Chapter 31
Jaxon’s POV
I kept everyone updated about Paxton’s location after I broke the news that he had returned to the pack to try to take Cara. Alexei was more angry than I had ever seen him before. He wanted to kill Paxton, but I can’t let him do it. Trespassing onto my packland was not a big offense to kill him, no matter how annoying he was. Cara placed her hand on his arm, and he calmed down, but the anger never left his eyes. Saoirse was watching them carefully and smiled. I think she is perfectly accepting of Alexei being with her daughter.
“I can deal with him if you just want him hurt but not dead,” Brenna told me. I knew she could sense that I was trying to figure out the appropriate level of punishment for him. It was a fine line as I knew that the Council didn’t want me to take any real action towards him. But they were warned to get the message across to him. I am positive that they did. They just didn't realize how entitled Paxton truly was. They knew how dangerous the situation was getting between us. They knew I was serious when I told them I was willing to go to war. He knew, and yet he still did what he wanted to.
“No, love. I was going to let Alexei decide if he wanted to have a go at him, but I am worried that once he starts, he might not be able to stop,” I replied and looked at Alexei, the question still showing in my eyes as I waited for him to respond.
“You are right. I will not be able to stop myself. I want his head over his intentions toward my mate. I will not be letting him go,” Alexei replied. Cara held his hand, and I could see that the bond between them was getting stronger.
“Robert is already here and waiting for him. I am sure that Robert will not mind dealing with him. The question is, how far do I need to tell him to go? I do not mind declaring war on Kamaria. That is not the issue. The issue is that I don’t want the Council to note us as the aggressor in this. Trespassing is a low-level punishment. It is the attempted kidnapping that will allow us to deal with Paxton. He has no legal right to be here, nor can he force Cara to return to his pack. But I don’t know what the proper punishment should be. I must send a strong message here, as he was repeatedly warned. I also don't need to push the council to side with Paxton for any reason. It is a fine line that I have to walk here. He is the one who is breaking the law, not me, but this is a first for me,” I told the room.
I needed input. I wanted to do this right and get that done, so I needed input from my father, Justin, and Kevin. I can see that they are all thinking about the route we need to take when Cara’s mother steps forward. “I believe I can help with this,” Saoirse advised.
“I don’t want to get you involved in this. You just arrived, and no offense, we don’t really know you yet. If we go too far, the Council will be on us. I am just trying to protect my pack. I do not want them to try to impose a punishment or a fine. That will take resources away from us. I was going to have Robert get a few blows in on him. Paxton will heal quickly from it, and I know Robert would be fine to do that. Paxton has been baiting him since he arrived. But I think that will have to be it. I would love to beat him to a pulp for what he did to our mates. All of them deserve it, but I would prefer that to come from the Council after their investigation. A stronger message may cause even more issues for us, and we haven’t done anything wrong,” I replied.
“I know that you don’t know me yet and that trust is earned. That goes both ways between us. I know I just popped in on you, which is actually a good thing. They do not know that I am here yet. I haven’t been here very long either, which gives us some wiggle room. You can just say that Cara just opened the letter, and I showed up. It is still the truth. Forget about the last twenty minutes. I can deal with them, all three of them, and take them back home myself and dump them on their doorstep. I swear to you that I won’t permanently injure any of them. I want them to be punished by the Council, too. So, that will be my second mission. Ensure they find evidence linking the one who carried it out to the rest of them. They need to pay for what they planned to do. They also need to pay for what they put my daughter through. Especially these last five years,” Saoirse said.
“Are you sure you can do it without permanently hurting them? We both know why Paxton wants her back. Can you deal with them and not get your revenge?” I asked her. This is going to be a serious test. Because if she goes too far, it can, and will, come back onto me and Black Adder.
“I can wait for the investigation to be completed. I will enjoy watching as Paxton and his men get their ranks stripped from them and are put to death themselves. They deserve it. I might even volunteer to carry out their sentences myself,” Saoirse said with a smile.
“OK, I will let you do what you want to do in this. Please do not kill any of them tonight. Paxton just entered the hospital, so he will be here in the next few minutes,” I replied.
“I have got it, don't worry. Raven, would you and Cheryl stand in the far left corner of the room? I am you record what happens. This way, you will have deniability for the pack. Everyone else stands on the wall behind the door. That way, when he walks in, he won’t see you. Alexei, you can stay and sit by Cara on the bed. He will probably expect you here anyway. Cara, I will need for you to get the letter back out and read it when they start to record. That will help explain my presence here. We need to catch him by surprise,” Saoirse ordered everyone around.
“Now we wait,” Saoirse said as she stepped close to the far wall directly across from the door. The next instant, she disappeared. I didn’t know if she was now invisible or if she just left to come back after Paxton arrived. I did not know what she was going to do. She is protecting her daughter and the pack. She is carrying it all on her if the shit hits the fan. I appreciated her doing this, but I didn’t want her to get into trouble either.
I mindlinked Chase and Sasha, who had just arrived in the dining room. We were about to go down to eat when we found out that Paxton was on our land. I knew that she was going to take the fight outside. She will have to draw them all in to take them back to their pack. “I need you two to get to the gate as soon as possible. We are about to have an incident. Do not attack the witch. She is with us,” I told them.
They both responded with “Witch!?” before I got a “We’re on the way” from just Chase. I knew that I could count on them. I don't prank my siblings. They knew I was serious. I had Blane ask for two vehicles to be brought to the front of the hospital for us. I didn’t mind running in my wolf form, but I didn’t want my mate to bear it all in front of Paxton and his friends. Let alone be recorded when she phased back at the gate.
“According to my warrior, he will be here in one minute. Alexei, you stay behind with Cara to protect her. We won’t know until we get to the gate if another one of his men has slipped in with him,” I told him.
“Of course, you didn’t even have to ask. It is my job to take care of Cara. I won’t let anyone hurt her. Just so you know, if another one of his men shows up here, I will kill them. I know you can’t kill Paxton because he is the Alpha, but a second attempt to take her will result in instant justice. Especially if it is Clay,” Alexei told us. I could see that he was ready to do just that. I hope Paxton was the only one who was dumb enough to cross over our borders.
We all stood there quietly as Mom and Cheryl started recording on their cell phones. You could hear a pin drop, and the only sound was from Cara opening the letter from her mother. A little over a minute later, the door swung open, and Paxton confidently entered the room. That jerk was dressed like he belonged here. I can’t believe he had the nerve to do that. Cara was on the second floor. I guess that was how he planned to get her out of here. He couldn’t drop her out the window; they don't open. I guess he was planning on carrying her out of there by faking an emergency to take her out of here.
He didn’t even see my Mom or Cheryl. His eyes went right to the bed, to Cara. He saw Alexei after the fact. “Look, I don’t want any problems with you. I am just here to get Cara. Bloodsuckers can’t fall in love anyway, so back off. She is mine, and I am taking her back to where she belongs,” Paxton told him.
“Not gonna happen, Paxton. I will never let you touch Cara again. The best thing you can do is try to leave now before you are caught,” Alexei replied.
“Too late,” Saoirse said as she reappeared right before Paxton. I could see the fear on Paxton’s face as he realized exactly who she was very quickly. He took one step back and was about to turn to leave when he froze.
Saoirse lifted her hand a little more, and he rose in the air, his feet dangling above the floor. His hands were trying to wrap around whatever invisible force was lifting him up. From the way her hand was held, I believe that she had him in a chokehold, which explains why he was not talking. His body moved as he tried to get out of her grip.
“I will take this one to the gate and deal with him and his men. Go ahead and call them to meet you, Paxton. I know they are out there. They are waiting to help their Alpha. If you don’t. I will just deal with you,” Saoirse told him. I got chills hearing the anger in her voice. In a second, they were gone. We need to get to the gate now. I don’t want her to take it out just on Paxton. She might be mad enough to actually kill him.