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“Don’t forget that grizzly shifter,” he replied.

Charley 2 lifted the gun in his hand and made an inaudible sound of gunfire. He shook his head and silently laughed before turning to look back at the mouth of the cave. Tracy Bearclaw was pacing just inside it, talking to someone. That could complicate the mission, if her people arrived before their team evacuated.

I always did love a challenge.

Just as he was about to lift the binoculars, Alpha 1’s voice came through the mic, causing him to pause. As soon as he heard the urgency in the team commander’s voice, a sense of impending danger washed over him. Lowering the binoculars, he pressed his hand against the mic to confirm the accuracy of what he was hearing.

“Charley 1, be advised there are hostiles in the area.”

He lifted his arm to alert Charley 2 that there was an issue. Intense pain, followed by a surreal sensation struck him. He watched in horror as the arm he had extended fell to the snow, detached from the rest of his body. His lips parted on a hoarse scream that remained frozen on his lips. He dropped the binoculars he was holding and lifted his hand to his throat. Warm blood pulsed like a spring fountain, coating his gloved hand and spilling onto his sleeve.

The world tilted as he fell onto his back in the snow. A shadow blocked the early morning light. The shadow grew larger as it came closer until all he could see was darkness. The brief thought that death had wings struck him as interesting, before his head lobbed to the side, his eyes already glazed in death.

“Charley 1, status report,” Alpha 1 requested again and again.

Chapter 3

The noise of automatic gunfire caused Jayden to drop to her hands and knees less than a hundred feet from the entrance to the cave. She wildly looked around, turning and scrambling across the snow to a nearby boulder. The unusual sound had come from behind her… and sounded close.

She stiffened when the noise suddenly stopped. Visions of the blood-soaked area she had just left sent her heart racing. Had her people escaped only to be murdered in the woods?

“No. There aren’t any other tracks but mine,” she hissed under her breath, trying to quell her fears.

She pushed back to her feet, but crouched and kept a low profile as she focused on reaching the cave. Her eyes swept the ground, searching for more footprints. If there had been a mass exit, the snow would have been trampled.

It wasn’t until she rounded the large boulders partially blocking the entrance that she heard Mitchell and Tracy’s voices. She braced a gloved hand against the rock when relief made her knees weak. She breathed in calming breaths as she listened to make sure everything was alright before she entered.

“Is it possible it is your people?” Mitchell asked.

It was obvious they knew that something was going on, but not the full extent. She stopped just outside of the entrance and removed her snowshoes. She held them against her side; once more searching the terrain behind her before she entered the cave.

“I don’t know. Unless something bad happened, I can’t imagine them shooting. You don’t think Jayden—?” Tracy’s voice faltered on her question.

“I had nothing to do with what’s going on,” Jayden said, looking behind her again before scanning the interior of the cave.

Mitchell turned to face her with a scowl of disapproval on his face. “Where have you been? Did you see anything?”

Swallowing hard, she couldn’t help but replay the vivid images in her mind before finally giving him a quick nod. She shuddered as she related what she had discovered, unable to forget the sight of blood. Mitchell and Tracy’s concerned expressions mirrored each other as they kept exchanging apprehensive glances.

“My brother and the evac team should be here within the hour,” Tracy said.

Jayden pursed her lips and shook her head. As their conversation progressed, her anger simmered beneath the surface, steadily building. The thought of Tracy and Mitchell’s presence posing a threat to the clan filled her with terror. She and a few others probably stood a chance of escaping, but the young and old—her parents, grandparents… little Timmy—they would be defenseless. It was unlikely whoever was out there would be kind enough to wait until Tracy’s people arrived. A powerful sense of determination rose inside her. She would protect them, no matter what.

“We may not have an hour. If whoever is out there is this close, we need to stop them. Our priority is to protect the clan.”

She winced internally at the accusing edge in her tone. She didn’t miss the way Tracy looked down, shielding the hurt in her eyes at the animosity in her voice. Jayden sighed and tried to calm her desire to break something.

Now wasn’t the time to rehash the foolishness of bringing a shifter into their home. After all, none of this would have happened if it hadn’t been for her actions, she reminded herself for the hundredth time. Lost in her self-recrimination, she started when Mitchell reached out to touch her arm. She glanced at the entrance again. The longer they talked, the closer whoever was out there could get. They needed a distraction. She turned back to Mitchell when he spoke.

“Jayden, I want you and Tracy to stay here. I will go.”

Jayden glanced back and forth as Tracy and Mitchell quietly argued about who should go and who should stay. After a minute, she released an impatient growl and threw her hands up in the air. They both fell silent and stared at her with a frown. She shot Mitchell a pointed look.

“I’m faster and quieter than you, Mitchell. I’m also already dressed for it. Tracy and I will go. The clan needs you here. You are a better fighter.”

She could see the conflict in his eyes before he reluctantly answered. “Go, but… you both better watch each other’s back and you better damn well come back in one piece.”

They were almost a mile from the cave entrance when they stumbled upon another gruesome scene, reminiscent of what they had encountered on the path leading to the cave. Jayden ground her teeth together, the sound filling her ears as she tried to suppress the chattering caused by fear.