Abandoned and Unseen (Branded Packs #2)(37)

Sinclair turned away, staring into the shadows of the nearby trees. He rarely spoke of how he’d met the human, or the risks she was taking for all of them.

“She believes in our cause.”

“Bullshit.” Tucker kept his tone pitched low. They tried to keep the area protected, but it wasn’t nearly as secluded as their usual campsite. It was only because the SAU headquarters was nearby that they’d chosen the area. “She’s in lust with you. Which is exactly why you chose her to help us.”

Genuine anger flared in Sinclair’s eyes, his wolf prowling close to the surface.

“I asked her to help because she’s a f*cking genius.”

Tucker smiled. He had to accept Sinclair’s assurance that the woman was a genius. After all, the Alpha rarely let anyone near her.

He’d always assumed Sinclair kept Mira isolated because he didn’t want to frighten the human. Although they did their best to avoid attracting unwanted attention, the Unseen Pack was made up of a group of predators.

Cats, wolves, and bears.

There were times when their animal natures could frighten off the natives.

“And she wants you,” he mocked.

“Enough,” Sinclair snapped. “I’ll deal with Mira.”

Tucker lifted his hands in surrender. “Hey, I’m just glad you found her. If she’s even half as good as you claim, then she should have some actual proof of who started the Verona Virus.”

Sinclair made a visible effort to ease the tension in his shoulders.

“That’s the plan.”

Tucker leashed his impulse to press the older male about his relationship with Mira. It was clearly a sensitive subject.

Instead, he turned his attention to the question that’d been nagging at him since he’d heard the story of how Jonah Wilder managed to force the SAU to back down from their determination to capture an Alpha so they could create their own shifter.

“Did you ask her how Wilder managed to get his hands on those old reports?”

Sinclair gave a decisive shake of his head. “No. And I don’t intend to.”

Tucker was genuinely caught off guard. “Why not?”

“Because she’s putting herself in enough danger. I’m not going to have her asking awkward questions that might attract the attention of our enemies.”

“What the hell is the point of having a mole on the inside if we can’t have her ask awkward questions?”

Sinclair bared his fangs, and Tucker instantly regretted the impulsive question. Not because he feared that his Alpha would attack. Sinclair might be the leader of the Unseen, but no one was stupid enough to take on a bear shifter. Not unless they had a death wish.

But he’d clearly rubbed against a raw nerve.

Something that Sinclair didn’t need, especially when there was so much riding on what happened over the next few months.

“Screw you,” the older man snapped, clearly done with the entire conversation.

“Fine. You do your thing with the human, and I’ll do a sweep of the border.”

“No, I’ll get Sonny to replace you on guard duty,” Sinclair surprisingly offered. “I want you to follow the shifter.”

It was Tucker’s turn to stiffen. His bear was once again stirred into awareness at Sinclair’s command.

With an inner growl, his animal pressed toward the surface. Hunt down the little she-wolf with the sweet scent and tart mouth? Oh, yeah. His bear was ready and willing. In fact, he was so willing, it was starting to scare the shit out of him.

Which meant that it was the last thing he should do.

“Why?”

Sinclair’s hard features tightened, revealing the frustration that smoldered just below his brittle composure.

“I sent word to Holden, asking him not to interfere with our plans, but he’s an arrogant bastard,” he growled. “He might decide to ignore my request.”

The Unseen had deliberately remained hidden from the world, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t kept careful watch on both the humans and their fellow shifters.

Especially the various Alphas. Which was how they’d known that Holden was a fair but tough wolf leader who didn’t lack for confidence in his ability to rule his wolves.

Now that Holden knew about the Unseen, he’d been trying to contact Sinclair, clearly feeling the need for a face-to-face meeting. Sinclair, however, wasn’t about to run the risk of exposing their position to the SAU. Not after they’d spent the past ten years plotting and sacrificing to get to this point.

“What do you want me to do with the female?” Tucker forced himself to ask.

A sly glint entered the Alpha’s icy blue eyes. “Anything you want. Just don’t let her near the camp.” Sinclair jerked his head toward the distant lights that glowed over the tops of the trees. “Or the SAU headquarters.”

Shit. Tucker’s cock was once again hard and aching. He scowled, trying to pretend that he wasn’t itching with the need to charge down the path in pursuit of the female.

“Holden may not be happy if we detain one of his people,” he pointed out.

“Too damned bad,” Sinclair said, his eyes glowing in the moonlight. “This is my territory.”





Chapter 2


Director George Markham, a large man with short, iron-gray hair, sat behind his heavy walnut desk. As head of the Denver division of the SAU, he was responsible for the most recent clusterf*ck.