BirthStone by Sydney Addae Page A

we have
discovered about her.” Matt’s eyes widened. Silas continued, going
with his gut. “Asia is our key to designing a winning defense. I
know she is a full-blood on steroids, but there is something
special about her. Look for these answers. First off, why her? What
makes her genetic make-up such that she has survived all the
operations? Why not move to another wolf or breed, even? They kept
coming back to her, I want to know why.”
    A spark of interest lit Matt’s green eyes.
Silas knew the man wouldn’t be able to resist this type of
challenge. Energized, he gazed at each man with the intention they
catch his sense of urgency. “They placed metal inside a wolf and
she can still shift and fight. How the hell is that possible? They
made her an altered wolf, yet her wolf responds to me. When she
shifts, what happens to the metal? Is it in the wolf? Does it make
the wolf faster, stronger? What are the benefits?”
    The spark of interest turned into a volcanic
blaze. Matt’s fingers were rubbing together and Silas knew the only
reason the man remained in the hall was because he had not
dismissed them. “Here’s another thing. If we are going to be faced
with altered wolves, how do we stop them? I want answers, I want
them now,” Silas demanded.
    “The metal remains with the shift,” Dr.
Passen said, frowning. “We took x-rays of her in wolf form when she
was first brought in. I’ll need permission to take her to the gym
to run on the machine to test her speed.”
    “No, she can never leave this area.” Silas
shook his head and thought how to proceed. To get the answers they
needed he would need to improvise. “I’ll have the equipment set up
on this level. Make a list of all the equipment you need and I’ll
have it delivered. But she will never leave this area until I
destroy her and our enemies,” Silas vowed.
    “Her blood-line,” Matt said slowly. Silas
turned toward him. “Full-blooded bitches over a hundred aren’t that
surprising, but the number of surgeries she’s had is. She shouldn’t
be as agile as she is. We age, become slower. Asia looks like a
twenty-something, but claims to be almost one hundred and fifty,
either that’s some serious genetics or those scientists found the
fountain of youth.”
    Silas stilled. “What?” His mind raced over
the implications of that statement. Humans were obsessed with
looking young, remaining young, and never growing old. Part of the
attraction to interact with his nation had always been their longer
lifespans. To date, he had not heard of full-bloods being used to
fuel this obsession of the humans.
    Matt straightened and met Silas’ gaze.
“There is a hell of lot more going on than we thought, isn’t
there?” he whispered, his face chalky white.
    “Hell…what the fuck?” Dr. Passen said,
running his fingers through his hair. “This just got real fucked.
If she can regenerate, if they have found a formula that works on
her to make her appear young…to remain strong, healthy…they need to
reclaim her. Or destroy her to keep others from finding out what
they can do.” He shook his head.
    “They've probably have done the same tests
on others, but she’s the poster girl. The original model. The one
who wouldn’t die. Probably worked for years,” Matt said slowly, his
brows puckered into a deep frown.
    “Or couldn’t die,” Silas said into the
silence, as another thought, more wicked than the first slid
through his mind. “Remember, they shipped her out as a hired gun
for years. She’s battle tested. Imagine what someone like her would
be worth to any military.”
    Dr. Passen snorted. “Anyone with enemies
would immediately see her worth and pay millions for her skills.”
He paused and shook his head. “So she was right, they have made
others like her. To raise money to continue research or to build an
army?” He looked at Silas.
    “Probably both,” Silas answered as the
situation settled on his shoulders. “Are they using