Page 21 of Guardians

Elias shuddered then released his shift completely, returning to his human shape. He indulged in a disapproving snarl as the savage urges melted away. The thought of fucking a human repulsed him. They were cruel and morally corrupt. He couldn’t believe that anyone was desperate enough to shove their cock inside one of those creatures. Unfortunately, he was in the minority. Most of his men were ready, even eager to claim a mate and the only females available on Rydaria were human.

Glaring at Deakin, Elias snapped, “Get back to the feline village. Find out what the females were doing there and how the cats reacted. Don’t leave until you can make a full report.”

“Of course, sir. I won’t let you down.”

Elias turned to his lieutenant as Deakin scurried from the office. Laughter and boisterous conversations were building in the common room. They needed to join the party soon or the packs would speculate on the reason for the delay. “I know he’s your pet project, but if he fails me again, I’ll have no choice but to humble him.”

“I’ll send Jackson with him, make sure?—”

“No,” Elias said emphatically. “If Deakin can’t complete his missions alone, he’s no use to me. His ability to disappear into a crowd is his primary advantage. Sending one of the soldiers with him defeats that advantage.”

Armando nodded, but his angular features tensed. “Deak understands what’s at stake. He won’t fail you again.”

Elias paused for a swig of brew before he muttered, “I hate to admit it, but my decision to raid the human’s camp inadvertently set this in motion. If they still had food and weapons, they wouldn’t be considering this alliance.”

“We could return what’s left of their supplies. Maybe even the simpler weapons,” Armando suggested though he didn’t sound pleased by the idea.

Elias shook his head. “We’re too close to springing our trap to unravel it now.” He stroked his scruffy chin and extended his legs beneath the table, crossing his feet at the ankles.

Zion and his cats could ‘claim’ all the females they wanted, but it wouldn’t do them any good. Forming family units was about companionship, yes, but ultimately it was about perpetuating the species. And to his knowledge, without medical assistance, a hybrid could only produce offspring with another hybrid.

There was a solution. Anyone who was part of the breeding program back on Earth had been equipped with a colony of nanobots capable of triggering targeted mutations in females. The changes enabled a hybrid male to impregnate a human female. The challenge was locating the nanobots within the hybrid’s body. Two of his wolves had been part of the original program. Unfortunately, neither survived the first winter on Rydaria. Which left the cats, always the fucking cats. Elias knew of six cats who had been breeders, but he suspected that there were more.

“Has Caleb determined if he can use the scanners to find the nanobots?” Armando asked. “We haven’t spoken in a couple of days.”

“I haven’t talked to him either.” Caleb wasn’t just the village doctor. He was one of Elias’ closest friends. Reaching out across the telepathic link only the pack alphas could activate, Elias ordered the village healer to report to his office.

A knock sounded on the door a few seconds later. Apparently, Caleb had been in the common room unwinding with the rest of the wolves.

“It’s unlocked,” Elias called out.

Caleb eased the door open and stepped inside. “What’s going on? Are you hurt?” His gaze swept over Elias in quick assessment before settling on his face.

“I’ve been waiting for your report for over a week now,” Elias pointed out. “What’s the holdup?” Caleb knew better than to trade on their friendship, but he didn’t seem to be giving this task the attention it deserved.

“You want a definitive answer, and I’m still not comfortable giving you one,” Caleb defended. He had sandy hair and a narrow face. His build was long and lean.

“Give me your best educated guess.” Elias pressed back into his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

“It’s not that simple,” Caleb insisted. “I can’t begin to do what you want, even with the scanners. It’s like searching for a needle in a ten-acre field of haystacks. The human scientists, however, know a whole lot more about the original breeding program than I do. I honestly don’t know if they can do it or not.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me that?” Elias sat forward and rested his forearms on the tabletop.

“You’ve been a dick lately,” Caleb grumbled.

“Is that so?” A dangerous edge sharpened his tone. Even his friends were required to be respectful when they were talking about pack business.

Caleb tensed, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

“Enjoy the party,” he sneered and motioned Caleb from the room.

“Looks like we need to move forward with the next phase of your plan,” Armando concluded.

Elias nodded, frustrated by his friend’s nonchalance. Everything would have been so much simpler if Caleb could have located the nanobots. Now Elias needed to enlist the help of Dr. Eugene Babcock, the bastard responsible for the Griffin Project. Armando would snatch him from the human camp and force him to solve this problem—and when the nanobots had been found, Elias would happily snuff out the life of his creator.

Lexie tried to ignore the way her hands shook as she pulled the tunic up her body. Having sex with her mates was inevitable. The claim wasn’t official until all three of them had fucked her. Still, the longer she could keep the mood light and playful, the better off she’d be. She drew the tunic off over her head and let it drop to the floor. Then without a word she hopped onto the table and scooted in front of Kane. The table was sturdy and smooth, but it wasn’t very large. Instead of opening her legs, which was nodoubt what he had in mind, she crossed them and leaned back on her hands.

“I’m naked and on the table, but you’re not talking,” she pointed out with a flirtatious smile.

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