Mates & Allies

After speaking with Aristotle the herd agreed to come and get Adam. They had connections with an officer on the state patrol who knew how to handle shifter business without getting local cops or the feds involved. Though he kept quiet, Aristotle was pretty sure the officer was also a shifter and promised to pass the name along to Shifters United as well.

“I don’t know a lot about it,” Aristotle had told them. “Only that there’s a shadow justice system for shifters, and I agree with you that Adam might be a piece of shit, but he doesn’t deserve to die for it.”

Deke had appreciated that sentiment. After hearing from Tavo and Jett—to his surprise the horse and cougar had been able to get more out of the prisoners—he realized they needed to keep Kole as leverage. He sat on the loveseat with Colt, with Jett and Tavo taking up the couch.

“I think Kole’s right,” Deke said, breaking the frustrated silence that had settled between them when they realized they’d been backed into a corner on this one. “You have to go to Judah’s claw. Talk to Zeb.”

“And if he doesn’t want to talk?” Jett asked.

“Then challenge him. If you have a lot of support, it doesn’t have to be a hostile takeover,” Deke answered calmly.

“What if I don’t want a fucking claw?” Jett said, raking his fingers through his hair. “My dad, I mean hell my stepmom kinda ruined that for me. What kind of sick, twisted sonofabitch puts his only son in a shed? Even if his bitch of a wife wants it to happen.” Jett suppressed a growl. His cougar was on display, eyes golden.

“What about Eduardo?” Tavo asked. He knew better than to touch his mate, but he inched a little closer. Clearly he’d seen Jett agitated before, because he wasn’t scared of Jett’s beast.

“What about him? Bastard tried to get me killed.”

“What if he didn’t have a choice? What if your stepmom—?”

Something shifted in Jett because his eyes flashed and then the man was back in charge. “He did tell me that it didn’t have to be this way. You think she put him up to this?”

“Her son was there. What choice did he have? He couldn’t challenge your father.”

“Shit.” Jett sighed. “Do we even know who this Zeb is? Deke, do you have any data on him?”

And that was where he had to battle his own frustration, Deke knew. “Not really. We’re working off of very sketchy and old data. Whoever this Zeb is, his claw didn’t show up on any surveys. Of course it’s possible our data was before Judah and Jett’s father had their split.”

“Or maybe they didn’t want to be found,” Jett said. “Presumably Kole can take us there, but he’s going to be our only source of information. I just don’t know if we can trust him. I mean he did give us some information, and I suspect that he’d be on my side in a challenge, but I don’t know for sure.”

Deke thought for a moment. “Do cougars have the kinds of alpha powers wolves do?”

“I’m not sure they could compel a member of the claw to do something against their will, but…Wait? You think I could compel the truth out of Kole?”

“It’s worth a shot,” Deke answered.

“No. Hell no. If I do that then even if I don’t take over the claw I will essentially be his alpha. I don’t want that. I never wanted that kind of responsibility. Besides, I’m half-human. How do we even know if it’s going to work?”

“You’ll just have to try it and see,” Tavo told him.

“I don’t know about this…”

“Just think about it,” Deke said. “That’s all I’m asking.”

“As the alpha?”

“As your mate and someone who cares about you.”

~* * *~

It took Jett until the following afternoon to even consider what Deke had told him to do. See if he could invoke his alpha? He might as well try and grow a third head or become a rabbit shifter for all the success he thought he might have. And yet, he and Tavo had talked about it before they’d fallen into an exhausted sleep, thankful to know they were safe with their mates for now, and damn it, but ponyboy had a good point. Why would his stepmother be so jealous of him if he hadn’t possessed some ability to be alpha? After all, her son was full cougar and Jett had shown no signs of wanting to lead the claw. It would have made much more sense for them to turn their attention to him and leave Jett alone. Which they had along with the punitive punishment of having to live in the shed.

He paced in front of the shed still housing Aaron and Kole. Aristotle was sending some of the herd over to pick up Aaron later that day. His goal, should he really decide to go through with this, would be to compel the truth out of Kole.

Damn, he hated this. Hated that he was put in this position; hated that his mates were put into this position; hated that his claw would be part of the threat to Deke’s new pack. And most of all, on top of everything else, he hated that he might be forced to take over a claw he never wanted and sure as hell didn’t need in order to keep the peace.

In a just world he and his ponyboy would…what? Ride off into the sunset together? Not without Colt or Deke he wouldn’t. Jett sighed and curled his hand into a fist. He longed to hit something, to punch a hole in the flimsy wood that made up the side of Ethan’s cabin they still hadn’t decided what they wanted to do with.

“You’re going to pace another canyon here if you don’t stop, not to mention wear yourself out before you even step into tangle with Kole.” Stetson said.

Jett stopped, having completely forgotten that Stetson was still guarding the shed. “What do you know about it?” He snapped, letting his temper get the better of him. “Your brother had to come hunt you down, and you did what, played Ethan’s lackey while trying to find a way to stab him in the back. You should have been there. You should have protected Colt from whatever he went through before finding you, finding his mates, because you don’t pick up skills like he has with patching up wounds or from what Tavo says interrogation by being an altar boy.” He stopped in front of Stetson, his chest heaving with repressed anger. Come on, he thought, give me just one reason to punch you in the face. You’re Colt’s brother. I’ll go easy. But you deserve at least one bruise for the hell you put your brother through.

Instead of trying to defend himself or talk Jett out of his anger, Stetson let his chin drop to his chest and bared the side of his neck in a show of submission. “I know.” The pain lacing his words cut Jett’s anger like a knife, leaving it to bleed out of his body. “I don’t…deserve…”

The air whooshed from Jett’s lungs. His cougar should be snarling, ready to rip out the offered throat and show Stetson who is boss. Instead, his beast sat on its haunches, watching, waiting not for retribution but to see how Stetson would make this right.

Jett sensed it then, shifter to shifter, the alpha lurking deep inside Stetson, chained tight, never to be let out. “Why?” He asked and whether it was in response to Stetson’s stuttering words, though he never did say what he didn’t deserve or the fact that he realized Stetson was chaining his alpha, he couldn’t have really answered. He just knew he needed to know the answer. To one question? To both of them? It didn’t matter so long as he got an answer.

This was his moment. He took a deep breath, reaching for his cougar, not to shift, but to draw some of its power. He didn’t know what alpha felt like; his father had controlled him with fists and words, not shifter energy. He knew what Deke’s alpha felt like. The wolf was strong, as if he could take over the world and protect his mates. He drew on the energy he sensed, the love he had for his mates, and there just enough compulsion that he reached for Stetson’s wolf and pushed just a little. “Why?” he asked again.

“Because I left to keep from outing Colt and getting him kicked out of the pack. I didn’t care about outing myself, and in the end it didn’t matter. He was kicked out anyway. Some big brother I proved to be. Couldn’t even have the courage to stay and protect him.”

Jett backed off his alpha. “Thank you. Have you told this to him?”

Stetson’s expression said it all.

“Look, I can’t force you. But I do know my mate loves you like the big brother you are. Shit is going to get tough around here if I have to take over the claw. Colt may need his big brother, and even if he doesn’t need him, I know he’d like to keep him around.” Jett turned to watch as if summoned by the conversation Colt came walking toward them.

“I’m going to talk to Kole, all right? You think about what I’ve said.”

“I will. Thank you for not killing me. You would have been well within your right.”

Jett clapped Stetson on the shoulder. “First off, that’s not my call to make. Second of all, it would have hurt my mate, and I won’t do anything that would hurt Colt or anyone he cares about. That includes you. Whether you like it or not, you’re part of the pack.” He released Stetson and jerked his head toward Colt. “Go talk to your brother. I’ve got this.”

And, Jett realized, he did. And he had an idea for how to handle the lone wolves once this mess was mopped up. One, that he suspected his mates would like.