Chapter 8
was joined by his Beta, Logan in his office to go over the weekly update on how Jacque was healing. It had been four weeks since the accident and finally Logan had some good news to pass on.
"Jacque has awoken from her coma," Logan informed him.
"Do you know anything else about her well-being or just that she is awake?" Dillon's voice was gruff with emotion despite the wreck having been a month ago.
"From what I can gather she is healing rapidly, nearly as well as a full blooded wolf."
Dillon couldn't help thinking for the thousandth time how Fane could have left her, or any of them for that matter, completely vulnerable especially after the challenge he had taken part in. Then a thought that he kept coming back to occurred to him again. He spun around, glaring at Logan. “You were there, why didn’t you help her?”
“I was going to, Alpha, but Fane got there so quickly and he would have known what I was had I revealed myself. I realize now Jacque’s safety should have been my first priority, not my cover,” Logan told him, eyes down, neck exposed in submission
Dillon appreciated the gesture as he was hanging on to his wolf by a thread and any defiance on Logan’s part would surely forfeit his life.
“I was going to stay out of this. I was going to trust Lilly to know what was best for our daughter, but these past weeks the more I go over it in my head, I just can't, not now. Jacque could have been killed and all because her supposed mate, who is little more than a kid, didn’t protect her as is his responsibility.” Dillon knew in the rational part of his brain that maybe he was being too hard on Fane, but he couldn’t help it, that was his daughter, and had she died he would never have had the opportunity to know her. That was unacceptable in his book. Jacque was still a minor, he could invoke his rights as her Alpha, that he take her under his care until she was an adult. Lilly would probably hate him for it but she would eventually see that it was better for Jacque this way. She was too young to mate, and worse, Fane was too young to be her mate. He didn’t understand what it meant to be a mate, the responsibility that came with it.
Dillon turned to look at Logan. “You said there were four wolves besides Vasile and his son?”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“Get the pack's first four, with you and myself that will make six. We will be walking in with an even number of wolves so as not to appear like I am challenging Vasile, but enough to show that I have support. Also have Colin charter a private plane, I want to get there as soon as possible.”
Colin was Dillon’s assistant, for lack of a better word, and took care of any pack business and acted as a liaison to other packs. Because of his Omega status, he wasn’t considered a threat or a challenge to other packs, nor was he a submissive which would allow other packs to walk on him.
Logan nodded at his Alpha’s request and turned to go.
“We leave in an hour,” Dillon told his retreating back.
His plan could not be working out any better, Logan thought to himself. Although he hadn’t wanted Jacque to get hurt, how was he supposed to know that a simple blown tire would cause the car to roll, and then catch fire? Logan’s heart had been in his throat when he had watched Jacque’s still form being pulled from the burning SUV. He had nearly rushed forward to help but he had picked up the sound of the other wolves' vehicles and had gotten in his car and driven across the median to the opposite highway. He had been driving the opposite direction as Fane and his family. They'd never even looked his direction, their eyes only on the wreckage. Logan had thought that over the past few weeks Dillon's anger would abate, but much to his dislike it had only increased.
Dillon walked into the pack defense room where he knew the 4 top members of the pack would be this time of day. Each was in various states of cleaning their assigned weapons and monitoring the parameter of the mansion on the various TV screens that were wired to the cameras all around the grounds. It seemed like an archaic thing to do as they had not had another pack attempt to challenge them on their territory in over a century. Old habits die hard, and as Dillon told them you can never be too prepared.
“Lee, Phillip, Dalton and Aidan, I need you with me. Assemble your weapons. At this point you will not carry them on your person, but I want them available in case they are needed. Go pack enough clothes for three days' time and then meet me and the Alpha in the main garage. I will explain what is going on while we are en route to our destination. Move out.” Without a word the 4 wolves assembled their weapons and then left the room to comply with their Beta’s instructions. Logan always felt a sense of pride when the pack obeyed without question, it was a sign of trust, trust that he was going to have to betray. Better not to think of that now, he told himself, just do what needs to be done, ask for forgiveness later.
Dillon stood in the main garage, waiting on his pack to join him. He was trying to be calm knowing that the pack would feel what he felt, he didn’t want them to have to shoulder his burdens. It was his job as Alpha to protect them from unnecessary stress, but this was a situation that he had never dealt with before, and for the first time he didn’t really know how to handle it. He called on his wolf, knowing that he would be less emotional and more practical; he would do what needed to be done. Dillon could worry about the emotions when the situation was under control. Logan had just shown up and right behind him were his top four pack members, all dressed in black fatigues.
“Have you briefed them on the situation yet?” Dillon asked Logan.
“No, Alpha. I figured I could do that en route.”
Dillon nodded his head in agreement. “Alright, let's load up into the Hummer. Phillip, you drive.”
Once on the road, Logan began to fill the wolves in on the situation in Coldspring.
“It is imperative at this point that this information stay within this group. Dillon will be the one to decide when the rest of the pack will know,” Logan told them.
Dillon spoke up then. “It may make you all uncomfortable since she is your Alpha as well, but I have chosen at this time not to disclose this to my mate. Speaking of, excuse me from the conversation for one moment, I need to inform her that I will be gone for a few days.” He said no more on the topic.
Logan heard Dillon tell Tanya that he was taking a business trip to discuss pack relations and ways to improve pack communications and that he would be meeting with some of the Texas packs. She didn’t question him and once again Logan noted the simple trust, trust that was being broken even as the Alpha spoke to his mate. It was for the best, Logan decided, and just like he needed to take matters into his hands regarding Jacque, Dillon had to make the difficult decision of dealing with this situation without the added stress of his mate’s emotions. Once the situation was contained, then Dillon could sit down with Tanya and explain things. Logan would be sure to be busy when that conversation took place. Tanya was hot-headed, and more often than not spoke before she thought. It was going to be a volatile mess when it came time to explain things to her. Yea, good luck with that, Alpha, he thought to himself.
“So the plan at this point,” Dillon began after he had disconnected with his mate, “is once we arrive in Coldspring I will contact Vasile first per pack law and let him know we are there. I am sure he will tell Lilly, who will in turn tell Fane who you now know has declared himself Jacque’s mate. You will not engage Vasile’s wolves unless I command it. Is there any confusion about this?”
Each of the wolves shook their heads and bared their necks in submission.
“After Lilly is notified I will set up a time to meet with her to discuss my meeting Jacque. At this point I am not going to say anything about the fact that I am there to invoke my rights as her Alpha. I will do that after I have met her. I will also only do that in front of Vasile, his pup and his Beta. During that time only Logan will be permitted to be with me,” Dillon explained.
By the time he was done telling his pack what would take place, they had arrived at the airport and were boarding the charter plane that Colin had secured for them.
As the plane took off, Dillon sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. He tried to envision what Jacque would say when he introduced himself to her. Would she be angry that he had not been a part of her life? Would she be happy to finally meet him? He was usually so confident in himself but at this moment he couldn’t remember ever being so unsure of himself.
Logan was trying to work out in his mind at what point would be the best time to take Jacque from the hospital. He decided he was going to suggest to Dillon that after he invoked his Alpha rights to have Vasile pull his wolves from guard duty and instill his own. Since he was the head of the pack enforcers he would set the guard rotation for the night, which would be the most vulnerable time, when the staff was minimal, and the cover of darkness would aid him in his task. He was so close to his goal, so close to having the first thing he had truly wanted in a long time, and he would have her. No matter what it took, Jacque Pierce would be his.