MACKIE: I link Dutch after getting Kes’s link. *“Kes would like us to stop and pick up a turkey loin, a few steaks, and a small ham. Before we head back for the night.” “I will let Trever know.”* I nod my head to him and close the link.
DUTCH: After getting the link from Mackie, which still gives me butterflies, I link Trever. “Your woman want some steaks, ham, and turkey. I guess we go shopping before we head back tonight.” He looks at me and nods.
TREVER: With it getting close to dinner, the game ended, and we lose Renae, but she did make it quite far in the competition. I acknowledge the link from Dutch that Kes wants us to go shopping. I know it’s new for her, but I am going to have to remind her that she can link me directly. Now it’s down to Trent, Thorne, Vance, and Maxine, it’s going to be an interesting evening. Dutch and I help move the pool table back inside and help to reset the room for the evening meal. After the marquee is reset, I grab both Dutch and Mackie and head out. “Where is the best store to get what she wants?” I asked Mackie. “Marty’s meats.” She says. “Lead the way.” I tell her. And we head off in the direction of the local shopping area for the pack. Once inside the meat market, I link Kes. *“Hello gorgeous how many steaks do you want us to get?” “one a piece, and only a small ham and turkey loin roast, because we won’t be staying for the whole week only through Wednesday, because I have no intention of going back until Thursday afternoon some time, and any food that we have left over will go to the orphanage.” “Ok love.”* I close the link and walk up to the meat counter. “4 of your best steaks please, a 2 lb. ham or the closest you have and the same for a turkey loin roast.” I tell the man behind the counter. “What kind of steaks?” “What do you mean?” “I mean, we have elk, moose, deer, beef, buffalo. So which kind?” “Oh, just a minute.” I link Kes back. *“What kind of steaks were you thinking of.” “Either beef, or just regular venison.” “Ok.”* I close the link. “My lady says either beef or regular venison, I will leave the choice up to you as the expert in your craft.” I tell the man. He nods. I collect the meat from him and go to the check-out counter and pay for them and we head to the closest tree line and walk in a bit then Dutch, and I strip and fold our clothes and put them in the bag with the meat and shift, I pick up the bag and Dutch picks up Mackie and we head to the cabin.
DRAKE: We have just finished with the last of the meetings and I feel good about having everyone on the same page, there were even a couple of the Alphas that had contacts with some of the smaller more southern packs that they could contact to help monitor things and keep us up to date if anything seemed to be out of the ordinary, like a sudden decrease in the rouge population in their area, or if any small packs near them suddenly didn’t check in, or respond to any correspondences, that kind of thing to let us know, so that we could send help, or have them move to a safer area for the time being. And now it’s time for dinner, and I feel like I’ve been put through the ringer. I will feel much better once James and Jessie shift on Wednesday, or I should say midnight Tuesday into Wednesday I just hope that Jessie’s mate is here, and he is just waiting to claim her until she dose shift, and that will be one less problem I will have to deal with.
LIAM: We are coming down to the wire, with the pool tournament, the next time I get a bright idea just shoot me, but I started it, now I have to finish it. I wish Kes were here, but I suppose I could recruit Lissa to help out.I look around for my twin, I spot her sitting in a corner with Demi, I head in their direction. “Hey Lissa, hey Demi, do you two want to help with the tournaments at all?” I asked them. “What do we get if we do?” Lissa asked. “A chance to be in the spotlight, all eyes on you, the center of attention.” I say. “Why are you asking us now, why not from the beginning?” “What do you mean?” I asked Lissa. “Look, ever since Kes got stabbed you have basically ignored me. I just want to know why!” She states. “I guess I didn’t realize I had, but part of it is because you were always so quick to judge Kes, you were too caught up in Jessie’s aura that you couldn’t see how bad she was being to Kes. I didn’t want to fight about it, so I just stayed away, because I knew that, that whole issue would come up.” I say to her. “But if you feel like I’ve ignored you, I want you to put yourself in Kes’s place for a moment, mom, dad, James, Jessie, you, and yes even me, we have all ignored her, left her behind, remember the picknick at the lake, a few years back? It was before her birthday; she would have only been 12. We were all there, except Keska. Now ask yourself why.” “I don’t know! Why?” “Lissa you have just made my point, none of us thought about her, **NONE** of us. I started to see things the way they actually were, and that’s when I started hanging out with Kes more, I thought that you were starting to see them as well when she had to do that week of training, and you seen how Jessie was towards her, but you fell right back under Jessie’s spell. I am sorry if you thought I was ignoring you, but one Jessie, and Mimi Sutter in this family is enough, and I don’t want to spend my time and energy trying to make you understand the mistakes you are making as you make them, eventually you will understand those mistakes, but hopefully it won’t be to late, at least you didn’t reject her, like Mimi and Jessie did.” “I want to help.” She says. I just look at her. “What! You asked if we wanted to help, I want to help, I can’t speak for Demi, but I want to help, I’m bord out of my mind with this ball.” “Can you keep a secret? Especially from Jessie?” I asked her. “Yes I can keep a secret, even from Jessie.” She says. I lower my voice to a whisper and lean into the table. “Prince Trever is Kes’s mate.” I tell them. And stand back up and watch their reaction. “What? No way, wouldn’t that get Jessie’s goat.” Lissa giggles. “Come on let’s go eat.” I say to them.
JESSIE: I look around the marquee, I see Lissa and Liam chatting in a corner, and Demi is with them, I’m glad to see that they are taking again, I didn’t like it when there was a rift between them, like James and I they are close always sharing everything, well almost everything, but because of that annoying bit.ch of a brat Kes, things have been strained between them. So, it warms my heart to see them back to were they were before all the crap went down with her. I haven’t seen much of James today wonder what’s going on. I keep looking and I finally spot him with dad and mom and a few other alphas. I head in their direction. “Hey, what’s all the secrecy about?” I ask as I approach them. “There is no secrecy, dear, just the possibility of a war, and that is only a maybe.” Daddy says as he kisses the top of my head. “What? Why haven’t I heard of it before now?” “Because of the other issues involving you.” He says pointedly. “But a war, really?” “Yes, but as I said it’s only a maybe, we don’t know anything for certainty at the moment.” “With whom?” “Stone Claw, it stems from the mate that one of Alpha Camron’s men found.” Daddy states.
