“You heading to the kitchen?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Tell Dakota Theo won’t be able to help him for a while, will ya?”
“Right…maybe Sofia can step in while Theo’s gone.”
Shaking his head, Jackson said, “Not Sofia…she's helping Cain settle in.”
“Shit…then I guess there’s only me and Mom.”
“Not me, sweetie,” Oracle announced as she entered Jackson’s study. Stopping in front of her son, she kissed Steel’s cheek before patting his chest. “The Fates have given me anassignment, so I will be gone for a few days. It’s a good thing you have had lots of cooking experience because I hear Dakota can be quite picky.”
“We’ve come to an understanding,” Steel said.
“And what is that?” Oracle asked, smiling.
“I do exactly what I’m told to do,” Steel replied, laughing.
“Then, you'd better get going,” Jackson grinned. “Dakota doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
Chuckling, Oracle watched as her son left the room before shifting her gaze to Jackson. “Do you have a few moments?”
“Absolutely.”
Lowering herself into a chair facing Jackson’s desk, Oracle paused for a moment, thinking about the best way to approach the issue. Then, realizing there really wasn’t one, she said, “Frank is angry because Cain is here, and he blames me for that.”
“I don’t see why he should be,” Jackson said. “If he should be mad at anyone, it should be the Fates. After all, you were just doing your job.”
“Unfortunately, he doesn’t see it that way. He thinks Cain will harm one of the pups, specifically Jake or Jessica, because they are related to him.”
“Cain can’t harm them even if he wanted to,” Jackson replied.
“I know…and I assured Frank, but his trust in me is rather low at the moment.”
Jackson studied Oracle for a moment before leaning back in his chair. “But I haven’t given Frank any reason not to trust me, so why is he questioning my decision?”
“I do not believe he thinks he is,” Oracle replied softly.
Jackson shook his head. “And yet he is. He knows better than that.”
Sighing, Oracle sat back in her chair and said, “Yes, he does, but his behavior is not a reflection of his opinion of you. Frank is a powerful Alpha, and his instincts to protect are strong…nearly as strong as yours. When he was born, his parents realized their son possessed extraordinary Alpha power…even more than his father. Fortunately, neither of his parents sought to use their son’s power and instead guided and taught him how to use it for good. After the High Council learned of Frank, he spent his adult life under their supervision, learning how to expand his power. Any enjoyment of life had disappeared under the weight of never-ending lessons and onerous duties that had become mandatory. So the person his parents had raised slowly disappeared, and instead, a stern and forbidding man emerged…one totally controlled by the High Council.
“While on the outside, it might have appeared that Frank lived a charmed life, that was not the case. Years passed, and his discontent grew. Finally, after a visit to see his ailing parents, Frank decided enough was enough. The need for freedom to live his life on his own terms grew inside of him until he finally gave in and tendered his resignation. But certain members of the High Council refused to release him, and that sent him into a downward spiral to a point where, in his mind, suicide was the only solution to finally ending the world he no longer wanted to be part of. The only reason Frank did not succumb to it was the pain his death would cause his parents.
“But just when all hope was gone, the unbelievable happened. One day, when he was investigating reports of abuse in a wolf pack, Frank met his Fated Mate…a woman who radiated joy,laughter, love, and hope…everything that had been missing from his life.”
“Lizzie.”
Nodding, Oracle said, “Elizabeth changed Frank. She brought the light back into his dark world and chased his loneliness away, giving him the strength to stand up to the High Council. From that point on, he finally gained control over his life, giving him the power to decide his future. And with Elizabeth’s help, Frank carved out a role for himself at the High Council that fulfilled his need to protect the innocent and helpless against anyone who would harm them.”
“I understand,” Jackson said. “But now that Frank has quit the High Council, that’s no longer his job.”
“True, but if you stopped being the Alpha of the Blackwood Pack, would you stop protecting Steel and Danny?”
Chuckling, Jackson said, “You know me better than that. I will always protect them, no matter what my position is.”
“As it is with Frank,” Oracle said softly. “His Alpha Power is second to yours, and he took a vow at his mating ceremony to always protect Elizabeth from harm…and now that vow includes Dylon, Cody, Jake, and Jessica. He and his wolf view Cain as a threat to them…so instead of enjoying his retirement with his mate…”