Jax and Conrad watched as the antelope searched for grub in the bare woods, unaware that it is being watched by prey of doom.
“Do you see it’s the fat belly, Jax?” Conrad says.
Jax nods, “It could be pregnant.”
“It is pregnant and we can not hunt a game with a child,” Conrad reminds him.
Jax groans, “No way I’m letting this one off. I’m craving meat, Conrad, and I have found one now.”
“You have over a hundred pack warriors that can deliver dozens of meats and all you have to do is command them.”
“Nope, I’ll rather have them protecting my pack and hunt for the meat myself. You know that the second we let our guards down, those scavenging routes will attack my pack.” Jax reminds Conrad who bends in his head to laugh.
Jax might be the Alpha of the Moon bearers pack but he has more sense to a simple life that most people are not aware of.
After the rogues kept on attacking the pack at every opportunity they got, Jax had to double the security and have the rogues guard the boundaries always.
And since this routine has proven to be the best possible way to keep the rogues away, Jax had ordered it to be a daily routine at intervals.
“Look at it, Conrad. It’s going to rest, this is our chance to get our game. Are you still in?” Jax asks.
“Oh come on, you can’t be serious. I’m out, Jax.” Conrad replies, he raises his hands in surrender and backs off from their hideout.
Then he makes a rumbling sound that has the antelope shuffling away and out of sight. Jax groans out in frustration.
“Come on, did you have to make that noise? You could have done anything else,” Jax scolds.
“Like drag you out?” Conrad winks at him.
Jax rolls his eyes but says nothing.
“Let’s get ready for the pack training, you should see the results from the recruits,” Conrad adds.
Jax had ordered the recruitment of new pack warriors to strengthen the security of the pack. The new ones will handle minor issues within the pack while the older ones will guard the boundary against the rogues.
He has been Jax’s beta for years now and they have turned into best friends. The burden of the pack was handed to Jax at a very young age and he was by his side all through the struggles.
He often wondered why Jax’s fated mate has never been found. And Jax would often wake up at midnight to talk about a red-haired woman without a face that hunted his dreams.
Conrad felt pity for the boy and wished that he could relieve his burdens somehow. Getting to the pack house, an omega approaches them with a telephone in her hand.
“Did someone important call me?” Jax asks her.
“Your cousin, I believe, is on the other line and she has been pleading to speak with you while you were away.”
Jax grabs the phone quickly and connects the call.
“Jax, for heaven’s sake, where have you been?” Emily cries out.
“Emily, I’ve been out. What’s going on with you?” Jax asks.
“I am on my way to your pack already. I only wanted to inform you,” she replies.
“You’re welcome to come here at any time,” Jax says.
Emily smiles with relief and hangs up, at least she doesn’t have to worry that Jax will not accept her to stay with him for a while.
“I want the omegas to prepare a heartwarming breakfast for my cousin when she arrives, I’ll be at the pack warriors training,” Jax announces.
“Your cousin? Which of your cousins?” Conrad asks.
“Emily, the one at Crescent moon pack,” Jax replies.
Conrad blushes slightly. He has had a crush on Emily since the first day he saw her, they were teenagers then and Emily barely noticed him. She was always hovering over Louis Clayton and he hated Louis for that.
Jax finished with his bath and they both headed out to the pack warriors training ground. The recruits are already at the ring and doing their morning training when Conrad and Jax arrive.
The recruits are youngsters that are less privileged or without formal education, this helps them find their inner selves and embrace the art of fighting.
Jax looks impressed when he sees their progress at the ring, they proceed to sit in a corner that is visible for them to see clearly. Conrad watches them closely until his eyes meet a girl who stares intently at him. When she meets his eyes, she waves nervously at him.
Conrad, who is not sure what to do next, simply nods at her and watches the others train. Jax nudges him playfully.
“That one seems to have a crush on you,” Jax teased him.
“She is just a kid,” Conrad mumbles.
Jax laughs out loud, “She could be your mate.”
“She’s not. My wolf is not calling out to her,” Conrad replies.
Besides he wants to get acquainted with Emily that is if she will be staying for long, not feeding on a young girl’s fantasies. She should concentrate and train harder to be what she assigned herself to be.
“Whoever our mates are, I’m going to punish them for taking so long to come to us,” Jax says.
Conrad chuckles lightly, “They sure deserve a hell of punishment.”
After watching the training for a while and Jax is more than satisfied with their progress, they head home to welcome their surprise guest, Emily.
Getting home, they find her at the dining table with four pieces of luggage in the corner. Her eyes are red and swollen like someone that has cried for eternity.
“Emily, you didn’t say that you were coming to stay for long?” Jax says.
“Am I not welcomed?”
“Of course, you are, Em.”
She hugs him tightly and bursts out in tears, confusing Conrad and Jax at the same time. Jax leads her upstairs and orders the omegas to bring in her luggage, Conrad is left with no other option than to eat his breakfast alone.
Emily returned to stay but her expression proved that something has been bothering her – or someone hurt her.
Either way, he is going to find out about it soon.