Page 51 of Dual Nature

"Finley!" Lane snapped. My body reacted to his command, instinctively spinning on my heel to face him, eyes wide. "You need to go with Elias to the tunnels with the other woman and children. You have to stay out of sight. Do you hear me?"

I nodded, knowing that what he’d just asked of me was exactly what I could use to my own needs. Lane caught my arm as I moved to follow Elias, kissing me like it might be the last time he was going to. My wolf whined as we could feel Lane’s warring emotions through his kiss, wanting to keep us close but needing us safe at the same time. She didn’t want to leave him either, knowing we were safer together, but she didn’t want to disobey his direct command.

"Be safe, mate of mine. We can't lose you," he whispered, his forehead touching mine. "Now go."

Giving a glance at my other two mates, both busily dealing with other matters, my heart tugged. If I made a big deal out of saying goodbye, I would tip them off. As soon as I was outside, I pulled my shirt off and shifted, taking off after Elias and our packmate to do as we'd been instructed. Once back in the pack village, it was utter chaos, with women holding crying children as men yelled and tried to lead them to the pack house. On the side of the house was a pair of open cellar doors, with children already being handed down to someone below. Elias shifted back and paused, waiting for me to do the same before he caught my hand and dragged me to the cellar.

"Finley, I need you to help the women and children stay calm in the tunnels. If anything goes wrong or they get breached, follow the stars. They’ll lead you out to the border of our lands and into the mountains. Hide there. We’ll come find you. Don't try to be a hero. I know you're strong, but you aren't prepared. Believe me, after this, you’ll be getting some training. I swear on my life I will make it happen." A quick kiss, then he was off to help get the rest of the women from the houses.

The guilt of what I had to do ate at me as I slipped into the tunnels and shifted back into my wolf. No one knew what I looked like in this form, so it would be easier to sneak by and follow the path into the mountains. The thing about the Organization was that they were always prepared with overwhelming amounts of information about their targets; they had the resources to find out the pack’s escape routes. At the moment, I wasn’t sure what those resources were, but I didn’t doubt that they’d know this star-marked path existed.

As I passed in the blackness, unnoticed, I studied those around me. Women huddled in the dark, clutching each other and keeping their little ones close. Thanks to my wolf, I was easily able to see in the dark, spotting the etching of a simple star on the wall, just past the crowd of worried women. So that’s what he meant.

Clear of the hustle and bustle, I quickly ran through the tunnels, needing to put more distance between us as fast as I could before I changed my mind. Would I ever be back? Had Margaret changed her mind and decided to let me rejoin the Organization? Did I want to go back after I handled this? Too many questions, too many emotions clouding my thinking. This was the reason we didn't get emotionally involved in anything; it fucked with our ability to be objective. I was making the right call. I would not doom this pack because of the shadow that I’d brought with me. The Dark Ring was a danger to all supernaturals and needed to be stopped by any means necessary.

As expected, the exit was sealed with a thick metal door that was bolted from the inside. Seeing as I needed hands to deal with this, I shifted back. I kept my wolf close like Zander had explained, allowing me to use her night vision as I grasped the rusted pin set in the lock. Putting my body weight into it, I worked at the door, and the pin shifted… barely. Looking around, I spotted a rock and used that to knock the thick pin from its place, sending echoes down the tunnel. I prayed that I was far enough away that no one would hear it; the last thing I needed was for them to think we were being ambushed from behind. The pin finally shot free, and I was able to slide the locking beam out of the way and shove open the door, exposing the night air. Quickly closing the steel door with a deafening clang, I shifted and raced off into the mountains, knowing I would pick up on whatever scent I was meant to find soon enough.

thirty-two

As I ran through the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, I caught a familiar scent that made me pause. I knew it was someone from the pack, and while it wasn't a scent I knew well enough to match to a specific person, the hint of soil that I'd become all too well-acquainted with gave me a clue. Using all the tricks I knew and had learned from our game of hide and seek, I gave them a wide berth as I followed the trail.

When it became strong enough for me to know I was near where this person was waiting, I shifted back so I could climb up a tree and get a better look at my surroundings. It only took a moment to find one that towered above the rest. Out of curiosity, I focused on my hand, willing my nails to change into claws; amazingly, it happened, allowing me a better grip as I climbed. Reaching as high up as I could go, I looked over the scene. There were three people in the clearing, all dressed in black, along with another woman dressed in simple pajamas sitting on a rock.

I was right about whose scent it was—Peggy—but that made me question everything that I was thinking. Had she sold me out, or was she helping the Organization in order to get me out of the picture? Peggy might be spiteful, but I didn't think she was enough of a mastermind to manage this all on her own. Whoever was working with her knew me well enough to understand how I would react to the message and what the pack would do in the event of an emergency. It would seem Peggy had been the resource that provided the inside information on the pack, but who was the one giving them information on me?

Dropping out of the tree, I shifted at the last moment, easing my landing and muffling the sound of my descent. My wolf wasn’t pleased with me at all at that moment, but it would seem being free from my alphas gave me enough control to tamp down her urge to run. Slinking through the underbrush, my wolf and I worked in tandem to keep hidden. It was easy to persuade her to keep us from being seen. The trick would be what happened once I revealed myself to those waiting for me.

"You said they would have the women and children in the tunnels by now. What's taking her so long?" a female voice demanded in a harsh whisper.

Peggy glared at the person. "You people are supposed to be the experts on her seeing as you're trained just like her. She's an assassin. What makes you think she would just fall into this plan so easily?"

"She's an omega now. Isn't she supposed to follow orders like a good little puppet?" another voice asked, this one male.

"That's the thing, isn't it? She’s an omega, but she isn't acting like a real omega. She has far more spirit, and the fact that she has more than one mate—there's no way that's all she is," Peggy snapped. "I want her permanently gone. Do you hear me? This pack doesn't want her, so you better be serious when you say the Senate has work for her."

The Senate?! Why on earth would the Senate be looking for me like this? All they'd have to do is ask to meet with me. As a super, I'm under their jurisdiction anyway.

"You leave that to us. We just need her to get here," the man snapped.

"She's here already, has been for a little while," a silky woman's voice cut in, one that I knew right away.

Tabitha was the one person I might have been able to call a friend if we hadn’t been separated right after our training. We’d been brought together for a joint mission that went off without a hitch, receiving better results than anyone had expected. Tabitha was just as lethal as I was, cold as the arctic when it came to doing her job, and one of the only people I respected as much as Miranda. If she was here to pick me up, then this was a serious matter indeed, so I took a deep breath, stepping out of the shadows and into the open.

"Foxtrot-seven-nine-five, report," Tabitha ordered.

I was pleased to see that my wolf was not at all fazed by her order, cautiously taking in everything that was going on around us. My plan was to fulfill what they believed about omegas until I was able to ascertain why I was getting called out.

"Following orders that I received via a note and awaiting further orders, Tango-eight-one-three," I responded, bowing my head to avoid meeting her gaze.

"Blakely, give her something to wear. I can't have you gawking at her the whole time," Tabitha directed as she turned to Peggy. "You are no longer needed. Remember, we’ll know if you speak a word of what has happened here tonight. Do you understand?"

Peggy nodded and headed off into the woods without a word. Blakley begrudgingly shrugged off his jacket and tossed it to me. I easily caught it and slipped the jacket on, zipping it up to my chin so as to not cause the man more problems. It also made my wolf feel better; she was not happy that a man who wasn’t pack or our mates was seeing us so vulnerable.

"Foxtrot-seven-nine-five, you are hereby reinstated into the Organization on authority of Mike-zero-zero- five. The Senate has requested that you continue the mission you failed by giving you another target and a team," Tabitha informed me. "I will be overseeing this so that there will be no further mistakes. If you fail this one as well, then you will forfeit your life, mate to a senator’s son or not."

"I understand the situation," I said, nodding my agreement. "Who is my target?"

"Not here. You will come with us to the safe house where I will give you all that information; we can't risk anyone finding us here," Tabitha explained before she turned on her heel and marched into the woods.