not to be. What did my mother say…oh yeah, be careful what you wish for. All those years he'd wished his father would appear, apologizing for being away so long and promising to never leave again. Looking at the document in his hand, he realized his father wasn't one of the good guys—just an evil pirate who caused pain and suffering wherever he went.

Now, facing an outcome he never could have imagined, Tristan closed his eyes, letting the paper slip from his fingers and flutter to the floor. It was a mistake to come here—he could see that now. The revenge he'd sought by challenging his father had been thwarted. His mother was right—revenge was always an exercise in futility. Why didn't I listen to her? Now, for the rest of my life, I'll have to live in the shadow of my father's sins. My father! Gods, how I hate him!

Reeve watched Tristan's face reveal a profusion of emotions similar to those he'd seen before on Kahn's. And knowing the shame his mate had felt about his father's actions, a wave of sympathy for Kahn's half-brother swept through Reeve. Though he'd just met him, he intuited that Tristan was a good man who didn't deserve to have Josiah's sins taint him. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

Bending down, Tristan retrieved the arrest warrant from the floor and handed it to Reeve. "I'm the one who should be sorry…charging in here and accusing you of lying."

"Don't be…it's been a long time since someone's had the balls to challenge me," replied Reeve, smiling.

"Yeah…just another dumb thing I did today," Tristan said, getting up. "Sorry for the intrusion…I'll see myself out."

"Hey, have you eaten?" asked Reeve.

"I had a burger a while back, why?"

Reeve closed his laptop and stood. "Why don't you join me for a late lunch?"

"Here?"

"Yeah. Most of the pack members have eaten already but I'm sure the cook can whip up something for us."

"Uhm…sure," Tristan said, shrugging. While he wasn't eager to stay, having something other than truck-stop food sounded good.