Chapter 176: A Father-Son Chat

Jude POV

He rubbed his eyes, setting aside the reports. They seemed endless, but nothing looked so critical that he couldn't leave the tidy piles for a month. Besides, that was why he had a brilliant beta in his own son, didn't he? To handle business when he was away from home?

A knock on the door cleared away the report-induced haze in his brain. "Come in."

Bram slipped in, and Jude smiled at him. "I was just thinking about you. Come on, sit down, there are a few things I want to go over with you before Ravyn and I leave ..."

Bram took a seat in the well-worn leather chair opposite his father. "Actually ... that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

Pushing aside the reports so he could give Bram his full attention, Jude settled back. "Last-minute concerns and thoughts?"

Bram's eyes glittered with the determined look he'd developed since he was a pup. "Don't go just yet, Father. Put off this trip for a few weeks. And by the way, Mom Ravyn agrees."

Mom Ravyn.

Those two little words flattened whatever objection Jude might have raised. 

"She does?"

Bram nodded earnestly, his hair even redder in the light. "Absolutely. She's been concerned about you both undertaking such a dangerous mission to a remote, possibly cursed location so soon."

Jude's mind whirled. "She didn't say anything ..."

"DAD. Have you ever tried to talk you out of anything?"

Jude huffed with laughter. "I lost."

"Well, there you go," Bram chuckled. "All joking aside, she's a loyal Luna, and she wanted to support you. She's one hundred percent committed to defeating the Dark Goddess."

"But?"

Bram sighed. "But ... the pack isn't ready for you to leave so soon on another quest where we might lose you. I know what you'll say: There are plenty of dangers at home."

The image of Emer, lifeless in his arms, swam before his eyes. "There are," he said in a gruff voice, the words sticking in his sandpaper throat. "And we can't always outrun death or injury by playing it safe. Only the Moon Goddess knows when our time comes."

"But Eirika really doesn't think this is wise right now, and she knows the goddess' will," Bram argued. "Even Tulaska and Roslynn were lukewarm on the idea, but they're after the Dark Goddess like the most stubborn prey."

Jude grunted, impressed by Bram's perceptiveness. "Your sister objected to our travel plans as well. Truthfully, I already had misgivings."

"And you can tell him I did, too."

Hades' interjection made Jude do a double take. "You never said anything," he complained aloud. "Why?"

"Because I want the Dark Goddess begging for mercy," Hades answered bluntly. "But I know we have to be smart about it. And maybe it's cowardly, but I don't want to face her again so soon. For the first time in centuries, I know what it is to LIVE, not merely lead a scraping, grasping existence."

Jude took a deep breath. "Hades wanted the Dark Goddess too, but he's in no hurry to tangle with her again, either. He agrees with you."

The sea swirled in Bram's eyes. "You mean it?"

"Yes. He says he knows what it means to live for the first time in centuries," Jude reassured Bram. "And he's in no hurry to give that up."

"Besides, we have a duty to the pack, to make them feel safe for awhile and strengthen them," Hades added. "Silverpaws are warriors, no question. But the next time the Dark Goddess tangles with us, we'll need all our strength and unity and fighting spirit."

Jude relayed the message to Bram, who reclined back in his chair. "I'm glad to know I'm not being weak."

"Never. I couldn't be prouder of you." Jude squeezed his son's hands. 

"But what the Alpha says goes," Bram said in a hushed voice.

"Yes, and he can be wrong. That's why he needs a Luna and beta to set him straight when necessary. They give him valuable advice." Jude looked with love into Bram's eyes. "Understand, if I still decided to leave tomorrow--"

"I'd swallow my objections and trust your judgment," Bram said. "But I wouldn't be pleased about it. I'd be checking in so often you'd shut out my voice."

"Never that." Jude squeezed his son's hand. "I'm proud of the man you've become."

Bram's eyes blazed with joy. "I'm proud to be your son."

Jude cleared his throat. "So, I'll wait for Ravyn's witch wisdom and Eirika's approval as to the date of our departure. The trip hasn't been announced--we were keeping it quiet. That should have been an omen of some kind."

"It should have. Maybe you just didn't want to spook the pack or give the council headaches," Bram remarked.

"Or maybe our wolf was dragging his feet," Jude chortled. "Anyway, now I can look forward to going to the next meeting of the Shifter Parliament in a week."

"Fess up, Father. Was this whole quest an excuse to skip that meeting?" Bram asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"NO, smart-mouthed son of mine, but it was an added benefit," Jude chuckled. "So, I guess I can take my time with this paperwork."

"I can help you with it."

Jude gave hm a grateful smile. "What would we--and by 'we' I mean Ravyn, Hades, me, and the whole d*mn pack--do without you?"

Bram squeezed his hand. "Just remember that." This said with another cheeky smile.

Hades whispered in Jude's mind, "Ask him about his potential mate."

Although Jude hesitated to poke his nose into his son's business, Bram often discussed his desire for a mate. "And I'm sure any female in the pack would be happy to be claimed by you," he added.

Bram flushed. "Mali! I'm going to--"

"What about Mali?" Jude blinked in confusion.

Reading his father's bewilderment, Bram muttered, "Never mind. But how did you guess?"

"I'm your father. I know you," Jude reminded him. "So, who's the lucky female?"

"Well, she's not in our pack, she's a Crimsontail," Bram said. "I met her at the celebration for the Blackthorns. Her name is Philippa LeClerc. She's one of Jiro's and Garnet's personal guards. I've been singing the praises of our pack territory."

Jude whistled. "One of Jiro's elite enforcers? Sounds like a strong future Luna. When is she moving here?"

Bram blushed. "We only started writing to each other recently. I haven't even mentioned the words 'fated mate,' but I can't stop thinking about her. I dream about her. And Eirika is cryptic, which tells me all I need to know."

"Son, invite her here already. You need to be face to face, smell each other, see each other."

Bram flushed. "Actually, I was thinking that when you go to the Shifter Parliament session, I'd go with you. She mentioned she'll be accompanying Jiro and Beta Barrett and Cyran."

Jude's grin threatened to split his face. "I can see you've figured it all out. That sounds like an excellent plan--and with our long debates in Parliament, there'll be ample chances for you two to, ah, slip away without being noticed."

"DAD." But Bram's protest was half-hearted. 

Jude laughed and ruffled his son's soft hair. "Indulge me. I didn't know when you'd find your mate, and I've been saving up a lot of fatherly pride and pleasure."

"Not to mention opportunities to embarrass me," Bram quipped, a smile fighting to break out on his face.

"Oh, that's my honor as a father," Jude said with a cheeky grin of his own. "Alright, then. For the sake of your romance, shall we get through these blasted reports and start planning for our trip to Parliament?"

Hades howled in approval. "I think this session of the Shifter Parliament could be electrifying."