BirthControl

by Sydney Addae

  “Okay, we’ll go running.”

  Cameron stared at him as though considering whether or not to allow Silas to accompany him. This was strange considering the blankness on his face and in his eyes. Finally Cameron nodded and walked toward the steel door leading outside.

  Concerned, Silas followed after sending a message to Jacque to contact him if the doctor arrived before they returned. Cameron stripped and shifted. Without looking backward at Silas, he took off into the woods. Shifting mid-stride, Silas ran behind him. He stayed a few feet behind, allowing the pup to run wild. Or at least he thought the run was wild. The deeper into the eight hundred acres of woodlands Cameron ran, the more certain Silas became that this was no wild run. The pup was headed to a specific location.

  Chapter Eight

  “You sent Mia and Kristen home?” Bonita, a distant relative of Silas asked Jacque as he strode down the hall leading to the north wing.

  He nodded.

  “Why?”

  “Patron’s orders.” He unwarded and unlocked the entrance to the private areas, ignoring the fast clip of her heels.

  “Wait. The Patron sent them away?” Her voice rose in amazement.

  Jacque walked through the room set aside for the doctor. Everything appeared to be in order. The maids had done a good job. He locked the door and walked to the room next door, ignoring her.

  “I don’t understand…I mean, is the Patron okay?” She walked behind him, asking inappropriate questions. When he reached the door to Cameron’s new temporary quarters, he turned and looked down at her.

  “Ask him when you see him,” he challenged, pleased to see the color leave her cheeks. He counted silently. One, two, three—

  “Jacque…Silas beds two, three bitches at a time. There are over twenty here now waiting for him to look in their direction. Granted, some are interested in the Alpha trainees, but two in that group are already mated. Cameron hasn’t touched anyone since his return, which is causing some grumbling. The only thing that’s kept things halfway quiet around here is those twins and the hope Silas will snap out of whatever’s keeping him in his rooms at nights.”

  Jacque nodded. This was the information he needed. “His rooms at nights?” He pretended to be surprised.

  Bonita leapt at the chance to share her information. She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “A few of the bitches stake out the entry to his wing every evening hoping to catch a glance of him, to offer their services for the night. But so far no one has seen him.”

  Jacque made a note to send those bitches packing as soon as possible. He almost missed Bonita’s next words. “What?”

  “I said Samantha arrives later this morning. She called saying Silas sent for her last month.”

  Jacque cursed. Samantha had been the closest Silas ever had to a girlfriend over the past fifty years. They had a fiery history, but she’d never been to the compound and he doubted Silas had invited her after all this time. Damn it.

  “I thought that was why you were sending the other bitches away, but I can tell you had no idea she was coming. That means Silas doesn’t know either.” Bonita’s voice cracked as she started backing away. “I think I’ll leave today. If you need me to make sure some of the other women leave as well, I’ll do that.”

  “Yeah, take all the ones who came within the last month. The rest are staff and mated. The last thing La Patron wants is for his home to turn into a battleground, and that’s what’s going to happen with Samantha here.”

  “And her crew. She never travels alone.”

  Jacque smiled remembering Silas’ edict for peace. “I will ask if his doors are open to them.”

  A cynical smile lit Bonita’s face. “Good. She needs to be knocked down a peg for coming uninvited. I will let La Patron know of my plans.” She nodded and strode off.

  After ascertaining he was alone, Jacque entered the room set aside for Cameron. He checked the security and escape routes before placing wards on them. The last thing he wanted was Cameron or the doctor to have access to the tunnel. Jacque didn’t know what was happening with Cameron, and he empathized with Silas regarding his godson. But Jacque’s mission from the Goddess was clear.

  Protect the pups and human at all costs.

  In his opinion, that meant no one would have access to the tunnels that led to the wing housing Jasmine. He suspected that’s how Silas entered her home and bed every night. Surprised and pleased with the added layer of protection Jasmine received having her sons and Silas with her at night, eased some of his anxiety.

  “La Patron.” Jacque called to Silas as he reentered the main wing of the mansion and locked the north wing. Concerned when there was no response, he stopped and call out again. “La Patron?”

  “Yes?” The response came back with a bite which Jacque ignored.

  Inhaling his gratitude that Silas was well, Jacque spoke. “Samantha is on her way here, she told Bonita you invited her a month ago. Where should I put her?”

  “I invited her to meet me in Maryland, not to come here. Turn her away. Make sure none of her people pass through the gates. How’s the exodus going?”

  Jacque chuckled. “Bonita is taking the bulk of women with her this afternoon. But who will the trainees and your security detail play with?”

  “They can go into town. I want to keep a lid on Jasmine and the pups as long as possible. To do that, I need to get down to a bare minimum crew. You up to it?”

  “Yes sir. I’ll get on it and then check supplies. Leave the ground security in place?”

  “Yes. My personal security will take over the inside. No one other than the twins is to be with Jasmine. I’ll layer my wards over yours for added protection.”

  Jacque was happy Silas took the matter of security seriously. “Sounds good. I’m headed to admin to see who gets to go on vacation.”

  Four hours later, excess personnel had left for an extended vacation. The women who’d come to serve Silas had left with Bonita. All three wings were warded, allowing no one other than Jasmine, her security, and Silas into the private tunnels.

  Exhausted, Jacque sat in his office reading reports from various Alphas detailing their interaction with human breeders and half-breed wolves. After taking a sip of water, he continued entering the data into a secure program. There were more human breeders than anyone imagined and the Alphas were freaking out. The number of half-breeds reached a staggering number, almost a third of the wolf population. Most were males.

  As he typed in the data, Jacque prayed. There was no way to avoid a war. Change was always sealed with blood. He prayed Silas and the pups survived. He also prayed Silas would produce more pups and that those survived as well.

  Great leaders were born so rarely and when one arrived, they often walked through fire in preparation of their destiny. Silas had suffered through the loss of everyone he loved and still maintained his compassion. Three hundred years and his first litter would be half-breeds. Jacque understood Silas’ hurt and embarrassment, the man was a proud full-blooded wolf. But he also admired Silas’ resiliency and acceptance of what he couldn’t change.

  “He’s a great leader,” Jacque murmured as he shut down the program. He’d make a report to Silas later tonight. He sensed a disturbance and reached out to security. “What’s going on?”

  “Miss Samantha Whey’s at the gate demanding entry.”

  “How many are with her?”

  “Eight, not including her driver.”

  Jacque smiled. “Have Samantha get out of the car and hold her in the gate house until I arrive. Send the driver and everyone else off the grounds. Tell him to stay on the main road until you call him again.”

  He rubbed his hand in anticipation. He’d never cared for Samantha much, she was beautiful and she knew it. But she had a cruel streak which made her ugly. Taking the golf cart, he drove down to the gatehouse. As soon as he arrived, she stormed out the door. Her long mahogany colored hair flying behind her. She stood at least five feet, six or seven inches
. Her heaving chest drew his eyes to her uncovered large breasts. The see -hrough dress she wore left nothing to the imagination. She was hairless everywhere except her head.

  “What’s going on? Where’s Silas?” Brilliant emerald green eyes stared at him as though he owed her an explanation. He didn’t.

  His brow rose at the use of La Patron’s given name. “He’s busy and has requested I give you his regrets. He cannot accept you at this time.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “What?” Her voice rose and then lowered to a harsh whisper. “He invited me…”

  “To meet him in Maryland last month. Yes I know. This…” he opened his arms. “Is West Virginia and he did not invite you here. He’s never invited you here.”

  The color drained from her face, making her appear vampire-ish instead of the full-blooded wolf she was. “Please, ask him if I can stay. If only for tonight. I…I need him.” Her eyes filled with unshed tears.

  Unmoved, Jacque crossed his arms over his chest. Did she really think she was the first bitch he had to remove from Silas’ web? Hell, her performance lacked the fire and passion of many of the women he’d had to send packing.

  “He is busy and has denied you and your friends access. I had you stay behind so that you can tell your friends whatever you desire.” He turned to the guard. “Tell the driver to return.”

  Her hands flew to her face as she spun around. “I can’t believe he’s treating me like this. We’ve been together for years. I’ve always been there for him. Why can’t he do this one small thing for me?” She looked at him, begging for an answer.

  “I don’t know. I’m following orders.”

  She reached for him, whispering brokenly. “He’s my mate…I know he is. He knows it too. That’s why we’ve been together so long. You have to let me see him. I need to touch him. Taste him.” Tears ran down her cheeks, leaving tracks of displaced make-up. Her chin trembled as she stared imploringly at him.

  Backing up, he tipped his head in honor of an improved performance. She was lying. He’d heard enough about her to know she was not the crying type. “I’ll tell him.” He glanced at security. “Is the car on it’s way?”

  “Yes Sir.”

  He wanted this one off the property and far away. Trouble and determination was written all over her. She stared at him until the sound of a car's engine droned behind them. Straightening, she wiped her face with one finger and smiled at him.

  He nodded.

  “I’ll see you soon, handsome,” she said huskily before she winked at him and returned to the car.

  Jacque waited until the car cleared the drive. “That’s what I’m afraid of,” he whispered as he returned to the cart.

  “Sir? The Patron’s plane has just arrived,” the security guard informed him.

  Tired, but glad to welcome someone who’d been invited, Jacque turned the cart in the direction of the hangar.

  Chapter Nine

  Jasmine rolled over and laid her chin on Silas’ chest. It was quiet moments like these that she could pretend all the things on the other side of her bedroom door were fine. That the man who came to her bed every night, was really a man. Or that he split his days running the wolf nation and taking care of his godson who suffered from a jacked-up wolf version of PTSD. Or that women came from all over the world to seduce him and gain his favor, if only for an hour. More importantly, she could pretend he wasn’t only with her because she was three months' pregnant with his babies.

  “You’re up. Everything okay?” he asked without opening his eyes. His palm rubbed her ass and then squeezed.

  She squirmed beneath his seeking hand. Why was there a direct line from her heart to between her legs? For once she wished she could be cavalier about their arrangement. Her rounded bump stopped her from moving too far.

  “Yeah. It’s getting harder to sleep for long periods of time. I don’t remember this with the twins.”

  “That’s because you’re having four pups…babies, not two, this time. They’re already fighting over their territory.” There was a smug bit of pride in his voice as his lips grazed her temple.

  It was these infrequent, spontaneous affectionate acts that made her heart race with hope that what they had was more than physical. That she was more than a booty call, although the man rocked her world in bed. Or that she meant more to him than being just the mother of his children. She pushed away those thoughts, they never ended well.

  “I wanna learn how to shoot.”

  His eyes shot open as he leaned back searching her face.

  “I’m serious. Ever since you mentioned Samantha has been contacting you every day, begging to come back for a visit, I’ve been thinking I should be able to shoot a gun at least. Plus, you’ve told me there’s going to be an uprising when the number of breeds become public.”

  “When I told you almost a third of our population was mixed or breeds, I didn’t tell you that to scare you. I want you to know what’s going on, so you won’t be gullible and believe a bunch of lies. With enough information, you can make the right decisions about anything.”

  “Okay, but I still intend to practice shooting. It’ll make me feel more in charge, like I can hold my own. It’s psychological.” She placed her hands behind her head and looked up at the ceiling.

  “You’re right about that, because most wolves move too fast to get in a good shot.” He rubbed her stomach. “I’ll talk to Stefan, have him set you up a few days on the range. But stay away from the trainees. Wear baggy clothes, they don’t know anything about you and I want to keep it that way for now.”

  “Yes sir,” she mocked.

  He squeezed her breast hard and then jumped up before she could retaliate. It took everything within her to keep from asking him to return to bed and spend a few more minutes with her. But she knew better.

  “How’s Cameron? Has the doctor allowed him to run alone yet?”

  Silas returned from the bath, rubbing his face with a towel. “It’s the damnest thing, this PTSD. Doctor Grimes can’t pin it down to one event, seems it’s a collection of things that happened while Cam was in Afghanistan. It’s like a corner of his mind is fried. But the doctor’s been here working with him for the past two months and I’m finally seeing glimmers of the old Cameron resurface.” He paused, looked at her, and then sat on the edge of the bed.

  “We’ve been getting a lot of good information regarding the human breeders and half-breeds from my Alphas. Your sons…they’re different than the others…they’re like thoroughbreds. The things they can do…” he shook his head and she wondered exactly what type of tests her sons had been subjected to.

  “I need to check out Oklahoma, to see if I can pin down any information regarding Davian’s bloodline. Rone and Rese are like these mega half-breeds. I need more information on them.”

  “And that will help you accept the ones in my belly better, right?” She closed her eyes so he wouldn’t see the bleakness she felt as he answered yes.

  “There are still so many variables that it’s hard to make any rulings, and there are a lot of breeds in custody waiting for me to make some kind of decision.” He took her hand, leaned forward and waited until she opened her eyes. “In one way, this is about my litter. But more importantly, this is about the future of my race. As Patron, I must make life and death decisions. I refuse to do that until I’m confident of what’s happening in and to my world. Do you understand?”

  Her throat tightened as she read the sense of purpose in his eyes. Clearing her throat, she nodded. “Yes.”

  He waited a beat, squeezed her hand, and then stood. “Good. I have additional security in place on the grounds. Jacque has the house covered with safety measures that’ll be in place during my absence.”

  “Rone? Rese?”

  He sighed. “They want to stay here, but I need at least one of them to go with me. My being there alone might cause talk with you here. Plus, I don’t want to force their grandparents to talk with me unless I have to, but I need to know why t
he twins are so different.”

  She swallowed hard remembering Davian’s hateful father. The man had called her a whore and worse. Davian had shocked everyone when he’d taken the physical and verbal blows from his father when he’d stood up for her.

  “His father…Davian’s father is a difficult man.” She lowered her lids half mast so he couldn’t see her embarrassment. “Or at least he was difficult. I think he loved his son, but couldn’t accept me or the boys. He never wanted anything to do with the twins before, what makes you think he’ll talk with them now?”

  Silas shrugged. “I don’t know if he will for sure. But one way or the other, I’ll have my questions answered.” With that declaration he left the bedroom, leaving her to wonder how her sons would be received by their paternal grandfather.

  There was a knock on the door. She pulled the blanket up around her neck. “Come in.” It was either Rone or Rese. No one other than Silas and the twins were permitted inside this wing.

  Rese stuck his head in. “You alone?”

  Warmth radiated up her neck, but she bit her lip to stop it from reaching her face. “He just left. Everything okay?” She wondered why he didn’t reach out to Silas through their link.

  He turned and yelled. “Come on.”

  Rone followed him inside her room, closed the door and sat on the edge of the bed. “How’s my bros doing?” He smiled while patting her stomach.

  “They are the same as they were last night when you asked.” She looked at Rese and then back at Rone. “What’s up?”

  “One of us has to go to Oklahoma to check out dad’s family. We’ve decided I’m going because I have a better personality for gathering information. Rese sucks at playing nice.”

  She glanced at Rese, surprised he didn’t respond to the jab. “You okay with that, honey?” She touched Rese’ fingers.

  “Yeah. I just don’t like the idea of us separating. Not with you halfway through the pregnancy. I…I have a bad feeling about the trip. I mean…I understand why. I just don’t understand why we have to do it now.”