“So why did you hand it over to our uncle when Dad died?”
“Does it matter anymore?”
Mason thought for a moment, then said, “To me it does.”
“Why?”
“For several reasons…one, you were the legitimate heir…and second, you said it yourself—Dad trained you to be his replacement.”
“I guess it won’t matter if you know, but you have to promise what I tell you won’t leave this room.”
“I promise,” Mason said softly.
Nodding, Hunter closed his eyes and paused a few seconds before beginning. “When our father died, I called his council together…shifters I’d known since childhood…to formally assume the Alpha position. My father thought highly of them…shit, one of them was even my uncle. When I entered the council room, my wolf snarled because none of them looked at me. I thought it was just a sign of respect.”
“It was a warning,” Mason murmured.
Hunter inhaled deeply, then slowly exhaled before continuing. “At the meeting, my uncle informed me the council had voted unanimously to form an alliance with another, larger pack. Initially, I didn’t see a problem until I found out it required Quin to mate with the other pack’s Alpha…an Alpha who had a reputation of being a harsh taskmaster…to put it mildly…with his pack members. I knew instantly what my uncle was up to since he knew there was no way I’d allow that to happen.”
“That fucker!” Mason snarled.
“Yup…a real, fucking snake. I have to hand it to our uncle; he knew exactly what button to push to force me out. There wasn’t any way I could send Quin to that pack…”
“It would’ve broken him,” Mason whispered.
“Exactly…so I did the only thing I could think of…”
“You gave the Alpha position to our uncle,” Mason growled, slamming his fist on the desk.
“And we left,” Hunter said. “In the end, it was the right decision because we’re now where Mom wanted us to be.”
Mason thought for a moment before asking, “How did the other pack’s Alpha find out about Quin? I assume he wanted Quin because he’s an Omega.”
“Our fucking uncle was responsible! He made a deal, which would have made him extremely wealthy. I found that out when one of my father’s friends told me how much I would make on the deal when he tried to pressure me to go along with it. All I had to do was sign the agreement. When I refused, my uncle threatened to challenge me, so I did the only thing I could think of that would remove Quin from their grasp…I told our uncle that, as head of my family, we were leaving the pack as soon as we buried my father. Now you see why I didn’t tell anyone the real reason for refusing the Alpha position.”
“How do you know our fucking uncle isn’t telling other Alphas that Quin is a male Omega?”
“Our uncle had used that as a threat in order for me to go along with the deal, but once he realized I wouldn’t give in, he accepted my offer.”
“Which was?” Mason asked softly, afraid his suspicion would be right.
“You can figure it out,” Hunter said, gazing intently at his brother.
“No, I can’t,” Mason replied. “Tell me.”
Hunter looked away for a few moments. Then he murmured, “I couldn’t do anything about the Alpha who wanted to buy him, but I made a deal with my father’s council never to reveal to anyone that Quin was an Omega. In exchange for their silence,I signed my inheritance over to them.” When Mason remained silent, Hunter gave him a hard look. “That’s why no one can know, especially Quin. He’s just coming out of his shell, and if he knew what happened, it would shatter him.”
Mason looked at his brother for a moment. Then, he stood and walked over to him. Grasping his brother’s hand, he pulled him up from his chair and hugged him tightly while whispering in his brother’s ear, “Dad would be so proud of the Alpha you have become…thank you for everything, Hunt…and I swear to you…I will never say a word about this.”
Chapter 22
Without knocking, Oracle entered Jackson’s study and smiled at the faces that glanced up at her. “Hello everyone,” she said, as she gracefully lowered herself into the remaining chair. Then, turning her attention to Jackson, she continued, “I assume you would like to know about Oliver’s gift.”
Ollie’s mouth fell open for a moment before he asked, “How do you know about it?”
“I was training the oracle who was tasked with informing you about the gift the gods had bestowed upon you,” Oracle said.
“Are all oracles trained?” asked Mac.