Giving a loud whistle, Jackson waited until the room became quiet before saying, “Theo, I will not hurt your cousin…and Ollie, I’m sorry if I gave you the impression I was going to kill you…I would never do that to the family of one of my pack. Just so there’s no mistake about how I feel, I’m delighted Mac found you, along with Theo reuniting with you. And I promise, you are very safe here.”
“Thank you, Alpha,” Ollie said, his cheeks red with embarrassment from causing the misunderstanding.
“Call me Jackson. I’m not much for titles.”
“Right…Jackson,” Ollie murmured. “I’m sorry for speaking without thinking. My mother always said it would get me in trouble someday, and I guess she was right.”
Waving his hand, Jackson chuckled. “No need to apologize…no harm, no foul.”
Smokey had been patient long enough, but he’d had enough of all the friendly chit chat. The sudden appearance of a long-lost relative had caused every red flag in his head to appear, and he was sure Ollie posed a threat to Theo. And if he had his way, Ollie would be strapped to a chair undergoing one of Smokey’s special interrogations, but Jackson would never agree to it, especially since the man was a mate to Mac. Since that was off the table, Smokey decided the only alternative was to question Ollie in front of the Alpha wolf. That way, if he lied, Jackson would know it. He would start with the question he needed the answer to most, but first, an apology would lull Ollie into a false sense of security. “Sorry for any misunderstanding before…”
Glancing over at the man who nearly shook his brains out of his body, Ollie found only an expressionless face, making him feel there was a hidden agenda behind the apology. But what it could be was a mystery to him. Deciding to ask Mac about it later, Ollie said, “Thanks but no worries…as Jackson said, no harm, no foul.”
“I appreciate that,” Smokey murmured. Doing his best to sound friendly, Smokey said, “Well, I’m glad you are here…it means a lot to my mate.” Pausing, he then asked, “Who told you Theo was here?”
Mac immediately picked up the undertone of suspicion in Smokey’s voice and glared at him. “Why does it matter how Oliver knew…what’s important is that he’s here.”
“Babe,” Ollie murmured to Mac, “it’s okay.” Then, returning Smokey’s enigmatic gaze, he said, “I work for Frontline Doctors as a nurse, and my last assignment was in Tajikistan. One of my patients told me about Arald and his atrocities. I couldn’t imagine anyone could be that evil, but I felt compelled to check it out. I contacted one of my friends from nursing school who works for the High Council, and he confirmed it. Because he knew I was a Ghost Bear, he thought I might know the two Ghost Bears held prisoner. You can imagine my shock when I heard my cousin’s name.” Shrugging his shoulders, Ollie continued, “At first, I couldn’t believe it, but I then decided to find out for sure. Once my friend told me where Theo was, I took a leave of absence and came here.”
Chapter 3
“Oh. My. Gods!” Theo exclaimed, grinning. “That is so freaking amazing! I’m so glad you came here. If you hadn’t, my cub would never get to know his cousin!”
“I’m happy too,” Ollie murmured, exchanging glances with Mac. “Otherwise, I never would have met my mate…or know that I’d soon have a new cousin.”
“Yes, it’s just a coincidence that you found out about Theo,” Smokey muttered under his breath.
Jackson heard Smokey’s comment, and it piqued his interest why the grizzly bear had made it. Smokey’s suspicion of Ollie was obvious, but Jackson couldn’t see the problem, especially since Theo was overjoyed to see his cousin again. Smokey usually gave Theo anything he wanted, but after studying the grizzly bear’s body language, Jackson would bet that if Smokey had his way, he’d have sent Ollie packing. Turning back to Theo, who was showing off his baby belly to Ollie, he decided he’d have a talk with Smokey to find out why he was so suspicious about Ollie.
“I never heard of any Ghost Bears getting pregnant before they turned twenty-five,” Ollie murmured, his hand resting on Theo’s stomach. “Have you felt him move yet?”
“No, not yet, but I hope it’s soon.”
Smiling at Theo, Mac said, “I’m sure it’ll happen any day now, considering how much he’s grown in the last few weeks.”
“I can’t wait,” Theo said, trying to stifle a yawn.
Norm knew his mate too well, and Theo’s attempt to hide his pregnancy-related fatigue didn’t fool him. Mac had cautioned him to expect it and to step in if Theo began ignoring the signs. Catching Smokey’s eye, Norm gave a nod before saying, “Honeybunch, Ollie and Mac need some time alone so why don’t we leave them be and tomorrow you can catch up with him?”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Jackson said, understanding Norm’s motive for his suggestion. He had first-hand knowledge about how tiring a pregnancy could be. Glancing over at Ollie, he asked, “Any objections?”
“Nope, that’s fine,” Ollie replied, intertwining his fingers with his mate’s. “I’m kinda tired, too. I’ve been on the road for the last four days and could certainly use some sleep.”
“Then it’s settled,” Jackson said. “Tomorrow, Dakota and Steel will take care of the meals. Smokey, please see me in the morning, and Mac, I’ll arrange for Ian to be on call.” After getting nods from everyone, Jackson left Mac’s office, heading to his study. Even though it was late, he still had some unfinished business to take care of.
~/~/~/~/~
Once inside his apartment, Groose threw his keys down on the table near the front door and kicked off his boots before heading to his small kitchen. Normally, he ate with his men in the massive dining room on the first floor, but tonight he wanted solitude. Opening his refrigerator, he scanned the contents and found the covered casserole left by the enforcers’ chef. Grabbing it, along with several bottles of water, he set all of it on the island before turning on the oven.
Leaning back against the counter, Groose opened a bottle of water and slowly sipped it while thinking about the man whotried to slip through the front gate. It was a mystery for sure, and one he was determined to solve, but since the man hadn’t succeeded, Groose decided to forget about it until tomorrow. After he heard the oven chime it had reached 350°, Groose put the casserole in and set the timer. Dinner would be ready in an hour, which gave him enough time to shower.
~/~/~/~/~
Ollie watched as Smokey and Norm gently ushered Theo out of the room despite his cousin’s insistence he wasn’t tired, but he knew better. It reminded him of the times in their childhood when Theo tried to use the same tactic with his parents to stay up late when Ollie visited. It usually failed, but occasionally they allowed it, though it invariably ended with his cousin then falling asleep in mid-sentence, which always made Ollie laugh.
After everyone had left the room, Ollie turned to Mac and studied him for a moment before asking him some questions that had been troubling him since learning about Theo’s condition. “Do you know how dangerous being pregnant is for Theo? Does my cousin know he could die? What about his mates? Do they know there’s a 75% chance Theo could die?”
Mac said nothing for a moment before walking slowly over to his desk. He sat down before looking up and locking eyes with his mate. Ollie’s voice clearly expressed his agitation, and his questions implied Mac was somehow to blame for his cousin’s condition. Recognizing Ollie’s anger as misplaced, Mac forced himself to remain calm. No one had ever spoken to him like that, and it shocked him that his mate had done so. Finally, Mac shifted his gaze to the chair in front of his desk and said, “Sit down, Oliver.”