Page 44 of Tracking the Alpha
“You’re late,” Stevens snapped.
Her brow arched. “Not sure how you figure that when I only was informed less than fifteen minutes ago that you wanted to see me.”
“You’d have known earlier if you’d gotten up at a proper time and gone to breakfast,” his riposte.
“Excuse me for getting the first good night’s sleep I’ve had since getting here.” Her temper flared, and she clenched her fists. Prudence indicated she shouldn’t be antagonizing Stevens.
“Surrounded by laggards,” Stevens grumbled. “Anyhow, now that you’re here, I had a chance to discuss with Dr. Lindt your idea of baiting our wolf.”
“Dr. Lindt says you already tried, and it failed to work,” Tanis pointed out. “Why didn’t you tell me that?”
The major shrugged. “At the time, it wasn’t information I felt you needed. Anyhow, she had a suggestion we wanted to run by you.”
“I’m listening.” Tanis folded her arms.
Dr. Lindt pushed up her red-rimmed glasses. “The major told me that you asked for some livestock hoping to tempt the wolf, but as I told you, the last time we tried that, the beast went after those who staked it out instead of the creature. Perhaps appealing to its belly isn’t the hunger we should be targeting.”
A crease between her brows, Tanis replied, “I’m not sure I follow.”
“A wolf, or any wild creature for that matter, is driven by a few basic needs. Hunger and survival being the most obvious,” the doctor explained. “But an alpha male, such as the wolf we’re trying to recapture, has another driving imperative.” She paused before stating, “Reproduction. He’ll be seeking a female to give him pups and to satisfy his carnal desires.”
Her matter-of-fact statement had Tanis suddenly reliving the night before. How Barrett came to her and allowed her to seduce him. Had he truly been that attracted, or was he just answering a biological need? Did it matter? She’d been a willing participant.
“I think it will be harder to find a female wolf than a cow or goat,” Tanis pointed out.
“Not really. As you’ve probably guessed, we are doing some animal studies in this facility. The wolf that escaped isn’t the only canine we have in custody. We actually have several others, including a female he is familiar with.”
The admission chilled Tanis’ blood. “You want to set a second wolf free?”
“Goodness no,” chuckled Dr. Lindt.
The major jumped in. “We would take every precaution to ensure the female is secured. Tether her instead of a goat or cow to draw the missing male.”
They wanted to whore out another prisoner—one Barrett already knew—to capture him? Jealousy reared its head, and it took Tanis a second to push past it and give them a valid reason to scrap that plan. “While the idea has merit, it has a high likelihood of failure. Mating is about more than presenting the opposite sex. Wolves, like people, need to form a connection. You can’t simply expect the alpha to sniff a female in the vicinity and immediately decide to lay a claim.”
“He wouldn’t be able to resist if she’s exuding the right pheromone,” Dr. Lindt countered. “We have a drug to put her in heat.”
“I can’t believe you’re advocating rape,” Tanis blurted out.
“They’re animals. Consent is a human thing,” the major remarked with a sneer.
Tanis once more had to bite her tongue lest she make another statement that revealed she knew these wolves weren’t animals. Who knew what would happen if the major or general realized she’d figured out their secret. However, how could she condone staking out a victim oozing “mount-me” pheromones? Then again, Barrett wasn’t a furry beast anymore, so it wasn’t as if he’d actually be tricked into coming for a shag. Knowing that, why the heck was she arguing so hard? If they wanted to waste time, let them.
“Guess there’s no real harm in trying to lure the wolf using a female in heat. Guess the question is, how do we get her to a location where I can set a trap? I can’t exactly walk her there on a leash like I would a cow or a goat,” Tanis pointed out.
“I’ll have some soldiers carry the cage for you. Just try not to go too far.”
Tanis shook her head. “That’s no good. They’ll be shedding their scent all over the place.”
“Not if we spray them,” Dr. Lindt offered. “We’ve been working on some scents.”
“And have you tested them to see if they work?”
“No, but we’re fairly confident in them.”
“When do you want to do this?” Tanis asked.
“The sooner, the better,” the major jumped in to say. “You will keep your walkie on at all times.”
