Page 31 of Running with the Alpha’s Son (The Alpha’s Son #3)

“Do you think he did it?” Katie asks from her lawn chair.

We’re sitting on the patio out the back of my house, a couple of ice teas on the wooden slats next to our chairs, the sun high and hot over the forest.

“I…” I start but falter.

I’ve been home for two days. After we were escorted from the Sanc, the Elite gamma wolves marched us back across the desert to Jasper’s mom’s cottage. We weren’t even allowed to grab our stuff before we left, which means my sketchbook and clothes are still at the Sanc. We were shoved into cars and driven straight to a private airfield where we were flown home on one of Jericho’s private jets.

After a long and quiet flight, Jasper dropped me off at home, and while I basically begged for him to make sure Omar was taken care of, to do everything he could to ensure Omar was released, Jasper remained quiet. Though it pains me, I understand. If Omar really was one of the rogues who invaded Jericho’s house in the Hamptons, then maybe he should be held accountable for his crimes—or at least, I can see why Jasper might think that. His dad nearly died that night, and because of that intrusion the pack’s security has been under scrutiny. That one attack has opened us up to all manner of other attempts on our territory.

But after spending so much time with Omar, getting to know him, learning how much he’s gotten into the spiritual side of being a wolf and what he’s been through, I can’t help but think he doesn’t deserve to be locked up. He should be out in the desert still, learning from Yoki and continuing to figure out how to be the best wolf he can be. The things he’ll be able to accomplish, the good he could do for wolfkind, have to outweigh his crimes. Right?!

“I don’t know,” I say finally. “But I don’t know if it matters. I just wish—I wish I knew why he might have done it. Because I’m sure there’s a reason.”

“What does Jasper have to say about it all?” she asks, sipping from her metal straw.

“He hasn’t said much. Not in a we’re-not-speaking sort of way, just in a whenever-I-bring-it-up-he-changes-the-subject kind of way. I’ve only managed to speak to him properly once since we got back. He’s been a little busy.”

“Right, pack drama.”

“Understatement of the century.”

It seems while we were away things have gotten even more tense at Elite Pack central. Olivia and Mia have disappeared—a fact I learned from Mason via text when my cell finally caught some service on the way out of the desert.

“MIA’S GONE AWOL!!!” he texted me, followed by a slew of other messages, each as hyperbolic as the one before it.

It wasn’t till I got home that I learned Olivia was gone as well. Which explains why Salazar was being a complete asshat. He’s pissed and terrified and hurt because his daughter has literally run away from home. And to top it off, instead of being out looking for her he was ordered to hunt down Jasper. Then when he found us, we were cavorting with the supposed enemy. No wonder he was being such a dick—not that that gives him any right to terrorize innocent rogues.

Their disappearance has caused the fracture between the Elite and Rocky Packs to spread even farther and now it appears Morven is courting favor with the very packs Jasper has spent the better part of this year trying to win over to our side. If he manages to convince them to join him, we’ll be sitting ducks, one pack cornered by a slew of others.

“From what I hear,” Katie says, “things are tense even in the inner circle.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Simon’s mom said that some of the upper-ranked wolves were pissed Jasper had run off right when they needed him to fortify our position with the packs. Some are saying Jericho has lost control of the pack. And now the beta’s daughter has jumped ship. I bet Jasper is going through it at home.”

“Yeah,” I say, wishing I could do more for him, be there for him somehow. It seems our plans of trying to mind-link again are on the back burner until Jasper is able to help calm things down in the packhouse.

Katie eyes me and must spot my furrowed brow because she shrugs and immediately changes the subject.

“Soooooo, I know everything here is a bit of a mess but I’m dying to know…” She puffs out her cheeks and leans across the arm of her chair. “How was your alone time with Jasper?”

I roll my eyes but can’t help smiling, even in the face of all this turmoil. “It was…pretty amazing. Right up until it wasn’t.”

“And did you…you know?”

“Katie! A gentlewolf doesn’t kiss and tell.”

She squeals and almost jumps to her feet. “You did! Ah! Oh my moon gods. You did it!”

My head lolls about on my shoulders as my cheeks heat up super fast.

“You did it with the alpha’s son!” she continues. “How was it?”

I take a breath and lean back in my chair, my eyes drifting across the treetops on the horizon.

“I—I couldn’t have imagined it any other way. It was—perfect.”

Katie leans even farther, until I’m worried her chair is going to tip over, and tries to give me an awkward hug.

“I’m so happy for you, Max!”

“Thanks,” I say into her hair, which has fallen all across my face, choking me with its strawberry shampoo scent.

“I can’t believe how grown-up we are,” she says as she falls back into her seat.

“Me neither.” I grab my drink and take a long sip.

“And how do you feel now?” she asks, her eyes glinting.

“Well…” It’s such a loaded question. How do I feel? Like things with Jasper and me have reached a whole new level? That we’ve never been this close? But that we still haven’t managed to mind-link and I’m scared we never will? And scared of what it means if we don’t? That things were perfect while we were away in the desert by ourselves but now that we’re back things are exactly the same as they were before? That all this pack drama is a big wedge between us and now there’s the Omar situation which I can already tell we’re not on the same page about? That I’m terrified we were living in some escapist fantasy and that things could never be as good in the real world?

“Max?” Katie asks, and I realize I’ve taken about a decade to answer her.

“I think we just need to talk,” I say. “And…”

“Come on, I know you’re holding something back.”

“I guess it’s about Omar.”

“Oh?”

“It wasn’t just Jasper I got closer to in the desert. Omar is a really great guy and I’m worried about him.”

“Do you like him?”

Instinctively, I lift a hand to my chest, where my muscles have gone all tense.

“I’m scared Jasper is going to want to punish him,” I say, knowing that’s not an answer, or maybe it is, sort of. “And if he does that I’ll…”

“You’ll have to choose between them?” She finishes my sentence for me.

For a moment I close my eyes and press my head back against the solid wood of the chair.

“I need to speak to Omar and find out why he was part of the attack,” I say. “And then I can decide what to say to Jasper. But I don’t know how to get to him without Jasper’s help.”

She reaches over, calmly this time, and places her hand on mine. “If he sees what this means to you, I know he’ll understand.”

I hope Katie is right, but she didn’t see Jasper’s face when they pulled Omar from behind those tents.

“Guess there’s only one way to find out.”

“Where do you think you’re going?” Mom asks from the living room as I head for the door.

After much messaging and long waits between replies last night, Jasper agreed to let me visit Omar. I stop in the arched doorway and rub my neck.

“Uhhh, to Jasper’s place…in the city.”

Mom slams the remote on the armrest of the sofa and it falls to the floor. “Uh-uh, no way, kiddo.”

“What?”

“You disappeared!” she says, eyes blazing. “Again!”

I roll my eyes and drop my shoulders. I’m so sick of this. “We were safe. I told you everything that happened.”

She shakes her head like she’s having too many thoughts and can’t decide which to shout at me first.

“You’ve been back three days and you’re already taking off again.”

“I’m not taking off. I’m going to speak with Jasper about Omar. You know this is important.”

“More important than your safety?”

“Yes!” I don’t mean for it to, but the word explodes out of me.

Mom sits back in her chair like the force of my yell has collided with her and thrown her into the cushions.

“Sorry,” I say, less harsh this time. “I don’t mean to yell but yes, this is more important than my safety. There are so many things that are more important than me. Omar needs me. He needs my help. He doesn’t have all the things I have. He doesn’t have amazing parents like you, who are accepting and who actually give a shit. He doesn’t have a pack. He’s all alone in some prison cell and I’m all he has.” I pause briefly, expecting Mom to jump in, but she doesn’t, she sits and lets me continue.

“I’ve seen a vision, I spoke with Selene, the moon goddess! I’m the blood wolf, Mom, that means I have a gift. It means I’m connected to a greater purpose, to all of wolfkind. There are people out there who need me, who need my help. And I’m sorry but that means I can’t avoid every single dangerous thing that could be out there. I’m going to be put in more danger, that’s just the truth. The world is dangerous and we can’t avoid that.”

“But you don’t have to go running into danger,” she says quietly, tears brimming in her eyes.

I take a step toward her. “Maybe I do. Maybe when no one else is willing to…I do.”

Her eyes are shiny with unshed tears, but she doesn’t look sad, instead she has this sort of impressed half smile going on.

“When did you get so brave?” she asks, followed by a strange grunt of a laugh that could also be a sob.

“I dunno. I don’t think I am brave. I just—care, is all.”

Mom wipes away her tears before they can streak her face.

“Are you going to ground me?” I ask. “Because I sort of know how to sneak out anyway.”

For a second I’m terrified she won’t get the joke, but relief floods me as she smiles and laughs.

“There’s no holding you back,” she says, sniffing. “I know that. I think I’ve always known that.” She stretches out a hand for me to take, which I do. “I just wish I could protect you always.”

“I know.”

“It’s so weird.” She shakes her head gently.

“What is?”

“I have no idea when you got so mature. You’ve grown up, Maxie. Guess I can’t call you kiddo anymore, hey?”

“Yes you can, Mom.”

She gives my hand a tight squeeze and leans forward, her eyes blazing into mine. “You do what you’ve got to do,” she says. “But be safe.”

“I’ll try.”

For a moment she doesn’t let go and I wonder if she ever will.

“Uh, kind of need my hand back, Mom.”

“Oh right,” she says and lets go. “Try and be home before midnight.”

“Sure.” I head for the door but turn back one more time when I reach it. “Love you, Mom.”

“Love you, Blood Wolf,” she says.

The elevator door opens with a ping and I step out into the sparse living room of Jasper’s Manhattan apartment.

Jasper is leaning on the back of a white sofa, waiting for me.

“Hey” he says, moving off the sofa and wrapping his arms around me.

“Hey,” I say back, thinking this was going to be a quick hello hug, but Jasper keeps me held against him.

“I missed you,” he says, his breath warm on my neck.

“You too. Is everything all right?”

He finally pulls back and is about to answer when a door opens down the hallway. We both turn to look as the muffled sound of voices travels across the wide living room.

“Let’s talk in my room,” Jasper says, taking my hand and pulling me away from the approaching voices.

We’re almost out of the living room when three men step out of the adjacent hallway.

“I don’t see why we should have to spend this much just to assuage some rogue-supporting…” Walter Bridgers, leading the charge, trails off when he spots us. He’s accompanied by Jericho and Salazar. The trifecta. The holy trinity! The three most powerful wolves in the Elite Pack. “Oh, it’s you.”

Only Jericho looks even mildly pleased to see me.

Salazar remains stoic, his eyes cold and distant. I don’t need to read his mind to know that he resents us for distracting him while his daughter is missing. I wouldn’t be surprised if he blames us for Olivia running off, too. After all, we set the precedent for queer wolf pairings, we ran off as well. Not to mention I’m the reason Olivia and Jasper weren’t forced into an arranged mateship. If it weren’t for me, she’d be the future luna of the pack and safe at home now.

Walter isn’t as good at containing his emotions. His eyes travel from my head to my feet and back again, a disdainful sneer on his lips.

Jericho steps forward, his hand outstretched. “It’s good to see you, Max.” I shake his hand, doing my best not to squeal at his vicelike grip. “Jasper and I are counting on you during these unsettling times.”

“Yes, sir,” I say automatically, the ever-obedient pup.

“We were just finishing up our discussion,” Jericho says, referencing his surly companions. “Jasper, I need to speak with you about the outreach program.”

“Yes, Father.”

“I’ll see these men out and then we’ll talk.” Jericho turns to me. “I’m sorry but this will need to be a brief visit, Max. I know you understand.”

As a ripple runs down my spine, my shoulders instinctively pull back. What exactly am I supposed to be understanding? That the pack comes first, even over Jasper and my relationship? Even over the travesties that took place back in California? I glance at Jasper, who is bowing his head ever so slightly, a sign of submission.

“Gentlemen, let me walk you out.” Jericho ushers his visitors toward the elevator, and as he engages Salazar in one last piece of business, Walter glances over at us, his beady eyes dark and penetrating, a smug grin playing in the corner of his mouth.

What the hell , I think, and I reach out with my mind. I want to know what’s going on in that privileged head of his. We meet eyes and I extend my consciousness until it rams into his. He resists at first, visibly straining, but I’m able to pierce his protective barrier and catch a few glimpses.

Walter is standing in a dark corner of an empty parking lot, glancing furtively to the sides. A man approaches in a black leather jacket, with a greasy ponytail, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. When he reaches Walter, he unzips his jacket and holds one side open. In the vision I can’t see what it is he’s showing Walter, just that Walter nods, satisfied, then produces a manilla envelope stuffed with a rectangular-shaped block. Is that cash? Lots and lots and lots of cash? Walter hands the man with the ponytail the envelope, then turns and walks away.

As I leave the vision, I’m left with a sense of satisfaction, a crumb of what Walter must have been feeling in that moment—the sort of satisfaction that comes when the pieces of a well-laid plan fall into place.

Walter and I are still staring at each other, his eyes tight and his jaw tense, but he relaxes as I withdraw my consciousness and stop probing at his mind. He gives me one last dark look, a cautious, questioning sort of look, but also a warning. Don’t test me.

What did I just see and what is he planning?

“Max?” Jasper says, already halfway down the hall to his room. “You coming?”

“Yeah.”

Walter slips into the elevator behind Salazar, and I wait until the doors close, not wanting to turn my back on him for even a second.

I follow Jasper into his room. He stands for a moment between the door and his bed, not looking at me, running a hand through his hair.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

He doesn’t turn to face me, just looks back over his shoulder.

“Things are bad, Max. I don’t know how they got this bad. After everything I did, I don’t get how they could have fallen apart so easily.”

I step to him and put my hands on his shoulders, rubbing his back with my thumbs.

“You’re talking like we’re about to go to war or something. Is it that bad?”

“Maybe.”

Finally, he turns to face me.

“Just because of Olivia and Mia?”

“No, there’s something else going on,” he says, his eyes pointing to a spot on the rug. “It’s not just Morven. More and more packs are turning on us. Alphas who I spent time with, who promised me they were aligned with us, are defecting.”

“Who’s changing their minds? Morven?”

“Not from what I can tell. Morven hasn’t sent anyone south of DC. Either the packs are turning on their own or there’s something else.”

“Your dad has to have some idea.”

“Maybe.” He shrugs and huffs. “Or maybe he’s too blind to see it.”

I pull my head back, super confused. “See what?”

“Someone within our pack has turned on us. Someone on the inside has been in touch with the southern packs. It’s the only reason I can think of.”

“Who do you think?” Immediately, one name comes to mind, but it’s not the one that comes out of Jasper’s mouth.

“Salazar, maybe. You saw how he acted at the Rogue Sanctuary. I’ve never seen him like this. What if he’s turned on us? On my father?”

“Do you really think he would betray your dad like that?”

Jasper turns again, pulling away from me and holding his forehead in both palms.“I don’t know! I don’t know what to think. But I can’t help feeling I’m the one who has to fix things. It’s all on me to make things right, and before things get any worse, before anyone gets hurt—anyone else .”

I wrap my arms around his waist and squeeze gently, just enough so he knows I’m there for him.

“It’s not all on you,” I say. “It’s not. You’re not the alpha yet, your dad is in charge. He knows what to do. And even if he doesn’t, you have me. I won’t let you go through this alone.”

Jasper spins around and returns my embrace, his eyes lit up with some notion.

“I have you,” he says.

“Yeah, you do.”

“Do you think…? Are you able to reach out and see what might be affecting the other alphas?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like use your blood-wolf powers to see what they’re thinking?”

I pause for a while, staring into Jasper’s face. He looks so hopeful, like he’s found the solution he’s been looking for.

“I don’t know,” I say. “I’m not sure I’m that good at using my powers yet, even after my moonwalk, and besides…I…I don’t know if that’s what they’re for.”

“What do you mean?” He pulls away and puts a couple of steps between us.

“I mean, I’m not a spy, Jasper. I haven’t been given this gift so I can sneak around surveilling foreign alphas.”

“I’m not asking you to become a spy. But we could stop a war, Max. Isn’t that a good thing?”

For a moment I don’t know how to answer. I rub the back of my neck and scrunch up my face.

“Isn’t it?” Jasper presses.

“Yeah, of course. I don’t want there to be a war but—”

“But what?”

“But my powers are supposed to help bring people together, not give one pack the upper hand over another.”

“It’s not just some pack,” he says, and I notice the dark circles under his eyes for the first time. “It’s your pack.”

I don’t say anything. Instead, I shoot him a look to let him know that he’s on the edge, one step away from crossing a boundary.

Finally, he drops onto the side of his bed, letting his head hang low. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I didn’t mean to imply…I didn’t mean anything.”

“It’s okay,” I say hesitantly.

“No, I shouldn’t have asked you to use your powers like that. I’m sorry. I’m just so…”

“Stressed?”

He looks up finally and huffs a sad little laugh. “Yeah.” He holds out a hand, which I take as I come to sit next to him on the mattress. “Everything seemed so simple when it was just us.” He kisses the back of my hand. “Now that we’re back, everything just seems so—fucked. And I miss you. I miss us. Why can’t it be like the desert all the time?”

I wrap my free hand around our interlaced fingers, making a little cocoon for his hand.

“Because that would be too simple,” I say. “And if I’ve learned anything in the last year it’s that being a werewolf in love is anything but simple.”

“What should I do?” he asks, and for a second he looks twelve, like a kid who needs some direction.

“We do what we can to help,” I say. “One wolf at a time.”

“Where do we start?”

I chew on my lip, bracing for Jasper’s reaction to what I have to say next.

“Omar,” I say. “We need to speak with him and find out why he did what he did.”

“Does it matter?” Jasper seems genuinely curious, like maybe it does.

“He’s a good wolf,” I say. “He deserves our help.”

Jasper looks skeptical.

“If he did a bad thing he must have had a reason,” I continue. “Maybe he can help us understand how the rogues were able to invade the packhouse so easily? It might help us with our situation now.”

“I don’t know if I can get him released,” Jasper says, preempting what he knows I’m going to ask for.

But relief washes over me because he’s not fighting me on this, instead he’s worried he won’t be able to do everything he can to help me.

“That’s okay. Let’s just talk to him and we’ll see what happens then.”

Jasper watches me for a second, and I can’t help wondering if I’m the one crossing some boundary, if asking him to help Omar is the thing that will finally pull us apart.

“Okay,” he says.