: Caution

Jude

As soon as Wendy went to talk to her parents, I walked up to Hijack. I already know that he likes Wendy, even though he knows that we’ve been dating. He’s still hoping that she might be his mate, but I seriously doubt it. My wolf, Saggio, has never been possessive of a she-wolf in our life. But with Wendy, he’s ready to fight to the death to protect her and Dasha.

“Do you really think it’s a good idea to bring Sphinx along on this job?” he asks when I walk up.

“Better for her to have me there with her, than for her to get thrown into her first job alone like the three of us did,” I say, including Tracker in the conversation.

“He’s right, Hijack. And let’s be honest, Wendy connected the dots for Alpha Stellan, Alpha Christer, and Alpha Arden before we did.”

“Her brother asked her …” Hijack begins.

“Yes, he did. And this is still personal to them and to her. This is her family, so she’ll be even more invested in finding Stellan. We all agreed that we’d bring her into this team because she’s got good instincts, Hijack. This is just another way to hone her skills while she’s still learning. Besides, we all know that she’s soft. She needs real world experience if we’re ever going to trust that she can do this job properly,” I say.

My words sound harsh, but they’re true. Wendy has lived a charmed life. She has some of the most powerful Alphas in the country protecting her. No one would dare hurt her and no one would dare touch her. That’s great, except that this job can send us into the dregs of society, exposing us to the worst of humanity and werewolf kind. There’s a good chance that Wendy won’t be able to deal with the reality of this work. I hope she can, but I’m also not willing to wait until she has to face it alone to see if she can. In this environment, I can protect her, guide her, and help her if she needs it. It’s why I’m pushing for her to join me on this job. She needs to know if she can do this, and so do we, as her team members.

I watch as Hijack’s jaw muscle twitches. “For the record, I don’t like it. I think she’s too inexperienced for this kind of job.”

“How was I any different, Hijack?” Tracker asks.

The reality is, she wasn’t. The difference is, Hijack didn’t have feelings for Tracker and he does for Wendy. Being that we’re two Alpha males, it could become a nasty battle. But we’ve worked together for three years and Wendy is underage. Neither of us is willing to throw away our career for what might be. I’m not sure how Hijack justifies it for himself, but for me, Wendy is my girlfriend. She’s with me by her own choice. So, I can wait until her eighteenth birthday when I’ll know for sure if I’m her mate or not. For now, I’m happy to keep things just as they are.

“Fine,” he finally concedes.

I hear Wendy walking behind me and I turn, seeing her walking with her mother up to the stage where Alpha Michael and Alpha Nevaeh are talking to the elite squads. She nods at me and I wink at her. Now I get her all to myself for two full weeks. This first week will be work. It will be tough, but I’d rather work with Wendy than not see her at all. The second week will be mostly vacation, meeting my family, and letting her see that my family is a lot like hers. I know she’s nervous about it, but I also know that once she meets them, they’ll love her as much as she’ll love them.

My family is over the moon that I’m bringing someone home. It’s the first time I’ve ever done that. But then again, I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. Wendy is special. Even when she’s disappointed in herself, like her previous inability to spar effectively, or she feels inadequate when it takes her a long time to find something that would take me a few minutes, she’s still a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.

Plus, her face is so incredibly expressive. She’s beautiful in a natural way and she doesn’t try to pretend to be someone she’s not. Of course, being an Alpha female, she’s got a lot of confidence and sass, and I fucking love it.

“Do we have any idea how the fuck Stellan escaped from prison?” I ask, changing the subject.

“I’m going to find out,” Hijack says. “Like Alpha Michael said Tracker, you find him, I’ll figure out how it happened so we can make sure it doesn’t happen again, and Hacker and Sphinx will work with Alpha Squad to track him down and make sure he hasn’t set any traps.”

Hijack looks past me. “While Vivienne is here, I want to talk to her. Those she-wolves she's been working with are starting to go missing really fast. I need to know if she’s seen or heard anything that can help us pinpoint who it might be that is taking them.”

“Yeah, and I still haven’t gotten a hit on Alpha Patrick, Alpha Peter, and Justine, which is frustrating the shit out of me. Where the hell can they take a pregnant she-wolf without putting her and her pup at risk?” Tracker growls.

“Maybe they don’t care about her,” I say. “I mean, Patrick was willing to let her go mate with Alpha Henry and then let his pup be raised as Henry’s heir. Who the fuck does that?” I ask.

“And don’t forget we still have Alpha Glenn and Alpha Grady’s trials for murder and Gamma Nathan’s trial for trying to buy Vivienne from Alpha Glenn,” Hijack says.

“Why does it feel like our workload tripled when the Hills entered into our lives?” Tracker asks.

“Well, there’s a lot of them, so maybe that’s it. Or maybe it’s just because they fight against injustice, so when they see it, they don’t stay quiet about it like others do,” I say, not willing to say anything against the Hills. Wendy’s family are all good people.

“And remember, Alpha Warren is set to take Councilman Edward’s place on the council, so you might want to reframe that way of thinking, Tracker,” Hijack says.

“I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I just meant …”

“We know what you meant, Tracker, just be careful. He’s new and may not understand like we do,” Hijack says.

Personally, I disagree. I think Alpha Warren would understand and probably feels the same stress about his family that we do, but I’m not going to say that. Time will tell what kind of councilman Alpha Warren is, especially since his daughter and son will be part of the elite teams that serve the council.

Wendy comes skipping up to me.

“I’m all set,” she says, giving me that smile that is full of sunshine.

“Perfect, let’s go see when we need to be ready to leave.”

“Tomorrow morning at eight o’clock. Raptor and his team are going to the prison today to talk to the warden and see what information they can get. I think they’re planning to take you and Hijack with them, but I don’t have any clothes or a computer with me. Thankfully, both are at Yorick’s.

“Do you need a ride, or is your family taking you?” I ask her.

She turns and we look at her family who are obviously organizing to protect the pack and specifically Alpha Cyra and Gamma Lila.

“Wendy,” Alpha Warren calls, waving her over.

“I guess you’re going with them. If you need a ride back in the morning, let me know, I’ll come get you,” I tell her.

“Okay,” she says softly. I can tell she doesn’t want to leave me any more than I want to leave her.

“Text me later?” I ask her.

“Since I’ll be packing my computer and can't IM you, I definitely will,” she says.

I lean in and, because we’re in a very public place, I kiss her gently, not deepening the kiss the way that I’ve started to with her.

I hear her whimper that our kiss was too short and too sweet, which only makes me smile. We’ll have plenty of time for kisses in the next couple of weeks.

“We’ll talk soon,” I say, holding her hand until she pulls it out of mine as she walks away.

“You’ve got it bad, Hacker,” Tracker says.

“Yeah, I do. But I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

: Pack Safety

Wendy

I am so excited that I can hardly stand it. Not only do I get to go on a week’s vacation with Jude next week, but this week, I get to go on a mission and work directly with him and the Alpha Squad.

As I leave with my family, talk is all about how to keep Cyra and Lila safe on their pack lands. I know Yorick and Cyra were going to have a party this weekend, and all our family and their friends were invited, but now, that party will most likely be postponed.

“At least everyone was already planning to be here. I can have the kids help protect the pack boundaries while Yorick, Cyra, Connor, Quirin, and I come up with a plan to make sure the pack is secure and Cyra and Lila stay safe,” my father says as we drive.

I’m not completely sure if he’s talking to my mother, or to himself. The older I get, the more he mumbles to himself like my mother does, especially when he’s under a lot of stress like he is right now.

“Dad, Stellan doesn’t have any resources to get into the pack. As long as the patrols are doing their job and monitoring the borders, he won’t be able to get to Cyra or Lila,” I say.

“If there’s a will, there’s a way, Wendy. I thought the same thing when Simon came for your mother. He not only breached my borders once, he did it twice and killed countless pack members trying to get to her,” he says.

“You also didn’t have the security system that Hacker and Hijack installed in Yorick and Cyra’s pack, Dad. That is a secondary system that has alarms that will let them know if it senses anyone coming across the borders. It was meant to fill the gaps of the patrols. Stellan doesn’t even know about that. As long as that system stays online and the patrols are diligent, Cyra and Lila will be safe.”

A part of me wonders how Alpha Cyra feels about all of this. She’s an Alpha who fought for her position and more than Yorick, she’s leading this pack. It makes me wonder if my father and brothers will be taking her words into consideration, or if their worry for her and her safety will cause them to try and override her. Cyra may be getting her toughest challenge as an Alpha pretty soon – facing off against the Hills, Bishops, and the Harris’s when they're in protective mode. And that doesn’t include her own cousin, Alpha Arman. He’s another man who is all Alpha and obviously very protective.

I look out the window of the car. In some ways, I’m glad I won’t be around to deal with the stress and strain of what the pack will be feeling. My family can be very intense when someone they love is at risk. Having two people they love and care about at risk is making the aura in the car heavy, and that’s with me being an Alpha and my mother’s calming presence.

“Wendy, I’m going to need you to run patrols while we get things settled. I know your graduation is next weekend, but between now and then, I need you to help out,” my father says.

“Ummm,” I say, looking at my mom.

“Wendy was recruited to go with the Alpha Squad to help track Stellan and I approved her going,” my mother says calmly.

“Excuse me?” my father says, his eyes meeting mine in the rearview mirror. He knows I bypassed him for this very reason. “You’re underage,” he growls.

“Which is why I needed parental approval. This is important, Dad.”

His lips press together tightly. “Nothing is more important to me than my family.”

My mother reaches out and lays a hand on his arm. “Warren, in a couple of months, she’ll be assigned these missions, and we won’t even know about it. This way, we know that Jude will be watching out for her while she’s on assignment.”

“I will know about it when I’m sitting in my council seat, Yara.”

“And I would hope that your concern for our daughter would not cause you to restrict her ability to grow into the strong female technological wizard that she could become,” my mother says. It’s said kindly, but her words are serious. My father’s position on the council could keep me from going on missions which means I would never truly be a part of the tech team.

When my father’s gaze returns to the road, I feel Yvonne elbow me. I glance at her and she gives me a thumbs up.

When we get to Yorick and Cyra’s new packhouse, I go to the room I use when I’m here in this pack. Our family now has rooms in three different packhouses, Connor’s, Quirin’s, and Yorick and Cyra’s. Soon, my siblings will also have rooms at the Academy in the new Medical Center they are building for my mother so she can begin teaching medicine to elite students who show an interest in being doctors.

I won’t need one of those rooms because I’ll have my own, having been given early admission to the Academy. I’ll be one of only twenty students who will be admitted this year, and I’ll be on the freshman floor, even though the rest of my team will be on the floors for those who have remained at the Academy to extend their education and work for the council.

I’m excited to have Sadique, Cyra’s cousin and Zach’s new mate, as part of the freshman class as well. It will be easier for them now that Zach was accepted into the Alpha Squad. Usually, the squads move off campus, but I’m sure they will make an exception for Sadique and Zach. They did for Tracker and Raptor until they found an apartment that was in between the Academy and the squads’ main quarters in the council building.

I pack the clothes I need for the week. Raptor gave me a general idea of what I’d need, comfortable clothes in dark colors. I already set aside clothes for the week that Jude and I will go to his family’s pack. It’s a good thing because, between this mission and my graduation, I’ll barely have time to shop or pack for our trip.

Once I finish that, I join my family and offer to patrol overnight. My father only allows me to patrol for a few hours, knowing I have an early morning and potentially a long week ahead of me.

When I finally get to my room, it’s late, but I told Jude I would text him.

Me: How’s it going?

His response is instant.

Jude: Slow. They had a riot, but we’re not sure if it was staged or just a lucky break for Stellan. That’s how he got out.

Me: Are you still at the prison?

Jude: Yes. I’m thankful you aren’t here. This place is awful.

Me: It doesn’t help that you and the team put several of those individuals in there.

Jude: Nope and they all know who we are. It’s been lots of fun listening to all the horrific things these inmates want to do to me and Hijack if they ever get out.

I shudder. That sounds scary.

Me: I’m sorry you’re having to deal with that. Are you safe?

Jude: Yeah, we’re safe. It’s just … gross. There’s not really a better word for it. How are Yorick and Landon?

Me: I feel like I’ve entered Fort Knox.

Jude: Good. That means you’re safe and I like it when you’re safe.

That makes me smile.

Me: Where am I meeting you tomorrow?

Jude: Back at the Academy. I’ll see you there at eight.

Me: I can’t wait.

Jude. Me either. Sleep well and have sweet dreams.

It’s hard not to have sweet dreams when they’re all about Jude.

: Mate Bond

Zach

The first thing I thought when I was told that Alpha Squad was deploying immediately was that I was going to miss my opportunity to get to know my mate. I turned and looked at her, standing in the crowd watching us with rapt attention.

“Cipher!” Raptor snaps.

I turn back to him. “Yes, sir?”

He clenches his teeth. “You finding your mate today is not ideal. However, our jobs are not nine to five and we don’t have the luxury of putting work aside for personal matters.”

Damn.

“I understand, sir.”

“However, mate bonds are extremely important. You won’t always get this level of grace, Cipher, but take tonight. Get to know your mate, mark each other if you’re both in agreement, and tomorrow, meet us at the Academy at eight o’clock sharp.”

“Thank you, sir!” I say, thrilled that I have one night to be with my mate.

Before I go talk to my mate, I go to Alpha Nevaeh. “Alpha, a quick question,” I say.

“Yes, Cipher.”

I realize that from the moment Raptor gave me my new name, everyone would begin using it.

“Alpha, as you know, my mate will be a student here next year. I was wondering if, rather than us having to move off campus, could I just keep my room on the freshman floor and have her move in with me?”

“If your mate is willing to share a room with you, Cipher, I’m okay with that. Are you sure you want to stay on the freshman floor?”

I shrug. “I’m already there, Alpha, and it will put Sadique closer to the other students in her year. I can ask her what her thoughts are, but I think it would be better for her to be closer to the other students than to be isolated from them, especially if I’ll be travelling on assignments.”

“Spoken like a caring mate, Cipher. Talk to her and let me know. We have time. The next semester doesn’t start for a couple of months.”

“Thank you, Alpha.”

When I turn, Sadique hasn’t moved. She’s still watching me with those intense grey-blue eyes. Damn, I’ve never felt my body yearn like it is for her, and I don’t even know her yet.

I make my way to her, our eyes never leaving each other. I swear the room could be burning down and I wouldn’t notice. All there is in the world is her.

“Sadique,” I say quietly.

“Zachary,” she says and it’s like her voice has pushed a button to ignite the nerve endings in my body. That one word has me aching for her in a way I’ve never ached for a woman in my life.

“I’m being deployed,” I say.

“I heard. You need to leave?”

I shake my head slowly. “Raptor, that’s my boss, he gave me tonight to be with you. I have to report for duty tomorrow morning at eight o’clock. Do you want to spend the rest of today and tonight with me?”

She smiles and it feels like my heart is swelling from just that look. I imagine it will every time she looks at me that way. I want to do everything in my power to make her smile at me like that again.

“I’d like that.”

“Good. We have some things to talk about. Do I need to speak to anyone about the two of us staying here together?” I ask.

She looks around as if suddenly realizing that there is more than just the two of us in the world.

“My parents, they’re here somewhere,” she says, looking around.

“We are literally standing right beside you, darling,” an older woman says. She looks enough like Sadique that she must be her mother. She turns to me. “I am Luna Pari, Sadique’s mother.”

“Luna, I am Alpha Zachary, Sadique’s mate.”

“And I am her father, Alpha Ramin,” the large man beside Luna Pari says.

“Alpha, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Is it? I’m not sure how I feel about my daughter leaving with you when you’re going on an assignment tomorrow morning,” he says.

I open my mouth to respond, but my mate beats me to it.

“And I am an adult who is able to speak for myself, father. If Cyra has taught you anything, I hope it’s that you should not underestimate the women in your life,” she says.

Luna Pari is facing away from her mate, so her smile is wide, but she still tries to hide it. Alpha Ramin looks at his daughter.

“I’m just trying to protect you, precious one,” he says.

“And I appreciate that, father. But Zachary is MY mate. I will decide how much time I’m willing to spend with him and how much of myself I am willing to give to him knowing that he’s going on assignment tomorrow,” she says.

I can’t help it. I smile at my mate.

'She’s magnificent.' my wolf, Merric, purrs.

“Shall we, Zachary?” she asks, putting her arm through mine.

“Alpha. Luna,” I say, nodding at them and walking my mate outside.

“Are you always so forceful in getting what you want?” I ask her.

“No. But my father is stuck in the old ways and now that I’m an adult, I no longer have to live by his old, outdated ways of thinking.”

“And what are those outdated ways of thinking?” I ask.

“That I have to abide by his rules, his expectations, and his dreams for me.”

I stop and look at her. “And what are your dreams for yourself, Sadique?”

“To be an elite fighter,” she says, the passion of her words burning in her eyes.

I smile. “I can help you with that.”

She smiles, then something shifts in her eyes. “That’s not why I want you, though.”

“Why do you want me?” I ask.

“Because you were meant for me. In my family, fated mates are sacred.”

“In mine as well. But perhaps the Moon Goddess put us together partly because we were both meant to be elite fighters,” I say, starting to walk toward the Academy dorm again. “Whatever her reasoning, you were meant for me, and I was meant for you. At the risk of being too forward, I spoke to Alpha Nevaeh about our living arrangements next year.”

She looks at me and raises a very elegant, very arrogant eyebrow.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Most elite warriors move to the elite warrior housing which is located closer to The Council’s chambers in town. I asked to remain here, on the freshman floor so that you and I could share a room.”

“How very bold of you,” she says with a challenging look in her eyes.

“Too bold?” I ask her.

“That depends.”

“On what?” I ask her.

“On whether or not you intend to put your mark on me tonight.”

I growl and pull her body against mine. “I absolutely do.”

“Good. I see our mate bond is starting off well. We’re in perfect agreement,” she says.

After spending the afternoon getting to know each other, I spend the most amazing night of my life exploring my mate, tasting her, and listening to her come again and again. In the morning, when she walks me out to say goodbye, it’s MY mark on her neck, MY scent on her body that lingers to remind everyone that she’s MINE!