BirthRight (10 page)

He chuckled, and then grimaced. “It’s okay.
Thanks for stabilizing me.” He looked around. “Dad?”

The man she knew as Jayden stepped behind
her. “I need you to move so I can work on him.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I just didn’t like seeing
his head on the ground. Can you hold him?” She slid Callum’s head
to his father and slid from beneath him. When she stood, Jayden’s
head whipped around to stare at her.

Tyrone and Tyrese stepped closer to each
side as she brushed the debris from her pants. Jayden’s eyes
narrowed and he inhaled.

“Your son is in pain, if you can help him,
please do it,” she said, pointing at the young boy.

Jayden’s forehead touched his son’s
forehead. A moment later the fur was gone and a long-limbed
teenager lay shivering on the ground.

“Give him your jacket, Tyrone,” she
demanded. When he took it off, she took it from his fingers and
handed it to Callum. “Put this on.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Jayden helped him put on the
light-weight coat that reached to his mid thigh. He stood on shaky
legs with the assistance of his father. Once standing, he looked at
Jasmine and smiled. “Thank you, I owe you my life.”

Surprised, her mouth dropped. Once she
processed his words, she gave him a few of her own. “Your life is
yours to live. If you treat others with the same kindness I showed
you, then the debt is repaid tenfold.”

He paused and then nodded.

Jayden looked at her, and then at Silas.
They nodded and the four of them returned to the condo. She wasn’t
surprised when Silas accompanied them inside. He’d been a frequent
visitor since their arrival. After placing her MP3 player and cell
phone on the table, she turned to look at the three silent men.

“What just happened?”

“Huh?” Tyrone asked without looking at
her.

“Don’t ‘huh’ me? You were there. That boy’s
legs were furry. At first I thought it was a blanket, but it
wasn’t. His furry legs were bent funny, too.” Her voice hardened.
“Start talking. Start by telling me how you were able to find me in
the woods when I didn’t give you directions. Then explain why you
told me not to move. Bring it up to the child losing his furry legs
and walking away when he thought he was dying.” She eyed Tyrone and
Tyrese. “Don’t bother lying to me, either. I think there’s been
quite enough of that.” She looked at Silas, who stood near an open
window. His silhouette reminded her of Renee’s comment a few days
ago.

Her stomach clenched as a throb beat in her
core.

The man flinched.

She dragged her attention back to her sons,
crossed her arms, and tapped her feet. “Start at the beginning.

Two hours later, heart in her throat, tears
running down her face, she stood. “You’ve been like this all this
time and never told me?” She couldn’t believe they’d done that.
“All those times I worried, it was for nothing?”

“Ma, we couldn’t—”

Heartbroken, she sniffed. “That’s right, you
couldn’t tell me because of the promise you made to the man you
hardly ever saw. The asshole who missed every minor and major event
in your lives. The same one who only spent time with you when it
was convenient for him. I understand your loyalty to that person
instead of me.” She shrugged. Her heart had shattered at the
staggering amount of lies and deception. She’d given up so much and
to have them keep such a critical part of them locked away seemed
like treason of the highest order.

“It’s wasn’t like that, we thought…we
thought it’d freak you out having animals for sons,” Tyrone
said.

Her brow dipped as she looked at him.
“Unlike now, is that what you mean? Is this the face of a freaked
out woman, or a woman who feels betrayed once again by those
closest to her?”

“Ma, no.” Tyrese walked over, dropped to his
knees and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I’m sorry. You’re
right, we should have told you from the beginning. But he made it
seem like…it doesn’t matter. I should’ve told you anyway. Please
forgive me.

A bitter coldness filled her chest. Her
family had taken so much from her. Or she’d given too much, either
way all she felt was a detached numbness. She glanced at Silas,
who’d remained silent through the telling.

“Can I leave this place?” she asked him.

“No, not yet. Hopefully soon.” His voice
remained neutral.

She nodded, knowing she should be angry,
sad, disappointed or some other emotion. Yet, there was nothing.
With a gentle push, she moved Tyrese, stood and walked to her room.
Silas breathed easier once Jasmine left the room. Her pheromones
were off the charts and he’d had a hard time controlling his wolf.
Even Jayden had been affected and he was mated. He’d read the
surprise and fear in the Alpha’s eyes when she’d stood from holding
Callum. He doubted her sons recognized the mating scent, but they’d
reacted to the Alpha’s response and stepped up beside her.

“She’s hurt,” Tyrese said in a hoarse
voice.

Tyrone sat in the chair with his head in his
hands. “She put us in the same category as my old man. I never
wanted her to see me when she thought of him. Lord, I fucked up. I
can’t believe I hurt her like that.”

“We both did.”

“No, you wanted to tell her. I convinced you
dad was right. If I hadn’t… I’ve never seen her look so…so broken.
I never want to see that look again.”

“I know. That’s the first time ever that she
didn’t accept an apology.” Tyrese inhaled and blinked fast. “What
if this is too much? Not the wolf thing, but she’s hurt because of
the lies. The years of lying about where we were and what we were
doing.” He covered his eyes and breathed hard.

“I don’t know what to do.”

Silas closed the window now that her
fragrance dissipated. “Let her sleep. Tomorrow, or whenever she’s
ready to talk, talk. But don’t push things. She has to deal with
this and you in her own way.”

Tyrone nodded.

“I know. There’s not much else we can do,”
Tyrese said as he stood.

“There’s another problem,” Silas said.

Both of them looked at him.

“Another?” Tyrone asked with a bit of
skepticism.

“But we’re not done with this one yet,”
Tyrese said.

Silas had grown fond of the twins. They both
possessed Alpha qualities and had taken to the training and studies
with ease. He’d been impressed with their honesty and how well they
meshed with Jayden’s pack.

That brought him back to their new
challenge. He sat on the sofa next to Tyrone and spoke through
their link. “Something happened while your mom was helping Callum
through his first change.”

“That was awesome, wasn’t it? I thought I’d
be fighting a changeling, but she was treating him like a normal
kid,” Tyrone said.

“What do you mean, something happened to
her?” Tyrese asked, meeting Silas’ eyes.

“She’s releasing some serious pheromones.”
When the twins still looked clueless, he continued. “It’s a mating
call. Even Jayden picked up on it and he’s mated.”

Tyrese dropped his head into his hands.

Tyrone’s mouth dropped open. “My mom?
What’re you talking about?”

Silas pinched the bridge of his nose. “She
is releasing a scent that will call wolves to her in droves. I
cannot explain why or what brought this on. She’s human and this is
not supposed to happen.”

“What exactly do you mean her scent will
call wolves? I didn’t pick up anything,” Tyrone said, frowning.

“That’s a good thing, asshole. She’s our
mother,” Tyrese snapped as he stood, placed his hands on the top of
his head. “What about the bitches? How will they deal with this…
this threat to their mates?”

“Oh shit!” Tyrone said as it dawned on
him.

“They’ll kill her,” Silas said implacably.
“For a mated male to be affected by another, it tears at the fabric
of who we are. Mates do not share, period.”

“This is not her fault. She was born like
this and I guarantee she’s not doing anything on purpose.” Tyrese
looked panicked.

Silas sighed. This situation had all types
of complications he’d rather not deal with. He looked at the scared
young wolves and knew he’d eventually need to get involved. He
wanted to curse to the heavens. “I know and understand. It simply
means we have to keep her locked in this unit and continue our
search for answers. I think a trip to Oklahoma to meet your
father’s pack is in order.”

“You promised we could go with you when you
did that,” Tyrone reminded him.

He nodded. “I know, but you can’t leave, and
we need answers.”

“This mating thing, what exactly is that. My
father had a mate, but I don’t think this is the same thing,”
Tyrese asked.

Tyrone nodded. “Good point, Rese. How does
she get this over this?”

“Sex. The mating call puts out an all points
bulletin that she wants to be fucked hard and heavy. And the first
time she steps out that door, the call will be answered. Their
wolves will drive them to answer and it won’t matter that she’s
human.”

“They could kill her.” Tyrone’s eyes widened
with fear.

“Yes.”

Tyrese eyed him. “Is it because you’re the
Patron that your beast isn’t driving you to do something?”

Silas chuckled without humor. “No. I stayed
by an opened window to keep my beast calm. Otherwise…” he shrugged.
“Take it from me, her call is strong. I have never experienced
anything like it. Right now, I don’t know how to keep her
safe.”

“Can you ward the doors so no one can
enter?” Tyrese asked.

“Yes. But then no one could leave either.
How will that work? And for how long?”

“I think we should tell her,” Tyrese said.
“She should be aware of the danger and be a part of the solution. I
am not down with doing anything that involves her ever again
without her knowledge.”

Tyrone nodded. “When should we tell her?
Does she have at least through the night?”

Silas inhaled. The scent had dimmed but his
wolf was still on alert searching for the tantalizing aroma. “It’s
better but she’s not stirring or anything.” He ran fingers through
his hair. “I don’t have answers for you.” He looked at the two men
he’d grown to respect. “We’ll think of something.”

Chapter 9

The next morning, Jasmine rolled over and
decided not to get out of bed. With a lazy sprawl, she inhaled. The
smell of bacon teased her nostrils.

“Now they cook,” she grumbled, and covered
her head with a pillow. Her ex-husband had been a wolf or
dual-natured shifter as they called themselves. Her sons were
wolves. It still boggled her mind and she’d made them prove it.
They’d changed right before her eyes into huge animals.

Even then she saw Tyrese and Tyrone through
the sad eyes of the beasts they’d become. Her sons, she’d given
birth to them, breastfed them, changed their diapers, and loved
them unconditionally. Nothing had changed other than her feelings
were hurt because they’d kept her out of the loop.

A knock hit her door. “Mama?”

“Hmmm?”

“Breakfast. You want it in there?”

“No.”

There were muffled sounds on the other side
of the door.

She smiled, crossed her legs, and placed her
arms beneath her head.

“Uh, no, you don’t want your breakfast in
your room, or no, you don’t want anything to eat?”

She wasn’t hungry, but they were trying so
hard to make amends. “I’ll eat at the table.”

“Oh…okay. I’ll put your plate on the table,
then.” She chuckled at the disappointment in Tyrese’s voice.
Obviously, they’d been hoping she’d let them in her room like she
did when they were younger and wanted to apologize. Nope. They were
grown and had made that argument one time too many. Swinging her
legs over the side of the bed, she stretched and headed for the
shower. They could wait a little longer.

Ten minutes later she walked into the living
area. Her sons jumped up and met her as she walked to the
table.

“Morning, Mom.”

“Morning.” She sat without looking at
them.

Tyrone placed a warm plate with cinnamon
raisin toast, bacon, eggs and hash browns in front of her.

She bit the inside of her lip to keep from
smiling. They were pulling out all of the stops. Hungry, she took a
bite of toast and a sip of orange juice. The only sound in the room
came from her.

Intent on eating her meal, she ignored
Tyrese as he sat across from her. “Good?”

“Yes, thank you.”

He frowned.

Tyrone took the other seat at the table. “Do
you want us to move out?”

The fork froze. Curious, she looked at him.
She hadn’t thought about that, but maybe it was time. “Do they have
more rooms?”

Tyrone bit his lip and turned away, but not
before she read the pain in his eyes. She placed the fork down.

“Mom, I…we are sorry for not telling you
everything, it was wrong. But please don’t shut us out of your
life. Not that.” Tyrese took her hand. His eyes filled as he
tightened his hold. “I can’t lose you. Tell me how to make this
right, how can I make it up to you?”