Page 5 of Eclipse of the Pack

He didn't like his odds going toe-to-toe with even one of the werewolves, but if he could corner one of the PEACE agents, he might be able to "convince" them to talk. He looked around the warehouse, trying to come up with some sort of plan.

He didn't seem to have a lot of options until he saw the forklift parked in the corner next to some gas cans. He looked around at the packages in the warehouse. Nothing was labeled as explosive so starting a fire might be relatively safe.

He had a lighter on him. He didn't smoke but kept one on him for work purposes. A lot of the ropes and bindings used where he worked were mostly synthetics, and melting the end kept them from fraying and unraveling.

He worked his way slowly over to the forklift and gas cans. There was a trashcan near overflowing with trash. That could be used for tinder. He grabbed some and quietly moved a packingpallet closer. He laid out some of the paper on top of the wooden pallet.

After putting one gas can in the center of his little impromptu pyre, Jon opened another gas can and poured some on the trash and wooden pallet. He didn't want to be standing right next to this when it went up in flames, so he carefully poured out a little gas and, using some more trash, made himself a nice little trail he could light.

When he was finished, he was almost proud of his little arson setup and then instantly felt weird about that. This wasn't him. This wasn't his life. He was a simple man. Now he was planning on lighting up a warehouse to capture a government agent and get information out of them.

He was way out of his depth, but he'd continue onward. He had to for Galen. Galen would do the same for him. What's a little arson and assaulting a law enforcement officer when it comes to helping a friend?

He pulled the lighter from his pocket and was getting ready to light it up when a shadow dropped from the ceiling. He nearly cried out in surprise, but that was cut off when someone's forearm started pressing into his throat, making him see spots of color explode across his vision.

Jon knew this was a possibility going in. He'd missed something, and now he was caught by either the wolves or PEACE agents. Whoever it was, they were about to choke the life out of him. So then, why was he feeling calm?

His heart rate had shot up, but he didn't feel a mind-numbing fear of death. Instead, he felt almost safe. And awkwardly aroused.

9

IVY

Ivy pulled the human into a chokehold. If not for the years of training and muscle memory, she would have faltered because as soon as she felt the skin of his throat press into the inside of her arm, a jolt went through her whole body, and it pooled into heat between her legs.

She'd heard enough about fated mates to recognize the sensation brought on by a powerful bond. Thoughts of where they were, what they were doing, the danger were they in fought for mental real estate against images of dragging this man to the ground and feeling him inside her.

She shook it off, regaining some composure. She pressed her lips to his ear, resisting the urge to nip at his earlobe, and instead whispered, "Who are you, and what the fuck are you doing here?"

She released the chokehold enough to allow him to speak while still maintaining delicious control of his body. This was a really inconvenient time to be wondering if she'd want to pin him down or have him pin her down.

"My name is Jon. I'm trying to find out information about a friend of mine, Galen Trent," he said, keeping his voice low.

"And you thought setting a fire would help with that?" she asked.

"I was going to use it as a diversion and try to nab one of the PEACE agents and question them."

She felt him wince once the words were out of his mouth. Ivy released him and said, "Relax. I'm not going to kill you."

He turned and looked at her. He was even more handsome close up. Her eyes were drawn to his lips as he said, "Wait. You're—" then he scrunched up his face in a way that would have looked unpleasant on anyone else. "Never mind. Can I ask what you're doing here?"

"I'm also looking for information. Perhaps we can help each other out."

He hesitated, and she could see the internal debate in his furrowed brow.

"Okay," he said. "What do we do?"

"Well, randomly starting a garbage fire isn't the best plan, but we got to work with what we have. We're catching one of the wolves for questioning."

"Um... okay. Won't that be a lot more difficult than just asking... Don't you work for PEACE?"

Her eyes narrowed, and she said, "It's complicated."

"Give me a minute to get into position, and then start your fire. Meet me on the west side of the building."

"Okay," he replied.

She moved around the building near one of the exits. She heard shouting, and then one of the wolves burst out the door. She waited a moment to make sure he was alone before she pounced. With a few quick strikes, she was able to subdue the wolf.

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