SWNOVELS Chapter 14: Jaxon
He had heard the name Joshua Ashton for so long that the name burnt into the back of his mind, unable to be removed with a little effort. Ashton was famous for his hunting skills and also, a very elusive hunter. Many had tried to lure him out but none had ever succeed. Unlike other hunter, Ashton had no known next kin or associate. He was like a ghost and that reminded Jaxon of Mira. People like this always did best in their profession because they had nothing to lose if they were killed.
“You think this is his doing?” Jaxon asked the Southern Alpha.
“We don’t think. We know this is his doing,” Cohen answered before taking something from his pocket. “Several Alphas had filed reports about seeing him in their territory. Ashton is in your territory now. We just need to find him before anyone else gets killed.”
The Eastern Alpha nodded, “Alright, you have a better resource than I am. I will inform my guys to keep their guard up. We’d start searching after the funeral.”
“You have my support, Jaxon.”
“I appreciate that, Cohen. I think you should bring your mate to rest. The room has been prepared for you both.”
“No, no,” Mira protested. “You boys talk. I’ll go up and rest.” She left office without any further delay.
“She looks more relaxed,” Jaxon pointed out.
He recalled seeing Mira for the first time with the Southern Alpha. She looked troubled and tensed. Now that she was pregnant, she looked more relaxed than her old self.
Cohen smiled. His eyes were glimmering with happiness. Jaxon rarely saw that in his friend. Ever since he had known the Southern Alpha, the only think Jaxon had heard about him was his indisputable reputation. Granted, they hung out so many times but Cohen never once showed a very deep interest in women. That was until he saw his mate. Jaxon wondered if the same thing would happen to him too. Now, that he had found Zia. But there was this feeling where he felt like Zia was withholding something from him.
“She changed a lot since she got pregnant,” Cohen responded before taking a seat.
“What would you do after she gives birth? Would you let her resume her profession?” Jaxon sat down. “Not that I’m saying her profession is a bad thing. I mean, she had been on the road, hunting bad people and saving lives.”
Just like others, Jaxon had heard so many things about the famous redheaded huntress. But unlike the others, he didn’t waste his time hunting her down because he knew she was too elusive and she didn’t pose any threats to his pack. The old Council didn’t listen though. As far as he was told, Mira didn’t go after pack. She just eluded them as long as she could. All her kills were based on bad people with slavery business. There was a difference between a real threat and a person who wanted to save others from the bad guys. She killed because she had to. Being a demon wolf could mean many things. Jaxon was happy that he could help her won her wars.
“As her mate, I would support her. If she wants to get back to the field, then she’d get back to it.” Cohen muttered while resting his right ankle on his left thigh. “It’s her choice. You know, we don’t decide everything for our mate.”
Jaxon agreed, “You are right. Anyway, if Ashton is in my territory, I don’t think you should let Mira lingers around here for so long.”
He needed both of their helps but Jaxon didn’t want to put Mira’s life at risk. Plus, she was carrying Alpha’s heirs. Her safety and the babies’ safety were as important as everyone else. More important if he must admitted. A woman who carried the future of a pack was usually a very valuable target. Jaxon didn’t want Ashton to shift his attention to Mira and her babies. Only Goddess knew what Ashton would do if he did that. For now, it was better if he focused his attention on Jaxon and his pack.
“Don’t waste your breath on it,” Cohen dismissed his words. “I spent the whole night, trying to persuade her not to come. And yet, here she is, in the same place as us.”
Jaxon chuckled. They spoke more about their packs for a while. After that, Cohen excused himself to check on his mate, saying that it was time for her back massage. If a woman already complained about back pain for carrying one child, then what else to expect when she carried three at a time?
Jaxon had just finished overseeing the security plan for Hanson’s funeral. He had increased more teams to be patrolled in every corner of the cemetery. It took him the whole afternoon to revise the security plan because this wasn’t just about keeping everyone in his pack safe. There would be more Alphas attending the funeral. Their safety would rest upon his shoulders too. He wanted everything to go well for the funeral. At least, that was what he could do for Hanson as his farewell to the dearest uncle.
He got up from his chair, grabbed his key and left to the garage for his car. There was something he wanted to know from the coroner regarding Hanson’s autopsy result. It didn’t take him long to reach the morgue.
“Alpha, you’re here finally.” the coroner said as he led him into the lab. “His blood had a high level of drug. Not just a random drug.”
“What’s the drug does?”
“When a werewolf was injected with this drug, they wouldn’t be able to shift back to their human form for a few hours or days,” the coroner explained while pointint to some charts displayed on the monitor. “I’ve seen this kind of drug after Sir Dalton and his Enforcers dismantled a fighting ring a few years ago. The first bullet that hit Hanson was the bullet that contained the drug. When it entered his body, the drug forced him to shift and he could have gone berserk.”
That explained why Hanson ran out of the territory. He could have run back to the pack mansion but his wolf was out of control. He would have attacked his own friends.
“Alpha, there is something wrong with Jude.” Seth informed him. “He’s heading to the town!” then he paused. “He’s gone berserk!”
Jaxon cursed before he stormed out of the morgue.