The Unlikely Mate

Chapter 24

"I need you to talk to Dante for me," William said to Jackson, as they drove down the highway toward town. "I really think Jennifer is getting herself mixed up with a wrong crowd in town, and now she's got a Hunter on her trail. She would be much safer at the Blood Moon pack house with me."

"It's really up to Jennifer" Jackson replied without much emotion. He had warned Jennifer about keeping her distance from William, and now it seemed as though William wasn't wanting to take 'no' for an answer, and he was concerned for Jennifer. If she wanted to go with William, he would support it, but it was likely to get unpleasant if William wouldn't back down. "Alpha Dante isn't the type to order his members around to go live in packs they aren't interested in living at."

"It would be for her own good. She needs guidance, she needs help. She's like a wandering, lost pup. I could be that for her" William continued to plead his case.

Jackson gave a little smirk along with some side-eye from the passenger seat, as he considered what William had just said. William obviously didn't know Jennifer very well. Yes, she was sorting through some personal stuff and was likely a little insecure about living alone in a human city for the first time, but she was anything but the needy damsel William seemed to think she was. Jennifer was one of the fiercest and most independent she-wolves the Black Shadows pack had ever had, so if William thought she would just roll over and become a docile she-wolf groupie of a Council Member, he was going to find out the hard way that he was wrong.

"Jennifer is a big girl and can make her own decisions" was all Jackson replied in response to William's continued plea for interference.

"I am concerned about this hunter though" Jackson said furrowing his brow. "Tell me more about him."

"He's been on the scene for over a year, I know that much" William said. "From what I've heard, there was some sort of incident and his lover was killed. Could have been rogues, those details are a little fuzzy. Well, this guy wouldn't stand down, started studying up and has been making a nuisance of himself ever since."

"And he lives in town?" Jackson asked, the concern for Jennifer's well-being taking a stronger hold.

"Yeah, I've got contacts in town. Alpha Mark from the Ember Night pack has a lot of territory space outside of town, and a little of it actual has town business too. He's lost two guys to this Hunter in the last year, the second just a couple days ago. This Hunter is dangerous."

"Ember Night" Jackson said thoughtfully, "Aren't they a little rough around the edges? I've heard of Alpha Mark. Wasn't he under Council watch a couple years back?"

"Yeah, that's actually how I know him. It was all just a misunderstanding. He's a decent fellow, strict but not out of line. I was keeping an eye on him because of the 'animal attacks' that had been reported in his area were bringing a lot of attention. I hung out for a while, kept an eye on things, and it was a no biggie. He wasn't to blame."

Jackson was trying to remember what else he had heard about Alpha Mark and the Ember Night pack. From what he remembered, there was more to it than a misunderstanding. People, human people had gone missing and were attacked. Jackson knew there had to me more to the story that wasn't being said. He was beginning to fear that this excursion to check on Jennifer was going to be a lot more than just that.

*****

"We need to get back to town" Jennifer finally said to Lennox, pulling out of his arms.

"Back to town?" Lennox asked in surprise. "Wouldn't be safer here, where nobody knows where you are?"

"If that were the case, yes. I never should have had us come out here. They have both our scents, and it won't be hard for them to track your truck out here in the middle of the woods. In town, at least there are a million other people and vehicles and other smells to keep us better hidden. Plus," Jennifer continued a moment later as though it were an afterthought, "Jackson won't try to kill you in front of humans."

"That's very reassuring" Lennox responded dryly, wondering to himself just what exactly he had gotten himself into. The last few years had been intense, focused entirely on vengeance, with no regard or concern for his own safety. It hadn't mattered to him. But now, suddenly he felt hope again. Hope for love, hope for a future and for the first time in a long time, he wanted to live.

"So, what's the plan?" Lennox asked as the two of them made their way out of the cabin and got into his truck.

"I need to get a hold of Jackson. He's got his mind-link blocked or something, and there's no cell service out here" Jennifer said, shoving her phone back into her pocket. "We need to get someplace sort of public, where we can talk to Jackson without fear of a fight breaking out. But we need to far enough away from heavily populated areas in case things get ugly."

"That sounds very contradictory" Lennox said to her. "Where do you have in mind?"

"There's a park near the edge of town that I've gone to before. It's public enough that there are people around, but we should still be able to talk without too much interference."

"Ok, so we go to the park, then what?" Lennox asked her.

"Then, we wait. They'll come to us. They're already on their way. Do you have any weapons? It might not be a bad idea to be a little prepared."

"Yeah, I've got a lot of stuff at my office. We'll go there first, and then head to the park."

"Ok, let's go" Jennifer said, and they headed down the road back toward town.

"Tell me more about this guy that's after you" Lennox finally asked after several minutes of silence.

"I really don't know a lot about him, but he is powerful. He works for the Council, which oversees werewolf and human relations, that's not super relevant for now, but he's been around for over a hundred years and apparently does whatever he wants."

"He's 100 years old?" Lennox asked, still trying to wrap his mind around this whole world he thought he knew so much about.

"Yeah, well anyway he's been assigned to fix the pack that Luther was running, once Luther was killed. It's mess and he's supposed to get things in order and then find an Alpha to take over. He wants me to join him there."

"And I'm guessing, just telling him 'no' isn't going to work?" Lennox asked. "And Luther is who, again? I don't think you've mentioned that name before."

"Luther was" and Jennifer took a sharp inhale before continuing, "He was my mate. The one who died."