Page 16 of Lost Mate

Dylan seemed to miss the exchange, lost in thought. “What pack am I from?”

“I don’t know,” Eli admitted. “You said you were from Ohio. Your history checked out, but I guess shifters know how to lie to humans.”

Three of the shifters in the room bristled, but Milo nodded. “We know how to hide our past. There are packs in Ohio though. I have contacts there. I’ll make a few phone calls.”

For some reason he focused that at Ross who nodded.

“Niles and I only found out you were a shifter just before you went on the assignment,” Eli said. “When you discovered about Cal and Milo, you admitted you were a shifter, and asked to be included. The fact that no one knew is what made you perfect for this assignment.”

Ross processed this. “You sent a shifter to infiltrate the hunters?”

He’d never gone undercover. He knew he didn’t have the skills for it. He was a bodyguard, ‘a damn babysitter’ as he muttered when he bitched about his job.

“We knew there were shifters working for them. We didn’t know how many and most humans wouldn’t recognize a shifter, even those of us mated to one. We needed information and Dylan was the right person to get it.”

Ross’s stomach turned at how lucky he’d been to find his mate. Dylan could have vanished, and he’d have been waiting forever for this wolf.

I’d like to point out I found you, my mate.

Dylan’s comment made his heart beat a little faster. His mate had traveled hundreds of miles not knowing why or who he was going to find.

“I was in place and then I went dark?” Dylan said.

“We tried to find out what had happened to you. We had another operative, a human, in there, but they didn’t know either.”

“So you’ve got more than one operative with the hunters?” Ross asked.

“We’re working with agencies across the country to infiltrate the hunters, but yeah, the Streersons were our targets,” Niles said.

“That doesn’t answer the question.”

Eli looked as if he were chewing glass. “I can’t say too much.”

“Because of me,” Dylan concluded.

Eli gave a curt nod.

“Did you ever doubt me before?”

“No, you were one of our best undercover operatives.”

“So why do you believe he’s a traitor now?” Ross demanded.

Easy, mate, easy. Eli is doing his job.

Ross knew that—in theory—because he’d been part of the Cavalry for long enough. But Dylan was his and he wasn’t about to stand down.

“Because I’m a wolf shifter,” Dylan said. “You think I’m another Jake.”

The discovery and actions of the traitorous lion shifter had done so much damage. Jake had shaken Eli’s already tentative faith in the shifter world.

“I don’t know what you are,” Eli admitted. “But you are still a Cavalry employee, even if your mate has resigned.” He gave Ross a scowl. “And we take care of our own. I need a doctor to check you over.”

“I called the doc in Wild Creek,” Milo said. “He’s willing to come. The alpha says he’ll only let him come here if he has an escort.”

“I can arrange that,” Eli said.

“I don’t want any of Cal’s brothers here.” Joe spoke up suddenly. “I’m not putting Cal or Owen at risk.”

---