Untamable (35 page)

“Brockton’s dead. Zeke’s might be,” Stephan snarled.

Jasper filled with emotions. His mate lay snuggled against his body, hurt and nearly broken. Nothing else mattered but getting her home and healthy. Jasper glanced back to his wolves. The guards all lay dead, and the foreign leaders were safe.

Jasper’s eyes roamed over the rest of the manicured lawn. Chairs and tables were strewn throughout the scene. Trees were snapped and branches scattered, but none of that held his attention. A body stumbled toward the forest line. The body fell to the ground and crawled a few feet before rising again. Jasper glanced to where Dane’s body had lain. In Jasper’s panic over Sidda, Dane had slithered away.

“Take your mate, Alpha. I’ll finish him.” Stephan rushed toward the wood-line, but Jasper couldn’t let him.

“No. Dane will be dealt with soon enough. Go back and get Zeke and then we need to talk.”

An hour later, Jasper kissed Sidda’s forehead softly and left her in the care of Doc, and both her mothers. He wasn’t sure what Sidda would call them but was thankful they were there to tend to her. He gazed back at her one last time before meeting his own mother in the hallway. She enveloped him in a warm comforting hug. Her sweet scent of vanilla wrapped around him. Her tears flowed down her cheeks to soak his shirt. He smiled and stroked her back.

Jasper’s heart swelled. For years he’d held onto the hope that he’d find his mother and brothers. Now he held her. All the fear and pain from the day he’d lost her melted away. She pulled away from him to rub her hand across his jaw.

“You are a fine man, Jasper. I knew you’d make it. You were my strongest one. I can’t tell you how happy I am to be back home with my babies.” She reached out to grab the young man’s hand beside her.

Jasper nodded and clapped his brother on the back, too eaten up with emotions to speak. The young boy returned the silent gesture, tears pooling in his own eyes.

“Now, how is Sidda?” His mom sniffled, squeezing his hand.

Jasper sighed, shaking his head. “She hasn’t woken up. Stephan said when he got to her she was fighting with everything she had, but Brockton hit her hard in the temple. Doc said she’s healing, but he’s a little worried about the effect of her first heat cycle being so violent and the fact that her wolf had been suppressed. He thinks it will just take time to heal her, but that she should be all right.” Jasper looked down, not wanting anyone to see the well of tears forming.

God, he loved Sidda and refused to let her leave him even in death. Surviving wasn’t living. He’d told her that once, and it still rang true.

“Sidda’s strong. She will make it and be fine.” His brother’s voice pre-puberty voice squeaked but it held the truth. Delilah nodded. “She will. Now what of Stephan? Sidda mentioned she had hopes he’d lead the team looking for all the wolves Dane and Brockton stole.”

Jasper growled. He hated Stephan with a fucking passion he’d never known existed. Yet the bastard had fought on their side, saved Sidda, and then given Sidda to him instead of running with her as he could have. “I’m not sure. I need to speak with Sidda about him. She says he’s not a monster, that Dane brainwashed him. I’m not sure what to make of that.”

“I am.” Zeke eased his body their way, struggling to walk. He’d refused a wheelchair or to stay in bed. He wanted to be there when his sister woke up. His head was bandaged from top to ears. “Stephan saved us more than once. Anytime father or Brockton wanted to punish us, Stephan stepped in. He took the punishment from father for us, and beat Brockton down when he tried anything. Sidda’s right about him. He just needs to remember what happened to him as a child and what father did.”

Jasper glanced to his mother and then to his brother. Both nodded.

“So you all think I should spare him, release him to go find the other stolen wolves, and maybe meet up with Dane to rebuild his pack?”

“No.” Stephan strolled into the room, holding a handful of manila folders. “If I find that bastard, I’ll kill him myself. I found these files in the ones your family took from Dane’s office. This is mine. Read it. If you choose to kill me, so be it. I can’t change the things I’ve done, but I will spend the rest of my life atoning for them and searching for my own family.”

Jasper stared at Stephan. The Alpha in him wanted blood, Stephan’s blood. Stephan had been Dane’s man for too long, and he’d done too many things to let him walk away. “I can’t let you leave here alone. Hell, I don’t want to let you take another breath after the things you’ve done. And if I find out that fucking scratch on my mate’s hand is your mark, I will hunt you down and kill you without a second thought. No matter what Sidda says. I will rip you to shreds if you’ve marked her in any way.”

Stephan nodded.

“I’ll get someone to go with you to help search for pack members and to monitor you. One hint that you’re going rogue, and you die, understand?”

“I’ll go with him.” Vivian sauntered down the hall with Cole in her wake. “My sister has fulfilled my vision, and she will be well so I’m no longer needed here. If I stay, there will be stress between us until she’s positive that the mark on my hand means nothing, that there was never a bond between us. In the meantime, I need a purpose.”

“You have a purpose. You’re the pack Visioner.”

“I can call with visions. I need something more.” She glanced at Stephan who eyed her with suspicion. “We leave tomorrow. Right now I want to speak with my brother and mother.” She grabbed Zeke’s arm, tugging him toward the room where Sidda lay.

Cole laughed at Stephan’s shocked and wide-eyed expression. “Get used to it. That one is missing a few cards in the deck. I’ve got some wolf friends in Texas. I looked over the names Sidda had on that paper. I think I might know where to start looking for those twins and their sister. I’m gonna head out tomorrow too. Jackson, one of the Texas wolves, has volunteered to go with me, like I need some protection or something. Plus I can’t sit around listening to Ivan and mom. It’s just nasty.” He shivered.

Jasper hadn’t expected his friends and pack to organize so quickly. The night before they’d all fought for their lives and pack. Now they were ready for their tasks. Pride swelled within him.

“Meet back here in a month. I’ll be holding a Marking ceremony for Sidda and me.” He grinned at Cole, who shook his head and walked off.

His mother clapped her hands together. “Good, but a month hardly gives us time to plan such a great thing. I’ve got to get with Scarlett, Angela, and Joy. Move, sons, it’s time to get to planning.” She strode forward but stopped to smile back at Jasper. “And in a few years, I’ll be planning a grandpup’s birthing ceremony.” Her eyes lit up, and she walked off, leaving Jasper near panicking.

“Grandpups?” His wide eyes met Russ’s, who merely shrugged. “She’s crazy.” But even as the words left his mouth, he knew he wanted them. He wanted to have pups with Sidda, to see her swollen belly, knowing they’d created a life together. But so much had to be done first. Still, they could always practice making them.

Happiness exploded within him. His mate was back, his family together, and he was Alpha over the North American Luna Nation now. He turned to Stephan, feeling a bit more forgiving.

“Thank you for saving her.” Jasper sighed. “Tomorrow, take one of the pack vehicles and Vivian.” He shook his head. “God help you. Have you looked through the files? Do we know how many you’re looking for?”

Stephan nodded. “There were six other females I know of. Those had between one or two babies each. Take away the ones Brockton had killed at the warehouse and we will be searching for six females and ten children who were Dane’s. But from some of the files, Dane had gifted Brockton with females also. There were another five, and if I know anything, I know Brockton took more than that.”

“Before you and Vivian leave, I want a report on where you are going, what you are going to do. Until you’ve earned free reign, you will be monitored every step of the way.” With that, Jasper strode into the room with Sidda again. He left his brother and Stephan in the hallway.

Scarlett and Vivian sat on the couch in the room smiling and hugging. Tears streamed down both their faces. Four teary eyes glanced at Jasper.

Vivian rose, dragging her mother up also. “Have no worries, Alpha, I will keep him in check. Now let me go help him with the report. I want to leave first thing to go find those innocent wolves.”

“Thank you for caring for my daughters. And I heard we are having a Marking ceremony in a month. It’s time to get busy.” Scarlett’s tears began to flow again, and Jasper shifted from foot to foot.

“Um, Viv, I expect you and Stephan to be here also showing support.” He wasn’t sure what to expect, but her laughing and nodding wasn’t it.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world. Now come, Momma, let’s get my brother and go help Stephan.”

Doc smiled and shook his head. “Poor Stephan.”

Jasper nodded. “All right, tell me she’s going to wake up any second and be perfectly fine.”

Doc grimaced. “I can’t tell you that, but be prepared for her to be back in heat when she does. She needs to complete the cycle.”

Damn it, that was not what Jasper wanted to hear, although her still being in heat would definitely be a good thing. He couldn’t wait to mount her.

Sidda wanted to roll her eyes. All he thought about was “mounting” her. For fuck’s sake, she’d almost been killed by Brockton’s dumb ass, and all Jasper wanted to do was mount her. “Is that all you think of?” Her croaking voice flowed through the room.

An instant later, a rush of footsteps had Jasper on one side of her bed and Doc on the other. She shook her head, biting back a groan of pain. Dammit, her head still hurt.

She opened her mouth to complain but stopped short when another figure appeared at the foot of the bed. Tears began to pour from her eyes. She slowly sat up, holding her hands out to Zeke, sobbing as he eased his way to her. “Oh my god.” She grasped Zeke’s hands, tugging him to her. Sidda’s breath caught in her chest. She’d been so sure she’d never see him again, yet here he was alive with her.

“What happened? I saw what Brockton…” She shook her aching head, holding onto him for dear life. He’d saved her from Brockton. “I thought…I…”

“Yeah, he beat me up pretty bad, but Stephan got there.” Zeke smiled. “He’s a good guy after all.”

Sidda forced a smile for her brother. Her hand trembled, burning from the mark on her palm. It looked like a small scratch, but the hum of energy from the spot told her it was more.

She cleared the thoughts of Stephan from her mind. “I can’t believe you’re all right.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna be fine. Your mate said if I didn’t get better, he’d be forced to beat me back to health.” Zeke laughed.

Sidda smiled at Jasper, releasing her brother’s hands to pull Jasper’s head toward her. She kissed his cheek, and he winked.

“Gross.” Zeke’s lips curled. “I should not know what you are feeling, or him. It’s disturbing. Come on, Doc, I want to take these rags off my forehead.”

Zeke and Doc slipped from the room. Sidda grinned at Jasper and pulled the covers back so he could slide into bed with her.

He tugged his pants and shoes off, followed by his shirt. “I should be mad at you for running off, not trusting me to handle the situation, and going into heat while I wasn’t there. I really should be pissed, but all I want to do is hold you. To make sure you’re safe and all right.” Jasper wrapped his arms around Sidda, dragging her close to him.

Sidda sighed with contentment. She’d been so scared when Brockton had come after her, but here in her mate’s arms, she was safe again. “Just hold me. Later we can fight. Right now I just want to hold you.” She yawned against his warm chest.

“Whatever you want, babe.” His hands stroked her back, sending her into a blissful sleep.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Sidda smiled at her sleeping mate. She tucked the note beside his head and then ran from the room before he woke up. He’d be fit to be tied when he woke up and she was gone again. But she had no desire to be in that house when she did what her body was begging her to do. She’d woken in a cold sweat, a fire roaring inside her again. Every instinct inside her pulsed and prodded for her to take her mate in a screaming rush of passion. But Sidda knew without a doubt their first time together now had to be alone. She didn’t want everyone at the house knowing what was going on.