by Sydney Addae
"Physically? Yes. Not sure about mentally. She needs to be at the ranch with Ramos." He glanced at Renee. "Is that possible?"
Jackie exhaled. "I don't know. Everything happened so fast. We haven't really talked. Plus, I'm pretty sure we'll need to have that conversation face to face." Her gaze met his. "He's not like you think or have been led to believe. Daddy's all about pack. He killed those rebels for kidnapping pups. My mom's pissed that Craig, Sean, Marsha and Penny has been victimized. She has a national group of women who watch over the pack and this is still happening. She's angry and wants to fix the atmosphere that allows this kind of thing to flourish."
"They want to talk to Ramos?"
"Yes. And Antwan and the rebels they pulled in the woods. Kidnapping pups, breeding them at such young ages, the abuse, all of that has to stop," she said.
Quinn placed a clean sheet over Marsha's still, nude body and walked to his mate. Taking her in his embrace, he brushed his lips against hers. Her arms tightened around his neck as their foreheads touched. "You sure you're not his ambassador? You got me believing," Quinn teased.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Silas released a long sigh after saying good-bye to Renee and Jackie. His princess was indeed mated to a breed with a shadowy past. Quinn had heart and gumption, probably in equal measure because Silas hadn't learned much about the man even after searching Quinn's mind for answers. The insolent pup had locked every scrap of information down except his medical training. To pry further, Silas would've had to destroy Quinn to find out anything. He couldn't do that. No, he had to trust the Goddess and his princess regarding Quinn York and that rankled.
"All done? How'd it go?" Jasmine asked as she sat next to him on the sofa in their living room. He'd decided to deal with the rebels away from his office in relative comfort with his mate next to him. She passed him a tall glass of sweet tea and waited.
Appreciative, he patted her thigh, and took a long pull while gathering his thoughts. The silence in the room calmed and cleared the misty remains from Renee's colorful imagination and thoughts. Even while in a rested thought she read the world through a color palette, immediately noticing the ragged, beige and black dress the pup Penny wore, the clash of colors on the walls and floor. There had been so much minutia, he completely blocked her thoughts to focus on the rebels.
"Rebels." They were a constant thorn in his side, always had been but this, destroying and compromising pups... such young pups, left a hole in his heart. Somehow Marsha, Craig, Penny, Sean and the others fell through cracks he hadn't filled.
"Pups," he amended. "How am I still failing them?" He looked down at her, read the compassion in her gaze and looked away. Right now, he didn't need to be mollified. A pup almost died and he hadn't known of her existence. There had to be a way to better protect pups from rebels.
"Failing them? I thought you saved her life. What happened?" Jasmine asked.
Silas explained the events with the rebels, pups, Quinn and Jackie before looking at her again.
"We have a problem," Jasmine said, frowning. "No one abuses pack, especially pups."
"Agreed." Neither said anything more but he was certain she rolled through possible solutions just as he was doing.
"Sir, we're ready for the conference call," Hanks said through their link.
"I'm in my suites, send it here."
"Yes, Sir."
Silas told Jasmine about the call, together they walked into the den, activated the large wall screen and waited on the sofa. "Is this a good idea?" she asked.
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"Talking to everyone except Jackie and Quinn, his uncle I mean," Jasmine explained.
"As soon as those two come up for air I want to talk to them face to face, but that's not happening now and we need answers. His uncle's been operating in Tennessee for over a century." Silas shook his head. "A century and I didn't know. How could we not know?"
"He saved a lot of lives," Jasmine said covering his balled fist.
"True... that goes a long way in making me feel better about all of this. Hopefully he can give us some ideas on how to stop the rebels." He paused, looked down at her and opened his link to help her understand how full of pride he had been earlier as he watched Jackie engage with pack.
"Sweet Bitch, you should've have seen her. Nothing we've ever taught or done for any of them could've brought her to that moment when she experienced the true pack dynamic. The look in her eyes as she picked up the pup, his affection for her and hers for him... it's what I want all of them to understand, to experience. Seeing her light up that way touched me in a way I can't explain."
Jasmine squeezed his hand and nodded. "Her mate exposed her to that. Maybe that's part of their connection. Him helping her find her voice, or mission. Think she'll go back to Houston?"
Silas shrugged. "I don't know. She never brought it up, everything was about the pups."
The screen flickered. Ramos, his mate, and Alpha Gilbert were on the screen. Gilbert immediately stood, the other two moved slower but the all bowed and greeted him and Jasmine.
"Sit, please sit. I appreciate you taking time to answer questions for us. First, this is my mate, Jasmine," Silas said.
"Hello La Patroness," Gilbert said. "It's been a while, and it's good to see you again."
"Same here, Gilbert. Wish it was under different circumstances. How is the pregnant young lady doing?" Jasmine asked.
Gilbert shuffled through a few papers. "Stable, and on bed-rest until delivery."
"Good. Thanks, Ramos and Antwan and you Gilbert for saving her life. It was extremely clever and well done," Jasmine said.
Ramos nodded but didn't say anything.
"Thank you, Ma'am," Antwan said.
"Also, I thank the two of you for rescuing and saving pups and pack for how long did you say?" She looked at Silas.
"Over a hundred years," Silas said the words bittersweet on his tongue.
"Wow, thank you. I know you didn't do it for us, nevertheless, we do thank you for your sacrifice. Is there anything we can do for you to help you continue this service?" Jasmine asked.
"What are you doing?" Silas asked her.
"They're successful, we aren't. Not in this arena. We’ll just back the winners on a case by case basis. After all this time, we know everybody's not going to join the pack but they need help just the same. We give it to them in a way they can accept. Nothing more or less," Jasmine said.
Ramos had been stuttering his surprise.
Antwan stared at the screen without saying anything.
"Sir, one thing they need is a fully equipped clinic or hospital to help those who won't come on pack lands," Gilbert said. "From what I've seen of the ranch it's large enough to build one on the grounds." He looked at a stunned Ramos. "Do you think you can staff it? Right now, you just have the one person working it, but if it's larger, and modernized you'll need more staff."
Ramos stared at Gilbert and then his tortured gaze looked directly at Silas. "I don't understand. You killed mam. You kill those who disobey you. Why are you doing this when I refused to register, and never took the pups who came through my ranch to register." He frowned as if the math didn't add up.
"Pack died for not registering?" Jasmine asked. The current penalty was less severe even though some Alphas posted jail or death if not followed.
"Yes, when I met you in the hospital I ordered Tyrone's death because he was unregistered. I changed it, but it had been the law."
"This explains why many hide, instead of coming forward for help and fall victims to the rebels, they still see you as that Alpha," she said.
"To an extent, I am that same Alpha," he said wanting her to see him as he saw himself.
"I could never have fallen in love with someone who killed his own for a reason like that. You changed and I think you're a better wolf for it. Based on what you've told me and what I've seen, there will always be wolves who aren't comfortable in a large, organized pack. They'll always be tho
se who crave the freedom of smaller groups and the wild. That doesn't make them less pack, does it? Based on what the Goddess expects of you, does it make them less pack?"
"No, it doesn't make them less anything." Uncertain of his feelings on the subject, he turned and met Ramos' intent gaze. "Who was your mam?"
"Arianna. She went looking for you and then nothing but her cursing you as she died."
"Arianna again?" Jasmine sounded aggravated. "Should I tell him how crazy that woman was? What she did to Cameron? To Theron?"
Silas watched Ramos. How much damage had the breed done to the pack over the past decades with his attitude against the Nation. What would happen if they relaxed the rules against joining pack further? How would Silas govern if he had no idea of the size and needs of his pack? Would that create more rebels? He wasn't sure and would discuss it with his brother, Angus and Jacques later. As Jasmine suggested, they could do this slowly with a few exceptions.
"I'm not sensing anger as much as confusion. The past is dead and Arianna is buried. If you think it's important to work with Ramos, we need to mend this breach," Silas said.
"We should work with him and his mate. No need to discuss that psycho bitch," Jasmine said.
"I recall Arianna. She threatened my mate and was guilty of a lot of crimes. But she did not die by my hands. She was in a tunnel that collapsed, it killed her." No need to mention the tunnel collapsed by his hand or that he would have strangled her if he had the chance.
Ramos nodded slowly. "I see."
"The law was relaxed after I discovered half-breeds living among us."
"Pardon me, Sir. But how is it you didn't know? We've been here for decades, centuries." Ramos rubbed his forehead with his fingers. "I'm having a difficult time understanding that you... La Patron had no idea of our plight. Of the infighting and bloodshed amongst us. Mam was passed around more than a pot of coffee for her ability to birth pups. She wasn't the only one either." He shook his head slightly. "I can't understand how you didn't know, didn't stop, what was going on."
A ball of fire pressed against Silas' chest. He released a long stream of air to ease the ache that never truly left behind this particular blind spot and failure.
Jasmine squeezed his hand and leaned into him offering comfort.
"I didn't know," Silas said slowly into the silence, adding nothing else. The infiltration of his pack by his enemies for so long was his greatest shame. Over the years, he tried to make restitution, but at the end of the day his ignorance of a festering cancer in his pack caused significant damage, and he still felt the fallout.
For several seconds, no one spoke.
"Goddess strengthen me," Ramos whispered, eyes wide as he continued staring at Silas and Jasmine. "You... you really didn't know?"
Silas shook his head. "No. Once I found out, we fought back on several continents. But until my mate stepped into the hospital to care for her son, I had no idea people like him existed."
Ramos sat back in his seat as if someone sucked the breath out of him. "All this time... I thought..." He wiped his face with his palm and closed his eyes. "Sir, I apologize."
"For?" Silas knew it was petty but since he'd just admitted his biggest sin he wanted Ramos to do the same.
"All the things I've thought and said about you. All this time I thought you ignored breeds, that you were a different version of the rebels who hate us but need us to remain relevant."
"That's harsh," Jasmine said.
"Again, I apologize, Ma'am. Decades of thinking a certain way will take a moment to readjust," Ramos said.
"Understandable," Jasmine said smoothly. "I like Gilbert's idea of building a clinic on your land for pack who won't come on pack lands. When you and your mate have time to think through it, contact Alpha Gilbert so we can make it happen."
"Yes, Ma'am," Antwan said while rubbing his mate's back.
"Does this mean Quinn didn't need to register in the database?" Ramos asked.
"Depends on why he registered," Silas said wondering where this was going.
Ramos smiled. "His mate asked him to do it."
Pride raced through Silas. His princess backed him even though Quinn had been taught against the registry. "In that case, I'd say he needed to do whatever made his mate happy." He picked up Jasmine's hand and kissed the back of it.
"Yes, Sir." Ramos paused, and cleared his throat. "There are a few things we feel can make life harder for rebels and keep pack safer."
"Like what?" Silas asked, listening intently. For the next hour they discussed strategy on how to curtail rebel activity in the mountains.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Taurus stared at the woman sitting across the desk from him and tamped down his anger. He'd been trying to contact the men sent to recover the pups and hadn't heard anything since they returned. He glanced at his watch and hoped this meeting would conclude soon. He planned to fly to Knoxville and spend time with Marsha and Penny.
"We're closer to getting this deal done, shouldn't be more than another 24 hours," Kristin Scott said from her chair in front of the desk. Inhaling, he sensed her fear. It wasn't of him, they'd been lovers long enough for him to recognize that particular strain. This was something different.
"Everything alright?" He tried to inject a modicum of concern in his voice when he wanted to cleanse the stench of her perfume from the air. Humans, especially those who thought then knew everything, disgusted and amused him. But they had their uses.
"Not really." She met his gaze directly. He liked she didn't back down, liked her drive and ambition. If she were a full-blood wolf, she'd be perfect. "Bradley's been acting strange lately, secretive."
"I thought you had his signature on the contract and it passed the legal department." As much as he enjoyed time with the delectable Kristin, if she didn't come through on her part of the deal, he'd snap her neck like a twig for wasting so much of his time. Time was one commodity he couldn't replace.
"Yes. Yes, that's done, the money should hit your bank in the morning and my offshore account." Frowning, she pursed her lips while looking toward the wall.
"So, what's the problem?" He didn't give a damn as long as the money he needed refilled his coffers. His pack needed supplies and food.
"Bradley's been acting strange lately, that's all. Normally he's not in the office but he's been staying late and refusing help." She snorted. "That's not like him at all."
"Does this impact me at all?" He wanted to catch that flight and deal with the traitorous bitch Marsha tonight before he bred Penny.
Kristin's eyes narrowed. "Only if he's poking around this deal you signed off on."
The words "so what?" were poised on his lips.
"He's a nasty bastard when crossed. He'd go public. Your face would light up the news and internet in a flash. If the company's buried like you said, and he's pissed, he won't stop digging," she warned.
"You knew this when you set the new woman up to take the fall?" he asked with grudging admiration.
"Of course, the bitch thought she could walk in and run my shop. Pity we lost Greenberg on that last contract, he was useful." She crossed her legs and he could see the light of cold calculation in her eyes. He wondered what patsy she used this time and promptly dismissed it. Over the course of their lucrative partnership she'd masterfully skimmed over a million dollars for him and he'd helped her in other ways, often resulting in bloodshed.
"You may need to take care of him," she said softly. "I'll let you know."
"I'm flying out of town tonight. I'll call you in the morning when I'm settled." They both knew he wouldn't, he never did but always said he would.
She stood with a slight smile tugging her lips. "If I didn't know what a stingy bastard you were, I'd be jealous you were using money from my hard work on another woman." She winked, turned and walked to the door. He watched the swing of her hips and inhaled her womanly scent.
His dick hardened and his beast howled. It had been three days since he'd sunk into her
.
"Come here," he said stopping her as he unbuckled his belt. Fuck it. He would take a later flight.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Holding hands, Jackie and Quinn left the hospital after making sure Marsha was on the mend and Alpha Gilbert sent security for her safety. Nionis and Renee had returned to Nionis' home after taking the pups and the caregiver to the ranch.
Ramos and Antwan were meeting with Alpha Gilbert and Jackie was certain her father would talk to the men as well. She sent a quick prayer to the Goddess that the meeting would go well. She thought of Craig and hoped he understood why she wasn't at the ranch.
"Has Ramos had a chance to look into Craig's family?" she asked as they made their way to the jeep Ramos gave him to use.
"I'm not sure." He glanced at her. "Growing attached?"
Jackie cared deeply for the pup but wasn't sure what to do about her feelings. "In a way," she hedged before sitting in the passenger seat.
"Safe house?" he asked.
"Yes, Alpha Gilbert gave it to us for as long as we need it."
He nodded and pulled out the hospital parking lot. "When is your sister leaving?"
"In the morning, she has to go to work."
"What about you? When do you need to be back at work?" He glanced at her and then back at the road.
"I took this week off." She turned to face him. "We haven't talked about where we'll live or anything like that yet. What do you want to do?"
"How important is your work to you? You've never talked about it."
Which is your answer, she thought. "I enjoy the work. Mentally it's challenging and stimulating. I need that." Each positive point was checked and given weight.
"I'm sensing a "but" in there," he said after a few seconds of silence.
"Cons would be the people. Too much greed, insincerity and a level of viciousness that spins my head. Watching my back gets old after a while."
"To be fair, that happens in pack businesses too, just not as much," he said.