Wolf Betrayed

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  She was wolf first, woman second tonight.

  And she would fight.

  Shane’s presence by her side heated her from the inside out, but her wolf didn’t push her to move closer. In fact, it seemed to steady at the idea of being so close to Shane on one side and Bram on the other.

  Tonight they had a mission, and her wolf was eagerly waiting to show off her skills. That, Charlotte thought with a smile, was satisfying.

  The wolves were strategically placed around the compound in human form. If needed, they would shift, but it would be better to not tip anyone off to their presence. And seeing wolves around this particular area would do just that. Though Shane wasn’t a hundred percent yet, they needed him there in case there were any details he’d missed when he’d briefed them. With so many things going on, it wouldn’t surprise Charlotte if he had. He’d been drugged and out of his mind the last time he’d been here, after all. They’d placed Charlotte and Bram with him to keep him steady, and while she’d thought that would have made it more difficult for her, it had just the opposite effect. Her wolf needed to know where these two were, and because they didn’t have a bond to aid in that, their physical closeness would have to do.

  She inhaled deeply, ignoring the two scents around her as they wove together to form an intricately enticing aroma, and studied the landscape around her. Bram was to her left, Shane to her right, and she did her best not to think about how perfect it felt. They would have to talk soon, she knew, because it was getting harder and harder to focus on the more important things.

  Her senses told her there were at least ten guards stationed around the compound, but she couldn’t tell if anyone was inside the building. Either it was an empty husk, and the guards were there to protect the equipment or even act as a decoy, or there was something blocking her. Knowing these particular humans as she did, she wouldn’t put any of those scenarios past them.

  Bram leaned close, his body pressed tightly against hers, the warmth of his breath on her neck doing horrible things to her self-control. “We’re going in soon. You ready?” His voice was so low that she could barely hear it, and his lips were at her ear.

  She nodded. Her wolf was beyond ready. The men and women behind the horrors that Shane had described needed to be dealt with. It shouldn’t be wolf against human, human against human, or even wolf against wolf. It was always those who broke the laws of nature against those who fought for the health and safety of the rest of them.

  She leaned into Shane then, and he lowered his head so she could speak to him. “Ready?”

  He nodded, and though it was dark, her eyes were wolf, and she could see him clearly.

  The Alphas moved first and went in. She followed, the men at her side. They didn’t need her speed yet, and she wasn’t sure they would at all, but for now, they needed quiet. If they did need her talents, she would be ready.

  Each set of wolves took out a guard; doing their best to be so silent that not even Charlotte could hear them work. The three of them took out the closest guard as a team. Though they’d never worked together like this, it was as if they had been born to do it.

  Bram came up behind the man, covering his mouth with his hand while wrapping his arm around his neck. Charlotte took care of the man’s weapons before he could use them, and Shane tied the man up, even as Bram continued to hold him down, eventually causing the man to lose consciousness. They wouldn’t kill unless they had to. They weren’t on den lands or even near the wards, and the Alphas had wanted to make sure they didn’t leave a trail of bodies for the press to find.

  They left the man alone, tied up, unconscious, and free of weapons and any way to communicate, and put him far enough away that it would be hard for anyone to see him—and where he’d be relatively safe from what they were about to do.

  The wolves had plans tonight, and they weren’t going to let this guard get in the way.

  Charlotte noted that the man hadn’t been military and frowned. Apparently, Shane had been correct, and Montag had officially gone off the rails. This wasn’t going to end well in the long run, she figured, but first, she had to see what was inside this building.

  She still couldn’t sense anyone inside, and was afraid they might be too late for whoever had been imprisoned here as Shane was. They crept inside, on alert. They were armed with claws and guns, well trained in using both. Though the wolf inside sneered at the thought of using a weapon other than herself, Charlotte lived in the real world and would do what she needed to in order to protect her Pack.

  The place was as silent as a tomb.

  Empty.

  She shook her head, sadness creeping up inside her as they viewed an empty cage.

  “They kept wolves here,” Bram growled low. There was no one inside the building except for her people, so they were allowed to speak now. Bram had even swept the place for bugs, but even that had come up empty. Whoever had been in this place had truly left everything behind as they’d fled.

  Well, not everything.

  “I know,” she said finally. “I don’t scent any new blood.” She winced. “Only old.”

  Shane frowned at Charlotte’s side. “Is that what I’m smelling?” He rubbed his temple. “Everything is so much stronger than it was before. Scents, sounds…everything. It wasn’t even this bad at the den.”

  Charlotte turned to him, studying the lines that had formed on his brow. “We’re getting closer to the full moon. What you’re sensing is what we do every day. You’ll learn to live with it, I promise. And you’ll even learn to pick out different scents and sounds while drowning out the others like white noise. We’ll help you.” She paused. “If you want,” she added.

  “I think that would be a good idea,” Shane said after a moment. He ran a hand over his muscled forearm and frowned. “My skin even hurts right now. Hell, this is going to take some getting used to.”

  Bram snorted. “You can say that much. We’ll get you through, though. But first, let’s do another sweep because we need to find those vials.”

  Charlotte cursed herself. Once again, she’d gotten stuck on other problems rather than the one at hand. She just couldn’t bear seeing Shane hurting, much like she couldn’t bear seeing Bram as frustrated as he was right then.

  “The cages are empty,” she said again, her voice hollow. “Do you think they took whoever was in them when they left?”

  Bram’s gaze went stony. “I don’t know, Char. I don’t even know which would be the better answer.”

  “If Montag took them with him, they’re as good as dead,” Shane growled. “He was always a fierce leader, but I never knew he was a cruel one until it was too late.”

  What would it feel like to know everything you’d fought for had been part of a lie? Charlotte wondered. Well, not everything for sure, but so many of Shane’s recent missions had been for Montag. And though she’d called him the enemy when she’d first found out about him, she knew she’d been wrong. There was no way a man could have that bleakness in his eyes at the sight of what his former commander had done and be part of the problem in the first place. Shane was the solution now, and Charlotte could only be grateful for that.

  “We need to keep moving,” Bram said after a moment. If she hadn’t known him as long as she had, she’d have thought his words cold, but she could hear the underlying pain and rage warring within him. It did none of them any good to stand here and go through the thousands of different possibilities and outcomes of those within the cages. They had a job to do, and they needed to get on that.

  The three of them met up with the others who had found more cages and exam rooms. Charlotte held back a shudder at the memories that came at her. She’d been in a building much like this one before, but she hadn’t been in the same position as she was now. She was far stronger now. She was free. She needed to remember that.

  Shane pinched the bridge of his nose before shaking his head. “I think the room they kept me in is this way. It’s all a blur, but I’m getting fragments w
hen I walk around and try to place things.”

  She followed him, praying all of this hadn’t been a waste of time and energy. Not only did their Packs need a boost, but she figured Shane did, as well. If people were afraid of what his existence meant within the Pack, not knowing if there were more like him would only put more of a target on Shane’s back. Those people who were at wit’s end needed a place to put their anger and frustration, their fears and uncertainties. It seemed like Shane was the easy choice for now, and Charlotte didn’t want him hurt in the melee.

  She followed Shane with Bram at her side, her senses on alert. The place had been empty a few days, it felt like, but there had been guards outside. Just what were they protecting?

  When Shane stopped in front of a door and put his hand on the butt of his gun, Charlotte tensed. One day soon, he’d learn to use his claws, not the weapon first. During a fight, wolves were usually faster than the bullets that came at them. And if they were hit, they could still move through the pain and heal, even if it wasn’t easy.

  “This is it,” Shane said in a low voice. “This is where they kept me and where I last saw the vials. The computer is in here, too, and Montag said it wasn’t connected to a network so others wouldn’t be able to steal the formula.”

  “If it’s still here, then we at least have something,” Bram added. “Do you want me to go in first?”

  Charlotte looked between the two men, a charged spark of silence blooming between them.

  Shane shook his head. “I can do it.”

  He opened the door, and they followed him. When he let out a relieved sigh, Charlotte’s wolf pushed at her, wanting to be closer.

  Not yet, she reminded her wolf. Maybe not ever.

  Gideon followed her into the room with a frown on his face. “Is it here?” he asked, his voice a growl, but she could tell his wolf wasn’t up front yet. He was just that dominant.

  Shane nodded and pointed toward a large box on a counter. “That’s the case where the vials were I think.” He tilted his head toward another counter. “And the computer is still here.”

  Charlotte moved past all of them and inhaled, using her senses to see if anything was amiss. She couldn’t scent any traps or extra security measures, but she would be careful when she opened the case anyway.

  She slowly lifted the lid and swallowed hard. “They’re still here.”

  Nineteen vials of poison neatly tucked away with one empty place where someone had used one. The one that had changed Shane’s life forever.

  Bram came to her side and looked down. “So much power in one tiny vial.”

  “So much hate,” she added in a whisper.

  “It doesn’t work, though,” Shane added in from behind them. “I needed Gideon’s help, remember?”

  Charlotte looked over her shoulder at him. “You’re right, but since there is a way still…”

  “Destroy it,” Shane bit out. “It’s dangerous in any hands, even ours.”

  Gideon nodded. “That’s the plan. We’re not even going to take one to study. That’s how bad decisions are made, and things end up in the wrong hands.”

  “I’m looking over the computer now, and the formula is still here, and it looks like it’s still not connected to a network,” Max said from behind them. Charlotte had been aware others had entered the room, but she’d been focused on the vials at the time.

  “We’re destroying that, too,” Gideon ordered. “We want no evidence of what they did here.”

  Kameron rolled his shoulders and met Charlotte’s gaze for a moment before turning to his brother, their Alpha. “We’ll set the majority of the charges here and put the rest at key places to ensure the explosion doesn’t harm any of the outlying areas. If you guys want to get out and give me and my people some space to work, we’ll be ready shortly.”

  Charlotte suppressed a shiver. Kameron was always so cool, remote, in all of his deals. At first, she had thought it was because he was the Enforcer and that was his role, but now she wasn’t so sure. There was something lurking beneath the surface she didn’t quite understand.

  In the end, though, she ignored it, knowing he was loyal and dedicated to his Pack, even if he scared her. She made her way outside the building. She was still on alert since anyone could be watching, but they had other wolves around the perimeter for that reason. The world wasn’t that large anymore with so many people looking in on what shifters were doing at all times, but for now, she felt as if in the darkness here, she could be alone…or at least hidden amongst the shadows.

  “You think it’ll be over once the building is gone?” Shane asked after a few minutes of silence.

  She stood once again between Bram and Shane. Bram, she knew, always tried to protect her, even if it was the simple task of standing near, but now Shane seemed to be doing it instinctually, as well. Soon, she’d have to teach Bram once more and Shane for the first time just how strong of a wolf she was. But for now, she let them work their protection gig.

  They’d learn soon enough.

  The first explosion rocked the ground beneath them, but they didn’t stagger. They’d been expecting it, after all. All of the wolves were a safe distance away. Kameron and his people were fast and efficient—they wouldn’t be working with the Enforcer if they weren’t.

  “No,” she answered as flames escaped the windows and the structure collapsed in on itself. “No, I think it’s only the beginning.”

  What came next was a mystery, but Charlotte prayed they were strong enough to face it.

  COLLECTION

  General Montag watched the monitors as his original compound burned to ash. He fisted his hands at his sides and cursed.

  Damn wolves.

  They’d found his research and had destroyed it. He hadn’t had time to grab everything on his way out. He might have tried to keep the computer on him as well as a vial or two, but he hadn’t been able to ensure its safety. He’d had meetings in Washington, and couldn’t have ensured the security it would take to keep his secrets hidden. Senator McMaster was already too suspicious of everything he was doing, even if the other man was supposedly on his side.

  He’d never had cameras inside the building where he’d kept his plans, as he hadn’t wanted his face on anything that would incriminate him. However, he’d had a few placed outside the compound for an extra layer of security. He was glad he had because the men he’d hired had been useless. When he’d found out just how useless, he’d had them silenced permanently. There were no second chances when it came to a future of his making.

  Montag paused the screen and looked at the image there. He’d thought Bruins dead, but he’d been wrong. The man was alive and working with the wolves. If anything, he seemed stronger, more alert.

  The serum had worked.

  Montag gripped the edge of his desk. And because of his need for secrecy, he’d lost everything it had taken to make the formula.

  He touched the screen, his fingertip tracing Shane’s face. Not everything. The formula lay within the ex-soldier’s veins. Now that he knew Shane was alive, he’d find him and take him. There was no other option with so much on the line.

  Montag’s attention turned to the dark-haired woman at Shane’s side and the other man in the frame. These two had worked with Shane and leaned toward him in other images. That fact might be useful later. Just what hedonistic things was Shane up to in the animal den?

  As he clenched his jaw, Montag started working on a new plan. If Shane was alive and indeed a wolf, that meant he needed to be in the right hands. Not those of an animal who thought itself a leader. They called themselves Packs and howled at the moon like the dirty dogs they were. He didn’t care for what they turned into, but he did care what their strength could do for him.

  He would be invincible with an army of wolves that only knew him as their leader.

  There would be no more loss of human life, no more endless wars where he had the possibility of losing.

  He would be their savior.

>   People would remember his name, his duty, his purpose.

  He would be immortal.

  And he only needed Shane Bruins to do it.

  Chapter Eight

  Things had been easier when he’d only been in love with his best friend. At least then, he only had one thing to worry about. Now it seemed as if the entire world had thrown him for a loop, and he wasn’t sure he’d find his footing again.

  Someone slammed into his side, and he fell on his ass. He growled and tried to get back on his feet—much like he was already trying to do mentally—and hit the ground again when Kameron pushed him down.

  “I’ll still always win,” Kameron said. The man grinned as he said it, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Bram could never quite figure out this wolf, but he supposed it wasn’t his place to do so. He wasn’t even a Talon member.

  Bram flipped the Enforcer off before pushing back, using a little more force than usual, but not enough to draw attention to him. Kameron’s eyes narrowed as he found himself on his back with Bram standing over him. Bram just shrugged and went back to the game.

  Even though they were still on high alert since they’d taken out Montag’s buildings, the wolves needed to do something to relieve the tension. Those with mates could at least work out the rising anxiety the old-fashioned way. Those without mates either found a willing body they could at least have a physical relationship with without being mates, or did what Bram was doing.

  Work it out another way.

  In his case, it was the Redwood and Talon monthly football matches. They played by wolf rules and used every advantage they could short of bloodshed to score. Last time, they’d played in the Redwood den, and the Talons who weren’t on duty had come over to play a decent game. Bram’s team had won, of course, since he and Charlotte had kicked Kameron’s and Brandon’s asses. This time, they were on Talon territory, not only working out the tension that came from being on alert all the time, but also strengthening the bonds between the Packs. Just because the Packs were allies, didn’t mean there weren’t problems. So games like this where they could beat up on each other innocently helped.