BirthSign (La Patron, The Alpha's Alpha)

by Addae, Sydney

  “What?” Silas scooted his chair over near Jacques and watched two soldiers unload their rifles at his son. With each shot his anger grew. The temperature in the room rose. His gums itched, his teeth crowded in his mouth allowing his incisors to lengthen. Claws shot from his nails. He battled his beast to remain in human form so he could process this information coherently.

  Those bastards actually tried to kill Tyrese.

  Jacques laughed jarring Silas from his rage. “One thing about humans, when they don’t understand something they make shit up.” He read a part of the reporters report. “These guards were gunned down by the American soldiers for no apparent reason. As you can see they are unarmed and stood behind, what we were later told was the Prime Minister’s bullet proof shield for safety. The two soldiers were killed by one of Lyrill’s guards.”

  Silas’ wolf eased down, his body normalized. “The Prime Minister is milking this for all it’s worth and I don’t blame him. I am sure he has attempted to back out of the deal he signed with the Americans. Right now, he can do no wrong, but the arm of the government is long with a lethal memory. I hope he doesn’t overplay his hand.”

  “He already has…taking credit for saving Rese…he’s a lying sack of shit. Good thing you can’t see Rese’s face in that shot. We’d have some serious explaining to do considering he was here when this went down.”

  Silas hadn’t thought about that. He was not ready for anyone to know about the chameleon bracelets or that his brother was the only one who could create them. Those things would be dangerous if the wrong person got a hold of one.

  “We’re pack, not humans. I wouldn’t have to explain anything. Every wolf, even the rebels, is committed to keeping our existence a secret. There may be some curiosity, but that would be all.”

  Jacques nodded and clicked the keyboard. He chuckled. “You have a secure call coming in from the Pentagon. Are you available?”

  “Is it one of mine?”

  “No, Sir, it’s not.”

  “Then I am not available.” He sat back and replayed the news clip. There was a female standing next to Tyrese. Was that his mate? Silas leaned forward to get a better look. She looked familiar, but he couldn’t place her.

  “I sent the directions to the station manager in New York, he just responded with a yes, Sir. General Miller confirmed he received his instructions and will carry them out.”

  Silas nodded. He rarely got involved with matters outside the wolf nation. But this infraction required he slap them down. He shook his head at the audacity of the joint-chiefs. They came into his yard and took his son as a sacrificial lamb.

  “Jordello sent a comment that two of your business accounts have been blocked and the accounts of half the Alphas.”

  “They did that last time, that’s why we bought large shares in two national banks and a few regional ones. Tell him to send a note to all the Alphas to move into Baseline mode. They’ll have access to their alternate accounts and can take care of their people. Then contact the attorneys, they were on standby in case this happened. Tell them to get on it. I want it corrected before the end of day, if not go public.”

  “Pub…public? What do you mean?”

  Silas met his panicked stare. “Just what I said… have a news team cover the reason the government targeted my account for no apparent reason. If they do this to one person, they can do it to another. Play it up. Make it seem as though the government is out of control, doing whatever they want…tie it to the Lyrill incident. The killing of innocents, holding a citizen’s bank accounts hostage… hit those fuckers hard. Tomorrow you’ll get a call from the oval office. I will be busy and will return his call later.”

  Jacques eyes widened. “You aren’t going to talk to him?”

  Silas stood and straightened the crease in his pants. “Not when he calls tomorrow. I will be in the middle of my mating ceremony waiting for my son to return with his mate. Until he returns safely I have nothing to say to anyone in Washington.”

  Jacques nodded slowly. “Yes, Sir.”

  “I have a youth banquet to attend…you coming?”

  “No, Victoria is tired and I don’t want to go without her. Plus, I want to stay on top of the economic deal and the attorneys.”

  “You have other means of staying in touch, you aren’t tied to that console,” Silas said walking to the door.

  “True. I don’t want to go. Is that better?” Jacques sounded cross.

  “Yes, it is.” Silas walked out the room; his thoughts juggling for supremacy. He knew Tyrone hadn’t seen the clip or he would have told him. He would tell all of them after lunch when they went to the nursery.

  Opening the door to the makeshift banquet hall, he smiled, although he seethed at the treatment his people received at the hands of the government. Angus had told him what happened, but seeing it hit him hard in the gut. They tried to kill Tyrese. He still couldn’t wrap his mind around that fact.

  Jasmine smiled up at him. He waved to the young pups in the crowded room and then took his seat beside her. “After lunch I need to update everyone on some things, we will meet in the nursery.” He sent that message to Jasmine, Tyrone and Cameron.

  “Oh shit…not Rese,” Jasmine said, staring at her plate while a waiter placed a large plate of steaks and potato in front of him.

  “No…we’ll talk in the nursery.” He shut down the link to stop her from asking more questions. He picked up his fork and knife and cut a chunk of his beef. It didn’t take him long to devour his steak and drink whatever beverage was in his glass. He finished his food the same time as his mate, patted his mouth and put down his cloth napkin. She stared at him, but didn’t say anything.

  Silas stood, extended a hand to her, she accepted and they headed toward the small podium in the middle of the room.

  “I just want to thank each of you for your gifts and talents. As your Alpha and La Patron, I am proud to be in the same room with you.” The children cheered and clapped. “You amaze me. I have four small pups and I hope to sit in the audience one day as they perform. Thank you for setting the bar so high. Challenge yourselves to go higher, to surpass your own expectations and to cherish each day as a gift from the Goddess, because it is. Live your lives with love, laughter and joy. Offer the gift of a smile to everyone who crosses your path. Happiness is contagious.”

  Adams’ sudden peal of laughter into the silence made the youngsters laugh. “See my pup knows that’s the key.” He turned and looked at a squirming Adam in Tyrone’s arm. The other children rested their heads on the chests of the person holding them.

  “And on that note, I will say thank-you again for being here to share the ceremony with Jasmine and I. We will always remember this day.”

  He stepped back and waved. The children stood and clapped. He squeezed Jasmine’s hand and took another step backward. They needed to leave so they’d have enough time to talk before the ceremony resumed in a few hours. She waved to the children and followed him with choreographed precision. Within moments they were in the back hall that led to the private secure areas including the nursery.

  Once they entered the large room with four cribs, Jasmine motioned for them to check the children first to prepare them for their naps. Two needed to be changed. She took care of that and put them all down for naps. Wiping her hands with a scented baby-wipe, she took the seat next to him. “Okay, what happened?”

  Silas looked into five pairs of eyes and related everything he had found out. No one spoke until he finished.

  “Are you saying the military shot at him?” Lilly asked. “But…but that does not make any sense. Why? They sent him there in the first place.”

  “What kind of weapons did they use that would kill a full-blood that fast? Fast enough to die in the air?” Cameron asked.

  Tyrone shook his head. “They had to be packing something new because I never heard of anything like that when I was active. Where is Rese now?”

  “Last time I talked to Angus they were waitin
g for Asia to return from scouting. They need to leave that region and get closer to where our allies will get them on a plane out of there. They are too far inland right now and with the Prime Minister taking credit for everything, I am not comfortable with them being that close to Lyrill,” Silas said waiting for Jasmine to say something. Instead, she sat in the chair and stared at the far wall. He tried to access her link, but this time she blocked him.

  “What about his mate? Is she okay? Any word on her?” Rose asked.

  “Nothing in particular, just that she was with them,” Silas said glancing at Jasmine. He sensed her upset, but she still had him blocked.

  “Right now she is the safest person in this mess, Rese will lose it if they go after her,” Cameron said. “But I’m curious about those weapons…”

  Silas half listened to the surrounding discussion, he tried to get Jasmine’s attention. She blocked and ignored him. She stood. “Excuse me.”

  “Jasmine?” he called through their link. She didn’t respond and walked out the room.

  “Mom okay?” Tyrone asked.

  “I don’t know, she won’t talk to me,” Silas said, looking toward the door she just walked through.

  “She’s pissed,” Rose said.

  “So am I,” Silas snapped and then apologized. “Excuse me…I need to… excuse me.” He left the nursery and followed Jasmine. He wasn’t surprised she had gone into the room where Jacques pointed to the monitor. He heard the British newscaster and knew she was looking at the footage.

  “Show me the other one,” she said, her voice had a hard, authoritative edge.

  “Yes, Ma’am,” Jacques said queuing another feed. Once the news clip played he glanced at Silas, who remained near the door.

  “Everything okay?”

  “I don’t think so. She has not spoken to me since I told them what happened.”

  “She blames you?”

  “Probably. I convinced her it was safe to send Tyrese. She told me something was wrong, I didn’t listen.”

  “Are there any more news clips?” Jasmine asked without acknowledging Silas.

  “Yes, Ma’am, one second. I will set them up to play in succession if that is okay with you.”

  She nodded and watched each tape, the one with him in their bubble she watched twice. When they were done, she sat back staring at the screen.

  “Jasmine?” Silas called to her again. She didn’t respond.

  “Where did they get the footage? Who put this on the news?” She asked in a crisp tone.

  Jacques brow rose and he lifted his shoulders. “We didn’t, we don’t have the tapes. I was told the entire crowning ceremony was taped, perhaps it was taken from their cameras.” He glanced at Silas.

  “While going through grant applications a few months ago, three applicants sent in tapes of fighting wolves and they were fast, one even had a clock running on the screen. But I could still see sharp claw points and tails. There was no way to hide the tails. The wolves on the news clips were moving fast, but you should be able to see a part of a claw or fang. None of them did, which means someone doctored the film, and are doing this for a reason. Question is why?”

  Silas stared at the back of her head stunned. Why hadn’t he thought of that? She was right. No matter how fast the wolf moves, his tail or some part of it would show in a fight. He moved to the desk and motioned for Jacques to replay the tape. There was a shadowy movement, the sound of gunfire and then the full-blood lay dead on the ground. Someone had cleaned the tape.

  “Jacques, find out how this made the news. There is another player and we don’t know who or what their agenda is.”

  Jacques nodded.

  “Jasmine, may I speak to you?” Silas asked. For some reason he was nervous and didn’t want to look too hard at the reasons why.

  “Not right now.”

  Her blunt reply really hurt. “In a few minutes?” He missed their connection.

  “I don’t know. I need answers, honest answers so I can get my son back home safely.”

  That stung. She no longer trusted him to bring Tyrese home. Sensing his mate’s keen disappointment in him crushed his ego. He had messed up, there was no question about that, but the coldness in her voice cut him deeper than any blade.

  “I have never lied to you, Jasmine.”

  She flicked through the internet, periodically stopping to read something and did not respond.

  “I have allies in place to put them on a flight as soon as they leave that region. Asia and Angus are planning an escape route now.” He waited for her response.

  She continued reading.

  He sat forward, his hands between his legs. “This is my fault; I am trying to correct it.”

  “Asia is headed back to Rese, she has a plan, but it’s a long shot. The remaining full-bloods from the pack who lost their Alpha and pack members are out for blood. Doesn’t matter whose blood, she had to kill a couple to get through the woods. The Prime Minister has soldiers searching for their Prince. It seems Tyrese has become a symbol of strength in that country and the people want him returned safely. She’s seen military units in the area, but wasn’t sure what country they represent. Plus to top that off, Rese and his mate, want to… mate and are finding it hard to keep their hands off one another, and throwing off pheromones which is slowing them down,” Jasmine said, her gaze on the console even though it was obvious she hadn’t been watching it.

  No one spoke. Silas digested the information. Angus had stayed behind to guard Tyrese and his mate since he did not have enough bracelets for both of them. Chances were pretty good he wasn’t aware of the soldiers or rebel pack. But any wolf within a mile of Tyrese and his mate would be aware of the mating heat. It would be a beacon of scent drawing the rebel wolves to their location. They would be the first to attack.

  She turned toward Jacques. “My guess is the Prime Minister doctored those tapes to build a case against the Americans. Chances are he had help. Help that deployed men dressed as American soldiers who killed full-blood security guards. This help…” she held up her fingers in quote marks. “Also knew the wolves would return to human form and made sure the weapons were powerful enough to do the job, did you see those guns? This reads like a bad suspense novel.”

  She paused and rubbed her forehead. “I don’t care what their original agenda is, if I don’t get word that my son is out of that country and on his way back to the states in twelve hours… I will go get him myself. I’m not a wolf and won’t need a buddy pass from anyone to enter the area. I will snatch every wolf by their balls to make them clear a path for me.”

  She looked over her shoulder at him. Brown sparks shot in her eyes when their gazes met. His wolf growled in need, his cock hardened at the sight of her. His bitch was magnificent even if her reasoning was faulty. She and he were one, anywhere she went, any action she performed, represented him. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t been born a wolf. Seeing the determination in her gaze, he kept the correction to himself.

  “I hope I've made myself clear. I will not argue over this. If they are not on their way home in twelve hours, Hurricane Jasmine will hit Lyrill with category five force winds. I will touch down and drop-kick every motherfucker who stands in my way.” She exhaled. The peppery heat of her anger blew through the room. “And you can take that to the bank.”

  There was no way Silas could stop her without damaging their relationship. Her orders carried the same authority as his. “Do you have any suggestions? You said Asia’s plan was a long shot.”

  She met his gaze. Her nostrils flared and she turned away. “Old school... she plans to become a bulldozer and fight their way through. The only ones she has concerns about are the military units. No way of telling if they are there to help or take them or kill them or what kind of weapons they’re using. Seeing the wolves taken out so easily left a bad taste in her mouth. Because of her internal make up, she may survive a shot, but the others probably would not. She took out two mutant soldiers after leaving
Lyrill; they had no memories, nothing for the chameleon to tap into. She had no idea who sent them, but suspects the Liege.”

  “Makes sense. This seems like one of their training – testing events where they tape everything, no telling how long this has been planned or what their agenda is,” Silas said thinking back on the mutant wolves he’d terminated over the past year. Full and half-blood wolves changed into mindless assassins controlled through technology. He would contact Angus and make sure they went easy on the chameleon activity, although it was probably too late for that. The Liege attempted to access the bracelets before and failed.

  “What about Tyrese’ mate? Can she fight and keep up?” Jacques asked.

  “All pups are taught how to defend themselves, it doesn’t matter if they are male or female. Because we are stronger and faster than humans, we teach our pups at an early age how to fight without giving away their dual nature. Another reason we don’t like to integrate too deeply with the human population too early,” Silas said.

  “Well, you integrated and multiplied,” Jasmine said in a sugary sweet tone that lacked her normal warmth. She stood and looked at Jacques. "I want hourly updates from your end regarding this Lyrill deal. Someone is playing a game to pit the wolf nation against the US government. They know a house divided cannot stand. The one thing America has always had was the backing of this nation and if that falls apart… then someone could step in and do major damage. With everything that’s been aimed at us lately, I wonder just which nation our enemies are attempting to destroy or take over… the White House or Our house.”

  Chapter 17

  “Give Danielle the bracelet, Angus. I don't want anyone to think she's an easy target," Asia said, looking at Tyrese's mate and then at him. "Anything that'll give us an edge we need to jump on it."

  He nodded and watched Angus prepare the bracelet. "What exactly is this?" Danielle asked, looking up at Tyrese.

  "It's a top secret weapon that changes your appearance so you can move quickly without being detected," Tyrese said giving her the simplest version possible. He had discovered his mate had a quick and inquisitive mind. Last night they talked for hours, she asked all kinds of personal questions and laughed over his hesitation regarding sex with Asia.