Page 55 of Anders
His wolf surged forward again, and a partial shift rippled through him—not the full transformation, but enough that his muscles bulged, his senses sharpened, his teeth and nails elongating into lethal points.
Stay here,he growled to Conall, the words distorted by his partially transformed mouth.
Before Conall could respond, Anders was moving.His enhanced senses mapped every detail of the scene—five heartbeats, the scent of gun oil and tactical gear beneath civilian clothes, the sharp tang of fear and pain rolling off Etta in waves.
The men were professionals, maintaining situational awareness even while handling their struggling captive.But they weren’t prepared for a partially shifted wolf with Special Forces training moving in on them.
Anders circled behind the vehicles, using their bulk for cover.The mate bond throbbed stronger with proximity, Etta’s pain and terror driving him forward despite the tactical risks.
One of the men opened the rear door of the lead SUV, while another readied what looked like restraints.They were speaking, their voices too low for normal humans to hear but perfectly audible to Anders.
Asset secure for transport,one said, his tone clinical.Neural inhibitor active at seventy percent.
Proceed to the Chimera facility for reset,another said.Complete memory wipe authorized.Her chemical suppression will need to be reestablished at maximum dosage.
The words sent ice through Anders’s veins.They weren’t just capturing her—they were planning to erase her completely, to destroy the person who had begun to emerge from behind their programming.
To destroy his mate.
Something savage awoke in Anders, beyond tactical training or guardian protocols, and his inner wolf—the part of him that recognized Etta as his other half, his mate, his to protect at all costs—howled for blood.
But the calculating part of him, the guardian, knew that direct confrontation would only endanger her further.Five armed operatives, potentially with specialized antishifter equipment, against one wolf—even a trained one—were poor odds.
He needed to be smarter than that.
Moving swiftly, Anders reached the rear of the second SUV.As the men focused on getting Etta into the first vehicle, he attached a tiny tracking device to the undercarriage—a device he’d designed, undetectable by standard sweeps.
Then he slipped a second tracker into the wheel well of the lead vehicle, this one not just for tracking but with remote access capabilities.After all, these vehicles were probably equipped with advanced communications systems—systems he could potentially exploit.
A sharp cry from Etta dragged his attention back to the immediate situation.One of the men had injected her with something, and her body went limp as the drug took effect.
The mate bond fluctuated, weakening as her awareness dimmed.Anders felt it like a tearing inside his chest as their connection fragmented under the influence of whatever they’d given her.
No, he thought desperately, pouring strength through the bond.Stay with me.Fight it.
Whether she heard him or simply responded to the bond itself, Anders felt a faint vibration of recognition before her presence faded further, slipping away as the drug pulled her under.
The men loaded her unconscious form into the vehicle, securing her with restraints designed for enhanced strength.Anders watched, memorizing each face, each movement, building a mental profile of their tactics and equipment.
As the SUVs pulled away, Anders forced himself to remain hidden despite every instinct screaming at him to attack.
He waited until they turned the corner, then sprinted back to Conall.They’re going to erase her,he said, his voice flat with controlled rage.Wipe her memory completely.Rebuild her as their asset.
Conall’s expression hardened.We won’t let that happen.
No,Anders agreed.We won’t.I’ve got trackers on both vehicles.
They moved quickly back toward the command center, Anders checking the tracking signals on his phone.The vehicles were heading east, toward the interstate—away from town, away from pack territory.
We need to inform Malcolm,Conall said as they approached the Old Packhouse.
Anders nodded absently, his mind already racing through scenarios, contingency plans, extraction options.The guardian in him cataloged resources, assessed risks, anticipated obstacles.
But beneath that calculated planning, his wolf paced and snarled.
Mate in danger.Find.Protect.Save.
The command center was a flurry of activity when they arrived.Malcolm had already mobilized the pack’s response team, with Quinton coordinating communications and Sarah reviewing medical supplies in case they were needed.
