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Hyder shrugged. “I don’t know. It must be pretty bad if he was willing to double-cross his own brother. Timberwolf gave us info on the security around the Bearclaws and a few details on where they are moving the humans.”

“What does Isabella want with humans?”

Hyder shrugged again. “She probably wants to breed them. She wanted a young male and female. Who the hell knows with that woman? She’s a crazy bitch. I know her brother wanted one, but for a different reason.”

“What reason?”

“Something about a legend and humans is all I know. You’d have to ask Theodore Badger or Isabella. I would imagine she would know what her brother wants with them,” Hyder replied.

“I guess I will,” he responded, turning back toward the door.

“Eric.”

He paused in the doorway and looked back at Hyder. Hyder was staring back at him with a desperate, pleading expression. Distaste filled him at the sight of the filthy, pathetic-looking shifter.

“Please. I can make this up to you. I’ll pay you back for all the equipment. I’ll come back and work for the company for as long as you want,” Hyder said.

The General studied Hyder’s face before he turned away. Hyder continued pleading before his voice was cut off by the closing of the heavy steel door. Eric studied the photos in his hand before he looked at the two guards.

“Ensure that nobody discovers his body,” he ordered before he headed back to his office.

First stage transfer camp: Olympic National Park

Two weeks later

* * *

“Hey, Peterson, Van…” Tracy let them know Ty had called. “The permanent compound is finally ready enough that we can begin moving everyone out there by the end of the week,” Tracy explained.

Peterson let out a long, deep sigh of relief. Each passing day of the past two weeks had been filled with nothing but torment. Because only a select few shifters were authorized to enter the compound, he and Van had been assigned to help with the twenty-four-hour security duty. That hadn’t been the worst part of this assignment, though.

The torture stemmed from the constant sight of Jayden, a reminder of their unattainable connection. He and his wolf were literally going crazy. Whenever he tried to approach her, his attempts would be thwarted by interruptions or she would vanish before he could reach her.

“Security along the route is being tightened thanks to all the recent publicity. We don’t want to take any chances after what happened up on the mountain. I can’t believe the SBSI hasn’t traced how those guys fell off the grid,” Van said.

“I can’t believe that the bodies haven’t been found yet. It isn’t easy to make eight bodies just vanish,” Peterson added.

“More if you count the ones from the two empty helicopters that were found. The oil and gas company said they were stolen from a remote survey site in Canada. According to what Ty has found out, a couple of employees from the company confirmed the account. Auntie is pissed and threatening to boil the director of the SBSI in oil if he doesn’t come up with answers soon. All she keeps getting is that the situation is still under investigation and as soon as there is more information, it will be passed along. Until then, Nightsky is keeping things locked down because he doesn’t want anything leaking out. I can’t blame him for that, even if I can for a few other things. There’s something off about that guy. He gives me the creeps. By the way, thank you for the updated security plans. I’ve gone over them and shared them with Mitchell and the elders. We’ll take everyone out in two groups. The old and young will go first,” Tracy responded.

“The news crews are going nuts. Ever since it was revealed that humans weren’t extinct, every shifter around the world wants to see one,” he replied.

Tracy gave him a strained smile. “I know. Have you heard from your brother yet, Van?”

Van shook his head. “No. I don’t know what the hell he’s gotten himself into this time. I just hope he is alright. He’s gone off the grid before, but never after someone trashed his place and our offices.”

“I can’t believe there weren’t any prints. Whoever did it has to have connections with the shifters that were on the mountain,” she said.

Van pursed his lips and averted his eyes. Peterson rested his hand on Van’s shoulder. They both knew that Lorne had betrayed them. What they didn’t know was to whom and why. That was an answer that they were still trying to figure out. There had been nothing on any of the computers, files, or papers that they could find.

“We’ll find him,” he murmured.

Van gave him a curt nod. “Have you made the changes we talked about to your place yet?”

Tracy nodded. “Yeah. Auntie ordered additional security. The place is a fortress. Hell, they almost shot an owl the other night that flew over the fence.”

“Was it a shifter?” Peterson asked with a frown.

Tracy rolled her eyes. “I’ve never heard of a shifter owl.”