“Nope,” Smokey said.
“Glad to hear that,” Jackson said. “Especially since Ollie is not only Theo’s cousin, but he’s also Mac’s Fated Mate.”
“Whoa! Theo’s cousin is Mac’s mate?” asked Zane.
“I’m happy for Mac,” Dylon said.
“So am I,” Jackson said. “However, in the meantime, I need proof whether the info Smokey has about Norm and Theo is real or bullshit. And if you find out it’s the latter, Zane, I want to know who posted it.”
“What do you want me to do?” asked Dylon.
“I need a plan in case it’s real,” Jackson replied.
“Will do,” Dylon said, rising. “It should take me only a couple of hours.”
“Good,” Jackson replied.“And Zane…”
“I know…you want it yesterday,” Zane said, getting up from his chair. “Trust me, you will be the first one I tell.”
Smiling at his brother, Jackson replied, “You got it.” After Dylon and Zane left, he leaned back in his chair and looked at Smokey. “You know as well as I do that Norm has a right to know what you found out,” he said softly.
Smokey glanced down at his hands, clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. Fear had done that. He slowly uncurled hisfingers before looking up at Jackson. “Are you going to order me to tell Norm and Theo about the threat?”
Jackson didn’t answer. Instead, he said, “I was the first one of my brothers to find my Fated Mate, and it happened to be a Dire Wolf. I was happy but also worried that Steel would insist on being the Alpha of the Blackwood Pack. After all, his wolf was huge. However, he told me he wouldn’t have any problem following me. And for the first few months, everything was fine. But then, I found out he’d kept something from me in order, as he put it, to protect me. While I knew he meant well, I was hurt…not because I was his Alpha, but because he took away my choice to make a decision. When I got over my anger and hurt feelings, we talked it out and he realized he was wrong to do it.
“Then my brother Colton found his Fated Mate and did exactly what Steel had done…he didn’t tell Ian about his gift and when the truth came out, Ian was very hurt. Luckily for my brother, they worked it out. My twin, Logan, was also guilty of keeping a secret, but in his case, Kieran actually left him. Thankfully, it worked out in the end.
“I’m not going to force you to tell Norm, but I will ask you to put yourself in his shoes. How would you feel if Norm kept something this important from you?‘Cause it’s the same way he would feel if he found out you didn’t tell him Theo was in danger.”
And when Smokey didn’t answer, Jackson continued, “I can tell you from my experience…first there’s anger followed by a sense of betrayal and hurt that your mate took away your chance to protect Theo. That’s what will happen when Norm finds out you took away his choice.
“You might think it won’t matter if Zane finds out there isn’t an actual threat to your mates, but I can assure you when you least expect it, Norm or Theo, or both of them, will find out.”
Sighing, Smokey knew Jackson was right, and while it was possible to tell Norm, it wasn’t something he wanted to do. “I get it…but until Mac says it’s okay, the risk to Theo is too great right now…at least until he has our cub.”
Nodding, Jackson said, “That’s your choice and I respect it…but if Zane finds proof the threat is real, I will order round-the-clock protection for Theo and Norm. And if asked why I have done that, I won’t lie.” Then, seeing anger cloud Smokey’s face, Jackson held up his hand. “But I won’t put Theo’s health in danger, either. So, I will follow Mac’s advice on whether telling him will put either his or the cub’s life in jeopardy.”
Smokey sat there for a moment before getting up and heading toward the door. But before opening it, he turned to Jackson and asked, “When Zane finds out if this is a real threat or just bullshit, will you please let me know?”
“Of course,” Jackson replied.
Nodding, Smokey pulled the door open and stepped into the hallway. He had a lot of thinking to do, and the best place to do it was out in the woods.
Chapter 8
It wasn’t like Groose to be late, but he was in the middle of reading Tito’s report when Jackson summoned him. Quickly scanning the rest of the document and satisfied that the security system was working correctly, he headed for the Blackwood Pack house. After entering, he crossed the empty great room and hurried down the hallway leading to the Alpha’s study. Pausing in the doorway, he rapped his knuckles against the wood frame.
Glancing up, Jackson smiled. “Hey…have a seat.” He waited until Groose claimed the chair facing him before continuing. “I reviewed your report of the confrontation Tristan had with Rudy and his men, and I need additional clarification on something.” Picking up Groose’s report from the top of a stack of papers, Jackson flipped through it until he reached the page he was looking for.“Here it is…you said Rudy’s men surrendered without a fight.”
“They did…after they realized their guns weren’t working.”
“Yeah…Remy handled that. But I can’t figure out why Rudy’s men didn’t fight back when they were surrounded. Even without weapons, they could have shifted.”
Shrugging, Groose replied, “I expected them to, but Tristan assured us they wouldn’t.”
“Did he tell you how he knew that?”
“No…but I can tell you I haven’t ever seen anything like it in all my years as an enforcer. It looked like their will to fight just gave out…all of them at the same time. From that point on, there wasn’t a bit of resistance from any of them…even when Reeve handcuffed and loaded them onto the buses to take them tothe High Council holding facility. It was weird…especially since most of them were convicted murderers.”