Page 31 of Abundant Moon
Remain as you are and you will both die. Hear me!
Embrace your wolf. Give him what is rightfully his.
NO FEAR!
Trust and cooperation make you stronger.
Partners, not enemies.
Restore the balance. Discover what you are missing!
Your mate needs you – do not deny him!
Donna and Erin love you.
The pack awaits. Join us!
One after another, the walls came down, presenting a chance for an alternate life. One which may require inconvenient sacrifices for a while, but with a mate by his side and the Gladstone community at his back. Eventually fear gave way to hope and the anger to acceptance. Through the link, Evan sensed Jack making progress with Robert’s wolf and shared the man’s willingness to end the stand-off once and for all.
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ASH CONTINUED HIS PERSONALvigil, wondering why it took so long and barely aware of the others in the room. Thanks to the mating pheromones, his dick remained rock-hard and he longed to claim the man properly and begin their life together. At thirty-one, he’d waited longer than most for his mate, though Donna told him Robert was actually twelve years older. He didn’t look it, the same way Jack and William belied their actual age. It didn’t matter. The man laid out before him looked good enough to eat and he couldn’t wait for the meal to come.
With a sigh, Ben silenced his phone, slipping it back in his pocket. He’d sent an update to a worried Nolan and the security team outside.
No change. Stand by
More than anyone else, Ben knew the capabilities of True Elders, yet Robert seemed past help at this point. Even if he and his wolf agreed to shift, there was no guarantee he’d relinquish control. If he didn’t, he faced insanity and death. If that happened, Ash would lose his mate and Donna her brother – the agonizing cry in the parking lot his last communication as the person they knew.
With Evie on his lap, Jonah read to her from the bag of books Ben thought to grab when he went home to get her. At the end of each story, they paused to probe the supine man for any flicker of emotional activity. So far, nothing had changed and they started another book. Despite her age, Evie sensed the importance of what they were doing, taking her cue from the scents around her and her concern for Robert’s wolf. His distressed calls to her the previous evening roused her empathy and desire to help to new heights. Both Jonah and Ben noted her quiet cooperation and beamed with pride.
Donna sat still, fretting quietly, and feeling guilty for not having intervened in her brother’s life sooner. She knew of the dangerous game Robert played, yet feared pressing him too hard. Siblings only enjoyed so much influence and she refused to become like her parents - pushing, pushing, pushing until something gave. Even so, what kind of doctor allowed someone to risk their well-being and say nothing? Damn it! If only she could turn back the clock and do things differently.
She rose from her seat to stand over the mattress and observe Robert without disturbing the True Elders. She listened carefully to his heartbeat, surprised to find it slower and more steady than before. The facial ticks were in abeyance and the man looked more at peace than she’d seen him in a long time. Jack and Evan must have made some progress, and she shared her observations with the others. The good news provided a lifeline of hope amid the disquieting battle, played out in eerie silence.
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JACK MAKES CONTACT
Jack calmly took his place by the agitated wolf’s side as they paced the halls of the predator’s mind. He began by commiserating with the other’s lack of trust and cries for freedom. He was right to be angry, and justified in his refusal to be controlled and leashed like a common dog. Jack appealed first to the wolf’s instincts to live, followed by mate and family. None of which were possible unless he shared power with his human side. Instead of words, Jack revealed images gleaned from his memories of similar issues in the past – all of them ending badly.
Alone. Gone rogue.
Locked in wolf form, forever.
Madness and rage – put down. Dead.
Imbalance. Denial. Anger.
Grieving mates.
Abandoned pups.
Years cut short, a half-life.
Gradually, the wolf began to see that what he wanted to do was no better than what Robert had done to him. He heard and tasted the man’s willingness to cooperate and no longer deny the wolf his freedom. The promise of a mate also provided a powerful incentive as Ash’s scent called to him. It all came down to trusting his human, something he remained wary of, and with good reason.
Jack kept after him until the wolf saw no other way forward except to share control with his human. He wasn’t willing to capitulate, ready to dig in his heels if need be, yet he agreed totry. Sensing this was the best offer they could hope for, Jack and Evan prepared to withdraw - allowing Robert and his wolf to hash out the details and begin anew.
