Page 113 of Faith and Fury

Chapter Forty-Nine

Caleb

Six years on the RDF. Five years in Pack Wilder.

And Jaxon has never fucked up quite like this.

I want to pin the blame on Faith—if he weren’t so fixated on courting her, or, like Micah, telling her he loves her, this wouldn’t be happening. We’d have uprooted the ring by now. We’d be driving back to Wilder Den, happy.

Instead, he’s disobeying my direct orders.

But I meant what I said last night—this isn’t about Faith. It’s about my packmates. What they need … and what, or who, they don’t.

“You’re lucky I don’t suspend you,” I tell Jaxon after dragging him into my office. “If the defense minister gets wind of your insubordination—”

“Suspend me, then.” His eyes flash. “Don’t want to be accused of favoritism.”

“I’m not talking to you as my packmate right now,” I growl, “you know that. You’re my second, Jaxon. When I tell you to do something, or be somewhere—that’s where you should fucking be.”

Jaxon stares at a spot above my head. “Understood.” His lip twists. “Captain.”

I sit back in my chair. “Alright. Good. Now, as your head alpha, I think there’s another conversation we need to be having.” My eyes harden, willing him to look at me. “I know you’re angry. I know you’re upset. If there’s something else you want to say to me—”

“Where is she?”

His voice is dark. Quiet. Too quiet, for Jaxon.

I sigh. “Somewhere safe.”

“Safe where?”

“Jaxon. We’re not doing this.”

“You asked if there’s anything I want to say to you,” he growls. “Well, I don’t. The only person I’ve got shit to say to right now is Faith—and you took her away. If I find out she’s in some random refuge, or prison, then yeah, maybe then I’ll have something to say to you.”

I rub my temples. “She’s not in prison.”

“How can I know that? All you said was ‘safe house’.”

“You were there,” I remind him, “when she asked to be taken away.”

“You didn’t exactly give her much choice.” He bristles. “Or try to convince her to stay.”

We’re going in circles. It was bad enough coming home last night to my packmates’ hysterics … so I guess there’s only one clear way out of this.

“Maverick,” I grit out.

Jaxon scowls. “What about him?”

“He’s not in today. Didn’t report for the mission.”

Jaxon pauses, not picking up what I’m putting down. “So what? You got him on something else?”

“Yeah.” I stare meaningfully. “I do.”

It takes another moment before he straightens, his pheromones turning acidic. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Jax,” I growl.

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