A Mother Before A Mate
Chapter 43

Jack's Point of View

"Hey, Lev. Can I talk with you in my office about something?" I ask.

Lev furrows his brow, "Sure!" I see the girls are looking at me with confusion as we head inside and go to my office.

"I want to thank you again for yesterday. You most likely saved my life. If you didn't get to Derrick's Beta when you did, he would have continued to shoot. I might not be here today if it weren't for you," I thank him again. "You don't have to thank me anymore. Between you and my sister, it's getting excessive," he chuckles. I smile and nod.

"I'm getting somewhere this time, I promise." I smile and lean back in my chair.

"Have you come up with a living situation yet with Brit?" I ask, even though I know the answer. Lexi has been worried about him and talks to me about it all the time.

He shakes his head, and I can see he looks discouraged.

"I'm sorry to hear that, man." I pause. "A while back, you mentioned to me that you were Cold Moon through and through... I wonder if you still feel that way?"

He furrows his brows, "I don't know anything anymore. Honestly, living apart from Brit has been the hardest thing I have ever done. I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about leaving Cold Moon to be closer to her," he confesses.

"I can't even imagine how hard these last few weeks have been for you two." He nods. "Can I be honest with you?" I ask.

"Sure," he says but his brows pinch together.

"I don't think you should be Gamma-"

His eyebrows shoot up, not letting me finish my statement, "Why?"

"Well, I think sometimes in big packs, they accept the blood lineage instead of looking at the individual. You're not a Gamma-"

"But-" He tries to interrupt me again, but I lean forward and raise a hand. "Let me finish... At the games, you beat all of the Gamma's and all but one Beta, who is now an Alpha. You held your own against him pretty well, too. I think you're a Beta," I explain and he nods.

"I agree," he says confidently. It seems he's made that connection already too.

"I happen to be without a Beta, at the moment. I have to be able to trust my Beta, and he needs to be smart, strong, and have a good head on his shoulders," I explain.

He points to himself. "Me?"

I nod. "I need a strong Beta, and you need to be closer to Brit... It could work out for all of us. Not to mention, we would love to have you closer," I explain.

"Are you serious? What about Kyle?"

"Kyle was a warrior before I was Alpha. I made my guys fight for their position. Kyle is right where he's supposed to be. If anyone has a problem they can challenge you for it, but they won't win. I know that, and so do you."

He smiles and nods. "I accept!" he says excitedly, and jumps up and extends his hand. I point to my shoulder; I can't lift that arm.

"Right. Sorry. Thank you so much. This is literally an answer to prayer. You have no idea how much I appreciate this opportunity," he smiles wide. He looks truly happy; like the weight of the world has been lifted from his shoulders. "Thank you for accepting. My pack is stronger and better with you in it," I admit truthfully. "Should we break the news to our women now?" I ask. "Lex doesn't know?"

"I didn't want to get her hopes up, in case you declined my offer."

As we head back outside, we see Lexi and Brit hugging. "Are we interrupting something?" They pull away and smile.

"Yes, I'm stealing your woman, Lev."

"Not even funny!" He smiles.

His excitement is showing, and I think mine is too.

"What's going on with you two?" Lexi asks.

"Maybe you should tell them, Lev?" I offer.

"Well... Jack thought of a way to solve everyone's problems," he answers, and the women are looking very confused.

"Jack offered me the Beta position here at Black Moon, and I accepted!" Lev beams.

Brit lets out an actual scream and she jumps into Lev's arms.

"Thank you," Lexi coos as she snuggles into my good side, and hugs me carefully to avoid my shoulder.

"He's the best man for the job. He was meant to be a Beta, and I needed one, so it's a win-win," I add. Lex holds me tight.

Brit lets go of Lev for a second to look at us, "Thank you so much," Brit says through tears.

"He saved my life, and he's literally the best person for the job. There's no need to thank me. I'm grateful to have him... Now to tell Jett," I say with a chuckle and everyone winces.

"Why don't you let me talk to him first, Lev? I'd like him to know that I'm not trying to poach his whole pack," I laugh, and he agrees.

After breakfast, I need to take another nap because of these pain killers, but I'm going to call Jett first. I want to talk to him before Lev and Brit get there. They are on their way down to cold Moon to pack up now. Lexi offered to look in on Brit's grandmother, to make sure she is doing okay, for the few days they are gone.

Ring Ring Ring Ring,

Jett: Hey! I wasn't expecting your call. How's the shoulder?

Me: Hey! I'm holding up alright. Healing well.

Jett: Glad to hear it.

Me: I have something kind of serious to talk to you about. First, I want you to know that I really appreciate all your help and the way you had Black Moon's back through all this. I want you to know, regarless of the situation, I will always have your back too. Jett: You're welcome? I'm glad to hear it. Why do I feel like this is followed by a but? Or bad news?

Me: Well I think you might take it as bad news. I want you to know I didn't do this, in an attempt to dishonour or hurt Cold Moon. I would never do that to you.

Jett: Oh f**k. Spit it out.

Me: I offered Lev my Beta position.

Jett: What? What the hell?

Me: I know it might sound bad, but he can't be away from his mate and his mate can't leave because of family responsibilities. Lev is miserable, and he deserves to be a Beta, not a Gamma. Like I said, no matter what, I'll always have your back. If you were ever in a position where you had to fight, we'd fight with you, regardless of the reason. I don't want any bad blood.

Jett: [He grunts] I'm not pleased, but I get why you did it. [He pauses and with a huff] You know this might actually work for my family too.

Me: Really? What do you mean?

Jett: Well, we just found out that Marcus, my top warrior, is mated to my sister. I guess they've known since she turned 18, but he wanted someone else... Lexi, actually... Which you already knew, and Sophie wanted you, so they stayed away from each other. My sister is a spoiled brat, and she doesn't want to be mated to 'just a warrior.' She was adamant there was a mistake. She thought Marcus should be mated to Lexi, and you to her. Anyway, they both seemed to accept it finally, since you're marked, and now expecting a baby together. If I make him my Gamma, she might agree to be with him, if he agrees to be with her. They're complicated, but that might help calm the drama down over here, which is f*****g exhausting me. My sister is relentlessly at me like I'm the Moon Goddess, and I can change mates or something.

Me: I actually remember her telling me that there has been a mistake, and now I understand why Marcus tried to lecture me about the mate bond. That's Crazy. Sounds like there's a lot of drama, so I'm glad to hear that I could be helpful.

Jett: I wouldn't go that far [He says, and I can tell he is rolling his eyes]

Me: Are we cool then?

Jett: Yeah we're cool. Lev wants to be with his mate, I get it.

Me: I am glad to hear it. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call.

Jett: Will do.

Lexi walks into my office, with Molly on her hip, just as I'm getting off.

"Okay, you need to go lay down. You were shot with a silver bullet yesterday," she scolds me. I know she's just worried, so I smile.

"Yes, Luna!"

"Daddee!" Molly reaches out her arms.

"No, Daddy hurt his shoulder, he can't carry you," Lexi tells her. I ignore Lexi and grab Molly with my good side to hold her. She lays her head into my chest. She must miss me, I didn't really see her yesterday, aside from breakfast at 3:30 am. "tori, Daddee?" she asks.

"Daddy needs to go for a nap, he has bo-bo's, baby," Lex tells Molly.

"One story?" I ask Lexi with a pout. She shakes her head with a smirk. "Just one," she concedes.

So Molly picks a story and we all cuddle up on the couch before I go for a nap.