Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

J ax

Wolfen Industries was well run with offices, production facilities, and dealers in several cities and countrysides throughout the entire United States. We were also in discussions with some European diplomats, although it would seem Italy was pushing hard against our entrance into the arena.

There was a planned meeting with a group of Italians to try to smooth the way, but I wasn’t certain it would matter.

From what I knew, it would seem they were terrified that we’d take more of the market than we already had. Was I supposed to feel sorry for them? Not a chance.

I was considered one of the most ruthless businessmen in the industry for good reason.

The two production plants between Cartersville and Chicago were the original locations started by my great-grandfather a long time ago. While refurbished with the best and most expensive equipment, they both held the charming appeal that they once did.

Including a set of offices on the ground floor of the original first building. I understood the history behind our corporation and out mother’s love of watching it grow, but I wasn’t certain why she insisted on meeting here at least twice a year.

Chase might be my younger brother, but he’d always reminded me that if that was all she wanted as a stockholder and board member, we had to give it to her.

So here we were, the three brothers and my best friend, who happened to be the corporate attorney, Parker Sherman, waiting for our mother’s usually fashionable arrival.

She was almost always late. I wish I could say it was because of her attendance at a book club or making a knitting group. Not a chance. Our mother was the oldest woman I knew and perhaps the feistiest. As flirtatious as she was, and as kinky, she could have a young guy in her bed every single night.

No, it wasn’t my favorite mental subject.

I had myriad questions to ask her, some she might not be appreciative of, but they were necessary.

“I don’t like this at all,” Chase grumbled from behind us. “We need some answers and now. I’m not fucking finding some chick I don’t know to mate with. Bull fucking shit.”

“What is he talking about?” Parker asked.

“Family business,” Riker answered. “Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Every time you tell me that, we end up in some corporate nightmare.”

“This has nothing to do with the company,” I said and closed my eyes briefly. Thoughts and images of the woman flowed through my mind. The memory of her long, thick hair cascading over her shoulders and the way she looked by candlelight caused desire to burn inside me, thick, hot, and possessive.

Another unusual occurrence in a box full of them.

I glanced at Riker who lifted a single eyebrow. I hadn’t told my younger brother what I suspected Mother would share with us. He was the most excitable of the group, going off halfcocked more often than I could remember. He’d been the troublemaker as a kid and in some ways, he still was.

“Why do I have a feeling I won’t like being here today?” Parker asked. The man was very human, sometimes too much so in my opinion. He also knew about our lineage and what our kind was capable of.

We’d had a few conversations years before over drinks and whatever football team I’d been into and I’d explained our world. What it had been and what it had evolved into. Since then, the fact that I was a wolf almost never entered into a conversation. There was no need.

“Because you might be right,” I told him.

“As usual, Mother is fashionably late,” Riker said. I sensed he was still concerned but was able to hide his feelings better than everyone else in the family. “She’s doing this on purpose too. You know how she is.”

“I do have other business to attend to,” Chase insisted. He walked to the window, staring out at the parking lot. “And if she has some other rules about mating, fuck her.”

“Stop it,” I snapped. “She is our mother and she’s not happy about the council’s decision.”

I had business as well, although now I was thinking about dinner with Sedona. I was pushing the envelope. I knew that. Hell, when I’d carried her back to her bedroom, I’d noticed there was a child’s room in her house as well.

Getting involved with anyone was still risky given my ancestry. Doing so with a woman who had a child placed my actions in another category altogether.

A risky one.

Plus, she was human.

There was always a chance one or all of us would someday need to shift, which would mean destroying any concept of normalcy within a relationship.

Maybe that’s why the three of us remained unmarried.

Parker moved closer, stepping in front of me. “What’s going on, buddy?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“But you suspect something is on Mary’s mind.”

“She’s always thinking,” I told him. And she was. “There was a meeting of the council yesterday and it left some unanswered questions.”

“Wolves. You have more politics than any humans I know,” Parker quipped. “But your mother is damn good at business.”

Yes, she was. She’d been the one to think of new body styles and additional marketing methods, her keen sense of knowing helping us create an empire. She was also one of the oldest wolves that I knew, which made her knowledge of the past invaluable. As with all wolves, we aged at a much slower rate than humans.

She appeared in her late fifties when she was at least three hundred years old. Yet she’d had children much later in life. The specifics of our anatomy were the stuff science fiction novels were made of and scientists would love to expose.

Even if they had to carve us into little pieces to find the secrets of our longevity. It had occurred before.

Another reason to remain very human.

“Don’t kid a kidder, Jax. What is it?”

I turned my head slowly. He knew when to back down until we were alone and this was one of those times.

He nodded and headed toward the coffeepot.

“She’s here, driving her magical chariot.” Chase was laughing.

Our mother was also a speed demon. It was good that she occasionally dated one of the police sergeants or the woman would be behind bars for reckless driving.

I heard the sharp braking action from where I stood.

“One day she’s going to get herself killed driving that way,” Riker grumbled under his breath.

“Try telling her that,” I quipped.

“At least I have good news with the discussions out of France,” Parker threw in.

Traveling had always been something I’d loved to do. I’d volunteered to visit our other plants and dealers just so I could keep from staying in one place too long. It had grown weary like so many other aspects of life.

That was left to Chase at this point. He was still in love with airports and hotels, including hooking up with hot chicks whenever possible.

I glanced out the window and as usual, I had to smile. Mother never took herself too seriously. She had the finest couture clothing, her love of Italy taking her there at least three times a year. When needed, she looked like a corporate mogul.

But her love of funky, almost gypsy-like attire made her well known in town. She’d told us her vivid clothing kept her young.

Right…

As she rushed into the office, tossing her long bleached-blonde hair over her shoulder, she didn’t offer her bright smile as usual. Instead, the moment she removed her sunglasses, I noticed it was obvious she hadn’t gotten much sleep.

“Gentlemen. Let me get some coffee and we’ll head into the boardroom.”

Today’s meeting was originally about selecting a new board member. We’d yet to go public, which was on the agenda for this year, so we were in control of those who served. A fifth was needed, Tom Jones dying from a heart attack. He’d been a worker from the pack, a man who’d lived a very long and happy life.

There was no surprise how he’d died. We weren’t immortal, easily succumbing to everything from food poisoning to horrific vehicle accidents, diseases, and organ failures.

Still, it had been a significant loss.

Right now, our choices were limited and we would need someone as soon as possible with the votes on the European opportunities around the corner. We tended to vote two against two.

Almost always.

It had become a family joke of sorts.

I doubted we would be getting to the important business today.

She remained silent as she prepared a cup of coffee, which wasn’t like her.

When it was time to head into the boardroom, she took her usual place at the helm. It had been our father’s seat before she’d taken his place.

Our mother always had her beloved MacBook with her. She took her sweet time pulling it out while the rest of us sat in silence.

The air in the room was suddenly insufferable.

“Mother,” Riker threw in. “Can you cut the dramatics? We do have business to handle. We are a major corporation and need decisions made. Now, what in God’s name is the Wolfen council hiding? What are we facing?”

I was prepared for a quick jab in reply like she always threw out, but she said nothing, did nothing. She just turned on her computer.

What the hell was going on?

“Should I allow the family to handle this discussion, Mary?” Parker asked. She’d insisted the moment he’d come on board that she would never go by Mrs. Wolf. She considered her ex-husband the single blight in her life.

I can’t say I blamed her. The man, our father, was an ass.

“No, Parker. You need to stay. This will undoubtedly affect you as well.” She was much more polished today, something that should make the four of us sweat.

Except we never did.

We were confident bastards who never allowed anyone to notice any hint of aggravation. However, today was different.

This was her show. Her time to shine. We had to wait and be patient for the bomb to drop.

When it did, I was the least surprised.

“I’m expecting a war.” She made the statement far too casually as if she was announcing dinner plans with some sheik.

“A war? With whom? The Italian team owning Ferrari, or Maserati? Fuck them. Our cars are better made and highly sought after by their clients as well.” Chase was so out of understanding I was shocked.

“Don’t interrupt me, Chase,” Mother threw back. “This has nothing to do with Wolfen Industries and everything to do with the Wolfen existence.”

He slumped against his chair.

I studied her pensive face. There was much more to the story from yesterday.

Wolf shifters had several attributes that would be coveted by any human, including superhuman strength, hearing, and eyesight. Those abilities had diminished over the years and through the heavy interbreeding with humans. A sixth sense, knowing what others were thinking as well as seeing aspects of the future, had been just another trait to our ancestors.

Sadly, over time, those attributes had become more selective. Chase had been born with a very limited sense of knowing or reading minds.

I was no fool. If we had an enemy, our evolution would be used against us.

“We’re going to be attacked by a much stronger species of wolf. The creature has been lying in wait, salivating at the mouth as we continued to develop weaknesses and lose our abilities given our lack of use and training.” I issued the words like a statement of intent on a contract.

“Bullshit,” Chase chortled. “We are the strongest creatures alive.”

Riker was watching me, not turning toward his brother. “Not true.”

I shook my head in response.

Parker studied the various family members, his expression unreadable.

Our mother looked at me directly. She was challenging me as to if I’d felt the change in the atmosphere. “You knew that we could be facing an enemy.”

Sighing, I drummed my fingers on the table. “I’ve suspected. I gathered a whiff of something unusual.”

“Then they’re here,” she said. I rarely heard her voice crack, but it did this time.

“Knew what?” Chase insisted. “Who are they?”

Riker half laughed. “Are you trying to tell us that another wolf pack has decided to start what could be a bloody and violent war to gain what? Territory? Clout? Why the fuck would any of them across this country do that now? Why didn’t you tell us that yesterday? Why the cloak and dagger routine?”

“Imagine if every wolf heard there was a chance we’d face extinction,” she said as she looked around the table. “What in God’s name do you think would happen? We have become weakened by our love of sin and sex, the need for power and our basic greed. There would be utter chaos, violence in every city. The council refuses to allow that to happen.”

“Extinction. Can someone explain this to me?” Parker asked. He was looking from one to the other around the table.

“Most of the wolves I talk to are living a damn good life, much better than crawling around in a forest searching for food. Being ridiculed by humans, hunted like bad dogs. They developed humanity,” Riker insisted.

Mother sucked in her breath. But her eyes never left mine. “Have they really? Are any of us willing to risk all we have on a guess we won’t regress to our old ways, our primal ways?”

Ah, fuck.

What I’d suspected was true. “We’re not talking rogue pack wolves. Correct?”

“You are correct, son,” she said. “Although there are reports a few of our own have gone to the dark side.”

It was her way of saying they’d betrayed us.

Chase leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. “What the hell am I missing? What other enemy do we have that has a chance of pushing us into extinction?”

“Just listen, Chase. Maybe you’ll learn something about a history you never wanted to learn or be a part of.”

Mother’s comments pissed him off as usual, but she was right.

Chase wanted no part of hearing about the legends or the methods to improve our way of life that had taken generations to do so. He’d hated his required training, missing more classes than he’d attended. For his refusal to follow the rules, even though he was Alpha by birth, his rank had been reduced to a lower class. That had started his spiral into loathing who and where we were now.

“Supreme beings capable of killing wolves and humans.” Riker was remembering the ancient stories our mother has insisted we hear.

Granted, the old folklore that we’d been cursed to walk the earth as hybrids around the time of the Vikings was grueling to stomach. It was almost like a ghost or horror story humans told or made into movies.

From what I knew scientifically, we’d been created like any other beast. Only we’d managed to find a way to evolve.

“What are we talking about?” Parker asked as Chase continued to fume.

Now I sat back in my seat. The thought of what we were facing seemed like a nightmare of our own. “Werewolf.”

As soon as I half whispered the word, Chase burst into laughter. “You are shitting me. You expect me to believe that crap? The council is using that to get us to do what they want. Nothing more. I want no part of it.”

Mother did her best not to get angry, but when she did, you knew it. Nothing about her was demure or soft. She’d never been the most nurturing woman either.

She slammed her hand down on the table. “Enough. You will listen to me. Whether you want to believe it or not, there are creatures not unlike us that still kill for food and fun. They enjoy becoming the monsters that human nightmares are made of, using their grotesque and often deformed bodies to enhance the experience of terror. Just before they kill their intended victims. They are impossible to kill once in full form, finding new recruits by killing members of the human race. And guess what happens when they are reanimated? They become very hungry. Their food of choice? Human flesh and bone.”

She allowed the statement to linger.

As I expected, Chase continued to laugh while Parker looked at me, trying to figure out if our mother had lost her marbles.

“I need a drink,” he whispered.

Hell, so did I.

I’d heard the story, the lore that had troubled every pack in every country. However, these so-called werewolves were limited in number, most not moving in organized packs. However, they were created and whether by God, man, or the devil himself as Mother believed, their mental faculties were supposedly those of a child.

That’s why they didn’t live very long, often killing each other. They also had succumbed to the curse of a disease affecting only them. Yes, they could shift back into their human form, but why bother? They had too much fun hunting and feasting on unsuspecting innocent victims. But before this, their kills had been intended for food for the most part.

“Werewolves,” Riker repeated. “How and why now? Is this really true, Mother? I’m not Chase. I am aware there are various wolf packs in the world, but we’ve never had to face murderous creatures. If any of the story you told is true, they have no leader, just a primal need to exist.”

She softened with Riker. I often believed he was her favorite son. “I don’t have all the answers yet, but through my contact with the other Elders, we’re trying to piece together why there is a surge of them. I don’t mind telling you the council is worried. If their numbers don’t increase significantly, we could keep them at bay while building our army.”

Army.

I could tell how well that word went over with Chase.

“You’re trying to say that there is a leader?” I interjected.

“If the stories are true, his name is Jeremiah. He is as ancient as our oldest Wolfen, perhaps more so. Some Elders say the werewolf was considered a mistake made by the devil. Our form was fashioned by refining what the devil learned. Then the werewolves were banished.”

“But they lived,” I said, trying not to laugh. A true nightmare.

“As I said, the council doesn’t have all the answers and neither do I. But there has been increased unusual activity. There’s always been sightings of wolves attacking people.”

“But it was assumed a feral wolf was the reason?” Riker asked. A good question.

“Yes, which I consider another mistake made by the council. I tried to get Cane to establish a tracking system to keep the slaughters in our computer system, but he refused.”

“Why do you believe there’s going to be a war?” I finally asked.

“Because after these bizarre and unexplainable murders where the bodies go missing, more killings have occurred immediately. Some remain dead. They are feeding to gain their strength. They’ve occurred in New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and as far south as Miami. Now, in Chicago as well.”

“It almost sounds as if this Jeremiah is hand picking candidates he wants in his army.” Riker took a deep breath.

“An excellent guess,” Mother answered.

Parker sighed. “Let me get this straight. There are dangerous, murderous humans that become creatures similar to werewolves after being hand selected by some werewolf guru. They enjoy killing so they are suddenly beginning to do so, almost in military fashion maybe? They will grow in number unless the Wolfen take mates and make babies fast?”

She nodded. “Exactly like that. There will be more deaths. I sense that and I’m certain you do as well, Jax.”

“They are increasing their numbers in preparation of a full-blown attack.” Riker had his hands steepled as he usually did when he was thinking.

“That is the most educated guess. That’s why many of the elder wolves are concerned. We need to stop guessing and find definitive answers.”

I jerked up from the chair, heading to the window overlooking the back parking lot. “How can they be killed, Mother?”

“If they shifted into being a werewolf, then there is only one way that we know of at this time. They must be beheaded. Perhaps someday a disease they can’t avoid can be created.”

Like that was going to happen.

“And if they are still somewhat human?” Chase finally came back to the discussion.

“It’s another unknown at this point. It depends on how fast they begin to shift.”

For some reason, I wanted to laugh. “Okay. From what you know, how long before the victims suddenly become creatures of the night?”

“Maybe twenty-four hours. No one knows. Their species is also evolving. Our best scientists haven’t unlocked their full DNA yet. That will come in time. It’s our hope maybe a serum or a gas can be developed that will eliminate them, but it’s all about the time needed.”

“When it’s already too late.” Riker’s voice was almost unrecognizable.

Chase threw back his chair with enough force, it slammed against the wall several feet away. “I’ve sat here as required, just like at that meeting yesterday, and listened. This is bullshit. I’m not buying any of it. There are plenty of monsters out there, but they’re entirely human. I have business to attend to.”

Chase reminded me more of our dramatic matriarch. When Riker moved to get him back, Mother threw out her arm.

“Let him be. There are many things the younger generations do not know because we were hopeful you wouldn’t need to discover the darkness that haunted our past lives. I fear that’s not the case now. He will need to come to terms on his own. That will take some time, but be mindful that your senses will be more activated if this situation gets out of hand.”

“No idea when they might come rolling into town?” My humor was starting to kick in.

“None. I will let you know if and when I hear anything else. We must fight this, gentlemen,” Mother said. “I don’t mind telling you that I am also very concerned.”

With three of us left sitting with her, I had a feeling we all felt the weight of death.

And I tasted it.

“Parker,” our mother continued. “What about the situation in Europe?”

As usual, Mother could flip from one subject to another.

Parker was taken aback, likely never fully believing in our shifting abilities as I’d never attempted to shift around him. Not even as much as I had with the assholes who’d accosted Sedona.

He took a deep breath and tried to return to business as usual. I suspected he’d want to talk afterwards. Hell, I didn’t know what to tell him, as I’d always believed that the idea of the different wolves was bloated or completely made up.

To scare the wolf children.

There was no doubt my mother was nervous, concerned about our future as well as that of all humans. With superhuman strength and a desire for blood, thousands could die.

And be turned.

Monsters were real. Humans had no idea how lucky they were the Wolfen packs were not aggressive.

Usually.

Unless we were backed into a corner.