by Sydney Addae
“Ulric. My sire is my Alpha. I miss him,” Milfius said looking at Jasmine. “I want to go home.”
Pleased with a name she’d heard before Jasmine turned to the girl who stared at Milfius as if he’d spoken Latin.
“What is a pack?” Sarita asked Milfius.
“My family.”
“Family?” Sarita frowned as if the word tasted funny.
“Did the two of you just meet?” Jasmine asked, needing a few more answers before talking to Silas.
“Milfius has not been here long. He’s new.” Sarita looked at Lilly. “Why do you smell different? Wolf and not?”
“I am a half-breed. Part wolf and part human.” Lilly returned her stare until Sarita nodded.
“Okay. I am full-blood.” She pointed at Danielle. “Like her, and him.” She pointed at Milfius and then looked at Jasmine. “You are different.”
“Yes, I am. Now, where were you born?”
Sarita blinked and then smiled displaying a deep dimple in her right cheek. The child was lovely and would grow into a beautiful woman. “I don’t know.”
“Have you heard of the Liege?” Jasmine asked to see if the children were stolen pups.
Sarita’s smile vanished and was replaced by a dark, fierce scowl. “Why?”
“I need to know if you’re my enemy. Based on your reaction, I believe you’ve heard of the Liege. Did they perform any surgeries on you?”
Sarita’ brow furrowed.
Jasmine thought of another way to ask.
“Did they tie you to a table and cut you?” Lilly asked.
“No. Some they did, but not me. They wouldn’t waste their time with me. I have no value.”
Jasmine’s heart dropped. “Why do you say that?”
Sarita met her gaze. Jasmine read the uncertainty and glimpse of sadness. “The men took me away to kill us. We’re difficult.”
“I am not difficult; you talk and fight all the time.” Milfius pointed at Sarita who held her head down. “She never does as she’s told and asks questions of everything.
No one said anything. Jasmine could feel Sarita’s pain and embarrassment.
“Milfius, I will contact your Alpha and let him know you are here. Sarita, is there anyone I can contact for you? Do you know your sire? Your mam?”
Sarita shook her head and didn’t look up. Jasmine looked at Lilly who shrugged.
Danielle stooped in front of the chair. “Sarita, I lost my mam a long time ago, never knew her. But a woman in our pack, Maheegan, took me in and raised me as her own. No one in the pack is ever alone, we look after each other. We need to make sure someone isn’t searching for you and wondering where you are. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I dream of someone finding me but those don’t count.”
Danielle smiled and touched Sarita’s hand. “Dreams count, because they sometimes come true.”
“Yes, they do,” Lilly said.
Danielle looked up at Lilly and for a few seconds their gazes held until Danielle nodded. Lilly smiled and offered her a hand to stand. Jasmine glanced at both women and sensed whatever had been between them was settled. She released a breath and smiled at Sarita. “Never give up on your dreams, things work out when you least expect them.”
Chapter 7
Large pine wreaths with blinking lights hung on the walls. Christmas music played softly in the background. Silas walked down the hall on his way to the nursery to spend a few free minutes with his pups. After seeing the two in the lab, he needed contact with his den. But for the sweet mercy of the Goddess, those two in the lab could be his own. The thought tightened his throat, making it difficult to swallow.
Just as he reached the hall to the nursery he heard voices and stopped.
“When I say you don’t disrespect mama, I mean that. No one disrespects her, got that?” Tyrese said in a stern tone.
“Disrespect? What’s that?” Silas shook his head at Adam’s question.
“Talking to her under your breath, you think she don’t hear or see you, she does, and that’s disrespectful,” Tyrese said.
“Yeah, and that time with the circus, the way y’all talked to her, like she was your playmate. That’s disrespectful,” Tyrone said. Silas leaned against the wall and listened as his older sons taught the younger ones.
“But mom spanked us for that,” Renee said.
“And then Rone fussed at us after mom spanked us,” Adam said, sounding cross. Silas bit back a chuckle.
“And then Danielle and Rose came in and told us we better never do that again,” Jackie said. “Everybody, ‘cept daddy fussed at us about that already, Rese.”
“Do you understand why?” Tyrese asked.
“Because we hurt mom’s feelings. She didn’t want to spank us, but we deserved it and that was wrong,” David said causing Silas to step away from the wall and look toward the nursery.
“Yeah, that’s it little man. No one hurts mom. Got that? Not even us,” Tyrone said.
“I didn’t like it,” David said in a low voice.
“Mom didn’t say it hurt her,” Renee said. “I didn’t mean it either.
“Do you think the picture you drew of dad was respectful or disrespectful, Renee?” Tyrese asked.
“Mmm, he said we could go to the circus.”
“Yes, he did, but as your Alpha and dad, he has to make sure you’re always safe and sometime that means changing his mind as things change. Now answer my question,” Tyrese said in that no-nonsense voice of his.
“The clown?”
“Renee… ”
“Didn’t mean it to be disrespectful.”
“Do you think it was?” Tyrese pushed.
Silas thought back to the picture Renee had drawn of a clown and used his face. At the time he’d just learned of LOBO and hadn’t given it much thought but it needed to be addressed. Tyrese was doing a good job.
“Suppose so.”
Silas shook his head at the stubborn answer.
“What do you think, Adam? Was the picture of the clown and dad disrespectful?”
“Yes?”
“Are you sure?” Tyrese asked.
“No. It wasn’t a good clown.”
“Was too,” Renee yelled.
Silas smiled at the argument over a clown drawing. Jasmine walked around the corner, he placed his finger to his lips and waved her over.
“What’s going on?”
“The boys are giving the kids a lesson on respecting us.”
Her eyes lit. “This should be good. I need to get closer to hear.”
“No. Listen through my link. Rone and Rese know I’m here, I’m not sure if the other kids know.”
She nodded and he sensed her presence just as Tyrone brought order to the room. “Look, bottom line is this, you don’t argue with mom or dad, if you have an opinion, state it in a cool calm manner without an attitude because if I ever catch one of you giving them attitude I’ll kick your butts myself. We love and respect our parents even when we don’t understand why they do what they do. Got that?”
“Is this ‘cause Rose is having a baby?” Jackie asked.
Jasmine turned into Silas arms and laughed.
“Yeah, are you saying we gotta ‘pect her too, and Danielle?” Adam asked.
“Danielle’s a lot of fun but her name is too long. I wanna call her Dani. She said no,” Renee said in a whining tone.
“No, Rose having a baby has nothing to do with how you must treat mom and dad. Yes you have to respect Rose and Danielle, just like you respect me and Rese. We’re your older brothers and sisters.”
“Not my mama or daddy,” Adam said and Silas could imagine him all puffed up as he spoke.
“No, we aren’t your mama or daddy, but we love you and would die to keep you safe, so that means something, right?” Tyrese said into the silence.
“I die for you too,” David said. “Mama says family important, we look for each other. Is that respect?”
Silas looked at Jasmine and smile
d. David would be the one to watch.
“That’s part of it little man. Christmas is coming and we wanted to make sure none of you acted in a way that would get you in trouble,” Tyrese said. “We’ll talk more about this and other things that you won’t learn in school. We’re family. Soon Rone will have a kid and you’ll have to look out for him or her. Make sure the kid’s safe, just like we look out for you.”
“I’mma be a aunty,” Renee said.
“Me too, Rose told me,” Jackie added.
“Not me, that’s for girls,” Adam said.
Jasmine shook her head. Silas held her close as they listened to their kids with pride. “When did they grow up like this? Did you hear David?”
Silas brushed his lips against her forehead. “Yeah, I feel old.”
She squeezed him around the waist. “Stop it. You are old.”
He laughed and spun her around. “I am but you love this old wolf.”
“I do, I really do.” He kissed her and everything slid away. There were no kids, no problems, nothing, just the two of them encased in a space together. When they broke for air, he rested his forehead against hers.
“I talked to Sarita again. She has no pack.”
“Angus says Ulric is making arrangements to come for Milfius and sends his gratitude. He mentioned Hawke’s daughter, the one Gordon spoke of. Something Gordon said when he told Damian to go with Hawke to find the child makes him think Sarita might be Hawke’s.”
Jasmine’s mouth opened and then she threw her arms around his neck. “That would be wonderful. She’s special. Curious, disrespectful, hardheaded, yes, but there is something about her.”
Silas laughed. “Those things don’t sound special, sounds like trouble. At any rate, there is no way to determine if she belongs to Hawke without him. A sire can link to his seed. I sent him and Asia to that small town to locate her mam while we look for his pup. When they return to the states I want them to stay. Hawke has a lot of information and I want him working with Matt and Passen.”
Jasmine nodded. “So Sarita spends the holidays with us? I don’t think either of them are a threat and would like to introduce them to the kids.”
Silas frowned. “You think that’s a good idea?”
“Yes. For all of them. Milfius needs to be with other boys and Sarita needs to see what a pack is like. If she’s Hawke’s, she was born in a lab, which would explain why she didn’t know what a pack or family meant.”
Silas wasn’t too keen on allowing his pups to play with strangers.
“Plus, if she’s Hawke’s kid, she will be living at the compound when Asia and Hawke returns anyway.”
“They’re bringing Damian too?”
Jasmine nodded.
“I suppose you think of them as family?” His brow rose.
“Asia and I are very close, you know that. She’s mated and you cannot separate one from the other.”
Silas didn’t bother asking about Hawke’s kids, to accept the sire meant accepting his seed. “Okay but keep a close eye on them, maybe have Rose and Rone assigned to the nursery.”
“I was thinking Cameron and Lilly,” Jasmine said.
Silas looked down at her. “Why? What are you thinking?”
“Just the way Lilly looked at Sarita, I think they need to spend a little more time with the kids.”
“They lost Thorne.” Thorne’s disappearance was a blemish on Cameron’s record as far as Silas was concerned.
“Yeah, but they won’t lose the kids. They aren’t to level of rebellion, yet.” She smiled, placed a kiss on his cheek and walked in the direction she’d come. Something told him life as he knew it had just taken another twist.
Chapter 8
“This is Renee, she likes to draw and paint,” Jasmine said pointing to her daughter who stopped working on a piece or artwork long enough to stare at Sarita and Milfius.
“Say hello, Renee,” Jasmine said in the quiet room.
“Hello.”
“This is Adam and standing behind him is David,” Jasmine pointed to the boys and gave them the eye to greet the children.
“Hi, do you play ball?” Adam asked looking at Milfius.
“Yes, I do,” Sarita said turning in his direction.
Jasmine cleared her throat and pointed to Jackie, who stared at Milfius. “And this is Jackie –”
“Did you do that?” Milfius pointed to the five hundred piece puzzle on the table.
Jackie swallowed and nodded as Milfius walked toward the table and looked at her work. “Don’t touch,” she said when his fingertips hovered over the pieces.
Nodding, he took a step back and watched as she placed another piece in the correct spot. “How long it takes to finish?” he asked.
“Not long.” Jackie looked at him and then at the puzzle.
“They smell like you,” Sarita said causing everyone to look at her while she faced Jasmine. “Can I find my pack that way?”
“No. You’re born in a pack, like us. Not by smell,” Renee said and went back to her artwork.
“Not me,” Sarita said sounding as if Renee’s words didn’t bother her, but Jasmine saw the flash of pain in her eyes before it disappeared.
“They smell like me because I’m their mother.” She didn’t want to mention Hawke and get the child’s hopes up but she wanted to erase that look of shame from her face. Jasmine hugged Sarita tight and placed a kiss on her forehead. “You are special and can stay here as long as you like.”
The moment the words left her mouth Jasmine knew she meant them, but should never have spoken them without discussing it with Silas.
Sarita stared up at her with glassy eyes and then hugged her. Just as Asia belonged with them, Jasmine believed this one did too, now to get Silas to agree.
“I’ve got some things to do, you remember Lilly?” Jasmine pointed at Lilly sitting in the rocking chair next to Cameron.
Sarita nodded. “She’s going to be in here with all of you until dinner. Then we’ll all have dinner together. Okay?”
“Okay.” Sarita turned and looked around.
Walking out, Jasmine crossed her fingers they’d all get along. For one thing, as Silas’ kids they needed to get along with almost everyone. Plus Silas wanted them to attend school after the holidays and after listening to their discussions with the twins, she agreed they were ready even though they weren’t two years old. But those were human years, according to Silas in wolf years they should’ve started school by now. Now was as good a time as any for them to mingle with other kids.
Fighting the urge to remain and make everyone get along, she left the room without looking over her shoulder. They were kids, she reminded herself. She had nothing to be worried about.
“Let me have it,” Sarita asked Adam, holding out her hand.
“No. We can play.” He tossed the ball to her and stepped aside for her to toss it back. She didn’t. Instead she turned it over in her hand.
David could have told Adam she wouldn’t toss it back, it was in her eyes. She didn’t want to share.
“Throw,” Adam said, raising his voice. David glanced at him and then at Sarita. She ignored Adam and turned aside looking at the ball as if it held mysteries, testing his brother.
“If you’re not going to play, give it back,” Adam said moving forward.
Sarita stuck the ball behind her back and looked at Adam, who stopped right in front of her.
“Do something,” Renee said to David through their link.
“What?”
“She’s being mean, do something.”
“Adam’s okay.”
“If you don’t, I will.”
“No. She’s testing. Rone said bitches do that.”
“When did he say that?”
“Once we were talking.”
“I don’t like her.”
“Mama does.” And for him that settled it. No matter how silly this girl seemed his mom saw something in her, so she couldn’t be all that bad.
“Does not.”
“She hugged her, said she could stay.”
“Mama don’t know she’s mean.” Renee stood and looked at Adam trying to take the ball from Sarita without success.
“Leave them alone.” David met Renee’s determined gaze until she sat back down. Then he picked up the book he had been reading and acted as if he weren’t paying any attention to Sarita or Milfius who sat at the table watching Jackie work her puzzle.
“Why is he sitting with Jackie?” Renee asked.
“Don’t know.”
“She likes him?”
“I guess.”
“Why’re they in here?”
“Mama brought them.”
“I know, but why?”
“To play.”
“Where’s their mamas?”
“Don’t know.” He looked at Milfius again. The boy sat and didn’t say anything to anyone. Not that they’d gone out of their way to be friendly but at least Sarita talked.
“Keep it then,” Adam said and walked over to the table where David sat and picked up a book. David bit back a smile because they all knew Adam didn’t enjoy reading.
A few minutes later Sarita joined them at the table and handed Adam the ball. “Here, I don’t want it.”
David looked up and met her gaze. Cool gray eyes gazed down at him and she frowned. Adam took the ball and placed it on the floor beside him. “Thanks.” He continued to pretend to read while she stood next to the table.
“Where’s your mama?” Renee asked.
No one moved but David sensed Sarita’s discomfort at the question even though she didn’t look at Renee.
“Sarita, where’s your mama?” Renee asked louder this time.
Jaw clenched, she turned toward Renee. “Why?”
“Cause.”
“Cause why?”
“You’re here, why?” Renee sat up and stared at Sarita before looking at Milfius. “What happened, why you here?”
“Somebody stole me from our den. My sire is coming for me,” Milfius said in a low voice.
“What?” Adam said standing and moving toward Milfius. “Stole you?”
Milfius nodded and pushed out his chest.
“How did they get inside?” Jackie asked. “No one gets in our den.”