by Sydney Addae
“Help me undress her so we can look her over,” Jasmine said. Since the female’s clothes were torn and ripped and hanging off, it didn’t take long. The bullet had gone through the fleshy part of her upper arm which was a blessing.
“She’s purple and red.” Shyla pointed to several bruises on the female’s pale skin.
“Could’ve happened in the water, or before she jumped in or was tossed overboard. No telling. Let’s get her cleaned up. I’ll turn on the shower and you hold her beneath the water.”
“Yes, Mistress.”
After the shower, Jasmine wrapped strips of linen, that she had cut from a sheet, around the female’s shoulder and slipped on a clean, cotton caftan that someone had left behind. She wrapped the damp hair in a thick towel and returned the girl to the bed, this time on clean sheets.
Blood seeped through the linen strips and Jasmine changed them three times before it slowed to a trickle.
“What will you do with her now?” Shyla whispered.
“I don’t know. At the time I didn’t want those men to take her and when they shot at us... I knew she was really in trouble. I want to hear what happened and then I’ll decide,” Jasmine said pulling the chair close to the bed and pulling out her book from her bag.
Shyla looked at her a few moments, left and returned with another chair which she sat in and placed her headphones over her ears.
CHAPTER FOUR
SILAS FELT THE SHIFTING in his mind like a gentle brush of darkness and then a room filled with light. Several men sat around a long table. They looked at him, Angus, Grandfather, Hawke, Razor and Storm.
“Is that everyone, Grandfather?” Ulric the Alpha of the BlackWolf Clan asked. His long jet-black hair brushed against the leather jacket he wore and his green eyes flicked over the men seated with Silas.
“Yes,” Grandfather said.
“Hello, Hawke,” Niall his brother said.
Hawke nodded.
Damian had been sitting next to Niall and moved to sit next to his father, Hawke.
“I hadn’t realized Damian was that old,” Angus told Silas.
“No one knew his date of birth,” Silas said waiting to hear the specifics of the meeting.
Ulric and Niall stood. Similar in height and build, Niall’s pale skin was a startling contrast to Ulric’s dark tan.
“The Clans are experiencing power drains and loss of focus of our beasts. It’s as if we’re becoming normal,” Ulric said looking at the men around the table. “I’ve interviewed most of you here as well as members of my Pack and it’s like a sputtering car engine. One moment our beast lives up to its name and abilities, then next it falls short.” He looked at Silas. “Have you experienced this?”
“No, I haven’t,” Silas said.
“Angus? Hawke? Anyone who’s not protected by the Goddess?” Ulric asked.
None of the men answered him.
“It would be better if you showed the proper respect to their Alpha if you expect cooperation,” Grandfather said.
Ulric slammed the table with his fist. “We don’t have time to play protocol games. This is serious and strikes at the core of who we are, at our beasts, our Clan. Haven’t you noticed the only Black Wolves left are from Alpha Nikolas’ seed? His position is secondary to that.”
“No ... it is not,” Storm said slowly as he stood. “He is my Alpha and you will respect him regardless of any problems you are experiencing.”
Silas watched Grandfather while Storm spoke and was surprised to see him frown. Normally, he wanted Storm to relate to Pack matters and become more involved. What happened? Why had he changed?
Ulric stared at Storm a second too long. The next moment Storm leapt across the table and knocked Ulric to the ground and held him fast. No one moved or spoke.
“Did you hear me?” Storm ground out.
Silas continued watching Grandfather who watched Storm.
“Yes,” Ulric said moments later.
Storm released him and returned to his seat.
“See what I mean? I lost control of my beast and couldn’t shift to my larger size,” Ulric said without looking across the table at Silas and his people.
“No, I don’t think that was the problem,” Angus said, drawing Ulric’s glare. “But we’re digressing. We already knew that Nikolas’ seed remained. That’s another matter. How widespread is the power drains?”
Niall stepped forward, slimmer than Hawke with hazel-green eyes, jet black hair cut just above the collar and round framed glasses. He looked like a college professor. “I’m not sure power drains is the best way to describe it. It’s more like the abilities we’ve always taken for granted, like superior cunning and speed, or superb fighting skills that the BlackWolf Clan is well known for are slipping. It’s been happening gradually but it’s happening in several Packs including ours.” He pointed to a sullen Ulric and himself.
“I am Herald Black Wolf from the Northern BlackWolf Clan.” He nodded toward the others.
Silas returned his nod.
“I heard we’re under a curse,” Herald said.
“Nonsense,” Ulric snapped. “Old tales with no substance.”
“What do you know?” Harold snapped. “You lost control of your Pack long before any of this started happening. It’s well known your young leave as soon as they can to find a better way to live and survive.”
Ulric stood and shouted. “We hold to the tradition of our fathers, to the old ways of Alpha Nikolas, and remain true to who we are.”
“You cannot lead when there are no followers,” Harold said.
Ulric opened his mouth, closed it, and sat down. “We’ve had set-backs,” he muttered.
“Tell us more about this curse,” Silas said to get the conversation moving. He was on vacation and wanted to spend time with his woman.
“It goes back to the time of Alpha Nikolas who spread his seed far and wide. He was a benevolent leader who met the Pack’s needs. There was talk of him being tutored or saved or having something to do with a witch. Either she cast a spell on him to help him or she tried to save him from a spell that had been cast on him by a rival witch.” Harold shook his head. “It has been years since I’ve heard anything on the matter but the relationship with the witch happened before he met the Hungarian Lord, Konstantin. She, the witch, had something to do with the relationship between Konstantin and Alpha Nikolas.” He shrugged as if saying there it is.
No one spoke for several moments.
“Any idea how the curse impacts the BlackWolf Clan?” Angus asked.
Ulric glared at him but didn’t speak.
“Well... it could go in any of these directions.” Harold leaned forward and looked at Angus. “One, if the witch blessed Nikolas with additional strengths and abilities, which is highly possible, it could be wearing off or needs reaffirming or something. Or two, if another witch did something to counter the spell out of dislike for the witch or Alpha Nikolas, then that could be kicking in now as well.”
“Or the blessing had a termination date,” Damian said drawing everyone’s attention. “What if Alpha Nikolas’ seed were given a certain amount of time to prove we were worthy of the blessing and failed in some way?” He looked at Ulric while asking that question.
“That’s another way to look at it,” Harold said in a considering tone.
“If there’s really a curse,” Ulric said.
“What do you think is happening?” Silas asked him.
Moments passed before Ulric looked at him. “Honestly, I don’t know. We’ve never experienced anything like this. It’s devastating. What impact will it have on our beasts?”
Again, silence filled the room.
“There was a blessing which may have turned into a curse,” Grandfather said. Everyone looked at him.
“Explain please, Grandfather,” Ulric said, earning heated glares from both Razor and Storm.
Grandfather leaned back in his seat, clasped his hands together over his waist and closed his eyes. �
�I don’t have all the particulars, but the gist of the story is this. Nikolas saved the life of a young girl who was training under a powerful Mage. The moment he risked his life for her, their lives were intertwined from that day forth. She told him of famines or plagues before they happened so he could move the Pack. She would tell him where to find food and shelter during harsh winters. The Pack grew beneath his leadership. You say that only his Clan is left, it’s been that way for centuries. Nikolas’ seed has survived where others have not, in part because of his relationship with her.” He paused, looked at them and continued.
“He migrated over several continents during the time he spent with the Mage in search of food and shelter for Pack. As she grew older, she warned him of the changing times when Pack would be hunted and needed their own lands to survive. It’s believed she instructed him to bite Konstantin to not only save the injured Nobleman’s life but also to save the Pack.”
He stopped talking and they all watched him.
“Konstantin left millions of dollars and thousands of acres for Pack. We all know how the Liege corrupted the Round Table Konstantin started, no need to go into that.”
Silas, Hawke, Damian, and Angus grunted in agreement.
“But there was a ceremony, a ritual. I think it was to tie the seed to the land. There were conditions that had to be met. I’m not sure what they were and cannot see into them. One of you will need to do that.”
“What do you think?” Silas asked Angus but opened the discussion so Hawke, Storm, Damian, and Razor could hear and participate.
“Sounds plausible and explains why Black Wolves have been superior over all the others all these years. But I’m still confused by the curse. What is it?”
“Sounds like what Damian said. A time limit was placed on the gift, if we didn’t meet some mark, the gift is removed or something along that line. I have had dreams but nothing physical. Most of me is scientifically enhanced and I’m not sure how much of my beast’s abilities are utilized,” Hawke said.
“Same here,” Damian chimed in. “My legs and arms are metal. I haven’t experienced anything like what he mentioned.”
“I haven’t experienced what he’s mentioned either,” Angus said. “Although I’ve had bad dreams about my beast being out of control and failing me at the last moment, it hasn’t happened while I’m awake. That could be a warning that it’s on the way or something.”
Silas waited to hear from Razor and Storm. When they didn’t say anything, Silas spoke. “Storm? Razor? Have either of you noticed anything different about your beasts?”
“There has been something,” Razor said hesitantly. “For the most part I’ve disregarded it, now I’m not so sure that was the right thing to do.”
Silas glanced at Grandfather, noticed he watched Storm and Razor. “What happened or is happening?”
“My beast either is really extreme or really laid back. It’s as if I cannot find balance. It’s been frustrating not being able to put on the brakes at times especially working in the park and on Pack lands as security. I’ve been more diligent and less forgiving over simple things like littering. I didn’t understand why but this might explain it.”
“Same here,” Storm said. “The least infraction sets me off which isn’t a good thing.”
Silas thought of how quickly Storm attacked Ulric and agreed. “Alright, we’ll look into this, find a solution. Both of you take leaves of absences until we resolve the matter.”
“Yes, Alpha,” Razor said. “Knowing this is a genetic issue will put my mate at ease. She was concerned.”
Silas wondered how his daughter, Renee, handled Storm’s outbursts but didn’t ask.
“Same here,” Storm muttered.
“La Patron, will you share your thoughts with the rest of us?” Conan, an older Black Wolf asked.
“These men are Black wolves, older than half a century, and in my Pack. The news of either a curse or any other genetic problems for Black Wolves isn’t something I’ve been aware of until now. Two of them have experienced troubling symptoms and we’ll look in the matter to find a cure.”
“You’ll look into it because two Pack members of yours are impacted and not because this is a Clan issue?” Ulric asked with an incredulous expression.
Storm and Razor stood vibrating with hot energy as they stared down at Ulric.
Grandfather raised his hand to stop them. “Ulric there are things you don’t know or understand. For you own safety I ask that you stop baiting La Patron.”
“He can’t help it,” Silas said. “One of the side effects of whatever is going on, is extreme behavior.” He waved to Razor and Storm. They sat down but continued staring across the table at Ulric. “It’s hard to find balance which makes their personalities off-kilter.”
Harold and the others looked at Ulric who looked surprised by the information. “Really? That’s what’s been happening to me?” Ulric said.
“Yes,” Silas said. “Otherwise I would’ve snatched you across this table and put my foot in your mouth the first time you disrespected me. Storm is really fast and stronger than anything you have ever faced, so is Razor. I won’t allow them to kill you which is what their beasts want them to do.”
Ulric glared at Silas and sat back in his seat. “It’s this curse.”
“Perhaps. But I assure you I take exception to anyone, at any time, who disrespects my Alpha,” Storm said in a low voice. “And that has nothing to do with the curse.”
“Yeah, Storm acts like that all the time,” Angus said with relish. Ulric had tossed Angus out of the Pack over insecurity issues decades ago. Those two would never be friends.
Ulric glared at Angus but remained silent.
“Thank you for explaining, Silas. Is that a side effect with Razor and Storm?” Grandfather asked while watching his grandsons.
“Yes. But you already knew or suspected they were affected. What should they expect?” Silas demanded. “Don’t leave us in the dark with this.”
For several minutes Grandfather didn’t respond. “Being so close to my lineage, they are the purest Black Wolves, and will be impacted. I’m not sure how or when, only that just as they excel...”
Stunned, Silas stared at Grandfather as the ramifications slammed into him. The world was not ready for an out of control Razor or Storm. Just thinking of the damage they could do was unthinkable.
“What do you mean? We could die?” Ulric asked.
“Death is a part of living,” Grandfather said without looking at the Alpha. Instead, he looked at his grandsons. “I’ve searched for answers and have gone as far as I can. As I said before, one or some of you will have to uncover not only the real problem but also the cure.”
“Have you shared with anyone at this table how to go about doing that? Or are you waiting for something in particular?” Silas asked growing pissed. The old man knew this wasn’t something that would take a few hours or even a day. Once again the past had been dragged into the present, wrecking his plans.
“Or someone,” Conan added wisely, his gaze flicked between Grandfather and Silas.
“No, I have not shared anything. Honestly, I hoped I was wrong and now realize I’m not.”
“What do we need to do?” Silas asked.
“All of us, not just La Patron’s people,” Ulric said.
Several of the other members who had sat quietly so far, agreed with Ulric. “This should be a Clan solution, something we pass along to our pups and their pups,” Harold added.
“I’ve got no problem with who finds the solution. In fact if you’ll spear-head it and let me know when everything’s solved I’d appreciate it.” Silas stood. His men stood with him. “Just send me a message.”
Grandfather held up his hand. “I know you were interrupted at a bad time but solving this mystery will need the skills of your Pack.” He looked at the Ulric, Harold, and the others. “Unless I’ve missed something over the past six months and your Clans have sophisticated laboratories and computerized
systems for deep research.”
Ulric held Grandfather’s gaze a few moments and then shook his head. None of the other Clans had the abilities to access information anywhere close to the way Hawke could.
“I didn’t think so,” Grandfather said and looked at Silas. “Please give us a little more of your time. We must work together on this.” His gaze flicked to Storm and Razor. “It’s imperative to find a solution quickly.”
Silas agreed and looked at the others at the table. “Things happened in my past where I have no memory of living with Clan. My brother has been helping to recreate the history of my early years but I’ve got a country to run and haven’t spent much time with the history lessons. I’m only telling you this so you understand why I feel no allegiance to Clan. I don’t know you or Alpha Nikolas or my heritage.” He looked at Hawke and Damian. “I’m not the only one so we may not feel the same affinity to the land or Clan or identify the same way as you. What I do know is this. Right now, two men who are in my inner circle are infected or affected by whatever is happening to the Clan which means I will search high and low to find answers and a cure for them.” He paused and stared at the others. “That’s me being honest and real with you. My hope is that during this process I will rediscover my heritage, reconnect to the land, and be in a position to share everything with my pups who are Clan.”
“So it’s true, the Goddess stripped you of your memory of the Clan?” Harold asked.
“Yes.” Silas refused to explain more and looked at Grandfather. “Where did the ritual take place?”
“I believe in Romania on Nikolas’ land. Konstantin purchased land on two continents for Nikolas’ seed. Plias, in Egypt, and several hundred acres in Romania,” Grandfather said.
“Although Nikolas spread his seed everywhere he traveled, he was Alpha of Fekete Farkas, our Clan. It’s possible that the ritual took place on those lands. I’ll have Granira, our historian, search the records for information,” Niall said, drawing their attention.
“A large portion of your lands have been sold through the years as ours have,” Ulric said in a commiserating tone.