Page 29 of Anders (The Sunburst Pack #2)

His lips curved in a grim smile as he continued gathering equipment. She might think she was protecting the pack by running, but she’d forgotten one crucial detail—the mate bond connecting them. No matter how far she ran, he would find her.

Just as he was finishing his preparations, a surge of pain hit him—a sensation transmitted through the mate bond. Anders clutched at the base of his skull, feeling phantom agony from the neural interface embedded in Etta’s neck.

The device was killing her, just as Dr. Mercer had warned. Without the chemical suppressants, the interface was destabilizing, sending erratic pulses through her nervous system. And now, with the Epsilon Protocol activated, that process was accelerating.

Time was running out.

Anders slung the duffel bag over his shoulder and headed for the door, only to find Quinton and Conall waiting outside.

Malcolm filled us in, Quinton said without preamble. We’ve been assigned to maintain security protocols in your absence.

The alpha also said you might need backup, Conall added. We’re ready if you call.

Anders studied the twins for a moment. Their loyalty was unquestionable, their combat skills among the best in the pack. Under normal circumstances, he would welcome their assistance. But these weren’t normal circumstances.

I appreciate the offer, he said, but this needs to be a solo operation. The fewer pack members exposed to the Chimera Program, the better.

And if you need extraction? Quinton asked. Or medical support for Etta when you find her?

I’ll handle it, Anders said, though he knew the confidence in his voice masked genuine uncertainty. Removing the neural interface would require specialized knowledge and equipment he might not have access to.

Conall didn’t look convinced. No offense, but even you can’t fight an entire black ops team alone.

I’m not planning to fight them. Anders moved past the twins toward the exit. I’m planning to outsmart them.

At least take this, Quinton said, holding out a small metallic case. Malcolm had it ready for you.

Anders accepted the case, recognizing it immediately as one of the specially designed medical kits Larissa had prepared for emergencies.

It contained advanced treatments specifically formulated for shifter physiology, including neural blockers that might help manage the pain from Etta’s interface until a more permanent solution could be found.

Tell Malcolm I said thanks, Anders said, adding the case to his equipment.

The twins exchanged a glance.

There’s one more thing, Conall said. The council voted while you were preparing. They’ve officially authorized you to act on behalf of the pack in this matter.

Anders raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. That’s…unexpected.

Not really, Quinton said with a slight smile. Malcolm made a pretty compelling case that this Chimera Program threatens all shifters, not just our pack. He argued that finding Etta and stopping the Epsilon Protocol was essential to our collective security.

Basically, he convinced them that your personal mission and your guardian duties aligned perfectly, Conall added. Protecting Etta is protecting the pack.

Anders blinked as he realized Malcolm was right. This wasn’t about choosing between his mate and his duty. Saving Etta—uncovering the full scope of the Chimera Program, disabling the Epsilon Protocol, bringing down the people responsible—was the most important guardian duty he could perform.

Because the threat they posed wasn’t just to one wolf, or one pack. It was to their entire kind.

If that’s how the council sees it, Anders said, who am I to argue?

The twins grinned, identical expressions of relief and anticipation. Good hunting, they said in unison.

He loaded his equipment into the pack’s new, specially modified truck, his movements efficient, automatic.

Years of training had prepared him for missions like this—infiltration, extraction, asset recovery.

The irony that he was now using those skills to save someone from the very type of organization that had trained him wasn’t lost on Anders.

As he drove, Anders’s mind continued processing everything he’d learned. The Chimera Program. The five territories and five assets. The Epsilon Protocol. Each piece of information slotted into place, forming a picture that grew clearer—and more disturbing—with each connection.

This wasn’t just about experimentation or intelligence gathering.

The program’s ultimate goal had to be control—possibly even weaponization—of shifter abilities.

By placing programmed assets in key territories, they could gather critical information about pack structures, strengths, weaknesses.

Information that could be used for containment, exploitation, or elimination.

The thought sent a chill through Anders.

How long had they been watching? How much did they already know?

And more importantly, how could they be stopped?

One problem at a time , he reminded himself.

First, find Etta. Then neutralize the immediate threat of the Epsilon Protocol .

After that, they could expose the program and protect the other territories.

The mate bond thrummed in agreement, reaching out to him, however briefly, even as the neural interface tried to kill her. That resilience, that refusal to surrender, made Anders’s chest tighten with emotions he rarely allowed himself to acknowledge.

Pride. Admiration. Respect.

Love .

The realization didn’t shock him as much as he might have expected.

Love wasn’t a word Anders used lightly—wasn’t a concept he’d had much experience with in his tactical, duty-focused life.

But what else could explain the depth of his connection to Etta? The way she had breached his carefully constructed defenses? The absolute certainty that he would do anything—risk anything—to keep her safe?

The mate bond wasn’t just some mystical shifter connection. It was recognition—his wolf recognizing in Etta’s wolf the perfect complement to his own nature. The missing piece he hadn’t known was missing until he found it.

Until he found her .

Hold on, he murmured aloud, as if she might somehow hear him. I’m coming.

As if in answer, a notification pinged on his tracking system. Etta was moving again, heading further east but now on back roads, the pattern erratic as if she was deliberately trying to lose any pursuit.

Anders adjusted his route accordingly, his mind already plotting intercept points based on her likely trajectory. If she continued on her current path, he could catch up to her by midmorning—assuming the Chimera operatives didn’t find her first.

The tracking device suddenly went offline.

Anders frowned, checking the system for malfunctions, but the technology was sound. Panicked, he felt for the mate bond.

The bond was still there, still steady. So she hadn’t been hurt.

But perhaps his connection to the neural interface’s broadcast had been cut off—which could mean the government hunters knew he was on her trail too.

Without the tracker, Anders had only the mate bond to guide him—a connection that provided direction but not distance, presence but not location.

It was like following a radio signal with steadily increasing strength but no way to determine how far the source might be.

He would have to get closer, let the bond guide him more precisely once he was in the general vicinity of her last known location.

The eastern horizon began to lighten as Anders pushed the truck to its limits, eating up the miles separating him from his mate.

With each mile, the bond grew incrementally stronger, confirming he was moving in the right direction despite the loss of the tracker.

He was getting closer.

But so were they.

And Etta was running out of time.

The realization settled into Anders’s bones with cold certainty. This wasn’t just a rescue mission anymore. It was a race against death itself.

The guardian, the soldier, the wolf—all aspects of his nature merged into a single, focused purpose.

Find Etta. Save her. Protect what was his.

No matter what it took, no matter what he had to sacrifice, he would reach her in time.

And anyone who tried to stop him would learn exactly why wolves were apex predators.