Chapter Twenty-Four

Gabriel

I bolted to the border when I got wind that Jason was there. I couldn’t wrap my head around why he’d be here by himself. He must have felt Elijah’s absence, but that was three weeks ago.

Was he here for revenge? Did Joel send him? If so, why the delay? Maybe it was a ploy to make us feel safe.

With Elijah gone, the pack was without a leader. Usually, the second in command would step up. That didn’t happen when my father ousted me. He’d asked the council to let him be the temporary leader until Elijah was old enough.

With all the packs against us, he wouldn’t have a chance to ask the council, but I had a sinking feeling he wouldn’t even try.

I now understood that my father would do anything for power. Even sacrifice his own family. Not that he had much family left. Just my mother and Jasmine.

He never liked Jason; he thought he wasn’t good enough for Jasmine. He even tried to convince her to reject him.

Almost all wolves respected the mate bond. They would never risk it. Rejections were very rare.

I say almost all. It seemed my father had no respect for the mate bond, or the moon goddess.

If he did, he wouldn’t have done what he did. I remember how shocked I was when he tried to convince Jasmine to reject Jason. She, of course, refused, which annoyed him.

I couldn’t imagine what kind of wolf he thought would be good enough. Maybe someone like Zagan. The thought made me shudder. Maybe that’s why he didn’t hesitate to sacrifice his own grandchildren.

I was disgusted by what he had done to his own family. But nothing compared to what he did to Elijah. It was an abuse of his power to force someone to kill their own mate.

When I got to the river, I wasn’t surprised to see Seth was already there. What did surprise me was that Ellie was with him. This could be a trap.

Looking at Ellie, I realized she probably insisted on coming. Seth was good for her. Ever since he announced he wanted Ellie as his mate, she seemed to have regained some of her confidence.

I knew he would protect her at all costs.

I stayed hidden in the trees, watching and listening. Some of the things Jason said to Ellie were harsh and cruel. I was so proud of her for standing her ground.

Seth wasn’t pleased when she lifted her shirt to show Jason the scar Elijah had given her. A scar she would always carry as a reminder of what he did.

I thought Jason looked shattered before she told him what happened. The realization that Elijah was her mate and had tried to kill her seemed to be the final blow.

That’s when I stepped out of the trees.

“Yes, he did,” I said, confirming what Ellie had just told him.

The shock on his face when he saw me was clear.

“Gabriel?” he asked.

It confirmed my suspicion that my father had told everyone I was dead. They probably thought I was dead while I was wasting away in the council dungeons.

Jason started to walk toward me, but Seth’s warriors stopped him. Some were in wolf form, others in human form.

I raised my hand. They were all on edge; the last thing I wanted was for Jason to get hurt.

“Let him approach,” I said.

The warriors immediately looked to Seth for confirmation.

I could tell he still didn’t trust Jason, but he nodded in agreement. He trusted my judgment, and that was enough.

It’s not like Jason could do much. He was outnumbered. If he was a spy for my father, he’d be dead before he could shift.

I didn’t think for a second that he was. My father disliked him too much to even consider using him that way. It was a foolish move on his part, because it probably would have worked.

Jason walked toward me.

“He told us you were dead. We felt the loss of your wolf.”

I took a step toward Jason, my hands gently resting on his shoulders. Jason wasn’t just my second in command, he was also my best friend. I was overjoyed when I found out that my sister was his mate.

It broke my heart, what happened to them both. Losing their sons, and for what? An old man’s greed.

Right now, I was more than angry with my father. Not for what he did to me, but for what he did to everyone else—Ellie, Samuel, Elijah, Jason, and Jasmine. I figured that was just the beginning.

I squeezed Jason’s shoulders.

“I would have been, if it weren’t for Murdoch and Emma and the good people of this pack.”

He glanced over his shoulder at the warriors still on high alert, then at Seth and Ellie. There was no anger or hatred in his eyes now.

I guessed he realized that Ellie was also a victim of my father.

Jason turned his attention back to me.

“Your father”—he swallowed nervously—“he said they were traitors. Human lovers. He and the council were planning to wipe all the humans off the face of the planet. Then they were going to attack this pack.”

I looked at Jason and nodded.

“We know. My father is an evil man, Jason. He sacrificed Samuel just so Zagan could take Ellie.

“Then when they both escaped, he had a spy here try and kill them both. We also believe that he gave Elijah an Alpha command, to kill Ellie.”

This revelation was news to Jason. I could tell by the look on his face and the change in his eye color that his wolf was trying to take control. His fist clenched as he tried to maintain control.

He pulled away from me. “I’m going to kill him,” he growled in a voice that wasn’t his own.

Our wolves were very protective when it came to family. Not just our mates, but our pups as well. Knowing that my father was responsible for his sons’ deaths, Jason’s wolf was on the verge of losing control.

As he walked back the way he came, I almost gasped when Ellie ran toward him.

What was she thinking? But when she spoke, I felt a surge of pride.

“Please, Jason, don’t. Think of Jasmine, you’re all she has now,” Ellie practically begged him.

Jason came to a halt and swiveled around to face her. I felt a wave of relief wash over me as her words seemed to soothe him.

His fury over the loss of his sons wasn’t aimed at Ellie anymore, but both she and I knew that if he dared to confront my father, he’d lose. And what would become of my sister then?

When Jason’s shoulders sagged in surrender, I knew his wolf had given in. As much as he craved vengeance, he also had a deep-seated instinct to safeguard his mate. He couldn’t do that if he was dead.

“She’s got a point, Jason. Does my father even know you’re here?” I asked.

Jason glanced at me and shook his head.

“He thinks I’m still at home. I made sure to steer clear of our warriors when I crossed Zagan’s territory. Zagan’s guards didn’t challenge me, since there are wolves from all the packs camped out.”

I nodded and immediately mind-linked Seth.

~“My father needs to be taken down. Jason could be the key. We should try to get him on our side.”~

Seth’s brow furrowed slightly, then he mind-linked back.

~“Agreed, but we’re doing this my way.”~

I looked at him and nodded. I wasn’t sure what he had in mind, but he had put his trust in me, now it was my turn to trust him.

I watched as he stepped forward, draping an arm around Ellie’s shoulder. I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself—he was in for a challenge with her! But they did make a good team.

“You want revenge, I get it, but you’ve got to be smart…” Seth started.

Jason looked at him and frowned.

“Join us. Give us as much intel on Joel’s forces as you can. Then…” Seth paused.

I watched as he gave Ellie’s shoulder a gentle squeeze.

“Your son, Elijah, he was our enemy. But he was also Alpha Gabriel’s nephew…”

Seth glanced over at me. I understood now why he was holding Ellie so close. She hadn’t asked, and no one had told her what had happened to Elijah after she had killed him.

“Under normal circumstances, we would just dispose of his body.”

My stomach twisted as I watched Ellie stiffen, then gasp at the revelation. He had been an enemy of this pack, as well as my nephew and Ellie’s mate.

“Despite what your son tried to do, Alpha Clayton agreed that we should show him some respect. Especially after what we suspected.

“It would be virtually impossible for a wolf to attack their mate, even if their human counterpart wanted it.

“You won’t be able to take your son home, but if you help us, you will be able to pay your respects. He is buried next to his brother on our lands.”

Jason let out a shaky breath; his eyes were glistening with unshed tears. He seemed unable to speak for a few moments, then he nodded.

“Will I…can I…” he began, stuttering slightly.

It took a moment for him to compose himself. He had lost so much.

Finally, he took a deep breath. “Once this is over, I would like their mother to be allowed…”

I stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on Jason’s shoulder.

“I’m sure that can be arranged, old friend.”

I quickly glanced over at Seth, who nodded in agreement. Then I pulled Jason into a hug.

“We’ll finish that bastard, I promise you,” I whispered in his ear.

A muffled sob escaped his lips as I held him close. It wasn’t necessary for the rest of the pack to see a strong warrior like Jason break down. I didn’t blame him though; he had been through so much.

Seth walked up to me, his arm still draped over Ellie’s shoulder.

“Come to the pack house when you’re ready. We’ll meet in Clayton’s office,” Seth advised.

I nodded.

The walk to the pack house would give Jason a chance to compose himself.

I had my own ideas on how to deal with my father. I doubted that Clayton, Seth, or Ellie would agree, but it was something I knew I had to do. It was the only way to put an end to him.