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  BirthRight

  Book one of the La Patron Series

  By Sydney Addae

  BirthRight – Book one of the La Patron Series

  BirthRight

  Sydney Addae

  Copyright 2013 by Addae, Sydney

  ISBN: 978-1-937334-26-0

  First Edition Electronic April 2013

  Published by Sitting Bull Publications, LLC

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author‘s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, businesses, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only. The publisher does not have any control over or assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their contents.

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Erosa Knowles.

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  BirthRight

  The Patron, the Alphas Alpha

  When you’re the top wolf on the continent with the backing of the Goddess, how does an enemy topple your kingdom? By challenging you to a fight? No. By changing the rules.

  After three hundred years of fighting and service to the Goddess, Silas Knight is the Patron, Alpha to the Alphas on the North American continent. As the top wolf, he fears little and has seen most things. But when he discovers someone or something has been quietly disturbing the natural order of things, he’s surprised. Certain human women have the ability to birth fully functioning wolves, and that’s a major problem.

  Jasmine Bennett has no idea her deceased husband was a wolf shifter or that her twin sons are shifters. Her life changes when she rushes to her son’s bedside after he’s wounded in Afghanistan and returned stateside. Now her life’s in danger because of her ability to give birth to a breed of beings she never knew existed.

  BirthRight

  Chapter 1

  Tight-lipped, Silas Knight stepped off the private jet. Security was tight, as it should be. A costly mistake had occurred. Cameron, his godson, should not be in this military facility. Worse, the officers in charge refused to release him to the shifter hospital in the same area.

  His anger buffeted everyone within close proximity. Alphas, who had come from multiple states, bowed in respect as he strode toward the car that would transport him to the hospital.

  “La Patron,” the local Alpha, Jayden Knight, murmured, head bowed. “Welcome to Bethesda. A car is prepared to take you to the Veteran’s Hospital, where a shifter doctor has taken over the case. His papers have been drawn and his transfer is awaiting your inspection.”

  “Good, thank you.” He turned and gazed at all those who had come in deference to his visit and nodded. “I will be here for a few days. We will meet and discuss matters of importance to you soon. I look forward to talking with you.”

  The somber faces smiled graciously. Their excitement was tangible in the stale air of the hangar. In spite of his godson’s condition, life went on and these men had pressing concerns to discuss with him. Keeping his face neutral, he waited until his security detail gave him a nod, and entered the car. Under normal conditions he would have bought his own car. But, he’d been gone too long and appearances needed to be kept up.

  At least for now.

  ****

  “I apologize for the mix-up, your Honor,” the doctor said in low tones. “It appears the commander in Afghanistan who normally handles these transfers was in the field. Your nephew departed with a few other injured soldiers to Germany instead of France. Later, they shipped him here. However, the attending physicians did not have a chance to look him over. I took over within an hour of his arriving. The head physician wanted to have a team examine him before approving the transfer to the specialty hospital,” the smaller man said as he walked alongside Silas.

  At the last comment, Silas stopped and raised his brow.

  “None of them did,” the doctor rushed to say. “I bought in another team who approved the change of venue.”

  “I am disappointed with such a break-down in the system. We have people in place all over the world to prevent these incidents. . Now, I must determine if this type of thing happens frequently. After all, the military notified me because I am his next of kin. Otherwise, I would have no knowledge of the fuck-up.”

  The doctor swallowed hard and followed Silas down the hall. Security had checked and approved the safety of the hospital floor. Employees glanced in his direction, but quickly averted their eyes. His long-legged stride through the sterile space signaled his frustration. His aides walked a few feet behind him, waiting for a sign to come forward. The door to his godson’s room opened as he approached.

  His heart stuttered at the sight of bandages and machinery attached to the young man who was like a son to him. One of his greatest sorrows in his long life was his inability to reproduce. Cameron’s parents had been his closest friends prior to his rise as Patron, and he’d promised them to look after their son before they died in a tragic hunting accident

  “Cameron,” he lowered his voice as he spoke, not wanting to frighten the younger man.

  At first there was no response. Then a slight movement of his hand signaled he’d heard.

  “Son, I am here. We will take you where you can recuperate faster. You need special care, Doctor Fields has already made the arrangements and you will be leaving soon.” He moved closer and touched the young man’s hand. The slight flinching beneath his confirmed Cameron heard and knew someone, if not him in particular, was with him. For the moment he had to be satisfied with that.

  “We will discuss this attraction you have with dangerous situations when you are able. You promised to focus on a family, that means a mate, kids,” whispering, he leaned forward. “Pups.” He pulled a chair near the bed and sat, hand on top of the injured man’s hand and waited.

  Within minutes, a gurney entered the room, and the transfer process started. “La Patron, may I have a word with you?” Dr. Fields asked with some hesitation and stepped backward.

  Silas nodded.

  “There is another case here that has caught my attention. I think you need to know about this one, there is an unregistered shifter –”

  “He dies.” Silas retorted. “You know the rules.”

  “I understand, but this is different. The shifter is a hybrid.”

  “A hybrid?” His brow rose, but his voice remained neutral.

  “Yes Sir, I’m not sure what all the components are. Wolf shifter for sure, his mother and aunt are here. They are human, but their scents are off. I’ve had their blood tested and it’s positive, she’s his mother. What do you suggest I do?”

  From the corner of his eye, Silas watched as Cameron was loaded on the gurney while his mind latched onto th
e comments from the doctor. After living three centuries, a puzzle of any type was too difficult to ignore. “Let me see him, I should be able to identify his bloodline.”

  “Thank you, Sir,” the doctor said, walking behind him and pointing to the room with the wounded man.

  Cameron had received a private room. This soldier shared his space with other injured comrades. The stench of suffering and pain assailed Silas’ nostrils, leaving a distinct metallic taste on his tongue. He would need to smell the shifter to determine his make-up. With little effort he blocked out the other scents. As he stood near the door, the doctor spoke to the women and gestured to the male on the bed.

  The doctor nodded and walked toward him. Together they left the room.

  “He is wolf, with a hint of another shifter. It’s too small to determine the nature. What is his condition?”

  “He has fractures in his legs and arms, took a hit to his head and back. They’d pronounced him dead in Germany. He revived, and was sent here. He has had surgery on his arms and legs. They are trying to determine the next step for his head.”

  Silas shook his head. The possibility of discovery was too great. He wondered how much the human part of the young wolf had kept his dual nature from discovery so far. “Take him with you,” he said.

  The doctor nodded and walked off.

  “Excuse me Sir, excuse me.” A small hand touched his arm before his guards could reach them. He stopped and looked at the brazen human woman. His brow lifted until she removed her hand. Things were getting more and more interesting.

  She stood around five seven, weighed around one hundred forty-five pounds, with large breasts and wide, round hips. Her dark brown eyes and full lips were prominent features in her oval-shaped face. Her creamy complexion was flawless. Long, thick, black hair was tied back from her face, the locks falling down her back.

  She was pretty in a willowy kind of way; unfortunately she had no interest in men.

  “I watched you talk to the doctor who’s dealing with my nephew. Now the doctor wants to move him to another hospital. Why now? Why should my sister agree to this? Who are you?”

  Silas couldn’t remember anyone ever speaking to him in such an accusatory manner. His first remark would have been cutting. However, he remembered his recent pain at his godson’s condition and decided to be civil. At least his version of civil.

  He looked down at the woman and spoke in a clipped tone. “According to the doctor, he has a similar condition to my nephew who’s being transferred for special treatment. Who I am is not important. And it’s up to the military to decide what’s in that soldier’s best interest, not his mother. Don’t forget, they own him.” He turned and walked off.

  “Smug bastard,” the woman whispered.

  He waved his hand and kept moving.

  Chapter 2

  Jasmine Bennett walked down the hallway to her son, Tyrone’s, room in the new facility. It was bigger, cleaner, and less crowded. When they’d arrived a couple of days ago, the sheer beauty of the facility had impressed her. The manicured lawn and what appeared to be acres of trees surrounded the red-bricked building with tall glass windows. Overall, the outside of the hospital offered a feeling of hominess. That impression lessened once you stepped inside. Modern equipment, doctors, nurses, and general hospital personnel filled the halls and rooms.

  “Did you get any rest?” Renee, her older sister, asked, falling in step with her.

  “About as much as you,” she teased her sister. Neither had rested much since following the ambulance to this location. The nurse’d offered them beds and a place to clean up, which they’d both utilized. Now, they were left to wait as Tyrone underwent a series of tests.

  “That much huh? Worried?” Renee asked as they turned a corner.

  “Yeah, I know the doctor said he had some brain damage, but Rone didn’t seem too out of it to me yesterday. What did you think?” Jasmine asked as they entered his empty room.

  “He’ll be fine.” Looking around Renee paused as she waved away Jasmine’s next comment, moved closer and whispered. “I haven’t forgotten our conversation from before the call about Rone came. I still can’t believe you said the last time you had sex was five years ago.” She shook her head.

  Jasmine sighed. She hadn’t meant to say anything when the conversation had come up that day. For the most part she didn’t lie in general, and never to her sister. A big part of her had simply wanted to know if her experiences were normal. “Yeah.”

  “Davian had only been dead for three years. What, no sex before that? Was he deployed?” Disbelief, coupled with confusion layered Renee’s words.

  “Part of the time. But, even when he was home, it didn’t seem to be a big deal with him. You know he didn’t want any more kids, said the boys were enough. We had sex, ummm — maybe once every few months, if that.” Her voice dropped to a whisper.

  The you’ve-got-to - be- kidding me expression on her sister’s face confirmed what she had thought.

  Abnormal. Her sex life had not been the norm.

  Damn. That hurt.

  Before Renee could say more, two huge orderlies wheeled Tyrone into the room. Both women stood and watched them transfer Tyrone from gurney to bed. The nurses checked the equipment and left with slight smiles.

  “Rone, how you feeling sweetie?” Jasmine asked while gently touching his swollen face. She ached seeing him like this and cursed the military that kept taking from her. Her baby was too young to fight.

  He moistened his tongue. Renee picked up his cup and placed an ice chip on his lips.

  “Ummmm, thanks Aunty.” His voice was just above a whisper.

  “You’re welcome. Now answer your mom. How are you feeling?”

  “Like I’ve been blown up.” He grimaced and chuckled.

  Jasmine’s hand flew to her chest as water filled her eyes. “Baby boy, I’m so sorry you’re going through this. What —”

  “Ma,” he interrupted. “That was… horrible bedside humor on my part.” His voice sounded surprisingly stronger. “Actually, I am feeling somewhat better. They have been treating me with some meds that seem to be working. The nerve endings in my fingers and toes are healing.” He moved the digits as proof. “All in all, it appears I will be around for a little while longer.”

  Jasmine broke down.

  Loud gushing sobs tore from her throat, her body shook as the fear of losing her son overcame her.

  A nurse rushed into the room, checked the equipment, the patient, and then turned to Jasmine.

  Renee stroked her back as tears rolled down her face unchecked. The dam had broken with Tyrone’s words. He looked better, but he had been on death’s door just a few days before.

  “She’ll be okay,” Renee said, her voice cracking. “She’s just grateful he’s recovering.”

  The nurse nodded, looked askance at them, and left the room.

  “Mom…mom, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you. I know you hate Rese and I joined the military after what happened to daddy. I can see this is too much for you.” He paused as if to gain strength. “Aunty, why don’t you take her for a ride, maybe she needs to get away from here for a little while.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Jasmine countered, steel in her voice as she wiped her face with the back of her hand. “Yes, I hate the danger you and Tyrese are under in your line of work. As a mother, a part of my job description is to worry over my children. Your father loved what he did, and that made him who he was. I don’t begrudge him that. But never think for one second that because I disagree with your choices, I love you any less. It hurts me to see you in pain. You and your brother are my heart. That will never change, Rone. Never.”

  He nodded. A slight smile on his face. “Okay. The doctor should be here soon. I want to know his diagnosis. And you haven’t called me baby boy since I was seven, thanks.” He winked at her.

  Her heart lifted as the small gesture. He was trying hard to convince her he was okay. She couldn’t accept i
t, not after seeing him all bandaged up a couple of days ago. Granted, he looked much better now, but he had almost died. Had in fact died and then revived. She was too grateful to take his recovery for granted.

  Doctor Fields walked into the room looking over some papers attached to a clipboard. “Someone wants answers I hear, let me see what we have.” He paused, flipping the pages and reading. “Well, there’s some good news and some not so good news here. First you, young man, are responding to the medications I have prescribed and are progressing admirably. There is no apparent damage to your brain. Your back needs more work to insure there is no skeletal or nerve damage. If all goes well, we will start your treatment and therapy in three days. By then your legs and arms should be functioning enough to determine the extent of the damage to your back.” He lifted kind eyes to Jasmine and then Tyrone.

  “How long will all of this take, Doc?” Tyrone asked.

  “It all depends on your arms and legs. If everything is the way I think, then about six to eight weeks. Maybe less.”

  “How is he healing so fast? What are you treating him with?” Renee, the skeptic, asked.

  Jasmine hadn’t thought about it before, but one of the doctors at the VA had said Rone would be down for months. They had only been here for a couple of days and Tyrone showed remarkable signs of improvement.

  “You aren’t giving him experimental drugs are you?” Jasmine asked, voicing a new fear.

  The doctor walked over to the IV, and glanced at the writing before answering them. “No Ma’am, this hospital specializes in severe trauma cases, we have fewer patients and place all our energies on them getting better. Your son is in good hands.” His soft-spoken words offered the comfort she desperately needed.