No Escape

Chapter Forty-Nine

Months passed as Jackson and Lily worked day and night to rebuild their pack. Everywhere they looked they found corruption from Weston's lead; families were being treated poorly, pack-owned businesses were taxed unfairly, the justice system completely messed up. It was as if nothing had been done for the pack's best interest for at least ten years maybe even longer. The mate pair was in over their heads, but they dealt with it as best they could. Lily handled most of the domestic issues, while Jackson took care of the business end of things. Together they totally reconstructed the packs' police and emergency response system.

It was frustrating to both of them how much Weston had messed up and took advantage of his title. Neither of them could understand how and why he would do something like that.

There were several times where Lily had to pull Jackson away from the work just to eat a meal. It wasn't healthy for him to be working so many hours in the day, especially without a break. She would study him as he ate. He was so stressed out and exhausted, even though he wouldn't admit it.

Jackson was hurting. His family had done this. No, his father had done this. He took a vulnerable, recovering pack and used its severely broken system. He fixed some things, but most were just made less obvious, hidden. How could he do that? Did his mother know? Was she in on it too?

Lily hated seeing her mate so torn up about something that wasn't his fault. She would often hear his thoughts about things that were going on in the pack. Like with the teenagers, some would report domestic abuse or a rape and everyone who was supposed to help turned a blind eye. Cases like those infuriated Jackson.  As much as she hated it, Lily often had to take over handling them.

There was one case Jackson had come across that had him wanting to rush over to the bastard's home and end him. Before he could, his mate came rushing in to the office to try to calm him down. "Jacks, tell me what's going on. What's the case?" She asked him while running her hands up and down his arms.

"He was fucking abusing her and one day he raped and beat her so bad that she almost died. She flatlined twice while in the hospital and she was barely recognizable.  A police report was filed, but they never went after him. He practically beat her to death but they didn't even try to catch him, Lil!" Jackson ripped himself away from his mate and began pacing around the office, "I have to go get him Lily. I have to stop him from doing that to anyone else! Because apparently nobody else cares that he almost killed somebody."

Lily stopped him in his tracks and pushed him to sit in his chair.  Then she sat on his lap, "you have to stop and think about this.  As much as you and I both want you to, and as much as he deserves it, you know you cannot just go barging into this guys home and kill him. Give me the file," Jackson leaned over to grab the file, then handed it to her. "Look it says that the girl is recovering at the hospital. If she's well enough to do so, I'll go talk to her and see what she has to say.  We have to show the pack that we can do things the right way, Jacks." Lily got up and headed towards the door, but her mates next words stopped her in her tracks.

"But he almost killed her.  What if... what if it had been you? Or Charlie? I can't stop thinking that the same things happened to you both and I couldn't do anything to stop it."

Painful memories ran through Lily's head and she shook the thoughts away, moved back towards Jackson, and wrapped her arms around him. "Jacks, I would not be alive today if it weren't for you. I would have been buried underneath that barn or bled to death in that bathtub or Chase's basement. You saved me. And you and me, together? We are gonna save this pack." She said determinedly before walking away towards the pack hospital.

On her way, Lily read the girls' file. Harper was 20 years old. Her mate, John, was 23. There was no history of domestic abuse, but Harper had many questionable doctor visits; a broken arm and concussion from a fall down the stairs, burns all over from clumsiness while cooking, and deep cuts on her back from not being aware of her surroundings in the woods to name a few. The poor girl has been through so much, she didn't deserve this too.