Buried and Shadowed (Branded Packs #3)(31)

They were Pack.

They were branded, but not forgotten.

And maybe, just maybe, they were free.





Shadowed





Prologue


Not even the most vigilant guard noticed the wolf as he slid through the thickening shadows. Still, Sinclair was careful to avoid the pools of morning sunlight that filtered through the wooded area that was thick with pines and moss.

Approaching from the opposite direction, the black wolf with a white stripe down his muzzle was being equally careful. By mutual consent, they halted in the deepest part of the trees.

Times were dangerous for the various Packs. And about to become even more so.

There was a blur of magic as both wolves shifted into their human forms.

“You’re tempting fate by being here,” Holden Carter, the Alpha of the local Pack warned.

Sinclair’s lips twisted. He was Alpha of the Unseen Pack. The handful of shifters who dared the threat of death to remain hidden from the humans.

“I’ve been tempting fate my entire life.”

Holden gave a short laugh. “What do you want?”

“I just came to give you a heads-up.”

The air prickled with heat. Holden’s power was a tangible force.

“More trouble with the SAU?”

“They’re growing desperate.” Sinclair nodded toward the nearby compound that had once been a prison. Only days ago, anyone trying to leave would have been shot on sight. “Every right you’ve managed to earn for our people has threatened their hold over us.”

Holden’s eyes went wolf. “We’re not stopping now,” he growled.

“I know that,” Sinclair said, holding the man’s burning glare. “And so does the SAU.”

It took a moment before Holden realized what he meant. “You’re expecting a backlash?”

Sinclair shuddered. “On an epic scale. Which is why I intend to strike first.”

Holden stilled. He clearly hadn’t been expecting Sinclair to move so quickly.

“What are you planning?” he asked.

Sinclair allowed a slow, satisfied smile to curve his lips. “Complete exposure.”

Holden gave a small nod. “You have the evidence?”

“Enough to make them sweat.”

“When?”

Sinclair’s fierce sense of anticipation briefly dimmed. There was a loose end that had to be tied up before he would allow anything to happen.

“As soon as I make sure my contacts are safe,” he said.

Holden folded his arms over his chest. “What can we do?”

“Brace yourselves.”





Chapter 1


Finished with his self-imposed task of warning the Pack compounds of the impending threat of outright war, Sinclair at last returned to his lair that was hidden deep in the mountains near Boulder.

Remaining in his wolf form, he squeezed through a small crevice between two massive rocks and entered the area protected by a circle of towering hills. He halted, absorbing the rich scent of earth and evergreens and crisp water that flowed through the nearby stream. A deeper breath filled his senses with the soft musk of the shifters that lived in the Pack.

Home.

With a pleased growl, he allowed his magic to flow through his veins. A shudder of ecstasy shook his body, power shimmering around him as he shifted into his human form.

Once again he was a dark-haired man with icy blue eyes.

Bypassing the homes that were built among the trees, he entered his lair that was hidden in a shallow cave near the stream. Quickly, he pulled on jeans and a T-shirt before he headed directly to a cabin that was twice the size of the others.

There were solar panels on the roof as well as a large generator at the back. Since the Unseen had to remain off-the-grid, they’d improvised by building their own grid. And Rios needed the majority of the electricity they produced to keep his computer system up and running.

Rios not only used the technology to keep surveillance on their Pack, but he also monitored the shifter compounds from around the world. Plus, he’d hacked into the network of the local SAU to keep track of their movements.

The jaguar was a god when it came to computers.

In fact, the only one who might be better than Rios was Mira Reese.

His good mood instantly vanished.

Mira was a human female who worked for the CDC in Fort Collins. Over the past two years, he’d made it his mission to seduce her. Not physically. Or at least, not yet. No. It’d been an emotional seduction, using the shy computer expert’s vulnerable feelings for him to convince her to become a spy for the shifters.

He’d deliberately put her in danger, and now she was out of touch.

During his grueling journey from compound to compound, he’d tried to ignore the fact that he hadn’t been able to contact the female. It was the only way to complete his duty without going nuts. Now, he unleashed his iron control and allowed the full impact of his concern for Mira to slam into him.

He was an Alpha of an outlaw Pack that had infiltrated the SAU. He was on the verge of risking open war with the humans. There was no doubt that he was accustomed to carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

But this worry for Mira…

It burned like acid in the pit of his stomach.