by Sydney Addae
La Patron didn’t want what the Liege had been doing with the pups widely known, and based on the feral looks on the faces of his men, Cameron didn’t blame him. Keeping your pup safe until they could fend for themselves was encoded in every wolf. What the Liege had done by stealing pups would cause a revolt of major proportions in the ranks.
“Not exactly sure, but they won’t be doing anything else. Dig a hole, throw them in, we don’t want any animal choking on their poisoned carcasses.”
“Poison?” Ralph asked looking at the men he’d just ripped apart. “What kind’a poison, Sir?”
Cameron stooped and looked at the pups. “Not sure what was done to their minds to make them go against La Patron, but something must’ve been wrong with’em, right?”
Ralph looked relieved and headed back toward his truck. “Yes, Sir. Must have been crazy.”
“La Patron?”
“Yes?” Silas sounded winded and there was a hint of impatience in his voice. Cameron wondered what had happened since he left the compound. Rather than ask and get an earful of things he didn’t need to know right now, he gave a full report on what he had been doing, ending with the two pups in the cage shaking and staring at him.
“Any idea where they were headed?”
“Looks like they were headed south. By the time I arrived, they were dead or dying so I couldn’t question them.”
“Okay. I have Leon and Brix near the Canadian border looking into a lab there. I’ll contact all Alphas south of us and have them on alert. It’s time for everyone to take another look in their back yards anyway.”
“Yes, Sir.” Cameron thought each Alpha should have been more vigilant the moment they got word of the Liege’s project. He’d beefed up security around his borders and placed each regional leader on high alert, that’s why they called him about these three. “What should I do with the pups?”
“Hmm, they are in human form?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Good, I’d like Passen and Matt to take a look at them, maybe we can get an idea what the Liege are doing. Bring them to the lab.”
“Yes, Sir.” Cameron stood and looked around. The men had dragged the dead away, the air smelled cleaner. He gazed at the pups again and wondered if their parents had any idea where they were. Would La Patron be able to locate the pack these pups came from? With the mission to shut the Liege down, where would all the pups from LOBO go? How would they house them until they were picked up by family members? So many questions and so few answers. When he returned he’d discuss a plan of action with Silas and the others.
“Almost done, Sir. Will you need anything else?” Ralph asked while rubbing his hands together.
Cameron pulled the lapels of his coat close together to fight against the cold. “No, I’m taking them with me back to Alpha house. Thanks for your help, good job, Ralph.” The man’s chest expanded. “All of you, thanks for keeping the pack safe, good job.” One by one the other three stepped into the clearing wearing wide smiles.
“Yes, Sir.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“Just doing my job, no thanks needed.”
Cameron nodded, picked up the cage and headed for his SUV. Once inside, he turned up the heat to warm the pups and then started the engine. He had an hour drive ahead of him and planned to think of ways to take care of any pups or wolves found in his territory who’d been altered or deformed by the Liege… or any humans. At the moment he didn’t have anything in place to take care of those less fortunate, but that would change. With Christmas on the way the timing was perfect.
“Lilly, guess who I’m bringing home for dinner… ” He said into his link.
Chapter 5
Silas rolled over and pulled Jasmine close. He glanced at the clock on the wall. According to gate security Cameron would be in the lab with the pups any minute. Inhaling, he filled his nostrils with her scent and placed a kiss on her forehead before pushing up. Their twenty minutes had turned into a little over an hour, his sweet bitch demanded more of everything from him and he’d given her everything she wanted. Life took on a fuller, richer meaning since she had come into his life.
“Where you going?”
He took the hand she’d placed on his arm and kissed the back of it. “To the lab. Cameron is back and I need to take a look at what he’s brought in.” It wasn’t that he didn’t want to discuss the pups with Jasmine, he planned to in time. But he wanted to check them out without her influence or interference. Chances were pretty good she’d have a lot to say about what he should do with the pups, but he needed to see if he could identify their pack and hopefully find their sire.
“Oh, okay.” She rolled over revealing her naked hip and long leg. Without thought he placed his hand on her thigh and ran it down her soft, creamy skin. He would never grow tired of touching her.
“I pushed back the meeting with the staff to play with you but I really need to give them their assignments so they can put up the rest of the decorations. I’m thinking we’ll do something special each day. But Christmas Eve will just be us and the kids.”
“And Cameron?”
“He’s our son as well.”
His heart warmed at the sincerity in her words. She and Cameron hadn’t always seen eye to eye. But lately Cameron and Lilly turned a corner, were more responsible and accepted failure, especially when it came to Thorne.
“Whatever you want to do is fine with me.” He stood and looked down at her lounging on the bed, the scent of their lovemaking filled the air and he wanted nothing more than to bathe in it. “Is there anything special I can get you for Christmas?”
She stopped moving and met his gaze. “You don’t have my gifts?”
Gifts? “Not yet, I’ve been trying to think of something special but haven’t come up with anything yet.” Her lips curved into a smile and he knew better than to ask what was on her mind but he asked anyway. “What?”
“A trip.”
“Okay, we can go for New Years, just the two of us.” He watched her brows deepen into a frown.
“The two of us?”
“Yes, otherwise it’s not a personal gift to you.”
Her gaze narrowed a bit and then she laughed. “Well played, Wolfie. Well played and a valid point. They won’t always be so small and then I’ll take you up on that offer.”
Pleased, he bowed his head. “I look forward to it.” Although he disagreed with them being too small, he remained quiet. His mate refused to accept the kids accelerated development because of his genes. Turning, he picked up his clothes from the floor and pulled them on while she watched.
“No shower?”
“No, I love your scent on me.”
She threw her legs over the bed, stopped and looked down. “Well, I need a shower before meeting with the staff.” She headed to their bathroom and called over her shoulder. “At least two gifts, one for Christmas Eve and the other for Christmas. But so you know, everyone else is buying more than two.”
“You don’t have to get me anything.” He pulled his shirt over his head, wondering what else he could give her.
“I know. But I want to.” Her response stopped him and then he turned toward the door to meet her gaze.
“You do? Why? What would you get me at this point in my life?” Curious, he moved in her direction. Perhaps her answer would sow seeds for his imagination when it came to her.
“There are some things money cannot buy, my wolf. I am going to surprise you.” Her heated gaze lit a fire in him and all he could think of was claiming his mate all over again.
Hand outstretched, she moved back as he came forward. “I’ve got work to do and you need to meet Cameron in the lab, remember?”
Silas rubbed his neck in irritation. Why couldn’t he have a few uninterrupted hours with his mate? That trip with just the two of them sounded better and better. “Yes, he’s already contacted me to say he’s here. If I don’t get down there soon, Passen will be calling or something.”
Smil
ing, she rose on her toes and kissed his cheek. “See you later, stud.”
When she turned to leave, he smacked her ass, pleased to see her jump. “Later, Sweet Bitch.” Turning, he left their bedroom and headed to the lift for the lab on the lower level. It took a moment but he switched gears and thought of the pups from the Liege. At least he assumed they were from one of the Liege labs.
Once the doors opened he headed toward the secure room they’d once held Asia. Passen and his assistant were in the middle of examining one of the young boys.
“Goddess, they can’t be older than my pups. Damn bastards,” Silas growled. The pup on the table inched back with a look of fear. Cameron saved the lad from a tumble.
“Made a mistake, Sir,” Cameron said, looking at the pup he’d saved from hitting the floor.
“What mistake?”
“This one, here’s a girl.” He pointed to the larger pup with the serious gray eyes. “We got a boy and a girl instead of two boys.” Cameron sounded embarrassed and Silas wondered why. At this point it wasn’t a big deal.
“Okay.” He turned to Dr. Passen. “How are they?”
“So far healthy, a little malnourished. No implants or surgeries from what I can tell. Either they hadn’t made it to the Liege compound or hadn’t been there long. Hard to tell.”
Silas nodded. The scents seemed familiar but he couldn’t be sure. With a gentle probe he entered the mind of the female.
Sarita. Someone called her Sarita and based on her memories she had been a spitfire, stayed in trouble. He looked for a face, someone to make a connection and couldn’t. Amazingly enough, she sensed his intrusion and shut down. The only way to continue would cause her pain and he refused to do that. Eventually her guard would be down enough to slide in again. Silas would wait her out.
Next he entered the young boy. Milfius? Where the hell were they getting these names? The boy was scared and wanted his mam. Not his sire? Why not? Silas searched for a face, or a landmark that would help him identify the part of the country or world the pup came from.
“Hold still,” Passen said to the squirming pup he examined.
“Milfius, be still,” Silas said with a ring of authority. The pup’s eyes widened and he stared at Silas.
“You too, Sarita.” He pointed at the female who had been watching Milfius with a gleam in her eyes. It was obvious she was the stronger of the two. When he called her name, she took her time meeting his gaze as if fighting an internal battle. But she straightened and looked down in proper submission.
Now that the two pups were settled, he looked at Passen and his assistant who typed notes into the electronic clipboard. When they stopped and Passen dismissed them, Silas glanced at the pups wondering what he was going to do with them now.
“Tell me about them.” He crossed his arms and waited for the report.
“Not much to tell, Sir. They haven’t been indoctrinated in any way, no surgeries, no chips, no metal limbs –”
“And yet they were able to sense me in their minds. She shut down, locked me out.”
Passen’s mouth opened and then snapped shut as he looked at Sarita with a speculative gleam. “That is definitely unusual. Did you see anyone else in their memories? Or a lab? Or anything that would give us a clue what she’s been through or where she’s been?”
Silas shook his head. “No, the minx shut it down after I learned her name. Now I wonder if she allowed me to get that far on purpose.”
“What does that mean?” Cameron asked stepping around the table and standing next to Silas. The three of them looked at Sarita who returned their stare without blinking.
“She is trouble,” Cameron said through their link.
“Probably,” Silas agreed. “But why were they taking these two across pack lands, they had to know you’d catch them.”
“Which meant you’d see the pups,” Cameron said. “Maybe someone wanted you to know about this ability and sent them to you. Kind of a round-a-bout way of doing things, but it’s possible.”
“Yeah, possible.” Silas looked at the boy who sat up and gazed around the room as if memorizing everything. The idea reminded him of Asia when she first came to the compound.
“How sure are we they are not packing cameras or anything else?” he asked into the silence of the room drawing both pups’ gazes.
“Security ran them through the standard tests before bringing them in here,” Cameron said. “If they are hiding something, it’s new and we don’t have the equipment to test for it yet.”
Silas nodded and did his own scan and found nothing. Not a clue to where they were from, or which pack they belonged to. All he had for his trouble were two pups scared of him, which sucked given his position.
“Feed and clean them up.” Silas turned to leave.
“With what? We don’t have anything they can wear,” Passen said stating the obvious. The rags the pups wore wouldn’t make it through another wash. Silas closed his eyes and counted to three, he would need to involve his mate, which he should’ve done in the beginning. Especially since he hadn’t gained any information of value.
“I’ll have some clothes sent down. Keep them contained in this room.”
Passen frowned. “Locked in this room, Sir?”
“Do you know where they are from?”
Passen’s cheeks reddened. “No, Sir, I don’t.”
“Can you say absolute certainty that these two are clean and present no threat to the compound?”
Passen lowered his head, cleared his throat and looked aside. “No, Sir, I cannot.”
Silas nodded. “When you can do those things, they can leave this room.”
Chapter 6
Dressed in jeans, a tee-shirt and sneakers, not Jasmine’s normal attire, but perfect for hanging Christmas decorations, which she had been doing until Silas made an outrageous request for children’s clothes, she moved at a fast clip down the corridor of the lab. Lilly and Danielle were on her heels, both anxious to see the pups locked in the lab.
“Where are they?” Jasmine asked Dr. Passen who stood in the corridor talking to an assistant.
He nodded his greetings. “This way.” He turned and headed in the opposite direction of Asia’s’ old room, which surprised her. Jasmine had been under the impression the pups were locked away.
“They’ve just finished their baths and are eating. We’ve dressed them in hospital gowns until we received clothing.” They stopped in front of a small conference room door and waited for Passen to punch in the code.
“Have they given you a hard time?” She asked remembering Silas’ warnings and concerns. As much as she disliked the idea of any child being mistreated, she and Silas agreed not to put their family or the pack at risk. If she couldn’t get the answers they needed or sensed these two were not a threat, they’d remain in lock up until more information could be discovered.
“No. Neither one has said anything, which is strange. At this age they should be talking.”
Jasmine nodded. Silas believed the boy was the same ages as their kids. The girl seemed older. If that were the case not only could these two talk but they could also reason and explain where they had been.
“True. I’m going to have a chat with them.” She looked over her shoulder at the two younger women. “You have the bag with their clothes?”
Danielle held up one bag and Lilly another. “Got it. I wasn’t sure what size the girl would wear so I got a few different things,” Danielle said.
“Same here, I got a few sizes, one should fit,” Lilly said as Dr. Passen opened the door.
“Good.” Jasmine strode into the room and watched the two wrinkle their noses in her direction. They both inhaled again and looked at Danielle, who was a full-blood, and then at Lilly who was a half-breed. Jasmine wanted to laugh at the confused looks on their faces.
“Hello, I am Jasmine Knight, mate of La Patron, Silas Knight. You met him earlier.” She pulled out a chair, sat and waited for some clue they understood. “The t
all man with the long, black hair.”
A flash of fear crossed Milfius’ face, while Sarita continued staring at her as if she were a puzzle to be dissected. Oh yeah, this one would be interesting. Silas pegged her correctly. Jasmine pulled another chair out and placed it in front of her.
“I have clothes for you to wear after you finish your meals,” she paused and looked at each, “after we have a talk.”
Sarita’s gray eyes darkened. Her long, black curly hair swung loosely around her face as she bared her teeth and growled. A second later Milfius joined her. It would’ve been funny if the disrespect hadn’t been so blatant. Danielle growled behind her, the sound filled the room. Jasmine knew she needed to calm her daughter-in-law down. She didn’t want the children hurt. “It’s okay Danielle,” she spoke over her shoulder while watching Sarita’s face pale.
Using a small amount of energy, Jasmine willed Sarita out of the chair. The child fought her body’s movements while her legs obeyed Jasmine’s command to come forward and sit in the chair facing her.
Danielle’s growl had scared Milfius to the point he covered his face and put his head down. Sarita’s eyes widened as she met Jasmine’s gaze. Their gaze’s clashed for a few seconds until the child dropped her head.
Pleased, that the imp had a strong sense of survival, Jasmine asked a question. “What’s your name?”
“Sarita.” The voice wasn’t one of a small child. Seems Silas pegged her as older correctly.
“How old are you?”
Sarita’s head rose. “Old? What do you mean?”
“How long have you been living?” Jasmine floundered trying to think of another way to discover the age of the child.
“A few summers. I do not know for sure. Time gets mixed.”
“Where were you coming from?”
“Why?”
The question surprised Jasmine, she glanced at Lilly who stared at Sarita. “What is the name of your pack? Your Alpha?”
“Pack? Alpha? I don’t understand,” Sarita said frowning.
“She’s telling the truth, she doesn’t know the meanings,” Lilly said.
