Chapter 28

Everyone settled down for lunch. Conversation flowed while the meal progressed. When the meal was just about over, Jaxson began to tell Bill everything that had happened in the last few days, right down to the part of the vixen and kits coming up and onto the back porch. When he told Bill about Charlotte's grandfather, Bill could only gape at the couple in surprise.

"Graeham Dylan Frazier is Charlotte's grandfather? But Frazier doesn't have any female grandchildren. The one he did have died at birth and then the girl's parents died in a car crash after the poor mom was discharged.

"My identity was kept a secret, Sheriff. The people that hit my mom and dad are the main reason why. People are out there that plotted to kill my family for some imagined slight or for just being able to say that they killed the Frazier heir. Because of that, I was smuggled out of the hospital by a nurse hired by my granddad. I was brought to the manor and raised with several male cousins. We were all taught the same things growing up. Many forms of self-defense and martial arts, all types of small arms weapons, survival and evasive training. You name it and my grandfather had us taught. I had learned how to make a survival shelter in ice, snow and mountains, build a fire, make traps for food and cook with that fire by the time I was twelve years old."

Everyone was understandably shocked. It wasn't every day that we heard about a 12 year old being taught that type of training.

Jaxson grabbed her hands and brought it to her lips and then kissed it before placing it back on the table but still keeping it covered with his. "Remind me, Sweet Mate, to never underestimate you. Rio's boss did and look at what you have accomplished because of that. Yes, you might have help. But, I think in the end that you would have been able to do it anyway. I'm sure your family would have helped."

She nodded, got up and leaned over to kiss him. Then she began the dirty dishes and leftovers. But Jaxson's mom had other ideas. "Young lady, you have guests. You sit there and talk to your sheriff, the Gamma."

Charlotte frowned and she rolled the word over in her mind. "Gamma?"

"Yes ma'am," Bill replied. "The Gamma position is the protector. Our job is always to first protect the Alpha couple, then the pack, then the town." Bill smiled at the older Alpha couple, who nodded.

"We are usually in law enforcement, or some type of military. It just happened that Jaxson went into the military, Rio went into undercover work. Only I stayed in law enforcement. I was actually a state trooper until the last sheriff retired about 25 years ago and Anders approached me about running for sheriff when he retired. When I said yes, he headed up my campaign and I was elected sheriff. Then I was handed the Gamma position and have been the pack's and town's protector ever since then. When I retire, the next sheriff will most likely be the next Gamma also."

Charlotte felt the information sink in. "So I have a protector?" She asked.

"If you are out with Jaxson, you are both protected. If you happen to be pregnant with cubs and it's the heir,, my first instinct will be to protect you hands down. Because without you, there will be no next generation."

Charlotte felt her head hurt. This was way too much information at one time. Rubbing her forehead, she sat down in Jaxson's lap and leaned her head against him. The pain instantly eased up.

"I know love. It's a lot to take in. You will learn it all, eventually." Pulling her in close, he kissed the top of her head.

"Bill, we asked you to come because we have information on the three guys left to be captured or killed." Handing him a file, it had several sheets of paper in it. The first three sheets were about the Australian. Blonde hair, blue eyes, Nordic pale skin, medium height, slender build. In the photo, he was wearing an expensive suit and what looked like handmade Italian loafers. Clean-shaven and with a cruel twist to his smile, there was no doubt that this man was capable of great evil.

The second set of sheets showed a man that was slightly built, shaved head, narrow mustache, green eyes. He seemed the exact opposite of the first man. He was dressing in jeans and t-shirt, with what looked like Converse sneakers. Over the shirt was a tailored sport coat. He was responsible for most of the prostitution and drug trade in France and parts of Spain.

The third set of papers was the most deceptive. The man was genial and well mannered. His bearing spoke of good breeding and high education. His clothes were of obvious high quality. Those that knew him and had encountered him could attest to his cruelty or his indifference. Both could be frightening. He had graduated from a top-tier Ivy League university and gone straight to work for the CIA. Sometime during his career, he had decided to go into business for himself. After selling out Jaxson and his team, the man had taken the CIA slush fund worth several hundred million dollars and disappeared. He had been on the dark web as an arms dealer, information broker and black market art dealer. Nobody was sure of his real name.

Graeham said that he had recently been to his home at a fundraiser with several of the elite wealthy. Said he had made a sizable donation. Went by the name Liam Pierce. That's the name he used then. With Rio it was Pierce Smythe. When he briefed my team and I, it was Jeff Childers."

"All three men are dangerous. But the most dangerous is the one whose name we really don't know. He has proven that he is unbelievably cunning and underhanded while being incredibly cold and cruel. Combined, they are a force to be reckoned with. My boss believes that they have temporarily banded together for a common goal."

When Amber finished speaking, Hunter stood up and said, "We are armed to the teeth, the 'team' that is watching this house is also armed to the teeth and can get more at the snap of a couple of fingers."

Rio stepped over the the side wall and pushed a button and a panel slid back and away to reveal the weapons room. Hunter whistled and Eagle and the other men stood in awe. The arms and weaponry in the room were beyond what they would have considered available. Charlotte smiled, knowing that they were seeing everything from revolvers and semi-automatic pistols to several AK-47's and AR-15's, bows, compound bows, bolts with several different types of heads, some cruelly formed. Arrows for the bows, shotgun shells and riot guns, even several tomahawks and knives of all shapes and sizes.

Kneeling down by Jaxson, Hunter grabbed his hand and held it to his heart and said in his most serious, voice, "Marry me."

The entire room laughed at his antics. The former military guys and Bill could appreciate the absolute adoration for the contents of the room.

"Jaxson, I kind of figured you could hold off an army if you had to. But I never would have thought that you could have the ability to fight a small war." Bill said in wonder.

"Yeah, some of it was Dad's. Some of it I have accumulated on my own. Some of it belongs to the clan. It is all well cared for; a couple of guys that come up once a week to clean the room and the weapons. Some of those weapons are well over fifty years old or older." Jaxson said.

While the door was open, Charlotte went in and browsed. Looking thoughtful, Jaxson and Rio watched her choose a razor sharp tomahawk, a Desert Eagle 44 magnum, a sig p320, a 12 gauge shotgun and a box of shells, and then finally, she chose a K-Bar and sheath.

Walking out of the room, she nodded to Rio and went to stand next to Jaxson.

"These are mine. I am proficient in all of these." She said, without preamble.

"Mama Bear is loaded up." Eagle said.

Everyone chuckled and then settled down as the conversation turned serious.

"Bill we may have to do some traveling to get them to surface. I'm really not looking forward. I feel we have a better chance to deal with them here." Jaxson said, frowning.

"Jaxson, I have an idea." Charlotte said, excitedly.

"Oh hell!" Rio said.

"Let's have your Alpha ceremony and our mating ceremony, then our wedding and have Nathan announce the development of evidence catching global criminals."

"You want us to draw the world's attention to ourselves?" Anders asked, incredulously.

"Yep. It will draw them here. We are all over the television. The shifter and the human that fell in love, got married and helped to capture the largest global organized crime ring in history!" Someone whistled, Anders cringed, Bill gaped, Jaxson smirked and Rio laughed.

"That's our girl. Devious to a fault." Rio said. "I'm telling you, boys. Don't ever piss off this little girl. She knows more than she lets on and can do more than you would think."

"I don't know, Charlotte. Are we ready to come out to the world? Is the world ready for us?" Jaxson said, unsure.

"You know, son, your mate really does have a great idea. beyond providing a media storm and putting you both in the public eye, it would provide a great deal of coverage. If one or both of you were to go missing, then it would stir up even more trouble. Nor to mention what it would do to protect our clan and town. No one in their right mind would do anything to either of you or any other shifter. It would certainly put the spotlight on them." Anders smiled at Charlotte. "Son, that's an incredibly smart mate you have there. She has already proven her worth to the clan and this family. Can you imagine how much our little town will grow? Of course, there will be the obvious religious factions who claim they are doing God's work by killing us. But, at the same time, the world would be put on notice. We are all over. In law enforcement, in government, we teach your children, you own the local businesses, we provide medical care." Anders was right. It would provide them with a lot of protection

Rio looked over at his brother and his mate. "I think it's time, brother. Dad and Charlotte are right. It would protect us and buy us some time. We can reach out to Nathan. Have him issue a statement. Something along the lines of the government has always known about us, blah blah blah. That would protect us more than anything. Knowing that the government used us in covert missions and in top-secret military missions. While there will always be people who hate for no other reason than our differences, it will set most in our corner, create favor for us and our kind, for all shifters, Jaxson. Charlotte isn't wrong about this."

Jaxson sat with his mate in his lap. He would be fine with just other shifters knowing about them. But, if it meant keeping her, his clan and their town, indeed, their entire world, then he would do it.

Jaxson nodded then looked at Charlotte. "Call your grandfather, let him know what we will be doing and see if there is a particular journalist and reporter that he trusts. Because his granddaughter is about to be exposed to the world along with the shifters." Charlotte took out her phone and asked her grandfather to fly back to their home, they needed to discuss something very important with him.

"He'll be here in an hour or less." Jaxson nodded, then turned to his brother. "Do you or Amber still have the ability to reach out to your boss?" At his brother's nod, he said, "Do it. Telling what's going on and what we need from him so that he can prepare a statement."

"Now what?" Hunter asked.

"Now we wait." Jaxson and Charlotte replied at the same time.