Chapter 29

​Gia glanced at him again, he was still looking out the window. He hadn’t said much since Jesse had called. The numbers and instructions came in and he put them in their phones and told her the area they were going to and hadn’t really moved since.

They’d been to the last clan and given the Alpha the number and now they were on route to pick up one of his teammates, Konner. When she’d asked what he was like, he’d said he was all right to work with. That told her nothing.

If he didn’t talk soon, she was going to have to turn on the radio and sing. She talked more to herself driving alone than they were now. Had it been meeting her family? They were a bit much to take in all at once. The bear had been a great way to call a halt to the talk with her parents. When the King had called, she was relieved because she knew her mother was going to share that Deacon had her mark on his neck. It didn’t matter what her father said to her, she just wanted him to keep Deacon out of it. She looked over at him again, he hadn’t moved an inch, still. “What’s up, Deacon, the silence is killing me.”

He glanced over, the expression in his eyes looked far away. Focusing on her slowly, he gave his head a slight shake, “just thinking.”

“Yeah, I caught that part.” She smirked, “about the operation?”

He shook his head, “no, there’s no sense in thinking that to death when we don’t even have any details yet.” He offered a lopsided grin, “I’ll think that to death after we get there, and they lay out the plans.”

“Okay, so—” she waved her hand in a circle, “care to share? Sometimes saying it out loud gives it less power.” Walker had used that line on her a lot when she was younger and brooding after arguments with the rest of the family.

“The king called me,” he took off his hat and ran his hair through his hair, pulling it to the back of his head before jamming it back on his head, “after I took down the bear.”

“That’s who you were talking to?” She cringed inside, first her father and then Deacon. Why? “Is everything all right?” Had it been about her? She would turn this van around and go back and tear her father apart with unkind words if it was.

“I don’t even know,” he leaned his elbow against the window and rested his head on it, looking at her, “I can’t even think it through enough to explain it.”

“Share, maybe talking it out will help.” She glanced at the sign they passed, “being stuck in your head isn’t good with what we’re heading to do.”

“Yeah,” he looked down to where his phone sat like it had the answers, “Calum knew about it, but they decided not to tell me when I was younger,” he rubbed his hand over his beard, “I understand why,” he lifted his head from his hand and tapped his temple, “I had enough going on up here when I first started training.”

“To be on the incursion team?”

“To be a useful member of our society,” he smirked briefly, “that’s what Calum used to say.”

Gia’s animal was still, listening, feeling the anxiety coming from him. “There must have been a memo about that,” she grinned at him, “my father uses that line a lot.”

He grinned, “that’s not surprising.” He blew out a breath, “apparently, according to the king my mother’s clan was or is rare.” He pointed to his chest, “I’m rare.”

He didn’t sound like he believed what he was saying. “I knew that, well, Walker said something about it, but with no computer use and not being able to call anyone, he couldn’t get details.”

He looked at her for a moment, “I didn’t know that.”

She gave him an apologetic look, “I was waiting for more details before I said anything.”

Deacon nodded his head slowly, “I appreciate that.” He glanced out the window, “anyway if more of my mother’s clan turn up, he wants me to lead a clan.”

She looked at him quickly and then slowed for the next turn; she didn’t say anything until she navigated around the corner. “Like be an Alpha?” Was that possible? Could the king just make anyone an Alpha? She’d only ever known of family lines being handed that task.

“Yeah,” he sat forward, “what I don’t get is I’m not just my mother’s clan, I’m a mix...”

She gave him a bored look, “I’ve seen you, there isn’t much fox anything in there, if there was you’d have much shorter legs and fluffier tail.”

A look of amusement crossed his face, “small blessings there, I don’t think I’m a fluffy tail type.”

Gia grinned, “I like my fluffy tail.” She sobered, knowing this wasn’t the time for jokes, he was really struggling with it. “Wait, does that mean,” she pointed at him, “once you quit avoiding me, of course, and put your mark on me—we’ll be Alpha’s of our own clan?”

Deacon gave her a puzzled look, “do two make a clan? Chances of others turning up are slim.”

“We could trace your mother’s line and see if more came over here.” She squinted at the sign, trying to remember the route he’d laid out, “how long did your group stay off the radar, there could be a lot more out there.”

His brows creased, and he looked out the windshield, “it’s the next right.” The hat was off again and this time he put it on his knee, a focused look on his face. Whatever he was thinking about it wasn’t the best memory.

Turning her attention back to the road, she thought about it. What if none ever turned up, he’d still have the respect of the community, and to her, that was more important. The way Nox had treated him was abhorrent and she was sure that wasn’t the first time someone referred to his status. She looked over at him again, “I’m in.” She announced in the silence of the moment.

The look on his face was shock and confusion at the same time.

Gia smirked, “I’ve already accepted you, Deacon, before my teeth were sunk into your neck,” she motioned to his neck, knowing the mark was there whether it was hidden by his shirt or not, “in case you forgot.”

“I haven’t forgotten.” He told her in a soft tone.

“This is a bonus for me, really, it means I get to be with my mate, with no judging.” She held his look for a second before turning her eyes back to the road, “and I’m out from under my father’s control.” She raised her eyebrows and smirked, “and that is huge, as you probably know now.” Gia considered pulling over to continue, but they had a lot of ground to cover, and she didn’t want to arrive late. “Plus no one, not even Nox or all the other Nox types out there can look down at you again. He will automatically have to be more respectful of you.” She faked an evil grin, “and me.”

Deacon waved his hand like he was brushing something out of the way, “aside from this insane Alpha shit, you really don’t mind having me for a mate? I’m a mixed...”

“Correction,” she said loudly, “you are about ninety percent rare maned wolf.”

“With no family.”

“We don’t know that yet.” Gia gripped the wheel tighter and took off her hat, so she could be sure he saw her words in her eyes, “and you’ll have me until we find more.”

“Find? We’re going to look for more?”

She nodded, “they could be out there, as lost and alone as you were.”

“Gia, all I can offer you is a one-room cabin. I don’t have anything else.”

“I don’t need anything else, and we can build onto the cabin a bit at a time.” She sent him a serious look, “and we’re adding indoor plumbing.”

“I thought...”

She held up a hand, “just think about it, if I have to run outside in the middle of winter, I’ll be climbing back in bed with icicle feet.”

“That could be a problem.” He cleared his throat.

“I think so.” She smiled.

“Okay, indoor plumbing, but I don’t have land for a clan, or the funds.”

“The Alliance will help, trust me on that.” Brushing the hair out of her face, she looked over to see his brow was still furrowed, “smaller homes could be built at the bottom of that winding path that leads to the cabin, that’s your land, right?”

He blinked like he was stuck somewhere else, “yeah, all along there to the river.”

She shrugged, “a few homes could be built there, with the cabin still somewhat private.”

“I suppose.” His tone told her he was getting stuck in his head figuring out the details again.

“Hey, I thought you were big on having a little faith.” She held his look for a second, “everything doesn’t have to be figured out today.” She could feel the tension coming off him and tried to think of how to help him.

“You really don’t have a problem with who I was, what I am...”

“None at all.” She answered before he could think of more negative things, “I think you’re an amazing man and you don’t get off on telling me what to do. That’s very important.”

Deacon snorted, “I don’t want to end up like the bat.”

Gia grinned, “he had it coming, he scared me half to death and touched my hair.”

“I need to process all this.” The serious tone had returned, “to survive out there, you always had to be thinking ten steps ahead.”

“I understand that.” At least she was starting to. She had no concept of what it was like to live out there without a place to call home. She glanced at the dash of the van or hadn’t until recently. “Just, talk it through if you need to, I’m a good listener.”

Deacon reached over and touched her arm gently and then dropped his hand away. “I will.”

The phone ringing startled both of them. Deacon picked it up and answered it. “Hello.” His look relaxed a little. Tapping the screen, he held it out. “Putting you on speaker, Konner.”

“I just got about ten messages with numbers and shit. I guess the games are on now.”

Deacon smirked, “it is. We got some out and took down a bunch that was helping before we had to take a forced break.”

“I’m glad they got that all sorted out. Radio silence isn’t good for the mind.” He chuckled.

Gia watched him grin again.

“No, it is not.”

“This checking in, that’s new.” Konner’s voice was soft but serious.

“It’s needed. How much did Wynter tell you?”

“Not much, she said you guys would fill in the blanks, which brings me to why I’m calling,” he paused for a second, “when will you be here?”

Gia looked around and quickly went over the route in her head, by her calculations they were only fifteen minutes out.

“At least an hour.” Deacon said.

She turned and gave him a blank look, an hour? Had she misunderstood the route?

“There’s something we have to do before we get there.” She looked again to see him giving her a heated look and her body and fox immediately responded. She felt her cheek flush and had to jerk her head back to keep an eye on the road.

“Perfect. I’m going for a swim, absorbing as much water as I can. This lake was a dead end, but the water is clean and who knows if we’ll be anywhere near a decent lake or have time for it once we’re on the job.”

“How many days can you go now?”

“Three before I start to turn into flakes fishman.” Konner didn’t sound amused when he said it.

Gia stared at the road. Flakey fishman?

“Three days, that’s good.” Deacon sounded surprised.

“Doesn’t mean I’m a happy guy the whole time.”

Deacon pointed to a road and snapped his fingers telling her to take it.

She sent him a confused look but slowed and turned. Maybe he knew a different route.

“Okay an hour,” Konner confirmed, “I’ll expect you and your partner...”

“My mate and I.” Deacon said with conviction.

Gia gave him a startled look and had to force her attention back to the road. It wasn’t paved and looked like it was rarely used.

“That’s new,” Konner said slowly. “I look forward to meeting the brave soul that took you on in about an hour.”

“See you then.” Deacon hung up the phone.