BirthStone by Sydney Addae

challenge
still looming before them, he needed heightened security.
    “Yes, Sir.” Dr. Passen and Matt walked to
the exit with Silas. “As the corrections were being made, they were
simultaneously being downloaded to the engineers for modifications.
From what I’ve been told, they’ve already started on production.
Everyone is in agreement about how important this equipment is,
Sir.”
    “I ordered enough for the government
agencies nearby. Make sure the detection devices are installed in
the courthouse, police station, library, and county offices. I’ve
already explained to those in charge this would be happening as
soon as the devices passed inspection, so they are expecting your
team.”
    Dr. Passen nodded. “Will do, Sir.” He turned
to Matt. “I want you to look at Asia’s blood work and see what La
Patron discovered.” He then proceeded to bring both Matt and Silas
current.
    “She’s over a hundred?” Silas asked to be
sure. He hadn’t suspected Asia was that old. Arianna, another
breeder he had met in Mexico, who'd turned out to be crazy, had
been over a hundred but looked to be in her twenties, so he knew it
was possible.
    “That was her first response, it surprised
her,” Dr. Passen said, agreeing with Silas’ unspoken
assessment.
    “Well… if she had that many surgeries and
they tampered with her mind, who knows what’s real and what’s
fantasy,” Matt said, voicing another of Silas’ concerns.
    “Asia believes if she doesn’t think about
what to say or not say, the answers come freely without the pain.
It’s possible there are certain words that act as triggers to
prevent her from revealing classified information,” Dr. Passen
said. “I’ve heard of a study where this actually happened. It’s
been a few years back, I’ll have one of my assistants research it
so we can read the results.” He pulled out his phone, typed a few
instructions, and then returned it to his pocket.
    “Plus,” Matt said, glancing at Silas, “she
has no idea who she is. They stripped her of her identity and gave
her so many others that it’s hard to take anything we get from her
seriously.”
    “That’s part of the plan,” Silas said,
thinking hard. “Asia is extremely valuable to them, whoever they
are, especially if she is as old as she said. Arianna was over a
hundred. I don’t have to remind you how powerful she was. Must be
something about being one of the first,” he said, gazing at
Matt.
    Arianna had come to West Virginia with one
goal in mind, to breed with Silas regardless of his mated
connection. When she discovered he would never accept her, she'd
released a mating call and made slaves of hundreds of wolves hungry
to answer her summons. The bloody deaths from her foolish actions
were unprecedented outside of war. Killing her had been high on his
agenda; pity she could only die once.
    “Leon, nor any of the other men we brought
in, had the mental safeguards she has. Her eyes, her mind, her arm,
her legs, being the recipient of those types of surgeries means
they want to keep her around.” He gazed at Doctor Passen. “She fell
from an airplane?”
    The other man nodded. “That’s what she said.
Shattered her arm and leg, should’ve killed her.” He met Silas’
stare. “You’re right, Sir. They want her and will probably send
someone to take her again. What should we do?”
    Silas had been thinking along those lines as
well. He welcomed the confrontation. “I’ll handle security. But she
stays in her room. Right now, she’s sleeping and eating well. Her
headaches are few because we're not pressuring her for information.
I like the code idea. Build on that. When I talk to her, I want the
coded names to press for specific data. I have someone coming who
will be able to connect the dots, it helps to make sure the
information he’s processing is accurate.” He nodded, thinking fast.
Pieces were falling into place. They were on the right path.
    “I want Matt to go over everything