by Sydney Addae
“And big houses? He can make everybody a big one like ours,” Adam said.
To tell them about the cost to their father’s body and soul to carve out a place for him and his den would mean nothing, not at this point in their lives. They had no idea how life worked, and that was her fault. Silas had wanted them exposed to pack life earlier, so they could see how everyone worked together for the whole, but she’d objected, wanting them to stay babies longer. Now when they needed to show compassion and understanding, they had no idea what it meant.
“Ask your daddy when you see him, he’ll explain what he can do and what he can’t. As I said not all pack members live the way we do and I want to talk about what some go through and how we can help make their lives easier.”
“Easier? I’mma kid, what can I do?” Renee asked.
“Let’s go back to why we keep you safe, with security guards and don’t allow you to leave the house or the yard –”
“Like the circus?” David asked.
They weren’t ever going to forget Silas changing his mind on the circus while Renee was in town. “Yes, like the circus. The people who want to kill people who are different were looking for children to take away.”
Their eyes widened. David frowned but continued watching her.
“Take them where?” Jackie asked.
“To a place where they could teach them different things,” Jasmine said not wanting to give them nightmares. She’d had plenty from the time Silas explained LOBO.
“Away from home?” Adam asked.
“Yes away from their families, away from pack. And being small and little the children couldn’t fight back.”
Adam jumped up and held his fist in a fighter’s stance. “I’d beat them, they won’t take me.” He swung his fist as if he were in an imaginary fight.
“Did they take any children?” Jackie asked in a soft voice.
Swallowing hard, Jasmine nodded.
“No, mama. I fight them,” Adam said looking at her confused.
“Sit down, Adam,” Renee said patting the spot next to her. “Mama’s talking.”
“What happened?” David asked.
“Stealing pups, I mean children has been happening a long time. It’s gotten worse. Asia was taken when she was small.”
“Asia?” Jackie cried sitting taller. “But she’s big and can fight.”
“Now she can. But she does not remember who her mom or dad was. She’s been looking for her family for a long time. She didn’t know her pack.” Jasmine let her words rest in the silence of the room. Jackie was the first to start crying.
“What’s the matter, baby?” She asked Jackie who covered her wet face.
“Asia. That’s bad for her. She’s so nice, and that’s… that’s bad.”
“Yes, but she’s getting better. She has us. We’re her family now. Her pack. If she needs anything, we’re here to help her. Remember, pack takes care of pack, makes sure everyone has what they need. So no one is left out or alone.”
“She doesn’t know who her pack is? Before us?” Adam asked.
“No, she has no memory of being a little girl, or what her house looked like or the clothes she wore. For a long time she was embarrassed, and people mistreated her.”
“Why? It wasn’t her fault. Someone took her away,” Renee said surprising Jasmine.
Smiling, she nodded. “That’s true, Renee. It wasn’t her fault. The children who are stolen from home and grow up without a pack, it’s never their fault. But sometimes we make them feel like it is by the way we treat them.”
“No, we don’t,” Adam said.
“Yes, we did,” Jackie said watching Jasmine. “Sarita got no pack.”
“Sarita’s mean. She don’t play fair,” Adam protested.
“How did she get here, mama?” David asked.
“Some men were taking her and Malfius somewhere and Cameron caught them on pack lands.”
“She told us that,” Adam said.
“I didn’t believe her,” Renee said.
“Were they going to kill her?” Jackie asked in a low voice.
Jasmine shrugged. “We don’t know for sure, but they have killed a lot of the children. Sarita believes they were going to kill her and was scared.”
“I would be scared too,” Jackie said with feeling.
“When you’re scared, are you friendly? Happy? Sad?” Jasmine asked, looking at each of them.
“Sometimes sad,” Adam said. “But I don’t get scared.”
“Why not, Adam?” Jasmine asked.
“Because.” He pointed to the other three.
“They won’t let anything happen to you?”
Adam shook his head. “No. And my daddy will stop anybody.” He sounded too much like Silas at the moment.
“What if you didn’t have your brother, sisters or your daddy, what would you do then?”
A look of surprise, then contemplation and then confusion crossed Adam’s face. She knew he couldn’t imagine a world without his litter mates or sire.
“Well Sarita has no sisters, brothers and does not know anything about her family. She comes here and sees all of you. How is she supposed to act when she’s never seen anything like the four of you before?”
“She could be nice,” Adam said.
“Maybe that was her idea of being nice. Maybe where she came from if she didn’t speak up or take charge she was punished. Or maybe she was punished for being nice.”
“That’s not nice,” Renee said.
“No, it’s not.” Jasmine tried to think of a way to explain Sarita without saying too much. Silas did not want her to mention a possible connection to Asia and after seeing how much the children loved Asia she agreed. They’d need to deal with Sarita and every other person as an individual without making snap judgments.
“Some children are in places that are not nice. When they leave those places they need time to… adjust. To get things straight in their head. They need to feel safe.”
“So why did she leave if she needed to be safe?” David asked.
“Who left?” Jackie asked.
“Yeah, who left?” Adam asked looking at David and then Jasmine.
“Sarita left last night. Daddy’s looking for her,” David said.
“Daddy found her,” Jasmine corrected and prayed the young child would be alright. She hadn’t made it out the compound. Silas found her lying on the ground near the fence. They’d been afraid the winter weather had taken her but she pulled through. Matt had her in one of the smaller lab rooms downstairs. She would be on bed rest for the next few days.
“Is she okay?” Jackie asked.
“No. She’s very sick. We will pray that she gets better,” Jasmine said watching Jackie’s eyes widen and then fill.
“Okay, mama,” Jackie whispered into the quiet room.
“Why did she run away if she has no pack?” Adam asked.
“Yes, why?” Renee asked looking up at her.
Jasmine looked at David. “Why do you think she ran away?”
“She wasn’t happy. Maybe scared. Maybe she wanted her pack and tried to find them?”
“Could be.” She held his gaze a few seconds longer before turning to the others. “Why do you think she ran away?”
“I don’t know. She didn’t have a coat,” Renee said. “She had on my coat yesterday.”
“This is what I want each of you to think about.” Her voice rose over theirs and she waited until their eyes were on her.
“Think of everything that happened from the day I brought Sarita and Malfius in this room to meet you. Think back on every conversation and everything you did with her.”
“Mama, it’s not our fault she left,” Jackie said.
“No, sweetie, that’s not what I’m saying. She left on her own. What I want is for us to look on the inside to see if we could’ve been kinder to someone who does not have as much as we have. Being your daddy’s kids goes both ways. True, you get a lot, but… and this is importan
t. A lot more is expected of you because you are his kids. Other people watch how you treat people, especially kids and will copy what they see you do.” She paused to allow her words to settle. “Did you see anyone talking with Sarita yesterday?”
“I thought she didn’t want to play,” Renee said.
“I didn’t want to play with her,” Adam said with feeling. “She’s mean.”
“Did you tell anyone you didn’t want to play with her or that she’s mean?” Jasmine asked him.
Adam nodded. “Somebody asked who she was and I told them.”
“Aunt Renee gave me a box of chalk and she broke some,” Renee complained.
“You have several boxes of chalk,” Jasmine said.
“Not from Aunty,” Renee said as if that made all the difference.
Jasmine sat back with a sigh. Did they not understand? Silas insisted she allow them to make up their own minds but she had one more card to play. She glanced at her watch. It was almost time.
“Nurse, help them get dressed to go outside.” Each face lit with excitement as they hopped up and ran toward their clothing cubicles. Jasmine waited near the door with a determined stance. God and the Goddess allowed Sarita to come into their lives at a time when hearts mellowed and were filled with good will toward all. She’d gone about her Christmas festival wrong, her kids had gotten the wrong message.
She hoped to correct that.
Chapter 12
Jasmine and the kids stepped into the courtyard and stopped. “What happened?” Adam, dressed in a navy blue long jacket, with matching boots, gloves and hat, asked looking around. “Where’d the rides go?” He and the other three looked up at her.
Jasmine stared at her girls. Both so different. Renee looked spit polished, with a pink and yellow coat with white piping, matching pink boots, gloves and hat. Her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail but looked chic. Jackie wore the same outfit, with a similar ponytail. But the coat tilted to the side and didn’t lay on her shoulders correctly. The hat covered most of her forehead and strands of hair escaped the band holding her hair in place. David wore a black coat, same style as Adam. Maybe it was the color, but he looked older than the others.
“We put them away for now to do something different, something important. Come on, let’s take a seat over there.” She pointed to the bleachers where quite a few people sat, looking around.
“But I wanted to ride the big wheel again,” Adam whined, moving slowly across the courtyard but picked up speed when one of the kids he had played ball with yesterday waved at him.
“What’s this, Mama?” Jackie asked as she took a seat next to Jasmine. “Who’s playing with animals?” She pointed to the makeshift stage with two sheep, a horse and a cow in a loosely made corral Jasmine had housekeeping erect early this morning.
“Wait and see.” She patted Jackie’s leg and half listened to Adam talk to his friends.
“I heard she got caught running in the snow and fell down. Did she die?” one small voice asked.
Jasmine had forgotten to tell the children not to repeat what she’d told them about Sarita and cursed at the oversight. Jasmine strained to hear the answer when Jackie stiffened and looked over her shoulder in Adam’s direction.
“No, she’s not dead. Just hurt,” Adam said turning in his seat to face the stage.
“But what happened? How’d she get hurt?” the voice pressed.
“Did she get in a fight and someone leave her out there?”
“Probably, she’s so mean.”
Jackie turned. Jasmine grabbed her hand to keep her from responding. David and Renee sat in the row in front of her, and she gave them each a stern look, warning them not to get involved. Adam had to learn how to interact with others on his own.
“She’s not mean. Not really. You just have to know her,” Adam said softly. Jasmine released a pent up breath.
“I don’t want to know her,” one kid said.
Adam shrugged and continued to look ahead.
“Here comes daddy,” Jackie said pointing at Silas. The moment he entered the courtyard, everyone stopped talking and moving about.
Jasmine’s chest lifted in pride at the man she’d grown to love with every fiber of her being. Earlier, when she voiced her concerns, he listened and worked with her to make things right. They worked as a team to do this for their den and pack.
“Tomorrow is Christmas,” Silas said into the quiet. “A lot of you have been good all year waiting for this special day.”
Someone snorted.
Silas laughed. “Yeah, not in my den either. I’m remembering a picture of a clown…” Jackie leaned into Jasmine’s side as people looked at them, smiling.
“The year has been tough. We’ve overcome a lot of challenges to the pack and are stronger than ever. The Goddess smiles upon us.”
The crowd applauded until Silas took control again.
“My mate asks that we take a moment to remember the reason for the celebration of the past few days. We play games, have parties and try to find the perfect gifts for those we love. But I ask my pups, why do we do this? I am the best gift the Goddess could give to my mate, and she is my perfect gift. I celebrate my love for her every day. So, why Christmas?”
Jasmine’s heart expanded as tears filled her eyes. “I love you so much,” she said through their link.
He winked at her and looked over his shoulder. Jacques and Victoria stepped in behind him with a pedestal in one hand and a book in the other.
“My mate is human. Christmas for the most part is a human tradition, but…” he paused and looked at the crowd. “I believe there are lessons to be learned from everything. And tonight we will sit, listen and learn.” He turned to Jacques and Victoria, who stood quietly dressed in black from head to toe.
“And now, I leave it to you, Jacques.” Silas walked across the courtyard, picked up Renee from the seat he stepped on and sat next to Jasmine. With one arm he hugged his mate and brushed a kiss against her lips.
“I still expect a gift tonight,” she said.
“Sweet Bitch, I give you a gift every night.”
She smiled and moved aside as David climbed on the seat and sat next to Jackie. A few moments later, Adam sat next to Renee, just as Jacques spoke.
“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about...” Jacque’s deep melodic voice touched her heart and she smiled as Rone and Rose walked slowly into view.
“That’s Rone,” Adam said. “And Rose.”
“Shhh,” Jasmine said and pointed to the unfolding action as Jacques continued telling the Christmas story. When he got to the part where Cameron, the innkeeper, turned Rose and Rone away, Jackie tugged at her blouse.
“Why they do that, mama? She got a baby in her stomach.”
“Because the hotel is full, and they don’t have any rooms left,” Jasmine whispered, knowing everyone heard.
“I’ll find them a room,” Adam said in a loud whisper. Silas placed his hand on Adam’s shoulder and gave him a look.
Jacques and Victoria looked at them with suppressed smiles. At least the kids were listening. By the time the three wise men, Rese, Hank and Danielle, entered with bright colored gift boxes and placed them at Rose’s feet, every child in the stands leaned forward with eager eyes.
“I got a bigger box than that under our tree,” one kid whispered.
“I got lots more presents than that,” another kid said, not bothering to whisper but settled down when Rese stood and stared at him.
Jacques looked at her and continued his narration. Jasmine wondered if he rushed through to the end because before she realized it, Rone, Rose, Rese, Danielle, Cameron, Lilly, Hank and Jarcee were bowing in front of an enthusiastic audience.
Silas kissed her cheek and walked to Jacques.
“The size or the number of the gifts didn’t matter,” Silas said, drawing everyone’s attention. “When the Goddess blesses her children with a gift, nothing in this world or the next matches it, not becau
se of the gift but because of the Giver. That’s why we cherish and protect whatever she blesses us with. Because we believe She gives us Her best.”
A loud roar of cheers and applauds accompanied his words. He waved behind him to the makeshift stage. “In this story, God gave a perfect gift to everyone. He provided a way for humans to communicate and fellowship with Him through His son, the Christ.”
Jasmine sat stunned as Silas explained her faith to his people, offering a different point of view for worship. She had no idea he understood who Christ was and what He meant to her. Heart near bursting she covered her mouth as he led everyone into the song, we wish you a Merry Christmas.
Everyone joined in, even her kids. When had they learned the song? Rone and Rese smiled at her and she knew those two had something to do with this surprise. When the song was over, Silas extended his hand to her. She wiped her eyes, moved Jackie from her lap and stood to meet him.
“My mate has started a new tradition for our nation. In honor of all the humans and half-breeds who live among us and are Christians, on Christmas Eve we open one gift together as a pack. All over the country, every pack is celebrating this holiday and opening a gift with loved ones tonight.”
Jasmine’s mouth dropped at his declaration. She couldn’t believe he’d done that, the wolf nation worshipped the Goddess, not Christ.
Silas brushed his lips against hers. “If it’s good for this Alpha, it’s good for every Alpha.”
She nodded and walked to her mom who wrapped her arms around her. “Merry Christmas honey. It was hard keeping this from you. But we surprised you, right?”
Unable to speak past the lump in her throat, Jasmine nodded.
“Now, everyone please be seated. La Patron and his mate will hand out their gifts to you,” Jacques said. “If you have other gifts to exchange with loved ones, please do that when you return to your homes. The gifts tonight are from our Alpha.”
Jasmine straightened, got her bearings and joined Silas, who had pulled the first of many large boxes closer to them.
“David, Jackie, Adam and Renee, come here,” Silas said, surprising Jasmine again. The children walked forward and stood facing them.