*Three years earlier continued*The large black wolf skirts the edge of the summer pack, just as he is about to head to the main entrance to be allowed in by the border patrol, he has a strange feeling down his spine.He has been to the summer pack many times before. Technically, the alpha, Valen, is his uncle. He is a couple of times removed but they all like to play on it. At one time, in Jaxson’s great-great grandfather's time, this was all one pack. The seasons pack, Jaxson’s great-great grandfather had four sons, which was incredibly rare for an alpha. The sons were very close in age, one set of twins and two separate on either side. The season's pack was incredibly large, to the point where it was nearly too difficult to protect the borders. All the sons were very similar in abilities, which made it hard for him to choose who was going to take the pack.The only logical solution was to split the pack into four smaller pieces and allow each of his sons to have a pack of their own.
Driving up to the summer pack has much the same feeling as that first time he re-entered it all those years ago and found out the depth of the betrayal. The people that he thought would be there for him, the ones that he considered family. The ones he considered good people. He thought it was bad then. But the more he learned, the more he thought about it, the worse it became. Jaxson's hands move without him releasing his grip in the slightest, the cheap plastic steering wheel making a sort of screeching sound under his hands. Alaska finally looks up from the radio and places a soft hand over his. "It is all going to be fine" Jaxson is like this every single time. It is like that same feeling of dread and clarity washes over him and then every time he has to swallow down all those intense feelings and smile at the scheming bastards that caused him to lose so much, the ones he actually went to as a savior were the ones that took it all away.He believed that this trip would help, b
Alaska just puts one sandal-clad foot in front of the other on the bitumen-paved driveway. Her hand brushes against Jax's large hand, grounding her just that little bit as hatred washes over her, it's so thick and fast. Sometimes it's a little harder to swallow down than others, but she manages to push it all into the pit of her stomach and put on her token fake smile. Back before all this, she didn't even know that a fake smile was a real thing she didn't understand what someone would even use such a thing for. She spent so much of her time smiling and having fun. No matter the workload or what life threw at her, she could still smile happily. Now it has just become a piece of her mask, a necessary item, better than any makeup at hiding the true feelings inside. A smile can hide a million truths. It is as necessary mask in her workplace as it is here. She looks up at the one dark-haired man who stands between his four golden blonde sons. There is no doubt that all five of them are
Valen smiles as the sweet girl kisses his cheek. She is skinnier now, but that is the only real difference he notices, maybe a little bit more hollow in the eyes, they just don't have the same glitter they once had, but that is to be expected. It is impossible for such an innocence to survive in such conditions.Everything is crushed, the beautiful flower is wilted.He feels silly for even suspecting them. It isn’t even like it is two together, it is one male and a weak female that, even though she could’ve had the talent and the bloodline to step forward and take her birthright, she chose to sit back and watch her mate claim the glory.She was pathetic then and while it is admirable that she pulled herself together to this point, expecting her to come out of those depths with anything more than a basic need to survive is overreaching. She couldn't take the title then and now she is the same, happy to sit back and let others lead while she hangs on for dear life desperatly trying not t
As soon as they return home, Alaska disappears into her room and Jaxson is left to sit on the sofa alone. She didn’t speak anymore on the drive or subsequent run back to the warehouse. They didn’t feel as if they were followed, but they will never take a such chances always making sure to cover their tracks. They have tried to keep everything hidden within the space, but if the warehouse was found, the rest would unravel quickly.Jaxson has the television on, playing some series that fails to spark his interest enough to allow him to focus on anything other than Alaska’s closed door. He craves to hear her voice, to feel her touch. He knows that the whole experience hurt her, but right now it feels like it hurt him a whole lot more. The word friend still bouncing around his head telling him everything he already knows but cutting him to pieces at the same time.Hours move slowly by but still a closed door separates the pair. He is in no mood to workout. He looks briefly at the kitchen t
Jax grits his teeth, he wishes he had her confidence, he would like to take the cowards way out on this one, but he knows that he would never talk her into such a thing unless they have at least tried. The more he has thought about it and just witnessing the five today, he saw Valen’s suspicion fade throughout the visit, but he knows that is only fleeting, he knows that at least one of his cousins would rather just eliminate them.Every word he said is true, it is only a matter of time and they cannot live indefinitely with a dagger hanging over their heads."I hope you are right"Alaska nods as she looks down at her phone. She was not expecting this to be so easy, this is a big hurdle passed. But from now, it only gets harder. Her fingers move swiftly across the screen of her phone. Words that she never thought that she would write to another man come out as forced as she expected they would. Seeking justice for Torin by seemingly betraying him in such a way is torturous. After a few
Alaska only manages to just swallow back her laugh as she subtly elbows him in the ribs, all the tension leaving her body with his self-assured words are said in such a natural way. Jaxson keeps his arm around her for the whole rest of the night and Alaska is amazed at how comfortable it feels. They have always been close and he has done things a whole lot more personal than this, but that was more in a caring role to now actually acting as if they are really in a relationship. That dynamic is so different.It is strange but somehow not completely repulsive.Jaxson and Alaska laugh as they exit the building, even though her metabolism easily works off the alcohol. For the first time in a long time she is feeling relaxed. She jumps on Jax’s back and he naturally catches her legs, her black stiletto shoes dangling from one hand which are crossed around his neck."Who would have thought I managed to miss the fact that I have been dating someone for three years, according to my colleagues"
It has been an entire week of back and forth, Alaska seeming a little more open to possibilities with each round of text exchanges. Hayden is persistent, she has to give him that, but that was what she has been counting on. It doesn't change her opinion of him and the whole thing is far from noble, considering he has probably had a different girl each night in his bed on every single day of the week. Alaska just takes this as his new hobby. Every time she has to say something a little more suggestive than the last, her level of disgust grows, but she is surprised how quickly she can fall back into the habit of knowing how to flirt even if this feels a whole lot more unnatural.Yet the knowledge on how to do it doesn't save her from the replusion of it all.Torin had been in her life for as long as she can remember, her first with everything. They were young and learned a lot from each other, but she never missed that flirting stage. Torin never once wanted her to miss out on any of tha
Alaska doesn't stop to revel in her victory, nor does she even pause for a moment to celebrate her accomplishment. As she looks down at the back of the blonde head, his face is pressed unceremoniously into the muddy ground. It is another face marked off the list. Taking five down to two, making it a much more even fight. Eradicating more than half of their force.It is a momentous occasion, but there is a lot more to the plan than the actual murder. The escape is much more important, barely half the job is done.Instead of drawing attention to herself, she moves just as stealthily through the crowd as she did before. The time between arrival and departure is barely a minute and the toll is catastrophic. Cohen would never imagine that he would be taken down so easily in the same way that Arden never suspects that such things are happening behind his back.Alaska looks from Cohen to Jaxson. Jaxson played his part far better than she thought possible, he is in a position that she never w
Mila thought she was cold before, but now her extremities are frozen to the point of pain, like they're about to drop from her body. She takes a deep shuddering breath in, taking as much oxygen as she can around her constricted throat, but it isn't enough to calm her or even sustain her. Her lungs hurt. Her eyes which were worried now carry with them a desperation, she can't look anywhere but Jax. If Arden had said such words the day before she might have believed he was joking, but the sinister way in which he hissed it, she can feel death closing in. Jax is not reacting and while Arden whispers the words to her, Jax is close enough that he should be able to hear and if Mila even knew a fraction of the strength he actually possesses, she would know that he heard every word. He doesn't react because it is all within expectation. If Arden said something else then his face might show a hint of surprise. His blue eyes hold neither shock nor worry or sadness. There is a vague sort of lo
As soon as the words drop, the crowd closes in around them, making a full circle around the feuding parties. It isn't just Jaxson and Alaska's appearance that is drawing all the interest; it is also the mention of the packs Alpha. The alpha, which has been noticeably missing through all of this, while Draven is hard to relate to and is as cold as ice, a pack needs an alpha to run smoothly, and he has never done anything bad. He gets the work done and runs the pack smoothly. While there are no friendships or sense of community like there was before, most have become accustomed to the new way in these years.While Arden didn't let too much information go, some of the members, mostly the really well-trained ones, have been picking up the anomaly in the pack. Even without the leadership blood value, it is impossible for a strong wolf not to feel the emptiness in the air and have that same feeling that the alpha bloods are now fighting off of wanting to claim the pack. While there hasn’t b
Cohen looks at Arden gritting his teeth. If those two have nothing to do with it, then they are going to be the ones that look like fools. It is not just their father who they are worried about making a humiliating spectacle in front of if they have got it wrong. They have managed to make a production already and nothing has even been said. If they are wrong, and they are fishing for information that is not even there, then they risk a fracture with the pack members which might be hard to recover from. The good guy act might be broken.The Autumn pack seemed like the logical place to hold such a meeting because they found the information here. It seemed like the best choice for rubbing salt in the wound and having them on the backfoot, making them attend what was once their birthright. But some loyalties run deep. There is every chance that some members of the pack will be easily swayed to that side which is something they have avoided for all these years. If they are over the top in
Jaxson takes a deep breath in, letting the unseasonably cold air fill his lungs as they stand on the very line of the autumn pack border. The place he has avoided for these whole three years. The air does nothing to calm him, so he reaches out and touches Alaska’s hand. Her skin is slippery and ice-cold, it doesn’t have the same softness or warmth that it usually holds, but it doesn’t make him recoil, instead he just holds it tighter.The walk cannot be blamed for this level of saturation, they were drenched from the second they walked out the door of the cabin. So the duration matters little. The actual walk to the pack took a long time. The heavy layer of dark cloud makes it impossible to gauge the exact moment of sundown, but they know they still have time. They took a roundabout route in an effort to cover tracks was as necessary as it was a delay tactic. Even though they never had the thought to shy away from their own actions or to cower in the face of the Barrow’s even one more
Outside the study, Jaxson's name seems to carry and Mila’s ears prick up, but she can hear nothing else of the conversation. Once again, within this pack, she's just shoved in a corner after being torn from the uncomfortable confines of the car. This time, very obviously guarded and while Arden tried to pass it off as protection within an unfamiliar pack, it seems much more like being locked down and that is a far too familiar feeling for her. She is in a bad spot. If this ends and she has to go back home without Arden, things are going to be hard for her, but it is increasingly appearing like things are going to be hard for her here. All she can do is wait it out.Trip is nervous to say the wrong thing. He had very little details from Draven. He just made the calls and followed orders trying to guess what is in his alpha's mind is near impossible. "I think after getting his first clue about Hayden's disappearance from Alaska, and then I guess he spotted the same trend as you, I thin
"You’re in?"Trip’s voice finally, after the day from hell, has a slight hint of excitement as he leans over the shoulder of his hacker contact, leaning far closer to the fully grown man than he usually would, invading the man’s personal space to the maximum in his desperation.He doesn’t even exit the room to meet the occupant of the next high-powered sports car which roars into the pack before the first one has even left, knowing that it can only be another member of the Barrow family and knowing whoever it is will come straight to him and just glad that, at the very least, he has this. He has never really felt like a failure as a beta, but the fact that he wasn’t even the first to notice his alpha's disappearance plays on his conscious and then giving Cohen nothing after a night of investigating just made it all compound."I am in"Trip sighs in relief as he hears the two sets of heavy footsteps moving toward the office with haste. The door isn’t even knocked upon before it is push
Before they were only working off a strange feeling. Now it is much more, there is a sense of urgency that wasn't there before. Cohen feels stupid for wasting so much time coming here, but maybe he needed this to even be able to understand it. Arden glances back at the still open door of the pack house."Is it time to bring dad in now?"Cohen rubs his chin, their father is wise and has contacts that they might not have access to otherwise, he might even know far more than they do. But it is time for them to start doing things on their own and if they are wrong about this and have blown everything out of proportion, won’t they come out looking like the stupid ones? If the two truly are hiding and trying to fuck with them, wouldn't they then be implicated in the stupidity?"There is no need to cause him unnecessary worry until we know more"While the sons don’t know much about a father's love except for what was shown to the world, their father is much the same as them, there has to be
"Cohen has just crossed the border on the western side…" Valen announces to Arden, who has only just arrived in his office. While Hayden is technically the alpha of the summer pack, Valen still has his own space, and it is much the same as the alpha office, as prominent location and as luxurious decoration, because truth be told, he does as much for the summer pack, if not more than his son, who holds the title, they veil it as he is running operations under the guise of the seasons pack, but his workload seems to be more than when he was alpha and most of it is from the summer pack, until the undertaking his adult sons were shouldering most of the burden of the running of the pack while he was scheming in the background, and he had taken a step back from running the pack even when he still officially held the title, now they have their own packs which they are taking from strength to strength while the summer pack is now the one lagging behind, and it was always the mightiest of the