SWAT Team One and the Social Worker (18 page)

from her and who they really were.

“He’s telling the truth, Sam. I don’t know who this Alex was to

you. We didn’t know any of this when were sent here to New York to

keep an eye on things and help fight crime in between missions,”

Donny stated as he sat next to her and took her hand into his hand.

“What are you saying?”

Donny looked at his brothers then Ted.

“A year ago we found out that you were one of many individuals

around here that needed extra protection. It was all we were told, and soldiers don’t ask questions.”

Sam pulled her hand away from Donny’s.

“So you became part of my life out of an order from the

government?”

“No. We followed the rules, and that one night when you were out

at the bar with some coworkers, we met you and instantly knew that

you were our mate. We couldn’t take the chance of blowing our cover

or messing up the mission, so we hung low and spent what time we

could with you. It was torture, Sam, but we did it to protect you. What Ted is saying makes sense now. We were protecting you for this.”

Sam stood up and began pacing the room.

* * * *

She couldn’t believe all this bullshit. She was angry. She wanted

to cry, to scream, to rip someone’s head off. She glared at each of

them, including Ted. They all had secrets, and she was the last one in it. She had been a fool. She thought about Alex and how she wasted

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all this time thinking he killed himself and that she had been to blame.

Ted knew this and waited until now to tell her. She remembered him

saying he had multiple things to tell her. She was scared to ask, but the anger got the best of her control.

“Why tell me now? What is the other thing you needed to tell

me?”

Ted sighed. “I need to take you home today. The order has been

issued. Your father has requested your return.”

Sam’s eyes widened. Her dad was retired from active duty but

continued to work for the government in computers or something. He

never really described his job. Her mind traveled in crazy directions.

“What does my father have to do with this, and what do you mean

‘issued an order’?”

“Your father is a protector of one of the elders of the circle. His

name is Redalfo. He has issued your return, so he can explain in

greater detail what your responsibilities are.”

She heard the gasps and growls around her. Apparently it was a

big deal that her father was a protector of one of these elder people, whoever they were. She didn’t understand any of it. All she knew was

that many important people in her life had lied to her and used her,

and now it seemed they demanded her return to the one place she

swore she never would return to again.

She pondered over the new information then looked toward the

men in the room.

“So my entire life is a lie, everyone has kept secrets from me all

my life, including my father. I have been betrayed by one lover only

to be shoved toward five others who seem to have lied to me as well.

Now you, the one true friend I thought I knew, have caused me the

greatest pain, by letting me think I was to blame for my lover’s

suicide. And you expect me to hop on a plane with you because you

believe that my life is in danger even though I have no information to give.” Her last few words came out in a yell, and her voice cracked.

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“Yes, Sam. Your father will explain everything to you once we

are safely in Wolf City.”

“I don’t think so, Ted. I’m not the one who can help you.”

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and turned her back on

them. She fought the urge to cry, to scream, or to even lash out to

whoever was closest.

“Alex believed,” Ted stated, causing her to turn abruptly, and she

was prepared to hit him.

“Alex loved you so much he bestowed upon you the greatest gift

besides his love. He had faith in you, Sammy, and believed you to be

the leader, the one strong enough to save us all. I can’t get into detail on how he knew now, but I am certain that in time the truth will be

revealed. Our pack’s survival depends on you.”

Sam chuckled a sob as she wiped her tears away.

“You bastard. I can’t believe it. You sound just like your father,

and you always hated him. The way he tried to put all the problems

and solutions on your shoulders and Alex’s. This is the same pack that turned its back on Alex. ”

Ted glared at her then ran his hand through his hair. He looked

just like Alex. They shared the same exact facial expressions, and

right now Ted looked upset with her.

“That was before I understood what he was doing. I know things

now.”

“Well, I don’t know anything. Alex was wrong. Your father was

wrong, and I could care less about what he wants.”

“Your dad will die if you don’t come back with me today.”

Sam stared at him. Her heart ached, but she loved her father with

all her heart. He was all she had left.

“They’ll kill him, Sam, if you don’t get to him first.”

Sam remained silent as the others watched her.

“Why should I believe anything any of you have to say?”

“Because if you don’t then your father dies, and then his blood is

truly on your hands. Plus, Alex would have died for nothing.”

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Sam was silent a moment as his words sunk in. She loved her dad,

and she had loved Alex. Now it seemed that the family she grew up

with, the people in her community and society itself, was a farce.

Then there was that annoying, stinging itch inside of her. A new

connection to her mates that made her insides say that she wasn’t the

only one who would be affected if she didn’t face this.

She gave them all a dirty look then raised her chin and looked

right at Ted.

“What time is our flight?”

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Chapter 9

Sam was getting ready to leave with Kyle to go to her house and

pack a few things while Ted and the others discussed the situation and their plan of protection for Sam once they landed in Texas.

“I need to call the commander and tell him I need some time off.”

Ted looked at Sam. “No need. I spoke with him last night. He’s

aware of the situation.”

Sam glared at Ted. “Am I the only one who is not aware of the

‘situation’ around here?”

Without giving them a chance to respond, she headed outside to

the SUV and Kyle.

* * * *

During the ride over to her place, Kyle tried to comfort Sam, and

despite the fact that she felt betrayed by him and his brothers, she

couldn’t resist the comfort of his presence.

“If it’s any consolation, Sam, we didn’t know exactly why you

were so important, just that the government placed you on a

monitoring list. Once we met you, were in the same room as you, we

knew that you belonged to us.”

“Well that’s great for you. Unbeknownst to me, I was fighting an

attraction to each of you that I couldn’t comprehend and denied

because I felt at fault for Alex’s death.”

“You weren’t the only one suffering, Sam. We knew you were our

mate, yet we couldn’t touch you or give in to our desires. When

wolves find their mates, they need to bond and secure that bond in

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order to live. Knowing that you came so close to death twice before

we even had the chance to make love to you nearly drove us insane.

Now that we’ve bonded and marked you, we’ll give our lives to

protect you.”

Sam felt his declaration straight to her heart and to her core. It was maddening that despite their role in all of this she still wanted them.

She actually ached from not having them inside of her, and it had only been a few hours.

She rubbed her stomach and tried to ignore the nagging feeling.

“I’ll ease that ache, baby, as soon as you get your bags packed,”

he stated knowingly as he pulled into her driveway.

She was embarrassed that he knew she needed sex. She was angry

that he appeared in control of this while she wasn’t.

She was about to get out when Kyle stopped her. He held her hand

and brought her knuckles to his lips as he held her gaze. He kissed her knuckles and winked at her.

“You’re not alone in this.”

* * * *

Sam entered her bedroom and started to pack as Kyle began to

secure the house, bringing in the garbage cans and recyclable

containers then locking everything up as if she would be going away

for quite some time. He even switched the thermostat to the heat and

kept it at a low enough temperature that the pipes wouldn’t freeze in

case they were still in Texas next month. As he secured the shed in

the back and began heading toward the house, he heard something

and sensed the movement. In an instant he smelled the scent of

another wolf, and it was not a friendly one. He slouched down,

prepared to attack, when he heard something bang inside the house.

“Sam!”
He leaped just as the other wolf attacked him. In his mind he called to his brothers, as well as to Sam, hoping she would run.

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* * * *

Sam was going through her room when she noticed some items

out of place, including the floorboard where she kept her extra cash.

Someone had been in her home.

She panicked as she listened intently, hoping to hear Kyle coming

back inside, but instead she had a bad feeling inside of her. She

thought of her mates, and then she thought of Dustin as the fear hit

her gut.

In an instant a man dressed in black was by her bedroom door.

She didn’t recognize him but knew he meant her harm. He grabbed

for her, and she lunged across the bed and onto the other side.

Scrambling across the floor, she grabbed for something to hit him

with. Reaching for the lamp, she threw it at his head, and he growled

as the ceramic broke against his face.

Sam screamed then ran for the door. In her head she heard Kyle.

“Run!”
he told her, and she knew it was real. He somehow was in her head. Sam made it to the top of the stairs when she felt the claw at her shoulder pulling her backwards. She lost her balance and fell to her

back. The half man, half beast straddled her body as she fought

against his attack.

She punched and scratched at him, and he ripped her dress, baring

her breasts to his eyes.

“I smell them on you. Fidelis won’t be happy,” he growled

through elongated teeth.

“What do you want?” she cried as she shook beneath his massive

body. She wondered where Kyle was as she tried to look to the sides

of the monster on top of her. His long tongue stretched out and licked her chest. She panted for air. It was disgusting and the strangest thing she had ever seen. He looked as if he were half wolf and half man.

“No one is coming to help you. Your escort is dead. Let’s go,” he

told her as he began to pull her up off the floor.

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Her heart ached for Kyle. Could he really be dead? She called out

to him in her mind, needing him to be alive. She loved him, damn it.

She loved all five of them.

“Get off of me!” she yelled, and the beast appeared as if he were

smirking. He exposed his teeth and the drool that dripped from his

strange-looking mouth.

He sniffed her with his snout, and she cringed, feeling nauseous.

The beast yanked her up against his chest and ran his muzzle over

her neck. She squealed from the quick movement.

He pinned her against the wall of the staircase. “There’s

something about your scent. It calls to my wolf,” he growled. He

lifted her thigh, roughly spreading her legs and tearing the garment.

She lashed out at him, and he banged her head against the wall.

A loud roar echoed through the house, and an instant later a large

wolf attacked the beast, causing Sam to tumble down the staircase.

She hit each step, landing awkwardly by the bottom. She looked back

up toward the top floor just as the wolf bit into the beast’s neck and yanked out his throat. She feared for her life as she attempted to get away before the second wolf ate her, too.

Sam felt the arms lift her up from the carpeting. She swung her

fists, colliding with solid muscle until strong hands gripped her tight.

“It’s okay, Sam. You’re okay.” She heard Kyle’s voice as he held her

to him.

“Oh, my god. You’re alive. There’s a wolf!” she yelled as he held

her against him.

“I know, and it’s okay.”

Sam clung on to Kyle as the others entered the house from every

entryway. They all looked about to shift, but where was Dustin?

Just as she thought of him, the large black wolf descended the

staircase. She locked gazes with him as she absorbed his features.

He was a magnificent-looking beast, with long, sharp teeth that

went with his thick, large snout. His coat was the color of onyx and

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was very shiny. When she locked gazes with his eyes, they glowed a