Page 1

The smell of sulfur and body stench coats the air as we form a single file line with our guns raised.

Thick mud and clay sticks to our boots inside the metal tunnel leading to the house where several women are being held.

Gathered intel estimated approximately ten women within the compound, all in various states of physical and mental abuse.

These women were snatched up to be sold in the skin trade.

Either taken from their homes, the streets, leaving work, or out having a good time.

If their face and body can make a buck for these sick fucks, it doesn’t matter where they came from or who will miss them.

Skin is gold, and the problem is only growing.

My stomach twists into knots.

Each mission causes the same internal reaction, but I harness my disgust and fear for the sake of saving lives.

Our team’s breaths fog the air, and we periodically stop to listen, thankful for our wolf hearing.

This place is so tainted, not even the smallest of animals scamper within the vicinity.

A sliver of a moon guides us through the tunnel, but once we hit the house, we’re plunged into blackness—darker than tar.

Our wolf eyes help us maneuver through the narrow halls.

I’m at the front of the line, gesturing for half my team to take the left side of the place, while the other half and I go right.

To our left, two men are arguing, and the shatter of glass has the guys hustling fast.

I lead my group down a narrow hall to the right.

The mud on our boots cushions the noise.

A door opens a few feet from me, and we press our backs against the wall to avoid detection.

Two men walk out, aiming flashlights into the darkness.

Before their beams find us, Tibald and I put them in a chokehold until they pass out.

Under my direction, they’re dragged out from where we came in.

It’s important to capture them alive to learn about other trafficking cells.

Although, we won’t hesitate to kill if someone gets in our way.

We continue down the hall.

Moans and crying stream through a couple of doors at the end of the entryway.

My gun sways from side-to-side, ready for any unexpected piece of shit to appear.

As we approach, I hear a woman begging someone not to hurt her.

I lean closer so I can surmise their location.

We can’t just barge in blindly.

I motion for my crew to wait while I make my way to an adjacent room.

Through the wall, I hear a woman say.

“Please don’t take her. She’s had enough.”

I hear a slap, screams, and the man responds.

“Shut the fuck up! I’ll do what I want when I want.”

My gun raises to shoulder level, which would hit a height of five foot nine inches. Hopefully, high enough to avoid any of the women. There’s rustling in the room, and the women start to cry as my wolf ears detect the sound of a zipper. I take aim, shoot, and hear a thud. The women shriek, bodies scrambling around, yet I don’t hear any more men’s voices in the room.

My team and I move in and are immediately frozen in place.

It doesn’t matter how many times we do this, we never get used to the horrific scenes.

Women are covered in dirt, blood, and bruises.

My guys know what to do, and begin calming them down, whispering who we are and that they’re safe.

I stop, sniff the air, and my head whips to the woman on the floor with the dead guy on top of her.

She’s motionless, staring straight up at the ceiling.

Another sniff and I toss the guy off her.

She’s naked except it doesn’t faze her, as if she’s in a vegetative state.

The fury drilling into my nerves has my gaze shift to the guy, wanting to tear every limb from his body, except I won’t.

It will only add to the woman’s distress.

With my chest heaving, I tilt my head toward her, yet my presence doesn’t register in her eyes, nor does she move.

My face contorts into fear.

There’s a tightness circling my heart, and I hold my breath, placing a hand near her mouth.

She’s breathing.

I force out an exhale, toss a blanket over her, wrap it, and pick her up.

Her eyes close.

It's as if there’s a hiccup in time while staring down at her face and body. She’s light and fragile in this heinous environment of pain and death.

The static from the secure radio device jolts me back to the scene. Gunfire splits the air from the other direction. I shift her to one arm so I can talk into the device to the rest of the team.

“This is Larc. We’re heading out with ten women.”

“This is Kyle. Found four guys. Shot them to hell. We’ll continue our search for possible interrogation.”

“We got two. Once the women are safe, I’ll send the others to join you.”

“Sounds good.”

Part of the team makes their way to the two vans we came here in and deposits the women, who huddle close together on the benches running the length of the vans on both sides. Carly reaches for the woman I’m carrying, except I’m not ready to give her up. I pull her closer and examine her face. Cuts and bruises mar her delicate features. There’s blood smeared across her cheek. I use the blanket to gently brush off the dried blood, yet it doesn’t do much good.

Carly snaps my attention away when she says.

“Alpha Larc. I can take her.”

I glance at the woman again, then Carly, and I hand her over. Carly is one of four women who join us on these missions, so the men, women, and children feel safer.

Kyle comes over the radio.

“We did a clean sweep and confiscated a bunch of files. There’s no one else here. Should we return to the vans?”

“Yeah. Make sure all rooms are clear and then place the detonators throughout the building.”

The vans are backed up to each other and the doors are open. The women are wide-eyed and shaking from trauma. Until we get them to the clinic, we won’t know the extent of their injuries. For the first time, I notice a young girl sitting at the end, near the doors, staring at me. A fucking girl about eight years old. How could anyone…? I can’t even finish the thought.

To avoid scaring her and the others, I remain outside the van to address them.

“Ladies, my name is Larc. My team and I work with the FBI, so you’re safe. We’ll be bringing you to a clinic for examination, and someone will talk to each of you privately.”

My eyes slide from one to the next, each one reflecting the savagery they’ve experienced. I take a slow swallow and try not to show signs of pity.

“Can I answer any questions for you?”

A rail thin woman with red hair raises a shaky arm.

“It’s okay, sweetheart, you don’t have to raise your hand. What can I do for you?”

She buries her arm inside her t-shirt, and a voice sounding like it was doused in battery acid, asks.

“Sir, can we get some food?”

“Sure can.”

I place my hand on my chest, and say.

“Please call me Larc.”

I gesture to the inside.

“I’m going to step into the van. Is that okay?”

A couple of them nod, but once I’m in, they flinch away from me. My size doesn’t help the situation, which is why I originally remained outside the van. I head to the back near Carly, and grab blankets, a box of granola bars, and water. I hand the blankets to those who don’t have one, including the red hair woman, planting the box in the middle.

Squatting next to it, I remove the items from the box as I speak in a low tone.

“Here’s some water and granola bars for now.”

At first, no one takes them from me. I nudge the water and bars in the direction of each one. The young girl grabs them, scurries back to her seat, tearing the wrapper off the bar, and shoving it into her mouth. After her, the rest snatch them from my hands, ripping the wrappers, thrusting pieces down their throats, followed by gulps of water. I remain crouched, watching their trembling hands force as much of the bar as possible, crumbs dropping onto the van floor.

“Ladies, please take your time. I don’t want you to be sick. We will get you some warm food once we arrive at the clinic.”

I turn my head toward the woman I carried. Her eyes are still closed, leaning her body and head against the inside of the van. Over the years, I’ve learned to tamp down my anger during these raids. Unfortunately, seeing her battered into a state of lifelessness has fire burning through my veins. My nose flares, and I jump out of the van, walking into the dense forest nearby. I punch a tree, cracking its bark.

Kyle jogs over and asks.

“What’s up?”

My foot kicks at the tree and I land another punch.

“Let it out. These raids get to all of us.”

I walk around the tree, zigzagging between the tall timbers, turn around, and come toward Kyle with my hands folded on top of my head.

Standing in front of him, I sneer and demand.

“This doesn’t go beyond us.”

He looks around confused, folds his arms, and waits for me to continue. Kyle’s my Beta and best friend since childhood. I trust him with my life. We’re around the same height, chests built like Sequoia trees, and both faster than a cheetah.

My arms drop down when I say.

“My mate’s here.”

Kyle glances through the forest.

“Here, as in, here in the forest?”

In slow motion, my head shakes.

“In the van.”

His mouth opens and closes, letting out a heavy sigh. He turns to the van and back to me.

“Wait. What? Are some of them werewolves?”

“No.”

Kyle’s eyes lock on mine.

“Your mate is human?”

He pivots back to the van, running his hands through his hair. “Fuck me.”

Spinning back to me, he asks.

“Are you sure? I mean, how do you know?”

My eyebrow raises.

“What the hell do you mean, how do I know? My wolf smells her. And when I touched her… She’s in a comatose state, so I can’t take her all in, but I know.”

His mouth drops open.

“Damn. You waited your whole life to find your mate and she turns out to be tainted and battered.”

I get in his face.

“Don’t talk about her like that. What happened to her and these women is not their fault.”

He challenges me.

“True, but it doesn’t change the fact she’s messed up. A mate, your Luna especially, is to lead the pack alongside you.”

He points toward the van.

“I don’t know which one is your mate, and it doesn’t matter, because not one of them can do it.”

Without thinking, I push him away, turn, and walk back into the forest. He’s right. The Luna is the queen of the pack and leads if something were to happen to me. My mate couldn’t, at least not now. Fuck! As Kyle said, I’ve waited to find my mate. The pack and my parents have put pressure on me to choose a mate, but I refuse. I want the one destined for me. Now, my wish has come true and she’s so broken.

I hear his footsteps behind me.

“What are you going to do?”

Looking over my shoulder, I say.

“Keep this between us for now. First, let’s take care of the women.”

He nods while I talk.

“Once she’s checked and we figure out where she came from, along with the others, then I can think about it.”

Kyle shoves his hands into his pants pockets and walks toward the van, leaving me to deal with the heaviness of my confession and the reality of the situation.