Jason woke with Clyde’s face buried in his neck and the omega’s thigh draped over his side, Kade’s muscular arm stretched around them both. In those first few moments of being awake, it felt so right and perfect that he could imagine it always being this way. The three of them.

And then, reality set in. Clyde was no longer in heat. He could tell from the change in the omega’s scent. There was a damn good chance that he was pregnant, too. Jason had knotted him the night before, and come twice. Clyde was a healthy thirty-something omega, and if the night before was any indication, all systems were working as they were supposed to. The odds of their attempt at impregnating him being a success were damn near a hundred, and while that was what the plan had been, it also meant that the passion they’d shared was probably going to be a one-time thing.

He should have been relieved. He wasn’t.

Clyde sat up, rubbing his eyes. He was adorably unkempt in the morning, perfectly imperfect. Somehow, Jason had imagined that he was always the professional, polished agent he presented to the rest of the world. Realizing that there was more than one side of him was both endearing and troubling, because Jason knew he was starting to fall for the omega.

Hell, maybe he already had. He’d never responded the way he had that morning to anyone other than Kade. Sharing the omega, seeing him through the intensity of his heat and satisfying his every need in tandem with the other Alpha… it felt better than good. It felt right.

He just wasn’t going to let himself hope that Clyde felt that way, too. As harmless as he looked now with his bleary eyes and his messy hair, he was still a Tribunal agent. Still perfect to a fault.

“What time is it?” the omega asked, yawning.

“A little after five,” said Jason. The events of the day before were starting to come back, and he realized there was still much they had to discuss.

“I need to call work,” Clyde said suddenly, climbing out of bed. He pulled on the robe on the floor, tying the sash tight around his waist.

“Before you do that, there’s something you should know.”

Clyde looked up in confusion as Kade began to stir. The Alpha didn’t sleep much, but when he did, he slept like a rock.

“What is it?”

“Anthony put a search out for Mrs. Harold,” he murmured. “He’s trying to claim there’s DNA evidence that she was at the scene of the murder.”

“What?” Clyde cried. “That’s insane! How would Anthony even know about the test?”

“Something tells me your boss and he are on good terms.”

“Shit,” Clyde muttered. It was the first time Jason had heard him curse.

“Kade said you sent the report to Mountain Ridge, too, right? At least they can corroborate your story.”

“Maybe,” he agreed. “I’m friends with an Alpha on the same Council, so I’ll try to arrange a phone call with Winona Teak through him.”

“Don’t bother, I know Winona.”

Clyde stared blankly at him. “You do?”

“Alphas’ kids, remember? We went to the same college,” he snorted. “She hates the Tribunal as much as I do, so we get along. I’ll talk to her, see if there’s anything they can do.”

“We’re talking about treason,” said Clyde. “The Tribunal’s highest purpose is uncovering the truth, and if Steve has violated that, this is a scandal that’s going to shake the entire Federation. It would require a full-scale independent investigation, and the President of the Federation could shut it down.”

Jason listened, knowing Clyde was right. This was a hell of a lot bigger than any of them had bargained for, and if he did the right thing, which was to follow the corruption and prove Betty’s innocence, it would put him right back in the middle of the politics he’d fought so hard to escape.

But a promise was a promise, and a man was only as good as his word. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“How?” Clyde demanded. “What can you do? You’re not even part of the Federation!”

Jason clenched his jaw. He knew one person who would have a vested interest in proving high-level corruption, if only because it would open up a power vacuum that he could fill, but he also knew what the price would be if he asked for help.

“What’s wrong?” Kade asked, yawning.

“We were just discussing the case,” said Jason, reaching out to run his fingers over the stubble along his mate’s jaw before he stood. “Why don’t you both take it easy today? I’ve got some stuff to take care of out of town.”

“I’ll help, whatever it is,” said Kade, searching his face. Jason felt guilt for knowing he was the reason for his mate’s concern, but if he told Kade of his plan, he knew the other Alpha would try to stop him.

* * *

As Jason sat in the diner sitting on the edge of no-man’s land, humans who instinctively recognized that there was something off about the burly man at the table in the back wouldn’t stop gawking. When his father came in, an older yet equally formidable Alpha who appeared to be in his early sixties even though he was much older, they started staring even more.

It had been ten years since Jason had seen the man, nearly to the month, and yet all the old resentment and pain and love he’d never been able to shake came back at once. His father’s eyes met his as he stood a few feet away from the table.

“Jason,” he said in a professional, detached tone.

“Hi, dad. Have a seat.”

The older Alpha sat across from him, folding his weathered hands on the table. “Well, I’m here. For you to ask to arrange a meeting, it must be important.”

Jason set his jaw, reminding himself that this wasn’t personal. It was about the mission. “I have some intel you might find useful, and there’s something I need from you in return. Purely business.”

“Of course.” Beneath the bitterness in the older man’s tone, there was a hint of disappointment. Jason knew it well. Ever since he’d become his own man, he had inspired little other emotion in his father. “What is it?”

“Before I tell you, I need your word that this is confidential.” He knew if his father gave his word, it would be. That was the one way in which Jason had taken after him.

Leroy gave him a look. “I’ve never made any secret of the fact that I disapprove of your lifestyle and that little social experiment in anarchy you’ve created in the outlands,” he muttered. “But if I was out to get you, you would be facing far more troubles than you currently are.”

Jason knew there was some truth to that, even if he didn’t want to admit it. As the Vice President of the Federation, his father could have brought the forces of hell down on him the moment he turned on the Federation and started a pack of his own, but he hadn’t.

“I have proof that Steve Carson has committed treason.”

That got Leroy’s attention. “The head of the Tribunal?” He scoffed in disbelief. “Come now, Jason, after ten years, I would have thought you had something better than this. If you wanted to meet, you didn’t need to make up some excuse.”

“It’s not an excuse, it’s the truth. That missing omega did end up in Silver Rapids, as I’m sure you already figured.” The lack of surprise on his father’s face told him to continue. “I’m sure it won’t come as any great surprise that Betty’s mother didn’t kill Ocean Dyson any more than she did.”

“You always were taking in strays,” Leroy muttered. “Your mother warned you that they all carry disease and one day, you’d get bitten.”

“Be that as it may, Betty was innocent and so is her mother. When you’ve got a pack Alpha shifting blame from one innocent omega to another to cover up his brother’s murder, it makes sense to point fingers at the one doing all the lying.”

“Say Anthony did kill his brother. He’s a pack Alpha, and a powerful one at that. God knows Hiram is up his ass, hoping for his regional vote in the next election,” he muttered.

Jason had assumed as much, but knowing that the President of the Federation was as close to Anthony as Steve seemed to be was not the news he’d hoped for. It also meant that his father was their only chance at proving the scandal to be true. “Hiram isn’t the only friend Anthony has in high places. Like I said, I have proof that Steve misrepresented evidence that proves Anthony is the one who killed Ocean, and used it to frame Mrs. Harold.”

For the first time, Jason could tell his father was actually listening. “If what you say is true, this could change everything.”

“It is true,” said Jason. “And it’s also an opportunity for you to be rid of Hiram.”

The older man sat up straight, and Jason could tell he was only pretending to be offended by the insinuation. “If there is an abuse of power going on at such a high level, my constituents have the right to know.”

“Whatever you do with the information is your business,” said Jason. “I just need a high-level contact within the Federation who people won’t immediately dismiss as just trying to start shit.”

“That is something you’re known for,” he said dryly. “Tell me, how did you come by this information? You’re not one to get involved in Federation affairs if you can help it.”

“We took Betty Harold in when she asked for sanctuary. It escalated from there.”

Leroy sighed. “You know, you get that from your mother. That sense of justice.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

The other Alpha smirked. “I married her, didn’t I?” He tilted his head, watching Jason closely. Jason had taken three showers before leaving, but he was sure for a moment that Leroy could detect Clyde’s scent on him. Instead, his voice grew stiff as he asked, “How is Kade?”

“He’s doing well,” Jason said, surprised he was asking at all. For a long time, despite the fact that the family had initially welcomed Kade with open arms, they had simply pretended like he didn’t exist. “We’re preparing to start a family.”

He wasn’t sure what possessed him to share that information, but his father seemed just as shocked. “I see. Adoption?”

“We found a surrogate.” No need for him to get his hopes up and think that he’d finally taken an omega, even if it wasn’t exactly a conventional arrangement.

“Well. Congratulations.” The older Alpha’s words were strained, but Jason could tell it was genuine. “I’ll tell your mother.”

“That’s it? No crack about how two Alphas aren’t fit parents?”

Leroy frowned. He didn’t respond right away, and Jason could tell he was choosing his words carefully. “It’s been ten years. I won’t lie and say that I’d hoped you would change your mind, but it’s clear at this point that isn’t going to happen. We still don’t understand, but your mother and I aren’t sure that the way we’ve handled things was the best, either.”

“What are you saying?” Jason asked, afraid to let himself read any hope into the man’s words. He hated himself for still wishing things were different. For not having been able to move on the way he wanted to believe he had.

“I —“ Leroy broke off, and an all too familiar look of stubbornness came over his face. Maybe Jason had inherited that, too. “I’ll help you,” he said, clearing his throat. “Assuming this evidence of yours proves legitimate.”

“You can find it at Mountain Ridge. Don’t take my word for it.”

“There is something I would like in return.”

Jason laughed. “Of course there is.”

“If this goes where I think it’s headed, Hiram will have no choice but to step down. He’s too involved with Steve, and the fact that this degree of corruption in the Tribunal was allowed under his watch will not bode well for him, even if he isn’t directly involved in the scandal.”

“Looks like you have all the talking points you’ll need for your special election campaign, then.”

“It’s not a guarantee that I’ll win. The biggest thing I have working against me is the fact that my own son is in control of a pack that flaunts Federation law at every turn,” he said in a tone of clear distaste.

“I’m not moving back home if you become president, dad,” Jason said firmly. “I run my own pack now, and you made it very clear that there’s no room for people like me and Kade in your territory.”

Leroy clenched his jaw and Jason could tell the words had hit their mark. “I have accepted that Kade is your mate,” he said, even though the words clearly took great effort to voice. “But I cannot accept that my grandchild is going to grow up in a pack of outlaws, entirely without the protection of Federation authority. What if the Alliance decides they want to take over? That they’d love an outpost near Federation lands?”

“Then I’ll fight them.”

“Be reasonable, Jason. You’re strong and you have accomplished more than your mother and I gave you credit for,” he said, his tone softening. “Underestimating you was our mistake, but that doesn’t mean you’re immortal. It doesn’t mean you have to keep living on the fringes of society. This world is a different place. People change.” He swallowed hard. “I’ve…changed.”

Jason had never imagined he would hear those words from his father. Then again, he’d never imagined he would hear the man openly acknowledge Kade as his mate, either. “I’m not giving up pack sovereignty,” he said firmly. “There are too many people who depend on us, and maybe you’ll be able to clean up the Federation’s act so people like them don’t have a reason to run in the future, but until then, Silver Rapids is necessary.”

“I’m not saying you have to join the regional Council,” Leroy muttered. “Just come to the table and we’ll talk it through. That’s all I’m asking.”

Jason hesitated. At one point, the idea of talking about anything with his father man to man would have been too much for his ego to handle. But this wasn’t just about him anymore, and holding onto his old grudge wasn’t as important as securing a better future for his mate and his pack. For his family. “Fine,” he gritted out. “Do your part and I’ll do mine.”

Leroy offered his hand and Jason hesitated a second before shaking it. “You have my word.”

That was good enough for Jason. It had to be.