Lycan Packs 1: Lycan Instinct

by Brandi Broughton

  “Was stupid, but it would’ve been worse if they’d learned of it any other way.”

  He took her hand between his. “What you did today was very noble.”

  “I did what had to be done. I couldn’t let you lie for me. So I told the truth, as much of it as I could without breaking my promise to you.”

  “I know.” He laughed without much humor. “I’m so used to protecting those I care about, being the guardian, that I’m not sure how to react when others feel the need to turn the tables.”

  She shifted in her seat and tugged her hand free.

  “Yeah, well, don’t mention it.”

  He hadn’t meant to make her feel uncomfortable or self-conscious.

  “I owe you an apology,” he said.

  She angled her head, a question clearly written on her face.

  “I hope you’ll accept it. But first, I owe you the truth.” He rose and held a hand out toward her.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Come with me. I want to show you something I should’ve trusted you with days ago.”

  “If this has any bearing on the case...”

  With a brief shake of his head, he locked gazes, pulled her to her feet, and gently held her arms. “You mean a great deal to me. I want you to know that...remember it. I haven’t felt this way about anyone else. I’m not a man who gives his trust easily, but...well, at first I was unsure, and then I got to know you, and I didn’t want to risk losing you, so I—”

  “What are you trying to tell me? You’re not making any sense.”

  Rafe closed his eyes and summoned the will to take this leap of faith. He prayed he wouldn’t lose his heart in the process.

  “I explained to you before how Lycan abilities make them extremely hard to capture and contain.”

  With a worried frown, she studied him. “Yes...?”

  “You know about my sister. About how we caught Anton trying to sell trade secrets.”

  “Yes, but what does that—”

  “That’s only part of the story.”

  Her expression puzzled, she pulled back to arm’s length.

  “Maybe I should explain before I show you.”

  “Maybe you better.” She sat with jean-clad legs crossed and an expectant expression.

  He released a breath and began. “Several years ago, Lycans started disappearing. Back then, the packs ran their business independently of one another, handled their own matters without outside interference. As a result, it took us longer to identify the problem.

  “When Gabe and I started the Lykos Institute, we agreed to conduct research on behalf of our kind. We thought the disappearances were the product of a genetic problem that showed up whenever some of us changed.”

  He walked to the window, glanced out at the manicured lawns of the vast complex.

  “Our research is what Anton attempted to sell. Secrets about the byproduct from our change. Proof of our existence. Unfortunately, we were unable to determine the buyer’s identity before Anton killed my sister and fled.”

  He moved toward the built-in bookcases that lined one entire wall.

  “What does that have to do with what’s happening now? You think Anton is still after your secrets?”

  “Maybe.” He shrugged. “Afterward, the packs began to unite. My brothers and I changed the goal of L.I. Well, expanded it would be more accurate. It remains a philanthropic research center on the surface, but underneath, it became the enforcement agency for all Lycan packs.”

  “Enforcement agency? What do you mean...exactly?” Suspicion entered the slow cadence of her question.

  His head ached. A lump lodged in his throat. Would she accept what humans could construe as vigilante activities?

  “Lycans aren’t solely obligated to follow the laws as prescribed by this country’s justice system. For our protection, the packs convened a council to enact...and enforce...our own set of rules.”

  When her frown became perplexed, he again tugged her from the couch.

  “Come. Let me show you.”

  He placed his hand with fingers splayed on the corner of his desk. To any visitor, the desktop appeared normal, unadorned. Three seconds after he touched the surface, the heat-activated scanner processed his palm print and disengaged the locks on the center panel of the bookcase.

  Mackenzie’s gaze followed the panel as it slid back to reveal an illuminated staircase.

  Rafe waited for her to take it all in, for the inevitable questions to begin, but instead he watched her transformation.

  The gleam of a cop on the trail of something unusual returned to those deep blue eyes. He was uncertain whether the gleam spelled his salvation or his doom. But he’d come this far. His heart demanded he go all the way.

  He followed her lead as she walked to the opening, glanced once over her shoulder, then descended.

  At the bottom, he went through additional security measures before another door opened onto a long hallway.

  “With our gifts,” he said, “we have a greater responsibility to use them wisely. Human society has criminals, but in our culture such Lycans are called rogues. They pose not only a danger to our kind, but to humans as well.”

  When they crossed the threshold, the normal activity that hummed around the clock ground to an abrupt halt.

  “Interesting welcome party you have here,” she whispered, with a slight stiffening of her spine.

  Rafe gave her an amused look. “Relax.”

  “Tell that to them.”

  He took her by the elbow and guided her past rows of machines, monitors, gaping agents with headsets, and other stunned personnel.

  “Back to work,” he ordered without looking around. The buzz returned with an increased intensity.

  His hand slid to her back as she went through the door into the soundproof conference room that served as a secondary office for Gabe. As the door closed, all noise from outside ceased.

  “That’s our command center, affectionately known as Tracker Central. We oversee operations in all of North and South America. Another center is located in Europe, a third in Southeast Asia.”

  She approached the desk, lifted a priceless jade figurine, and studied it. “Are all of those people out there Lycans?”

  He nodded. “Not all of the employees at L.I. are Lycan, but those involved in the shadow ops are.” He paused, waiting until she looked up. “You’re the first human who’s ever been allowed access.”

  “Why me? Why now?”

  He took the figurine from her and set it aside. Leaning against the desk, he pulled her toward him until he could lace his fingers together at the small of her back.

  “I realized how much I love you.”

  With a slight shake of her head, she immediately tried to push away, but he held her in place.

  “And I knew if there was ever a chance for you to feel the same way about me, you had to know me first. Really know everything. No secrets.”

  Her head tilted, her brows knitted together over eyes that were alert and moist. His heart in his throat, he lifted his hands to cup her face. She sucked in a shaky breath as his thumb traced the curve of her full bottom lip.

  “I love you, Mackenzie Lyons,” he whispered against her mouth and waited. Not long.

  With a soft sigh she pressed her lips to his and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  His spirit felt more like an eagle than a wolf or a man. He pulled her closer, their bodies fitting perfectly together.

  She deepened the kiss, and he responded, running his hands over her now familiar curves.

  At the sudden rush of noise from outside, she nearly leaped free of his grasp.

  Rafe’s gaze shot toward the open door as he tried to catch his own breath.

  Gabriel stood scowling in the doorway.

  Mackenzie continued to squirm until he allowed her to face the new arrival. Tucking her beside him, Rafe challenged, “Have you never heard of knocking?”

  Gabe closed the door, again
shutting out the noise, and tossed him a get-real look. “Have you never heard of soundproofing?”

  A snicker had Rafe and his brother looking at Mackenzie. Rafe smiled. A faint blush colored her cheeks, and a mischievous spark returned to her baby blues.

  When he cocked a brow, she grinned. “We can’t seem to do anything together without being caught red-handed.”

  “You might,” Gabe replied, “if my brother conducted his affairs in his own office. This is my office, if I recall correctly.” He moved into the room and headed for the bar against one wall.

  “Down, Gabe. I get the message.”

  His brother turned with a glass in his right hand. “You do? Then, pardon my rudeness, but what the devil is she doing here?”

  Mackenzie felt her defenses rise. She’d had the worst day of her life, been suspended from the only job she knew she was good at, and humiliated herself by crying like a baby on Rafe’s shoulder.

  And God help her! He’d said he loved her, which she wasn’t near ready to deal with. Now she had his brother griping about her being in his office?

  “Get over it, Gabe,” Lucian said, coming in from a side door.

  Great! A family reunion.

  Luc’s lips twitched as he approached them. “She’s here because our alpha has an affinity for lady lions.”

  Rafe released a heavy breath. “I don’t suppose it would do me any good to explain that your duties as an agent do not extend to eavesdropping on me from the bathroom?”

  The twitch turned into a full-blown smirk. “Not a bit.”

  “Get over it?” Gabe sputtered. “You didn’t pull any punches before in your opposition to his dalliance with a human. Now he brings her here, and you’re okay with this?”

  “Dalliance with a...?” she muttered.

  “Uh, he didn’t mean—”

  She cut Rafe off as she turned on Gabe. “I’ll have you know, the human is here, whether you like it or not, and she doesn’t appreciate being talked about as if she’s not present. You got a problem with me, take it up with me.”

  “The lady lion has bite,” Luc warned his brother.

  “I have a name, too,” she said. “Why don’t you learn to use it?”

  Luc snapped his teeth together and grinned.

  “You didn’t answer my question,” Gabe told Luc, ignoring her outburst. “What tucked in your tail?”

  “Let’s just say she has a way of making her point known.” When Luc winked at her, she remembered their exchange in the alley, flashed a pleased smile, and crossed her arms.

  Too bad she didn’t have her Glock right now.

  “Remind me to get an explanation from you later,” Rafe murmured in her ear.

  Gabe downed his drink in one gulp, poured another, and then pointed toward Rafe. “Here’s my point. While you’re in here giving our secrets away to a cop, there are reporters crawling all over the place, tying up phone lines, asking to speak to you. Are you aware of that?”

  “Reporters always get his hackles up,” Luc said in a soft aside to her.

  Scowling, Rafe led her to a sofa, and sat beside her before addressing Gabe’s concerns. “Yes, I’m aware of them. Dealing with the media is something I’ve been doing for years...while you’re left to the solitude of your lab.”

  Gabe snapped, “I do a hell of a lot more around here than work in the lab.”

  Luc chuckled and popped the top on a longneck. “Yeah, he plays with his microscopes and beakers at home, too.”

  “Cut it out,” Rafe ordered when Gabe stepped toward Luc. “My apologies, Gabe. You’re right, of course. You’re vital to L.I. We each have our specialties...our strengths. I expect you to acknowledge mine as well, and not worry so much. I’ll deal with the media.”

  “When?” Gabe took a seat across from them.

  “In my own time.” Rafe slipped an arm around her. “Meanwhile, you two will brief Mackenzie on our investigation.”

  Gabe choked on his drink. Luc almost caused World War III by pounding enthusiastically, if not helpfully, on his brother’s back.

  Mackenzie ignored their sibling squabble to ask, “Investigation? What investigation?”

  Rafe peered at her before answering. “I told you we were looking into certain possibilities related to your case.”

  “Certain possibilities?”

  He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose, but shadows of worry lingered in his golden gaze. “More like every possibility. I also told you...no more secrets.”

  Curious, she faced Gabe and Luc. “This, I’d like to hear.”

  “I hope your trust in her is not misplaced,” Gabe said sourly.

  “Funny,” she responded. “My partner said something similar today about your brother, Dr. Stone, after I handed in my badge.”

  While Gabe appeared stunned by the news, Rafe gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

  Lucian took the lead on giving her information, surprising her with his thoroughness. His teasing nature vanished as he shared clues he’d gathered. Eventually, Gabriel gave in and filled in bits and pieces as well. Although they’d come from different directions, they’d reached many of the same conclusions as she had. Still, none of it was enough, at least not to make a case in court.

  “How can you be so sure?” she asked. “All we have is a hunch about Anton’s involvement. Robertson’s car was wiped clean. We have no prints at any of the scenes. No physical proof he’s even involved.”

  “Yes, we do,” Gabe answered. “We have his DNA.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Your medical examiner collected DNA from the bites on two of the victims. They match Anton’s wolf DNA.”

  With a frown, she sat up and looked Gabriel dead in the eye. “How do you know that?”

  Gabe’s expression changed to one of concern. His lips thinned as he looked from her to Rafe, as if seeking permission. After Rafe nodded, Gabe answered, “We compared your findings with our records. They matched.”

  “I gathered that. My question is why that match didn’t turn up when my team compared those DNA results to your database? And how did you get the ME’s information in the first place?” She had strong doubts about whether Pete Tancock would knowingly leak that kind of data.

  “The database you obtained through your warrant did not include Lycan DNA,” Rafe said. “That’s stored here within L.I.’s secret operations. It’s a completely separate and more secure system.”

  She could feel her blood heat, but let the tense pressure go. “And Tancock’s findings?”

  “I can answer that,” Lucian said. “Stone Corp. Securities division has numerous government contracts. We specialize in offering top-of-the-line encryption to agencies and private companies for their top-secret data...virtually impenetrable systems.”

  “Except when you need that information, you mean?”

  He shrugged, his diamond earring sparkling. “Every system has a backdoor...if one knows where to look.”

  Backdoor? Where had she heard that before?

  With a curse, Mackenzie shot to her feet.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Backdoor...” she muttered as she remembered something Cooper told her.

  Rafe stood beside her, his lips thinned. “Mackenzie, please understand. We do what we must not only to protect ourselves, but humans, too. Rogues pose a threat to us all. Sometimes having access to certain classified material can mean the difference between life and death.”

  “I know.” She put her fingers over his mouth, his warm breath bathing the tips. Momentarily distracted, she blinked and dropped her hand to his lapel. “Uhm. Cooper reported some street talk. A person close to the bookie said she’d overheard him talking about a dumb computer geek and a backdoor. It made no sense at the time, but.... What software did Carl Shumaker work on for you?”

  He looked puzzled before realization dawned in his caramel eyes. “Cyber-Guard,” he said before turning to Gabe. “Did our people find anything suspicious on Shumaker’s PC after we let
him go?”

  “Nothing beyond further confirmation of his attempts to hack into our financial system.”

  Rafe’s voice turned cold. “Have them look at it again.”

  “I’m on it.” Gabe reached for a phone and started dialing. He glanced at her. “Whatever you may think and despite what Luc said, we don’t put in backdoors for systems that secure online monetary transactions.”

  Rafe pulled out his PDA. “Luc, contact Worley in R-and-D. He’s probably already gone home for the day. Here’s his number.” He showed Luc. “Tell him what may have happened...for his ears only. I want his entire Cyber-Guard development team called in. Now. Go back through the code. If one exists, find that backdoor and get rid of it.”

  “Got it.” While Luc called the head of Research and Development, Mackenzie watched Rafe make his own phone calls.

  She returned to her seat on the sofa, marveling at how quickly the brothers set aside their differences to unite behind a common goal.

  Wasn’t the Cyber-Guard release scheduled for tomorrow? Surely a delay this late in the game would be costly, but then the damage to the company’s reputation, and Rafe’s, would be more devastating if such a flaw were unearthed later.

  Still, something stirred in her mind. Something she couldn’t quite place. What else had she overlooked? What clue had she missed?

  Was Shumaker killed to silence him after he’d accomplished his mission? Had he become a liability? Or had his firing made him no longer useful? And how was the senator involved?

  She rubbed her temples. The long hours were catching up to her. Her mind was crammed full of information about a case she was no longer a part of, and yet couldn’t set aside. Clues, suspects, motives. They swirled in her mind until she couldn’t remember what day it was, much less what was happening around her.

  Yawning, she tried to focus on the men’s conversations, but they seemed further away. When her eyelids drooped, she felt a warm hand on hers.

  “Enough for tonight,” Rafe said.

  Her protest would’ve succeeded if he hadn’t lifted her from the couch as if she were a sleeping child. Instead, she snuggled closer, wound her arms around his neck and let the world and all its troubles await another day.