Norm didn’t respond but just stared intently at Smokey until the grizzly bear finally bowed his head in submission. Then, turning to Jackson, he said, “I will attend.”
“Fine…I’ll let you know when,” Jackson said, trying to hide his grin at Norm’s display of Alpha Power with Smokey. Whatever doubts he may have had about Norm being the rightful heir to the Ghost Bear Pack had been dispelled. Now all he had to do was prove it in a court of law, and that started with…“So do I have your permission, Norm, to take a sample of your hair for a DNA test?”
Norm looked at his mates and asked, “What do you think? Should I do it?”
“If it will help prove you are who I now believe you are, then yes…I’m all for it,” Smokey said.
“Does that mean you want to move back and become the Alpha?” asked Theo.
“No, honey bunch,” Norm said. “It just means we need to find out if Jackson is right, because if he’s not, then there’s no reason to go further with it, and we’ll have to find another way to get the warrants dropped.”
“Okay,” Theo said, “then I agree with Smokey. Let’s do it.”
Norm turned back to Jackson. “You have my consent. How long will it be before you find out what it shows?”
“A day or maybe two…it all depends on how quickly Ian can get both samples to the lab.”
Nodding, Norm asked, “Are you gonna do it now?”
“No, Mac will as soon as he gets here.”
“What about my parents?” asked Theo. “Will they be here soon?”
“I have to speak with Tristan first and, once that’s done, Remy will bring Ollie, Mac, and your parents here,” Jackson replied.
“Oh…I better prepare a couple of rooms for them,” Theo said, rising from his chair.
“Shining Star,” Smokey said, “Heath said all the rooms have been cleaned.”
“I know, but I just want to make sure.”
Norm looked at Smokey. “Go upstairs with him, will ya? I just need to speak to Jackson for a moment, then I’ll be right up.”
Getting up, Smokey held out his hand for Theo to grasp. “C’mon, Shining Star…let’s make sure there are clean sheets, towels, and whatever else you think is needed.”
Norm’s eyes followed his mates out of the dining room before he said to Jackson, “There’s more I can do that I haven’t told either of them yet.”
“I figured,” Jackson said. “Wesley told me there were other abilities the first-born son of the Alpha gets when he finds his Fated Mate, but he didn’t know what they were.”
“When I was twelve, my mother took me for a run, and that’s when her bear told my bear. When I asked her about it, she wouldn’t answer me, but she made me promise never to tell anyone what happened.”
“What will you do when the DNA test proves you are the rightful heir?” asked Jackson. “Are you gonna tell your mates about your other abilities?”
“Yeah…but not right away,” Norm said. “Theo and the cub’s well-being come first, and you saw how upset he was about the possibility of leaving the Blackwood Pack. He doesn’t need that kind of stress right now.”
“I totally agree with that,” Jackson said, “But as I have told some of my brothers, keeping secrets from your mate…or mates in your case…is something that can come back and bite you in the ass.”
“I know,” Norm murmured. “And trust me, I will tell them…and you… about everything when the time is right.”
Nodding, Jackson stood. “I always appreciate a heads-up. Now, I better go find my cousin, otherwise Steel is gonna have a fight on his hands. Theo’s parents are champing at the bit to see their son.”
Pushing back his chair, Norm rose. “I better see what my mates are up to. Knowing Theo, he probably insists that everything needs to be cleaned again. And by the way, Tristan is outside waiting for you,” he said, winking at Jackson.
Grinning, Jackson headed to the front door, realizing Norm had just revealed another ability he had gained.
~/~/~/~/~
It was hard for Sofia to believe that Cain was the same person she’d known, as he excitedly described his nighttime trip to the library and his chat with Steel. Watching him, she noted Cain’s sparkling eyes, many smiles, and the happiness that exuded from him as he spoke. It was amazing, and yet, she wondered when, or if, he might retreat into his former shell—the one life had given him when it took everything from him.