Greatest Curse (Book 2)

A Messy Gala

But he said he would take care of that. And surely if their history with Blackwater was that bad, and everyone knew Jaxon lost Bentley to Blackwater, they wouldn't rat us out, would they? Especially if they loved their beta as much as they claimed.

"Is there something you want to tell us? About why you're so demanding in making sure no one knows about you and Jaxon?" Isaiah questioned, pinning me with a firm stare, crossing his arms over his chest, and staring down his nose at me. And suddenly I felt like was six years old again and Isaiah was scolding me because the four of us decided to disrupt a pack meeting they'd been in the middle of with Crescent Hill and got a six-year-old Blake in trouble, too.

Yeah, ever since then Mr. Dalton- who happens to also be the principal of Jasper Falls High- hasn't been very fond of us. Lucky us! Whoo!

"Uhm..." I started, nervously nibbling my lower lip as I figured out a way to explain it to them without overstepping my boundaries. I held a lot of respect for my mate and his pain, and I don't think he would appreciate me going around telling my pack that Blackwater killed his first mate. Despite how bad it would look, it seemed to me as though Black Rock was fed up of fighting and just wanted to be left the fuck alone to live in peace.

"Black Rock and Blackwater have some...bad history. And Jaxon personally asked me to not say anything to any Blackwater member about us. Which is why, I am asking the same of you." I told them, honestly. This elicited a range of reactions from the prominent leaders and their future successors, until Sky spoke up.

"Asher, what could be so bad that you and Jaxon would go this far to keep your relationship a secret?" he spoke up, dark brows furrowed, and concern shadowed his deep blue gaze as he looked to me, drawing everyone else's attention as they waited for my response.

"Are you guys ashamed of your relationship, or something?" Carter questioned. But his tone wasn't condescending or anything like that. He seemed genuinely curious as he was worried, and his expression told me as much. I shook my head at that.

"We're not. It's just that...you guys don't know him like I do. Jaxon has suffered a lot. And lost a lot, too. In fact, all of Black Rock has. They're treading carefully right now, to avoid any trouble with Blackwater." I explained as carefully as I can. Isaiah huffed then, humming lightly as he averted his gaze elsewhere.

"Hunter has warned me about Blackwater's new alpha, Tobias Corbin." he said, and his words caught my full attention. "He's said that Tobias is trouble, and we should be careful of him at the gala. Hunter has told me that Tobias is the reason Black Rock fled their hometown."

Again, it elicited a range of reactions. My reaction was neutral since I already knew all of this; but the others were a mixture of concern and outrage.

"Isaiah, you realize how serious this is, don't you?" Chad, the beta, spoke up. "If this is true, Tobias could be a threat if he turns his sight to the other packs. Perhaps we should do something about it. Maybe appeal to the town's council and have them kicked out-"

"That's too drastic." Isaiah butt in. "It's a good suggestion. But Blackwater is new to Jasper Falls and it's too early to make any moves against them. Hunter has already warned us of the potential threat, the most we can do right now is fortify and be ready for any number of peculiarities. Marcana will be watching Blackwater closely to ensure they don't upset the peace." he stated, slipping into his alpha aura that had the others either agreeing out of submission to their alpha, or understanding.

"In the meantime, we respect Jaxon and Asher's wishes. No one is to say a word to any pack member of Marcana or the other packs about the two of them."

"Thank you, alpha." I returned, and Isaiah nodded before dismissing the small meeting and ordering us to return to our tasks in preparing for the gala.