Bonded (3 page)

“Nothing that
exciting.” He responded while shifting his eyes to study the
commons again. “I was doing a demo for new cadets who are
considering taking my course next term. My assistant’s nails caught
me.”

“Frank has long
nails?” The other man paused in the act of sitting down and looked
at him in surprise.

“Nah. Frank didn’t
show so I grabbed some girl from the hall to help out.”

“Who was it? If
she scratches, she might be fun.” Brad smirked. His mind was always
on sex.

Reno shrugged
negligently. “I don’t remember. Not too tall and a lousy fighter.”
He answered the question with reluctance. Ever since the encounter
he’d been doing his best to try to forget her big green eyes, curly
red hair and lush curves. For some reason she’d stirred something
in him. It made him uneasy and he didn’t like the feeling. In his
job he couldn’t afford to lose his focus and he tried to keep his
emotions in check. It wasn’t easy, but it was for the best. After
all, he didn’t even have a real pack or home. He had nothing to
offer a female so he’d always gone with the belief that it was
pointless to consider relationships. It was a fact he’d come to
grips with long ago; there was little point in constantly
revisiting the issue.

“I think her name
was Jones.” The words slipped out before he could stop them and he
cursed himself for hoping the name would sound familiar to
Brad.

“Jones? Nope, no
one I know.” Brad shrugged and took a bite of his meal.

Reno pushed down
his disappointment. Her name was irrelevant. He had no intention of
seeking her out.

“So, how do you
like your stint as an instructor? Find any promising candidates?”
Brad spoke between mouthfuls of food as he gulped down a quick
lunch. Reno shook his head before taking a bite from his own
sandwich.

Like himself, Brad
was a temporary instructor who’d been seconded from his usual
position at Lycan Link Headquarters in order to train the next
generation of young weres. Brad’s specialty was computers and he
helped maintain the vital internet links that allowed the
organization to function smoothly.

Reno’s usual job
was that of an Enforcer—a combination of police officer and
soldier—but he was presently instructing self-defence and tracking
courses. All senior Enforcers were required to do a stint at the
Academy once every four years. This was his first round and he’d
had his doubts about how he’d take to returning to the halls of
academia.

“It’s okay, but I
wouldn’t want to do it full time. As for finding anyone suitable
for my unit...” He shrugged. “A few possibilities, but no one who
really stands out.”

“I heard a rumour
they’re changing the name of your group?”

“The ACS? No. They
wanted to, but Council voted it down. There’s no way you can
sugar-coat something like ‘ethnic cleansing.’ Sure, Purist activity
has died down lately, but there are still active pockets we need to
keep watch on. And until we’re able to locate the actual leaders,
the threat of resurgence exists.”

“You don’t think
it was just a flash in the pan? I mean, sure, halves were
discriminated against for centuries, but that’s all in the past,
isn’t it?”

“No. The core
group of believers are still out there and they’re only aim is to
cleanse the blood line. When they take over a pack, anyone deemed
not ‘pure’ enough is treated like a second class citizen with no
rights. I’ve come across situations where halves and their families
have had their homes taken away and have become little more than
‘slaves’ to the pure-bloods. There are even a few cases of halves
disappearing, possibly being killed.” He shook his head in disgust.
Little wonder he felt old and tired. Dealing with the scum of the
earth day in and day out did that to you.

“It’s hard to
imagine people believing that crap.”

“The Purists are
experts at spreading rumours and misinterpreting the Book of the
Law. Once they get a foothold in a pack, it’s not long before
they’re in charge and have the members brainwashed.”

“So it sounds like
you still need some pretty sharp Lycans on your team.”

“Yeah, that was
why I volunteered to do my stint now. We’ve had a few Enforcers
‘retire’ and I need replacements.” A muscle twitched in his jaw
when he recalled how they’d retired. Their wolves had gone rogue
and become totally uncontrollable. Men who had once worked under
him were now locked up in a high security institution and would
likely remain there for the rest of their lives. Rogues, once they
turned, seldom regained control.

Making the call
had been hard, yet the safety of his other officers and that of the
rest of Lycan society was on the line. It was a harsh fact to face
but served as a wake-up call to the whole unit. A wolf with rogue
tendencies wasn’t unsalvageable, but it did require extra vigilance
and those two men had become sloppy in their duty.

Pushing the
unpleasant memory aside, he stretched and resettled in his chair.
“I still have two months left, though. I just started an upgrading
course today for anyone who wants to switch their specialty. Maybe
there’ll be some in this batch. After all, the Alphas don’t send
wusses to the Academy.”

“Yeah. Most of the
cadets have a reputation for being pains in the ass.”

“That’s what I
need; weres that are just this side of rogue: smart and aggressive,
dominant yet still manageable under the right leadership.”

“Well this is the
place to look. I tell you, Reno, I’ve got a couple cadets in my
computer class that...”

Reno let Brad talk
while his attention shifted to studying the ivy covered buildings,
residences, parking lots, and pathways that made up the Academy. It
was Lycan Link’s version of a university combined with a training
ground. Many Lycans went to ‘human’ schools, but some—usually the
most dominant males and some females—chose the Academy instead.

Reno laughed
ruefully to himself.
Chose
wasn’t always the proper term. To
be sure, some came for academic training in courses such as
computers, medicine, or law—members of that group were considered
regular students. Others, however, were sent by the pack Alpha
whether they wanted to go or not, having been deemed either too
unruly or having shown signs of becoming future pack leaders. They
entered into the ‘cadet’ program, which was far more gruelling and
strict. In that respect, the Academy served as a reform school and
holding ground for weres that didn’t fit into a pack’s present
hierarchy.

In ancient times,
such weres would simply have been killed or at least driven from
the pack and left to survive on their own. However, Lycans were
considerably more enlightened now and the Academy served as their
second chance. After training in how to control their inner wolf,
some of the cadets returned to serve their packs in positions of
authority, but not all were that lucky.

There were cases
where the pack Alpha still viewed the young males as too great a
threat and barred them from coming back which left the now homeless
Lycans in difficult circumstances. They could seek out a new pack,
provided any would take them in. Some tried to establish their own
packs while still others ended up wandering the world as a rogue.
Lycan Link did its best to take in as many as it could, finding
them a spot in the vast organization that served weres around the
world. While working for Lycan Link wasn’t the same as living in a
pack, it did provide a refuge and sense of purpose. Reno knew that
from personal experience.

“Have you checked
out the Black Devils?” Brad nudged him, and Reno left his reverie
behind to look where his friend was pointing. He focussed his gaze
on three cadets who were sprawled in the shade of a tree. They
appeared strikingly similar from a distance.

“Black Devils?” He
frowned. “I haven’t heard of them.”

“They’ve been
keeping a low profile lately, but they’re as black as the ace of
spades when they shift.”

Given their
colouring that made sense so he nodded. “What about the devil
part?”

Brad snorted.
“Campus gossip is that those three get into more trouble than any
three hundred cadets combined. And their interest in the local
ladies contributes to the devil moniker as well.”

Reno shrugged.
“High spirits are common here and dominant males have to get the
energy out somehow.” He chuckled as he mentally reminisced about
his own experiences at the Academy. “My days here weren’t exactly
pristine.”

“Yeah, well they
do it better than anyone else. Rumour also has it that they’re
possessed. Devil-demons, if you know what I mean. Faster, sharper
senses, more intuitive; they could ace every course if they
tried.”

“But they
don’t?”

“Well, one does.
Kane. He’s the youngest and most serious of the lot and tries to
keep the other two in check. Lord only knows what they’d get into
otherwise. He’ll likely head home when he graduates and become a
co-Beta. His file indicates he’s in line as the next Alpha if he
just bides his time.”

“Dipping into the
files, Brad?” Reno looked at his companion out of the corner of his
eye and murmured a slight rebuke.

Brad grinned and
shrugged his shoulders. “Can I help it if the security codes here
are so easy to break? Let’s just say I was testing the system.”

“As long as you
report the faults so they can be fixed. The Academy wouldn’t want
the cadets tip-toeing through their files.” Reno knew only too well
that it was a prank most cadets attempted. He’d done so himself and
had never been caught, but what he’d learned about his
psychological profile had been punishment enough. ‘Potentially
dangerous rogue,’ that had been the conclusion of his entry tests.
Reading that label had changed the course of his life.

“Okay, okay, I’ll
tell the Academy. Geez, you Enforcers are sticklers for rules.”

“Occupational
hazard.”

Brad rolled his
eyes. “So, I suppose you don’t want to know about the other
devils?”

Reno hesitated,
however his curiosity got the better of him. “What did you
learn?”

“One is named
Ryne; he’s Kane’s half brother, and too cocky for his own good. He
has potential as an Alpha, but if he’s up against Kane, it won’t
work unless he changes his attitude. I can see him heading out on
his own one day, kicking around the world before settling down,
maybe even starting his own pack.”

Reno nodded. He’d
been in that boat once himself. His older brother had taken over
the pack back home in Texas, but with the knowledge of his own
potentially rogue tendencies, he hadn’t returned. While he could
have fought for the leadership and possibly won, the peace and
stability of the pack would have been severely damaged. In the end,
he couldn’t do that to his pack mates, even if it meant condemning
himself to the life of a rogue. Thankfully, he’d found his place at
Lycan Link. “What about the third one. Is he part of the same
family?”

Brad shrugged. “No
one knows. They look enough alike, but he was found in a human
orphanage.”

“He’s a half?”
Reno gave Brad a sharp look. A genetic quirk resulted in most
half-breed Lycans being female. Not only that, half-breeds usually
lacked the ruthless dominance needed to meet the entry requirements
for the cadet program.

“Nope.
Full-blooded. Someone noticed his scent in amongst a group of
orphanage children at a park. Some discreet investigating revealed
he’d just been dropped off there. No background records at all. His
adoptive pack speculates there was a pack war or natural disaster
and he was a lone survivor.”

“But to leave a
Lycan pup in a human orphanage...” He shook his head in
disbelief.

“Hey, I didn’t say
it was right or if that’s even what happened. It’s all just
speculation. Point is he was found, taken in, and when the adoptive
pack couldn’t handle him anymore, he was sent here. Actually, he’s
been enrolled longer than any other cadet.”

“I thought you
said they were some of the best. Why is he taking so long to
graduate?”

“He keeps screwing
around. Never passes the tests. As a matter of fact, if he messes
up this time, the Dean is threatening to kick him out pass or no
pass.” Brad shook his head. “Personally, I think he fails on
purpose. He doesn’t have anywhere to go when he leaves, so he just
keeps hanging around. And when he hooked up with those other two,
well... This is home now, I suppose.”

“Nowhere to go,
eh?” Reno leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table and
studied the distant figure of the young were. “Is he Enforcer
material?”

Brad smiled and
took a sip of his coffee. “I was hoping you’d ask that question.
When I read his file, he struck me as exactly what you need. He’ll
take a lot of training though. You’ll probably have to knock him
down and put him in his place more than a few times.”

“I can do that.”
Reno sat back and smiled. He liked a challenge. “Hey, if this works
out, I’ll owe you one.”

“Want to pay up in
advance?” Brad quirked an eyebrow at him.

“How?”

“This girl I’ve
been seeing—Tabitha—she has this friend named Brandi who’s
interested—”

A football came
whizzing between them causing both men to jerk backwards. Seconds
afterwards, a sheepish looking young man appeared apologizing
profusely. Reno growled at him and then exchanged a laughing look
with Brad when the youngster took off with his tail between his
legs.

Still chuckling,
Reno stood up. “I’ve got to go. I have a class to teach in a few
minutes.”

Brad nodded.
“Don’t forget about Brandi, though. I’ll point her out to you.”

Reno waved his
hand negligently and went on his way.

Chapter 3

Lycan society
is dominated by pack life. A pack is more than a large family. Each
member is highly dependent on the others for nurturing and support.
When one member falters, the whole pack suffers. For this reason,
pack members are highly protective of each other, instinctively
recognizing that the common good supersedes personal wants and
desires.