by Sydney Addae
La Patron’s Christmas
Sydney Addae
Copyright 2014 by Addae, Sydney
ISBN: 978-1-937334-38-3
First Edition Electronic December 2014
Published by Sitting Bull Publications, LLC
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author‘s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, businesses, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only. The publisher does not have any control over or assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their contents.
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La Patron’s Christmas
It’s Christmas time at the compound and Jasmine, mate of Silas Knight and Alpha Bitch in the nation, has decided it’s time for the kids to learn about the holiday. Plans are underway for a huge carnival full of games, music and family fun. It’s not until an unexpected guest arrives that Jasmine realizes she and Silas have missed critical elements in their children’s education.
La Patron’s Christmas is a novella which may be read alone, however, it is a continuation of the La Patron, Alphas Alpha series. To understand the depth of the relationships between Jasmine, Silas, Asia, Angus and Hawke, I suggest you read the following books. BirthRight, book one is a free read and sets the tone for the series.
<<<>>>
Book one is BirthRight,
Book two is BirthControl
Book three is BirthMark
Book four is BirthStone
Book five is BirthDate
Book six is BirthSign
Sword of Inquest
Sword of Mercy
Thanks to all my Den-mates, especially those who shared their ideas on Christmas traditions some of are included in this book and admins, Michelle and Vicky, you are all the best at keeping me laughing with new creative ideas. I heart you much.
A special shout out to Sally R., Karen M., and Kelly, I could not have presented this story without your help.
Thanks, Sydney
Chapter 1
“Where do you want these?” one of the men in housekeeping asked Jasmine while pulling a large trolley filled with boxes into the living room of the family suite she shared with her mate, Silas. Lips pursed, she scanned the large room for a clear spot free from Christmas decorations or gifts. In one corner stood an eight foot blue spruce tree prepped for decorating later that day. Twin cream and blue sofas were situated into a loose L shape in the middle of the room to free up more walking space. Boxes, cartons and a few crates of holiday goodies filled the nooks and crannies of the room. Since they rarely used this formal space, preferring the coziness of their bedroom suite, she’d delved deep into her creative juices to turn this room into family Christmas central. Spying a semi-clear area in the corner, she pointed.
“Over there, please.” She moved out the way as he moved in that direction and unloaded more things she had ordered. If she had her way, they’d all be on their way to Silas’ private island in the Caribbean for a week of sandy beaches instead remaining in the wet, cold West Virginia weather. But with their enemy, Lancaster on the loose and the rest of the Liege on the run, Silas refused her request for anything that would take them away from the security of the compound.
Consequently, she intended to turn the place into a holiday wonderland and begin a boat-load of new traditions with her mate.
Her mate.
She didn’t think she’d ever get over saying that or looking at the exquisite ring on her finger. After they returned from the mating ceremony Silas registered their marriage with city hall, making it official in the human courts so everyone would know Jasmine Knight, wife and mate of Silas, La Patron.
Victoria, Rose, Lilly and Danielle walked into the room, stopped and stared at all the boxes. “You’ve made your point,” her mom, Victoria said peeking into one of the opened cartons filled with new Christmas decorations. “The place will look like Christmas this year. Silas will definitely get the message not to mess around with this holiday ever again.”
Jasmine’s gaze narrowed at the women who chuckled. “That’s not the point.”
Her mom’s brow rose but she didn’t argue.
“It’s not. The children are old enough to have fun at Christmas. At some point we need to let them be kids and enjoy some of the things we enjoyed growing up. Thanks to Silas’ super genes and the rate they’re growing, we should’ve started with the normal traditions last year. They’re ready.”
Rose, whose large stomach preceded her, sat on the edge of the sofa, pulled a box close and looked inside. “Mom was Jewish. At least she had been born Jewish, but we didn’t practice much. Remember when we were small, we gave gifts for seven days and then arranged a feast during that time, lighting the candles and then talked about things we were thankful for and spent time reflecting on things we'd like to do.”
Lilly shrugged and took the seat next to her. “I remember, how old were we when she stopped? Six? Eight?”
“When she met that tall red-haired guy who liked to laugh. He said everyone should celebrate Christmas. He put up a tree and filled it with gifts. Mom liked him and went along with everything for a few years,” Rose said.
“Then she met Thorne’s daddy. That man was so cheap. He tried to act like he didn’t believe in Christmas and giving gifts. I think that was the last time we had a tree, right?” Lilly looked at her twin and then pulled out the box of brightly colored ornaments.
“Don’t remember, but that is beautiful,” Rose said looking at the string she held and then turned them around and continued to look closely. “What do you need us to do, I can’t do a whole lot with Batman doing flips in my belly but I can point and organize.”
Jasmine smiled at her daughter-in-law. Rose and Tyrone, her son would be having their first child in two months, but she hoped for a Christmas baby. “Just sit, put your feet up and give us the benefit of your opinion. I have an idea how I want each section of the family area decorated and will have staff do the heavy stuff.”
“Heavy stuff?” Victoria asked looking over her shoulder at Jasmine. “Just what do you have planned? A mini-circus or carnival to replace the one the kids missed last month?” Her mom chuckled.
Jasmine crossed her arms and met her mom’s stare. “I’m planning something special for the courtyard that involves kiddy rides and a Ferris wheel. That area is large enough for some fun games and off to the side we’ll have a large tree and a place for sledding. Time the kids learn to play in winter. Plus, I think they’re outgrowing the nursery.”
“Why not move them int
o their own bedrooms then?” Victoria asked looking at the others. “You have a lot of empty bedrooms in this wing.”
“If the four of them are like Rone and Rese, that’s going to be a challenge,” Jasmine said remembering how difficult it had been to separate her older sons when they were young. They shared a room until their late teens and even then spent most of their time together in one room or the other.
“Adam and Renee are more alike than Adam and David. Jackie and David seem closer. Silas suggested we let them choose. If David wants a room by himself, that’s okay, we just want to make sure they’re comfortable.”
“Why can’t Jackie and David share a space, at least for now? They’re still young enough that it won’t matter,” Danielle, Tyrese’ mate, said taking a seat across from Rose and Lilly.
“They can, we’ll just wait and see,” Jasmine said shying away from that subject. Asia and Maheegan were researching the birthmarks outlined on her babies. Asia seemed close to finding answers along with silencing her personal demons. Jasmine offered a prayer that whatever Asia discovered in her mother’s birthplace filled the missing blanks of her memory. If anyone deserved a measure of peace, Asia did.
Jasmine faced the other four. “Now the reason I wanted you all here. Look in those boxes I have on the chairs. There are four of them. Each box has a winter outfits for the kids. In the carton next to those are the gift boxes, please wrap these gifts for me. I want them to wear these matching outfits Christmas morning. Then wrap the other things in the boxes.”
Jasmine watched as Danielle, Victoria, Lilly and Rose moved to the gifts and started wrapping. While they were busy with that, she opened boxes that recently arrived and placed them in the correct stack for housekeeping later that day.
“I may be pregnant,” Victoria, Jasmine’s mother, said into the silence stopping everyone.
“Congratulations,” Lilly said a little too brightly.
Victoria smiled wide and looked at Jasmine. “Thanks, Lilly. I appreciate it.”
Jasmine watched Lilly a few moments longer. Lilly had been quiet recently and no longer made jokes at Rose’s expense on the pregnancy. At times, Jasmine caught Lilly watching her twin with longing and suspected the young bitch had changed her mind on parenting.
“We’re not sure yet. Lord knows we’ve been trying.” Victoria looked at Rose and laughed. “If you get any redder Rose you’ll be the color of your namesake. Jacques is a great lover and we stay busy as you younger folks say.”
Jasmine shook her head at her mom’s words. “Renee and Mandy are going to be so happy. Have you told her?”
“No. Jacques wants to wait, take another test and then see what happens. I think he’s scared to believe it’s happening or something. Lately, he’s gotten real cautious,” Victoria said placing a box on the floor next to her feet. “Starting over again, who would’ve thought?” She picked up Adam’s sweaters and placed them in the gift box.
“The timing is right for you now, that’s why you’re at peace about it,” Danielle said. “I read that you can draw things to you by what you say. And since I’ve known you, you’ve been talking about starting a den with your mate.” Danielle shrugged. “Now it’s happened. The Goddess has smiled on you.”
Jasmine watched Lilly and Rose look at each other before continuing their wrapping. Danielle was the newest member of their family and it seemed whenever Lilly was nearby, Rose wasn’t as friendly or maybe it seemed that way when it wasn’t. At any rate, Jasmine sensed an undercurrent of something and had mentioned it to Silas, who advised her to stay out of it unless she smelled drama or bullshit. Either would be grounds for her to step in.
“Where’s Thorne?” Victoria asked the prickly question. Last Jasmine heard Thorne, younger brother to twins Rose and Lilly, had left to join the rebels against Silas, which was a death sentence.
“Haven’t heard from him,” Rose said in a soft voice.
Jasmine and Victoria looked at Lilly who kept her gaze locked on the ground. “Me neither.”
“You been looking for him?” Victoria asked, pushing.
“No, not really. If he’s gone, I’d rather he didn’t come back,” Lilly said in a calm tone.
Jasmine wasn’t too surprised, but Rose’s gasp and the way her hand flew to her mouth clearly said she had no idea her sister felt that way. “Don’t say that, Lil… he could be lying dead out there, or someone’s prisoner. We just don’t know.”
Lilly shrugged but remained silent. Victoria looked at the twins and then met Jasmine’s gaze. In it, Jasmine was in agreement. Something was going on with these two that required close watching over the next few months.
Chapter 2
Silas walked down the hall toward the lift and bumped into housekeeping.
“Excuse me, Sir,” the man whose name escaped Silas at the moment said “It’s a bit unwieldy… but really pretty.” He added in a rush while lifting a large multi-colored wreath on his shoulder before climbing a few steps on the stairs.
Silas waved down the apology. His mate had turned this entire floor into a Christmas painting with decorations everywhere except their bedroom. He had asked her not to decorate that space and after a long discussion regarding compromise, she finally agreed.
“It’s okay.” He walked around the man and headed for the elevator, eager to escape the holiday fever that infected his mate.
The doors slid open. Jacques, his administrator and best friend, stood inside wearing a grin. “Escaping?”
“No. Yes.” Silas ran his hand through his thick, long black hair as the door closed behind him. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take. That woman has turned my home into a pagan wonderland and she’s just starting. This morning security called from the gate to clear a truckload of carnival equipment.”
Jacques chuckled.
“It’s not funny.”
The door opened. “My daughter-in-law is a rare gem. You’re lucky to have her.” Jacques pushed away from the rail, walked out onto the lower level and headed toward the lab. “She’s a breath of fresh air, change is good.”
“Change?” Silas scoffed as he accepted a folder from one of the techs who’d been decoding text from some old journals Hawke, Asia’s mate, had sent concerning the Liege, an organization who had been stealing pups for decades. “I’ve been dealing with change since the day I met her. So don’t travel that path.” He took the folder and headed to the conference room for a scheduled meeting with his core team in a few minutes time. “But kiddie carnival rides? I have never seen anything like that for a holiday. Have you?” He looked at Jacques, who now sat across from him in the room.
“No. And that’s okay. The kids will love it and have fun. Unless you think the kiddie rides are for someone other than pups?”
Silas growled at the sarcastic reply. His mate wanted to do something special for all the pups, he understood that. It was all the deliveries and strangers entering the compound he didn’t agree with. Although, his security team usually accepted the deliveries at the gate, scanned them in another building offsite and then drove the packages back to the compound for disbursement. He still didn’t like the additional traffic.
“Don’t be a bigger ass than you already are,” Silas growled. “I know what she’s trying to do. They missed the circus after she and Renee played that event up for days. She’s recreating it in the courtyard. Renee still looks at me side-eyed.”
Jacques tapped his pen on the table and met his gaze. “I brought my mate a five carat ring and matching diamond necklace for Christmas. We’re discussing a den with pups of our own soon. I never thought I’d be mated, not after all this time. As far as I am concerned Jasmine is the absolute best gift the Goddess has blessed our nation with in decades. You’re approachable, your eyes have a light I cannot recall seeing until she came into your life. You have sons, daughters, and a legacy to pass on because of her. If she wants to build two more compounds on top of this one, I’d say go for it. She’s a strong woman who loves
you more than herself and I don’t say that lightly. I’ve watched the two of you and there’s no question the Goddess was involved in this mating –”
“Your point? Everyone else will be here soon,” Silas said not interested in hearing a laundry list of his mate’s qualities. No one knew how blessed he was to have her better than him, but she wasn’t perfect.
“Give her whatever she wants and be happy she’s with you. As a breeder, she does not have to be.”
Silas frowned at the reminder of his mate’s ability to walk away from him, and his inability to do the same. Rather than thank Jacques for the useless advice, he turned on his electronic tablet. “Don’t forget the lesson later, and thanks for the pep talk, I feel so much better.”
Jacques laughed and sat forward as the door opened. “Anytime, my friend.”
Ignoring him, Silas turned to see his sons, Tyrone and Tyrese entering with their biological father, Davian, right behind them. Silas knew Matt, Davian’s mate, wouldn’t be far behind. Dr. Passen entered next and then Hank. Matt entered last and took the seat next to Davian.
“Everyone read the copies of the translated journals Hawke sent?” Silas asked starting the meeting.
“Yeah, kind of hard to believe something that started with the best intentions turned so sour, so fast,” Tyrone said, gaining nods from everyone in the room.
“I have a few questions,” Dr. Passen said. For the next hour and a half they discussed the Liege, the threat they presented to the wolf nation, their locations, and a plan of action to eradicate them from the continent. When they finished, Matt, Damian, Hank and Dr. Passen left the room.
“We need to find and return the pups,” Tyrese said locking eyes with Silas. “I cannot imagine what their parents went through when they went missing.”
Unsure if Rese was making a statement regarding his shutting down the compound or not, Silas agreed. “I have men searching all the locations Asia and Angus discovered through Gordon and Lancaster. Pity she didn’t kill that bastard, I’d like one minute alone with Boris Lancaster,” Silas said remembering the things the man had done not only to Hawke but as the leader of LOBO, Liege Organized Behavioral Optimization. It had taken decades of testing, and the deaths of thousands of wolves for the Liege to actualize the behavioral optimization. The cost had been high for the machines the Liege produced.
