Chapter 8

Looking up from his computer screen when his office door opened, Maximus' smile quickly faded when he saw his wife's exhaustion. Pushing back his chair, he stood and headed over to Oracle, wrapping her in an all-encompassing hug that brought her face to rest on his chest. It took several minutes after her body had melted into his before he felt her tension begin to ease. Bending down, he sniffed her hair, inhaling her heady scent while thanking the gods for bringing her back to him, yet again.

From the first day she'd walked into his life, everything changed for him. His childhood memories—that had haunted him for so long—disappeared, replaced by anticipation of their future together and, in that moment, he knew she was his home and the center of his universe.

Sensing her pain, Maximus scooped her up in his arms, carrying her over to the small sofa. Sitting down, he kept her close to him, waiting until she was ready to tell him what was troubling her. Once he knew, he'd be there for her, helping her in any way possible as he'd done in the past. Softly caressing her back, Maximus hummed her favorite tune, letting the music do its magic.

As her anguish drained from her body, she realized how precious these times with Maximus were. Even after all their long years together, it never failed to amaze her that the love of her life always knew what she needed—even when she didn't—and she was forever grateful to the Fates for giving her Maximus.

~/~/~/~/~

Reading the latest text message from Emilia Miralles, his gallery owner, Kahn's anger at his father once again filled him, causing curses to fly out of his mouth. "Fucking typical," he exploded, throwing his phone on the bed. Frustrated, he jumped up and strode to the window. Opening the drapes, he leaned against the glass, hoping it would cool him down.

As Heath approached Kahn's bedroom, he knew the answer he had to Kahn's question wasn't going to go over well, especially after hearing the anger in the man's voice through the door. But he'd bet whatever triggered the profanity had to do with Kahn's current situation. And now he was about to add insult to injury. Knocking, Heath waited until he heard the muffled permission to enter.

Kahn turned around as the door opened, his gaze falling on Heath's face and by the look on it, he knew Reeve's sidekick wasn't here to deliver good news. Sighing, he turned away, refusing to break down in front of him.

"Kahn? I'm sorry but…"

Furtively brushing away a tear, Kahn said, "Don't bother. I already know the answer."

"It's just too dangerous," Heath murmured.

Kahn snorted. "Dangerous? You gotta be kidding me. For fuck's sake, we are talking about my father. If he wanted to kill me, there were all kinds of opportunities for him to do it before now."

"It's not just your father," Heath replied. "We still don't know who's working with him."

"A piss-poor excuse if I ever heard one." Turning around, Kahn walked over to the bed and grabbed his phone. "See this?" he asked, pointing to the text message he'd just received from Emilia. "This is the one chance I have to provide for my mother and sisters. If I can't do it, there isn't a Plan B. Sooner or later my father will be found and jailed. When that happens, our world will find out what kind of monster he is…and whether it's fair or not, my family will bear the shame of his actions."

Flopping down on the edge of his bed, Kahn felt the hopelessness of the situation settle into his bones, making it impossible for him to meet Heath's gaze. After the meeting with his mother, he realized the burden of picking up the pieces and finding a path forward for all of them had fallen to him. And other than his paintings, he had no means to raise the money needed for their security.

Looking down at his hands, Kahn noticed a few flecks of color on them left over from his recent painting frenzy. Rubbing one of them, he said softly but firmly, "If your boss won't agree to provide security for me to go, I'll have no choice but to leave the safe house." Then forcing himself to look up at Heath, he added, "With all the resources you guys have at your disposal, no one will ever convince me the only place the High Council can protect me is in this fucking safe house."

Surprised at Kahn's defiance, Heath studied Reeve's mate. It was the first time the man had shown any strength befitting an Alpha. Heath had been dubious about the Fates' choice in pairing Reeve and Kahn as mates, but maybe, just maybe, they knew what they were doing. Studying Kahn's face, he found determination there and he knew without a doubt Kahn meant what he said. Sighing inwardly at the poor timing for Kahn's defiance to emerge, Heath said, "I'll talk to Reeve again and see what I can do, okay?"

A flicker of hope crossed Kahn's face before he quickly hid it. If there was one positive thing his father taught him, it was to hide his emotions, especially when trying to bulldoze someone stronger than he into agreeing with him. Tempering his anger at his father, Kahn quietly responded. "I'd appreciate that…very much."

Holding Kahn's gaze for a moment, Heath finally nodded. "I'll call him now." Then turning, he left the room, heading downstairs to the basement where there was a soundproof room. The last thing he wanted was to be overheard when he tore Reeve a new asshole for putting him into this position.

~/~/~/~/~

Drumming his fingers on the desk, Jackson contemplated the unease churning in his gut. Swiveling his chair, he leaned back, once more seeking the calm of the forest outside his window, hoping it could provide an answer to the question burning in his mind that he had no answer for—at least for now. But he'd soon have to because his brothers would want to know it. Looking up to the cloudless sky, Jackson sighed in frustration at the lack of any help there.

What reparations do I want for what Josiah did to my parents, siblings and the rest of the Fox River Pack? When Reeve first asked him, a jolt of anger surged through his body—that anyone could think money or land would ever replace his younger brothers and sisters was beyond belief. Even now, years after they'd been massacred, Jackson remembered their voices and laughter, even their birthdays. And though the deep pain he felt after learning of their deaths had diminished somewhat, they would forever occupy a place in his heart.

And what about Mom? How could Reeve ever expect her to put a price tag on losing her children? It wasn't until Daniel was born that he could finally understand the pain and suffering his mother went through—and was still going through—as her recent episode confirmed. And that brought up another thought about how his mother would react when he told her about Reeve's offer. He'd have to talk to Mac, Ian, and Colton for some advice on how to handle it.

Damn Josiah!His brothers were finally in a good place after the years of hell and he had no doubt the reparation discussion would be a major setback for all of them—especially Dakota. His pregnancy was already high risk and to add this to the mix… Jackson could only imagine the effect that could have on him.

Sighing, Jackson closed his eyes, hoping to find peace in the darkness, but to no avail. Thinking about his mother and brothers' possible reactions only clouded his mind even more. Taking a deep breath, he cleared his mind of all thoughts other than the one he needed to focus on and, after looking at the issue from all sides, he realized he needed more facts in order to find the answer.

Turning back to his desk, he dug out Reeve's card and dialed his number. While the man probably wouldn't be able to give him help with everything, Jackson was sure Reeve was the best person to provide information about the Silver Point pack.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Nicolet, it's Jackson Blackwood."

"Alpha, what can I help you with?"

~/~/~/~/~

Maximus breathed a sigh of relief when Oracle finally lifted her head to look at him, but it was short-lived. By the mix of emotions he found there he knew for certain her news wasn't going to be good. Lifting his hand, Maximus laid it against her cheek, brushing off the remains of her fallen tears. "Tell me, love…and we shall face it together."

"I am so worried about it. Frank is furious and I do not blame him. The real possibility of harm coming to everyone in the Blackwood Pack is great and I honestly cannot figure out why the Fates would ever think their plan would work."

Maximus frowned, trying to figure out the meaning of Oracle's words, but was stymied. Why would the Fates put the Blackwood Pack in harm's way when they went through all the trouble to single out its members for special gifts? For the first time in their long lives together, his wife wasn't making sense. Rubbing her back gently, Maximus paused for a moment before murmuring, "Sweetheart, I think I'm missing something. Why is Frank upset and what harm are you referring to?"

"They want a dangerous criminal to be released into Jackson's custody."

"Why?"

Oracle huffed. "According to them, he is necessary so that Jackson and the pack can achieve their goal of saving our world."

"Oh." Now Maximus was picking up on why his wife was so upset. "Have you asked them to reconsider?"

"Yes, but they are insistent that Cain is necessary."

"So I take it the prisoner's name is Cain?"

"Cain Foster."

"You said he's dangerous..."

Standing up, Oracle reached for her bag and drew out the file Frank had given her. Handing it to Maximus, she said, "Here, see for yourself."

Opening it, his eyes scanned the first page, inhaling quietly as the scope of Cain's criminal history became clear. Both his wife and Frank were right to be worried. Reaching the end, Maximus slowly closed the file, absently tapping it with his finger while deep in thought. Examining the situation from all sides, he came to the conclusion that the biggest danger Cain's presence posed was to the pups and the mates who had no special powers. Protecting them would be a full-time job for the others, judging by Cain's past behavior.

~/~/~/~/~

Frowning, Jackson set his phone down on his desk after ending his talk with Reeve Nicolet. He was no closer to an answer regarding the reparations owed to them than he was before his call. But his anger flared after hearing about the sorry state of the members of Josiah's pack who'd suffered due to his uncle's greed. They were victims just as much as his family, and that made his decision just that much harder.

"Hey, what's the matter?" asked Steel, entering his mate's study before shutting the door behind him.

"Who said anything was wrong?" Jackson asked with a forced smile.

Snorting, Steel headed over to Jackson, pulling him up into his arms. "Oh, I don't know…maybe it's your anger flooding our bond."

"Oh shit, I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be." Scooping up his mate, Steel walked them over to the love seat, sitting down with Jackson still in his arms. "Now, tell me what has you so upset?"

"Josiah!" Jackson spat out.

"So what else is new?" Steel smirked.

"I just got off the phone with Nicolet and you know what he told me?" Not waiting for an answer, Jackson continued, "Josiah filled his home with tons of golden statues of himself along with other expensive stuff while his people were literally starving. What kind of Alpha does that shit? He also said all of the pack members, including the pups, were very thin and basically dressed in rags."

"That doesn't make sense. You told me Josiah's pack was just as well off as your father's."

"They are…were. But when I told Nicolet that, he said there wasn't any evidence they'd found so far. It appeared Josiah was using the pack's funds to enrich himself."

"Have they completed their investigation into the pack's finances?" asked Steel.

"I don't think so…at least Nicolet didn't say he did, but from what I gathered, he doesn't expect to find much more than what they have so far. I just don't get it…if his pack was so poor, why didn't he ask my father for help."

"My guess is your father would have seen through Josiah's bullshit. Remember, according to his application for help to Dire Enterprises, he needed the money to mine gold to buy food for his pack."

"Fuck, that's right. I'd forgotten that."

"I'm sure your father had been in Josiah's home…"

"And he would've seen the gold statues."

"And I agree with Reeve's initial hunch that the fucker spent most of the pack money on himself instead of making sure the members had food, shelter, and clothing."

"I feel so sorry for them, especially for the pups," Jackson sighed, his gaze shifting to the window, staring once again at the forest. "You know…when I filed the complaint with the High Council, my only goal was to get Josiah to back off and leave me and my brothers alone. I never even considered there would be any financial compensation."

"That's what this is all about, hmm?" asked Steel.

"Yeah…my brothers will look to me to take the lead and make a recommendation. But how can I put a price tag on what Josiah did to them? They each suffered in their own way and still are. I know I am. Even though I have you and Daniel, not a day goes by when I'm not reminded of what Josiah took from me. And what about Mom? She suffered the most and paid the highest price."

"Babe, you're right…no amount of money can ever make up for the family you lost, but maybe you should try looking at it through a different lens. Instead of being paid for you and your family's suffering, maybe look for a way to remember your younger siblings so good can come out of this horrible tragedy."

Jackson was taken aback. Turning to Steel, he said, "I never thought about it that way, but that's something for the future. Right now, Nicolet wants an answer about what I want. And all I do know is I won't add to their misery by demanding a payment from Silver Point that will cause future suffering to their pack, especially for something their greedy Alpha inflicted on them."

"I never expected that you would. It's one of the things I love about you," Steel replied quietly. "But maybe there is a way to honor the memory of your younger siblings that could also serve as your response to Nicolet."

"I don't see how…he wants a number from me."

"So…that doesn't mean you have to give him one. I think he's only pushing for it because it would settle this matter quickly, but just remember, it's your decision as to what you'll accept as a settlement…and there's no law that says it has to be money."