BirthRight (11 page)

It was time to set a few things straight. It
pissed her off that she wouldn’t be able to hold onto her anger any
longer. They’d been wrong, but she couldn’t allow them to suffer
like this.

“We don’t live together. We haven’t in a
over a year. That’s the reason I asked. As far as what you did…it
hurt. I mean it hurt buckets knowing I’ve been a part of your lives
and didn’t know my own kids.” She shook her head, allowing the pain
to pass through this time. “I still can’t believe how you pulled it
off, but you did. I guess if I hadn’t stumbled across Callum, I
still wouldn’t know.”

“The penalty for telling humans is death,
Mom. Not just for the wolf, but for the human as well. We couldn’t
risk you like that,” Tyrone said his voice low and filled with
sorrow.

“Last night, you didn’t mention that.” She
searched his face for the truth, and the fact that she now felt the
need to do that pissed her off.

He looked surprised. “I didn’t. Sorry. But
that’s the first thing dad taught us. Never let the humans discover
who we are.”

She grimaced. “Yeah, that’s me. Just a
human.” No matter how true that designation proved to be, she
despised it for becoming a dividing line between her and her
sons.

“Mom.”

“It’s not like that.”

Her head snapped up to look at Tyrone and
then Tyrese. They looked away as she spoke. “It’s exactly like
that. And it always will be.”

The quiet filled the room until Tyrese
stood, took her plate and placed it in the sink. “If you want us to
move out, if that’ll make you happy, we will. I don’t want to, but
I want you happy.”

Tyrone picked up her hand. “Be mad at me,
but I’m not leaving. Not now. There’s time later on for us to be
separated again, but not now.”

“You’re a brat.”

His lips curved into a smile. “True, but I’m
your brat.”

“For now. One day you boys will have kids
and I’m going to remember this day.” She rubbed her hands
together.

“It’ll be a while, so don’t get too
excited,” Tyrese said as he retook his seat and her hand. “I love
you, mom. I don’t ever want to see you look like you did last
night. Whatever it takes to make you happy, I’m on board.”

“Me too.” Tyrone kissed the back of her
hand.

“I love you both. You know that and figured
I wouldn’t kill you because of that. Don’t get it twisted, I’m hurt
and angry. In my mind you chose him over me and nothing you say
will change that. But, because I love you no matter what, I’ll
allow you boys to stay here until Jayden finds me a smaller place
of my own or I leave, whichever comes first.” “Why?”

“Why?” She paused, marshalling her thoughts.
“Because it’s time for me to do some things I’ve always wanted.
School or some art classes. I’ve been putting things off for years.
But lately, I’ve been thinking about it more and more. I’m the only
person who can make lasting changes in my life. Now that I know you
have a group of people who’ll watch your backs, I think it’s a good
time to make some changes of my own, that’s all.” She paused,
frowning. “How much longer do we have to stay here?” She looked at
Tyrone and then Tyrese.

“I’m not sure. Silas and his team are doing
research into your background, and dad’s. They’re trying to
understand how you were able to get pregnant from dad. It wasn’t
supposed to happen, since he’s…you know.”

She nodded. An uneasy feeling swamped her.
“There’s more to this than what you told me last night, isn’t
it?”

“Yes. Humans and wolves don’t mate. They
don’t have kids together. It’s not natural. It goes against
everything wolves know. It’s worse because Rese and I are healthy,
strong, potential Alpha wolves. Not weak or insane. They’d never
heard of half-breeds surviving, and certainly not growing up
healthy as we did. They’re not sure if it was our environment or
dad’s genes or some combination. But it’s different and they have
to study those differences to determine how it’ll impact their way
of life.”

She nodded slowly. “Why didn’t they just
kill us?”

“Silas thought about it, probably would have
if we hadn’t agreed to come here for testing and observation.”

“What?” She snapped. “I was kidding.” She
looked from one to the other, neither smiled.

“Sorry.” Tyrone looked across the room.

“Are we in danger?” She hadn’t felt
threatened, but then she didn’t realize she was living in a den
with wolves either.

Tyrese pulled his earlobe and looked at her.
“Not really, but there is a small problem.”

Her stomach dropped. Whatever it was, it
wasn’t small. Tyrese never got nervous. But when he did, he pulled
his earlobe. “What is it and don’t lie to me, never again. Don’t
lie, just tell me straight.”

He coughed, glanced at Tyrone, and then back
at her. “Did something happen yesterday while you were saving
Callum?”

“What?” She couldn’t follow the change in
conversation.

“Yesterday…did you feel different? Strange?
Did something happen while you were with him?”

“I…I’m not sure I understand what you mean
by feeling different.” She struggled, trying to remember. “He was
moaning and in pain. I felt bad for him. It reminded me of when you
boys got hurt.” She shrugged. “What? Why’d you ask me that?”

There was a knock on the door. Tyrone jumped
up so fast, she blinked. She craned her neck to see who was at the
door.

“Morning.” The deep timbre of Silas’ voice
touched her in places she’d forgotten existed. A tremor slid
through her and settled in her core. Closing her eyes, she bit down
on her lower lip as heat pooled between her legs along with a
pulsating ache.

“Mom…mom,” Tyrese called as he shook
her.

A low growl filled the room, pulling her
from her side journey. As though in a fog, she looked across the
room and blinked.

Tyrone and Tyrese had pressed Silas against
the window.

She stood.

“Sit down.”

Affronted, she placed her hands on her hips
and gave him her what-did-you-say look. “Excuse you?”

“Mom, please can you sit back down? Please?”
Tyrese begged while standing in front of Silas.

Shocked and concerned, she sat and crossed
her arms over her legs.

“Thanks,” he said, sounding more relieved
than she felt the situation warranted. After a few moments of
listening to deep and heavy breathing, she peeked at the window.
Tyrone was bent over, resting his hands on his knees. Silas’ hands
were braced against the window frame, his nose pressed next to the
screen. Tyrese stood in front of the other two, breathing hard as
though he’d run a marathon.

“What’s going on?” she asked, confused by
their actions. “Did I miss something?”

Tyrese waved at his brother. “Stay here.”
Tyrone nodded as Tyrese walked to the table and sat. “The
conversation we were having before Silas came in, remember?”

She nodded.

“You’d asked what else was going on, I was
trying to understand what happened yesterday.”

She frowned, trying to follow the
conversation. “Yesterday?”

“Yeah.” He rubbed his neck and licked his
lips a few times.

“Just tell me, Rese.” Her nerves couldn’t
take much more of his hemming and hawing.

“You are throwing off what the other wolves
consider a mating scent. Something must have triggered it
yesterday. I’m—”

Her hand flew up to the base of her throat.
“A what?”

He took a deep breath and then released it
slowly. “A mating scent. Pheromones or something like that, and
it’s like a red flag.”

She shook her head. “A red flag? That
doesn’t make sense.”

“Mom,” Tyrese said, his voice wobbled, and
then he straightened in the chair. “Your body is throwing off some
kind of scent or signal to the wolves that you want to have
sex.”

Her hands flew up to her mouth as her eyes
widened.

“They smell it and it drives them crazy with
lust. Rone and I don’t smell it, but Silas did when he walked
in.”

“Oh my God.” She covered her face
remembering her lust-filled thoughts a minute ago. A thought hit
her. “Wait, what does this mean?” She paused, her eyes narrowed.
“Is this why you and Rone are still here? The reason you’ve been
here all morning?”

“Part of it. We couldn’t leave knowing you
were mad at us anyway. We planned to talk to you about this and
discuss the best way to handle it.”

“Handle it?” She didn’t understand what they
expected her to do. She couldn’t control her thoughts.

“Silas, is there a way to stop this?” Tyrone
asked the man standing behind him.

“It’ll stop when she’s no longer in
need.”

“Damn,” Tyrese said.

“Watch your mouth,” she said automatically
while thinking over Silas’s comments. “In need? Is that what this
is about?”

“Mom…”

“Shush, Tyrese. I’m talking to Silas.”

“I believe so. You have to understand, we
don’t know how things work exactly with you. We are blind in a lot
of ways. But, when our bitches are in heat, a hard fucking session
usually clears up the situation.”

“Hey, watch it. You’re talking to my mom,”
Tyrese said, standing, jaw clenched.

“Correct, she asked me a question and I
answered her, not you, Pup. Today is not the day to try me. I am
walking on edge here. There are those circling below, should I
leave and let you deal with them?”

“Tyrese sit down. Mom and Silas are
talking.” Tyrone crossed his arms over his chest and looked out the
window.

“The fact that I was thinking of having sex
has got you like this?” She couldn’t believe that was all it was to
it. “If that’s the case how do you guys get anything done?”

“Are you ovulating as well?” Silas asked,
his face turned to the window.

“I don’t know. Does it matter?”

“Yes. Your body is primed and ripe during
that time. But this is different, I’m not sure why, but it is
stronger, more potent. Even my wolf is not immune, and that is
rare.” The bite in his voice spoke of his displeasure of the
situation.

“Okay, so if I have sex…”

“Ugh,” Tyrese groaned.

“Stop it son. I’m trying to solve a serious
problem. I don’t want to get hurt and I don’t want you boys hurt
either. So unless you have something positive to add to the
conversation, keep quiet.”

He nodded but turned in his chair.

“So having sex will fix this?”

Silas inhaled and then released it slowly.
“I don’t know. I can only say what happens with our females.
You…you seem unaffected, that’s not the case with bitches. They
ache and need fulfillment in the worse way.”His words conjured up
images that struck at her core. She bent forward.

“Damn it, Silas. Stop talking.” Tyrese
grabbed her around her waist and drug her into her bedroom.

“Please, calm down, Silas. I can tell your
wolf is close to the surface. It’s because she’s responding to you,
isn’t it?” Tyrone asked nervous.

Silas tried to speak around the teeth
crowding his mouth. He’d never lost it like this and it pissed him
off. She was human for shits sake.

“That may have something to do with it,”
Silas growled. The little tease wanted him, and his wolf responded
to her siren call. He didn’t want additional complications by
linking himself to her.

“Seriously, I don’t want to lose my mom.
When you first got here there were only two wolves downstairs, now
there are more than ten. No way Rese and I can hold off all of
them. Please, tell me how to fix this. She wouldn’t be in this mess
if it weren’t for me.”

Silas understood the misplaced guilt on the
young wolf’s shoulder. And he knew they’d die to protect their
mother. But it wasn’t that simple. “Get your brother out here, but
leave your mom in her room. I can breathe and think better with her
in there.”

Tyrone nodded and sent his brother a message
through their link. A minute or two passed before the bedroom door
opened and Tyrese came forward.

He stopped a few feet from them, crossed his
arms and braced his legs apart. “Yeah?”

“Silas wants to talk to us and I think we
should hear him out.”

Tyrese nodded. Something loosened in Silas’
chest. He didn’t want to destroy either of these young wolves, but
they had to agree to stand back if they didn’t want their mother to
be raped by one of the circling wolves.

“Your mother wants me. That’s the reason her
pheromones spiked when I entered the room. Once we opened the
window her scent hit the compound and now there’s a collection of
randy wolves below. Jayden is trying to contain them and I have
warded the door.” He pointed to the entrance. “We cannot punish the
wolves for being themselves anymore than we’d punish your mother
for her desires.” He paused, watching Tyrese’s fist open and
close.

“I can take her, drain off her energy.”

“Take her?” Tyrese asked, his eyes
narrowing.

“What word would make it easier for you?”
Silas snapped, growing frustrated. Despite what his wolf wanted, he
wasn’t too keen on lying with a human. He barely spoke to them, let
alone touched them.

Tyrese turned away.

“Is this the best solution?” Tyrone asked,
his brow furrowed trying to work through this complicated
problem.

Silas resisted the urge to run his hand
through his hair. “Like I told your mom, I don’t’ know. This
shouldn’t be happening at all. I don’t understand why she’s
affecting our wolves in this manner.”

Tyrese turned, stuffed his hands in his
pockets, and looked at Silas. “Would you talk with her, explain
this option and give her a choice? I can’t do it. This … this is my
mom and I can’t, don’t, see her the same way you do. Maybe, Rone is
right and we need to step back and let the two of you work things
out.” His lips twisted in a rueful expression. “You’re probably
right in your assessment; she didn’t seem upset at the idea of the
two of you.”