by Sydney Addae
“No Alpha puts their pack at risk the way you did.” Silas said before he turned to the pack. “Beta, come forward.” A whine rent the air as another large silver wolf walked as though being drug against his will.
“You’re not going to work either,” Silas said, looking over the group. He didn’t have time for pack politics. “Tyrese, Tyrone,” he spoke through their link. “They took two women down stairs and one upstairs; find them and bring them here so I can talk to them,”
The two men stepped over Pedro and walked inside.
“Show me your bellies,” Silas said. All but three wolves dropped immediately.
Theron, the Alpha of Texas shifted into a large silver wolf. He leapt and caught the first wolf by the neck, and turned while holding that wolf, knocking back the other two wolves who’d come at him from behind. After breaking the neck of the first wolf, he rushed toward one of the others, separating them. He picked the smaller wolf and quickly dispatched him. That left the beta.
The wolves jumped at each other, but Theron was larger and brought the beta to the ground, and snapped at his neck. The wolf backed away before Theron had a grip. Snarling, the Alpha charged again, and this time overpowered the beta, grabbed him by the neck and snapped it. Theron pranced in front of the pack and then sat on his haunches near Silas.
Silas looked over the pack. “Is there any here to challenge Pedro for pack leadership?”
A large black wolf trotted back inside the gate. Silas remembered him as one of the wolves he’d sent to the forest.
The wolf sat on his haunches and transformed. “I’ll challenge him.” The man stood and braced his feet apart.
“And you are?” Silas asked, smiling at the growls from Pedro.
“Philippe.”
“A relative or former friend? What are you doing here?”
“I lived here before Pedro and his bullies showed up, raping and killing our people. The bastardo cares nothing for the pack, only his sick fantasies.”
Silas glanced at Theron, instructing him to take over. These wolves would fall under his direct authority. Theron shifted.
“What makes you qualified to take on the pack,” Theron asked as he stood. At six feet five inches tall with barrel chest, thick muscular arms and legs, the Alpha was one few dared challenge. Right now, his piercing gray eyes looked over the pack of wolves as though he could see into their hearts and minds. With a quick flick of his hand, he brushed his long dark hair away from his face as he waited for a response.
“I’m not sure I am qualified, but I’m willing to fight the downward direction the pack’s headed.”
Theron stared a moment longer and nodded. “Understand, you will be under my supervision and training if you survive the fight.” He looked at the remaining wolves. “I am Alpha Theron, La Patron’s Alpha of Texas. Whoever becomes pack leader here today will be under my supervision. Is that understood?”
Silas released the wolves and they all changed back to humans with the exception of Pedro. Theron asked them the question again, except this time he asked in Spanish. The wolves appeared surprised and then relieved. They began speaking quickly, asking questions.
“Silence. There is a leadership challenge that must be dealt with,” Theron said. He turned and addressed the challenger. “Philippe, do you challenge your pack leader, Pedro, for pack leadership?”
“Yes, I do.” He shifted into his wolf and loped forward. He dipped his head to Silas and stepped back. Theron nodded in approval and spoke to the pack leader. “Pedro, your leadership has been challenged and you will answer in a fight to the death.”
Silas released Pedro. He shook himself a few times, and then pranced down the steps, snarling at the pack and at his challenger. Philippe returned his snarl and waited for Pedro to make his move as they circled one another.
Pedro’s pride and anger had him leaping for the wolf. Philippe sidestepped him and bit his left flank. Pedro howled and charged again. This time he connected, but Philippe fought with skill and heart, constantly drawing blood. The fight drug on longer than Silas would’ve liked. The twins had the three women seated in one of the rooms and he wanted to question them. But he needed to stand beside his Alpha and make sure the change in command went smoothly.
Suddenly, the fight was over. Philippe stood over Pedro, breathing heavy and bleeding. The wolves cheered and walked over to the two combatants.
“I’m going to question the women inside. Gather as much information about this operation as possible. I want to know if any women left this compound, who took them, and where’d they go. I have called the wolves from the forest, they return now,” he told Theron.
“Yes, Sir.”
“Will the pack remain here or will you take them to Texas?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t know how they’ve been provided for. I will inform you once Buck and I meet with the entire pack.”
“Good.” Silas walked into the dim building. It was cool, well furnished, and in good condition. That’d be a plus if the pack remained. He rounded the corner, opened a door, and stepped into what appeared to be a large office. Tyrone and Tyrese stood near the exits while three human women sat on the leather sofa and chairs.
“Hello, I’m Silas Knight, how are you ladies today?” He strode forward and took a seat opposite them. He was surprised by how young they were. He’d place them all in their twenties. Not necessarily beautiful, but not bad-looking. The woman in the chair had an air of entitlement about her and if he had to guess, he’d say she’d been the one taken upstairs. He eyed her a little longer.
Dark wavy brown hair flowed down her back. Large brown eyes in a heart-shaped face, narrow nose with an upturned tip at the end, and a creamy unblemished complexion returned his examination. “I am Arianna and I am well, thank you.” Her voice held a hint of Texas twang and he stiffened.
Had the wolves kidnapped an American? He nodded and decided to get to that later. Turning to the other women, he waited for them to introduce themselves.
“I’m Leara.” The petite dark-haired woman said, looking at him from beneath her lids. Although all three women appeared around the same age, the actions of the women on the sofa made them seem younger.
“I’m Leann,” the other woman said. Both females on the couch sat with their heads down and their hands clasped in their laps. He sensed they hadn’t been abused, they appeared healthy and well-cared for.
“Tell me how you got here.” He looked at the woman in the chair.
The woman threw back her head and laughed, it was dark, sultry. “So it’s true, you want conversation, nothing more?”
Silas leaned back in his seat, crossed one leg over his knee and looked at her. The more he looked, the lovelier she appeared. “Yes. I want to understand how human women give birth to wolves.”
“He’s such a fool. He didn’t believe your request was genuine, he thought you came to take us from him.” She waved her hand toward the other women and then rested it on her stomach, drawing Silas’ gaze.
“You are pregnant?”
She nodded. “We all are.” She waved to the other women. “He gets crazy when we’re in this condition.” She paused and then shrugged. “Ah well. Your question. Let me think, it has been years and no one bothers to ask these things anymore.”
“Years?” Silas frowned. “How long have you been like this?”
She closed her eyes, her lips moved as though she were counting sheep. “A hundred and twenty-eight years, I believe, give or take a few.”
It took a lot to surprise Silas, but she’d just won the Oscar with her announcement. “Impossible,” he whispered. She didn’t look a day over twenty-five.
She shrugged. “When I was raped, blacks had to sit on the back of the bus. Mexico was in the midst of a civil war, and women couldn’t vote. A lot has changed over the years.”
Silas blinked. A chill slid down his back. “You were raped? Is that what bought about this change in you? You weren’t born with this ability?” As
far as he knew, Jasmine was born this way. Her husband had been her first sexual partner and until a few days ago, her only partner.
She sighed as she pulled her legs beneath her and leaned back. “I think that was it. I was married, had two boys already. My husband was an abusive ass. I shouldn’t have been out at night buying milk and food, but…” she shrugged. “Anyway, I was raped, went home and told him. He didn’t believe me of course. He knocked me around a bit for being late and that was it.”
“Did the man who raped you, bite you?” Silas wondered how the change in her body took place.
She thrust forward her arm. “You mean like this?” Her arm was filled with healed teeth marks.
Mesmerized by the amount of marks on her arm, he rose from his seat to get a better look. She pulled her top to the side. His eyes widened at the marks on her neck, shoulders and upper arm. She’d been someone’s chew toy.
Tyrone and Tyrese had stepped closer for a better look, and then moved back. He heard the surprise and concern in their minds.
Silas fingered one of the more ragged scars. “Yes, did he bite you as he raped you?”
Her eyes fluttered closed and a sigh of pleasure rose from her lips. Silas returned to his seat. His wolf hadn’t stirred although his cock had sprung to life at her actions. When she opened her eyes, she appeared disappointed.
“No. If he had, I might’ve been able to convince my husband of what happened. Six or seven months later I gave birth to twin girls. They weren’t my husband’s.”
“How can you be so sure?” Silas asked.
“I hated him and never allowed his seed to enter me. I did other things for him; as long as he reached his peak, he didn’t care. The alcohol made him believe anything I told him,” she said as pleasantly as though she discussed the weather.
“Where are your daughters?”
She shrugged. “One was stolen from us when she was thirteen, and I was taken soon after that. I never heard anything about my family again.”
A throbbing pain built behind Silas’ eyes. This whole impossible situation was worse than he’d thought. “Who stole you? Pedro?”
She laughed. It sounded rusty as though her vocal chords were rarely used in that manner as she shook her head. “No. Pedro is one of a few. The first pack leader took me someplace cold, up north I believe.” She rubbed her forehead. “It has been years. He was kind in a gruff way. I gave him many sons.”
“Over the years, any idea how many females you’ve birthed?” The women were the key and someone, an enemy no doubt, realized this, and set them loose in his back yard.
“Other than these two?” She nodded to the females on the couch.
Uneasy, Silas nodded slowly. He’d detected human heartbeats from those women.
She closed her eyes again, her lips moved as she counted.
Silas glanced at Tyrone and Tyrese. They stared at the woman with a frown. Today they would discover how fortunate they’d been having a loving mother, whether that special care impacted the wolf-pack or not, Silas was unsure.
“I’m going to say at least twenty. Since the rape, I’ve always had multiple births, always the same sex.” Her eyes narrowed as she looked toward the ceiling, shaking her head. “That seems about right, nine or ten pregnancies with females over the years.”
“How old were you when you changed?” He mulled over the implications. Did the women retain their human form and the male wolves turn into wolves? The idea was too over the top to voice. He half-listened while his mind processed his unspoken questions.
“Around twenty-four.” The woman smiled at him and flipped her hair over her shoulders.
“So…this process keeps you from aging?”
“I guess. How old are you, Leara?” she asked, looking toward the sofa.
“I’m twenty-five.”
Silas was stumped. There was no record of this infraction anywhere. How had this been kept quiet for so long. His thoughts returned to the book of warfare and the biblical strategy. It fit, but didn’t make sense. More important, who was the enemy who had set this atrocity in motion?
“Let’s get back on track. You were raped. Had female twins. One was taken in her teens. You don’t know what happened to the other because you were taken somewhere up north by wolves. How long did you stay there?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. The pack lived far in the mountains. When I was stolen from that pack, I remember being surprised that women wore pants, smoked, and drove cars. The next pack took me down south, near the river that cuts through the country. The bitches in that pack didn’t appreciate me giving birth to pups while they had to wait to find mates before they could get pregnant. They attacked me all the time. I heard they killed some of the pups. She shrugged, although her voice had saddened. “The fighting got old. Finally the pack leader sent me to another pack near Mexico. Pedro stole me from there. They were my next litter.” She tipped her head to the women on the sofa. “I have been here since.”
“You fought wolf bitches?” Tyrone asked.
She shrugged. “Yeah. It was a surprise. I’m no wolf, can’t change or anything. But I heal faster than a wolf. I’m fast and strong. Surprised the shit out of everyone the first time I knocked a bitch out. Stopped them from picking on me so much, until they started ganging up on me. One I could handle, but not more than that.”
Silas met Tyrone’s stare. He had no doubt they were both thinking of their hellcat of a mother. She didn’t need a whole lot of extra anything, she was already tough.
He turned back to Arianna and wondered if that was her birth name. They’d need her original name to check out her story, but he’d let Theron deal with that later.
“How long are your pregnancies?”
Squinting, she looked at the other two females. “Six – seven months, wouldn’t you say?”
Leann nodded. “About that for twins anyway. Shorter for quads.”
“Have you ever given birth to human babies?” Silas asked the females on the couch.
“No. I don’t think I’ve ever met a human,” Leara said.
“Me neither,” Leann said, nodding.
Silas tented his fingertips beneath his lips. “I sensed three human heartbeats before entering this compound. Leara, you say you’ve never met a human, yet you appear to be human.” He ignored her scared wide eyes as she looked at him and then at Arianna.
“You too, Leann.” His gaze swung to Arianna. “Who were their fathers?” His eyes blazed, daring her not to lie.
Arianna shrugged unconcerned. “I don’t remember, maybe Pedro or Miguel the beta. When I first arrived, he refused to allow anyone else near me. Ask Anna, the housekeeper, she knows everything that happens here.”
He released a long sigh as he contacted Theron through their link. “Send Anna the housekeeper to the office.”
Silas gritted his teeth in aggravation. “This is bullshit. Who the hell is messing with the natural order of things? A rape that took place over one hundred years ago has snowballed with serious repercussions. And you may not have been the first or the last.” He raked his hand through his hair.
A knock sounded.
Tyrone opened the door. The tiny woman who’d greeted them earlier stepped in, her eyes round with fear. She frowned when she noticed the women sitting quietly. “Yes?”
Silas pointed to another chair. “Please, have a seat. I have some questions to ask you. I’d appreciate any help you can give me.”
She swallowed hard and took a seat. “I’ll do my best.”
Silas noticed her lack of Spanish accent and wondered where she was from. But he had more pressing matters. “Do you know who sired Leann and Leara?”
“Yes, Sir. Pedro.”
“What happened to the other female pups she birthed?” He tipped his head in Arianna’s direction. It was a waste of time to discuss biology with the women. Somehow, the females showed up as humans even though they were half wolf. It didn’t make sense. None of this made sense.
&nbs
p; “Yes, Sir. Pedro sold them.”
A flare of anger flashed through Silas and the women screamed. He calmed himself. “Everything okay?” Theron asked through their link.
“Yes. Is Pedro truly dead?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“I’d like to kill him.” Silas broke the link. The small woman was shaking in the chair. He hadn’t meant to frighten her.
“Anna? That’s your name, right?”
Her head jerked up and then down.
“I apologize for frightening you. I am angry that Pedro sold the women, that’s all. Can you tell me what happened?”
After taking three deep breaths, the woman spoke. “Pedro told me to get some rooms ready, we were having guests. Important guests. When the men came, they talked for a while. Had a meal and then went to the two rooms I’d prepared for them. Stephanie and Maria were sent to spend the night with them. The guests stayed a week. When they left, they took the girls with them because they were breeding.”
“Breeding?” Silas wanted to be sure. “Pregnant with babies inside?”
Anna shrugged. “I don’t know what to call them, but they were breeding when they left.”
“Leann and Leara were unmated wolves with the ability to give birth, another anomaly. We need to know how they felt when this happened, where were they when they realized they had the potential to give birth. Were they raised by the wolves? Or are the female hybrids given special treatment? Tyrese interview Leann. I want you to get her life story. They are half wolves, do they shift? Or is that ability lost? Get personal, we need to know everything. Tyrone, you’re on Leara. I’ll finish with Arianna and we’ll compare notes later,” he told them through their links. They needed to make up time.
Silas ushered Anna closer so the three of them could talk. In his experience, servants saw and knew more than people gave them credit for.
