Chapter 14
Brighton
Foxhold didn't have a wall like Summerwood, but it did have a tall metal fence with barbed wire. It was also electric. They didn't use the electricity very often, but after the attack on their pack a couple years ago, there was always somebody stationed to flick the switch at any given moment, as well as sentries at every corner, waiting for the first sign of trouble. The pack wasn't taking any more chances, apparently, and security was tighter than it had ever been.
They've been hanging out here for almost a week now and there had been no sign of a certain rogue alpha. Everyone was on edge, and Brighton felt a twinge of guilt at the trouble this was causing the pack.
Slade would have to be an idiot to try to attack this place, but Brighton was pretty sure that was exactly what he was. The wolf had already proved himself to have a few screws loose. Brighton didn't think for a second that he'd give up this easily.
Brighton looked down from his perch on the roof of Winnie's house. Jacob was kicking a ball around with the other children and Aidan, who'd quickly become a favorite among the kids. With his playful personality and endless energy, Aidan had a talent for endearing himself to children easily.
He'll be a good dad, Brighton thought to himself.
Foxhold had very few unmated omegas, and unfortunately, none of the boys had had much luck. Once the whole Slade situation was resolved, the others would most likely depart to greener (and more fertile) pastures. The thought of saying goodbye to his lifelong friends weighed heavily in his chest, but he knew it was for the best. They all deserved a chance at happiness.
For now, though, they had a certain deranged alpha to deal with. Michael had every alpha in the pack on high alert. Josh had drawn a rather impressive picture of Slade that had been passed around the pack. The electric fence was turned on every sundown. The only way Slade was getting in was if he could jump ten feet without making a sound.
Still, Brighton wasn't letting his guard down. He was pretty sure Slade was capable of murder, and wouldn't put it past him to use any dirty trick he could think of. Josh had forbidden Jacob from going anywhere near the fence and gate, and Brighton knew where they both were at all times.
Currently, Josh was mingling with other omegas. Unlike Summerwood's greenhouses, Foxhold had a field just outside the fence. Right now, there were no less than five alphas working with them. Josh wasn't out there today. If he were, Brighton would be at his side as an extra guard. Josh had insisted on making himself useful to the pack and had quickly picked up the other gardeners routines.
Today, he was off somewhere else. He'd promised Brighton that he wouldn't leave the gates, but it still made Brighton twitch. Right now, it took all of Brighton's self restraint not to go searching for him.
He might be pregnant, Brighton thought. He might be pregnant with my baby.
He smiled. Who knew that he'd be the first to find a mate? He had never been a dreamer exactly. He'd had a pretty simple picture of what he wanted for himself. A pack, a mate, and a bunch of pups. The typical alpha's dream.
Now, though, his mind was filled with images. What their house would look like, right down to the design of the fireplace. Instead of just a foggy image of a family portrait, he imagined what their children would look like. Would they have his gold eyes? Josh's nose? What would their hair color be?
He couldn't wait to find out. He just needed to take care of a certain thorn in his side first.
"You've been up here for over two hours now," Gavi drawled. The large alpha pulled himself up and made himself comfortable beside Brighton. "You doing okay?"
"I'm fine," Brighton said. "I just like it up here where..." He trailed off.
"Where you can see everything?" Gavi finished. "I get it. You have a right to be cautious."
Brighton looked on thoughtfully. "You don't think he has friends, do you?"
"Doubt it," Gavi replied. "If he did, they would have been there with him from the start." He paused. "Then again, if he knew that Josh was alone, he might have told them to hold off. It's probably better to expect anything."
"Yeah," Brighton said.
Gavi opened his mouth, about to say something, then closed it. He sighed. Brighton raised an eyebrow. "If you got something to say, then just say it."
"Well..." Gavi looked a bit uncomfortable. "Michael wanted to talk to us all tonight. Josh too. He doesn't like the idea of just waiting around for Slade. He's got a couple alphas searching for him, actually."
"Good," Brighton muttered darkly. "Sure. Where do they hold meetings?"
"Get this." Gavi smirked. "They actually have a proper building for pack meetings. Can you believe that? It has a bell and everything."
Brighton shook his head. "This place is weird."
He perked up as a familiar face made their way down the path. Josh waved up at him, beckoning for him to come down. "That's my cue," he said. "See you tonight."
"Alright," Gavi said.
Brighton effortlessly jumped down from the roof. He saw Josh cringe as he landed. The last of the soreness in his leg had finally disappeared, and he vowed to never take his ability to run for granted again. He hurried over to Josh and kissed him on the cheek. "How are you doing?"
"Do you have to do that?" Josh muttered. "Give me a heart attack, why don't you?"
Brighton grinned. "So, what's up?" His grin faded as Josh stayed silent, fingers pressed together. "What's wrong?"
Josh took a deep breath, but whatever he was about to say seemed to get lost. Brighton pushed back his impatience and waited.
"Can we go somewhere private?" Josh finally asked.
Brighton's heart started to speed up. "Sure," he said, trying to keep his voice casual. What was wrong? Did Josh regret mating with him? Did he want to go their separate ways?
Worse: did something happen to Jacob while Brighton wasn't looking? Oh god, did he fuck up his duties as a parent after only a week? How did he manage that?
Beyond anxious now, Brighton tried to look calm as he followed Josh into the house. Winnie was off somewhere and Al ignored them as they passed. They went into the kitchen where Josh turned to face him. He looked nervous, but not upset.
"So," he said.
"So?" Brighton replied. "What's going on?"
Josh looked down at his feet. "I went to see Georgia today."
"Huh? Oh!" Brighton was anxious for a different reason now. "And?"
A small smile stretched across his face. He looked up at Brighton and nodded.
Even though he'd had a week to prepare himself, it still felt like the floor had disappeared underneath him. His vision blurred slightly. He was pretty sure he was smiling, but he couldn't feel his face. This was real. There was a tiny little life growing inside of his mate and in six months it would be a baby. Brighton was going to be a dad after years of-
"Bry? Bry! Sit down! It's okay!" Josh's panicked face floated in front of him. Delicate hands cupped his face.
Brighton smiled dreamily.
When he came too, he was sitting on the couch. He blinked to clear his vision. Josh sat across from him with his arms crossed. His lips were moving and Brighton vaguely heard "Scared me to death!" and "Do you need a glass of water?". He just nodded and smiled, which seemed to aggravate his mate further.
He couldn't help it though. The pictures in his head of a perfect family just got a bit more vivid. He wondered how many pups they'd have; if he'd have sons, daughters, or both. He'd have to build them a house. A large one with lots of rooms. Maybe they'd rebuild Josh's house. Or maybe they'd stay with the pack. He'd let Josh decide.
A finger snapped in front of his face. Josh frowned at him and raised an eyebrow. "Are you even listening to me?"
"What?" Brighton replied intelligently.
Josh huffed, but the frown was replaced by amusement. He sat down next to Brighton and leaned into his side. "I take it you're happy?"
Brighton kissed him. "Do you even need to ask?"
Gavi had been right. Foxhold's pack meetings were far more professional than Summerwood's. Brighton sat stiffly at the table, Josh tucked close to his right side. Aidan and Ivan sat to his left. Michael and several alphas sat across from them. The small, office-like building gave an air of importance. Personally, Brighton preferred Freddy's pub.
"You're a man short," the alpha on Michael's left said. Brighton thought his name might be Seth. He had an attitude that reeked of self-importance as Michael's third in command. The other alpha and Michael's second in command, Logan, rolled his eyes.
"He's keeping an eye on my son," Josh said.
Seth almost looked offended. "Our security's fine. I'm sure he'd be fine for a night."
Well, this was getting off to a good start. Brighton growled low in his throat and glared at the offending alpha. Josh's eyes narrowed.
"Pardon me if I didn't want to leave my seven-year-old alone surrounded by strangers. Obviously I know he's safe, but he doesn't know that."
Seth's cheeks pinked and he opened his mouth, but Michael held up a hand. "Thank you, Seth," he said with a tone of irritation.
Seth sat back and sulked. Brighton wondered how on earth an alpha like him made third in command. Logan must have noticed his expression and caught his eye. He mouthed the word cousin. Brighton held back a smirk.
"Anyway," Michael continued, "there's been no sign of your rogue alpha; though I've been told that he might be able to mask his scent?"
"I'm not sure," Josh said, "but he was able to spy on us without us knowing."
"It's not worth ruling out, then." Michael nodded. "Well, it's been well over a week now and, well..." He paused, looking uncomfortable. "Something has to be done. The pack's on edge. You understand?"
"Do you want us to leave?" Brighton asked carefully.
Michael shook his head. "Not necessarily. If we could somehow hunt him, or lure him in-"
"Wait a minute! Are you saying you want Josh to play bait?" Brighton demanded, a snarl rising in his throat.
Ivan grabbed his shoulder. "Easy," he hissed. "Calm down."
"Calm down?" Brighton almost shouted. His fingers dug into the wood table hard enough to splinter. "If he thinks I'm risking my mate and child-"
"Bry," Josh cut in. "Hey, it's alright."
Brighton's glare softened at Josh's big brown eyes. He forced himself to take a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. "Apologies," he muttered. "I forgot myself for a second."
"Apology accepted," Michael said. "I would have been more surprised if you hadn't gotten angry."
There was a thoughtful silence. Brighton's hands were clenched into fists to keep them from shaking. The mere suggestion that his mate play bait was enough to see red. Brighton would sooner scour the Wolflands on his own before letting Josh take such a risk.
"What did you have in mind?" Josh suddenly asked.
Brighton looked at him incredulously. "No, Josh. Absolutely not!"
It was Josh's turn to glare. "Let's just hear what he has to say!"
"I'd like to hear the plan," Ivan said.
"Me too," Aidan added.
Outnumbered, Brighton settled for glaring at his friends. He bit down hard on his lower lip and nodded stiffly.
"Well," Michael said, "we should probably assume he's been lurking around the village, if he's as desperate as you say. If we could make it look like Josh was on his own, or that we had let our guard down, and then ambush him."
"Did you have a plan in mind?" Ivan asked.
Michael nodded. "I was thinking, let him get inside. Leave the electric fence turned off and leave the gate unattended. Of course we'll be watching from the distance," he added. "Let him get as far inside as we can and then ambush him."
Brighton growled, deep in his throat, not saying anything. They already knew his feelings on the matter. He glanced at Josh who, to his agitation, seemed to be considering the matter. Logically, he knew that they couldn't go on like this, but emotionally, he was very close to losing his temper.
"Is there a way for us to mask our scents?" Ivan asked. "Some sort of perfume?"
"Actually," Michael said, "I think Georgia just might be able to come up with something."
Eye twitching, Brighton was just about to politely yet firmly reject the plan completely, when Josh spoke up in his soft voice.
"I'll do it."