• CHAPTER 16 •

God help him but he loved her.

As he stared down at her, memories of the battles he’d fought to claim her drifted through his head.

Hell, how many times had he nearly been caught just trying to get close to her? To hear her laughter, see her smile, to smell the unique, tempting scent of her. She’d been his dream and he’d become better for her.

A lifetime of living in the shadows, believing he lived only for the day that he’d find the man responsible for his parents’ deaths, had changed the day his gunsights had landed on her.

The little halfling the Council was willing to pay a fortune no man could spend to attain. They wanted her unmated, a virgin, her unique genetics unspoiled by the hormone that would tip the scales in either direction and allow them to use her to further experiment.

Mated, her only value was that of any other mate, unless she conceived. And having mated a Coyote, she would be of even less value to them. It was generally agreed that the Coyotes were even more of a failure than the other Breeds. Shiftless and lazy, they were called. Good only for killing, and at the end of the day, they rarely did even that as they were ordered.

More than a century and a half of genetic mutations, alterations, countless deaths and horrors, and still, they continued as though what they searched for actually existed. Though only God knew what they actually searched for.

They wouldn’t find it with his mate now. Though they’d likely never realize just what they had truly created and what her life had finally allowed to emerge. A natural female alpha. Son of a bitch, he’d mated not just the only halfling living, but the only known emerging natural female alpha.

All Breed females were strong, but just as in the wild, females normally didn’t lead, and it wasn’t just due to physical strength. They lacked the sheer cunning and ability to instantly size up the males’ weakness and use it against them. But it was also that unnamed something—a natural presence that radiated from the core of an alpha—that created leaders.

Cassie possessed all of the above. She would have stood at his side, never behind him. As those genetics matured and the inherent intelligence and quick wit grew within her, she’d become a force for the Breed society unlike any other.

Hell, she was already that, he admitted. They called her the Breed princess for a reason. She was the beauty, innocence, intelligence and inner strength that Breeds and humans both found impossible to resist.

And she was his mate.

For such a very short time, he’d held her.

Dog couldn’t remember a time in his life when he’d cried. He couldn’t even remember a time when he’d wanted to cry. He’d known regret, lost friends in the battle to survive, seen horrors that he still relived in his nightmares. But at no time in his life had he wanted to shed tears until he lay next to his mate and knew that when he forced himself from the bed, he was leaving her.

Staring into her delicate face, he traced the slope of her brow, the stubborn curve of her chin, that endearing tilt of her nose. The playful curve of her lips.

He’d watched her smile often, heard her laughter. She found hope in the world, in their world, despite the fact that so many would steal that hope if they could.

She fought for the Breeds with fierce determination, but as she stood in that Cabinet meeting defending him, he’d felt something reaching out from her that he’d never felt from anyone else. Determined, fierce, she’d reached out to everyone in that room with a silent declaration of loyalty. Loyalty for him.

His halfling.

What the hell was he going to do without her? Because God knew when this night was over, he’d be dead or brought up on charges for murder. And the murder of a United States senator wasn’t something that could be hidden.

It was funny. He could remember when he was ten, hours spent with his father in the mountains of Washington. Dog had never known his father’s name; he’d just been Father, a somber, hardened SEAL. But when he’d gazed at Dog, the ten-year-old he’d been had known his father’s love.

He didn’t hug the son he called Cain; he’d been damned hard on him to ensure that Dog knew how to survive during the times his father was forced to leave him for supplies. Dog hadn’t realized until he was older that his father couldn’t afford to be seen with a child, just in case he was found. Because if Dog had been found with the man he knew as his father, then the hell he faced, he might not have survived.

A hybrid Breed hadn’t been heard of then, but scientists had dreamed of overcoming the original genetic model to see one born. They hadn’t realized that Breeds needed far more than humans did to conceive. Breeds needed that one person, that one heart and soul that belonged only to them.

And Dog had thought he could finally claim his.

Now, staring at his mate, Dog found himself doing something else he’d never done. Regretting the choice he had to make.

He’d thought he could finally claim his mate, that he could finally carve out a chance at a future with this woman. He’d watched her grow from an uncertain eighteen-year-old to a strong, determined young woman. He’d watched her cry and laugh and he’d seen her play, and he’d wanted a chance to do all those things with her.

The realization that it was something he’d never have sliced through his soul with razor sharpness.

His halfling.

The inner strength and incredibly determined will rising inside her would make her a force to be reckoned with. The Wolf and Coyote genetics were fully merging as she reached maturity, at which point the aging would slow to a crawl.

She’d begin adapting, strengthening, and he’d thought he’d be there to watch it, to learn how to play with her, how to show her how he loved her.

There was so much he’d wanted to show her. Cassie had never been free. She’d never had the freedom to see the world as she should have, without a wall of bodyguards surrounding her. Not that she’d ever be able to be without security, even with him, but he could have given her a measure of freedom as well.

Dane would take care of the Breeds that had followed him for so many years. They were natural spies, able to adapt and become who and what they needed to be. They’d survive without him. Dr. Sobolova could ease the symptoms of the Mating Heat with the treatments she’d refined for the Coyote Breeds.

Cassie wouldn’t suffer and that was all that mattered.

Touching the curls that rioted along the side of her face, he tested one, watched it spring back into place and wanted to howl in rage. His fingers fisted in the silky curls, the warmth of them like a brand against his palm.

He had to force himself to release her, and it took every ounce of strength he possessed to make himself leave the bed. To separate himself from the warmth of her body and the comfort he found just lying next to her.

He’d waited six years, waited for her to grow up, until he knew she could handle her emerging strength. And he thought he’d be there to guide her through it.

Hatred welled inside him as he dressed, never taking his eyes from his sleeping mate. When he finished, he grabbed up his pack and slipped from the bedroom, then from the apartment.

Closing the door silently behind him he paused, hanging his head to stare at the floor as grief swept over him.

“Love you, halfling,” he whispered. “More than life, I love you.”

He had one more stop to make, and that one was going to suck. He might end up dead before he managed to make his own kill. And at the moment, he was highly anticipating his own kill.

 • • • 

Cassie, it’s time to wake up. Come on, now. You haven’t much time …

It was a voice from the past, one she hadn’t heard for so many years. The spirit she called her fairy.

Opening her eyes, she stared at the misty figure, watching her wavering expression, the beauty of her face, the gentleness that filled it.

Get dressed, Cassie, you don’t have much time. You have to hurry …

She was out of the bed, her gaze going around the room.

“Dog,” she whispered, turning back to the spirit, fear rising sharp inside her.

You have to save him from himself … The spirit glanced at the bedroom doorway, clearly worried. Hurry, Cassie, you don’t have much time.

She grabbed her pack from the corner of the room and tore jeans, boots and a T-shirt from inside. Dressing quickly, she laced her boots on her feet, then collected her holstered weapon, snapped the belt to her hips and secured the Velcro at her thigh.

The sheathed knife was strapped to the opposite thigh, extra ammo clips were shoved in her back pockets.

“Where is he?” she muttered. “What happened?”

He’s found Major. The spirit was wringing her hands now, clearly upset as she looked to the door again.

Cassie had never, ever seen the spirit upset. When she was a child, the misty form of the woman had been imperative, urging her to hurry, but never so upset.

“Who the hell is Major?” she hissed, rushing for the door, aware of the presence floating behind her, following.

His grandfather.

Cassie froze at the apartment doorway, swinging around to face the vision.

Blond-haired, pale eyes, she watched Cassie with such sadness.

I came to you when I knew the danger you faced, the presence whispered. Cain’s mate. My son’s mate. You have to save him, Cassie. As I saved you and your mother, you must save my son.

Shock raced through her, nearly making her dizzy as she fought to make sense of what the spirit said.

Go. Fear filled the pale vision. You have to hurry. Come …

She floated past Cassie, moving through the door as though it didn’t exist, as Cassie bit back a curse and jerked open the door, following her.

Dog’s mother? The fairy had been Dog’s mother.

All those years it had been Dog’s mother coming to her, leading her from danger, guiding her through her childhood?

For Cain to survive, you had to survive, the form stated, her melodic voice whispering around Cassie as she raced through the halls of the Bureau behind it. For him to find happiness, to flourish, for my and his father’s deaths to have not been in vain, you had to survive, Cassie …

All this time, the ghost of a conniving, manipulating mother had been leading her to her equally conniving son? Oh, this was one she was definitely not going to forget for a long time.

When all is well, and the time is right, the spirit promised as Cassie pushed through the stairwell doors, I’ll come to you. I’ll tell you of his father, and of a love so perfect a killer found a soul and the Breed he loved learned joy. Later, Cassie, when Dog is safe …

“What is he doing?” she panted, tearing down the stairs, holding the rail and jumping from one level to the next to keep up with the spirit. “Where did he find Major?”

Breeds believing they were righting a wrong. The spirit’s sigh whispered around her. They held the key to the puzzle and did not know it. I tried to keep them from Cain, but Cain is stubborn. Determined. I could not turn him away when he found them.

“Go figure,” she said with a snort as they reached the garage level. The spirit passed through the door as Cassie slammed it open and raced into the secured underground lobby.

Hurry, Cassie, the spirit urged, waiting at the doors leading into the garage. You must hurry.

She burst through the doors, heard the snarl that ripped from her throat as she heard the vehicle, saw the lights heading for the down ramp. Pushing herself, her lungs burning, she vaulted over the hood of a car veering to cut her off and sprinted the final distance, jumped over the cement barrier. She came to a crouch, one hand braced on the asphalt as she planted herself in front of the limousine, glaring at the oncoming lights.

Brakes screamed, the tires laying black marks as the vehicle came to a hard stop, the grill only inches from her face. Coming slowly to her feet, her weapon in both hands and leveled at the driver, she snarled again.

“Dog, you mangy fucking Coyote,” she screamed, furious at whatever he was trying to do. “Get your goddamned ass out here.”

 • • • 

She was amazing.

Enraged and wild, black hair flying around her as she vaulted over the barrier, landed in a perfect crouch and forced Mongrel to bring the vehicle to a stop.

“Let her go,” the senator’s aide advised him, his voice quiet. It wasn’t a warning; it was a reminder. “You don’t want her there, Cain.”

“Mutt.” He clenched his fingers into fists, rage burning in his gut at the order he knew he had to give.

“Aw, come on, man,” Mutt muttered, the low tone doing nothing to disguise the plea. “Don’t make me do this.”

“Now.”

“Dog, you mangy fucking Coyote. Get your goddamned ass out here!” Her scream, so filled with anger, with confusion, ripped at his guts.

“Now, Mutt.” He’d gone too far to turn back now.

“I fucking hate you,” Mutt growled, but he pushed the door open and exited the vehicle.

Not more than he hated himself.

 • • • 

Cassie watched the door open, her heart racing, the beat of it tightening her throat in horror as Mutt closed the door slowly and walked toward her.

Swinging the weapon on him, she bared her teeth, her breaths strangling her at the regret she saw in his face.

She could feel his determination to stop her and knew her mate had sent him to do so. Her mate. He was leaving her and he couldn’t even face her himself. The rage she’d felt building inside her all her life began beating in her head, flooding her veins and tearing aside the shields she’d used to hold it back.

“Cassie, let him go.” The Coyote lifted his hands as he moved closer. “Come on, no one’s forcing him to leave.”

“Get back, Mutt. I swear to God I’ll shoot you,” she warned him.

“I can’t do that, Cassie. Dog’s going to go no matter what you say or do. Let him go …”

She fired.

“Goddamn! Fuck!” His shoulder jerked as the bullet tore into it, but it wasn’t enough.

She should have shot his knee out.

He jumped for her, his arm going around her waist, one hand gripping her wrists together as she fired, and fired and fired, screaming in agony and rage at his touch as the limo shot past.

“No … ,” she screamed again, watching Dog staring straight ahead as the limo passed.

Mutt released her the second the limo disappeared from the garage, and she was ready for him. She lashed out as she turned, her fist burying in his balls. His eyes jerked wide, his breath a gasp, and her fist slammed beneath his jaw in a second blow, leaving him lying as she turned and ran.

She raced from the garage exit, her screams tearing from her throat, moving as fast as she could, fighting, fighting to get to him. He couldn’t leave. He couldn’t leave her.

He was her mate.

He was hers …

And he was gone.

The strength left her legs, slowing her until she felt her knees hit the pavement and heard an enraged animal’s scream explode from her. Her head tipped back, a demented sound, not a scream, not howl, exploding from her, the gun dropping from her fingers as she felt herself sobbing, heard the scream erupt from her throat again.

She was barely aware of her father yelling, her mother falling beside her, her arms going around her, the pain of the touch only blending with the agony tearing from her soul now. She had no idea what they were saying, there were so many voices, so many demands, and all she could do was scream Dog’s name.

He’d left her.

He’d let another Coyote restrain her. Touch her. And he’d left her.

The betrayal was slicing her to ribbons, tearing through her so deep, with such force, that the agony was horrendous. It was tearing her apart, ripping something from her very soul that she knew she could never replace without him.

He’d been with her for so many years. The hazy form of the Coyote he harbored had followed her, always just out of sight, and even that was gone now.

He was gone.

 • • • 

Jonas stood in shock, staring at the creature Dash and Elizabeth fought to hold on to Cassie as she knelt in the center of the road leading from the garage. Her screams were the sound an animal tortured, agonized and brutal as they erupted from her throat.

Long, riotous black hair whipped around her and tears ran from her eyes. All the control Cassie had fought for all her life was gone, shattered, wiped away as she fought like an animal to be free of her parents.

But it was what he sensed pouring from her that shocked him the most. There were no longer the separate scents of the Coyote and the Wolf howling in grief. They’d merged, and as he watched her struggles slowly ease, watched as the tears and the screams were silenced, he sensed the strength forging inside her.

Whatever pain she should have felt at her parents’ touch receded, sinking inside her, merging with the now silent howls he could feel echoing inside her.

“Come on, baby. Come on …” Dash lifted her in his arms, cradling her against him as he came to his feet, his gaze filled with agony as she lay limply in his arms.

Elizabeth’s face was wet with tears, as was Ashley’s as she trailed behind them and followed them into the Bureau. Breeds stood around the area staring, still in shock, weapons held ready with no idea what to fight, what to kill, to ease the horror and enraged pain that still filled the air.

Alpha leaders had always watched her warily, put off by her calm, by her air of steady strength. Distrustful of the shy smiles and overtures of friendship from the young Breed who always seemed to lack the dark-edged nightmares that most Breeds held.

Now her nightmares were free. A lifetime of them, and one had just been added. And the realization that the calm she had always projected—which, though they distrusted it, had still given them a glimpse of peace whenever she was near—was shattered.

“Find out who was in that limo …”

“It was Dog.”

Jonas swung around to face Mutt, seeing the blood at his shoulder, the limp in his walk.

“Council …”

Mutt shook his head. “Cassie shot me.”

Jonas blinked back at him. He couldn’t have heard right.

“I need a Dragoon, Jonas.” Mutt stood before him, his eyes damned near hollow with the regret pouring from him. “I have to meet Dog.”

“What the fuck happened?” Jonas snarled, grabbing the Coyote’s shirt in one fist and jerking him closer. “What happened to her?”

“Dog left her,” he breathed out wearily, pain and regret filling his expression. “He wasn’t taken, he wasn’t forced, and I don’t fucking know why. I just went along with him until I could figure out what the fuck was going on. Now, let me go, so I can do that.”

Jonas released him slowly and stepped back, shaking his head, certain he couldn’t have heard him right.

“He left her?”

Mutt nodded slowly. “He filed a Separation and Disavowal before he left. When I know more, I’ll contact you.”

Blood dripped from the Breed’s shoulder as he hurried to the nearest Dragoon, dragged himself into it and shot from the parking lot with a squeal of tires.

Dog had filed a Separation and Disavowal from his mate? What the fuck was going on?