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  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 to get some 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 and 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 the woman.

  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 assist the transformation so the wolf could heal.

  Moments later, 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 around.

  “You didn’t save much for me.” The man sounded disappointed.

  “The twins got antsy and teamed up with Hank for some baseball.” He waved off Theron’s frown. “Later, right now I’m waiting for Brad to stop lying around and stand up.” The wolf in question lifted his head, and then with some hesitation stood and moved around, albeit slowly.

  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 had stacked the dead wolves for transport back to their lands, where they’d dispose of them. The two remaining wolves were cuffed and stuffed into vehicles.

  Theron picked up the 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 were in silence, although Silas knew questions swirled in the minds of the twins. He appreciated that they waited. One debriefing was more than enough.

  Chapter 15

  The sprawling two-story Alpha house sat in the middle of ten thousand acres in the southwestern part of the state. Theron’s pack lands boasted their own schools, a baseball and football field, a small hospital, a butcher, dry goods, a bar and all types of small businesses. There were pastures with livestock, numerous barns, and large fields of crops. Pools and playgrounds dotted the landscape, as well as numerous homes in small communities.

  t had been a while since Silas had visited. He’d always been impressed with how forward thinking Theron and his mate Shelby, a licensed veterinarian, were. At the mouth of their lands there was a strip mall that was open to the general public. That’s where Shelby’s veterinarian practice was located, as well as a large grocery store, a drug store and small department stores. A movie theater and karaoke bar was located on opposite ends of the mall. No one knew the shopping center was pack-owned. All the employees lived on pack lands. It was also the place where all shipments to the pack’s stores were delivered. Theron’s strict rule of ‘pack only’ on their lands was heavily enforced by security teams.

  The prisoners were taken to the small jail and a doctor was called to check on the female. She hadn’t spoken since she’d screamed for them to stop killing the wolves. Shelby, Theron’s mate, strolled into the room where Silas sat talking quietly to Theron. The Alpha had a smile on his face before she spoke.

  “Greetings, La Patron.” She offered a small bow with a large smile. She was a petite redhead with emerald green eyes that flashed fire when she was angry. He remembered when Theron was courting the firebrand her eyes flashed all the time. She hadn’t wanted to give up her schooling and move to the country. A wolf’s major strategy was to tire their opponents. Theron had been relentless in his pursuit and in the end won his prize.

  Silas took her tanned hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. “Finally the light has come into this dreary place.” He smiled as her cheeks reddened. “You are still beautiful, Shelby. It is a pleasure to see you again. I wish the circumstances were better, but…”

  She nodded and glanced at her mate. He reached for her. She stepped into his arms and kissed her hard. Silas looked over their heads at the twins. They were in the middle of a discussion with Hank while Brad sat in a chair nearby, listening.

  “The female is fine, a little shaken, but otherwise still angry and mouthing curses. We found this in the bushes. The camera had been engaged.

  Silas looked at the cell phone. “Have you tracked her last call?”

  “It went to an untraceable phone. But she’d taken pictures of the fight, probably sent them as well,” Theron said looking at the device. Silas shrugged. “What about your wolves? The ones who suffered from the earlier attack?”

  “They are healing.” She chuckled. “Although Philippe has decided to pass on the Alpha position.”

  Silas looked between the two, wondering what he’d missed. “Why?”

  Theron pulled his mate close and looked at him. “When we arrived, they couldn’t believe packs live like this. Within moments of eating a full meal in the hall, they all asked to join our pack and not return to Mexico. Philippe was the first to ask.”

  Silas nodded. “You’ve done well. There is a sense of growth and security here. I understand that most of your young return from college to either work here on the lands or in your shopping areas.”

  Theron nodded. “Yes, we’re building a few office buildings here for some of the businesses. Shelby has approved the business plans of ten pack members. We’ll build another building near the strip mall for businesses that will appeal to both sides of our nature.”

  “That’s excellent,” he said with pride. “I’d love to hear more about that tomorrow, now I’d like to talk to the wolves. And then the female.”

  Shelby nodded.

  “Yes, Sir. This way please. The jail has a holding section for the injured. The wolves are down this ha
ll,” Theron said, leading the way.

  The wolves were chained to the walls, but lowered their heads when Silas and Theron walked in alone. Silas watched the mated pair and wondered what their connection to the human female was.

  “Did your pack attack this pack earlier today as they crossed the border?” Silas asked.

  The wolves frowned. “No. We are a small pack. To attack an Alpha is suicide.”

  “Yet you put one of your drivers in my car and had him take me to a side location. You didn’t think that was suicide?”

  The male blanched. “We didn’t know who… she just said to take the car, to bring the car to the clearing.”

  “Who? Who told you to take the car?” How did they know he was coming, Silas wondered.

  “Mar—”

  The female stopped mid-sentence and looked at her mate. She snarled. “Even now you would protect her. After what she has done?”

  “She didn’t know…”

  “Of course she didn’t, yet they are all dead. Dead because you chose to follow her instructions instead of listening to me. Me, your mate.” She tried to swipe at him but her chains prevented the domestic brawl from escalating

  Silas’ brow rose. “This is the last time I will ask. Who told you to kidnap my car and how did you know I was coming?”

  Theron tensed at the last question. It had been a long night and Silas forgave the Alpha for not realizing that important fact.

  “It was Marguerite. The pack whore,” she spat. “She’s the human who’s been breeding for my mate and some of the older wolves for the past fifty years. I’ve never been able to breed, and when one of the wolves brought her to the pack, she was received as a gift from the goddess and given everything her heart desired. After a few deliveries, she started making suggestions on pack activities. Instead of questioning her knowledge, the males jumped and did as she suggested.”

  “They were good ideas,” her mate said, his face reddening as she spoke of him in a disrespectful tone. “You said nothing at the time.”

  Her head whipped around and she snarled. “I did. I questioned who she was and her ability to birth pups. That’s not natural, damn you. Nor is it natural for you to mate with her, but you swore the goddess favored you and allowed you to copulate with that bitch, and she bore you sons. She became your mate in all but name.”

  Silas heard the pain in the bitch’s voice. The mating bond was sacrosanct. To hear that it had flaws, that it had been broken, sent a wave of trepidation through him. These humans threatened their existence in a way that no enemy had before.

  “You violated your mating vows?” Theron asked, his voice deep, gravelly.

  The male wolf jerked and stared a moment, before lowering his head. “I…At the time I didn’t see it that way. I only thought of having pups. Nothing more. I…I failed my mate and my pack.”

  “Where are the pups?” Silas couldn’t believe that the five they’d disposed of earlier were all there were after fifty years.

  “Half were born malformed and were killed outright,” the bitch said with some sorrow. “Some were killed in fights, and others left to find their way in the world. The ones… the ones from tonight were all that were left.”

  “What about the older wolves? The ones who brought her to the pack? What happened to them?” Theron asked.

  “Over time they died.”

  “You killed them, or had them killed,” his mate snapped, disgust dripping from her tone. “You wanted no one else to fuck that bitch and got rid of them all.”

  “Yet you allowed your mate to live?” Silas asked, watching the male closely.

  “I am a fool. I saw a gold ring and reached for it. I thought… I thought I had been given a second chance. I was wrong and my people paid for it.” He turned to his mate. “You have hated me for a long time, I’m surprised you never killed her.”

  Her eyes blazed for a moment and then she looked away. “I loved the pups even though they weren’t mine. I… I wanted the pups she provided.” The shame in her confession tore through Silas.

  “This is Alpha Theron of Texas. His pack was attacked earlier today by a group similar to yours. The only reason I allowed the driver to take us to the clearing was to gain information. Once the wolves attacked, they were dead. Your fate is in Theron’s hands.”

  He stepped out the room for some quiet to marshal his thoughts. The Mexican humans had no interest or involvement in pack life. Yet this human ran the pack through the weak pack leader. Like a wolf, the human must have sensed his weakness and used it to gain control over the small pack.

  But why? What’d she hope to gain? Tonight she’d lost it all. So far none of the dots connected. Theron stepped out of the holding cell and they proceeded to the small infirmary to talk with the human female. When they stepped inside, Silas froze at the sight of Leara and Leann talking to the bound female.

  Theron’s fury lit and he leapt across the room, grabbed the women and pushed them against the walls. They screamed. Their eyes widened in fright.

  Shelby and her guards walked into the room. Tyrone, Tyrese, Hank, and Brad walked in and flanked him.

  “Why are you in here?” Shelby growled at the women who visibly shivered in fear.

  Their mouths opened and closed, but no words were emitted. The smell of their fear filled the air. Shelby got up in their faces, snatched Leann by the hair to pull her toward her face.

  “What the fuck are you doing in here? I’m not going to ask this nicely again.”

  Silas withheld a chuckle at her version of nice.

  “I…I don’t know. I thought… I heard someone calling me and…and I came to see what they wanted. I…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do…I’m sorry.” She slumped down crying.

  Tears rolled down Leara’s face as she watched her sister fall apart. “Honest, we didn’t know this was wrong.”

  “I called them, they came.” The human female said, watching Silas.

  He’d sensed that’s what happened but wanted it confirmed. There was something off with this human’s scent. Something not quite right. Frowning, he tried to identify the problem.

  Shelby walked over to the female and growled. “You called them into my infirmary?” Theron stood behind his mate, blocking the human’s view of Silas.

  “Yes.” There was no fear in the human’s voice.

  Theron grabbed Shelby and pulled her back to him. “If the Patron doesn’t kill her, then I’ll let you and the other women have her. She’s been bad for the past few years,” Theron’s whisper was loud in the room.

  The human laughed. It was warm and meant to seduce.

  Although Silas’ cock twitched, his wolf yawned as though bored. He smiled and released a pulse of energy into the room. It’d been a long day and the sun was rising. He wanted this over so he could rest and decipher the Goddess’ riddle.

  The human screamed.

  “Where are you from?” Silas asked in a bored tone. Theron continued to block him from the human

  “Come here and ask –”

  She screamed again.

  Silas looked at Brad. “Take them out of here and don’t let them out of your sight. They need a heart-to-heart discussion with their Alphas on pack protocol.”

  Leann and Leara’s eyes widened as they looked at Theron and Shelby. Brad ushered them out of the room.

  “Don’t forget what I told you,” the human screamed at their backs, spittle flying. Silas recognized the scent, the woman was mentally unstable. When she spoke, her words smelled bitter, and stale. Shelby walked out behind the two women, taking her guard with her.

  Theron braced his legs and crossed his arms in front of the human. “I don’t think this one likes our hospitality. Permission to break her neck?”

  “I fought the wolf bastards earlier for that honor,” Hank said standing next to Theron. “If anyone should snap her neck, it should be me.”

  Silas smiled as the two bickered back and forth.

  “How can you stand there and
listen to these…these animals talk of snapping a human’s neck?” Silas looked up and realized the female was talking to the twins. Ah…now they were getting somewhere.

  Tyrone shrugged.

  “You’re human. I feel that part of you.” She frowned. “Why didn’t you answer my call before?”

  “You called?” Tyrone asked.

  “Yes,” the women answered, “why didn’t you?”

  “I’m a wolf,” Tyrone said.

  “No,” the woman yelled, her face beet red. “You’re human. A large part of you is human.”

  Tyrone shrugged and leaned indolently against the wall.

  The female’s mouth opened and then closed. “How’d they change you?” She eyed him with a smidgeon of suspicion.

  “How’d they change you?” Tyrone asked.

  “I was born with this curse.”

  “Me too.”

  The female gritted her teeth. Silas listened with a smile. Tyrone was an excellent interrogator, they’d been surprised at how much information he was able to gather with seemingly little effort during their training drills.

  “But you don’t understand how important it is to break free of their evil influence. You have to take control of your wolf and use your energies to change the way things are going. Each day we wake up with the knowledge that we’re here for a reason. We have a higher purpose,” the woman said with a fanatical edge. It was obvious she was committed to her cause and unhinged.

  “A higher purpose?” Tyrone said with the right amount of eagerness.

  “You are a superior wolf. Faster, stronger and smarter than purebreds. Their time is coming to an end. You must train and prepare for change.” She cackled and it was an eerie sound. “I’m weary of all this. It would be nice to remain to see the end of the declaration, but as Moses, I know the promise land is denied me. I made too many mistakes.” She sighed. “Pride is a terrible thing. Mated pairs were never meant to be disturbed.” She released a breath.

  Silas could hear the shock in the room.

  “But tonight.” She chuckled looking at the twins. “Tonight I was privileged to see the future. I hated to see my sons destroyed. They lacked the training that you and your brother had. But they still gave you a good fight? Right?”