Saint Ives Whelan Chronicles Ch. 18

Clearing his throat he tried getting the attention of the two brothers.

"Jack, it's ok now. We'll figure this out," Richard said as he gently tried to break their embrace. Still overwhelmed himself he didn't want to break contact either, so he understood his brother clinging to him. When growing up it was the only affectionate touches he'd received.

Throwing his arms around his brother, he guided Jack towards one of the free chairs and motioned for him to sit down. He took the chair next to him, keeping their physical distance to a minimum.

"Tell me, how did things get so out of hand? I know the old man is crazy, but kidnapping and forced matings? That's even beyond imaginable. And how did you get caught up in this shit?" Richard asked in a gentle manner.

Jack took a few deep breaths. The time was here to come clean. At first he was just going to go along with all they would tell him to do, but being reunited with his brother, that made things even more important.

"Not long after you went away he sent the Betas after you. He told them to make sure you would never return. I wanted to follow them, really I did! Mom's brother stopped me, told me if I followed you, you weren't going to be the only who'd die that night. He explained why I needed to stay. Act as some kind of buffer between our dad and the pack. I didn't listen at first, I still wanted to go after you. But I was still a pup back then and after some serious talking our uncle persuaded me to stay.

"He knew I didn't agree with what dad was doing, he didn't either. He wanted us to stay to help those who would be cast out or punished. The Betas came back telling dad you wouldn't be a problem anymore. We all assumed you'd died. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months. Little by little rumors travelled back to the camp that you didn't die, but that you came across some kind of witch who saved you."

Jack looked up at the woman, letting out a small grunt.

"I'm no witch, young man, so you better think twice before ever calling me that again," Gwen said.

"Sweetie, calm down. Remember not everybody believes your heritage. How were they supposed to know?" Richard soothingly spoke at Gwen. Turning back to Jack he went on, "She is right though, she isn't a witch. She's an Ancient, and she is my mate. I'd urge you to address her as such. You do not want to piss her off." Richard smiled innocently at his mate, having been on the receiving end of her temper once or twice.

"But to get back on track, Jack. The rumors got back to the camp. Did they believe them or not?"

"At first I was hopeful, but after a few more months nothing more was said. I mean nothing, not even contact with other packs, as if we were cut off completely. Despite what our uncle told me I wanted to know what our father was up to. Specially now he didn't have the alliance he so craved. I tried listening to one of his meetings, but he caught me. He didn't ask any questions, he simply beat the shit out of me. Once more I realized how sick a person he'd become and only then did I truly confront myself with what our uncle told me.

"It was clear I wasn't strong enough to take him on, challenge him for the Alpha position, so I decided to play along, making sure he trusted me. I walked a very thin line, trying not to compromise myself, yet stay credible. I did things I'm not proud of, things that still haunt me in my dreams. Once he started using our own women and young adult women as pure breeding stock I knew something had to happen.

"Over the years uncle had figured out a way to use a drug to make them appear dead. He had a route he used to take them away from pack land, provide them with enough food and cash. Since our numbers were always low it took a while before dad figured out something was wrong. He ordered the mated couple to always be with child. Once they were born, he'd let the mothers wean them their first year, but after that they were taken away and were brought up by males only.

"Howie is an example of that, zero respect towards a woman. I tried to talk him out of it, but dad wouldn't budge. He wanted a vicious group of warriors who didn't give a shit about things and always followed his orders. Every female that was born was promised to one of them the day she entered her young adulthood. From the minute they were of legal consent age, these young women got jumped upon. It was them we tried to take away from the pack before they reached that age," Jack explained. He just stared in front of him now, a weight being lifted off his shoulders now he could tell everything.

A glass of water was held before him. With a thankful nod he took the glass and emptied it in one gulp.

"We convinced them it was a mysterious illness that took their lives. Over time our female numbers only got lower and lower, those who were mated didn't get into heat as much as he wanted to. That was when he started sending out his few chosen ones to bring in humans. I cringed every time I saw a new female entering our grounds. Being raised with no respect for women, most of them turned up beaten, their clothes torn and ripped.

"I didn't want this, but I didn't know how to help them. Our uncle provided me with painkillers which I tried to give them whenever I could. I bided my time, still hoping one day I could challenge him and end it all. I don't know how he does it but he hasn't lost his strength at all. It's more like he's gaining.

"And now he's got it into his mind I should get a mate and have pups of my own. I tried to persuade him otherwise, but he wouldn't relent. He sent me away together with those two misfits. It's actually the first time I got out of our compound. That first evening Howie came back with one of those woman, she seemed totally out of it, her clothes in disarray.

"He said the next woman he'd bring back would be for me, he didn't leave me any choice. I already had it planned out what I would do. I'd never take a woman against her will, let alone mate with one. When back at the camp I would try to explain as much as possible, convince her I would do my best to keep her safe and get her out of this.

"The next day Howie returned with the second woman, in the same state as the first. Frank was the one being a pain, that he wanted a redhead. I took this as an opportunity to make our stay longer, so I kept telling him to go look for one." Again Jack stopped for a while, gathering his thoughts. He didn't like telling this but he had to, he had to tell.

Looking at the empty glass in his hands, he let out a tired sigh.

"Howie was getting restless," Jack continued. "He pretended to be asleep and Frank talked me into going with him to look for the last woman, that was on Friday. We were hidden behind the club when he spotted her. He wanted to take her right there, but he couldn't. She had two friends with her." Jack looked up, straight into Mia's eyes. "Now I know why you looked familiar, you're one of her friends!" he said, surprised.

Mia nodded. "Be glad you didn't try to take her then, you wouldn't even be sitting here..."

Jack visibly gulped. Knowing teleporting wasn't something a normal were could do only meant that the people surrounding him, his brother included, were a force to be reckoned with.

"Frank insisted on staying put, he wanted that woman badly and was getting restless. After a few hours we saw two of her friends depart. I knew there were other weres around but I couldn't really make out which rank they had. Guess I know that now," he shrugged. "Not much later the one Frank wanted came into the alley, she was walking towards her car. I tried my best to control Frank, but he was close to losing it. His temper had been building for a few hours now. He backed her into a corner and started groping her."

Adam growled when he heard this part of his story.

Hesitantly Jack peeked at Adam, trying to see how his mood was.

"Frank was so riled up he wanted to mate her right there and then, ignoring the Alpha's command. He tried ripping off her clothes, but I tried to stop him. I pulled her to me in the hope I could shield her away from him, but he wouldn't have it. He pulled her back. All this time she was screaming and yelling. That's when you showed up," Jack said, nodding towards Adam.

"Think we all know how things went after that. I pretended to put up a fight, but once I saw Frank had no chance whatsoever he bolted and I followed him. When we got back to the camp I realized what the underlying meaning of Frank had been in insisting I go with him. I was furious but I couldn't do much, I'm strong but Howie fights mean and he's ten times as vicious after he's had his way with a woman, two in this case."

"He won't be able to do that anymore, ever," Ed interrupted. "Shame he didn't put up more of a fight. Our pups fight better."

A few emotions crossed Jack's face. One was fear, taking in how easy Ed talked about disposing of Howie. The other was relief, knowing Howie's cruel days were over. Looking at Adam he assumed Frank got a similar scenario. Once a wolf found his mate, whether they bonded or not, he was a fierce creature you didn't want to cross paths with. He counted himself lucky he was still alive.

He knew of the Whelan reputation, they handled things fairly, they didn't resort to violence much. That they took this course of action only meant more was going on. Going silent for a while he tried adding things up. Chris hadn't really fought him, just subdued him as fast as possible, tied him up.

They didn't beat the crap out of him either because he cooperated right away. He had noticed they had locked him away but there hadn't been much movement around the big mansion they took him to. And there was the way they "busted" him out. He still went woozy thinking about that.

Of course he knew werewolves weren't the only other beings walking the earth, but he had no clue as to how this all was possible. Then there was the fact his brother was here, the second woman was clearly attached to him. Giving her another look he noticed how similar she appeared to the slightly younger woman that had brought them here. Were they related?

The biggest question left was who that tall man was. Not once had he spoken, he'd only observed everything. Who was he? What was his role in all of this? His mind was slowly going crazy with possibilities and it showed.

"Take it easy, little bro, we'll explain. Just know our dad will be dealt with. We're going to need your help. Normally we had already decided to confront him in a few days. I've had enough with all this hiding. Specially now my daughter is mated to Chris," Richard told his brother.

Jack's eyes shot up in surprise. So he'd been right. Mother and daughter. Looking from one to the other, it clicked, they really did look much alike. It also explained why Richard was now involved. He was now part of the Whelan family. Jack smiled. Everything was falling into place now.

"Anything you want, grumpy," Jack said, using their childhood nicknames.

"We need to know how many members there are and how many really support our dad and who would be easily swayed?"

"That's easy. He's got an elite squad living in the surrounding buildings. They won't be swayed. There's fifteen of them. The rest of the pack is living in the shacks in the back. Even the mated females live there. They don't mind at all since it's the only protection they have from the elite squad. Their mates keep them pregnant, though we made sure not all pregnancies go beyond three weeks.

They're safe from their mate until they go into heat and get pregnant again. At first they had their pups, but they're taken away and raised to be part of the elite squad. After a lot of talking and discussing they agreed to terminate the pregnancies early on. They knew they couldn't escape. The few that tried were tracked down, raped and beaten to within an inch of their lives. That's why they agreed with the early terminations. They're hoping, just as me, that one day they would be free, but they didn't want to strengthen the pack," Jack ended with a sigh.

"He's really lost it, hasn't he?" Richard asked.

"You have no idea. It was one thing to try and broker a mating with another pack to merge, but what he's doing now is beyond me. He's not sane anymore. Our uncle and me can't stand up to him, his squad would crush us instantly. So I faked as much as I could to stay close to him. To know what he's up to. That way I could stall or prevent little things from happening.

"Because of us, he hasn't got the numbers he wanted. Sadly as a result he ordered his men to start kidnapping women and force a turn on them. Most don't survive the change and those that do are forced to mate with the one that abducted them. It's such a mess. The things he made me do." He shook his head, defeated. "But I knew if I didn't do them I couldn't help those women anymore. My status as his only son gave me the privilege to walk around unhindered. Every time he thought I was having my way with one of those women, it was because I was passing on medication, either to terminate a pregnancy or to tend to their wounds.

"The times he publically ordered me to do beatings were heartbreaking. I was afraid the guilt would be written on my face for all to see. But the women reassured me they understood. They knew the risks I was taking to help them, so in turn they endured the rare beatings I was commanded to do."

Jack stood up and started pacing. Glad he wouldn't have to hide his true feelings anymore, it should have felt as a huge relief knowing their dad's reign was going to be over soon. But all those things came crashing back into his mind. Replaying themselves like a very bad B-movie.

Richard stopped his pacing and pulled him in for a tight hug. "It's ok, little bro. in a few days it will all be over. We're going over there to stop this. And when we're done you're going to take over that pack and you are going to show them how it's done."

Jack felt comforted when his brother first hugged him, but then he was startled by his words.

"I can't be the Alpha. You're the elder brother, it's your task to do," Jack protested.

"Normally I would have done that, but now you are here it's clear to me you would be the right person for that position. They know you, they know what you endured for all those years. They will trust you more than they would me. I will help you, no worries about that, but you need to be their Alpha, not me. Once you're settled and things calm down I might actually start exploring the world a little." He gave a quick wink towards his mate as he went on. "After such a long time of hiding I want to spread my wings and visit the places my mate told such wonderful stories about."

Everybody had intently listened to all that had been said, specially Merlin. He couldn't help but smile, things indeed would work out, he would let them handle as much as they could on their own. But nonetheless he promised himself to make sure everything would turn out the way it should be. He had a few tricks up his sleeve the wolves didn't know about and he was quite sure one of them would be coming in handy real soon.

Stepping up Merlin cleared his throat and said, "Let's pick a day and time and get this show on the road. I believe we have a tyrant to get rid of. It's been a while since I was in a good fight." To strengthen his words he fisted one hand and punched into his other hand.

Ed chuckled at those words. "Merlin, you're going to use your fists to fight? I want to see that. I'll order tickets for some front row seats."

Jack's eyes widened as he turned towards the tall man they had addressed as Merlin. Probing his mental connection with his brother he asked him, Is that Merlin as in the legendary Merlin?

The one and only, his brother replied. He's my father-in-law, though we only met recently. We always stayed hidden and kept to ourselves. But once Mia mated with Chris we were happily surprised to find out he was still alive. When my mate and her Da saw each other again, well it was just a joy to see them together again. It's literally been centuries since they saw each other.

I see I've gotten some powerful allies then, Jack replied.

There is little we can't handle with all those present in the room, so trust me when I say we've got everything covered. As he said, day and time and we're all set to make our father stop this madness

Jack beamed, now he felt as if everything was coming to an end.

"So, how are we going to get organized?" Jack threw his question out to the group.

"That depends a bit on the fact of when there's the least activity in your pack grounds?" Ed replied with a question.

"Best time would be in the morning. The squad tends to drink a lot in the evening and sleep in late. We wouldn't get much opposition then. If we handle it smart we could even secure the women first, making sure nothing will happen to them," Jack answered.

"If you come with me and warn the women, I can port us all out until we're at a safe distance. I'll port you back right away and then I'll stay with the women to reassure them all is fine," the soft voice of Mia mixed in their conversation.

Chris smiled and pulled her closer. Again his sweetheart surprised him. She knew he didn't like her coming with them in her delicate state and this was a nice way for her to feel part of the confrontation yet be at a safe distance.

I'm glad I found a smart and reasonable mate in you, sweetheart, he told her when he nuzzled her neck lovingly.

Don't get carried away, love, this is the best for the women. My mom is a lot stronger than me so she's the better choice to stay with you all. And well I do believe the women will feel more at ease with a stranger woman with them instead of another male. I got the feeling that Jack will want a word with his father too.

As always you are quite right. As I said a smart and reasonable mate, Chris teased her again.

Mia shook her head in defeat. He was incorrigible, but she loved it, every second of his teasing made her feel loved just that little bit more.

They all gathered around the big desk where Ed had placed a map that indicated where other werewolf territory was. Jack explained where exactly his pack was located, pointed to three possible escape routes and pointed to two large areas that would be ok to port to.

Merlin told them he would explore the areas and make sure they had enough room for them to arrive and on the other location to host the women. He also said he would make sure Mia knew where she had to port to.

They agreed to meet up at dawn in two days' time. Richard insisted on Jack going with Gwen and himself. It was clear he wouldn't pose any threat nor that he would try to escape. Ed said he'd take care of that situation since the guard at the mansion didn't know he was guarding an empty cell. He'd dismiss him from his duties and tell him later the person that was detained was moved and that he had to keep quiet about everything.

When Mia parents, together with Jack, Merlin and Adam were gone, Ed signaled for Chris to stay. Mentally he told him he needed another word with him in private, without Mia.

"Mia, sweetheart, would you mind going back to the apartment? Seems Ed wants to discuss another matter of importance. I'm sure it won't take long," Chris asked his mate. Knowing his brother he was well aware he wouldn't just ask him to stay behind.

Giving him a slightly puzzled look Mia stood on her tiptoes and brushed his lips, then looked over to Ed.

"Whatever it is you need to discuss, just make sure I have my mate with me in fifteen minutes. I have plans for him," she directed at Ed, giving him a wink.

Ed couldn't help but burst out laughing. "I'm sure it won't take long, he'll be at your side soon enough. You two look like a perfect match. And with everybody gone I think I can safely congratulate you two now," he said as his eyes dropped to her tummy.