Untamable (10 page)

“I’m glad you two didn’t destroy the room. This place is badass.” Cole flopped down on the couch. His eyes raked her bare legs all the way up to the hem of the shirt.

She pulled the tee down to her upper thigh. Jasper growled while grabbing a blanket to lay over her lap. Cole laughed, but his tone wasn’t the same teasing tone it had been years ago. Jasper clenched his mouth shut, praying Cole would hold his tongue until he could explain everything.

“Being in Romania has made you harsh, man. If you only knew how much of her hot little body I’d seen at the apartment over the years.” Cole laughed, his eyes flashed with challenge.
 

Jasper’s wolf surged to the top, wanting to take Cole to the ground. Anger roared in his head. He struggled to keep his vision clear. Beside him, bones creaked and popped.

“Jasper, I think you’re triggering my wolf. My eyes are blurry.” Sidda blinked at him.

“Sorry. Cole’s gonna have to stop talking that way though. I can’t help getting pissed as hell.”

“Well, you could have…”

Come home, called, or asked me to visit. Jasper finished her sentence in his head. He knew exactly what she would say, and all of it was true.

Jasper gritted his teeth. “I know. Now, drop it. Focus on calm things. Like the mountain, or the beach, the sounds of nature. Anything that will calm you down.”

He grinned as warmth seeped over him, relaxing his body and mind. “Good, I can feel you calming down. It’s even making my wolf stop wanting to kill Cole.” He picked up her hand to kiss the palm.

He sat silently, listening to her breathing. Her heart beat strong and steady. He focused on the beat. The soft fast thumping rhythm silenced the beast in him. He glanced over at Cole, and for an instant, his wolf surged up again, but then it passed. Whatever calming techniques Sidda had done for herself had controlled his wolf too.

Soft footsteps made them look at the doorway. In the doorway, Sidda’s mother stood, chewing the nails on one hand. Her eyes widened, and her head bowed so that her jet black hair covered most of her face. Jasper squeezed Sidda’s hand, hoping she’d go easy on Angela. The woman had taken care of her, raised her, and, above all, loved her.

Chapter Nine

Sidda exhaled with her eyes still closed. Jasper squeezed her hand, and she looked toward the doorway. Sidda had thought when she saw her mother again she’d feel anger, resentment and maybe even a little hate. She didn’t expect remorse. Heartbreaking remorse. Her mother wasn’t really her mother. Sidda didn’t even have a clue who her mother really was. As if reading her thoughts, Angela Brighton’s bright blue eyes filled with tears, her full lips quivered, and she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Ohhhh, Lucy, you got some ’splainin’ to do.” Cole’s attempt at humor didn’t break the tension. Cole’s mother, Ms. Joy Montgomery glided into the room. “Cole Montgomery, you’d better hush. I don’t care if you are three or twenty-three, I will tan your hide, son.”

Her feet seemed to slide right across the hardwood floor to Cole. She raised one eyebrow at him, daring him to speak again. He winked at Sidda, but held his tongue. Ms. Joy really would tan his hide if he tried her. She’d done it to all of them over the years, and Sidda was thankful for the break in the tension. The woman was a blessing. She’d taken in a little boy who she knew was a wolf even though she and her own son were human. She knew nothing about raising a werewolf, but her kindness and good nature wouldn’t turn away a child in need. She’d loved and cared for Jasper ever since, and for that Sidda would always be grateful to her.

Sidda’s mom inched forward. Her steps were heavy, like she was being weighed down and couldn’t move. Which Sidda guessed she was. Weighed down with guilt or shame. Sidda really wanted to be angry, and in a way she was, but her mother had saved her life. She had given Sidda an opportunity to live like a normal child, and although they’d struggled to survive over the years, Sidda had a happy childhood. Her mother had been there for her through everything, every scratch, every jerk who’d made fun of her for being poor, and through every heartbreaking moment when she saw Jasper with another girl. Her mother had held her when he’d called to say he couldn’t come home yet.

Sidda rose. Her mother’s head bowed even more when Sidda took a step toward her. “Mom, look at me.” Her tone grew low, rough with emotion. Her mother’s head raised, eyes brimming with unshed tears. “Thank you.” Sidda picked her hand up and pulled her close. “Thank you for giving me a chance to live, for caring for me, and for taking on such a burden when you could have walked away and lived a full life.”

It was the truth. Her mom had only been twenty when she’d had Sidda, well, found her. Her mother should have been at college instead of finding some kid and taking care of her. She’d given her life for Sidda’s, and now Sidda decided she’d find a way to give it back to her.

Sidda’s tee shirt dampened in two spots from her mother’s silent sobs. She stroked her mother’s back. Tears came to Sidda’s eyes, but this wasn’t a time to cry. This was a time to figure out what the hell had happened and where Jasper’s pack was relocated.

“Our pack.” Jasper reclined on the sofa.

Sidda rolled her eyes. He needed to learn to stay out of her head. One day he’d find something he didn’t like.

“Like what?” His voice rang higher than normal.

She let go of her mom and turned to glare at him. He really needed to stop. “Mom, it’s all right. I mean, it’s not, but it will be.” She kissed her cheek and together they sat on the sofa next to Jasper.

Sidda’s heart swelled with love and pride when Jasper leaned forward to look at Ms. Angela. His love for her as a second mother was clear in the chocolate-colored eyes softened around the edges to give off an “I understand” look. The warmth and appreciation oozed from him to Sidda. Through their bond, Sidda could feel that he loved Ms. Angela for all the same reasons Sidda did. For taking care of her, for giving her a normal life, and most of all for keeping her safe. And for loving him too.

“Ms. Angela, I never knew exactly what you and Ms. Joy gave up emotionally, monetarily, and physically to care for us as kids. But now I know, and I promise none of you will ever have to worry about anything ever again. For the rest of your lives I’ll make sure that all your kindness,” he looked at Ms. Joy, “and yours is rewarded. If not for the two of you, I wouldn’t have survived either.” He grinned at Sidda, his dimple showing. “And I owe you more than my life for taking care of my mate.”

Sidda’s face burned. Cole chuckled, shaking his head. “You gonna get shy now? No way you can after that scream we heard earlier.”

Sidda opened her mouth to say something, but Ms. Joy slapped the back of his head before she had a chance to fuss. Beside Sidda, Jasper shook with laughter. She glanced over at him, and he turned his head away, still smiling.

“And you, young man.” Ms. Joy narrowed her eyes, making Sidda squirm. “There is a time and place for everything. The couch with guests nearby is neither the time nor the place. As I recall, I had the sex talk with all three of you. I expect better.”

“Ms. Joy, I love you to no end, but she’s my mate, and I’ll have her whenever and wherever she’ll let me.” Jasper flashed his devilish smile.

Sidda gaped at him. No, he didn’t just say that in front of their mothers. Oh, he had balls, and they were gonna get ripped off if he didn’t watch it.

“You can try later.” He nipped her earlobe. “But for now let’s discuss where your mom found you.”

The urge to wipe the knowing grin off his face nearly made her growl. But what did she expect? Jasper had never stayed out of her personal thoughts. He’d dug through her drawers as a child to find her journal, then later he’d broken into her locker to read notes boys had given her. She shook her head.

Her mom’s voice broke her train of thought. “Back then I worked for a cleaning company that cleaned the office complex where I found you.” She shuddered. “I didn’t know anything about the lab behind the offices. I decided to take a break, go smoke, and that’s when I heard them.”

She looked away, but Sidda squeezed her hand. “Mom, we really need to know everything. There could be more pack members still alive or more pups.” She stopped and took a deep breath. Since when did she refer to children as pups? “Children who need help.”

Anger pulsed in Jasper’s veins at the thought of Dane Velham using other wolves as breeding stock and then discarding the creations that didn’t meet his standards. His mother, brothers, and the rest of the pack were taken and more than likely used. He looked at the beautiful strong Luna beside him. She wasn’t anything like the bastard who’d created her, and their pack would no doubt recognize her Blue Moon traits immediately.

Jasper wanted to laugh at her reference to Luna children as pups, then her rephrasing. “They are pups. I need to get the pack book out and count who all might be missing.” He rose from the sofa, all the while knowing his responsibility to the pack, the pups, and Sidda was growing stronger. “Ms. Angela, we need to know the size and location of this facility.” Jasper grabbed a leather-bound book from the desk near the far wall.

He couldn’t quite believe there might be a possibility Dane had bred other pups and their fates could be far worse than anything that had been meant for Sidda. He clenched the book in his hands. His mother and brothers could still be alive and suffering at the hands of Dane Velham.

“Jasper? We’ll find them. Come here.”
Sidda’s firm voice made him smile. She always had been a demanding little thing.

“Yes ma’am.”
He smiled, despite the anger flooding him. Their bond was stronger, and she’d already learned to use her links to him.

He sat down beside her, and she snuggled close to him. The warmth of her body, mind, and soul washed away the coldness he’d started to feel over the possibilities that most of his pack could be dead.

Ms. Angela cleared her throat. “The office building was on the outer edge of town. It wasn’t really an office building, more of a warehouse that had offices in the front. It was a pharmaceutical company, so I never thought anything about the people in white coats or all the people coming in and out. I always figured they were testing products, you know like how you read about in want ads.”

Jasper opened the book of his pack while Ms. Angela continued talking. He vaguely remembered Dane Velham owning a pharmaceutical company, but wasn’t sure. He raised his hand to stop Ms. Angela and looked over at Dr. Thomas.

“Doc, you know anything about this pharmaceutical company?”

Dr. Thomas nodded and sat on the armrest beside Ms. Angela. “Velham owns a pharmaceutical company, but the headquarters are in New York now.”

Jasper ran a finger across a page of the book. “How large of a warehouse was it? How many people working there? You would have noticed large amounts of food being brought in, wouldn’t you? If they’d held a large number of Lunas there, they’d have to be feeding them. And during the full moon you would have noticed sounds coming from the back. Even through soundproofed walls, a pack of Lunas would still be loud.” Jasper flipped the page from the front cover and held his breath.

The first page held a picture of his father, mother, brothers, and him. His mother was smiling, and his father looked proud into the camera with his head held high and back straight. His dark, almost jet-black, hair gleamed in the light. His mother’s summer grass-colored eyes shone while her dark brown wavy hair brought out the earth tone of her skin. Jasper grinned and ran a hand across the picture, remembering the love his parents had given him. He knew without a doubt his father had been killed, his body laid to rest in the cemetery behind the house where they sat, but his mother and brothers might still be alive.

Beside him, his mate rested her head on his shoulder and gazed down at the picture. Her hand traced the same path his had, and he clasped their hands together. She kissed his jaw softly. Jasper’s breath caught at the tender action.

“
You’ll tell me about them later, right?”
Her voice rang in his mind.

He nodded, too choked up to say anything else. Growing up, he’d forgotten so much about his family. He’d rarely talked about them since he’d always felt guilty that he missed them so much when he had Ms. Joy and Cole. He silently flipped the page to see a list of pack members from the year the pack wars started. He began going over the names and faces of those he’d met in Romania, against those in the pictures.