(Jaxon)
"They dusted it!"
It had been hours since Asher had returned with Laken. We'd come to Marcana territory, Dale and Laken going off separately to talk about whatever because according to what Asher had told me, they'd had a fight the night before all this shit transpired.
Asher was now comatose, falling asleep shortly after we'd crossed the borders of Marcana territory. He was now under the careful supervision of his mother, and his father having grown paranoid and unwilling to let anything happen to his son or wife, had the house heavily guarded with warrior wolves he'd handpicked.
I hadn't wanted to leave Asher's side, content on lying with him in my arms. But Marissa had disturbed my hour of bliss to say that I was needed at the conference hall, their alpha, and mine requesting my presence. Not just because my mate had fallen victim to whatever sick game Tobias was play at, but I was also Black Rock's beta.
It wasn't longer after I'd gotten to the conference hall finding there, the scout who'd run back informing us that the tracking team led by Bennett, Tucker, and Carter was returning. Inside the conference hall were all the prominent leaders of Marcana and Black Rock, and the next generation of leaders save for my mate who remained tucked away at home sleeping to his heart's desire.
And now, the tracking team had arrived, Carter leading the group inside the conference hall, huffing and puffing all the way because of the result they'd come up with.
"Already?" I queried, a quiet tick working my jaw as this unsettling news. Carter grunted in response demonstrating his dislike for the very fact that they'd gotten away.
"I swear," Bennett continued, his expression firm but otherwise gave nothing away, "it's like they knew we were coming. We chased them through town and by the time we circled back to Blackwater and where they were keeping your mates hostage, Tobias and his guys were gone. They'd even circled back to gather their dead and injured." Bennett then grinned, casting his gaze on me. "By the way, your mate's a badass. He killed like eight wolves under Tobias' leadership. And that's only the ones that kept him hostage."
Despite the conflicting predicament we'd found ourselves in, I couldn't help the sense of pride that swept over me.
He really wasn't overestimating his ability when all those times he'd thrown in my face that he was damn good at his job.
"That's great. We're still no closer to ending Tobias' power play and now he's in the wind. We have no idea how to track him and where he might go. Just. Fucking. Great."
It was Hunter whom had spoken, voicing his frustration over the matter.
"Actually, that may not be the case." Jason spoke up, capturing the room's attention. "Lance also dusted it. And at this point, it's by choice. We'll know their whereabouts since he'll he feeding information back to us."
"You really believe he can do no wrong." This time it was Alec whom had spoken, his statement successfully ticking Jason off. Up to point, I had no idea what was going on between those three. I understand that Alec didn't Lance since he had supposedly betrayed them once or twice in the past. And Jason being Lance's best friend, would defend him to the bitter end, just like I would for B. But somehow, I felt like there was something more than they let on.
Jason scowled, glaring at the third-in-command wolf. "Would it kill you to have a little faith in him?"
"In a liar and traitor. I'll take my chances." Alec shot back, earning him a threatening growl in response.
"You disgust me, you know that!"
"Enough!" came Isaiah's firm voice, bringing a come halt to all other movement and ending all arguments and conversations. And once he had everyone's eyes on him, he cleared his throat and addressed the room as he would a pack meeting. "Let's focus on the main issues here. There are a few all tied back to Tobias. Let's begin with Marcana's security. So far from all the interrogations Chad and I have carried out, there doesn't seem to be a traitor in Marcana."
"Why would there be any? Blackwater and Black Rock wolves have gone rogue just to move in here." Carter spoke up. "On top of that, they checked out and you haven't put any of them where they might compromise pack security."
"Then if that's the case," Bennett said, shifting the room's attention onto him, "then you should be asking if it's not a Marcana wolf that's the mole, then it has to be someone outside who might have access to such sensitive information. Question is who and how?"
"We'll have to look into that. What we can do is reshuffle patrol frequently and the four pack heads, including their successors should be on the clock supervising the completion of that fence." Sky suggested. Another suggestion was thrown in a moment later by Bennett again.
"Ivy Rose's security system is pretty top notch. Maybe you can take a page out of their book and model your security after theirs."
This caught our attention, but unlike the other heads, Hunter, Andre, Tucker and I were the only others who knew about Bennett's ties with Ivy Rose. They were a solid, thriving pack in the next town over, their alpha family being the founders of the town. The pack resided in a town called Valley Heights, which was a primarily werewolf run area. Their alpha was a man named Colton Wyatt.
"I've seen their security set up. I'd be happy to give you guys some pointers, and even help out where I can. In fact, I think all the packs of Jasper Falls should adopt a similar system. It'd be easier to catch any perpetrators if there are any. It'll cost some, but the expenditure's worth it. Marcana will never be safer with a system like that."
"And how do you what Ivy Rose's security looks like?" Carter queried, his tone picking up that condescending, ridiculing edge to it that grated on my nerves. It was mellow as compared to all the times before, and almost came across as genuine curiosity.
"Personal relations." B replied in short, shutting down any further questions about him and Ivy Rose. "And my grandfather can attest to the pack's security in case you don't believe me." B tacked on.
"We'll consider that. Because I have heard that their security really is something." Isaiah confirmed. "In the meantime, we need to figure out who the mole is. It could be anyone. Someone we'll overlook."
"If it would help things along, I believe Black Rock and Blackwater should do the same. Especially with my pack given the...condition it's currently in." Tucker offered. Everyone agreed to that, despite the uneasy feeling in sparked in both Hunter and me under the idea that there could be a traitor in Black Rock.
I couldn't understand it though. Why should we suspect one of our own? Given our history...I bet every Black Rock wolf wanted Tobias dead just as much as I did.
"The next issue." Isaiah spoke up. "You're positive Lance can be trusted?"
"Yes." The immediate simultaneous response came from Hunter, me, Tucker, Zain, Jason, Bennett, and Carter. His agreement drew curiosity and ignorance of the one 'no' which came from none other than Alec.
"What?" Carter shrugged. "It's because of him that Asher and Laken got to us safely. Granted, we could've done more but there's only so much he can do without compromising his position."
"Exactly." Bennett agreed. "As we speak, Lance is already treading on a very fine line."
Alec scoffed then, displaying his dislike that they were so easily trusting Lance.
"Stop it!"
"Can you shut up?"
I frowned, glancing between Bennett and Carter. What is happening right now? Ever since B showed up to help us, they've been acting strange around each other.
Well...stranger. Carter more so than usual.
Like right now! Carter was giving B a knowing smirk, and B just looked straight up irritated.
What?
Maybe I'll ask B later.
"Wherever Tobias is, we'll find out from Lance. We just need to wait for him to make contact." Tucker informed.
"Personally, I don't think we can trust the kid." Vince suddenly spoke up for the first time in forever. His stare challenged Bennett to oppose him and just hearing the guy speak, sent my pressure up.
How Bennett and Bentley ever came from such a backstabbing bitch of a snake, I'd never understand. Clearly they take after their mother. Wherever she be.
"And need I remind you, Vince," It was Tucker whom had spoken up, gladly taking up the challenge, "you're not as involved in the ins and outs as some of us here. So your judgement may be lapse."
"Bit irresponsible given what we just walked away from." Vince shot back.
"Maybe. But I already have my trusted people for certain affairs concerning my pack. That's all there is to it."
But it was so much more. Like myself, Tucker disliked Vince with a passion. Like I said, he looks like the untrustworthy type and we know personally, that he isn't a good a guy.
"We're going off focus again, people." came Isaiah's fed up grunt. "How about we call the meeting? You guys are easily getting distracted and I'm getting irritated. Besides, we went over what we needed, there's no point lingering. Bennett, I will be contacting your grandfather about this new security system. I want the both of you heading this upgrade under Marcana's supervision of course."
"Looks like you'll be busy, busy, Bennett. I'm looking to upgrade our security systems as well." Hunter spoke up with a whistle. I scoffed at that.
"Yeah, that stone age, barbaric security system. It's no wonder we got attacked."
"You shut up! You're grounded for the rest of your life after that little stunt you pulled." he scolded. My jaw dropped at that. What stunt? My mate was in danger!
"Ha! That also reminds me." Isaiah continued. "Dale, Carter. You're both grounded until I relieve you of your punishments. What the hell were you boys thinking running off like that? What if something had gone wrong we hadn't gotten there in time?" Isaiah growled.
He was livid. Dale said nothing while Carter seemed to be trying to pull one over on his beta.
"Those puppy dog eyes won't work on me this time." Chad scolded, and Carter deflated completely.
"But my friends were in danger. I couldn't just leave them." he argued.
"And if you had gotten injured?"
"But I didn't." came Carter's wise ass reply.
"But you could have!"
"You're grounding us on a hypothetical possibility?" Carter scoffed indignantly, owlishly blinking in disbelief.
"Then next time you should wait until we decide and not go running off. You might hold more power about pack decisions than other wolves your age, but you're not yet leaders of your packs. You're still under the protection of your predecessors." Hunter scolded sharply and I sunk lower into my chair.
"This is stupid." Carter muttered, letting out a pained cry when his father suddenly whacked him over the head.
"You three are grounded. That's final."
This is just not right.
**
"You're certain there's a mole?" I asked.
Following the commencement of the meeting, Tucker had approached me, Bennett ,and Hunter requesting the opportunity for a private meeting between the seven us. The additional three were Tucker's beta, third and fourth-in-commands.
I had been reluctant to leave Marcana just yet and had spent a fair amount of time inside Asher's room just watching over him while he slept. It was during that space of time, the other six came bouncing inside the Stone residence using the excuse- which wasn't totally a lie- that they were here to provide me moral support after the traumatic events of the last twenty-four hours.
And while Asher slept in the comfort of his bed, we congregated in one corner of the room speaking in hushed tones, our gazes moving to him every once in a while ensuring we didn't disturb his rest.
"I'm telling you. There has to be one. And I'm certain the mole's in Black Rock." Tucker informed impatiently, gesturing his arms to prove his point like an overexcited toddler.
"That's a pretty big accusation." my brother pointed out, and it had B and I nodding in agreement.
"Besides, why would any Black Rock wolf want to help Tobias? We had to move three times because him." Bennett reminded. Tucker chuckled humourlessly.
"I know. But just think about it. It's never long before you guys settle into your new home that Tobias finds you. It didn't make a full month the first time you moved, or the second. This time, it took him a bit longer, but no more than two months."
"How did you know where we were? You showed up before they did." Hunter fired, narrowing his gaze onto the tall teen as if scrutinizing and doubting Tucker's alliance with us. He did strike a compelling point, and for a moment, it was three against the four Blackwater wolves until Jason scoffed with a roll of his eyes.
"Lance told us, duh. And Tuck decided to check it out. See if you guys were here and if you were, warn you."
"I still don't believe there could be a mole in Black Rock." Bennett denied, crossing his arms over his chest. Alec scoffed.
"It's like Isaiah said at the meeting. It could be anyone. Someone we overlooked. Don't you watch movies? It's always the person you least expect."
"Thanks for narrowing it down, Bruce Wayne." Bennett retorted. "That's pretty much all of Black Rock and the whole effing town. When are we gonna find the snitch?"
It's true. That's tricky part about finding a mole. A two-faced, double-crossing son of a bitch. They hid and blended in so perfectly with the crowd. And it's always someone you'll least expect. Whether it's because you don't notice them, or they're in the top three for people you trust.
And how do we even know that this mole, doesn't already know that we're trying to find them? I took a moment to glance at the faces of the others surrounding me and I thought about it.
Would any one of them have reason to betray Black Rock? Watch it fall to pieces?
I thought about what they'd all have to gain with Tobias' fall.
In Hunter's case, he'd be able to save his pack and finally provide a stable home. He would finally feel worthy of his rank. The same was for Tucker. He only wanted the safety and stability, loyalty of his pack. But he couldn't do that if they kept moving, and more Blackwater wolves left because they were caught in a war.
Zain, Jason, and Alec. They would all avenge a fallen loved one. Zain's father was Blackwater's former beta under Julius' leadership. But he was killed in that first raid. Jason lost his parents and two siblings. He was living with his grandmother. And Alec, he lost his entire family in that first raid.
My gaze went to Bennett last. He was my best friend, yes. But out of everyone in this room, he was the only one who stood on equal ground for either betraying us or sticking with us. His life growing up in Black Rock sucked. A target for bullies, pressured and cast aside by his own parents, betrayed and humiliated by his own mate, yeah...
I could definitely see Bennett being the mole. And he had the skill set to pull it off.
But, I knew he wasn't. He was a complex being, rather interesting. Blocked off to most, usually reserved and kept to himself, he held everyone at arm's length. Save one or two people. Given his past, it'd be reason enough to want revenge. And I'm sure some part of him did.
But not if it meant betraying and putting in harm's way the people he loved most. That was one thing he would never do.
So no, none of us were potential traitors or the mole we were hunting.
"We have a few suspects." Zain informed, glancing to Tucker as if seeking permission to carry on sharing this bit of information. His superior nodded, and he continued. "We've had our eyes on them for a while and we've picked on some peculiar behaviour that make them persons of interest. We'll continue following up on that end and let you guys know if we come up with anything...useful."
"In the meantime, we can focus on the other part of the plan." Tucker said.
"Which is?" I queried.
"Knocking down the queen's castle." Jason grinned, clasping his hands together with a wide grin splitting his face. "We're about to set in motion a real life game of Chess!" he continued, getting all poetic and dramatic that had us raising our eyebrows in both confusion and concern. "In which Tobias is the queen."
His joke elicited laughter from us, Bennett more so than the others. "Ooh...I felt that burn." Bennett commented, doubled over with laughter as he tried not to make too much noise, so he ended up wheezing.
"Okay, so we take out his entire team leaving him vulnerable with no back up." Hunter clarified.
Tucker nodded. "We'll attack in consecutive moves and in teams over a period of time. Just the seven of us. No one else."
"What about Andre? He's a trustworthy guy." I said.
"Fine. Eight of us."
"And Alistair? I trust him." Bennett added.
"They would actually be pretty good additions." Hunter offered us back up. Tucker expelled a deep breath getting irritated at being interrupted. But at this point, we were just doing this to tease him.
"Fine then. Nine. Now we just need to wait for Lance to contact us since Marcana has my inside guy in holding."
"What?" Bennett and I questioned simultaneously, wondering if we had heard that correctly.
"So one of the guys they took, is actually working for you?" I queried. Bennett then chuckled, making me stare at him, baffled and concerned.
"Oh you piece of shit! I think I know who it is. Makes sense though. Inexcusable, but sensible."
For some reason, I get the feeling he's talking about something else.
"Anyway, I'll call a meeting when Lance makes contact." Tucker informed, nodding toward us and taking his leave with his beta, third and fourth-in-commands in tow. Hunter took his leave, letting me know not to stay out too late and reminding me that I was grounded.
But given previous events, he'd given leeway and set a curfew. I was fine with that.
As they left, I went over to the bed where Asher was still peacefully sleeping having not moved an inch in all the time we spent talking. Bennett had yet to leave, carefully bringing over the chair and setting it on the opposite side. He had a gentle smile on his face, watching me hold Asher in my arms.
We were silent for a while, Bennett suddenly staring off into space clearly thinking about something else.
"Can you tell me something?" I asked, snapping him out of his trance. Bennett glanced to me the same time I brushed a hand over Asher's forehead, shifting the strands of hair away. My mate mumbled something in his sleep, expelling a contented, tired sigh and turning to snuggle closer to me.
B puffed his cheeks, as if thinking better of it. He raked a hand through his hair, leaning forward and clasping his hands. "We'll get our chance, Jax." His gaze lingered on Asher's sleeping form. "It was Lyle."
My nostrils flared and I ground my teeth resisting the urge to lash out violently. "How'd you figure?"
Bennett smiled a broken grin. "He did the same thing to little bro." He paused, wiping at his face as though holding back tears. Despite keeping everyone at a distance, Bennett had really loved his twin brother. "Besides, Lance said to get in line. Nobody gets a piece of that old fucker before he does. Know anyone else he hates like that?"
I pursed my lips.
So that's what Asher meant when he said someone else deserved the opportunity to kill Lyle. Still, if it came down to it, I'd take revenge for Bentley and Asher.
"And Tuck's inside guy?"
"Just a hunch. I'm not disclosing anything until I know for sure."
I accepted that, having received more answers than I was prepared for. We settled into a comfortable silence for minutes at a time before B decided to break it again.
"I'm happy for you, buddy." he commented, his gaze soft and lingering on Asher and me. "You deserve it."
I chuckled at that. "Speaking of," I started, lifting my head to look at him as I remembered something else I wanted to ask him, "anything you wanna tell me? Like what's going on between you and Hayes? You two were acting pretty strange today. It kind of had me worried for a bit."
B was silent. He had an uneasy expression on his face as he chewed on his bottom lip, appearing slightly nervous as he glanced to me. I frowned, arching an eyebrow.
What is he trying to tell me?
His leg bounced and he averted his eyes knowingly toward Asher, tilting his head slightly.
My jaw dropped!
"No!" I whispered in disbelief, blinking owlishly. I couldn't believe this.
No way!
"Look, just don't tell anybody. Still trying to figure what to do."
"Do what?" I queried, growing concerned. He better not fuck up his second chance. I almost did and it almost cost me. It had hurt. And since I knew that, I won't allow him to copy my mistakes.
"Be serious, Jax. I...no...I can't go through that again."
"Bennett. Don't throw it away. At least give it a shot and see where it goes." I advised, and he scoffed.
"Right. The last time I did that, I ended up with a knife in my back. Literally."
"You can't think like that. But I won't force you to do anything. It's your choice, just...don't fuck it up like I did."
"We'll see."
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｡･ﾟヾ(✦థ ｪ థ)ﾉ｡ﾟ･｡
Unfortunately, this is the final chapter of this book. We must now say goodbye to this lovely couple and meet the star couple of the next book in this saga.
Think you can guess who the star couple is? *hint hint*
And I know what you're thinking. How can this be a 'Part 1' type chapter and this is the last chapter of the book?
Obviously because, it will be continued at some point in the third novel. Duh!
I'm so excited for the next book! The third book will be called 'Saving Bennett Reid' so look out for it. I mentioned it before, but I will be posting the first chapter of this third book only when I have posted 'Jasper Falls' which is a guide to this universe my babies live in.