Underneath Surface
Jackson's POV
Standing in the midst of the packhouse peering out at the darkened woods, the weight of the day pressed down on me. The woman's ultimatum kept coming back to me, persistent and merciless: Step down as Alpha, or you won't see your kids ever again. Her comments bit me over and over. I had to start acting. Rapid.
Still, every road I considered was a trap. She was buzzling us into a corner, playing with us. Should I resign, all I had worked for—everything this pack had created—would be turned over to someone with unidentified goals. Should I fail, I would find it intolerable to consider what might happen to Lily and Caleb.
I looked as Ava entered the room; her pale face was set with will. She had hardly slept, yet even with the tiredness in her eyes, she ha
