Chapter 39

On the way to the dining hall, Tristan paid close attention to Reeve as he pointed out different buildings used by all pack members. Much to his surprise, he was fascinated by it all, especially since he and his mother had never belonged to or lived in a pack. "Are there many fights?" he asked, certain his host would confirm what he suspected.

"Rarely, if ever," Reeve replied, holding open the door to the building where the dining hall was located. "Wolf shifters have a pack mentality, just like natural wolves do. On the rare occasion that it happens, pack enforcers quickly break it up." Leading Tristan to a corner table, Reeve waved to someone before sitting down opposite his guest. "The ones involved in the fight appear before the Alpha who decides who's at fault and what the punishment will be."

"What happens if one of them doesn't agree with the Alpha's decision?" asked Tristan.

"Tough shit…Alpha's word is law in a pack," Reeve said, watching Tristan's reaction.

"Even if he's an asshole like my father was?"

"Unfortunately, yes…and this pack suffered because of it."

"How?"

"Have you ever lived in a pack?' Reeve asked, ignoring the question.

"No…my mother refused to do it."

Nodding at the waitress who'd brought them their food, Reeve turned back to Tristan. "Have you ever wanted to live in a pack?"

Shrugging, Tristan said, "Yeah…I mean I thought about what it might be like but…"

"But what?"

"I was happy living with my mother."

Reeve knew that wasn't what Tristan really meant, but he decided not to push it. "You and your mother aren't living together anymore?"

Sorrow crossed his face before Tristan could stop it. Her death was still too fresh and the thought of not ever hearing her laugh or seeing her smile shattered him. Shaking his head, he mumbled, "Not anymore."

Reeve finally had his answer. Left adrift by his mother's passing, Tristan had shown up at the Silver Point Pack, looking for his father. Lacking a pack, whose members could offer him solace, he needed a new anchor in his life. But there was still one part Reeve didn't understand. "Why did you want to fight your father?"

"It doesn't matter anymore…he's dead."

"Humor me."

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything," Reeve said with a gentle smile. As Tristan relunctantly complied, Reeve paid careful attention to what the young man didn't say as much as to what he did. By the time Tristan fell silent, Reeve was impressed by his character and knew he'd found the answer to the problem that had haunted him for days. "So you were prepared to become Alpha of the Silver Point Pack if your father lost the challenge?" he asked.

Snorting, Tristan said, "Fucking stupid of me, wasn't it? I don't know the first thing about being an Alpha."

"It's not hard, you know," Reeve said.

"Uhmm…right," Tristan chuckled.

"What if you had someone to teach you…would you want it then?"

"I…I don't know. Why?"

"I'm looking for a new Alpha for this pack and since you're Josiah's eldest son, the job's yours if you want it."

"Wait…back up a minute…I have siblings?"

"A half-brother and two half-sisters…all younger than you," Reeve answered.

"Are they here?"

"No, but your mother's parents still live in the pack."

"My mother's…my grandparents…I have grandparents?" Tristan asked, shocked. "I didn't know…"

"Would you like to meet them?"

"Uh…my mother never told me," Tristan murmured, cursing himself for not asking her before it was too late. "Did you…"

"No, I didn't know they were your grandparents until I saw your birth record and the name of your mother. I knew there was a family by the same last name in the pack so I asked one of my men to check it out and he confirmed it."

"My father kicked my mother out…I never thought…"

"They're eager to meet you."

Grandparents…I'm not alone.It took Tristan less than a moment to decide. "I'd like that very much."

"Good," Reeve said. Then, pointing at the empty plate he asked, "Are you finished, or would you like…"

"I'm done," Tristan said, pushing the dish away. "Thanks for the food…it sure beats what I had on the way here."

Pushing back his chair, Reeve paused for a moment before asking, "Is there somewhere you have to be right away, or can you spend a few days here?"

"I'm free, why?"

"A couple of reasons…I'm sure your grandparents would like to spend some time with you…and it would give you a chance to consider my offer."

Smiling, Tristan replied, "I'm good with that…I also want to meet my siblings, especially my brother to make sure I'm not stepping on his toes if I decide to take the Alpha position."

"I can arrange that, too," Reeve said, rising. "Ready?"

"Sure am," Tristan said, grinning. Nothing had turned out the way he thought it would, but now it didn't seem to matter. No sireee! I'm a very lucky fucker!

~/~/~/~/~

After leaving his sisters' bedroom, Kahn read the text from his mate in disbelief. I have an older brother? He repeated it several times to himself, and then out loud, getting use to the sound of it. Suddenly, everything clicked into place. Deep down, he'd always known he wasn't cut out to be the Alpha, regardless of what his father thought. Temperamental and insatiable in his need to create, he'd soon realized those attributes would hinder him from being a good Alpha. He was never like his cousin, Jackson. Even when they were young, Kahn could see Jackson's unselfishness and he envied his cousin for it. It was the one trait a good Alpha had to have above all others, because the pack always came first. And with Kahn, art always came first.

Quickly typing out a reply, Kahn's finger hovered over the send button for a moment, before pressing it. He'd have to tell his mother, of course, but decided not to say anything to his sisters for a while; they had enough to deal with at the moment and there would be plenty of time after they moved into their new home. Kahn descended the stairs slowly, thinking about what his mate had revealed. The sudden appearance of his older brother was a miracle and now all they had to do was wait to see if Tristan would lead the pack.

Smiling, he walked into the kitchen, sniffing with anticipation at the wonderful aroma coming from the oven. "You're gonna spoil Reeve, Mom."

"I'm just making sure he knows how much I approve of your mating."

Reaching over, Kahn snatched a slice of tomato. "Did you send the money?" he asked before biting into his catch.

Nodding, Elenor said, "I did, and Patty confirmed she got it. She's on her way over with the paperwork and the keys. I asked her to make a set for you and also for each of the girls. I want to move in as soon as possible but I'm not sure about what to do with the rest of our things at the pack."

"I can ask Reeve tonight. According to the lawyer I spoke to, the High Council has no rights to any items belonging to you or the girls. However, I'm not sure what that entails exactly, other than clothes, jewelry and stuff like that."

"Well, I don't need any of the furniture since my condo comes with that, but the girls might want their beds, chests and desks," Elenor said, before asking hesitantly, "How did it go with your sisters?"

"Good. Everything's cool now and they wanted to know how soon they could see their new bedrooms. Right now, they're already looking for decorating ideas," Kahn said, keeping his answer upbeat. He didn't want his mother to know his sisters had sworn never to mention their father again, to punish him for what he did. He hadn't bothered to tell them their pact was meaningless, but at least they understood why it was impossible to go back to their old house. Looking around, he asked, "Can I help?"

Pointing to the bowl on the counter, Elenor replied, "You can do the salad."

Nodding, Kahn began scooping up the ingredients his mother had already prepared, tossing them into the bowl Then picking up a knife, he began chopping up the lettuce, all the while thinking about his brother. He wondered who his brother looked like—and hoped it wasn't their father.

"Kahn! Stop!" Elenor took the knife from her son's hand. "We're having a salad, not cole slaw."

Looking down, Kahn grimaced at the pile of shredded lettuce. "Sorry…"

"What's bothering you?" asked Elenor. "Did Reeve say something to upset you? Is that why you're taking it out on the poor lettuce?"

Turning to face his mother, Kahn asked, "Did you know Josiah had a son before me?"

"I didn't know it was a son," Elenor replied, calmly. "After I married your father, I found out there was a woman who loved him and everyone in the pack thought he'd marry her, especially since she was pregnant with his child, but he didn't. Instead, he forced her out of the pack before he brought me there…at least that was what I heard from several members. How did you…"

"Reeve told me he showed up today and wanted to challenge Josiah for control of the pack."

Frowning, Elenor murmured, "Josiah would have killed him."

"His own son? I don't think so. More likely he would have welcomed him with open arms, overjoyed he had a son he could control…unlike me."

"I know you find it hard to believe, but your father did love you in his own way."

Shrugging, Kahn claimed one of the chairs at the island. "It doesn't matter anymore…Josiah's dead and life goes on. I'm sure there are lots of kids out there who had it worse off than I did."

Elenor grasped one of her son's hands and squeezed it gently. "Give it time, sweety. Anger creates a narrow tunnel where all that's visible is what made you angry in the first place. You've been fighting your father for so long, it's hard to remember the good times you had with him when you were a child. But they will come back eventually and so will the memory of your father's love."

"Even if he was a monster?"

"Your father wasn't always that way, and it's important you remember that in order to remember the good times you had together."

"I can never forgive him for what he did!"

"Maybe not, so it's a good thing it's not your job to sit in judgement of him," Elenor said, "but it's important you realize you're not to blame for it, either."

Looking down at his mother's hand holding his, Kahn was struck by how well she knew him—and how wise she was. He had been blaming himself for what his father had done. It was exhausting and he knew it couldn't continue. "I don't know how to stop…blaming myself…my days are filled with ‘if only's' and…"

"Kahn, it's not your fault. Your father had a choice, and he picked the wrong one…but that's on him, not you…and you need to remember that. Let Josiah pay for his sins because if you insist on blaming yourself then you'll end up in a hole that has no bottom," Elenor said, softly. "I'm not saying it'll be easy, but you owe it to yourself…and your mate…to do it."

"I'll try," Kahn murmured.

"That's all any of us can do," Elenor said. Then, her eyes falling on the tangle of shredded lettuce, she shook her head and grinned. "Let's see what I can do to salvage this salad, hmm?"

~/~/~/~/~

"Have you decided yet?" Steel asked, standing in the doorway of Jackson's study.

Swiveling his chair around, Jackson grinned at his mate. "Not yet, but I like him."

Stepping into the room, Steel closed the door before walking over to his mate's desk and settling into a chair. "Just from meeting him once?"

"Yup…my gut tells me he can be trusted."

"But…"

"I'm not sure everyone will agree."

"No shit!" Steel snorted. "Especially once they see his file."

"That's not gonna happen. If Cain joins my pack, he starts with a clean slate. The only problem I see is with Cody, Dylon, and your brother. While they don't know all the details about Cain's past, they do know he was charged with trafficking shifters."

"Wait a minute," Steel protested, "you're not serious, are you? If you bring Cain into the pack without the rest of the pack knowing how dangerous he is, that's just looking for trouble. Have you considered what will happen if Cain hurts one of us, or gods forbid, one of the kids?"

"Of course I have, "Jackson growled. "It's a risk I have to take if the Fates' plan will ever work, because not only do I have to trust Cain, but so do the pack members who'll be working with him to end the threat facing our world. And that won't happen if they judge him by his past record.

"After speaking with him, I agree with Oracle…Cain has good in him, but he's been forced to ignore it in order to survive in a world that was cruel to him. I have the opportunity to give him a new beginning—one that includes a home—and I believe he wants that more than anything else."

"I would too, if I were facing what he is." Steel said, dryly.

"You're cynical," Jackson snapped.

"No, I'm a realist."

Sighing, Jackson said, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, babe," Steel murmured. "The Fates have put you in a very tough position…I'm just playing devil's advocate. No matter what you decide, I'll support you, as always."

"That means a lot," Jackson replied. "So…any suggestions about what to say to Cody, Dylon, and Slate? I can't ignore that they captured Cain at the shifter auction, but I want them to give him a fair chance."

"Have Remy wipe their memories," Steel said, grinning.

Laughing, Jackson shook his head. "That's a big no."

"Then how about this: Start your discussion with them about the problem we're facing with some unsavory humans and their growing involvement with our world. Then tell them we're not on our own to solve this because the Fates are sending us a human who will go undercover to get the information we need to bring down the operation."

"That's good…really good, but what do I say about Cain?" asked Jackson.

"Tell them the truth…he comes with the Fates' stamp of approval because of his previous association with members of the criminal group involved. Then you can bring up Cain attending Arald's auction and his subsequent arrest. Finally explain that you want them to give you their word not to tell anyone else about Cain's previous attempt to buy shifters. All of that's true so you won't be lying to them, but…"

"I'm just not telling them everything," Jackson finished.

"Well, I look at it more like ‘a need to know' basis until you decide otherwise," Steel replied.

Nodding, Jackson agreed with his mate's suggestions, but he was walking a very fine line. He hoped Cain wouldn't give him a reason to regret it.