by Sydney Addae
“Go back to your car, I’ve got someone on the way.”
Ethan returned to his vehicle and waited. Moments later, a police car stopped behind the limo with flashing lights, motioning the driver to move into the parking lot around the corner. The car moved and could no longer be seen from the front entrance. Officer Garcia made the driver step out of his car and leave the door open.
“Can you access the limo without being seen? I’ve got a plan,” Alpha Jayden asked.
“Yes, Sir,” he said after hearing what his Alpha wanted.
Ethan slid out the passenger side, and stayed close to the truck. Using other cars as cover he made it to the limo, opened the door while Garcia made the driver read something, and slid inside. Inhaling, he didn’t smell Vanessa.
“She hasn’t been in this car, just Brenda,” he told Alpha Jayden, which made no sense.
“The cops stopped McNeill and searched the limo, no one else is in the vehicle. The limo picked him up from a park,” Alpha Jayden said.
“Did they place a tracker on the limo?” Ethan asked, leaving one beneath the seat.
“Yes. A team’s following him now.”
He watched Brenda head toward the limo and slid down.
“Is there a problem?” she asked in a haughty tone.
“No, Ma’am,” the driver said, opening the door. Ethan slid closer to the door with his finger on the automatic lock. Once she was inside he locked the door.
Her head snapped around and she squinted in his direction. Outside, Garcia took the driver to the police car and placed him in the back seat. They drove off as a pack member slid in the driver’s seat and they pulled out.
It all happened so fast and smooth, it took Brenda a moment to realize she’d been carjacked. She tried to open the door without success. When that failed, she called him every name she could think of, threatened Vanessa, and told several lies.
Through it all Ethan remained calm, focused, with a new realization. This woman was intricately involved in all of this. Inhaling deeply, he smelled it. “She’s a breeder,” he told Alpha Jayden. Pieces of this puzzle started falling into place. By the time they rolled onto Alpha Jayden’s property, Ethan was ready to strangle the woman.
Alpha Jayden and Angus met them at the gate. Surprised and pleased to see La Patron’s right hand, Ethan exited the car and allowed Angus to slide in.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Brenda asked in a sharp tone.
Angus rolled the window down as he placed his hand on Brenda’s shoulder. “You’ve been a bad girl, haven’t you?” he said.
“Get your filthy hands off me.” Brenda tried to dislodge him but couldn’t.
“Where’s Vanessa?” Ethan asked standing next to Alpha Jayden.
“Why should I tell you anything after how you’ve treated me?” She leaned forward to break the connection with Angus.
“Interesting,” Angus said. “Explains a lot.”
“Does she know where Vanessa is?” Ethan asked.
“No. She’s been playing a game for a long time and the gig is up, isn’t that right, Brenda?” Angus asked.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she snapped.
“Yes, you do. But you won’t be playing anymore,” Angus said.
“I need to know about Vanessa,” Ethan said, not caring about Brenda.
“Of course,” Angus said. “This one lied and convinced Jim to go to his father’s safe deposit box for the serum, knowing the stuff is worthless. Chrome changed the information on the tests to make it look like it was all bad, even killed a couple guys to stop the testing so they could set up their own shop.”
“What the hell are you doing?” Brenda screamed as she beat at Angus.
“Where’s my mate?” Ethan asked again.
“She doesn’t know; they’re supposed to meet up later so he can give her the serum. Except she plans to kill him, isn’t that right Brenda?”
Her chest heaved as she stared straight ahead in silence.
“Who’s Smoke? Is he your chosen one? The perfect breeding specimen?” Angus looked at Ethan. “Jim’s a pawn. Dispensable. He wasn’t allowed to touch Vanessa. She wanted your mate saved for someone called Smoke. He and Vanessa’s test scores were a perfect match and she planned to breed them.”
Ethan’s hand opened and closed a few times. He couldn’t wrap his mind around anyone being so evil, so twisted, to think something like this was okay.
“And they call us animals,” Alpha Jayden said.
“You are animals,” Brenda yelled as a lone trail of blood rolled from her nose. “I was raped, beaten if I spoke out of line, forced to give birth to abominations with no thought of my happiness or consent. The only thing I was good for was sex and babies. For 95 years I suffered at the hands of angry bitches who couldn’t carry a pup to term, yet I spit out those dogs every seven months. Created packs and they hated me for it. Tried to kill me several times.” She inhaled deeply and looked at her hands. “But I survived. I survived that and I’ll survive this.” She closed her eyes. “Memories lock down. Memories lock down. Become private,” she murmured over and over.
Angus’ brow rose. He removed his hand and continued staring at her.
“Repair the damage,” she said in a low voice. “Repair the damage.” A few seconds later she wiped the blood from her face, opened her eyes and looked at Angus.
“I don’t know who you are, but you’re very powerful. I’ve never shown my hand like that, but it was important to do so.” She tilted her head to the side. “We’re powerful too. I planned to train Vanessa, she’s very strong. Jim never would’ve been able to hold onto her. He didn’t see her greatness, thought of her as a pretty piece of ass when she’s so much more.”
“You’re speaking of breeders,” Angus asked.
Ethan watched the change come over Brenda, as if she stepped out of a dark shell into the light and reveled in it.
“Of course. Some are stronger than others, I don’t know why that is.” She shrugged. “But at this level, the level I am, we control our bodies, no one else. You can’t destroy or take my personality or soul. No body snatching or switching, none of that works with me. Thank your Goddess or whoever created us.” She crossed her legs and arms, laying them on her knees as if having the most casual conversation. “One thing I’ve learned, we each have our own source of power, it’s unique to the individual and can be perfected.” She leaned toward Angus. “Guess what mine is?”
He snorted. “Why don’t you tell me.”
She shook her finger beneath his nose. “No, it’s not that easy.” She leaned back against the seat. “I think we’re done here. Young man, drive me to my hotel, this day has gone to the dogs.”
Ethan and Alpha Jayden watched as the driver returned to the car.
“You aren’t the only human breeder with a source of power,” Angus said as he slid out the car.
Brenda chuckled. “So I’ve heard and I suppose one day I’ll meet Jasmine. But until then, I have another army to raise. The last one’s been compromised.” She wiggled her fingers at them and rolled up the window as the car drove off.
Angus, Ethan and Alpha Jayden watched the car pull away and drive down the road. A few seconds later Ethan shook his head and lurched forward. “Did we just let her drive away?”
Alpha Jayden ran his hand through his hair. “We didn’t let her do anything, I wanted to stop her but couldn’t.” He looked at Angus. “She reminds me of Arianna, but there was no sexual interest at all.”
“That’s what Silas says.”
“Arianna,” Alpha Jayden whispered. “Goddess no.” He told Ethan about the human breeder who’d enslaved pack members through her scent. A lot of good men died. Jacques left the country afterward. He and Alpha Theron had been hospitalized. It sounded like a difficult time.
“What does she want?” Ethan asked Angus.
“Power. To be in control. To never be a victim.” Angus shook his head. “She allowed me to se
e some things, but then she shut it down. I’ve never seen anything like it. A door closed, pushing me out of her mind with no residue. Fascinatingly terrifying. I don’t know how to fight and win against her.”
“Once Arianna gave into the sexual lure, her power stopped and they were able to kill her,” Alpha Jayden said.
“Yes, but we don’t know Brenda’s trigger,” Angus said. “And until we do, she’s dangerous. This whole thing is turning out to be more than we first thought. She doesn’t care about the group or McNeill, or any of the military things we’ve been tracking. Those are all window dressing, McNeill’s collateral damage. She’ll start over, make fewer mistakes, and eventually have that army she talked about.”
“Army for what?” Ethan asked, looking at both men.
“To come against us. One thing was true, she hates the Wolf Nation because of how they treated her, even though she’s taken care of those who hurt her. She wants us all destroyed,” Angus said in a low voice.
“I need to find Vanessa.” Ethan looked around for some type of transportation.
“Yes, you do, because she really wants to train your mate.” Angus stepped aside as another car pulled up. “Take him wherever he needs to go.”
“Yes, Sir,” the driver said.
Ethan slid in the back seat and gave the driver the name of the bank where he left his vehicle.
“Silas is discussing this with Jasmine,” Angus said. “By the time you need them, they’ll be ready.”
“La Patroness is awesome,” Ethan said with feeling.
“And very strong. Much stronger than people know. If Brenda thinks she’s the strongest breeder in town, she’s in for a huge disappointment. Jasmine won’t allow anyone to mess with family.” Angus leaned forward and met Ethan’s gaze. “And she sees you as family. I can tell you she’s pissed and highly offended over everything that’s going on. Brenda stepped onto the wrong turf this time. Go and find your mate, but keep your eyes open. I don’t think you’ve seen the last of that one.”
Chapter 26
When Silas strode into the living room with Jacques a few steps behind him, Jasmine watched and waited for whatever they’d come to share. Seeing both men, she knew they had bad news that would impact both her and her mom, who’d arrived an hour ago for a visit.
“Wolfie?” she asked to lighten the mood and ease his frown. It didn’t work.
“Remember Arianna?” Silas asked as he sat next to her.
She touched his arm to ease his distress and was surprised by how tense he was. “Yes, why?” The woman had wanted Silas to mate with her, and when he didn’t take her up on the offer, she created havoc in the compound. Several men died. It had been a difficult time for them all and saying her name in front of Jacques, after all the man went through, was in poor taste. For Silas to mention her, something must really be wrong.
“Another one surfaced.”
Jasmine frowned. “What?”
“Another breeder who uses her power or gift or whatever against pack. She’s the one behind finding other breeders, not the military. She wants to train and breed them.”
That didn’t make sense. “She’s human and looking for others to train for what?”
“To use their powers to enslave others or whatever her agenda is,” Silas said. Beneath his obvious frustration, she sensed his deep concern and that sobered her faster than anything he could say.
“Tell me everything,” she said, taking his hand.
In a few sentences he told her about Angus tapping into the breeder’s memories and her subsequent abilities to push him out, and heal herself.
“That’s amazing,” Victoria said. “But we already know how to do a form of that. Birth control. Really effective, just tell my body not to impregnate and it doesn’t.” She looked at Jasmine. “Never occurred to try it in different areas. I wonder what’s my power?”
“To enslave me forever,” Jacques said, placing a kiss on her lips.
“If Angus thinks she’s creating an army to bring us down because of what she went through, then he’s probably right,” Jasmine said, wondering if this woman was a part of the small group of women who’d reached out to her when she first met Silas. They’d wanted her to leave him and raise her babies somewhere else. They’d never been real clear on their ultimate agenda, but after one of them tried to kill Silas with an internal bomb, Jasmine promptly placed them in the crazy bitch category and never paid them any attention.
“And he was unable to stop her from leaving?” Victoria asked.
Silas nodded while meeting Jasmine’s gaze. “It’s too close to what happened with Arianna for comfort. I lost a lot of good men behind her bullshit.”
Jacques face reddened but he remained silent.
“Wait,” Victoria said, looking at Jacques. “Is Arianna the one who did that thing to you?”
He nodded and they continued gazing at each other for a few moments.
“What do we need to do to lock this bitch down?” Victoria asked. “It’s taken me a lifetime to find this man and I’ll be damned if another bitch is going to control him and all that.”
“What do you want to do?” Jasmine asked, wondering how far her mom would take this rant before remembering a few basic truths.
“If the guys can’t take her on, we’ll handle it. Teach me how to move air and fire like you do and we’ll pay this bitch a visit.” She looked at Jacques. “No one, and I mean no one, will ever do anything like that to you again. If you feel her pulling on you, tap into my strength, hear my voice, call me, do whatever you need to do to cancel it. Because the sun will stop in the damn sky before I allow someone to take you from me. Do you hear me Jacques?”
He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her forehead.
“I’m not playing. You’ll see another side of me if that bitch tries it. I’ll go all Jasmine on her ass.”
Jasmine shook her head. “Is it possible she worked with Corrina Griggs? Could this be a vendetta or something? Maybe another partner or something?”
“I hadn’t thought of that; I’ll have someone look into it. From the way Angus described her, she sounds a lot like Griggs, and the age factor could be right. Relatives?” Silas said.
“I mean it,” Victoria said. “Do I need to get Melange in here?”
“No.” Jasmine and Silas said at the same time. As much as she loved her sister, Silas and Melange, Renee’s mate, didn’t get along that well. And in his position as head Alpha, that was never a good thing for the full-blood. Rather than tempt fate and cause a family crisis, Jasmine kept the two apart.
“Okay, so what’s the plan to stop this woman?” Victoria looked at Jasmine and then Silas and back to Jasmine. “I’m thinking you’re gonna need to take the lead on this one, Jaz. Women are her weakness; she can’t control shit with us.”
Since she’d been thinking the same thing, Jasmine nodded. “Confront her?” she asked, prepared to meet the woman as she had her mom’s ex-fiancé Mark.
“No,” Silas and Jacques said together.
Jasmine gave her mom a “what are you asking me?” look.
Victoria cleared her throat. “Since you can’t physically get to her, can you help the girl? Ethan’s mate? Maybe give her some pointers on how to stand strong and not join forces with this woman or something?”
“Maybe, let me think about it for a second.” She tightened her grip on Silas’ hand. “Nothing can come between the mating bond, right?” She reminded her mom of that mating bonus so they could move on.
“Right,” Silas said and kissed the back of her hand.
“So Jacques’ safe, Mom.” She looked at her mama and Jacques.
“Good. Glad that’s clear. But what about everyone else?” Victoria asked with less heat.
“Based on the breeders I’ve met; some really are stronger than others. So even if she’s finding breeders, they’re at different levels. So right now we aren’t going to focus on them,” Jasmine said, picking her way through her thoughts. “Sh
e’s gone through a lot to get Ethan’s mate, so she must be really strong. Fortunately, she’s already attracted to Ethan, right?” Jasmine looked at Silas.
He nodded. “That’s the report I’ve received.”
“If the attraction is anything like what I went through, she more than likes him and in the end will choose him.” She looked at her mom. “Like we did.”
“True, but she’s engaged to marry another man. If that had been you, I would’ve had to wait for that relationship to die a natural death, because no matter how attracted to me you were, you’d honor that commitment,” Silas said.
“Good point.” Jacques said.
“But didn’t the fiancé drug and rape her?” Jasmine asked.
“What?” Victoria said leaning forward. “He did what?”
Jasmine filled her mom in with the latest report. “So if he did that, I’m thinking Ethan will look really good right now.”
“Or she’ll be too afraid to trust anyone,” Victoria said. “Which may make it easy for the wicked one to woo her over to the dark side.”
“No matter what, we can’t let that happen,” Jasmine said. “For one, Ethan is KnightForce and she’s his mate. If she’s already powerful and mates with him, she’ll be stronger. Second, I promised him everything would work out.” She looked at Silas. “Stand by to intervene on this one. We may need to introduce ourselves to… what’d you call her Mama?”
“The wicked one.”
“La Patroness may need a one on one conference with the wicked one.”
Silas squeezed her close and placed a kiss on the top of her head. “However you want to play this is fine, I’m not worried about losing you, you’re a bad bitch. I’m concerned over the body count and damage this will do to my people.”
“They’re my people too and I’ll give her a warning, tell her to take the shit someplace else.” She looked at him for a few moments while processing a wild idea. It had merit and would plug a few holes. “What if I did the same thing?”
“Huh?” He looked down at her.
