I reached out my hand with a weary expression on my face, I knew he was going to take this secret about as well as I had.
Koda took my hand and the memories flowed into his mind.
MEMORY TRANSFER
“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?”
“Don’t you ever yell at me again Jaxson!” My grandmother said angrily “Sit the hell down, you want to know the truth, then you’ll get it, but I promise you, you won’t like what you’re about to hear”
“Just speak!”
“We are keeping tabs on your mate for a reason” Dad told me “I need to know the second she goes into her molt”
“Why?”
“To control her power” Grandmother told me
“Excuse me?”
“Phoenix are more dangerous than you could possibly know” Dad told me “When Ryker left her, she broke and tried to kill him, the dead forest. It wasn’t always like that, Iyo burnt it to ashes”
I couldn’t believe that one person was capable of destroying that entire area. There was a dead forest a few miles away, acres and acres of land, completely lifeless, even the air was difficult to breathe when you were there.
“Okay, so, she burnt down a forest” I threw up my hands “What the hell, does that have to do with Madelyn, and controlling her power”
“Each Phoenix has a bond with their keeper, that rivals even that of the mate bond” Dad answered “And that bond is needed to keep the Phoenix’s power in check. You see, a Phoenix has a golden thread, it stays with them, from birth, it’s connected to them, a tether from their soul, and once the Phoenix gifts this thread to someone, usually their Keeper, that thread connects them for life, nothing and no one can break it, but it also means that the Keeper can use their power”
‘Madelyn saw the golden thread when she was drugged’ I told them ‘We thought she was just seeing things, but you’re saying it’s real?”
“Yes” Grandmother nodded “And whoever she gives that thread too, can control her”
“Well, she can give it to me or Cody”
“Phoenix usually gives that thread to their keepers, because most of the time, they marry them” My dad told me “But we need control of it, the second she molts, she’ll be vulnerable, and we can manipulate her, we need to get this connection before Fenrir or Troy”
“We?” I spat angrily, as my eyes darkened “If you think, for one second, that Koda and I, would ever allow you to manipulate her, or have that kind of control over OUR mate, then, you’ve lost your f*cking mind!”
“It can’t be you or Koda” Grandmother commented, trying to sound reasonable “It would create a divide of power between you both, your father can be trusted not to abuse her power”
“YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR MINDS!” I grabbed one of the chairs in front of me and threw it against the wall, rendering it to kindle “YOU ARE NOT NOW, NOT EVER, GETTING CONTROL OF OUR MATE!”
“Jaxson cool down!” Dad snapped impatiently, completely unfazed by my outburst.
“You told us the other day, that Iyo was going to give you power, in exchange for grandmother and grandfather taking her in, and helping with the war” I reminded them “Is this what you really meant, you were going to force Iyo to give you her thread?”
“It was expected, yes” Grandmother told me “But, she hated your father. When it became clear that she and Fenrir were close, and creating werewolves, we were terrified she would give it to him instead”
“Thankfully, she never did” Dad went on “But, I will have Madelyn’s”
“That’s never going to happen”
“Do you really want Madelyn to give that connection to her Keeper?” Granny asked, seriously, and I felt tension in the air “He will have a piece of your mate, that you and Cody, will never have. At least, if it’s your father, he’ll keep her safe, we have to keep her power within the family”
“The two of you are insane!” I growled “We will talk to Madelyn about this, and she will pick between me or Cody, this Keeper, isn’t having any of her, and nor are you. Is this one of the reasons Iyo, ran away with Fenrir. Did you try and force her to connect with you?”
“That girl owed us!” Grandmother snarled “We saved her ungrateful people and she betrayed our entire species”
“MADELYN ISN’T HER MOTHER!” I screamed at them “HER POWER DOESN’T BELONG TO YOU!”
“WE HAVE TO CONTROL HER POWER, OR FENRIR WILL!” Dad shouted “AND HE WILL WIPE US OUT, MADELYN EITHER, HONOR’S HER COMMITMENT TO OUR FAMILY, AND GIVES ME THAT THREAD, OR I WILL BE FORCED TO KILL HER PHOENIX HALF TO PROTECT US!”
I growled and walked over to my father, and leaned down, so we were face to face “I will say this once, and one only” I said in warning, my voice shaking “If you ever, and I mean, ever, try to harm Madelyn in any way, Koda and I will rip you apart”
“Don’t threaten your father!” Gran stood up angrily, but I turned on her
“THE SAME GOES FOR YOU!” I shouted, and she stood back in surprise “Get this idea out of your minds, Madelyn will choose whoever she trusts to have her thread, whether, that is me, Koda, or… or this Keeper. This is the last time, I ever want to hear about this”
I marched out of the office, slamming the door for good measure.
END OF MEMORY TRANSFER
Koda pulled away from me and started to pace, angrily “He wants her power, no wonder, he was so quick to accept her!”
“I knew he was up to something, but I never thought it was something like this”
“I’m going to kill him!”
“You’re going to get yourself killed’ I said patiently “You can’t beat him alone, he’s the better fighter”
“I don’t care, I’m challenging him!’ He spat and went into the walk-in ‘I’m getting the crown!’
“Koda, don’t be f*cking stupid!” I whispered angrily, but he ignored me and pulled on his pants, and grabbed a shirt before he left the room “Koda! Dam it”
I gently placed Madelyn down on the bed, trying desperately not to wake her, before I climbed off the bed and chased after my stupid brother, who clearly had a death wish.
KODA’S POV
“Koda!’ Jaxson yelled after me, but ignored him ‘Dam it, Cody, stop”
I ignored him, when I heard him run after me, I quickened my pace down the hallway, but Jaxson’s arms wrapped around me like a vice.
“GET OFF!” I shouted, and struggled to get free.
“NO!” He argued, and blocked each attempt I made to free myself “Stop fighting me, and calm down!”
“We have to stop dad before it’s too late!” I snarled ‘He’s going to hurt Maddie and Ava!”
“We won’t let him” He said breathlessly, as he tried to hold my arms in place “Just calm down, we need a plan!’
“I have a plan!” I argued “I’m going to kill him, and burn his body, end of plan!’ I added, and elbowed him, in the chest.
“F*ck, Koda, you pr*ck!” He snapped and stomped his heel on my foot
“Dam it, Jax!” I hopped in pain, and shoved us back.
We hit the wall, and one of the pictures came crashing down, breaking, and causing glass to shatter all over the ground, while Jax flipped me over, and pinned me to the ground.
“Get the hell off me!” I shouted, as he climbed over me, and held my arms by my side.
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