Quirking an eyebrow, Sawyer quipped, “Maybe a leash would be better.”
Chuckling, Dakota picked up the empty coffee mugs and carried them over to the sink. Then, turning toward his cousin, he asked, “You do know you are mated to a dragon and a white tiger, right?”
“Yeah…so?”
“And you think they’re going to let you put your son on a leash?”
“Why not? It’s better than using apron strings.”
Shaking his head, Dakota muttered, “It’s been nice knowing you.” Then, as he began cracking eggs into a bowl, he said, “Shoo…I have work to do.”
Hesitating, Sawyer studied Dakota for a moment before heading for the door. He wanted to get back to his mates before they woke up.
~/~/~/~/~
After reading Logan’s email twice, Jackson swiveled his chair and looked out his window. There was so much information in it, he wasn’t sure where to start, but he finally began with in the run-in Brian had with the Alpha of the English Wolves. According to his brother’s report, the incident had happened when Ian’s father was still alive and before the war between the Scottish Wolves and humans had started.
And while the ensuing conflict hadn’t involved the English Wolves, their Alpha had died during that time after losing achallenge to his son—Heath’s ancestor. What Logan hadn’t been able to find out was why the son had felt the need to challenge his father. Jackson could think of several reasons, but without more information, he was simply shooting in the dark.
Turning back to his desk, he picked up his phone to call the one person who might provide the answer. Hitting the call button, Jackson waited.
“Jackson? What the fuck are you calling this early for?” asked Tristan, his eyes trained on his kneeling mate.
“Hey…sorry about that, but can I speak to Heath?”
“Nope,” Tristan grunted, as his mate sucked his cock into his mouth. “He’s a little busy right now…can he call you back?”
Pulling back, Heath let Tristan’s cock slip from his mouth as he grabbed his mate’s phone. “Hey Jackson, what can I do for you?”
“Hey…sorry to interrupt…”
“Not a problem…go ahead,” Heath replied, smirking at Tristan.
“Do you know why your ancestor issued a challenge to his father?”
After hearing the reason for the early morning call, Tristan muttered, “Tell my cousin to fuck off.”
“I heard that,” Jackson said, chuckling.
“Good!” Tristan replied, grabbing the phone back. “Hey cousin…get a life,” he snapped before ending the call. Throwing the phone on his desk, he looked down at his mate’s wet, plump lips and murmured, “Now where were we? Oh yeah, you promised to suck my brains out.”
Laughing softly to himself at his cousin’s comment, Jackson tossed the phone on the desk and returned to Logan’s report.
~/~/~/~/~
Smokey eased his arm out of the tangle of limbs hugging Theo, and then carefully slid out of bed. Standing up, he rubbed his face, trying to rid it of the evidence of his sleepless night. And the blame for it rested squarely on the unexpected arrival of Theo’s cousin.
Padding softly to the closet, he grabbed a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt before heading into the bathroom to get dressed. A shower would have to wait because Smokey couldn’t ignore what his gut had been telling him ever since last night. His mates were in danger, and he needed help in keeping them safe. After finishing in the bathroom, he opened the door silently and glanced at his sleeping mates before heading over to get his boots. Picking them up, he quietly snuck out of the bedroom. If he was lucky, Dylon would be in his office early.
Standing in the hallway, he pulled on his boots before heading down to the first floor. Stopping at the foot of the stairs, his nose twitched at the scent of coffee, and he debated whether he should grab a cup before seeing Dylon. When his gut reminded him why he had risen so early, he turned away and moved towards Dylon’s office. After finding it empty, Smokey hesitated for a moment before deciding to continue on to Jackson’s study. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Jackson inside. Rapping his knuckles on the doorframe, he waited until his Alpha glanced up. “I need your help,” Smokey growled.
Pointing to a chair in front of his desk, Jackson said, “Sure…what’s the problem?”
Smokey sat down and thought for a moment, then said, “Theo and Norm’s former Alpha is offering a substantial reward for information about their whereabouts. According to Ghost, the Alpha claims they broke into his house and stole some valuable shit before running away.”
“I see,” Jackson murmured, leaning back in his chair. “When did you find this out?”
“About a week ago…Riley found out the High Council is targeting any Alpha who sent their members to Arald, and since Theo and Norm…”