Jackson’s eyes narrowed as he saw the flaring of Hunter’s nose. No fucking way! Flicking his gaze down at his cousin’s crotch, he found the telltale bulge confirming his suspicions. His cousin’s mate was one of his pack members. What the fuck do I do now? Jackson’s worries about the reason for Hunter’s visit suddenly seemed trivial compared to what he was now facing. Not wanting to see who his cousin was staring at, he rolled out his Alpha power, just enough to bring Hunter’s attention back to him. “It’s been a long time, Cousin.”
Holy Fuck! How did Jackie do that? Forced to look at his cousin, Hunter found himself unable to move. “Yes, it has,” he replied. “I understand congratulations are in order.”
“Congratulations? What for?” asked Jackson.
“Becoming Alpha of the Blackwood Pack, of course,” Hunter answered.
Wondering how much his cousin knew, Jackson decided to ignore it. Instead, he asked, “Are you going to introduce your brothers to me?”
“Sure,” Hunter replied, but anxious to know the name of his mate, he continued, “but that’s quite a welcoming group you have for us, considering you didn’t know we were arriving today. Do you mind introducing them to me first?”
Standing next to Logan on the porch, Kieran watched the two posturing Alphas with amusement. Suddenly, his spirit spoke to him. Breaking away from his mate, he bolted down the steps.
“Babe! Wait! What are you doing?” called Logan, torn between following his mate and obeying Jackson’s orders to remain where he was. Fuck, fuck, fuck!
“Macushla, I’m needed! Don’t worry!” Kieran yelled, sprinting towards the motorhome.
Asking their spirit what his mate was doing, Logan gasped, his jaw dropping. Not believing what he heard, he leapt off the porch, shouting, “Wait babe, wait! Jackson, stop Kieran!”
Breaking eye contact with Hunter, Jackson looked over his cousin’s shoulder, catching sight of Kieran opening the motorhome door. “Kieran, stop!” he commanded, upping his Alpha power to force his brother’s mate to obey.
Hunter, following his cousin’s gaze, saw a slender figure about to climb up the steps leading to the inside. What the fuck is going on here? Not knowing who it was, he threw out his Alpha power and ordered, “Stop now!”
Frozen in his tracks as the power from both Alphas temporarily stunned him, Kieran’s spirit took over, breaking him free of their hold, allowing him to scramble up the steps. Once inside, he came face to face with three pairs of eyes staring at him in astonishment. “Hi cousins, nice to meet you but if you don’t mind, can we talk later because I’m needed.” Hurrying to the first door he found, Kieran popped it open. “Hi there, don’t you look fabulous! I love your dress, but can we talk later? Thanks.” Closing the door, he hurried to the next one. Placing his hand on it, he knew this was where he was supposed to be. Quietly slipping inside, he said, “Hi, don’t worry, I’m here to help.”
“Who the fuck was that?” asked Sawyer.
“How did he know?” Robin asked.
“Oh, shit,” Mason said, looking at the big shifter who’d just joined Jackson and Hunter. “This doesn’t look good.”
Stopping next to Jackson, Logan asked, “Why didn’t you stop Kieran?”
“Who’s Kieran?” asked Hunter, “And why did he break into my motorhome?”
“Fuck you, asshole!” Logan snarled.
“Logan, stop,” Jackson ordered.
“Logan?” Hunter asked, astounded at how big his cousin’s twin was. The last time he’d seen Logan, he was a skinny, short kid.
“Logan, meet Hunter, our cousin,” Jackson said.
Giving his cousin an angry glance, Logan turned back to his brother. “Bro, I need to speak to you…alone!”
At a loss for what was going on, Hunter decided to retreat. “I understand. I’ll just be in there, finding out about who decided to invite himself into my motorhome… without permission, I might add.”
“You touch my mate and it’ll be the last thing you ever do,” snarled Logan.
“Your mate? That twink is your mate?” asked Hunter, incredulously.
Seeing red at the implied insult, Logan began to shift, having had enough of his cousin’s attitude towards Kieran.
Glancing at the motorhome, Jackson saw fear and anger in the faces staring back at him. Instantly aware of what would happen if he didn’t put a stop to the brewing conflict, he sent out his Alpha power a bit stronger, waiting until his brother and cousin tilted their heads in submission. “Hunter, stay where you are while I speak to my brother alone. Understand?”
“Yes, Alpha,” Hunter said. Feeling Jackson’s control, he stood still, watching his cousins walk away from him, smirking at their attempt to keep him from listening with his wolf hearing. Shifting his gaze, Hunter sought out the man on the porch who was now tied to him by the Fates, wondering how his cousin would react when he took his mate back east.
Once Jackson felt he and Logan were far enough away from Hunter, he stopped and said, “Okay, what’s Kieran up to now?”
Glancing over his brother’s shoulder to make sure Hunter wasn’t heading for the motorhome, Logan leaned in and whispered into his brother’s ear.
Jerking back, Jackson stared at Logan. “That’s fucking impossible!”
Shaking his head, Logan leaned in again and repeated himself.
The color drained from Jackson’s face as the implications of Logan’s news sank in. Looking toward the porch and zeroing in on his brothers, he thought about how this news would hit them. Then, turning back to Logan, Jackson murmured, “Are you absolutely positive?”
“Yes.”
“Is Kieran okay?”
Logan asked their spirit before answering, “Yes, he’s doing what he can.”
“Get Ian and Colton here but don’t let them know why.”
“Will do, but please protect my mate,” Logan said, before heading for the porch.
Nodding, Jackson strode over to Hunter, blocking his view of the porch and snarled, “What the fuck are you trying to pull? Why didn’t you tell me about this in the first email you sent?”
Waves of powerful anger emanated from Jackson, nearly pushing Hunter to his knees. Forcing himself to stand his ground, he answered, “I did what my mother wanted.”
