Page 2 of Alpha Wolf's Arranged Bride
Instead of joining the crowd like I know I should, I pace the edges of the clearing, searching for Scarlett. I’m leaving tonight—I have absolutely no choice—and even though it goes against every single rule in the book, I have to see her before I leave.
This is stupid. Stupid, crazy, AND reckless.
I don’t fucking care.
When I first came into the pack, my objectives were clear. I had to infiltrate the elders or members close to them and try to understand the power the Eccles pack had at its disposal. Over the last few years, they made moves against nearby territories that suggested they were testing out boundaries to attack. There have been strange stories involving the weapons they used and the uncanny knowledge the warriors seemed to possess.
Throughout history, they’d had a grudge against Rose Hollow and had proven to be a serious threat more than once. There were too many questions that had no answers, and that’s exactly why I had been sent in by my agency.
Wolf’s Shadow is a secret organization that exists to monitor all interactions between the magical community and the human world. The base is in Las Vegas, but there are offices all over the world. We have secret agents in almost every pack, and any agent undercover is called a Shadow.
We protect both the humans and the magical community. The panic and eventual war between both sides would be devastating if we were discovered, and it’s not something any of us wants to see.
There are some human liaisons—a necessary evil. Most of those are, in fact, half-breeds—creatures not entirely welcomein either world. Not all agents are military-trained special forces like me, either. There are doctors, office workers, garbage collectors—you name it, Wolf’s Shadow has a claw in it.
That being said, my mission in Eccles has been seen as the most dangerous undertaken so far. It’s not uncommon at all to spy on packs to ascertain their strengths and the risks they may pose, but the main reasons we never infiltrated Eccles before are the bizarre disappearances and reports of powerful, extremely deadly weapons.
And I’ve found nothing! I have no answers!
It’s like a great cosmic joke that I’ve gone to this much trouble, lost over a year of my life—and compromised my own heart—and I don’t even have a successful mission to show for it.
I broke into the circle of friends directly related to the elders fairly easily. Even though I’m thirty-five, I easily passed for ten years younger, and they accepted me without difficulty. My forged documents proved that I was a distant cousin of Elder Jarvis, right-hand to the alpha, Azarian. Elder Jarvis and his family didn’t question me.
My “mother” fled the pack many years ago, I told Azarian, and I came here hoping to find out what she had been running from. However, the pack was not forthcoming when I questioned them about her. The family simply told me she was unstable, and even though they appreciated my need to connect with my past, they really had no answers for me.
Convenient.
As the months passed, I attempted to use my connections through the children of the elders to get to the main council itself. Even as the young people let their guard down, the elders never did. I was even permitted to attend a couple of meetings,but they were boring as hell—discussions about agriculture, new buildings, and makers’ guilds.
There was one connection I made that proved useful. Even though I didn’t get direct information about what I sought, I did learn a lot about pack structure from one person in particular.
Scarlett.
Her uncle, Azarian, is the pack alpha. As I got closer to her, I kept telling myself it was all for the mission. That I needed her for information, and nothing more.
I pause by the entranceway to the park, where the dirt road tracks back towards the parking lot. Looking over to the left, I see my friends laughing and joking around the barbecue, and my chest actually hurts.
They are my friends. That’s not a lie. I care about them, and they care about me, too.
I turn my face away, looking down the driveway again.
I should just go, right now.
Last night, on a secret channel, the oldest member of my squad—Malcolm—contacted me and told me to extract. He didn’t tell me the details, just that they suspected a leak and they needed to pull me out immediately. Like a good soldier, I didn’t ask questions, even though, as squad leader, I could have demanded to speak to the higher-ups for clarification.
I trust Malcolm, though. I’ve always appreciated his experience in the field. Even if he didn’t have what it takes to lead, he’s an excellent Shadow.
Sighing, I turn my back on the party and start walking down the driveway. I’m sure my sudden departure from the packwill pass without much notice. If my supposed mother was a flake, it won’t come as a surprise that I am, too.
Only one person will really care.
Chill out, egomaniac. What if she actually doesn’t give a fuck?
That idea makes a nervous sweat break out across my brow. It’s ridiculous, because it would be so much better for Scarlett—and me—if she felt nothing. But the idea still hurts.
As I’m resigning myself to living the rest of my life never seeing her again, I see a flicker of light just ahead of me. I wish desperately for it to be her, while wishing at the exact same time that it isn’t, so I won’t have to face a painful goodbye.
Not that I can even say those words to her… I have to vanish, just like a Shadow should.
