BirthDate (La Patron, the Alpha's Alpha)
Page 20
“Thank you…yes, I see it.” She stopped the car and waited for the Alpha to exit the truck. When he stepped out, five wolves ran up to him and then surrounded his truck. He stood still waiting. Asia inhaled, recognized his scent and left the car with just the briefcase.
“Good to see you again,” Alpha Samuel said as she moved briskly to the other side of the truck.
“Same to you, we should leave this area quickly. I don’t trust the car or the building. I am sure the only reason it has not blown yet is they did not think I could escape so quickly,” she said glancing out the window toward the concrete structure while snapping her seat belt.
“Okay.” He spun around and took off down the road in the other direction.
“Mistress, I am with Alpha Samuel and we are heading back toward Alpha House. When will La Patron arrive?”
“He says they should be there by the time you and Samuel arrive. Can you rest? Or are you amped up?”
Asia smiled. “Amped up? That is an interesting term for it.”
A booming noise in the distance shattered the silence in the truck. The ground shook as they continued speeding down the road.
“What the fuck?” Alpha Samuel growled as he pulled over on the shoulder. They both stepped out and looked in the direction they had come. A dark plume of dust filled the air. “Bastards blew the place. Good thing it was so far out of town and away from everything. Was there anyone in the place when you left?”
“I am not sure.” The bullets would have slowed Mélange, not ended her existence. The bodies that had been in the trunk were already dead. Asia had no idea what happened to the man who assisted Griffith when she first arrived.
A moment later there was another mini popping sound accompanied by smoke. They had blown the car she had been driving as well. She met Alpha Samuel’s grim look with one of her own. Two bombings in twenty-four hours, that had to be a record.
Chapter 18
Silas walked to the front of the plane leaving Leon and Brix in the back area. He had questioned Brix extensively about the female, Mélange and had a better idea of the young bitch.
The twins were further up in the main cabin resting. Angus sat up as he approached. “He know anything about the girl?”
“Just that she hated the job, was disloyal and a good person to have at your back.” Silas stared at Angus who had reverted to his first form. “How do I know you are who you say you are?”
Angus met his gaze and then shook his head. “This is my original form. I am black wolf and have a hybrid of this form.” He morphed into a figure resembling Tyrese. Silas sat back amazed at the technology that allowed such seamless transformations.
While in that form, Angus took off the bracelet. Immediately he returned to his former form. “This is my true form. I do not know what else to tell you. I am Angus Black Wolf.”
“You did not mention you had been captured lately…” Silas watched for any signs of discomfort or subterfuge.
“Is that something you tell someone you just meet? Someone who refuses to tell you anything? Someone you do not trust?... No, it’s not.”
Silas nodded, point well taken. “I agree. How did you become their guest?”
Angus snickered. “Guest? Not by a long shot.” He eyed Silas for a moment. “Let’s do this, we each ask a question, get that answered and move to the next. So far I have been the only one releasing pertinent information and that is not fair.”
Silas eyed him for a moment and leaned forward so Angus could see how serious he took this matter. “Perhaps, but this is my country, I am in charge here. You stay or go by my word. I do not need to be fair. You are not my guest. You are an intruder, possibly a spy. So I’ll ask the questions and you’ll answer. If I feel sharing my knowledge with you is beneficial to my pack, I will do so.”
Angus stared at him for a few moments and then leaned back in the seat. “I told you someone was researching Asia and came to the continent looking for answers. That was ten or twelve years ago. Whispers of an organization seeking black wolves reached our ears. Later, we set Brix up to work on the inside to gather information and things were working smoothly. It took years before he learned anything of substance, but it was beginning to pay off. Recently, inquiries arose again regarding Asia. It was strange hearing that someone searched that intensely for information on one wolf. Fearing they were actually researching Brix, I got involved. One thing led to another and then I allowed myself to be caught so I could see what was going on.”
Silas nodded. That made sense.
“Imagine my surprise at learning this huge organization committed the atrocities against my brethren in the name of science. That is where I heard about Asia’s specific abilities. The doctors were in awe and afraid of her, there was some jealousy as well. They claimed she was a walking miracle with the Midas touch if they could duplicate her.”
Silas understood Angus’ shock. He had a similar experience when he met his mate. “Did they run tests on you?”
Angus nodded. “Yes, which was okay, because they talked when they thought the drugs knocked me out. That’s when I learned most of my information. But when they took me into an operating room to gut me like a fish so they could see my innards, my wolf took exception. We left.”
Remembering Asia’s report, it sounded like Angus left in a big way. “You get any data from that place?”
“No, just what I had seen or heard. All I left behind was my calling card. They will always remember their visit from a black wolf.” Angus chuckled. “There was one bit of disturbing news. While I was there I discovered they were in possession of one of our chameleon bracelets.”
Silas glanced at the one on his wrist. “That is unusual I take it.”
Angus nodded. “Yes. First off it only works with members of our pack, black wolves or their descendants. Second, if the person it has been made for dies, the bracelet dissolves, returns to the earth. Third, it is a death penalty to share the secrets of the black clan. Yet they were aware of what the bracelet can do.”
Neither spoke as the ramifications settled. “Someone betrayed your clan.”
Angus nodded. “It seems that way.”
“First time?” Silas asked skeptically.
“That I know of and I have been around as long as you have.”
“Then count yourself lucky. Something will surface, it always does. Just hope that it is not someone in your inner circle that makes it personal.”
Angus eyed him for a moment.
“Do not ask, I am not sharing that information,” Silas said sharply. “Brix is part black wolf?”
“Yes, a few litters down from pure. He was raised by the clan, been around us all his life. This assignment was tailor made for him; he rose through their ranks at a steady pace.”
“What happened to the implants and chips they put inside him?” Silas asked, leaning back in his seat and taking a sip of water from the bottle.
“When he removed his bracelet, everything regarding the chameleon died, short circuited, ceased to exist…”
“Okay, I understand. That’s a handy tool then.” Silas looked at the bracelet with appreciation. “Who makes them for the clan?”
“Me.”
Silas met his wary gaze. “Seriously? You are the only one who makes these? What happens if you disappear…like now? What does your clan do?”
“They wait or go without. If I had been able to get my hand on the bracelet I might have been able to discover which bracelet was taken and trace it back to the traitor.” He exhaled. “Even then I am unsure if I can do that if the bracelet has been used multiple times.”
“Have you alerted your Alpha?”
“Yes…he is aware of what is going on.” He paused. “Actually, there is a bit of fuss going on right now. Some of us want to continue to follow our original Alpha…”
“The dead one?” Silas asked with a raised brow.
Angus frowned. “He is still amongst us, just in spirit, that is all.”
“Okay.” Silas nodded, knowing exactly where this was headed.
“Others want a new Alpha. The usurper has delivered a challenge for the position.”
Silas laughed. He could not help it. He had heard all manner of weird things in his position over the years. But challenging the dead for a position? That was a first. When he could pull it together, he met Angus’ glower. “Did your Alpha accept the challenge?” He laughed again at the absurd notion.
“It is not funny. I thought you would understand since you are an Alpha. But once again, I am mistaken about you.”
“I would require my Alpha to be alive as well. I already have a spirit being in my life. I follow the Goddess, but she is not involved in my day to day activities. I vote with the challenger, a pack needs a physical Alpha in the den. Not one hovering nearby in the clouds.”
“You only say that because you have no idea of how great he was…is. There has never been an Alpha of his caliber.” He sighed. “I miss the old days.”
Silas eyed him for a moment while various thoughts ran through his head. “Who are these Liege Lords and why did they come after me? Is it because my wolf is black or do they want my position? I do not understand the reasons for their attacks.” He asked to get the conversation back on track. There was nothing to be gained by mocking Angus’ memories.
“Power. Money. Prestige, those are the normal reasons, but I am not sure these Liege Lords have a reasonable reason for doing what they do. At some point they stumbled across a dual-natured man and took an interest. No question they are making a lot of money, but they have been doing this for centuries. I also wonder with you what their end game is. Their actions make little sense.”
Silas nodded. “How many Liege Lords are there? Do they recruit? Are they all from a previous century…Liege is an old title.”
Angus shrugged. “I only saw one and heard his name by accident. One of the doctors called him Sir Roderick and he slapped the man to the ground. Apparently, using names was against the rules.”
That was not one of the names Asia mentioned. “What did he look like?” It seems they had their work cut out for them if they wanted to eradicate this group from American soil.
“Average chap. My height, slim build, fair complexion, dark brown hair and eyes.”
Silas pointed to the bracelet. “Can you…do that thing…show me what he looks like?”
Angus closed his eyes. The next moment a tall male with pockmarks on his face sat in the seat across from him.
“Hold that position I want the twins to see this so we will all know who to look for.”
Angus nodded and crossed his hands over his belly reclining in the chair.
“Rone, Rese, come here,” Silas said through their links.
A moment later the twins walked into the area where he and Angus sat. “What the hell?” Tyrone said staring down at Angus. Tyrese simply stared, but stood ready to move in an instant.
“It is important that you keep this information to yourselves. I do not want anyone to know we have access to this new device. If you did not know, this is Angus wearing a chameleon device which is unique to his clan. Most importantly, I want you to memorize this face and build of the person he is mimicking. The man is Sir Roderick and he is a Liege Lord. I have not seen this person, but I want us to all be on the lookout because he can be anywhere,” Silas said watching their expressions.
Tyrese nodded slowly. “Because we don’t know what they look like they could be living in the town and we wouldn’t know. This is good. We can go on the offensive.”
“Do we know how many Liege Lords there are?” Tyrone asked.
“We only know of four, now three thanks to Asia. She eliminated the one who kidnapped her. His name was Griffith.” Silas watched Angus, whose eyes widened at the name.
“He is the one who had the bracelet. I hope she was able to recover it from him. Nasty piece of work. I never saw him, but heard him over the microphone. Sir Roderick called him Griff, but didn’t realize he was one of them.” Angus returned to his natural form and the twins gawked in amazement.
Silas was happy he wasn’t the only one impressed. “We were trying to determine what the end game is for this group. They do not want to rule the world, not overtly anyway. From what Angus says, they already own a lot of politicians around the world and their fingers are deep into the global economy. In relation to that, my pack is small potatoes,” Silas said using one of his mate’s quirky sayings.
Tyrone sat down in the chair in front of Angus. Tyrese continued to stand. “That’s true, but here’s the difference. You have an organized force that you command at a moment’s notice. If there was a real threat to the United States, there is a real threat to the pack. No outside force would ever be allowed to enter the US and survive. Our pack would never allow it. Just because the government has turned a blind eye to our existence does not mean they aren’t happy to know you would never allow the annihilation of your nation.”
“Which exists inside of their nation, the US. So if an enemy had any hopes of conquering the US in any shape they would need to be prepared to meet two Presidents. I use that term to make a point,” Tyrese said when Silas’ brow rose. “One President the world knows and sees, rules the human race in this country. The other is unknown and consequently more deadly. Because you can call every wolf in this country, bitches and pups included, your army is larger. With the new technology, your force will be harder to destroy.”
Silas thought over everything the twins said. He had not thought along those lines, but as an offensive measure it made sense. And was on point because his people lived everywhere, not just on pack lands. So if there was an attack from an outside enemy he would get involved to save his pack.
“That is an interesting observation. I had not thought of it in those terms,” Angus said sitting up. “Here is another possible reason. These are old men who are bored. Chances are they have overcome every challenge presented and are looking for bigger game. Kind of like that movie where the billionaire brothers made a bet for one dollar that they could make a beggar a millionaire…”
“Trading places?” Tyrese said.
Angus shrugged. “I do not remember the name of the movie only that a friend brought it to teach the pups about greed. It is a movie, but the lessons are real. There are those who do things for no real reason or deep purpose. These men could be like that.”
Silas nodded. Who knew why this group operated? Or if they had a purpose. In the end, none of that mattered. They could no longer operate in his country.
“We will be landing in twenty minutes. Please return to your seats and put on your safety belts,” the pilot said over the speaker.
Tyrone stood. He and Tyrese returned to their seats. Silas continued to think over his options. He had a lot of data to go over and teams to put together. He watched Brix and Leon come from the back, take their seats and buckle up.
“I have the tape of the discussion you had with Brix, Sir,” Leon said. “There is also a disc of everything he learned about the Liege Lords. Over the years he has composed reports and turned them into his Alpha. We will send those to Jacques when we land and have access to a computer.”
“Thank you, Leon, Brix. That is most helpful,” Silas said, feeling better about this mission.
“I would ask your permission to travel with you to your compound. I would like to stay in the states and offer my services to assist in destroying the Liege,” Angus said surprising Silas.
“I do not trust you.”
“I would pledge my loyalty to you.”
Silas stared at the man. That was a big step and one that could not be broken. Silas would literally hold Angus’ life in his hands. “Why?”
“I do not like the changes going on at home. The new Alpha-challenger and I disagree on a number of issues. It was suggested that I leave and find a place where I fit in better. I am comfortable with my kind and thought to visit the states. And I have already sent a report to my brethren,
so there is no rush to return.”
“They kicked you out?”
Angus frowned. “No, they did not. I left. I can return at any time and pledge fealty to the new Alpha.”
Silas understood. Angus and the new Alpha did not get along. Being an old wolf who had seen much sometimes it was hard to accept change. If his mate had not come along, Silas would still scoff at the idea of family and everything that defined a home. Those were things he could not live without.
“I will think about it and let you know before we take off. I am hesitant to bring anyone new into my compound because my mate and pups live in my den. You have said I cannot kill you and that leaves me wondering what my options would be to protect my…family.”
Angus’ eyes widened. “You have more pups? Other than the twins? How blessed you are.”
Thinking of his pups, Silas grinned. “I am blessed indeed. They are a rambunctious handful, but I would not change anything about them.” He glanced at Angus and could tell he was truly excited on his behalf. “I have two boys, Adam and David.”
“Good solid, strong names. No doubt showing traits of leadership already,” Angus said with genuine interest.
“Yes…yes they are. Renee and Jackie are my princesses, although they are just as tough as the boys. My genes run strong in all of them, although the boys have eyes the same color as my sweet bitch.”