Alpha's One Night Bride
Alpha’s One Night Bride – Chapter 55

Everything Jess had just explained to Jonathan was not something he was ever expecting. He felt as though his mind was in a complete whirlpool and he couldn’t get it out. He sat on the couch with his face in his hands, trying to maintain himself. He felt a mixture of anger, hurt, betrayal. They were emotions that were mainly directed at his mother.

He wanted to understand her point of things and why she kept these secrets for so long, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. It was almost like everything he thought he knew in life, everything he was a wolf, was a complete lie.

Right down to his own father’s death.

Jess revealed to him how they come from the same bloodline as Benjamin Davis. She didn’t want to tell him, and it was something she was hoping to keep from him his entire life. But Sabrebite was in danger and Jonathan needed to understand how bad things were looking.

Now he understood and he couldn’t help but feel disgusted.

“I was really young,” Jess told him, “when my mother had to pack me up across the continent. I watched her be bullied, beaten, and ridiculed by those who were supposed to be friends and family.”

She had tears in her eyes when she spoke.

“When we moved here, we were befriended by the Emlin’s family. She became one of my closest friends. I didn’t know my own bloodline until she pointed out that we shared the same last name.”

“Your actual name is Jess Davis?” Jonathan asked, he felt hallow.

“Jacinda Davis,” she corrected. “But I’ve been called Jess my entire life.” She paused for a few moments as tears fell from her eyes. “I had no idea why I had no other family other than my mother. I had no idea why everyone disowned us, including my father. Then Emlin brought it up and it got me curious. So, I asked my mother and she told me everything.”

“Did you tell Emlin?” Jonathan asked.

“No…” she answered. “My mother made me promise never to tell anyone. She was afraid of what would happen. She let herself get comfortable once where she told my father and because of it, we had to move so far away and live as lone wolves for years before we came to Ironclaw. She didn’t want that to happen again, so I promise never to speak of it.”

“Including me?” Jonathan asked, hurt in his voice.

“I’m so sorry Jonathan,” she breathed. “I never meant for any of this to happen.”

“And yet it is,” Jonathan snapped. “It is happening, mom. Dad is dead and Graham is what? The Overseer?”

“Your father’s death had nothing to do with our bloodline,” Jess told him, her voice hoarse. “And no, Graham will never be the Overseer. The Overseer is meant to use their gifts for protection. They are meant to watch and protect werewolves of every pack and make sure they fall in line with the law. The Overseer is meant to make sure each werewolf is safe. That is not what Graham is doing.”

“Did you expect him to when you gave him the cufflink?”

“No…” Jess admitted. “I only did that to protect you. He was going to kill you too. He wanted to take over Sabrebite.”

“Real improvement,” Jonathan muttered. “Now he has eyes on every pack; not just Sabrebite.”

“I know,” Jess agreed. “I was only thinking of protecting you. Not everything else.”

“Why did you even have that cufflink, to begin with?” Jonathan asked.

“When my mother died, I found it with her belongings. She left a note, telling me what it was and what it was used for. A long time ago, our family had a friend that wasn’t exactly from here. Her name was Naomi; she was the Witch of Perception. She had the sight; she could see everything at once. Whether it was this timeline or different timelines, she could see it. I remember hearing stories of her growing up, but I always thought they were make-believe. Witches couldn’t possibly be real.”

She laughed softly as she reminisced.

“But then I saw the cufflink and when I touched it, I felt the power it held. Naomi channeled a lot of her magic into that cufflink; those who possess it will have the sight. Those who wear it, hold the power. She gave it to a great ancestor after Benjamin died. She wanted to make the Overseer job that much easier, and she did. It made things a lot easier. But then our family stopped having men and the Overseer position ceased to exist. Our family hated each girl born because we were disgraces to the bloodline.”

“Why couldn’t women be the Overseer?” Jonathan asked.

“It was just the way it was,” Jess answered. “It was Benjamin’s wish. But after a few generations, our family stopped having boys. Each generation would try and bring honor to the family bloodline, but each generation eventually failed. My mother was the last generation to fully try. She didn’t want any part of it. She didn’t’ want to disown me just because I was born female. She loved me and wanted to keep me protected.”

“So, she fled,” Jonathan said; it wasn’t a question.

“So, she fled,” Jess confirmed. “We left everything we knew and loved and came here to start over. She didn’t want me to know any of this for a long time because she didn’t want me to feel like a burden. She didn’t want me to blame myself because none of it was my fault. Just as it wasn’t her fault. Neither of us asked for any of this. When people asked about her last name, she would just tell them it was a coincidence. I did the same thing. Once I married your father, I didn’t have to explain it anymore because my last name changed to his.”

“Were you ever planning on telling me?” Jonathan asked. Before Jess could answer, Jonathan spoke again. “I’m the next male born from the bloodline. Does that make me the next Overseer?”

“Yes,” Jess answered without hesitation. “That makes you the next Overseer. As for me telling you, I’m not sure. I wanted to. I really did. But I was so afraid of what that would do to you. I was so afraid of what that would do to our family.”

“So, you gave the power to Graham instead?” Jonathan nearly hissed.

“My intention was to protect you. I didn’t want him to kill you,” Jess said in defense.

“I can handle my own,” Jonathan snapped.

“I’m your mother,” Jess snapped back. “My job is to protect you.”

“What about our pack? What about all packs?” Jonathan said, standing to his feet. “Our bloodline as Overseers was meant to protect all packs, not just one. It’s our duty to make sure all wolves are safe.”

“I know,” she agreed softly. “I wasn’t thinking,” she admitted.

Jonathan paced back and forth, both growing silent as tension rose between them.

“Jonathan…” she began gently. “I never meant for any of this to happen. I don’t know how my mother got the cufflink to begin with, but for some reason she had it and she passed it down to me. I wanted so badly to pass it to you and explain all this to you once you evolved into your full werewolf form. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I didn’t want to put the weight of all packs on you. I was so afraid of what would happen if I did. I was afraid of everyone finding out about our bloodline and shaming us for staying hidden for so long. I was afraid of what your father would think…”

“You didn’t trust him,” Jonathan stated.

“I trusted him to the best of my ability,” Jess confessed. “My mother trusted my father and he turned against her and ran her out of the city. I was afraid it would happen to me too. I was afraid it would happen to you. After decades of not having an Overseer, I was afraid of what their reaction would be once one came into power. You have a little girl on the way, Jonathan. If you became Overseer, she would be shamed by the world for not being a male.”

“I would never let that happen,” Jonathan said between gritted teeth.

“You can’t prevent how people think,” Jess shot back.

“I would never let anybody hurt my daughter,” Jonathan rephrased. “I can put an end to the ‘male only’ rule. There’s no reason why females can’t be the Overseer. Especially if they have a strong mate to help and protect them.”

“I get that,” Jess said softly. “Things were different back then, but you’re right. There’s no reason a female can’t be the Overseer.”

There was another breath of silence as they both processed the words exchanged. It was a lot of information and Jonathan’s mind was reeling.

He stopped pacing to look at his mother.

“So, if Graham has the Overseer cufflink, that means he can see and hear everything we are discussing right now?” Jonathan asked.

Jess nodded, frowning.

“That’s right,” she confirmed. “He can see everything everywhere if he so chooses.”

“Which means he could probably see Elijah hunting on forbidden territory and killing wolves,” Jonathan processed.

Jess nodded again.

“He was the mastermind,” he finally concluded.

“That’s what I fear,” Jess told him, gravely.

“Which mean the war on the red moon…” Jonathan’s voice trailed off.

“Is going to happen,” Jess finished for him.

Panic began rising in Jonathan as all the information was processed in his mind.

“Okay…” he breathed. “We need to figure out what to do. I need to make sure the army is alert and gather together all the strong wolves, and make sure all the weaker ones are safe. If there’s going to be a battle, we need to be prepared.”

“I’m afraid that regardless of how prepared we are, Graham still has the upper hand. We can prepare Sabrebite the best we can, but do you really think he’s only going to attack us? He’s going to attack all packs if he’s able. He has the upper hand where he can see and hear everything going on. He can see all our retaliations and resistance before even arriving.”

“As long as he has the cufflink, he has an advantage,” Jonathan agreed. “So, we need to somehow get that cufflink from him.”

“He’s not going to just give it up. It’ll be hard to get. Especially now that we had this conversation, if he is listening to us then he knows what we are planning and will protect that cufflink at all costs,” Jess told him.

She was right.

“So, what do you suggest?” Jonathan asked.

“We might not be able to get the cufflink, but we can minimize the powers, and take back the advantage with our own powers,” Jess told him.

Jonathan cocked an eyebrow up at her.

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“The only one who can minimize the powers of the ring is the person who created it in the first place,” Jess explained.

“Naomi?” Jonathan asked. “She’s still alive?”

Jess nodded.

“Witches don’t exactly have the same lifespan as us. They can live for centuries,” Jess explained.

“So, what do we do? Do we just call her on the phone?” Jonathan asked.

Jess chuckled.

“Not exactly,” she answered. “She doesn’t exactly live on the same timeframe, or even the same world, as us. The only way to get her is if we summon her. The only way to truly summon her is during the red moon ceremony. I have a book at home that explains how to summon her. I can run home to grab it,” Jess suggested.

Jonathan thought about it for a second.

“Let me get a hold of Erick and Ronnie first. If Graham heard any of this, he’s now aware of our plan to summon Naomi and might come after you. I don’t want you to be alone right now. I also don’t want Arina to be alone either.”

She nodded in agreement.