Chapter 9

After checking with each of the men guarding the safe house to make sure everything was in order, Heath headed down to the basement's sound proof room. He looked around to make sure he was alone before entering and locking the door behind him. Slipping his phone from his pocket, he sat down heavily on one of the chairs before dialing Reeve's number. He wasn't looking forward to the discussion but it couldn't be put off any longer. After his call connected, Heath skipped the formalities and asked, "Hey, you got a minute?"

"Yeah, what's up? Is everything okay?" asked Reeve, his voice a bit tense.

"For now, yes," Heath replied, "but…I can't guarantee it for long."

"Just a minute." Muting his phone, Reeve turned to Sam, an enforcer with whom he'd been talking. "Give me the room."

"Sure," Sam replied. "I'll be right outside."

"Keep everyone out…for now." Reeve waited until Sam closed the door behind him, then unmuted his phone before growling, "What the hell do you mean? Is my mate in danger?"

"Well that depends…have you found Josiah?"

"Not yet," Reeve growled, frustration evident in his voice.

"You got to be kiddin' me! What about the bitch's phone? Can't it be traced to locate the bastard?"

"Yeah it can, but only when his phone is on and so far nothing. Right now, it's a waiting game. What does this have to do with my mate? Is Kahn worried his father might find him?"

"Uhm…not exactly," Heath muttered. "More like he doesn't believe there's any reason for him to be in a safe house. According to Kahn, his father had plenty of opportunities to kill him before now if he really wanted to. And, if you want my take on it, Kahn is right. We both know the only reason he's here is because he's your mate."

Frowning, Reeve thought for a moment before asking, "Why is he objecting now? Does it have to do with his request to go to that art gallery?"

"Bingo!" Heath exclaimed. "Look, I understand why you don't want him to know about being your mate, but if you don't tell him soon, he's gonna either leave or call the High Council and demand to return to his place. And I don't know which is worse…wait I do—if the High Council gets wind of what you've done, shit is gonna hit the fan."

Exhaling softly, Reeve ran his hand over his face. Heath was right. If the High Council found out about Kahn being his mate, his ass would be fried, not to mention his career. The moment he realized his connection to Kahn, he should have notified his boss and stepped aside, but that would have meant leaving his mate unprotected. And neither he nor his animal would do that no matter what the consequences were. There was just no way to justify his decision to keep his boss out of the loop that would hold up to scrutiny, so it didn't leave Reeve a lot of wiggle room.

Telling Kahn might help right now, but the problem with that was the uncertainty of what might happen at Josiah's trial. Reeve was sure the defense would try to use Kahn as a witness for their side. If that happened, there was no way Kahn could withhold the fact that Reeve was his mate, especially if the defense delved into his personal life with a fine-toothed comb in an attempt to sidetrack the jury from focusing on Josiah's heinous crimes. He couldn't allow that to happen, so telling Kahn they were mates was definitely off the table.

Which left him only one choice—let his mate go to that damned gallery. His animal didn't like that at all, but grudgingly agreed that at least it would allow Reeve to surround his mate with enough guards so that Josiah would think twice about attacking his son. And, hopefully, this choice would also keep Kahn from contacting the High Council. Decision made, Reeve asked Heath, "When does my mate want to go?"

~/~/~/~/~

Padding through the forest, Josiah halted, lifting his snout. His wolf caught a scent, one he thought was gone forever. His heart sped up at the possibility of what lay ahead as his wolf slowed and moved carefully through the underbrush. Pausing every few steps, his animal sniffed the air to make sure there weren't any threats nearby. It took longer than Josiah would have liked, but he was being hunted now and caution took precedence over his eagerness. As the scent grew stronger, his wolf dropped to the ground consumed with excitement as he inched along.

~/~/~/~/~

After leaving Jackson, Smokey headed outside, hoping Ghost had some news for him. He still couldn't shake the feeling his mates were in danger and that meant he and his bear needed answers soon. Pausing in the great room, he sniffed the air—both of his mates were in the kitchen. He wasn't sure what they were doing but whatever it was, it smelled delicious.

Smokey hesitated, torn between seeing what Theo and Norm were up to and getting some answers he needed. Shaking his head, he headed to the front door, knowing his mates' safety came before his stomach, even though the smells of honey and cinnamon were making his mouth water. Slipping outside, he paused, checking the area for other shifters before continuing on to his SUV. Climbing in and shutting the door, Smokey pressed Ghost's name on his phone and waited for him to answer.

"Where have you been?" asked Ghost.

"Talking to the Alpha," Smokey replied. "I assume you have some news for me?"

"Yeah…starting with Theodore's parents…Riley can't find anything about them after they sent their son to Arald's. The trail goes cold then."

"They just disappeared?" asked Smokey. "How's that possible?"

"I don't know for sure but my guess is they're dead. That's the only explanation Riley can come up with."

Dead! Refusing to accept that possibility, Smokey asked, "Doesn't a death have to be recorded with the high Council?"

"Yeah, it does, but…"

"And Riley didn't find a death record for either of Theo's parents, right?"

"No, he didn't, but…"

"So, there has to be another explanation," Smokey growled. "Did he check the Council records for transfers? Maybe they went to another den? That would explain why their house is vacant and the phone disconnected."

"There's no record of them transferring, moving, or leaving…nada. No financial trail to follow…in fact there's been no activity on their bank account since Theo ended up at Arald's."

Smokey frowned. "That doesn't make sense…who paid to send Theo there? I can't believe Arald put out the money for it."

"Nope he didn't…Riley checked the records the Council has of Arald's finances and there isn't any indication he did," replied Ghost. "Unless Arald had a secret bank account, which I doubt."

"Yeah…from what my mates told me, he was a cocky bastard who thought he was untouchable."

"Another asshole."

"Yup…" Smokey muttered, his mind focusing on Theo's parents. Something wasn't adding up but he couldn't put his finger on it. Shifters don't just disappear, especially if they have a job and a home… "Hey, did Theo's father have a job?"

"He was a teacher at the local high school, but he sent in a letter of resignation the day after Theo was sent away," Ghost replied. "His last paycheck was directly deposited by the school into his bank account, where it still is, which raises the question…if they are alive, what are they living on?"

Fuck! Everything pointed to the death of Theo's parents, which Smokey wasn't willing to accept. He couldn't accept it because if he did, then he'd be responsible for hurting his mate when he broke the news to Theo—and he refused to do that before there was concrete evidence. Theo had suffered enough, and Smokey knew how he'd react to the news. The shock could cause his mate to lose the cub; his pregnancy was already high-risk. Just the thought of it happening had Smokey's bear keening.

Nope, no way! I won't let that happen. Smokey sighed, running his hand over his face in frustration, unable to come up with some other explanation. It just didn't make sense. None of it did unless his mate's parents had enemies that Theo didn't know about. "Hey, since there isn't a death record, someone would have had to hide their bodies. Any evidence of bad blood between the parents and anyone else?"

"None that Riley could find," replied Ghost. "In fact, it's the opposite…everyone loved Theo's parents. By all accounts, they were the personification of all that is good in the world."

"None of this makes any fuckin' sense," Smokey muttered. "Someone must know something."

"I'm with you on that," said Ghost. "Two people don't just disappear for no reason. I told Riley to keep digging."

"Good. In the meantime, keep this under wraps for now until we have something solid. I don't want Theo to be any more stressed than he already is."

"Will do."

"What about…?"

"Yeah, I was just getting to that. Riley found out a lot about the Ghost Bear Alpha and none of it is good."

"I knew it! I just fucking knew it!"

"Riley's gonna forward the information he has so far, but the most important part concerns your mates. It seems the Alpha is offering a big reward for information about the whereabouts of your mates. Claims they broke into his house and stole some valuable shit before running away."

"Fucking asshole!" roared Smokey. "That son-of-a bitch! I need to pay him a visit."

"I take it it's not true?" Ghost asked sardonically.

"Of course not! My mates were locked up in cells from the day they were drugged and shipped off to Arald until members of the Blackwood Pack rescued them and they've been living here ever since."

"Well, it's obvious he knows they were freed, but he could have found out where they are through the High Council because they are investigating and prosecuting Arald and everyone associated with the whole debacle."

"So why put out a bounty on their heads?"

"Riley hasn't been able to hack all the files pertaining to the case, but he did find out the Council is very interested in any Alphas who sent shifters to Arald…and that would include your mates, who by the way, are listed as witnesses for the prosecution."

"Fuck!" Smokey growled. "He wants to kill them so they can't testify against him!"

"That's my guess…which is why he's using the dark web to find them."

"Holy fucking shit!" Smokey whispered while his bear pushed forward, wanting to find and kill the person who was threatening his mates. And as much as he agreed with his bear, he couldn't do that until he talked to Theo and Norm.

But that brought up the same old problem—how would that shocking news affect Theo? And could it trigger a miscarriage? Smokey didn't have an answer for that but keeping the information from his mates was something that didn't feel right, either. Shit, he felt like he was being squeezed between a rock and a hard place. Then he had a thought: Maybe I should tell Norm first and see what he thinks.

Ghost could sense Smokey's concerns. "Given what we know so far, too many people know that they are at the Blackwood Pack. It's not safe for them to be there anymore. I think you should bring your mates here," Ghost said quietly. "This place is a fortress and I can vouch for every one of my men. None of them will sell you out."

"Maybe." Smokey knew Ghost was right and he'd do it in a heartbeat, but the only problem was that Mac would not be there. Both of his mates trusted Mac which was really important especially going forward. He needed to think about Ghost's suggestion before even bringing it up to them. Changing the subject, he asked, "What did you find out about Nicolet?"

"Ah yes…nothing to worry about," Smokey said. "He's handling the investigation into the massacre of the Fox River Pack…Jackson's former pack… by Josiah Silver Point. Nicolet was sent out there to tie up all the loose ends so it doesn't blow up in the Council's face. He's already arrested the pack's second and right now he's hunting down the mastermind of the plot…Josiah. My guess is he was there to keep Jackson informed of the progress made so far."

"So it has nothing to do with me or my mates, right?"

"As far as I can tell. I'm not sure he even knows you're there since Jackson hasn't notified the Council of the mating of two of his members."

"Let's hope it stays that way," growled Smokey. "By the way, Glenn will be back tomorrow…according to Jackson."

"Thank fucking goodness. Then maybe one of you can get your ass down here and have a nice chat with my prisoners."

Chuckling, Smokey asked, "Are your guests getting restless?"

"No, more like becoming a giant pain in my ass. Gods, humans are so whinny…they don't like the food, it's too cold, the bed is too hard…fuck, you'd think they would be more concerned about surviving."

"Maybe they need a demonstration. I bet they'll shut up fast if they see your tiger."

"Don't tempt me."

Before Smokey could reply, he saw Norm step onto the porch and wave at him. "Listen, I gotta go, but keep tabs on my mates' former Alpha, wouldja? Let me know pronto if anyone responds to that asshole about them."

"Will do. What are you going to do about it on your end?" asked Ghost.

"I don't know yet…but there is one thing I do know: that motherfucker gonna be a dead man…and soon."

"I figured. Just don't do it by yourself…I know Glenn will want in… and me, too."

Smiling, Smokey said, "You can count on it. Talk to you later." After ending the call, he slipped his phone into his pocket and climbed out of the SUV, waiting for his mate who was headed toward him.

"Hey, you busy?" asked Norm.

"Nah, just catching up with Ghost. What's up?"

"Theo has packed us a lunch and there's something special he planned just for you."

"Did you help, Eagle Feather?" Smokey asked, smiling. "I thought I heard you in the kitchen helping our Shining Star."

Norm burst out laughing. "No way. Trust me, you don't want to eat my cooking."

Linking their fingers together, Smokey pulled Norm to him before asking, "Okay, what's the special occasion?"

"It's a secret," Norm replied, smiling.

"Can't you give me a hint?"

Shaking his head, Norm said, "Nope…but I will tell you Theo is a bundle of nerves about it even though I told him you would love it."

"Oh shit, no pressure," Smokey mumbled.

"Hey, trust me…you won't have any problem with the surprise…don't worry…just go with the flow and enjoy it." Norm pulled Smokey's head down to his and kissed him, before pulling his mate toward the house.

Following along, Smokey smiled to himself while thinking about what was going to happen. The possibilities were endless and with that thought he quickened his pace, eager to find out what surprise his two mates had cooked up for him.