Cash stood outside of Jacks room. The last few days had been hell. Jenna, his sweet but stupid mate had decided to make some decisions on her own, and Cash wasn’t happy about them. She had healed Jacks, which he was grateful for, but at a great cost to herself. Looking down at his wrist, Cash remembered the feeling clearly as she tried to sever their bond.
He had only just started filtering the energy of the Gemini to her, failing several times to filter it correctly when he felt the tiny snaps. That had irritated him, but before he could fix the bonds, he heard her soft words in his head, felt everything that she had been feeling, and that pissed him off.
Cash heard laughing and a baby gurgling behind the door. He wanted that someday but unless he could get Jenna to realize what was between them was, in fact, real and not of her doing, it would never happen. She felt as though she had forced the bond. That was impossible, and pretty soon, he would prove it to her. Right now, she was lying in a room, not twenty feet from him, and even that was too far. He had spent the last three days at her bedside, waiting for her to wake up, but she hadn’t. The only reason he was away from her now is he had heard that Jacks had woken up, and he wanted to check on him.
Tapping his knuckles against the door, he waited for it to be opened. Damn, this felt weird, they had been friends for so long, and he felt odd. Everything had changed, and Jacks was going to know it the moment Cash walked into the room if he didn’t already. This was going to be one of the hardest things he had ever done.
Ryleigh opened the door, stared at him for a second and launched herself into his arms. He had stayed away from her too, not wanting to have to explain what had happened more than once. It was the first time in his life he felt like a coward, but Jacks and Ryleigh were family, and he hated letting them down. Because there was no going back from this moment forward.
Hearing her sobs, Cash squeezed her a little closer, looking over her shoulder at Jacks laying in the hospital bed. There was no expression on his friend's face, but his hands were gripped firmly into the bedding, Alpha to Alpha vibes pinging against each other; this wasn’t good. Cash patted Ryleigh’s back a couple of times and set her on her feet.
“Hey, little sister, by the way, you're carrying on, people would think you missed me.”
Ryleigh slugged him in the shoulder, and Cash rubbed it, acting like he was hurt, smiling. Ryleigh would never change. Damn, he was going to miss her. All of them.
“Well, I don’t care what other people think, I was so scared we couldn’t find you and…”
“I know, Rye,” Cash said, patting her on the shoulder, “it’s okay.” Ryleigh took his hand and led him over to the bed. He was pretty sure she could feel the tension in the room but was doing a good job of ignoring it.
“Jacks,” Cash said after clearing his throat a couple of times, holding out his hand. Jacks looked at his hand, then back up at him, squinting his eyes. Cash felt the tug on his arm and let it happen. Jacks pulled until they were chest to chest with just their gripped hands between, wrapped his arms around his back hitting him three times really hard and whispered, “Missed you, man.”
Cash forced words to come out behind the lump in his throat, “Back at ya, asshole,” and stepped away. For the next hour, they all talked about what had happened from his point of view and what Jacks and Alpha had found out since. Cash left out everything about Jenna, Jessie, and the Gemini. Ryleigh didn’t need to hear any of that from him. Senior was going to have to open that can of worms.
Ryleigh left for a little while, then brought Quinn back for a proper introduction. Cash loved it, but things were getting a little tense. He wasn’t able to filter out the war that seemed to be going on between his and Jacks beasts, each needing to prove who was more dominant.
It wasn’t until Jacks asked Ryleigh to give them a minute that they got to the heart of things.
“You aren’t coming back, are you? Jacks asked.
“I don’t think I can, Jacks, even if I wanted to. Just sitting here now, we’re both on the verge of a shift. When you’re fully healed, it will be worse, and we both know it.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. You know, I always knew you were destined for something more than what I or even Alpha could give you, but I have to say there was a part of me that always hoped your stubborn ass wouldn’t accept what fate planned for you.”
“Me stubborn?” Cash laughed. “You must be thinking about Ethan or Dalton. I was the most laid-back member of Alpha. Never caused any problems always following orders to a tee. Hell, I think I was pretty damn perfect. Plus, you’re just pissed because I’m not going to be around to cook for you anymore.”
“Fuck that, you were a pain in my ass, always have been. When was the last time you shifted?”
Just like Jacks, no beating around the bush.
“I haven’t since I came out of the coma. Wasn’t sure how the beast would react, and I didn’t want to find out.”
“You’ve never been a coward before, what’s changed?”
“Jezus, Jacks, my beast is different now. Hell, just sitting here, he’s trying to claim dominance over yours. I know you can fucking feel it because you’ve been squirming all over that damn bed since I walked into the room. I’m not a fucking coward, I’m cautious. What if he flips, what if I can’t control his furry ass?”
“I feel it, not going to deny it, but Cash, I’ve felt your beast before, and he is a bad ass mother fucker. You need to trust him, trust your damn self and shift, otherwise, you're just stuck. That isn’t a place you need to be right now, get my meaning? You have too much other shit in your path to worry about what comes naturally. Just wait until you form bonds with a new team. They need you whole and at a hundred percent. Right now, you’re not firing on half of what you have. You have to accept it and move the fuck on.”
“Hell, Jacks, the fucker even went up against Senior and Mattias. That shows how unstable it is, and you expect me to what, just up and shift here at Kiera’s place? I’d have people running and screaming in the streets. And fuck me, but I don’t want the responsibility of a team. I need to get my own shit in order before I take on anyone else’s problems and from what I have seen, there are more problems with Gemini than any team before. They don’t have a fucking clue, and except for Chance and Trace, they don’t even have experience. Then you have to add in, fuck, just forget it,” Cash said, shaking his head and snarling. “Plus, if you haven’t figured it out yet, I’ve been kind of busy.”
“Busy hiding your ass,” Jacks growled. “And who gives a rat’s ass? You have finally accepted your fate; your beast is just testing its new power. Let it be. We all go through it, you’re just late to the party. Senior and even Mattias get that shit, you’re the one hiding from it. What I want to know is why I wasn’t the first person your dumb ass called when you woke the fuck up. I have been up in that damn snow globe searching for your ass for months now.”
There was a part of Cash that felt like he deserved that snide response. He should have demanded to call out to Jacks, but he had a few other things on his mind. Hell, he had only been awake for a day when all that shit fell in his lap, and then there was Jenna. Fuck!
“Why didn’t you call me? Why did I have to hear about this shit from Senior?”
There was no way Cash was going to admit he didn’t want Jacks to see him like this, broken and fucking scared. He wanted to figure it all out first.
“I needed fucking time, Jacks.”
“Yeah,” Jacks laughed, “that’s it. Cut to the chase man, tell me the rest of it. What have you been hiding? Tell me about your mate.”
“Caught that, did ya?” Cash said with a smile. Lifting his hand up, he looked at the fate mated mark before crossing them over his chest and leaning back in the chair. “She’s special, she just doesn’t know that yet. I plan to give her a few lessons that will cement that shit in her head.”
“I’m sure you will. Hell, I might even give Ethan a call and ask him to give you a few pointers. That shit was insane, man; what she did, fuck, I don’t even have words.”
“I know, I’m still trying to wrap my head around all of it.”
“She tried to break your bonds, thought you deserved more. Shit, she thought I was more important to you than she was. Pissed me the hell off.”
“You weren’t the only one, brother, but I stopped it. I’ll spank her ass later when she’s feeling better,” Cash said, wiggling his eyebrows and laughing.
“See that you do. A little slap and tickle always gets the ladies out of their heads. So, you going to tell me about Jessie and your brother and how they just happened to be here, one alive and one from out of thin space, no less?”
“Some stories need to come from the source, my friend, but if I were you, I would take Senior aside and make the old bastard tell you. I’ll warn you, it isn’t a pretty story. Senior has been playing games for a long time, and Rye is going to be hurt when she finds out.”
“Shit, I was afraid of that.” Jacks wiped his hand down his face. “I figured Senior has been keeping to himself, haven’t seen him since I woke up. Rye’s not stupid, she knows something else is going on too. I wouldn’t be surprised if she confronts the man herself.”
Cash started rubbing his arms, the tingling of his fur overpowering. Jacks had been adjusting himself on the bed for the last ten minutes. Fuck, he hated to leave, but he needed to.
“Jacks, man, I need to head back to Jenna,” Cash said, getting up. Before he could open the door, he said, not looking at Jacks, “Fuck, man, I’m going to miss your sorry ass and Quinn, shit man, you’re a dad. That little boy is the perfect mix of you and Rye, and he is going to be one hell of an Alpha someday. I hope I’m around to see it happen.”
“We named him after the best person we know,” Jacks said.
“I’m sure Senior is proud.”
“I’m sure he would be, but my son's name is Cassius Quinn Thorp.”
Cash was overwhelmed by what he just heard. Leaning his head up against the door, he took a couple of seconds to let the burn of tears and the lump in his throat subside. Shit, Jacks and Rye had named their first child, a son after him. It was an honor he would not take lightly. Cash straightened and turned, putting his fist on his chest. He couldn’t hug Jacks or go any closer, plus, hell, they were guys and didn’t do emotional stuff, but something needed to be said.
“
Once out in the hall, he leaned up against the wall, taking in everything that had happened. He believed the words he spoke, vowed they would always be true. But his new beginning started with one person, and he planned on letting her know just that, but he needed to take care of some other business first. Walking past Jenna’s door, he brushed it lightly with his fingers and kept going until he was out of the facility altogether. It was now or never. The place was pretty secluded and held a patch of woods. Determined, he took heavy strides until he reached them. Once ensconced in the thick growth, he let his beast free, and he felt amazing.
His bones broke and reshaped with little to no pain, the power emanating from within. Once fully shifted, his beast roared and started to run, but Cash was still in control. Pulling him back, Cash realized he had nothing to fear. He had even more control than before. The fates were letting him know this was what was always meant to be. Letting the beast run free for a time, he marveled at the feeling. Letting his senses out, he found his new team, called to them, and felt them coming closer. Only one person was missing, but she would soon be by his side. Jenna wouldn’t have a choice, he would make sure she wanted that position. He would make sure she felt the things he did, and then, he would be whole.