Chapter 21 - Silvercloud


    Logan can’t get upset with me for blocking the pack link. It’s not like he and the others don’t do the


    same damn thing. So I wasn’t going to apologize to him when I took him off mute. He knows why he


    was being blocked out and knows better than to expect an apology for it. I wasn’t sure what he wanted,


    but I didn’t expect him to drop bombs on me.


    First, he told me that I’d got a week to be prepared to face three Alphas that have decided to pop in


    and check on Persephone and Delh, mostly Persephone because of me. I could handle that. I’ve met


    André and Alec. Though I only met Alec briefly at Kurt’s wedding. And while he’s intimidating in a way


    even Logan isn’t, I’m not worried about it.


    Honestly, I’m not concerned about the D’Amore family. I’m worried about Crista Fayte. Along with


    Delh, she’s the only family Persephone has left, and being mated to me means leaving her sisters to


    move across the world. While I doubt she’d dare to interfere with the will of the Goddess, it doesn’t


    mean she has to make things easy on us.


    Not to mention Persephone mentioned her sister is owed an apology basket, so she may want to


    interrupt our private time for payback. Either way, I can handle a visit from Persephone’s family.


    The part I didn’t expect and am miffed about was Logan telling me we must wait a MONTH toplete


    our bond. I couldn’t think of a good reason to wait that long. She’s not a human like Sarael, so we don’t


    have to wait for a new moon. She’s not in imminent danger like Aurelia was, nor has human parents


    that didn’t like what marking would mean. Hell, if anything marking her sooner sounded logical to me as


    that would shut that girl from Demonw the fuck down.


    But that was Logan’s strategy. He wants us to wait to mark for two reasons. The lesser reason is to let


    Persephone have a month in the internship program before she goes and misses days off, or I can


    make up some excuse of needing to work remotely that would be believable. His main reason,


    however, was the Demonw girl. After reviewing today’s security footage, he thinks if we want her to


    slip up, we need to give her a false sense of security.


    He wants her to make a misstep and give away if she’s here for something other than simply being that


    enthusiastic about the bioengineering division of Silvercloud. He thinks if we wait, she will slip up, and if


    she doesn’t before the time frame, our marking will push her over that edge. Overall, he wants to give


    Azriel and Cillian time to uncover what she’s doing here.


    “Logan wants to give time for what’s her name from Demonw to slip up. He figures a month would


    give time for her to either do that herself or for Azriel and Cillian to find something. If not, he figured


    when we mark each other, it will push her into revealing her reasons, if they were for anything other


    than a chance to work at mypany.” I sighed.


    Persephone’s brow furrowed, and I could practically hear the gears turning in her head as she thought


    it over. “I don’t like that n. It means he wants to use you as bait.” She frowned.


    “I am not bait.” Iughed, but she didn’t.


    “I’m serious, Jonathan. M has made it clear she ns to im you as a mate. She even told me so


    while you were talking to Shikoba.” She exined. “She needs to be put in her ce. The longer she


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    believes you’re unmated, the more likely I will break her limbs.”


    “She said that?” I wrinkled my nose. “Yeah, I don’t like that. Granted, she will have more limited ess


    to me once the new security protocols are in ce to limit intern ess to divisions they aren’t


    assigned.”


    “You can tell your Alpha, Azriel, and Cillian that they have till after my family leaves. If they don’t find


    dirt on M in that time frame, it sucks to be their asses.” Persephone scoffed. “We are marking, and


    that bitch is going to be put in her ce in the only way I can that doesn’t involve kicking her ass at


    work.”


    “Don’t shoot the messenger, átawit.” I smiled as I held my hands up in surrender. “I’m on your side. Jaci


    is still sulking because we didn’t mark you topside.”


    “Then we agree? They get two weeks. That’s it.” Persephone nodded.


    “Agreed.” I nodded. “Now I have to tell them that.” I sighed.


    ‘Logan. Azriel. Cillian.’ I called out through the link.


    ‘Yes, Delta Jonathan?’ Cillian was the first to answer and will probably be the only one to address me


    by rank.


    ‘What’s up, Silvercloud?’ Azriel answered.


    ‘What?’ Logan gruffly answered.


    ‘Discussed your n with Persephone. She says tough shit. You get two weeks. If you find nothing


    useful on the Demonw girl by the time her family is gone, we move forward with our marking.’ I


    exined.


    ‘Not even marked, and she’s got your balls in her purse.’ Azriel taunted.


    ‘Let me link Saddie and see where yours are.’ I answered.


    ‘He has you there, Azriel.’ Cillian chuckled in his thick Irish brogue. The ent is probably one of the


    reasons that he’s a popr guy with the unmated she-wolves and humans he works with at Kinsley.


    ‘What makes your mate think she gets to set the time limits?’ Logan questioned.


    ‘What makes you think you get to set them?’ I countered. ‘The only person that set a time limit on you


    marking Aurelia was her parents. You aren’t Persephone’s father, nor are you a human getting


    ustomed to werewolfws. Not to mention Persephone is eighteen.’ I reminded him.


    ‘He has a point, Alpha. Who are we to put a strain on their bond like that?’ Azriel sighed.


    ‘Do you and Cillian feel two weeks will be ample time to find out this girl’s underlying reason for being


    here? If there is one?’ Logan asked.


    ‘Of course, Alpha. Between the pair of us, we ought to easily find out why she’s here.’ Cillian assured.


    ‘As a side note, she told Persephone she has sights on making me her mate.’ I added.


    Logan let out a whistle. ‘Well, that exins why the girl is set on marking you sooner thanter.’


    ‘Marking is better than Persephone getting into a fight at work.’ I pointed out.


    ‘Alright, we have our orders. Cillian is on his way to monitor her till morning, and I’ll take over after that.


    See if you can get me ess to your office building to follow her inside quietly.’ Azriel requested.


    ‘I’ll get that taken care of after this. Thanks, guys. Good luck.’ I closed the link and sighed.


    “Did he try to give you a hard time?” Persephone asked. “I will have André give him hell if Azriel gave


    you grief. It wouldn’t take much convincing. He enjoys tormenting his brothers-inw.”


    I had to smile at her offering to sick her Alpha nephew-inw on Azriel. It’s very adorable. “Only a little,


    but I put Azriel in his ce with a reminder that Saddie’s wearing the pants in their rtionship.” I


    chuckled.


    “Good, he should never forget that.” Persephone rolled her eyes. “So, should we get back to choosing


    who might be my guards and why that Rohan character is on the list?” She gestured back to the


    monitors.


    I frowned and looked at the monitors. I don’t know why or how Rohan made it to the list. It bothers me.


    And I don’t simply mean because he’s unmated. I’m not one of those guys that will get super territorial


    and worried an unmated male could make a move on my mate. Okay, so maybe, to an extent, I am.


    Every werewolf is like that. Persephone feels that way about the Demonw girl.


    ‘Why do you keep calling her ‘demonw girl’ or ‘what''s her name’? You aren’t stupid enough to forget


    her name,’ Jaci questioned.


    ‘Because her name doesn’t matter. And for all I know, it’s not her real name. She’s a potential spy and


    a threat to our pack and mypany. I know the saying is innocent until proven guilty. To me, anyone


    from Demonw is guilty of what happened to my parents and pack.’ I exined.


    ‘Alright. I thought you would say you don’t say that girl’s name or acknowledge it to abuse our mate. I’d


    have epted that too, but your answer was good.’ Jaci conceded.


    “Why don’t we save that for tomorrow? It’s gettingte, and we both must work in the morning.” I


    suggested.


    “Sounds fair. Are we staying here?” Persephone asked as she looked around the bunker, probably


    searching for anything resembling a bed.


    “We can…” I shrugged and pressed a button on the workstation.


    Persephone jumped, turning to see a segment in the wall slide open to reveal an alcove with a


    mattress with a wad of nkets and pillows. Her blonde brow arched, and she looked from the nook as


    four rungs for adder popped out to give ess to the bed.


    “That’s your bed?” She asked.


    “In the bunker, yeah. I don’t often use it since I tend to fall asleep at my workstation.” I shrugged.


    “It’s going to be like sleeping in a cave.” Shemented as she walked to the wall and climbed into the


    bed.


    “But at least the mattress isfy. Much nicer than sleeping on a cave floor or hunched over a


    workstation.” Shemented as she crawled around on the mattress, fixing the nket and pillows,


    her ass up in the air tempting me.


    Clenching my jaw, I looked away. I need to look away before I reach out and rip the shorts off


    Persephone. Not that it’s a bad course of action, but I want to ensure Dove is shut down and secure


    before we do anything. There is still much we don’t know about its capabilities, and thest thing I need


    is that mechanical bird making a sex tape of us. That would probably not endear me to her family when


    they arrive.


    “Dove, shut down,” Imanded, wanting to be sure he was fully powered down for the night.


    Persephone peered out from the bed alcove to watch Dove fly off the desk to a beam on the ceiling. I


    furrowed my brow as I realized it had made a nest out of loose wires and scrap metal. We watched as


    it settled into the nest, tucking its beak against its chest as its eyes went dark. At least it’s shut down.


    “Come to bed, mia anima.” The sultry tone of Persephone’s caught my attention more than the Italian


    pet name.


    I looked away from where Dove had settled and blinked as a shirt, and then a pair of shorts hit my face.


    I could hear Persephone giggling as I pulled the fabric off my face. I was rewarded for my trouble by


    seeing my naked mate kneeling on the bed, smiling at me as she crooked her finger. I’m unsure how


    much sleep we will get, but that’s okay. I know I can function on minimal sleep.