Chapter One
Seb
The briefing roomof the San Antonio field office was crackling with an underlying current of tension when Seb walked into the room. His friends and fellow CIA officers were seated around the long table, chatting quietly amongst themselves. Though they were all different species of shifter, each was a study in controlled power, strength and abilities. Their job working for the CIA had forced them to work together and while doing so, they had become closer than colleagues or even friends. They were like a family unit, and Seb wouldn’t have had it any other way.
He nodded to Carter as he squeezed his broad, bear-like frame into one of the free chairs. The confined space of the briefing room gave him the familiar itch to break free and shift, to run. He was never more comfortable than when he went up into the mountains and shifted into his bear form, something he didn’t do as much as he and his shifter half would have liked, but he pushed his and his animal’s discomfort to the back of his mind, and focused on the job at hand.
Senior Officer Miller paced before them, keen eyes scanning the group. “Okay guys, we’ll fly out to Spain in the morning. We have a couple of operatives already in place in Spain and their intel suggests that Vicente Ortega will be at a gala on Friday night, leaving his primary operations warehouse lightly guarded. Our goal is to infiltrate, gather intel, and exit without a trace.”
A few nods met his words, Seb’s amongst them. Vincente Ortega, a notorious arms dealer, had been on their radar for some time now, but he was as slippery as they came and sofar, their attempts to gather solid evidence had amounted to nothing.
“We’re looking for anything that directly links him to his terrorist activities and any information about any future arms deals. Names, locations, times etc. You know the drill.”
Miller laid out a satellite image of a sprawling warehouse bordered by dense forest. “There’s a decent amount of greenery here and here for cover. There are several roads in, but you’ll approach from the west side. It’s the most secluded and will keep you out of sight from any guards posted around the warehouse.”
Logan, a wolf shifter, leaned forward, his eyes locked on the image as he nodded his agreement. “The forest will provide good cover. How close can we get to the warehouse before we’re on foot?”
“About half a mile,” Miller replied, pointing to the map. “Any closer and you risk being seen by guards. You’ll park the vehicles here and proceed on foot.”
Seb’s bear surged within him, eager for the feel of the forest floor beneath its paws.Not yet,Seb mentally soothed the beast.Patience.
Toby narrowed his eyes. “How much security will there be?”
“Minimal. Most of Ortega’s men will be with him. But don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security,” he cautioned, locking eyes with each team member. “They’re all well trained, and heavily armed, and he might decide to take less men than our intel suggests to the gala.”
“How long is this mission going to take?” Carter asked.
Seb grinned at his friend. “Why, can’t wait to get home to your new mate?”
Carter massaged the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “Something like that.”
Seb nodded, his mind already racing through the mission parameters. The bear inside him growled, yearning for the cool night air and the scent of pine needles.
“You’ll be in and out before you know it,” Senior Officer Miller assured him, his voice steady as bedrock.
“So, we’re all going?” Ezra asked.
Even though CIA officers usually worked alone, or at most with a partner in tow, their superiors had come to realize how well Seb and the others worked together as a team. Now, their missions involved most if not all of them.
“Yes,” Miller confirmed. “But only Seb, Logan and Toby will be infiltrating the warehouse. The rest of you are there as back up or extraction if required.”
There were murmurs of agreement and the odd rumble of disappointment. Seb and his friends were all more than capable of completing missions successfully and none of them enjoyed sitting on the sidelines. Seb was grateful that on this occasion he would be getting his hands dirty.
As the briefing wrapped up, Seb looked down at the map again and felt the pull of the wild, the forest on the outskirts of the warehouse calling to his bear. He wondered if he should shift before making the trip to Spain because when he was on a mission, he never knew how long it would be before he got the chance to shift again. The longer he left it, the more insistent his bear became. His dual nature could be a double-edged sword.
With final nods of understanding, the team started to disperse. His friends all began chatting about the mission ahead as they headed out the door, but Seb remained quiet, his thoughts turned instead to the mountains where he usually went to shift into his bear form.
Friedrich Wilderness Park was his usual stomping ground, but he made sure to stay far enough away from the hiking trails, just to be safe. He couldn’t afford any humans catching sight of hisbear. The image of the terrain was vivid in his mind’s eye. He had found an alternative way to get in when the park was closed and had told the rest of the team about the spot too, so that they could use it whenever they felt the need to shift.
The sights, the smells, and even the sounds of the forest were ingrained deeply into his memory. Insects scurrying about, the scent of pinecones and wet grass, the sound of the wind through the trees—the thought of it all made him long to be there now.
Shift, his bear pushed at him, interrupting his daydream.Shift. Now.
“Earth to Seb,” Toby said, waving a hand in front of Seb’s face. “Anyone home?”
Seb scrubbed a hand over the stubble on his chin and chuckled. “Sorry, I got distracted. My damn bear keeps nagging me to shift.”
“I know the feeling,” Toby said with a grin. “My coyote’s been pissed at me lately for neglecting it.”
