SWNOVELS Chapter 37 ~ We’re Getting Married!
Delilah’s POV ~
Venom and Delaney arrived this morning.. to meet General Henderson.. who was coming to our compound. We don’t want him to know Venom has taken Unger to his pack.. it is information they want kept from the government, for now..
At moonrise.. Maddox and I will enter the temple to preform the dedication ceremony.. and hopefully meet the Moon Goddess. I have read the specs for the temple over and over.. I have made sure everything the original temple had has been built into ours. With the addition of plumbing and electricity.. the Goddess is surely entitled to the amenities we take for granted daily.
When Henderson arrived, he was alone.. driving a nondescript car.. light blue in color.. several years older than the SUV he had visited us in before. When Maddox questioned it, he laughed “I am trying to be as unobtrusive as possible.. Being caught in your company is a death sentence. I accept that I will most likely not see the end of this.. but I can no longer be party to it.”
I walked him to the conference room and had mind linked Venom what Henderson had told us.. As soon as he walked through the door, Venom stood.. shaking his hand.. he offered “Because of your help.. I want to offer you and your family asylum.. safety from anyone who would wish you harm for doing the right thing.”
Henderson grinned “They are people who believe they are the ones doing the right thing.. and I am betraying my own kind.” Delaney laughed “Well.. essentially.. that is what’s happening.. The difference is we are trying to keep people alive.. not sacrifice them for what we believe is the greater good.”
Venom tells him “Why don’t you take today.. observe what we do.. who we are.. sleep on your decision. There may be someone here that would like to speak with you, tonight. Then.. in the morning.. if you decide you are safer with us.. I have a team ready to move in and relocate your family here within the hour.”
His eyes widened and he responded “That’s faster than the government could do it.. but please explain to me how this all would work.. Would my family and I have to become wolves.. Or could we stay human? Would I become a member of the club? What the fuck!? I have never even ridden on a motorcycle.. much less drive or own one.”
We all laughed and I said “If you stay with the club.. you could remain human. We have many human members. If you wanted to stay with Venom and Delaney.. they would have to consider their pack first.. While we have nothing against humans being involved with pack life.. it’s not for everyone. Wolves don’t live by human laws.. We have our own. What we consider perfectly normal.. humans struggle with.. So.. yeah.. you’d have a lot of thinking to do.. but you have several options.. and only you can decide what’s best for you.”
He grinned “I ultimately don’t have a choice, at all. My wife and daughters are already packed up.. and are prepared to leave at my call. I never take chances with my family.. and I had already had an escape plan in place for them when I was recruited for this shit job.”
Venom asked “Is that a go, then? I can have your family here by dinner time.” Henderson asked “How long before your team is in place for extraction?” He was told ten minutes and Henderson pulled out his phone.. He texted “It’s a go. Ten minutes.. Roll out.”
And we all sat down, while Henderson opened his briefcase.. He removed four flash drives.. and four file folders. He placed a drive on each folder..and looked at Venom.
“Each folder is self-explanatory.. The flash drives will back up the information you find inside. Each organization involved.. every officer in charge.. and all the departments who have a player on the field. This is bigger than even I knew.. and once I had begun uncovering the information the more I realized how wrong this all is. Morally.. ethically.. and legally.. wrong! What you said last week.. about being a patriot.. resonated with me.. and I knew I had to do something to stop this from happening.”
Venom pulled the folders over and briefly read through them.. he whispered “Fuck!” and slid them all over to Gizmo and Geek “Get on it.. your entire team.. Delilah still seems to be their focus for doing the turns. It seems some idiot has decided that she is their best option for turning out Alpha wolves.”
I snarled “What the fuck!? I have never turned anyone.. Not even one! And you turned Maddox.. Steele is absolutely ALL Alpha.. seems you did just fine.. before anyone even knew I existed.!”
Henderson said “No.. we have known about you.. for years. That is why Eric Garrison was recruited.. We knew you would be the last remaining Dubois.. once your mother was dead.. We didn’t expect him to have his own wife marry your father.. that was because of your inheritance and.. if you can believe it.. my superiors didn’t factor in human greed muddying the waters.”
I growled “And now.. he’s loose again.. with nothing to lose.. I have a question. How the fuck did your people get in and out of here without detection? And why didn’t you give us a heads up.. if you’re really wanting to help us?”
Shaking his head “That was a covert plan.. one I wasn’t in on. I have been closely monitored since I returned from the club.. the first time. So, I wasn’t privy to any plans regarding you.. I would hazard a guess they hacked your cameras.. and played a loop to not attract attention should the cameras go down all at once. They were to extract Max.. or assassinate him, if they couldn’t get him out safely. Either way, they were to return with proof of death.
Maddox asked “Why is it called Operation Gemini? Who names these bullshit covert exercises, anyway?” Henderson laughed “Whoever is running it.. Defense.. Homeland.. CIA.. but in this case.. there are several agencies involved. The reason for the Gemini name is simple.. a human.. sharing a body with a wolf.. Twin souls.. two beings.. Geminis..”
Maddox said “Not twin souls.. and not two beings. We are one being.. with the ability to shift shapes. We are half a soul.. we wander through life.. searching for our other half. When we find it.. we will fight to the death to keep it.”
Henderson nods “Your mates. I read about that. And the Dubois girl is yours.. I take it..” I snapped “My name is Delilah Connors Quinn.. I have never been a Dubois.. that was my mother’s maiden name. So.. either you call me Delilah.. or do NOT refer to me, at all!”
Delaney laughed “Ruffled my girl’s feathers, there, General.. You should probably work on your people skills..” Everyone laughed.. but it aggravated the shit out of me.. It’s as if my only purpose in this life is being the Dubois girl. And I have never been that girl!
Maddox stood me on my feet.. and knelt down in front of me “I asked your father for permission to marry you.. before our mating ceremony.. I have waited and worried and planned for the perfect time.. I have just realized any time is the perfect time.. if you say yes.. So.. Dililah Autumn Connors.. will you do me the greatest honor of my life.. and marry me? Will you be my wife?”
Holding my mother’s ruby ring in his fingers, I broke down in tears.. kissing him deeply.. I whispered “The honor is all mine.” He slipped the ring on my hand and grinned “We’re getting married!”