Elias strode toward him and Reece. “Are you okay?”
Sage nodded. He didn’t want to talk in front of all these other werewolves.
“You were supposed to be far away from here right about now.”
Sage shrugged and wished Reece was in human form too. He hated having to face their uncle alone. “We couldn’t let you do this by yourself.” His gaze went to the man he knew was in charge. There was no mistaking the power emanating from him. “We’re a family. A pack.”
Elias wanted to throw his head back and howl. This was a clusterfuck of massive proportions. He wanted to shake both Sage and Reece for disobeying him even as a part of him was proud of the two of them. It had taken courage to disobey his orders and follow him straight into danger. They didn’t lack bravery, what they did lack was discretion and self-preservation. Like most boys their age, they didn’t always stop and consider the consequences of their actions.
Jacque strode forward. “These are your nephews?”
Elias stepped between both boys. He wanted to hug them both in reassurance, but kept his hands free in case he needed to fight. “This is Sage.” He nodded at his nephew. “And that’s Reece.” He put his hand on the top of Reece’s head. He was standing, not sitting, practically vibrating with fear.
Jacque looked at Reece. “Shift.”
Elias had to give his nephew credit, he looked up and waited until Elias gave him a nod before shifting. Reece’s bones snapped and fur began to recede. The boy pushed to his feet, standing tall and proud.
Sage fumbled in his knapsack and handed his brother some clothing. Reece said nothing as he pulled on a pair of jeans and a tank top.
The alpha looked from one boy to the other. “You weren’t lying, were you? They’re carbon copies of one another.”
“Only in looks,” Elias felt compelled to point out. Each boy was unique.
Jacque turned his attention to Sage. “You can’t shift?”
Sage shook his head. “No, sir.”
Elias wanted to punch Jacque in the face for asking such a question. Sage was already insecure as it was.
Armand stepped over to his alpha, getting Jacque’s attention. “There’s not much to find, but what little I have found supports Elias’s story.”
The alpha rubbed his hand over his jaw. “Not sure where we go from here. I wasn’t expecting all three of you at this meeting.”
“I think it’s time we left.” Elias was through trying to prove himself and the truth of their situation to the alpha. He either believed their story or he didn’t. Maybe he and the boys were better off on their own.
Jacque started to speak but suddenly snapped his head around. “It’s not that easy anymore.” The alpha sighed and held out his hand. “You might as well come on out.” He turned back to Elias and the twins. “You make one wrong move toward her and you’re all dead.”
A woman with blond hair and kind eyes stepped out from behind a tree. “I wondered where you’d all gone.” She smiled at the alpha in spite of his ferocious scowl. The woman showed no fear of him. That was a good sign as far as Elias was concerned.
“I thought you were writing.” He pulled her close to his side and she rested easily there as though she’d done it a hundred times before.
“I was, but it was too quiet. I got curious.” She wrinkled her nose at him. “You really didn’t expect me not to be, did you?”
Jacque shook his head. “This is Gwen. My mate,” he added.
Elias nodded to the woman. “Ma’am.”
She laughed. “Now that makes me feel old. Call me Gwen.”
Elias looked to the alpha and got his nod of approval first. “Gwen, these are my nephews, Sage and Reece.”
“Nice to meet you.” She patted her mate’s stomach. “Wouldn’t we all be more comfortable back at the house?”
“Gwen.” Exasperation and a hint of anger tinged his voice.
“You really don’t think I’m the only one who is curious, do you?” When Jacque swore, Gwen nodded. “I convinced them to wait at the house, but I don’t know how long that will last.”
“Looks like we’re all going to the house.” Jacque turned and ushered his mate back toward their home.
Elias wasn’t quite sure what to think. There was no denying the power of the alpha. He looked and moved like a fighter. All the wolves here did. Yet he gave in to his mate’s request without so much as batting an eye. Everett had been the same way with Marcie.
“Be on your best behavior,” he warned the boys as they followed. They were still surrounded by a group of werewolves, and about to enter their home and meet even more. The women could be just as ferocious as the males, even more so if they felt their homes or families were in danger.
“I’m sorry, Uncle Elias,” Reece said. “We couldn’t let you do this alone.”
They were both so worried. And they had every right to be, but because of the situation, not because he was mad with them. He wrapped his arms around them both and gave their shoulders a squeeze of reassurance. “I know, buddy. I know you both meant well.”
The log home that came into view was a thing of beauty. It was simple and blended nicely with the surroundings. His builder’s soul appreciated the workmanship.
“Wow,” Sage muttered.
Gwen turned her head and smiled. “Glad you like it.” She winked at the boy before turning back around.
Elias hated having so many unknown wolves at his back, but there was no choice. He kept his nephews slightly in front of him as they mounted the couple of stairs to the porch. The door was open and a slender woman with long brown hair stood next to it.
Armand went straight toward her and moved her inside before Elias got close. These men were very protective of their mates. That could be a good sign or it could be bad. Depended on if they were so protective they didn’t want any outsiders around.
The living room flowed into the dining and kitchen area. Three large sofas were clustered around a fireplace, with two oversized chairs flanking it. It was probably very cozy in the winter. Since it was late summer, the hearth was cold and empty. A rustic wooden coffee table sat in the center between the sofas.
Jacque motioned to Elias and he pulled the boys over to sit on the couch closest to the door. The rest of the men filed into the room. Several of them were buttoning and zipping jeans. All of them were now in human form.
“Okay, let’s get the introductions over.” Jacque seated his mate in one of the chairs. “You’ve met Gwen.” The woman reached up and patted his hand.
Jacque held out his free hand and an older woman came toward him. He released his mate and seated her in the other chair. “This is Elise LaForge. My mama.”
Elias inclined his head. “Ma’am.” Both boys simply nodded. He had a feeling they were overwhelmed by everything that was happening. They’d never been around so many of their kind before.
“My brother, Louis.” The alpha pointed at a tall, quiet man who looked a lot like him. “His mate, Gray.” The woman standing beside Louis waved.
“Cole, his mate, Cherise, and his parents Joseph and Corrine.” Jacque didn’t wait for Elias to acknowledge them but kept going. “Gator and his mate, Sylvie.”
Elias nodded to the man with the tattoos and the slender, dark-haired woman beside him.
“And you’ve met Armand.” Jacque motioned to the man with the scars on his face. “And that’s his mate, Anny Conrad.”
“Anny Conrad,” he repeated, sure he must have misheard. “The same Anny Conrad who was attacked by a wolf and then supposedly left town?”
Armand tensed and another of the wolves growled. Anny’s welcoming smile faded.
Elias thought about Sue struggling all alone with her friend so close by. “Sue’s friend?”
“How do you know Sue?” the woman demanded. “If you’ve hurt her—” Anny
began but broke off when her mate gave her shoulder a squeeze.
It was then Elias understood. Anny had left her friend behind, not because she didn’t care, but because she did. Hell, hadn’t he decided he’d have to stay away from her for the same damn reason. He couldn’t condemn the woman for doing what he’d planned to.
“We had lunch with her yesterday,” Sage piped up. “She makes awesome oatmeal cookies.”
Anny still looked confused but she smiled at Sage. “I gave her my recipe.”
Elias wanted to pace but managed to stay put. “The first night we were camping, my nephews wandered off to explore and came upon her son by the stream.”
Anny frowned. “Billy is too young to be wandering around on his own.”
“He is. Which is why his mother came racing through the woods a few seconds later. Seems my nephews weren’t the only ones to wander off.” He addressed Jacque. Just because this pack seemed different didn’t mean he could simply forget protocol. And that meant speaking directly to the alpha while he finished his explanation.
“Reece was in wolf form and Billy liked the doggy.” Elias grinned when Reece winced and then shrugged.
Anny actually smiled. “Oh my.”
“Yeah. So there we all were. Sue took pity on my nephew and offered us cookies and something to drink. The next day, we went fishing and took her some trout to repay her.”
“And to hopefully get more cookies,” Sage added.
Jacque sighed and motioned to the badass with the tattoos. “This is obviously going to take a while. We could all use some coffee and food.”
“I’m on it.” Gator disappeared into the kitchen.
Jacque must have seen Elias’s surprised expression because he grinned. “Don’t let his appearance fool you. Gator is one hell of a cook.” Then he focused on the twins, all signs of good nature gone.
Elias gave a low warning growl.
“Relax,” Gwen told him. “No one here will hurt your nephews.”
Jacque didn’t confirm his mate’s statement so Elias stayed on guard.
“I assume you have a vehicle,” the alpha began.
“Shit.” Elias turned to the boys. “Where did you leave it?”
Sage pulled the keys out of his pocket and held them out. “Down the road about a mile toward town.”
“Give ’em here,” Louis ordered.
Sage checked with Elias before tossing the keys to Louis, who snagged them out of the air. “I won’t be long.”
“Be careful,” Jacque warned his brother.
“You have nothing to fear from us,” Elias told the alpha. “There’s only the three of us.”
Jacque nodded, but Elias knew the alpha wasn’t going to take his word for anything. Good enough. Elias wasn’t sure he was ready to take the alpha at his word either. But they were all still alive. That was a beginning.
Chapter Twelve
Jacque wasn’t quite sure what to make of Elias Gallagher and his nephews. Everything about them rang true. The younger half-breeds looked to Elias, treating him like their alpha. He still couldn’t believe that one of them could actually shift.
He glanced at Gwen and barely suppressed a sigh. If he weren’t careful, his mate would have the boys and their uncle moved in by the end of the day. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel for them, didn’t want to help, but taking in another fully-grown male werewolf came with problems.
Jacque was alpha here and wasn’t about to cede his position to anyone. The rest of the pack didn’t want the job, but Elias might. Their pack didn’t work the way normal packs did. They discussed things as a group, but ultimately, the decision was Jacque’s.
He wasn’t about to bring more bloodshed and bullshit pack politics into the community they were building here.
“I’m sorry about your parents.” Not surprising, it was Cherise who offered her condolences to the twins. She’d lost both her parents, her father when she was a bit younger than Sage and Reece.
Both boys mumbled their thanks. They were obviously uncomfortable. Jacque imagined they’d never been around other werewolves before. They were both tall and strong young men and weren’t finished growing yet. He could see the resemblance to their uncle and figured they took more after their father than their mother with their brown hair and build. But their blue eyes were probably a gift from the woman who’d birthed them. A half-breed female giving birth to twins. He still couldn’t wrap his head around that one.
He’d seen the flash of hope in his brother’s eyes. Knew Louis was thinking about him and Gray. As a half-breed, Gray had resigned herself to never having children. These boys were proof it was possible.
Heck, they even gave hope to Cole and Cherise. Cherish was fully werewolf but couldn’t shift and feared she might pass on her affliction to any offspring she might have. Reece was proof that might not be the case.
Elias was watching him watch the twins. Jacque had no doubt that if he made one wrong move toward either boy, he’d be facing one pissed-off, viscous full-blooded werewolf.
Good. He liked that the man had protective instincts. It spoke well of him.
Most humans would have trouble telling the boys apart, but that wasn’t as much of a problem for werewolves. There was a slight difference in their scent, but even that was remarkably similar. It might actually fool some shifters.
“Where are you originally from?” he asked Elias.
“Alaska. Denali Pack.”
Jacque released a low whistle. “Tough pack.”
Elias nodded. “Yeah. When my brother met Marcie in Anchorage, he knew the old man wouldn’t accept her, so we left.”
“You left with your brother?” Louis had done the same for him. Jacque’s respect for Elias grew. “Why?”
Elias shrugged. “He deserved a shot at happiness, and Rasmus Gallagher wouldn’t accept anything less than a full-blooded female for his son.”
“Shit. You’re the alpha’s son, aren’t you?” Their stories were so similar it made Jacque suspicious.
Elias nodded. “Yeah.” He canted his head toward his nephews. “But he’d kill them before he’d accept them. And I can’t let that happen.”
This was a huge mess. It was one thing to take in the boys. Another to accept a man who might have been alpha of a large pack if he hadn’t left home.
“I don’t want to be alpha,” Elias bluntly stated. “I know you have to be thinking about that. If I wanted to be alpha, I could have stayed home. I didn’t.”
“Why?” Jacque was glad that, for once, the members of his pack were staying silent and letting him do the talking. They’d discuss things among themselves, but right now, they were letting Elias know that Jacque was the alpha. He appreciated the support.
“Let’s just say I didn’t like the way things were being run.”
Once again, their stories seemed to run a parallel course. If Jacque was the suspicious kind, and he was, he might think this was a setup, a way to get someone inside their pack in order to study their weaknesses and strengths.
Gator carried a tray into the living room and set it on the coffee table. Sylvie followed close behind him with another one. Jacque noted the way Gator made sure that he was always between his mate and Elias. No, the male members of his pack didn’t trust these three any more than he did.
“Help yourself,” he told them. The boys eagerly reached for the two tall glasses of milk on the tray, as well as several chocolate chip cookies each. Jacque barely suppressed a grin. He remembered being that age. They were bottomless pits, always hungry.
Elias waited until the women had coffee before taking one of the mugs. He didn’t bother with cream or sugar, drinking it black.
Jacque turned his attention to Sage. “Tell me about yourself?” he ordered.
Elias bristled but held his tongue. Sage swallowed the cookie he was chewing and
had a mouthful of milk to wash it down. “What do you want to know?” the boy countered. He was suspicious, like his uncle. It came naturally to him, which meant he was used to keeping secrets, which he would have had to do if their story was true.
“Whatever you want to tell me.” Jacque leaned against the fireplace mantle and waited.
Sage glanced at his brother and then shrugged. “We turn eighteen next month and just finished our last year in high school.”
“I didn’t ask about the two of you,” Jacque corrected. “I asked about you.” He could see the boy wasn’t used to thinking about himself singularly but as part of a pair. That would make his brother’s ability to shift even more difficult if he didn’t find out who he was as a man.
Sage seemed a little bewildered. “Ah, I like to read and I like computers.” He looked to his uncle for guidance, but Elias remained inscrutable. The boy glanced down at the floor. “I’m not sure what else you want to know.” He raised his eyes and met Jacque’s gaze.
Good, the boy showed courage and promise.
“What kind of books do you like to read?” Anny asked, her voice gentle and calm. As a former librarian and avid reader, it didn’t surprise Jacque that she was the one to ask that question.
“Science fiction and fantasy mostly. But I’ll read just about anything if it’s interesting. Video games are fun too,” he added. When he looked back at Jacque, he shrugged. “That’s about it. I’d planned on college but things happened.”
Things being the death of his parents. Jacque noted the pain in Elias’s eyes and knew he felt responsible for the boy not heading off to college. Their world was an insular one, sometimes dangerous and always secretive. It would have been difficult for Sage to deal with college, along with his hormones. He might not be able to shift, but he was dealing with becoming a fully-grown half-breed werewolf.
That presented its own challenges. The boy would be dealing with growing aggression, the need to dominate in certain situations, along with his fascination with the fairer sex. Add liquor and frat parties and college was a disaster waiting to happen.
Wolf on a Mission: Salvation Pack, Book 6 Page 11
