She stiffened when he returned with the bomb detector and ran it over each wolf. No one moved until he was done. When he turned toward La Patron with a grin she exhaled. Sending in this many wolves with bombs would have been overkill, not to mention it would be on every news station in the country.
“Glad it wasn’t that,” he said smiling. Tyrone slapped him upside the head. Everyone was nervous.
She turned toward Silas and spoke through their link. “Sir, I am sorry, but there is something wrong with these wolves, they’ve done something to them. I would advise against you sending them with anyone. They should be taken up into the mountains and left there.”
The wolves whined and instead of howling, they made mewling sounds. Silas waved Samuel over and they spoke for a few moments. Alpha Samuel waved Borian over and the three of them talked a few moments longer.
With each passing second, Asia tensed, expecting either an assassin to come at her back or lab security to come at them with additional force. Thankfully the shield was up again.
When two men from the Alpha’s team shifted and tried to lead the wolves toward the woods the wolves sat down around La Patron’s foot. Leon and the twins tried to get the wolves to move. But to no avail.
La Patron stood in the midst of the circle of wolves, with the twins at his side watching. The Pennsylvania Alpha and some of his men stood a short distance away talking. An uneasy feeling crept up her spine. Something was definitely wrong; security should have been here by now. She looked over her shoulder and wondered who was in the woods. Should she take her chances and leave with the excuse of scouting around. La Patron would never let her go alone, if at all. Just as she opened her link to ask what he wanted her to do, a loud clap filled the air. The ground fell from beneath her feet. Air whooshed beside her as she looked up toward the sky.
Her last sight was of La Patron and the twins in the air while everyone else fell below. So much for being a team.
Chapter 6
Her first full day on the job and Jasmine wanted to scream. The next person who questioned her instructions would feel her wrath. She headed toward the nursery to calm down from her latest discussion with Hank, the head of security. Of course he waited until Silas left to question the reasonableness of her order to lock down the compound. After she stated calmly that she wanted no strangers in and no one already approved to leave, she thought that would be the end of it. But he continued with examples why she was wrong in her decision. Fed up, she told him to contact Silas and if her mate told them to change her instructions, she would. Seeing the color leech from his skin would have been satisfying if she had not been so pissed.
When she entered the nursery she realized the delay with Hank cost her missing her baby’s meal time. They were all asleep. Their nurses moved about quietly straightening the area in the dimmed, quiet room.
“I missed them,” she said to no one in particular while gazing at the peaceful faces of her children.
“Yes, Mistress. They just dropped off to sleep,” one of the nurses said softly. Nodding, she sat in one of the rocking chairs to take a break before returning to Silas’ office. The soothing motion of the rocker, the baby powder scent and the sweet sounds of her innocent one’s breathing almost lulled her to sleep.
“Mistress?” Rose said softly from the doorway. Jasmine opened one eye and then the other as she took in her daughter-in-law’s nervous posture. Rose wore a cream colored wrap-around dress that highlighted her curvy figure, long neck and tanned complexion. She wore her thick jet black hair swept back from her face and hanging down her back. Swallowing back a sigh, Jasmine stood and walked toward the door.
“Yes? What happened?” she took Rose’ hand and led her into the much brighter hallway, closing the door behind her.
Rose cleared her throat and looked at the floor for a moment.
Jasmine knew it wasn’t Tyrone, she would know if it was. “What?”
“Lilly and Cameron are back and want to enter the compound,” she said in a rush. “Hank told them you had to grant permission even though Cameron is the state Alpha.”
Jasmine’s heart sank. Last night at dinner she had told her guest she would be locking down the compound after they left and they had seemed okay with it. She and Cameron were cordial but had never developed a close relationship. When she talked to Silas about it, he shrugged it off, and told her not to worry. She should have pushed to find a solution before now. If she allowed them in, she would break her own order. But if she refused it would be disrespecting one of Silas’ Alphas.
“He never mentioned he was returning when he was here last night.”
“No, Lilly didn’t either. She asked me if I wanted to stay with them until Rone came back. I told her no, I had to work. Plus, my home is here.”
Jasmine nodded as she weighed her options. Although the compound was not under Cameron’s authority, a lot of the workers lived off-site and did fall under his jurisdiction. As a new Alpha, she needed to show him the same respect she showed all the others.
“Hank, allow Alpha Cameron and his mate to enter the compound.” She hoped he did not make a snide comment.
“Yes, Mistress.”
“When they arrive, bring them to the office. I have to finish going over some papers for Silas.”
Once the decision was made to go after the lab and take it down, her mate insisted she spend a few hours a day in his chair, learning and sharing his responsibilities. It was a daunting task. She had no idea he approved funding grants for schools and businesses all over the country. There were all types of correspondence that crossed his desk and although Rose answered most on his behalf, he still glanced over them before they left his office. Last week she had started weeding through grant applications and had whittled the stack in half. She intended to have responses sent to all of the applicants before Silas returned. To do that, she needed quiet.
“Hello, Mistress Jasmine,” Lilly said from the door.
Smiling, Jasmine placed her pen on the desk and stood to hug the young woman. “Hi, I didn’t know you guys were coming back today.” She leaned back and met Lilly’s smile.
“Cameron had to go out of town to check out a tip regarding Griggs followers. He took Thorne and asked if I wanted to hang over here with Rose while he was gone. I hope it’s okay. We forgot about the compound being locked down until we got here.”
Jasmine met Rose’s worried gaze. “It’s okay this time, but I’m not going to open it again after you leave today. It works better for me to keep everything locked.”
Lilly nodded. “That way you don’t have to worry about anything sneaking in like before causing problems. I don’t blame you; thanks for letting me hang today.”
Jasmine nodded. The sneaking in comment didn’t sit too well with her, but she didn’t comment.
“You need help with anything? I help Cameron with his paperwork and can help you if you need me to,” Lilly said taking a seat against the wall instead of leaving the office.
“No, I have to go through these personally, but Rose may have some things you can help her with.” Jasmine didn’t think Rose had time to visit since they both wanted their desks cleared so they could have time off to spend with their mates when they returned.
“She said she was busy….seems like I came at a bad time. I should’ve called first.”
Jasmine smiled, but didn’t answer as she returned to her desk to work on the grants.
“Thorne wanted to meet Tomas,” Lilly said into the quiet.
“Really?” Jasmine said picking up her pen to initial a page.
“Yes. They’re close in age. I thought it might be a good idea, what do you think?”
The application for a grant to study the impact feline tails had on the length a wolf’s tail made little sense to Jasmine despite the arguments made in the narrative. The author of the proposal had no foundation for his ridiculous claims, which caused her to snort as she placed it in the reject pile.
“I’m sorry? You d
on’t think it’s a good idea?”
“What?” Jasmine asked frowning looking up from her work.
“Thorne befriending Tomas.”
“No. Tomas just lost his mother and is grieving.” Jasmine didn’t want to get into the particulars of Corrina Griggs with Lilly.
“That’s why I thought it would be a good idea. Both teens lost their mothers at an early age. I discussed it with Cameron and he agreed with me. Part of being a good Alpha is to meet the emotional needs as well as the physical needs of the pack.”
Jasmine froze and looked at Lilly. “Are you… are you telling me how to run a pack?” Jasmine leaned back in her chair. Lilly’s relaxed posture made it seem as if they were having tea and discussing kingdom policies. Did the young bitch think they were on the same level?
“No. Well, I was asking your opinion –”
“And I told you no. It is not going to happen.” Jasmine crossed her arms and met Lilly’s stare.
“Can you tell me why it is not going to happen?” Lilly asked pushing boundaries.
“No.”
Lilly frowned. “No?”
Jasmine nodded. “No. I’m not going to explain it to you.”
“Oh. You’ll tell Cameron why?”
“No. I’m not explaining anything to you or Cameron. I am telling you Tomas and Thorne are not and will not be getting together anytime soon. It will not be happening.” Jasmine met the unamused gaze of the young bitch.
Lilly sat forward and crossed her legs at the knee. “Okay. I’m sure you have your reasons, and that they are good ones. Especially since those two have a lot in common… you know.”
Jasmine shrugged becoming irritated at the intrusion in her work space and the attitude of the new Alpha Bitch.
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to piss you off. I just thought since we were both, you know, first ladies, we could talk about stuff.” Lilly smoothed down her pant leg and missed Jasmine’s wide eyed stare.
“Lilly, I am not pissed. If I were you would feel it. I don’t appreciate you assuming I would discuss things with you that do not concern you. When I said no… that should’ve been the end of the matter. But you kept pressing. I am not a first lady. I am First Bitch for the wolf nation. My mate is La Patron, he has no equal and neither do I.”
Red faced, Lilly scrambled to stand. “I…I am sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like… like I’m…You’re…I apologize, Mistress. You’re right, I was out of line. I am the Alpha Bitch of West Virginia. While you’re… you’re the First Bitch of everything,” she whispered the last and bowed from her waist.
Feeling slightly sorry for the young woman, Jasmine eased up. “We both know who we are and more importantly you’re family. There are lines that cannot be crossed and information that will never be shared, but if I can help you settle more in your role as Alpha Bitch let me know.”
“You just did, Mistress. That was a gracious set down.”
Jasmine nodded with a slight smile.
Cameron strode into the office and wrapped his arm around Lilly’s waist. “What’s funny?”
If he had been in the outer office, Jasmine suspected he heard everything that went down already. First, he came uninvited to dinner last night, and then today he dropped off his mate without asking which caused her to change security instructions again. Granted, he was Silas’ godson but he had crossed the line and she needed to stop it now.
“Nothing, Mistress and I were just talking. How’d it go?” Lilly asked looking up at him.
“It was a bust. They were passing through the state and were able to prove it. I gave them a warning and had them escorted to the state line.”
Lilly nodded.
Jasmine watched and refrained from speaking. He had not greeted her yet and that was a breakdown of protocol. Inwardly she sighed. Silas had told her she would need to train the pack how she expected them to treat her. She was not a wolf and the normal fighting methods did not apply.
“Why can’t Tomas and Thorne meet?” Cameron asked turning to her.
With a whisper of energy, Jasmine closed the door behind her uninvited guests. Lilly looked at the door and then at her. Cameron continued staring at her as if she had to answer him.
“We don’t want them to meet,” she said in a tight voice as anger churned in her gut.
Releasing his mate, he stepped forward. “Lilly told me that, I want to know why.”
Jasmine’s energy whipped out, lifted him from the floor and slammed him in the chair his mate had occupied earlier. She watched as he tried to disentangle himself and failed.
After a few moments he glared at her. “What’s this about? I asked a question and you pin me to the chair? Is that how you’re running things while La Patron is away?”
“Cam, stop,” Lilly shouted. Her hair lifted and moved in the breeze of Jasmine’s energy.
A warmth cloaked Jasmine as she realized she had her anger under control and it was a glorious feeling. “Yes. This is how I am running things.” She emphasized the word I as she lifted him from the chair and held him high in the air by one arm leaving his feet dangling. “I am going to ask you one question and your answer will govern where you sleep tonight. So think before you speak.”
“What? Govern where I –”
“Shut up, Cam. Listen, please. She’s not playing,” Lilly said standing nearby rubbing her arms as tendrils of energy moved the fabric of her blouse and pants. Jasmine knew Cameron was just as uncomfortable.
“If Silas had been in this room when you entered, would you have greeted him?”
Cameron stopped moving.
Lilly’s eyes widened as she looked first at her mate and then at Jasmine.
“Yes, I would have greeted him,” Cameron said slowly. “I apologize for not greeting you… Mistress. Please forgive me.”
Jasmine smelled the insincerity of his response, but let it go. They would probably never be close friends and that was okay. But he would respect her position. If the state Alpha disrespected her, it would set a precedent and ultimately Silas would step in. Her mate had left the ball in her court to teach them how she wanted to be treated and she intended to play hard ball.
“I forgive you for that, but there is one thing you need to understand,” she said dialing down her energy.
“And that is?”
“I don’t explain anything to you. Not one thing. You are not privy to everything that goes on in this office or the reasons for the decisions we make. Do not ever demand an explanation from me again.” She sent a light energy smack against him.
“Umph,” he groaned as his back arched in pain.
Lilly’s eyes flicked from her mate to Jasmine to her mate again as if willing him to say the right thing, which in this instance was yes.
“Yes, Mistress. Again, I apologize for over-stepping my bounds in your office. I will not do so again.”
Jasmine eyed him critically, assessing the sincerity of his words.
“Mistress?” Hank contacted her through their link.
“Yes?” Leaning forward, she rubbed her brow with her fingertips, wondering what he needed now.
“Security on the front gate just contacted me to say they were returning to their posts after completing a circle around the west wing. I did not authorize them to leave their posts, did you?”
“No, I have not changed any instructions other than the one I gave you earlier. But I think I know what happened, stand by.”
Exhaling, Jasmine cleared her throat, glanced at the clock and then exhaled again. It wasn’t even noon. Lilly glanced at her and then up at her mate again. No doubt asking him what was going on.
“Cameron, did you give instructions to my compound security?” Jasmine added a note of incredulity in her voice. Being an Alpha had truly gone to his mind.
He cleared his throat. “I instructed the men to complete a level one security scan.”
“On what authority did you do that?” Jasmine asked in a low voice, tapping the desk with her finger
nail.
“I…well…I assumed as Alpha I should offer assistance.”
“And did you offer me assistance?”
“Yes, by having the men complete the scan.”
“No, that is not offering me assistance and you know that. That is overstepping me and giving instructions to staff not under your control. Tell me, did La Patron tell you to come here in his absence? Or to order security scans?”
“No, he did not.”
“So for all you know, you just caused a few men to violate an order Silas put in place.”
“No, Mistress. If La Patron told them to do something, they would never have moved when I gave them instructions. They would’ve told me they couldn’t violate his orders.”
Lilly covered her face with her palm in the sudden silence of the room.
“Hank?”
“Yes Mistress.”
“Alpha Cameron sent the men to do a first level scan. Each man who left their post will be docked a day’s pay and scrub all three floors of the gym tonight before seeking their rest.”
“Yes, Mistress.” She heard the note of respect in his voice and smiled.
“Tell them the next time anyone disregards an order from me, I will pin them to the wall in the gallery for everyone to see.”
BirthDate (La Patron, the Alpha's Alpha) Page 6
