Page 22 of Running with the Alpha’s Son (The Alpha’s Son #3)

Jasper’s face has turned so red I’m worried his head is about to explode.

“Answer me,” he rasps. “You knew my mother?”

“Yes,” Mal says, nodding. “We were good friends.”

Jasper’s eyes are darting between council members, as if he’s looking for any sign of deception, a lie betrayed by a knowing smirk or a quirked eyebrow. He mustn’t find any because he grips his hands into fists and squeezes his eyes shut. “I—I don’t believe you.”

Mal waves a dismissive hand in front of her face. “Whether you believe me or not is of little consequence. Your mother was important to us and to this settlement, and because of that we are willing to offer you hospitality.”

“You offer us?” Jasper’s tone is incendiary, he’s insulted and not afraid to show it.

“Watch yourself, Child Alpha,” Mal warns. “We are a peaceful tribe, unlike your militaristic packs, we do not rely on our bite to assert our dominance. But we are also proud and we are not without fangs of our own.”

This must be tough for Jasper. Clearly he had no idea his mother was so involved with the rogues. Yes, we knew she reached out to them in her time as luna, but not to this extent. He’s learning things about her he couldn’t possibly have known. I reach out and take Jasper’s wrist in my hand, trying to send him calming energy. He takes two deep breaths and opens his eyes.

“There we are,” Mal says, her tone bordering on friendly. “Tomas here was especially close with your mother.” The ponytailed wolf nods in consensus. “If you would like, Child Alpha, you can stay awhile, get to know her better. I’m sure he would enjoy reminiscing with you.”

“It would be my pleasure,” Tomas chimes in. “Mitsuha was an inspirational woman and a great friend.”

Jasper’s back straightens and his chest muscles tense. “I don’t need you to tell me who my mother was.”

“Am I correct in thinking you were unaware of just how involved your mother was in the business of rogues?” Mal asks, leaning forward.

Jasper doesn’t respond.

“Why do you think that is?” she asks. “Why do you think your father has kept that side of her hidden from you?”

“Leave my father out of this.”

“Your alpha father has kept the truth from you,” Mal says, her voice level and strong. “Don’t you want to know her for who she really was?”

“I’ve heard enough,” Jasper snaps. “If we are not prisoners, as you say, then you will not prevent us from leaving. Come on, Max.” Jasper turns, not waiting for me, and stomps to the exit.

I glance between him and the council. “I—I’m sorry.”

As Jasper disappears I make for the door as well but freeze when Mal’s voice booms from behind me.

“Blood Wolf!”

A ripple runs down my spine. How does she know about that? Jasper is gone and now I stand alone, slowly turning to face the council.

“Oh yes,” she says, a knowing smile crossing her face. “We have sensed your presence.”

“How—how did you—?”

“Tell me something, Blood Wolf. Have you heard the call?”

An echo of the distant howl that’s plagued my dreams since the beginning of the year ricochets through my head and I can’t help but rub the back of my neck.

Mal leans back with the fire reflected in her widening eyes. “I see. You have heard it then. And I suppose you’ve been told to ignore it. To pretend you hear nothing. To remain in the dark like your packmates.”

“I—I—”

What is she talking about? Does she know who’s been calling to me? Interrupting every time I’ve tried to link with Jasper?

“Would you ignore the call of the moon gods?” she asks.

“No but…” My head is swimming. The moon gods ? Is that who’s calling to me? “How did you know about that?”

“The powers you have are great,” Mal says. “But they are not unique. Every wolf is capable of accessing the greater consciousness of wolfkind. But it is a skill that takes discipline and practice. Back in your pack system those skills have been all but bred out of existence, kept from you by leaders who wish to control and subjugate their people. But here in this sanctuary we encourage every wolf to develop their ability to connect to their neighbors, to access the great connection shared between all wolves.”

“If…” I try to speak but have to stop to clear my throat. “If these abilities have been suppressed in me then why do I have them?”

“The blood moon awoke something inside you, something latent and powerful. It must have sensed a desire in you.”

“A desire?” What, like a wish?

“Yes.” Mal nods sagely. “An unspoken yearning for something more. So now your ability to connect is unmatched. And it is a skill that could be used to improve the lives of wolves the world over. You have been given a gift, Max, an amazing gift.”

I huff. “Some gift. If I wanted a constant migraine I’d have asked someone to drop an anvil on my head.”

“You are closed off,” she continues. “That is the source of your discomfort.”

“Discomfort?” She has no idea. “Discomfort is sitting for too long without a cushion. Discomfort is not knowing what to say when you’re being forced to speak with some old noblewolf. Discomfort is…is your mate ignoring you. Try brain-melting agony. Try an electric drill piercing my skull. You have no idea about discomfort!”

Okay, I didn’t mean to rant, but she’s got me all worked up. As if I could have avoided all the headaches and the pain by simply being more open to the connection. All those voices, all those wolves, that’s why blood wolves have a bad reputation, that’s why they go insane. I had to close myself off to protect myself.

“Maybe not,” Mal says gently now, kindly. “But Max, we can help you.”

“How?” I say, a little too bluntly.

Her face looks less stern now, and she extends an open palm, as if she’s offering to help me up after a fall.

“Every rogue who passes through our community is given the chance to explore their inner wolf. Our spiritual practices are designed to help wolves who feel disconnected from their own kind find a way back. We can help you too—help you to open up, relieve your pain, and help you to connect.”

Connect?

Isn’t that what Jasper and I have been trying to do? Isn’t that what I’ve wanted since I figured out there was more to being a wolf than the confines of a pack? Connection to something bigger. When I discovered just how many queer wolves were out there I began to see the truth of our kind. That we’re all valid and connected. One pack under the moon. Is Mal offering to help me find that?

“We can help you harness your power, help you open your mind. If you stay with us a short while we can show you all that you are capable of.”

Stay here awhile? How long is a while? Does it even matter? There’s no way Jasper will go for this. But what if she’s right? Every wolf that arrived at our camp this morning was able to block me from sensing their presence. If that’s what the rogues’ spiritual guidance can accomplish in a wolf without my blood-moon abilities, what could I do with my enhanced skills? Maybe I could stop these headaches, figure out who is calling me, figure out what I’m supposed to do with this strange gift, and maybe even mind-link with Jasper.

For a moment I chew my thumbnail and think over this proposition. The council waits and watches me, patient and silent. Finally, I let out a sigh.

“What will it be, Blood Wolf?” Mal asks.

“I want to learn from you,” I say without thinking. “There’s just one problem…”

“The child alpha.”

“Yes,” I say. “Jasper. He’s my mate, I can’t force him to stay here if he doesn’t want to.”

“If he truly cares for you he will do what’s best.”

I look up at her from under my bangs. She may have got my number, but she doesn’t know Jasper at all.

“Hey,” I say, squinting in the sunlight with a hand held over my eyes. After I left the council’s tent I found Jasper outside kicking the dirt with his hands shoved firmly in his pockets. There’s no sign of Omar or the wolves who brought us here.

“Hey,” he says. “Ready to go?”

“I, uh…I…”

“What is it?” he stops kicking dust up and comes to me with a look of concern etched on his face. “What happened in there?”

“They said…they said they could help me control my blood-wolf powers. They want us to stay.”

“You aren’t honestly considering staying here?” he asks, incredulous.

“I am,” I say, a little more determined. “Jasper, if they can help me stop using all my energy to keep people out of my head, if they can stop me from keeling over every time I try to reach out with my powers, then maybe…maybe I can use this gift for good.”

“They’re lying, Max,” he says through clenched teeth.

“You don’t know that.”

“They’re rogues, we can’t trust them. Did you hear what they said about my mother?”

“Yes, but what if it’s true? Don’t you want to learn more about her? Don’t you want to find out what she was like when she wasn’t around your dad? What she believed in? Who she was…really?”

“I know who she was!”

He’s red-faced and a drop of saliva is hanging from his curled lip. But I get why he’s angry. The very people he thinks are responsible for his mother’s death are now telling him they knew her better than he ever did. I take his hands and try to keep my voice calm, mostly so he’ll chill out as well.

“I know you do,” I say, rubbing the backs of his hands with my thumbs. “You know who she was to you. But, Jasp, you were twelve when she was…when she died. You can’t possibly have known everything there was to know about her. I know you don’t trust them but why don’t you give them a chance. It might be a good thing. Who knows, maybe you’ll be surprised?”

He turns his face away and stares at a tent peg, chewing his lip.

“We don’t have to stay long—a couple nights, that’s all. Just long enough for me to see what they can offer, if they can actually help me.”

“It’s dangerous,” he mutters.

I lean sideways so that he has to look at me.

“If I can get my abilities under control,” I say, locking eyes with him, “then maybe we’ll be able to mind-link, like we wanted. I think it’s worth a shot.”

The muscles in his cheeks move as he grinds his teeth, thinking things over, then finally he turns to face me once more.

“You really want to stay?”

“Just a couple of nights, that’s it.”

“You promise?”

“Swear to the moon gods.”

He exhales roughly. “Fine. But the second things turn bad we’re getting out of here.”

“They won’t—”

“The second they turn bad,” he echoes.

“Okay.” We stand for a moment holding hands and letting the dust settle. “So, we’ll stay?”

He rolls his eyes but he’s backing down. “You’ll be the death of me one day.”

I laugh because he’s joking, but I don’t find it all that funny.

“You two stopped squabbling?” Omar asks, coming around the side of the council’s tent.

“We weren’t squabbling,” Jasper growls.

“Sure you were. Like an old married couple.” Omar joins us, one hand under his shirt scratching his chest and displaying his toned abs. “Mal tells me you’re going to stay awhile?”

“How did she…?”

He shrugs. “She’s pretty well connected.” He winks at me. “Anyway she asked me to show you to one of the guest tents.”

“Great,” I say.

“We’ve already dropped off your belongings,” Omar says, then glances at the sun. “Come on, it’s almost lunchtime. You won’t want to miss Miss Sammy’s barbecue ribs.”

He turns on his heel and takes off down a path. I glance at my reluctant mate one last time and follow Omar, pulling Jasper along behind me.