Chapter 6
Jasmine walked into Tyrone’s room, well rested, yet uneasy over the speed of her son’s recovery. Her sister may have a point, she thought, looking over her shoulder at the large man in the hall who watched her and then turned when he noticed she’d seen him. Was he following her? She frowned at the idea and walked inside the room.
The doctor stood at the bed talking with Tyrone in quiet tones. When she entered, her son smiled at her.
“Good morning, Mrs. Bennett,” the doctor said, reaching for her hand.
“Morning.” She placed her bag in the lower drawer and turned to face them.
“You look pretty,” Tyrone said.
“Thanks, hon.” She placed a kiss on his brow and looked at the doctor who watched them.
“What’s next for him?” she asked with a touch of apprehension.
The doctor’s brow furrowed as though he hadn’t expected that question. After clearing his throat he looked down at her. “I was just discussing that with Tyrone. I’m pleased with the progress of his healing.” His face pinked. “Although he needs more rest for a complete recovery,” he rushed, almost as an afterthought.
She eyed him and looked at her son.
“I have him scheduled to move to a rehab complex in the city for more treatment, and—”
Jasmine’s hand flew up in the air. “Hold up.” She pointed at the doctor, who appeared shocked at her interruption. “Seven days ago, my son stopped breathing, was in critical condition. The doctor told me it would take months for him to recover and now, he’s been here, what – five days, and almost looks like he did before he left for this last deployment.” She inhaled, pulling her thoughts together. “Now, I don’t want you to think I’m not grateful.” She shook her head. “I am, but something’s not right. Tell me right now what treatment you’ve given him that has him like this.” Her stomach quivered with nerves. She prayed they hadn’t done experimental procedures on her boy.
“Mrs. Bennett, the treatment I used on your son is a patented process unique to our hospital. It works when the recipient is in top condition and can heal on his own with therapy.” He crossed his arms and looked down at her. “I assure you, Tyrone has received the best medical care in the country for his situation.”
She crossed her arms. “Explain why the doctor at the other hospital said it would take so much longer for him to heal.”
He shrugged, nonplussed. “I can’t answer that. But I will tell you we use cutting edge technology here that many hospitals in the area don’t. And I am an expert in my field. We have done nothing wrong here.” He finished his tirade in a huff.
Exasperated that he’d put her on defense, she backed off, unwilling to apologize for being a concerned parent, but recognizing the need to mend bridges. Instead of addressing the specifics of Tyrone’s care, she ventured down another path. “Is this place expensive? Will the Army cover the cost?” No one had asked her for any information on him and that struck her as strange.
His face tightened. “Mr. Bennett has already talked to finance and admissions. From what I’ve read, his financial arrangements are current.”
She looked at her son. His clenched jaw stopped the next remark from leaving her mouth. Had she gone overboard? Embarrassed him? She wasn’t sure.
“Sorry I’m late,” Renee said, strolling into the room. She stopped and looked between the three occupants in the room. “What happened?”
Jasmine glanced at her son. The muscle in his forehead jumped. “Nothing, the doctor was just saying he wants Rone to go to another facility to finish recuperating.”
Renee eyed the doctor and then walked over to her nephew. “Rone, honey?”
He opened his eyes half-mast. “Hi aunty.”
“Hey sweetie. How do you feel? Are you up to moving again?” Worry clear in her voice.
Tyrone nodded. “I feel good, but I need to get stronger. Food, exercise, and time should do the trick.”
Renee patted his shoulder as she glanced at Jasmine. “When did you want him to begin?” she asked the doctor.
“By the end of the week, he should be ready by then.”
“Will there be a place for my sister?” Renee asked. “I’m leaving later today, things came up and I need to get back to Missouri. My other nephew will need to crash there as well.”
The doctor nodded, a pensive look on his face. “Living quarters are available for those using the facility because people come from all over the country.” There was a thread of pride in his voice. “I’ll check on what’s available and get back to you.” He made a point of looking at Tyrone when he said that last bit.
Jasmine stewed as they discussed her son’s next move as though she weren’t standing in the room. They want to play this card? She fumed as she listened.
“Okay, when’s Rese getting here?” Renee asked, looking at Tyrone and then at Jasmine.
Tyrone shrugged. “I don’t know, do you, mom?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to lash out, but she resisted and shook her head instead. Rather than explode over her treatment, she picked up her purse, hefted it onto her shoulder and left the room without a backward glance. She’d made it to the lobby, when her cell beeped.
Inhaling, she spoke in a calm tone. “Hey, baby. Where are you?” she asked Tyrese while pushing open the heavy glass door and then walking into the gardens.
“I’m just finishing up my debriefing. I’m waiting for my driver and then heading over there. How’s Rone?”
“He seems to be doing better, the doctor wants to move him to another facility for therapy and stuff,” she said, wondering what he thought of the move. He knew better than anyone how serious Tyrone’s injury had been.
“He does? Hmmm. What do you think about that?”
She released a long pent-up breath. “First off, I’m surprised by how fast he’s healing. Don’t get me wrong, if I never see him look the way he did that first day, I’m okay with that. It’s happening so fast. When I asked the doctor about it, he got offended and Rone acted like I'd embarrassed him.”
“For real?” The surprise in his voice was a soothing balm to her injured feelings. It had always been the three of them against the world. She understood they were able to make their own decisions, but there had always been respect and love between them.
“Yeah.” The sadness in her voice must have translated through the phone.
“Mom, you know he’d never do anything to stress you out. He’s going through things right now, don’t let it get to you.”
She looked straight ahead at the wild array of brilliant colors in the garden, inhaled the multitude of fragrances, and allowed the sweet smell ease her pain. “Hmmm.”
“Where are you?”
“What?”
“Where are you right now?”
“I’m at the hospital.”
“With Rone?”
“No.”
“Okay. Tell me, where you are?”
“Sitting in the garden.”
“Garden?”
“At the hospital. It’s pretty, and it calms me.”
“Okay. I’m in the car now and should be there in about…” he paused. She heard him talking to someone, ten more minutes. I want to see you first. Can you wait for me in the garden, please?”
Jasmine looked up at the cloudless blue sky. Throughout most of her marriage, her husband ignored her. The one thing she'd counted on keeping her sane was the connection with her sons. Now that appeared to be waning.
A shaft of pain lodged in her chest. “Yes, I’ll wait. See you soon.” Weary, she disconnected, and pulled a stick of gum from her purse. “What the hell happened to me?” she murmured. She’d met Davian in high school, they’d become friends. One night he’d been in pain and had come to see her. He couldn’t speak, he hurt so bad. Something clicked inside her and all she wanted was to ease his suffering. Instead of following her parent’s rule of no company when they weren't at home, she’d allowed her friend to come in for just a few minutes.
He’d looked terrible.
Sweat dripped from all over his body. One minute he’d been hot, the next cold. It baffled her, and she had no idea what to do. She held him as he cried, jerking in pain. Later, his breathing normalized and when he could speak, he thanked her. She’d pushed away, but he’d grabbed her hand and kissed her.
At first, she’d struggled, but the timid boy who’d been her closest buddy turned out to be real strong. One thing led to another and the next thing she knew, she’d cried out in pain and tried to push him off her. He moved a few more times, grunted, and rolled off. She’d scrambled away from him and demanded he leave. He started crying and apologizing as she pushed him out the door.
Two months later she told him she was pregnant. Her life had been one of duty and doing the right thing. Davian never loved her, and she didn’t love him either. But she’d been pregnant with twins. It hurt her parents. They wanted her to give her children up for adoption. Davian’s parents had been assholes and disowned him when he owned up to his kids. It had been hard in the beginning. She’d never made it to college like she’d dreamed. The constant moving and living in the boonies kept her from making lasting friendships. Now, at thirty-six, she was alone, and that sucked.
Tyrese Bennett hung up the phone and ground his teeth in anger at his brother. The one person they’d both swore would never be hurt in this charade was their mother. She’d suffered years of neglect and emotional abuse from their father. Although they'd promised their old man to never expose their wolf nature to anyone, keeping that bit of information from their mom hurt the most. His dad had been adamant that they keep her in the dark for her own safety, but he’d never bought into that explanation.
Heaven help them if she ever discovered they’d kept the fact their father had found his mate, and had lived the last few years of his life with Matt. Tyrese had hated the way his father treated his mom and vowed to never give her cause to be sad again. Now she sat in the gardens of that hospital upset because she had no idea her son was a wolf with serious healing capabilities.
He reached out to Tyrone through their link. “What’d you do to mom?”
“Hello to you too, bro.”
“Answer me.” Tyrese wasn’t in the mood to play games. Tyrone knew how protective he’d become of their mother since his dad had proved how much of an ass he could be.
“She was questioning the doctor over my care like I was an idiot just laying here. I didn’t say anything to her—”
“You’re an ass.”
“Of course I am. And you are?”
“Think for one moment how she feels. You were dead. Get that? Dead a week ago; now you’re ready to go jogging. She doesn’t understand your wolf abilities. Humans do not heal that fast.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah. If she’s upset, I swear I’m gonna fuck you up.”
“Too late, that’s already happened. I’ll send Aunty to find her so I can apologize.”
“I got this. I’ll see you later.” Tyrese disconnected their mental link as the car pulled beneath the hospital portico.
“Thanks, man.” He passed the driver a few bills as he exited the car. Striding inside to the information desk, he ignored the curious glances. “Hi, which way to the garden?”
“Which one? We have three,” the lady at the counter said, as she pulled a map from her desk. Pointing at the diagram, she spoke. “This is the largest, and it’s near the cafeteria.” Her finger roved the sheet. “And the other two smaller ones are located here and here. Just follow the map and signs, you shouldn’t have any problems.”
He took the paper and noticed she’d written a phone number on the front. He sent her a wink and a smile, with a promise in his eyes to get back in touch. It had been a while since he’d indulged himself between a woman’s thighs, and she looked hot.
“I need to talk with you. Come to my office.” Tyrese stumbled as an unfamiliar voice entered his mind. At first he thought he was hearing things. He looked up and then around, searching for speakers. When he didn’t see anything, he shrugged and continued toward the cafeteria gardens.
“I’m not going to ask you again. Come into my office, now.”
This time there was no way Tyrese could misunderstand. Someone had just spoken to him through a similar link he’d used to speak to his brother a few minutes ago. Curious and half afraid, he followed the thread.
“Who are you?”
“La Patron. I need to speak to you before you speak with your mother.”
At the mention of his mother, Tyrese balked. “My mom? What does she have to do with this?” One moment he was standing in the middle of the hall, the next he was on all fours in wolf form.
He yelped. His paws all but slid over the concrete floor as the feeling of being dragged forward ran through him. His wolf followed directions that led him up a series of stairs into a room where two men sat at a conference table.
“Close the door,” a large man with green eyes said.
Tyrese’s wolf turned and nudged the door closed. When finished, he sat on the floor wagging his tail, much to Tyrese’s disgust. This was the first time in years he'd had no control over his animal. That someone else, someone he didn’t know, had control, pissed him off and scared him.
“Come take a seat, we have much to discuss in a short amount of time. Right now your mother is enjoying the gardens, but I don’t know how long she plans to stay.” The man waved to a chair at the table.
Tyrese wanted to say she waited for him, but he couldn’t speak. A moment later, he lay naked on the floor in human form. Because he hadn’t called his wolf, the words he normally invoked to insure his clothing reappeared when he reverted back to human were missing.
“There are clothes on the chair. Get dressed.”
Tyrese stood and walked backward to the chair. As he dressed, he glared at the man who’d just blown his theory that he and his brother could handle anything life threw at them.
“I think you know who I am, would you mind explaining who you are and what do you know of my mother?” Tyrese took a seat at the table.
“I’m Silas Knight, the Patron. This is Jayden – Alpha of this area. You and your family are guests on his pack lands and owe him thanks. I don’t know how much you know or understand about pack dynamics, but while in his territory you show him respect.”
Tyrese understood and nodded. “Alpha Jayden, my thanks for the care of my family.”
Jayden nodded. “La Patron promised your brother he would protect your mother and his aunt. I serve him.”
Tyrese was pleased Tyrone had taken care of the care of the women who mattered most to them. He looked at the Patron. “I owe you my gratitude.” He bowed from the waist.
“It was important to do so,” the Patron said, leaning back in his chair while looking at Tyrese. “Let me be clear, young wolf. I control the Alphas in this country. The well-being of the wolf nation is my number one priority. I have extended my protection to your family to allow me time to study the unique occurrence of your birthright.”
Tyrese froze. He’d known sooner or later his father’s fears would be realized. He’d hoped it would be later.
“First off, a human female gives birth to two pups. They all live healthy lives. She is not the mate of the wolf who impregnates her. There is no emotional connection to stop her from becoming impregnated again from another wolf. We have an untenable situation here. Wolves mate for life. Period. The human element upsets the balance.”
For the first time since his forced change, Tyrese recognized the seriousness of the matter. “How can we explain the unexplainable?”
“You can’t. Perhaps now you understand why I cannot allow the three of you to leave here until we have more answers.”
Tyrese couldn’t believe the nerve of the man. “What? Why? We’ve lived like this for years with no problems.”
The older man shrugged. “Your mother has been fortunate a wolf has not taken her to bed and bred her full of pups. No one knows of her capabilities. Nor are we sure of yours. By the end of the week, your family will move to Alpha Jayden’s facility for further treatment. During that time I will watch and assess you and your twin’s level of competence. The two of you are the first hybrids we’ve come across and we need to understand more about you.”
With each word, Tyrese’ anger escalated, yet the men remained composed in their seats as the older one continued telling him that they were in effect his prisoners.
“No,” Tyrese said, the calm tone of his voice in direct opposition with his feelings.
“Did I forget to mention the only other alternative is that I’ll kill all four of you in the next few minutes if you disagree?” The words, spoken in a nonchalant manner made them all the more menacing.
Tyrese blew out a stream of air. “I thought you offered my mom and aunt protection, what happened to that?”
“I offered protection until your brother could retake the job himself. His test results from this morning relinquished me of that duty.”
“What kinda place is this? You threaten to wipe out innocent families if they don’t do what you say?” He shook his head. “Damn, the old man was right about packs after all. They’re a bunch of –”
“Watch it young wolf. You’re granted a small amount of leniency because you don’t understand pack life. But if you live past today, you will learn, and learn it fast. You’re speaking of things you have no knowledge. But you do not ever disrespect the pack, any pack. Is that clear?”
Tyrese hesitated. A whip of power lashed across his chest, tightening until he took sips of air. “I will not ask again,” Silas said in a low voice.
“I understand,” Tyrese choked out. The tightness disappeared. He gasped for air, certain he’d fallen down the rabbit hole.
“Good. The first thing you need to do is convince your mother it’s in everybody’s best interest for her to go with her sons to therapy. All three of you must go.”
“My aunt?”
“At this time she is not of interest. Based on her preference, and the fact she’s had a hysterectomy, we do not fear she’ll be used as a breeder.”
“Breeder?” Tyrese shook his head. “How long will we stay as your guests?”
His sarcastic tone appeared lost on the Patron. “Until I am certain you pose no threat to my people.”
Dread filled Tyrese. Tyrone tried to contact him through their link and he blocked him. “And my mother?”
The man shrugged. “We shall see, young wolf. I feel no real threat from her. We believe that any bitch who breeds wolves is a gift from the goddess.”
Tyrese released a breath he’d been holding. “So she’s safe.”
“It depends on how you interpret that. One thing for sure, her activities will be curtailed for the immediate future. And you and your brother need to convince her that staying at the complex longer is a good thing. Just because we won’t physically harm her, does not mean she won’t suffer if she tries to run away.”
Tyrese closed his eyes. His mom was going to shit bricks.