Chapter 4

Stunned, Cain could do nothing but stare at the woman who so calmly had informed him how truly fucked he was. He didn't doubt her; the truth was clearly reflected on her face and in the pity her eyes held for him. Besides, his gut told him something had changed in his world when the guards had stopped their daily beatings, instead, just shackling his wrists after stripping him naked. Left alone in his cell, he spent the time plotting his revenge against those who'd caught him at Arald's in a perfectly set trap. Now, according to her, all his plans to get even with them would never become a reality. Instead, he was slated to be some prisoner's bitch. The woman was right, death would be a helluva lot better than that.

"Mr. Foster…do you want me to leave?" Oracle asked softly.

"Why do you care what happens to me?" asked Cain.

"Because you are worth saving."

Cain grunted. "So are a lot of men in here, but you picked me…why?"

"I did not pick you…the Fates did. They believe in you."

"But you don't."

Oracle hesitated before replying, "I do not know you but the Fates are never wrong."

"Humpf…that's a cop-out."

"Maybe…but it is the truth. They have found you worthy and that is all that matters."

"Yeah, I don't know if I agree with that, but, what the hell…go ahead…tell me how these Fates…whatever they are...are gonna save me? Wait a minute…what's it gonna cost me? Nobody does somethin' for nothin'."

"Humans are hunting paranormals…"

"I don't know shit about that!"

Nodding her head in acknowledgement of his claim, Oracle continued, "Originally, we lived together in peaceful coexistence until greed gained a foothold with humans. That led to a movement whose sole purpose was to eradicate every paranormal from the earth. Forced into a war unwillingly, we fought back, but after terrible losses, we were forced to retreat and hide. In time, paranormals faded from human memories, giving us the time to regroup and rebuild our numbers. But, we learned our lesson well and laws were enacted forbidding any paranormal from revealing our world to a human and from then on, our world has remained a secret from humans…until recently.

"You are an example of what is occurring and while you were seeking only to buy a shifter, others are planning to do more…much more…and to prevent a full-blown war between our worlds, it has been decided by the gods and Fates that the humans who are behind it, must be stopped. And to do that, we need you…a human with a criminal background who won't raise any red flags."

"You want me to spy on my own kind!"

"Exactly," Oracle said. "You will be released into the custody of Jackson Blackwood, Alpha of the Blackwood Pack. There, you will work with other members to help identify and find the leaders of this movement. Once each has been terminated or imprisoned, you will receive a full pardon, free to get on with your life."

"What guarantee do I have I won't be killed after I get them the information they want?"

"You have my word."

"Huh…your word you say…and why should a pack of wolves listen to you?"

"Careful, Mr. Foster…your prejudices are showing. That ‘pack of wolves' you are so casually maligning is the only thing standing between your freedom and a life of hell spent as our prisoner. Jackson Blackwood has more honor in his little finger than the men you are used to dealing with. More importantly, especially to you, is that he will never go against the Fates."

Cain remained silent, considering the offer that was too good to be true. As far as he was concerned, it was a guaranteed ‘get out of jail' card as he knew the humans who told him about the auction. And since they already knew who he was, it only meant finding and handing over their current location to the Alpha of the Blackwood Pack. Simple as shit. For the first time since he felt the click of the cuffs on his wrists, there was hope he could truly escape the world currently holding him captive. But, then he reminded himself of the number one rule that had kept him alive so far…never trust or believe anyone.

That was the real problem regarding the deal?it was too good to be true. She was playing a trick on him, getting him to lower his guard, and then she would ask for a name as a good-faith gesture. Claim they would check it out and, if he was telling the truth, then get him released. However, another thing he'd picked up during the time he was incarcerated was that no one had that kind of power except the dudes who ran the place. His eyes roamed down her body, confirming she certainly wasn't a man and therefore couldn't possibly have the power to do what she claimed.

"Mr. Foster…do we have a deal?"

Cain's eyes jerked back to Oracle's face, deciding to call her on her bullshit. "Yeah…why not." Rattling the chains binding him to the wall, he continued. "These need to be off before I can get dressed…unless you prefer me naked."

"Duly noted, and it will be done…however, it will take me some time to arrange for your release into Alpha Jackson Blackwood's custody. Once that has been completed, I will be back to accompany you to meet him."

Shaking his head, Cain snorted in disgust at himself for believing, even for a second, her lies. He should have known better, but instead allowed himself to be sucked into a fantasy. "Get out! Just fucking get out!" Hanging his head, he closed his eyes, willing his body to give up. He was tired of fighting…tired of trying to survive…tired of every-fucking-thing. He had finally reached his breaking point, and who would have guessed all it took was a beautiful woman with ice-green eyes who made empty promises.

Oracle hesitated for a moment after hearing the despair in Cain's voice; there wasn't anything that could erase it at the moment. The best she could do was to complete the rest of her tasks quickly so he could be released. Giving the signal, she turned around, slipping through the cell door opening as soon as it slid back far enough for her to leave.

~/~/~/~/~

Hurrying over to Frank, Oracle murmured, "I want Cain to be removed from all restraints, his clothes returned, as well as his bed linens, including a blanket. Make sure the cell's temperature is returned to normal and make sure he is served food of his choice."

"Is that all?" Frank asked coldly.

"For now…please. Believe it or not, that young man is the key to saving our world. Thankfully, he has agreed to help. Now I must get on my way for there is much I still have to do." Then seeing the frown on Frank's face, she added, "Ask your questions, Frank, and I will try to answer them, but I would prefer to do so in the privacy of your office." And with that, Oracle turned and walked away.

Frank stared at Oracle's back for a moment, his anger welling up, but that wouldn't help him get the answers to the questions filling his mind. Turning around, he gave the guards instructions regarding prisoner 56130-422, and after making sure the guards understood his orders, he headed to his office.

Entering, he found Oracle standing at the window looking out over the vast, manicured grounds of the High Council. Pausing, his eyes saw the tension in her body once again, wondering if it was caused by the prisoner or what she knew from the Fates about the threat facing their world. He could understand why either of them could trigger it, but would never be able to understand why she felt the need to issue her threat. Shrugging off his residual anger, he proceeded to sit down behind his desk, waiting for her to speak. After several minutes of silence he grew impatient, but before he could speak, Oracle's soft voice curled around him.

"I am so sorry, Frank. I should have never said what I did. If it helps, you should know I never would have done it."

"Then why did you say it, Oracle? After all these years…why now?"

Turning around, her eyes locked with his. "Because I was desperate…the Fates sent me…trusted me to succeed in this matter…and Mr. Foster…Cain…I could see it in his face the distrust and hatred he has for all paranormals. I have no idea why he does but he does…and I needed to break through the huge wall he has around him. And it frightened me that I did not know how to do it. When his legs started to shake uncontrollably due to the pain, I saw my first real chance to reach him, so I took it. When you denied my request, I knew I was going to fail the Fates, and unfortunately, I took out my disappointment in myself on you."

Exhaling, Frank ran his hand over his face, trying to rid himself of any remaining anger he had for Oracle. It was a shitty thing she'd done considering their long friendship, but now, knowing the reason behind her actions, certainly helped him understand why it happened. Refusing to dwell on it any longer, he asked, "I assume loosening his chains helped you?"

A small smile emerged on Oracle's face. "Yes, it did. It was the key to getting through to him."

"Good."

"Go ahead, ask me, Frank."

Not one to waste an opportunity, Frank asked the question that had been bugging him ever since she appeared in his office. "Why him? And don't give me any bullshit about him being human. We have other human prisoners."

"The Fates chose him…why? I cannot tell you, only that the gods agreed with their choice."

"Where does the Blackwood Pack fit into this? I asked you that before and now that you have spoken with Foster, I assume you can tell me."

"If Jackson agrees, Mr. Foster will be released into his custody to help Dylon and the Blackwood Pack fulfill their purpose."

"Are you fucking serious!" Frank nearly shouted. "That human is dangerous, and you are going to put him in with my grandpups! What the fuck, Oracle?" Bolting from his chair, Frank paced his office, unable to sit still any longer. "What the hell do you expect Jackson to do if that psychopath takes one of the pups as a hostage in an attempt to escape? And trust me, that's exactly what he'll do. You know this, and hell, even the Fates know this, and there'll only be one outcome. So tell me, how will a dead Foster help save our world?"

Oracle returned Frank's gaze, refusing to reveal that she had the same fear. His assumption that Cain couldn't be trusted was hers too, but the Fates had assured that her concern was unwarranted. And while her belief in the Fates was absolute, it didn't ease the sinking feeling in her gut that letting Cain loose among the members of the Blackwood Pack was a recipe for disaster.

~/~/~/~/~

Thinking back to his meeting with Jackson, Reeve tallied up the additional information he'd collected about the Blackwood Pack, none of which surprised him more than seeing Gabriel Hamilton spying on him from a second-floor window. A grizzly in a wolf pack! That was a new one for him and, considering all the situations he'd been involved in during his tenure with the agency, he didn't think anything more could surprise him. But it seems he was wrong, and there was nothing he hated more than being wrong.

Setting that aside, Reeve's mind turned to Alpha Blackwood and the puzzle he was. Calm, cool, and mild-mannered—a total antithesis of any Alpha Wolf Shifter he'd ever met. The only time a crack appeared in Jackson's fa?ade was when Reeve questioned him about restitution. That's when he caught a glimpse of the power the young Alpha had inside him. And that was a piece of the puzzle he couldn't figure out.

Alpha Wolf shifters—especially ones who led a pack—were all about showing off, whether it was like Josiah's shrine to himself, or bragging about the number of enforcers guarding them. But not with Alpha Jackson. During his entire time there, Reeve saw not one enforcer, and the pack house was informal, comfortable, pup-friendly, and warm. In fact, it was downright cozy which he never would have thought possible in a house that size—which led his thoughts back to the question of restitution from the Silver Point Pack.

Reeve was in uncharted territory since his research showed it had been many years since a whole pack had been killed by a rival pack. But in every one of those cases, the targeted pack not only had knowledge of the impending attack, but participated in it, too. That wasn't the situation in the current case since Josiah kept his attack secret from everyone, except, maybe, Rudy. Without a precedent to guide them, the High Council was stymied regarding what constituted fair restitution, hence his boss's order to shift the burden onto Alpha Blackwood for what would be considered fair compensation.

"Yeah…that didn't go over so well," Reeve mumbled to himself. Turning off the highway, he headed to the Silver Point Pack land, hoping like hell Heath would have some news on Josiah's whereabouts. Getting that bastard in custody would remove one of the obstacles preventing Reeve from giving his final report to the High Council. Then and only then would he be free to claim his mate.

Parking next to Heath's truck, Reeve sat there a moment, studying the shabbiness of the buildings before shifting his eyes to the pack members standing outside the main pack office. Rage burned in him at what Josiah did to those who were entrusted to his care. Even though their clothes were clean, he could see the carefully sewn patches covering the worst of the worn parts. And then there was their stooped posture, reflecting a hopelessness that never should be associated with wolf shifters.

Hearing a knock on his car's window, Reeve dragged his gaze away from the families and turned to see Heath standing there. Rolling down the window, he growled, "What's up?"

Widening his eyes briefly before narrowing them, Heath asked, "Are you coming in or do you want me to give my report out here?"

Blowing out a breath, Reeve sat there for a moment until he had his animal under control. It wasn't Heath's fault that Josiah was an asshole, nor was it Reeve's fault for becoming enraged at what Josiah's quest for power had inflicted on the pack. "Inside," he murmured, unbuckling his seatbelt. "How's Kahn?"

Smirking, Heath pulled open the truck door. "Missing you."

"Fuck off," Reeve replied, climbing out of the vehicle. "Really, how's he doing?"

Shrugging, Heath murmured, "He seems fine…but then I guess that depends on whether he's come to terms with what his father did. And that I don't know. Right now, I think he's focusing on his mother and sisters and not on himself. But at some point he's gonna have to and it would be better if his mate were there to help him sort it all out."

"Fair enough," Reeve replied. "And in order for me to do that…"

"I know…first we have to find the son-of-a bitch."