“Stay down!” Dom commanded. Valeria pressed herself against the rough bark, eyes wide with shock but following orders. Good. He needed her compliance while he dealt with the threats.
Muzzle flashes from three different positions. High-powered rifles with professional marksmen behind them. Dom’s wolfsurged toward the surface, enhancing his already considerable speed and strength without triggering a full shift. He moved through the forest like a predator, using terrain and vegetation as cover.
The first assassin never saw him coming. Dom struck from behind the cover. His special forces hand-to-hand training combined with shifter strength ended the threat in seconds. The rifle fell silent.
“Viper down!” came a shout from the second position.
Dom used the rocky outcrop to approach the second shooter from an unexpected angle. The man was repositioning when Dom’s enhanced hearing located him. Another quick, efficient kill.
The third shooter had better positioning, an elevation advantage, and clear sight lines to both Dom’s location and where Valeria remained pressed against the tree. Dom’s tactical assessment was immediate and cold.
He used the forest itself as a weapon. A thrown rock drew the shooter’s attention left while Dom approached from the right. The threat was neutralized before the man could adjust his aim.
Dom remained motionless for thirty seconds, listening for additional contacts. His enhanced senses detected no other heartbeats, no breathing patterns, no electronic signals from communication equipment. Three shooters, all down.
Valeria was exactly where he’d left her, pressed against the pine tree. When she saw him, relief flooded her features. Dom scanned the forest one more time before moving toward her. “We need to leave now. They might have backup coming.”
The walk back to his SUV felt like crossing a minefield. Dom checked for tampering, booby traps, and additional surveillance. The vehicle appeared clean, but his wolf remained on high alert as they climbed inside.
The engine roared to life, and Dom pulled away from the compromised safe house. The mountain roads twisted through dense forest. In his rearview mirror, headlights appeared.
“They found us,” Dom said, taking a sharp curve.
“How is that possible?” Valeria gripped the door handle as Dom’s evasive driving threw her against the seat.
“That’s the question.” Dom’s mind raced through possibilities while his hands worked the steering wheel. “The safe house location was need-to-know. Either they have surveillance technology we didn’t detect, or there’s an intelligence breach somewhere.”
The pursuit vehicles fell behind as Dom’s superior driving gave them the advantage they needed. But he remained unsettled, processing the implications.
Dom’s encrypted radio crackled to life. “Alpha, what’s your status?”
“Under fire, relocating,” Dom replied tersely. “Three KIA, unknown pursuit elements. Safe house compromised.”
“Copy. Designated fallback is secure.
Dom ended the transmission and focused on the road ahead. His pack would have answers, resources, and a new operational plan. But the questions multiplying in his mind suggested they were facing something far more dangerous than they’d anticipated.
Chapter
Nineteen
Valeria steppedthrough the doors of Steel Protection headquarters. His pack looked like they’d been running operations around the clock. Coffee cups littered every surface. Five pairs of eyes tracked her movements. Laptops snapped shut. Conversations stopped mid-sentence. The woman with sharp eyes and black hair shot Dom a look that could have cut glass.
“Status,” Dom said immediately, his alpha energy still heightened from the chase.
The weathered man by the window turned, his expression carefully neutral. “Her father’s mobilized everything. Fate Mountain PD, county sheriff, state police.”
“We need to talk,” the woman said, her gaze flicking between Dom and Valeria. “Privately.”
“No time,” Dom replied. “Brief me here.”
“Dom.” Her voice carried an unmistakable warning. “Private conversation. Now.”
A man behind a bank of monitors had already minimized his screens. The youngest member shifted nervously by the door, clearly uncomfortable with Valeria’s presence. The large man positioned himself between her and the conference room, where investigation boards were visible through glass walls. Valeria immediately picked up on the group dynamics. They were protecting information from her.
“Every cop in three counties is hunting for Officer Reynolds,” the weathered man continued.
Valeria’s stomach dropped as the full scope of their situation hit her. “My father thinks I’m dead.”
