“Blood-robbing is no joke, do you know what
they used to knock me out?” Angus asked Hawke.
“No. There weren’t any traces in your blood by
the time I examined you. In case you’re wondering how they chose
you from everyone else, there’s a device that allowed the Liege to
distinguish a full-blood from a human. Seems they shared it with
the government and others.”
“What kind of device?” Angus asked watching
Hawke.
“How do we know if a full-blood is nearby or
within five miles?” Hawke asked.
“Mostly scent,” Angus said.
“Right and that’s what this device does; it
scans the person and uses a combination of highly sensitive filters
to lock in on the scent of the wolf. It doesn’t take long, just a
few seconds and you have a reading,” Hawke said.
“That’s something you created, isn’t it?” Asia
asked.
Hawked nodded slowly. “Yes, I did.”
“It’s brilliant actually,” Angus said. “We
should get together and see if we can make some modifications to
help locate rebels.”
“Yes, that would be good. However, this drug is
not mine. Someone created it without thought or care to life. And
they could have minimized damage if they chose but didn’t,” Hawke
said watching Asia.
She placed her hand on top of his and patted
it. “Are you saying there is a way to remove scents without
destroying the wolf?”
Hawke nodded slowly, his brows in a deep
furrow. “The ability to scent the wolf in another is a gift from
our wolf. There is no way to remove scents without involving our
beasts. What I said is they could’ve minimized damage.”
“To deliberately damage our wolf is treason,”
Silas said not liking the idea at all.
“I agree,” Hawke said and lapsed into
silence.
“General Miller just contacted me again. He
suggested a conference call tonight after the celebration?” Jacques
asked and then looked away from his tablet at Silas.
“Yes that’s good for me. Hawke?” Silas looked
across the table.
“That’s fine,” Hawke said.
Jacques frowned and clicked the monitor. A
newscaster ran the tape of the first fight. No one spoke as she
talked about the police, the confusion, the men and their families
and the victims. Witnesses were in shock and didn’t understand what
just happened. One moment the men were fine, the next they were
violent beasts.
Silas exhaled at the use of that word ‘beast’
and the immediate image of his wolf. He met Angus’ gaze and
recalled his earlier comments in the office regarding the game the
government played. He stood.
“If that’s all, we need to prepare to send our
pack members off with dignity,” Silas said breaking his gaze with
Angus and looked around the room. “All of us should arrive early
and get in place before the doors open.”
Everyone stood and headed toward the door.
“
Meet me at my place so I can go over what you’ll be doing,
”
Silas told the twins.
Both nodded and headed out. Jacques remained
and gathered his file and notes. Silas closed the door and waited
for him to speak.
“Eventually we’re going to bail them out of
this too,” Jacques said. “They continue to mess with nature and
cannot afford to pay the price of their disrespect. What we saw
today is the tip of the iceberg. The first time a video of a
shifter hits the airwaves, humans will come after us. You know
that.”
“I’m aware that can happen. But I’m not ready
to bail them out this time. They’ve gone too far. We both know
these drugs are the result of bad experiments going on in some back
room in the Pentagon. They’re funding this, in fact started this so
they could be ahead and are falling behind.”
Jacques sighed and shook his head slowly.
“After all these years, they haven’t learned it’s never a good idea
to play around with genetics and blood. Things always go off the
rail when you do.”
Silas slapped him on the shoulder in agreement.
“I’m sending notices to my Alphas. I want everything locked down
and separate. Right now this is a problem amongst humans and does
not concern us unless the fools go searching for wolf
blood.”
“Makes sense. Every time they have a problem we
cannot solve it for them. They must become self-sufficient. I’ll
see you at the celebration of life service.” Jacques left the room,
leaving Silas alone with his thoughts.
No matter how he looked at the issue with the
drugs in the long run, he could not see how his pack would remain
uninvolved. He stared at the long, polished, mahogany table. If
they had to assist in this battle and his gut said they would, then
he needed to gain additional assurances for the safety of his
pack.
“Silas?”
Jasmine called.
“Yes?”
“We need to get ready and explain to the
children about the celebration of life
.”
Thinking of Froggy and the others, he left the
room with a heavy heart and went upstairs. It was time to train his
pups in the sadder part of being a leader.
Chapter 28
Silas and Hawke sat at the shiny, oblong white
table while the monitor flicked on. With his hands clasped tightly
in front of him, Silas’ thoughts were on Froggy and the two others
they’d laid to rest. The celebration had been simple and poignant.
No question his old friend would have approved the rehashing of his
life with a raised glass and hearty laughter. Froggy had been one
of a kind and would be missed daily.
Hawke cleared his throat drawing Silas’
attention. They hadn’t said much, he appreciated Hawke’s quiet and
thoughtful demeanor. The man rarely said anything without
meaning.
“That was the first one for me. Sarita and
Damian as well. Damian did better than I expected but it was
because of the words you spoke about living a life that remains in
the hearts of others. We all need to be reminded of that from time
to time,” Hawke said in a low voice.
Silas thought of his pups, the manner in which
they stood and watched without asking a lot of questions. The
respect they showed during their first celebration made him proud.
“The children did well, better than I thought. Celebrating lives of
pack members is the best way to teach our young of the inherent
value of life and love. And you’re right, we need to be reminded
often.”
The screen flashed. Silas shifted in his chair
as General Miller’s face cleared. “Good evening, Sir.” Miller’s
retreating hairline, sharp gray eyes and the lines across his
forehead reminded Silas of Froggy. How old was Miller? Silas
wondered looking at the man for clues. Wide across the chest,
Miller was no slouch and filled out his uniform. He sat with a
regal bearing Silas suspected had been drilled into him from the
military. Like most shifters, Miller looked younger than his age
and as long as he did his job, his age was irrelevant.
“Evening Miller. The hour is late, who is
joining us this evening?” Silas asked.
General Miller stared at Silas. “
May I
speak
?” he asked through their mental link.
“Yes
.” Silas continued to watch the
screen. There were people entering the room behind the General and
taking seats at the table.
“I sent a message mentioning half-breeds in
the military coming out
?
I included the names of
high-ranking officers
.”
Silas recalled Jacques mentioning something
along those lines. “
Yes
.”
“Lt. General Crall will be in this meeting.
He contacted me today after he heard an announcement through the
airwaves. He’s a half-breed and wanted to meet you. I believe there
are more officers in the forces who are unidentified half-breeds
who have been able to hide their wolf. I’m not sure if you want to
have them register or remain anonymous. Both options provide
benefits. The military hasn’t officially required full-bloods to
identify ourselves but they know who we are
.” Silas sensed
Miller’s pride in his full-blood status.
“Trained half-breeds can subvert their wolf
side for long periods of times, so I’m not surprised to discover
many are in the military
.” He thought of Tyrone and Tyrese. No
one knew they were half-breeds until Tyrone almost died in the war
and was in the hospital, that’s how good those two were at hiding
their wolf.
“Having invisible pack members in high
places could be a good thing if we can work out a few things. I’ll
give the matter some thought and get back with you
,” Silas
said.
“Yes, Sir
.” Miller looked around and the
view expanded. Silas saw four additional men seated at the table.
Melch was one of them. Not that Silas was surprised, he assumed
Melch would go higher up the chain to get the answers he
sought.
No one spoke.
Silas glanced at his watch. It had been a long
day and he wanted to cash in those promises Jasmine made
earlier.
“Gentlemen, you asked to talk with me, I’m here
but not all night,” Silas said without mentioning Hawke who sat
next to him.
General Miller sat back, his gaze fell on the
others seated nearby.
Melch spoke. “Yes, thank you again for your
time. A serious matter arose when we examined the men who attacked
you the other day. I’ve called your office and spoke with your
administrator numerous times but haven’t received the answers or
help we hoped for. We have questions and may need your help.” He
paused. “First, to my right, is Lt. General Crall.” The pale man
with piercing blue eyes nodded.
“Pleased to meet you, Sir.”
Silas nodded as he looked into the eyes of the
half-breed officer. The man appeared calm and poised. If Miller
hadn’t told Silas the officer was a half-breed, he didn’t think he
would’ve known without scanning the man.
Melch continued. “On his right is Colonel
Summers.”
The African American nodded and stacked papers.
“Pleasure to meet you, Sir.”
Silas nodded and tried to read the man but
after his greeting, Summers kept his eyes averted as if Silas could
bespell him as vamps did.
“
To my immediate left is Kalid, he
was at our initial meeting,” Melch said.
Kalid looked up at the monitor and then away.
“Good to see you again, Sir.”
“And to his left is Major General
Miller.”
General Miller saluted Silas. “Great to see
you, Sir.”
“Do a sweep, I want to know who is listening
in on this conversation
,” Silas told General Miller.
“Yes, Sir
.”
“The hour is late so we will go right into the
purpose of this meeting,” Melch said and waved to the
Colonel.
Summers’ dark complexion glowed beneath the
overhead light. Silas wondered why sweat beaded on his forehead,
was the room hot? None of the other men appeared to be bothered by
the heat.
“I don’t sense any others nearby but the
walls are thick. Would you like me to leave to complete a more
thorough search of the area
?” General Miller asked.
“No, not yet. Scan the Colonel, is he
sick
?” Silas said.
“Scared, yes. Sick? I’m not getting anything
unusual from him
,” Miller said.
“I’m coming in through the link
.” Silas
merged with the General, did a quick sweep to insure the General
had not been compromised. Pleased, with the General’s wolf, Silas
did a quick scan of every person in the room. When he scanned Lt.
General Crall, he calmed the man’s wolf and communicated with the
beast for a few seconds. Then he scanned the room for additional
cameras and shadows.
“Sir?” Summers said.
Finished with his scan, Silas looked at
Summers. “What did you say?”
“I asked if you were aware of these altering
drugs before the attack?”
“Yes, I heard about them,” Silas
said.
“Are you aware there are traces of various
canine DNA in the drugs?”
“Yes, I was told that as well.” Silas frowned
as he watched Summers. “Excuse me.”
Summers looked up from his papers. His brown
eyes sharpened as he gazed into the monitor. “Yes?”
“Why are you sweating? Is it hot in that room?
Is your chair uncomfortable? Or are you ill? I’m curious,” Silas
asked frankly.
Summers’ eyes widened and then he removed all
expression from his face. “No, I’m fine.” He paused. “Thank
you.”
Melch and Kalid looked down at the table. The
two Generals continued looking at the monitor.
“I viewed the video, Melch sent. Seems there is
some kind of outbreak going on, any idea what started it?” Silas
asked, going on the offensive.
“We were hoping you could shed some light on
that matter,” Summers said looking at the others in the
room.
“Really? Why?” Silas asked.
Summers looked at Crall. The General cleared
his throat and leaned forward with his hands clasped together.
“With all due respect, Sir. One of the canine strains found in the
drug is wolf.”