Page 25 of Wolf Desired
Rafe narrowed his eyes as he pushed his wolf down. He could handle insults and character attacks without his wolf’s help. “You want her to get hurt, 86? Because that’s what will happen if she stays.”
“Not all white wolves are assholes, Heir.”
“Maybe not, but you made the cut.”
86’s right brow lifted, but he ignored the insult, which in and of itself surprised Rafe. White wolves were known to have anger management issues.
“I’m not the problem,” 86 said. “It’s Kingsley and his followers.”
He was right. 86 was a white wolf, but that didn’t mean he’d be the reason the program failed. If it failed. Which it would if Rafe didn’t find a way to control these shifters. Twenty-one shifters, all from different packs. The DSA didn’t have a clue about shifter relations.
“This program was a bad idea from the start. Throwing shifters and humans together and expecting a bunch of training exercises to foster loyalty between us is ludicrous,” Rafe said, airing his frustration to someone who might understand.
“Then why are you here?”
“My alpha ordered me here. Like your alpha ordered you. Do I think the humans will abide by their end of the deal and give shifters citizenship and full rights in time, assuming we can prove we can work alongside them? No, but I’m hoping I’m wrong about that one. None of the shifters here believe it any more than I do. They’re only here because their alphas ordered it. That doesn’t mean they were ordered not to make trouble. Even if they were, it’s too easy to blame trouble on another shifter when we’re all from different packs. There’s no unity here between us.”
“You seem vested in ensuring it works. Why?”
“My alpha ordered me to take charge and make sure this program works, at least as well as it can, given the inherent flaws.”
“Inherent flaws? Like forcing humans and shifters together or having a curvy beautiful female in the mix? You want her, Rafe, don’t you?”
He admired how easily 86 turned the conversation to Artemis. The shifter liked her as much as Rafe did. He was sure of it. “I can’t have a human. I’m my pack’s alpha heir.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Rafe let his eyes drag up the cliff, looking for her. Did he want her? He no longer knew what he wanted, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. Hadn’t been able to from the first moment he’d seen her. Even his wolf had started to take note of her every move. . . and of those around her, especially anyone who could endanger her. Every time Rafe’s wolf scented Kingsley, Xavier, and Brock nearby, he clawed and growled as if he were vying to get out and rip the shifters to shreds. All because they were a threat to Artemis.
“I’m just trying to keep the peace here, between both sides,” Rafe answered carefully. 86 needed to know Rafe wasn’t competition for the female, and that he would do what it took to make this program succeed. “Right or wrong, 86, Artemis made her choice. She’s alone here, no pack to back her up, so she has to appear strong. Removing her from Kingsley’s team would have undermined her position here.”
“But she would be safer with us. We could protect her better.”
“Stop telling me what to do, female,” Brock shouted high on the plateau above. He and Artemis appeared at the edge of the cliff, their lines twenty feet apart.
Rafe got a sinking feeling looking at the ropes dangling over the cliff face. None of the shifters had rappelled before, unlike the humans who’d learned the skill in their agent training. The concept of going down a cliff vertically had felt so unnatural to his wolf that he tried to force Rafe to leap off the cliff instead. Never mind the deadly hundred-foot drop. Wolves acted on instinct, and going over a cliff on a rope went against that instinct.
In this training exercise, the shifters were to take instruction from their human team member. Show some trust. That slowed Kingsley’s team. Despite all her efforts to work with her teammates, Artemis hadn’t gained any ground. Or respect.
Another growl surfaced within Rafe. Artemis deserved better.
Jason joined him, Tiernan, and 86. He’d finished bagging their equipment. “As team leader, Rafe, you should have reprimanded Tiernan for that stunt he pulled. He could have been killed.”
“No need to reprimand. He got down. Objective met,” Rafe answered.
After Jason had explained the equipment and techniques, all four members of Rafe’s team had descended the rock face. Tiernan had ended up spinning the last thirty feet when he passed the overhang and no longer had any footing.
“He was supposed to lower himself. You can’t just remove the harness mid-air and jump thirty feet,” Jason said.
“Can and did,” Tiernan finally spoke, though his attention remained on Artemis rappelling. “That was twenty minutes ago. Get over it.”
“I’m trying to make a point.”
“No wonder humans never accomplish anything. They argue over what’s done,” Tiernan said.
“But the next time you rappel—”
“I doubt there will be a next time. Scaling the side of a mountain isn’t something shifters do. And you didn’t state no jumping as part of your lesson.”
