Chapter 14
Silas listened to her slow breaths as she drifted to sleep. It wasn’t often the Goddess spoke to him in such a strong manner. With care he released Jasmine, made sure she lay comfortable, and stepped away from the bed. After one last look, he walked out her bedroom and closed the door. He made it to the sofa, closed his eyes and released himself.
His eyes opened, and he saw his face reflected in a pool of water. The white garments he wore surprised him, but he remained silent, on his knees in a position of deference. Head bowed, he waited.
“Patron of the wolves, rise.” The words flowed through him, offering aid as he stood. The water shimmered as a silhouette of a wolf formed, then changed to the human form, and then changed to another beast’s form. Puzzled, Silas watched and waited for an explanation.
“The one thing that is definite is change. It’s coming with a time of testing. Your obedience and service to me has not gone unnoticed. You will be rewarded, although it may not seem so at the time. Be vigilant, you’ll need your eyes to see. Be faithful, you’ll need your ears to ferret out the truth. Be merciful, your nose will lead you to understanding. Be courageous, your heart will suffer but will guide you to the truth. Taste the truth and embrace it, reject the lies and you will ride the wave of change. Your wolves need your direction now more than ever.”
“Goddess, I don’t understand what you mean by change.”
Her voice blew in the wind, filling him. “You will. It comes now on the horse of fire.”
He opened his mouth, a whirlwind of power swept around him. His arms and legs twitched as electrical currents flowed through him. It lasted seconds, although it felt like an hour or so. When it stopped, his head flopped back on the sofa.
Sofa?
He peeked. A kitchen was to the right. He sat in the middle of the living room floor, leaning against the furniture. Panting, he felt as though he’d just run a marathon. A pulse throbbed in his forehead as the words the Goddess spoke spun in vicious circles like victims of the whirlwind. Her words were like a puzzle, always had been. He wondered for the hundredth time, why she didn’t just come right out and say what she meant?
Sighing, he pulled himself up to a sitting position and rested his forehead against his knee. It’d been a long day. The Mexican discovery. The deal with half-breed women retaining their humanity. The old breeder. He still couldn’t believe she was that old, but her story had checked out. Arianna Hershman had vanished. Her teenage daughter had returned home, but ran away again. They hadn’t been able to find the other daughter. She’d disappeared once she left for the Peace Corps. They were tracking down the sons to see if anyone had kept in contact over the years. It was a long shot, but it was a thread. And right now they needed to pull every thread no matter how thin.
There was a stirring in his mind telling him the person was a great distance from him. A second later he straightened as he recognized it was Theron.
“Theron?”
“Patron, rogues attacked us after we cleared customs.” Silas could hear his Alpha’s pain through the link. He cursed the distance.
“Tell me what happened.” He picked up his cell and called the pilot. “Prepare the plane. We need to return to Texas, within the hour.” He clicked off as he listened to Theron talk of the ambush. Twenty of the Mexican wolves suffered injuries. Three were dead.
“I’m on my way. Where are you now?”
“My pack just arrived and routed the bastards. I’d called to have them meet us at the border. That’s why the death count is so low.” He paused. “These wolves… they were fast and vicious. Their level of coordination surprised me. I haven’t seen anything like it outside of training with you.”
Silas tensed. “I’m on my way. I’ll meet you at the Alpha house. See to your pack.” Silas clicked off and studied the blank wall. In silence he went over the words of the Goddess. “Horse of fire?” he muttered, wondering what it all meant. He shook it off and contacted Jayden.
“Someone ambushed Theron, I’m returning to Texas. Have my luggage sent to the plane while I contact my security.”
“Are you taking the twins?”
Silas thought for a moment what Theron had said about the wolves who attacked them. If it was as he suspected, he’d need the twins to give him insight. “Yes. Watch over Jasmine, she’s breeding. No harm should come to her or her litter.”
“I understand. Congratulations.”
Silas grunted. “Hold off on that. I’m not excited over the prospect of hybrids yet.” He pulled open the door, locked it behind him and headed for the stairs.
“I count it an honor to watch over your pups and the bitch who breeds them,” Jayden said in a humble tone.
The comment pulled Silas out of his funk. “Thank you, Jayden. I cannot think of anyone else I’d trust to watch over their care.” He walked out into the night and headed toward the garage. “I must assemble my team. When we arrive, I will contact you.”
Within the hour, a somber Tyrone and concerned Tyrese were on the plane, along with Brad and Hank, two of his primary security team. Silas filled the men in with the little information he knew.
“That’s unbelievable.” Brad tugged on his goatee. “When was the last time anyone attacked an Alpha?”
Silas gazed out the window, muddling through the Goddess’ words. “Over a hundred years,” he answered.
“Why now?” Tyrone asked, puzzled.
“Perhaps no one taught them not to attack an Alpha. Maybe they don’t understand the hierarchy,” Tyrese mumbled, brows furrowed.
“Could be,” Brad said, looking at Tyrese. “Who taught you?”
Tyrese shrugged. “Alpha Jayden.”
“Yeah, being military brats helped. We knew there was always a chain of command. Dad, then mom…” Tyrone said.
Brad nodded. “What do you think would’a happened if you didn’t have that?”
Tyrese shrugged, looking at Brad. “What happens to any wolf who’s alone? I’d make up my own rules. And if I met others like me, I’d teach them my rules, not somebody else's.”
Tyrone looked between Brad and Tyrese. “You think that’s what happened?”
Brad shrugged. “It wasn’t a lone wolf who attacked over forty wolves. Those numbers alone would make most wolves back off and rethink the situation. Whoever did this recognized the caliber of the wolves and had a serious dose of confidence.”
“Alpha?” Hank asked.
Brad shrugged. “I wasn’t there, but if not a trained Alpha, then someone with the skills. It might help to look through the list of applicants to train with the Patron for Alpha status. Maybe someone in this area is tired of waiting.”
Silas listened and thought the idea had merit. “I’ll have Jacques begin the search. We’ll give him more info after we talk with Theron.”
It was after three in the morning when the plane set down in Texas. Tired and operating on fumes, Silas rode in the car to Theron’s pack lands. He was the only one awake other than the driver. When he stepped in the car, he’d contacted Theron through their link when he scented the driver and knew he wasn’t from the alpha’s pack.
They turned off onto a dirt road and came to a stop. Silas woke his team with a mental slap, cautioning them to silence as they waited to see how things played out. A group of five wolves stood in front of the vehicle.
Tyrese opened the door and stepped out, Tyrone behind him. The wolves snarled at the twins. Tyrone closed the door as Brad snapped the neck of the driver.
“How many?” Tyrese asked Silas.
“Those in the road, three more in the bushes.” He paused. “One is human.”
“Damn,” Tyrone groaned. “Not this shit again.”
The wolves snapped and lurched forward as though held by an unseen leash. Silas felt the twins hum with energy. They wanted to fight. Five against two in their minds was no big deal despite what Theron had experienced.
“These wolves are trained to fight as one,” Silas cautioned. “Hank is coming to even the odds.”
Hank stepped out from the back seat, the wolves had snarled before, now they went ballistic.
Silas considered slaying the wolves outright, but wanted to see their capabilities. Plus he was curious about the others in the bushes. One thing for certain, he would not allow them to escape.
Tyrone and Tyrese leapt and landed in front of Hank.
The older wolf growled his displeasure, shifted and stood next to the twins. His wolf snarled as eager as the other wolves. Silas stepped out the car and called the wolves hiding in the bush into the light. Struggling against his compulsion, they yipped and snarled as they came into the clearing.
Seeing the wolves struggling, the other wolves lunged toward the twins and Hank. Silas watched the battle while holding the two wolves’ hostage. Theron had been right; these wolves were fast, but not as fast as the twins.
Silas watched as Tyrone and Tyrese shifted, raced around the wolves in a blazing circle, snipping and taking swipes with their claws.
One wolf leapt forward outside the circle and Hank was on it at once.
The remaining wolves tried to catch one of the twins, but their speed was unbelievable. Tyrone stepped in and pushed one of the snarling wolves toward Hank, who bit its leg and then snapped its neck. Tyrese cut through the remaining three wolves and pushed another wolf aside. The wolf couldn’t stand before Hank was on top of it.
“Stop!” A woman’s voice called out as she strode through the clearing crying with wild eyes. Her hair tumbled is disarray around her shoulders and down her back. With jerky movements she turned toward the two wolves Silas held.
“Stop them,” she commanded. One wolf howled, while the other snapped at the woman. The human jumped back, looked between the two wolves and the fight with a gleam of horror and fascination. She fell to her knees with a loud wail as the fight drew to conclusion.
Tyrese and Tyrone continued, and Silas had no intention of stopping the massacre.
Once the last of the five wolves were down, Tyrese, Tyrone, and Hank howled. Blood dripped from their sharp teeth as they turned their attention to the other two wolves and the human female who sat on the ground sobbing.
Silas stepped into the clearing. He heard Theron and his pack approaching, and needed answers before he allowed the Alpha to extract his own justice. He glanced at the twins. “Good job,” he told them and Hank through their links. The twins had worked as a synchronized unit that left their enemy confused. It was a brilliant strategy, he planned to talk with them about it later.
They howled and circled to come up behind him.
Silas looked at the two wolves. “Change.”
Seconds later an older man and woman lay on the ground in front of him. They looked at the weeping female. The male made a move as though to comfort her.
Silas growled, and he froze. “Brad, secure the female.” He sent the message and his bodyguard sauntered over to the woman, picked her up, and then dropped her. A long knife stuck out of Brad’s chest. Silas’ rage boiled over and he slapped the female with a whip of his power as he strode over to check on Brad.
Hank and the twins surrounded the couple on the ground as the male begged Silas to spare the female’s life. The human female flipped on the ground as though currents of electricity ripped her apart. Silas hadn’t gone easy on her.
No one attacked his guards. No one.
Kneeling beside Brad, he looked at the man. “See me.”
Brad’s eyes latched onto his.
With one move, he pulled out the knife. “Change.” He sent a surge of compulsion in his words to aid the transformation so Brad could heal.
The rumble of vehicles signaled the arrival of Theron’s pack. Seconds later they entered the clearing. Theron changed from a hulking wolf and strode to Silas. He bowed and looked at the dead wolves.
“You didn’t save much for me.” The man sounded disappointed.
“The twins got antsy and teamed up with Hank for baseball.” He waved off Theron’s frown. “Later, right now I’m waiting for Brad to stop lying around and stand.” The wolf in question lifted his head, and then with slight hesitation stood and moved around slow.
Silas tipped his head in the female’s direction. “She stabbed him.”
Theron growled.
“Yeah. But I want to talk to all three of them before you mete out justice for your fallen.”
Theron nodded although Silas could tell he wanted to rip the three apart. His pack stacked the dead wolves for transport back to their lands, where they’d dispose of them. He cuffed the two remaining wolves and stuffed them into vehicles.
Theron picked up the human female, daring her to do something. She closed her eyes as he took her to another vehicle.
Tyrone, Tyrese, and Hank changed at Silas’ command. They watched Brad lope toward the car and change. In silence Hank slid behind the wheel and pulled out behind the Alpha’s car. The other cars pulled out behind them. The drive to the pack lands was in silence, although Silas knew questions swirled in the minds of the twins. He appreciated that they waited. One debriefing was more than enough.