Abandoned and Unseen (Branded Packs #2)(36)

He narrowed his eyes, his arms folded across his massive chest, as she turned to stroll away.

“Park Ranger, my ass,” she muttered, loud enough for him to overhear.

“Don’t come back,” he called out.

She didn’t bother to glance around. Instead, she lifted her hand and flipped him off.

Childish? Yeah, maybe.

But the man disturbed her on a cellular level.

Fiercely scrubbing all thoughts of the stranger from her mind, she headed down the trail, waiting until she was certain he wasn’t following before she darted into the thick forest. Then, stripping off her clothing, she tucked them under a pile of leaves before shifting into her wolf form.

Agony, along with a thrilling euphoria, shivered through her. Her bones popped and her tendons ripped as the magic pulsed through her veins, altering her form in blast of fur and fangs.

Standing on four legs, she took a second to gain control of her balance before she was loping through the trees. She’d hoped to wait until she was closer to the SAU to change. A stray woman hiking through the park didn’t attract nearly as much attention as a tawny female wolf.

But she wasn’t going to be stopped again.

Her senses were much more acute in her wolf form. And even better, she had long, sharp teeth to deal with any aggravating men who tried to stand in her way.

****

Tucker continued to stare at the pathway long after the female had disappeared.

He told himself that the urgent need to follow her was nothing more than concern for his Pack. They’d managed to remain hidden for years. Not only from the humans, but also the shifters living in the compounds.

It wasn’t that they didn’t feel compassion for those who’d been branded and collared by the SAU. Hell, they were doing everything in their power to bring an end to the prejudices against their people. But things were reaching a critical point. The last thing they needed was some nosey shifter blowing their cover.

Yep. It was all very logical that he was anxious about the female wolf making a sudden appearance where she didn’t belong. But that didn’t actually explain why his heart was thundering or why his cock was hard as a f*cking rock.

Sucking in a slow breath, he allowed the warm scent of woman and wolf to seep through him. Delectable. And dangerous. Very, very dangerous.

His bear stirred, restlessly urging him to track the female down so he could continue to smell her.

And maybe have a little taste…

“Trouble?” A male voice floated from behind him.

Tucker gave a sharp laugh as Sinclair, the current Alpha of the Unseen Pack, moved to stand at his side. The wolf shifter was three inches shorter than Tucker with long, dark hair, a lean face that was always three days past the need for a shave, and ice-blue eyes.

He looked like a biker who’d just rolled out of bed, but anyone stupid enough to underestimate him was soon taught a painful lesson.

“Trouble on two legs,” Tucker told his friend.

Sinclair tilted back his head, sniffing the air. “A wolf shifter,” he growled. “What the hell was she doing out here?”

“She claimed she was hiking.”

Sinclair’s dark brows snapped together. “In the middle of the night?”

“Yep.”

Tucker could sense Sinclair turning to study him, but his focus remained on the trail. Almost as if his bear were willing the female to return.

“What do you think?” Sinclair demanded.

“She sure as hell wasn’t here to hike,” he said.

“Damn.” Sinclair abruptly began to pace from one side of the path to the other, his nervous energy prickling in the chilled air. “We’re too close to finding the proof we need to show that it was the humans—not the shifters—who were responsible for the Verona Virus. We can’t let anyone f*ck up our plans now.”

Tucker forced himself to turn and face his friend. He needed a distraction before his bear managed to overcome his logic and he gave in to his male impulse to track the female down and drag her back to his cave.

“What’s the word from Mira?” he asked.

“I’m supposed to meet with her tonight,” Sinclair grudgingly admitted.

Tucker arched a brow. Mira Reese was a computer nerd who worked at the regional CDC in Fort Collins. This was the second—or maybe third—time this week she and Sinclair were meeting.

That seemed a little…excessive, considering it was an hour drive for the young human woman.

“Has she managed to get any files decoded?”

Sinclair shrugged, his expression impossible to read. “She wouldn’t have asked for a meeting if she didn’t have any new intel.”

Tucker snorted. “Yeah, right.”

Sinclair halted his pacing long enough to meet Tucker’s amused gaze. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Tucker blinked. Was the older male joking? Sinclair couldn’t actually believe that the Pack hadn’t noticed Mira’s growing fascination with their Alpha.

“That woman would make up any excuse to spend time with you,” he said.

Sinclair gave a low snarl of warning. “You don’t know anything about her.”

Tucker stilled. Well, well. He hadn’t seen that coming.

“I know when a woman wants in a man’s pants,” he deliberately taunted. “Why else would she risk everything for you?”