Damn. Wyatt instinctively covered his dick. No way was anybody getting semen from him. His little soldiers were his and his alone. That was until he decided to share them.
“All teams and clansmen have been advised to stay away from clinics or doctors’ offices for the time being,” Jacks announced. “At this point, only vetted members of NAC are aware of what’s going on. We have left it up to the Alphas to disseminate the information as they see fit, but we couldn’t leave our clansmen hanging in the wind without even a warning.”
Yeah, they had learned their lessons from the past. Pandora had released a contagion into the rural areas, making several Shifters sick and causing them to seek out medical attention. Once the medical professionals had them, they ran tests designed by Pandora. If the results came back positive, the Shifter was given a sedative and samples were taken. Those samples created the children like Ryleigh and the others. Sick fuckers.
“We don’t think Pandora would be stupid enough to try old tactics, but hey, it worked before. We can’t leave the possibility off the table,” Jacks said.
“Son of a bitch!” Ethan yelled. “Do we even know how the fuckers knew or have known about us? Where did they get their information? How are we only hearing about all of this now and why were we kept in the dark in the first place?”
Wyatt was right there with him. He wanted those answers himself. What really surprised him, but shouldn’t have, was how quiet Cash was being. That meant only the remaining members of Alpha had been left in the dark.
“We have theories, but no concrete answers,” Jacks cut Ethan off. “We’re hoping Delta will be able to get more information. They’re systematically hitting known Pandora facilities, but the fuckers are wily. They close one facility and open up two more. Once Bravo clears their cases, which should be soon, they’ll join Delta. All I can say is watch your asses, boys. Things are about to get bumpy and the ride will be a rough one.
“Wy,” Cash’s soft voice startled Wyatt, “I’m going to hang up now. I know you have questions, but it’s going to have wait for another time. We have thirty seconds until our secure thirty minutes are up. Find the girl, not only because she’s in danger, but also because Bas needs her, she’s family. The Team needs her, got me?”
“Yeah, ten-four, Second,” Wyatt responded. “I have all your backs. Don’t ever forget it.”
The call was disconnected. Time to get to work. Wyatt didn’t have the luxury to play around any longer. He’d decided to use what God gave him and rely on his natural instincts for this endeavor. He was going to shift, find Peyton’s scent, and follow it. That had been the plan all along, only this time, he wasn’t going to be so careful. Peyton was going to learn about Shifters in a big way and fast.
Bas was able to send him a blanket Peyton had used recently. Wyatt hadn’t asked where or how he got it, he was just happy it was there, so this would all be a little easier. Wyatt hadn’t opened the plastic baggie since he received it, wanting to preserve every possible nuance of her scent. He’d gotten a small whiff of what he hoped was Peyton’s scent back at her house, but it wasn’t enough. Warm sugar and vanilla, he couldn’t resist the urge to lick his lips just thinking about it.
Ripping the bag open, it didn’t disappoint. Warm sugar and vanilla were quickly becoming his favorite scents. Wyatt had never been a fan of sweets. He was a meat and potatoes man, through and through, but Peyton’s natural scent inspired and aroused him. He was more than willing to develop a sweet tooth if he could just drink her in every day.
The slight scent he got in the driveway was nothing compared to this. It was somehow sweeter, warmer, and more delicious. In her driveway, he had embarrassed himself by sporting a half chubby like a fucking teenager until the sight of the big-assed dog had diverted his attention from the smell and his cock. He was actually thankful because no way would Cathy have given him any information if he approached the woman with a raging hard-on. Now, though, he could pound nails once again.
Damn, he hoped he wouldn’t embarrass himself when he finally got a whiff of her in person. He was afraid, much like his constant state of arousal, there wasn’t any hope for him at this point. Thinking of every gross and disgusting thing he could, he finally got his dick under control. No way was he walking around in bear form, fully aroused. Hell no.
Now relatively calm, Wyatt was able to enjoy the anticipation and excitement which came from shifting. Relying on his natural instincts for the first time in quite some time was going to feel incredible. Wyatt was generally behind a computer, so being one with his bear in the wild, on the hunt was a treat. He knew he needed to do this more often. Shifting calmed his bear and kept him level. The older Wyatt got, the more important that was. Shifters were generally good until about their fifties, then the chances of going rogue increased exponentially.
He had been ignoring his instincts for way too long. Wyatt had spent so much time getting caught up in everything going on with his Team and offering his services to other Teams who needed him and his skill set. As a result, he was staying in his human form longer and longer. He knew better, and someday, he would pay if he kept the habit. His animal needed to be let free and often, and if he ignored that need, one of these days, the bear would take over.
Before he shifted, Wyatt grabbed the toolkit he had taken out of the car before his phone call with the Team. Placing the bag around his neck, he shifted. Thankfully, he didn’t have to worry about carrying his clothes around. With willing shifts, the human form came back just as before the shift, completely clothed. The only exception was items not directly touching the skin. They would appear on the outside of the bear, like his tool kit. Most Shifters took shoes, belts, watches, or any jewelry off before shifting. Sometimes it was a crapshoot of where those items would show up. He doubted a human would ignore a bear wandering around out in the woods with combat boots, it might cause some unwanted attention. Not that a bear carrying a pouch around his neck wouldn’t, but he felt relatively safe at the moment.
His shift took seconds, one minute man, the next beast. The magic coursing through his veins felt good, exhilarating. His beast didn’t need to be coaxed or coerced. He instantly took in Peyton’s scent from the blanket. He rubbed his face and head against the fabric, breathing deeply and covering his fur with as much of the scent as possible. Wyatt knew he was memorizing the scent, but what surprised him was how gentle he was being. Typically, his beast would have destroyed the blanket, not this time though. He treated the cloth with care, only adding to Wyatt’s confusion about Peyton. He knew she was special to him, this feeling had been building for a while. Apparently, she was just as special to the beast.
Wyatt was pretty sure he’d be able to find her anywhere. He knew from their previous exchanges, she was on the playful side. Maybe she wouldn’t be opposed to a little game of hide and seek when all this shit died down. The game would serve two purposes: his bear would love it, and Wyatt wouldn’t mind getting Peyton alone out in the woods to see what would happen. He had plenty of ideas about what he’d like to happen. Damn, he hoped she didn’t turn out to be a repressed shrew or something, that might kill him.
He took off like a shot, stopping, every once in a while, to determine the next direction to move. Typical bears in the wild could travel at speeds of up to thirty miles per hour. Shifters, while in shifted form, could run almost twice that of a typical bear. It didn’t take his beast long to track and determine right where Peyton had gone, but once he got there, he wasn't really sure what he’d found.
The forest looked untouched, and to the untrained eye, it didn’t appear any different from any other part of the woods. Wyatt was anything but untrained, he’d spent years training in military tracking. He was able to determine pretty quickly that Peyton was underground, possibly in a survival shelter or maybe an underground bunker. Walking around, he was able to pick up several traps and trip wires. From there he was able to get a good idea of her perimeter. Finding the entrance was another thing. It was r
emarkably well hidden, but her scent was stronger in one area, and that’s where Wyatt would focus his efforts.
He noticed her surveillance cameras instantly. He hoped she was watching him right now, wondering what he was doing and why a bear would wander into her territory. He liked the idea of her eyes on him. The only thing better would be his eyes on her. The anticipation was building. Soon, very soon, they would be face-to-face—no more messages, emails, or texts. This time their communication would be in person, and he couldn’t wait.
Wyatt had decided once he found the entrance, he wasn’t going to try to deceive her. Peyton was coming back to Alpha base and needed to know what she was in for. He almost regretted he wouldn’t be able to see her reaction to his shift. Peyton was about to learn Shifter’s existed. He had a moment of clarity, thinking maybe Bas should be the one to introduce her to their world, but quickly dismissed it. Peyton needed to learn from him.
Chapter 10
Getting up from her computer, Peyton walked to the kitchen in her safe house to get a much-needed drink. The safe house was a free word for the survival bunker she bought under an assumed name five years ago. The bunker was big, underground, and was situated on over one hundred fifty acres, fitting the needs she felt she might need some day.
Originally built in the nineteen-fifties, then abandoned by the military, the place was perfect. Peyton had spent the last five years making sure. A church group, more of a cult than anything else, was the previous owner. They upgraded some resources, and she further added to that, making the place more homey and comfortable. She also added the food stores and updates to all the security and computer systems. Peyton added new systems when they came on the market, or she developed ones which suited her needs. The church group had fallen on hard times from the aftermath of an underage sex scandal which had been exposed with a little help from Peyton, and now it was all hers, or Lily Andover’s. It depended on how and who looked at it.
Peyton didn’t feel a bit sorry for exposing the group. Her goal had never been about the bunker; it was a perk she couldn’t resist. She’d gotten wind of what was going on in the Church, or cult, and did some digging. What she found sickened her. It really amounted to a bunch of men who wanted a place where they could do as they pleased and formed the Church of the Divine and Enlightened.
There wasn’t anything divine or enlightened about the group. They preached servitude and obedience. There wasn’t a defined leader of the group. The founders were called Aldermen and they dictated to the flock, mainly doing whatever they pleased to the parishioners—man, woman, or child—it didn’t matter to them. Their abuse consisted of everything from verbal, physical, and sexual.
Once she had the proof needed, Peyton put into motion the steps to shut them down. She started by sending the information to the local officials. When that didn’t result in anything, she started looking into them. She found out the Sheriff had close ties to the ‘Church’. She’d hoped the FBI would be a better fit. As it turns out, corruption runs deep everywhere. Peyton ultimately had to force their hands by turning the information over to the news networks. It was a bittersweet win for Peyton, with the leaders not being charged with a number of crimes she knew they’d committed. At least the parishioners were safe that was something.
During her research of the group, Peyton discovered the land and the survival bunker. With the legal battle the leaders of the so-called church were facing, it was easy to put in a bid and buy the land at rock bottom prices. The church disassembled quickly after the arrests. With all the top members of the cult being behind bars, she didn’t have to worry about unwanted visitors. And even if some wayward cultist came her way, the perimeter monitors and alarms were alive and well.
Thankfully, the cult was small, only just getting started in their wicked ways. The damage was done, hopefully, not as deep as some. Then again, abuse was abuse, in any form. It pissed her off the offenders never really got their due. Peyton would make sure that happened if and when they ever got out of jail. Those people deserved some justice.
Peyton really never thought she would be in the bunker by herself. She missed her dogs, she missed her house, and she missed her daily routine. But most of all, she hated that she had avoided talking to Bastian for the last few weeks. She knew he would catch on that something was wrong if she talked to him. She couldn’t lie worth a damn, so she decided avoidance was crucial to keeping all this under the proverbial rug until she was ready. Until she could give him something concrete. All in all, Peyton was miserable.
The last few days she’d done nothing but work on the computer. She hadn’t stopped to sleep, eat, or shower, having decided all those things could wait until she had the answers she needed. She wanted to call Cathy and check up on things, but knew it was a bad idea. She had no idea how connected the men from Davis Defense were or if they had surveillance on her house. She wasn’t willing to take the risk.
Peyton was so damn tired. Rubbing her temples, she decided to take a little break. She didn’t have any energy left, so she slumped to the floor of the kitchen and rested her head back against the cabinets. The cold drink in her hand, she couldn’t resist rubbing the cool glass across her forehead. With her eyes closed, she thought it felt blissfully wonderful. Damn, she wasn’t going to be able to keep any of this up much longer. Her thoughts and actions were all over the place. She needed a moment of peace. Deciding to do some deep breathing exercises to relieve the tension, Peyton got much more than she bargained for as the waves of sleep took control and she lost consciousness and Wyatt was leaning over her, placing small nipping kisses on her neck and shoulders.
“You can’t hide this time, baby,” he whispered. “You know I’ll always find you, there isn’t any place you can run. We’re a part of each other, separate halves to one whole. Why would you even want to try to hide from me? Don’t I make you happy?”
Bringing his supple lips to hers, Wyatt thrust this tongue between her slightly parted ones. This wasn’t a simple kiss, it was intense and bold, nothing short of possession. Heat, lust, desire, and want, everything rolled into one meeting of their lips, mouths, tongues, and teeth.
Peyton reciprocated by plunging her tongue deeper, stronger, trying to pull him closer. She needed him closer. She needed to feel his heat and his want. But Wyatt was having none of it. She should know better. He would never relinquish his control, but she couldn’t help herself, the craving was too much. Peyton poured every bit of the frustration into the need-filled, erotic kiss.
When his hand brushed first her bare back and then travelled upwards, Peyton knew what was coming; she had pushed him too far. When his fingers fisted her hair, and he pulled her head back, breaking the kiss, she wanted to cry out in need.
“Tell me what you need from me tonight, Peyton. What is it that you crave so deeply you’re willing to disobey our rules?”
Brushing his hand down first her cheek and then onto her neck, Peyton couldn’t hold back the moan. His touch was like fire igniting every nerve ending and spreading throughout her body. The grip he had on her hair tightened.
“Wyatt, please.” she cried out, desperation dripping from her words.
“Please what, baby, touch you?”
“Yes, that, please,” she begged, her moans of pleasure in concert with his touches.
“I’m touching you, Peyton. Do you not feel my hand in your hair, or maybe you want my touch somewhere specific? It that it, baby? Do you have a destination in mind for my touch? Or maybe you want my touch to be harder,” he said in more of a statement than a question, gripping her hair more firmly.
Peyton couldn’t answer, she was having a hard time even catching her breath. The only thing she could say is “please” over and over again.
“Tell me, Peyton, say what you want. It’s an easy question, all you have to do is open your mouth and say the words. I promise, I’ll grant you anything.” Wyatt had removed his hand from her hair and Peyton was bereft with the loss.
“Pl
ease, Wyatt, please, I need you.”
“Come on, baby, all you have to do is ask, say the words.”
Peyton couldn’t figure out why she couldn’t say what she wanted. Wyatt should know. He should just do it, she shouldn’t have to ask. Her heart was beating so hard, it thundered in her chest. She could feel the moisture running down her inner thighs and the sweat that had formed on her lower back.
Wyatt moved his hands down her arms and then onto her waist. When he moved them up to her heavy breasts, Peyton wanted to cry in frustration. Tears sprung her to eyes. Her frustration was so high, she didn’t know if she could stand another minute of this play.
“Please!”
When he brushed his thumbs over her nipples, the sensation shot straight to her clit. “Please what, baby? Just say it. Tell me what you want.”
Oh, God. Peyton couldn’t take much more; she needed Wyatt to, more than anything, relieve this constant ache.
“Please Wyatt, please take me now.”
“Take you where, baby?”
Wyatt started kissing her neck, then licking, biting, and sucking. Peyton craved those lips on her breasts, her body, and most of all, her clit. His hands kept moving, kept teasing, kept igniting her need. Her body was on the verge of exploding. She tried to clinch her thighs together enough to create the friction she needed, but Wyatt stopped her by cupping her most sensitive of areas.
“Not yet, baby. I need the words. Once you give them, I promise to give you all the pleasure you can handle.” Wyatt moved his mouth over her breast, lapping lightly at her extended nipple, then pulled back, releasing a rush of air directly on her neglected nub. Peyton tensed. She knew he was going to stop and ask again. The words he wanted flew from her mouth.
NAC & The Holly Group - Box set: Alpha Team Page 68