Page 6 of Cruel Revenge (Jacky Leon #12)

CHAPTER FIVE

HEATH

H eath Everson walked into the meeting room, Teagan and Landon on either side.

Already waiting was Corissa with her daughter, the warrior Livia.

She was visually harder than her mother and father, always carrying herself like she needed to be wearing ancient armor with a sword in hand, while her parents came off like nobles.

Heath knew that Livia was now taking a more active role only because Jacky had called out her relation to the female Alpha and the man who Heath overthrew for his position on the Tribunal.

He’d never even known Callahan and Corissa had biological children until Jacky pointed out Livia, and it felt like something snapped into place, knowledge he should have had.

He sat across from Corissa while considering the strangeness of how Livia had existed for so long without any werewolves really understanding who she was.

The meeting wasn’t starting yet, as Corissa was still receiving files from another werewolf from her elusive pack and listening to the condition of the witches as the werewolf reported to her.

Once Corissa was ready for the meeting, he smiled.

“How did you hide Livia for so long?” he asked casually, but it wasn’t a casual question at all.

“A little bit of magic and my position as Alpha,” Corissa answered with a small smile, one that betrayed how proud she was at how she could hide her daughter for so long.

“Keeping it from other werewolves was easy. Hasan probably figured it out some time ago, since he’s out of the influence, of course, but he never outed her. ”

“Yeah, that was Jacky,” Livia grumbled. “We only ever hid me because I hate this political stuff.”

“We both know that isn’t true,” Heath said with a chuckle, smelling the tiny lie Livia tried to tell him.

He didn’t need to smell the lie, though.

He was a parent like Corissa. It was very obvious what the real reason for the privacy had been—to protect her as a little girl until she was strong enough to stand on her own.

Now she could, but then it became easy to hide the adult no one really knew existed while she worked for her mother.

He would have done the same for any of his children if he’d had access to the magic necessary when they were young.

Livia made a face at being called out as Corissa patted her arm.

“What can I say? I only have one daughter. I needed her safe,” Corissa said softly, clearly soaking in the time she could spend with her daughter, love shining through her eyes as bright as the sun.

“Absolutely,” Heath agreed. “I was just curious. This is your first meeting, isn’t it, Livia?”

Livia bared her teeth, her feelings painfully clear without Heath’s need to use his nose.

“Ignore her. She’s more interested in action than she is in the mundane tasks we have to do on a regular basis,” Corissa said, turning away from her daughter to begin reorganizing the files in front of her. “Let’s discuss these witches.”

“Yeah, let’s get on with that, because Pa has meetings after this,” Landon piped up, leaning back in his chair, his feet on the table and his arms crossed across his chest.

“I’ll take notes for you, Alpha,” Teagan said softly, his notebook already sitting in front of him, pen at the ready.

“Thank you,” Heath said to him quickly before waving Corissa to continue. “Let’s get through this.”

“The bad news is it’s more of the same. Many of the witches captured are general employees, hired to do some magical work, believing they worked for a general supplier of spell necessities, and they’re not lying about that.

These businesses exist everywhere and are common among weaker witches who are still learning their craft or don’t want a more mundane human job if they aren’t powerful enough to offer magical services.

Out of the witches we captured, there are nine I’m recommending release to their families and a return to normal life as quickly as possible. ”

“And the other three?” Heath flicked through papers as they talked.

“The co-owners and the accountant,” Corissa said with a vicious smile.

“They knew they were supplying problematic forces and were warned of the dangers, but the pay was good. Very good. It’s a story we’ve heard from one of the other locations as well.

It started as a legitimate business, but it’s so easy to turn anyone to crime for the right price.

The accountant… he’s willing to work with us.

We should get him with Davor for cross-referencing with the other accounts we know of. ”

“We need Hasan to approve that,” Heath said, knowing Corissa was correct and that Hasan would agree.

For two people at odds for so long, one of the first things Heath realized was that Hasan and Corissa were often on the same page with everything, surprisingly so.

“I’m talking to him when we’re done here.

I’ll have Landon run the answer to you as soon as that meeting begins. ”

Working with Corissa was an easy thing, even though Heath had nearly killed her husband, and they had poisoned his fiancée.

It was a werewolf thing. The conflict was over, everyone knew their position in the hierarchy, and they moved on.

Heath still sniffed Jacky’s drinks when she wasn’t looking, but that was between him and Jacky now.

His constant worry over her safety was something he was required to manage.

He wasn’t surprised by his own ability to move past what happened or his pack’s ability to do so, including his temperamental son.

He was surprised that Jacky was able to move past it quickly.

He was even more surprised that her family was able to move past it.

Perhaps it’s thanks to how long they’ve known werewolves; they know how our minds operate better than werewolves know them.

Once the meeting with Corissa wrapped up, Heath left Teagan to continue copying documents Heath needed for his own files. Landon followed him out as they went to Hasan’s office.

“What do you think he wanted this meeting for?” Landon asked nonchalantly.

“I don’t know, Landon. He didn’t say anything when he sent the request to see me after meeting with Corissa,” Heath said, shaking his head, knowing Landon knew all of this.

“I want to know what you think , Pa,” Landon retorted.

“I can’t pretend to know his mind, not here in the Tribunal. Plus, we’re about to find out.” Heath pointed to Hasan’s door now in view. His area was quieter on average than everyone else’s, with fewer staff. Saying Hasan was minimal was almost an understatement.

“Come in,” Hasan called before Heath could knock on the door.

As Heath opened the door, Hasan was putting down a file.

“Corissa would like to introduce a prisoner to Davor?—”

“That’s fine,” Hasan said, shrugging before Heath could finish explaining. Landon turned on his heel and went back to tell the other Tribunal member. Heath stepped into the office, the hair on the back of his neck standing up as he found himself alone with Hasan.

Heath could take on any werewolf in the world. He’d earned that power.

Hasan was on a different level. His future father-in-law was ancient and powerful. There were probably fewer than five supernaturals in the world who could give the old werecat a real fight. Heath knew he wasn’t one of them.

The sensation faded, though. Heath knew Hasan wouldn’t. They were still working on what their relationship was going to look like now that they were working together on the Tribunal.

“Landon isn’t invited to this meeting. Not yet,” Hasan said simply as he stood up. He went to the office door, closing them in. “And before I get into more serious topics, I have some good news.”

“Was I waiting on news from you?” Heath asked, frowning.

“I handled Brion for you,” Hasan said with a weary smile. “Every adult in your pack will be given staff access to the Tribunal through a monitored door in your pack house.”

“Thank you…” Heath wasn’t expecting that. He’d been prepared to debate with Brion, to push and potentially fight with the fae king over his delays in letting Heath have his people in the Tribunal.

“Jacky walked in on me handling it yesterday, and it turned a bit messy, but Jacky isn’t a member of the Tribunal. You are,” Hasan said, the weary smile turning annoyed. “Brion doesn’t like either of you. Jacky hates him.”

“So do I,” Heath admitted.

“He and I were once… as close to friends as I could ever become to anyone. The years have obviously put a strain on that. His actions haven’t helped.

” Hasan shook his head and waved his hand, dismissing the topic before Heath could say any more about it.

“Either way, I cleared your schedule of that appointment you had, so you could come with me.”

“Go with you?” Heath crossed his arms, studying the old werecat ruler. “Why would I go anywhere with you?”

“My mate wants us to have a conversation,” Hasan explained.

Heath took a moment to study the old werecat. Hasan didn’t show any signs of tension. There was no smell of annoyance at his words. His expression was one of acceptance.

“Is that really… necessary?” Heath didn’t feel threatened, but the idea of going to speak alone with Hasan, with Subira mediating, didn’t feel safe, either.

“You’re marrying our daughter… There are things you need to know, things she’s never been allowed to tell you, but things you have to understand,” Hasan said softly, his eyes that werecat gold that only Jacky matched.

“It would be better if Subira and I told you those things instead of forcing Jacky to reveal them and put her in an uncomfortable position.”

“Fair enough.” Heath nodded. “Is this stuff I should keep from everyone else?”

Hasan’s predatory smile was all the warning Heath needed to keep everything he learned not just to himself, but unspoken at all. These were viciously guarded secrets.

Hasan opened his closet door, revealing a different office.