BirthControl

by Sydney Addae

  “I’m thinking Mandy and I will come visit in a week or so. Maybe for a weekend and then get back here to the shop. Plus, I have to finish my research. What do you think?”

  “About?”

  “Bringing Mandy to Maryland in a week or so. You should still be there right?”

  Maryland? Shit. Silas said she’d be moving to West Virginia at the end of the week. She looked at her order and erased her Washington address. Closing her eyes, she tried to remember the address in West Virginia, but couldn’t. Jacque had sent her some information earlier that week. Where had she put it? Was it an email? Yes, he’d sent an email asking questions.

  “No. I…we’ll be moving.” Jasmine found the email with the address.

  “What? I thought you said Rone hadn’t been cleared.”

  Jasmine entered the correct mailing address and used her PayPal account to pay for her purchase. “He hasn’t.” Didn’t she tell Renee that already?

  “Jazz…Jasmine, what’s going on? Stop and talk to me.”

  Now that she’d taken care of her problem, she focused on her sister. As much as she’d like to share the real deal about her sons, Jasmine knew she couldn’t. They shared a mother, but Renee’s father was human, unlike Jasmine’s.

  “I’m pregnant.”

  “What?” Renee gasped.

  “I…I had sex with Silas and…now I’m pregnant. He lives in West Virginia and I’ve agreed to live with him until… well, until I don’t want to live with him anymore.”

  “Silas?…the good-looking hunk who came into Rone’s hospital room? The one I said was hot?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You’re not marrying him, are you? Because you don’t have to do that. You married Davian because you were pregnant with the twins, and that was a disaster. Not the boys. The boys are a blessing, but the marriage was disastrous. Promise me you won’t marry this guy just because you’re having his baby.”

  Jasmine wished she could tell her sister that Silas had no interest in marrying her. That he didn’t want her or their half-breed children. That he was only moving her to his home for protection and not out of any deep feelings. Once more, she was a mother with babies on her own and she despised herself for getting in this situation again.

  “I promise not to marry him for the babies.” There was a discernible pause. Jasmine braced herself for her sister’s reaction.

  “Babies? Did you say babies, as in more than one?” Renee’s voice screeched through the phone.

  Removing the phone from her ear, Jasmine stepped away from the laptop. “Yes, I’m having multiples, three I think.” In reality, she had no idea how many babies she carried, only that there were more than two.

  “Oh honey…are you okay with this. Have you considered all your options? You’re not sixteen this time. You don’t have to –”

  “I’m not having an abortion and I’m not giving them up for adoption. Trust me, I’ve considered my options and I’ve decided to have my babies and raise them.”

  “Okay…okay. What did the doctor say about you having multiples at thirty-six? Not that you look a day over twenty, I’m jealous over how young you look. But will your age be a factor?”

  No, because I’m not aging. “He thinks everything looks good and there shouldn’t be any problems. I’m in good health, so things should be fine.”

  “Is that why you bought a vibrator? Horny pregnancy? Where’s Silas? Why isn’t he handling that?”

  Sometimes her sister was too nosy and asked inappropriate questions. “He’s home I guess. Mandy okay?”

  “Yeah, she’s fine. She’s going to be jealous when she finds out you’re pregnant again. We’re thinking about adopting.”

  “You?” Jasmine scoffed. “You’re her baby.”

  Renee chuckled. “I know, right? You’d think she’d be happy. But she’s been on me again to reconsider adopting. I…I just don’t want a baby. I’ve never wanted one. Maybe an older child who’s potty trained and don’t require as much care.”

  “News flash. Children always require a lot of care. The type of care simply changes as they grow older. Look at me. I’m across the country caring for my grown sons.”

  “Yeah, I know that. But babies are helpless. I need the child to talk to me and tell me what they need. Mandy wants to raise the child from bottles and diapers. Ugh.”

  Jasmine laughed. “Let me know when you guys find a match. I’ll throw you a baby shower.”

  “Funny. Not. I haven’t decided yet.”

  “You love Mandy. You’ve decided. There’s nothing wrong—” The front door opened. She stood as Tyrone and Tyrese entered. Their blank faces signaled something was wrong.

  “Renee, the boys just came in, let me call you back.”

  “Okay, give them a kiss for me.”

  Jasmine disconnected and leaned against the wall, watching her sons walk in circles. Neither spoke or looked in her direction, which was strange.

  “Hey,” she said after a period of silence.

  Tyrone’s head whipped around as he stopped and looked toward her. She wasn’t sure he saw her until Tyrese spoke.

  “Mom.” His voice sounded rusty, like a broken chain.

  She frowned and walked toward them. “What’s going on?”

  Tyrese moved to stand next to Tyrone. Although they weren’t identical twins, in this moment it appeared they operated as one. She glanced from one to the other, taking in the same stance, same blank faces, and same eyes blazing down at her. Her heart raced as her mind calculated what this meant.

  Something else had happened.

  A part of her was tired of all the new stuff and wanted to go in her room, get in bed, and wake up when everything was over. Wistfully, she waved goodbye to that part of herself, straightened her spine and gazed at her sons. They were kind, beautiful men who she was proud to call her own. But they were pig-headed Neanderthals who believed women should be cosseted at all costs. Case in point, she’d just discovered they were shape-shifters within the past few weeks. They didn’t think she could handle knowing they were different.

  “What the hell happened? Don’t lie to me. Tell me what’s got the two of you so uptight and tell me right now,” she yelled, leaning forward.

  Tyrone blinked.

  Tyrese blinked. “Mom? Why are you yelling? We’re right here.”

  She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. Her gaze swung from one son to the other, their eyes changed and they looked like her boys again. “You didn’t come pick me up tonight when I called. You picked me up when he called. Then you left when he told you to. Now you come in like zombies and ask me why I’m yelling. I’m pregnant and I’m pissed, that’s why I’m raising my voice. Now tell me what happened tonight that’s got you boys all twisted up.”

  Tyrone walked toward the kitchen and stopped. Tyrese stood gazing at her. “Things are getting bad. There’s a group of rebel wolves going around killing human breeders and their pups.”

  “Babies,” she corrected automatically.

  “Okay, babies. There was a meeting tonight to discuss what should be done. Some of the Alphas think what the rebels are doing is okay.”

  “What?” she gasped. Her hand flew to her stomach as she shook her head in denial. “No, that’s not right. It can’t be.”

  “Mom?” Tyrone called out over his shoulder.

  “I wish I could tell you different, but those bastards sat there and discussed the elimination of a group of people as if they were fucking gods,” Tyrese said.

  “Language.” Her reprimand was half-hearted as she reeled from what he’d said.

  “Mom?” Tyrone called again.

  “Sorry,” Tyrese said, his tone meek.

  “Mom?” Tyrone said, his voice rising.

  “What?” she snapped, irritated that he wasn’t participating in what she considered a life-altering conversation.

  “Did you order sex toys from online?”

  “What?” Tyrese turned and walked to the table to look at
the laptop.

  Jasmine covered her face with her palm. “Shut that down.”

  “Mom?” Tyrese sounded shocked.

  What? They didn’t think she had needs. Well she did and she wasn’t going to be embarrassed about it either. “I said shut it down.” She strode to the laptop and pushed the button, turning it off. No one spoke, although she’d swear she heard a sniggle of laughter. But when she looked at them, their faces showed no signs of mirth.

  “This is the problem with living with your grown ass sons,” she muttered as she sat on the sofa.

  “Mom. You know you love being with us,” Tyrone said as he walked into the kitchen. Later, he walked out with a bottle of water and two cans of soft drinks. After handing her the water and Tyrese the soft drink, he sat next to her on the sofa.

  “We’re not going to let anything happen to you or our brothers or sisters. Don’t worry mom. We’ve got this,” Tyrese said.

  She nodded, knowing they’d die defending her and her babies. The idea of losing her sons pissed her off. It wasn’t their responsibility to look after her or their siblings. Silas had some explaining to do.

  “I talked to Renee. She said to give you a kiss.” She pecked each of their cheeks. “She also talked about getting an abortion…” she let the words hang out there for a response.

  “Mom…” Tyrone said taking her hand. “I know all of this coming at you has been a lot. First, finding out about us and then finding out about yourself. A lot happened in the last few weeks. But…”

  “Whatever you decide, we’ll back you,” Tyrese said taking her other hand. “You didn’t ask for any of this. Not this lifestyle, not this world, and not having more children when you were ready to do all the things you missed by having us so young.” He squeezed her hand. “Whatever you want to do, Rone and I will back you.”

  She struggled to swallow and keep the tears back at the same. Touched, she squeezed their hands. “Love you,” she whispered.

  The twins stiffened and before she could ask what was wrong, Silas walked through the front door. As much as she hated it, warmth curled in the pit of her belly and flowed lower. It was all she could do not to clamp her thighs together. Instead she looked at him, determined to be stronger than her whacked libido.

  Her sons started to stand but she grabbed their hands tight and tugged. The three of them would face him this time. A cool tingle flew over her back and then disappeared.

  “Still shielding, I see,” Silas said as he walked further into the room. She met his gaze and was sure there had been a flash of sorrow.

  “What do you want?” she asked, angry that she wanted him to feel bad for the situation they were in. It wasn’t his problem. It was hers and her sons. They’d figure something out.

  “There were some things that happened tonight that can never happen again. I need to be sure of that.”

  The sobriety of his words, coupled with the hardened planes of his face, sent an odd chill rippling over her skin. Was he talking about the sex? No, he’d said he’d come to her for that. Her brows furrowed as she gazed at him while he stared at her sons.

  “I’m thinking of having an abortion,” she said into the silence. The idea had been gathering steam ever since the boys mentioned the new threat, but maybe it was something to consider. Just as soon as she gave life to the words, she knew she’d never go through with it.

  Tyrone and Tyrese both squeezed her hand as though in warning. But it was too late.

  “What?” Silas asked, his turbulent blue eyes stared down at her.

  She licked her dry lips, opened her mouth and then shut it again. Wariness raced through her at his dark look. “It… it seems like me having my babies is causing all kinds of…of problems. There are people who want to kill me and the babies just because we’re different. I’m not sure…” she spoke haltingly, trying to return his intense gaze. “I’m not sure I want them to live like that. Hunted, living with the fear that someone would hurt them just because their mom’s human.” She shook her head while closing her eyes. “That’s not a gift, Silas. That’s a death sentence.”

  “No,” he said slowly, his tone dangerous. “The Goddess gives life. To abort is to throw the gift in her face. You cannot survive her wrath at such an offense.”

  “What? I…the Goddess?”

  Silas nodded. “I have told you many times, the litter you carry is a gift from her. I am over three hundred years and have never sired pups. You have been blessed by the Goddess to carry life. It should be celebrated, not destroyed.”

  Jasmine released her sons’ hands. “What about those who would kill my children? How will the Goddess protect them?” She stared up at him in expectancy.

  “They’re my litter and I am responsible for protecting them.” Silas stepped forward. “No one will harm my pups.”

  “Children,” she corrected automatically as a weight lifted from her chest. He may be a sexist jerk, but she believed he’d keep her babies safe.

  Tyrone snorted. “Strange you say that here, now…”

  “When you remained silent on the matter in front of the Alphas,” Tyrese finished.

  She glanced at her sons and then gazed at Silas. Had she been premature in giving him her trust? “Silas?”

  He waved away her question. “There are things going on that I cannot always explain. Nor do I choose to explain now. The two of you serve me, not the other way around. You threatened an Alpha.”

  “He was being an asshole,” Tyrone said in a condescending tone.

  “Which means you threatened me.” Silas stepped closer to the sofa and this time she didn’t try to stop her sons from standing.

  “How did they threaten you?” she asked in the prolonged stillness, eager to get them talking. “You said they spoke to someone else.”

  “Yes, but each Alpha is bound to me. They carry my crest, my last name. To attack one of them is to attack me.” Silas paused. “You knew that and threatened him anyway. Right?”

  “We will not allow anyone to harm our mother or the babies she carries.”

  Jasmine’s brow rose at the monotone synchronized sentence from her sons and tried to see their faces. “Rone? Rese?”

  Silas chuckled. “They have bonded in some way and are one. I cannot break into their thoughts without destroying them both, which I don’t want to do. I want them to assist in your security detail.”

  Jasmine’s head whipped around as she jumped up. “What?” The blank look had returned to the twins faces. Their stance, their facial expressions and speech was identical. “Is this more wolf-human stuff?” She stared in disbelief.

  Silas shrugged. “It’s fascinating. And not something full-bloods are capable of doing, at least not that I’ve ever heard or seen. I doubt most breeds can take it to this level either. Your sons are unique and I’d hate to destroy them. But make no mistake, I will. Tonight in fact, if we don’t come to some sort of understanding.” He stood in front of the three of them with his hands behind his back as if he were discussing the name of a book instead of killing her first-borns.

  “What?” She looked at him with panic radiating in her chest. “What are you talking about? What kind of agreement?”

  He glanced at her, then returned his gaze to Tyrone and then Tyrese. “For starters, there can be no wolves that I cannot access mentally. None. Your boys decided to block me tonight during a volatile meeting. When they did that, they missed the strategy I sent to them and Jayden. As Patron, I have a responsibility to oversee my people and insure rules are followed. These pups broke a major rule.”

  “Okay…okay,” she said in desperation, while wanting to smack her silent sons on the head. “They broke a rule, did it cause a problem?”

  “If they had heard my thoughts, they never would have challenged the Alpha or announced to every Alpha in the meeting that they were breeds with a human mother. I had kept that information quiet for a reason. It’s called security,” he said in a deadly quiet voice, his eyes glowed like chips of emera
lds.

  Jasmine flinched as the heat of his anger filled the room. That’s when she recognized his clenched jaw and balled fists. One moment her sons stood on each side of her, the next they were thrown back, slammed against the wall and then pinned on the floor, struggling to move.

  “Stop.” She turned to go to them.

  “Every step you take in their direction, it’ll be worse for them. They are men, Jasmine, not boys, and they will take their punishment. Stop babying them,” Silas snapped.

  “I’m not…” She froze.

  A scream of pain ripped from Tyrone as his wolf lay panting on the floor. Tyrese grunted as he flashed through the change.

  Stunned, she stared at the creatures who were her sons. In this form they looked identical, except for their eyes. Tyrese’s eyes were an eerie light brown and Tyrone’s were a deep dark brown, almost black. As the silence wore on, each met her eyes with something akin to shame.

  “Rone?” The large dark brown wolf blinked as he stared at her. “You’re beautiful. I love you no matter what, remember that.”

  She gazed at Tyrese. From this position, he looked larger than Rone and his breathing appeared labored. “Rese, you are beautiful and I love you no matter what form you’re in. I’m proud of you both.”

  Howls rose in the room from her sons and then stopped abruptly.

  “What do you plan to do?” Her breath caught. Her legs were frozen in place as she searched his face. She took a step toward Silas, her hand outstretched. Right now she’d get down on one knee and beg if that would keep her sons from feeling more pain.

  Silas glanced at her. “No abortion.”

  She nodded. “Okay, you have my word. No abortion. Release them. Please, they’re in pain.”

  “You pack and move to my compound in West Virginia by the end of the week. I don’t want to argue with you anymore about this. I want you and the pups…babies safe. I don’t need to be distracted with you trying to out-maneuver me.”