Shifter's Strength (Wolf Pack Special Ops Elite Book 3) Read online

  Shifter’s Strength

  Wolf Pack Special Ops Elite - Book 3

  Sammie Joyce

  Contents

  Shifter’s Strength

  Sammie Joyce

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Get the Prequel - Shifting Seasons Series

  About Sammie Joyce

  Copyright © 2020 by Sammie Joyce

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover design by JJ's Design & Creations

  Shifter’s Strength

  Wolf Pack Special Ops Elite - Book 3

  Sammie Joyce

  Chapter One

  Trevor

  From my spot near the cockpit, I could hear the others rumbling around in the back of the fuselage, but I wasn’t paying much attention to their escalating banter. We’d been in the air for hours already, and they weren’t the only ones getting antsy. We would be at our destination soon, and they were merely gearing up in their usual form, the energy mounting and sweeping at me in waves. The twins had already begun shifting back and forth between their human and animal forms, almost like they were in a play, prancing about to encourage the rest of us to do the same.

  They wanted to ensure we were ready to move on a dime, but it was easier for them, more so lately than ever before. I chalked it up to being different than them—it was an excuse I’d always used, but in that moment, I felt a bit of resentment. Perhaps it was because I was feeling detached from the group, my mind really not there. I didn’t have anything in particular weighing on my mind, but I had this oddly sluggish sensation wracking my body, one I didn’t entirely understand.

  I wish I could say that this was the first time I’d experienced such a feeling, but that would be a lie. More and more, I was starting to feel removed from the others, like I was somewhere that I didn’t belong.

  Of course, this was a thought that I kept to myself. We were supposed to be a finely oiled machine, running in tandem, with one brain and different moving parts. Unfortunately for my team, my parts needed a tune-up…or replacing.

  I glanced to my left where Slater sat, the only other one amongst us who was silent. I knew better than to demand answers about where we were going or what this mission was about. Unlike some of my counterparts, I adhered and trusted entirely in the general’s missions. Being a reaper, I also knew not to rock the boat. Perhaps it was an ingrained feeling of inferiority. Nothing was overly stated to me, but I couldn’t help but wonder if I wasn’t looked down upon because I was the newest shifter among them.

  That’s crap, I told myself with some annoyance. Slater’s not even a wolf, and he has no problem keeping us all in line.

  As if he sensed me thinking about him, the general turned his head abruptly and caught my eye. His eyes narrowed slightly as if he could read my thoughts. It was not a good feeling.

  “You ready, Washington?” He demanded; his dark eyes boring into my emerald irises. For half a second, I debated giving him the truthful answer, but that would be the end of my career as I knew it.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Slater didn’t look convinced.

  “Are you sure? You look a little out of it. Something you want to tell me?”

  I bristled at the observation, true as it was.

  “I’m ready, general. How much longer until we get there?”

  I knew better than to ask questions, but I desperately wanted to take the focus off me. Slater smiled thinly, shadows crossing over his face as to create an eerie glow over his features. No sooner had I spoken did the plane begin to ascend. A loud whoop from one of the others filled my ears, and my attention shifted toward the rest of the Relief Division. Half of them were in their beastly forms already, inching closer to the tail as though they expected the tail to open and drop them out without warning.

  Adrenaline junkies, I thought with a combination of annoyance and admiration.

  “Get ready, men,” Slater growled. “Remember protocol. Round up the locals and herd them off. Don’t use violence unless absolutely necessary. Our mission here is strictly recon of the area.”

  Whatever that means, I thought. The fact was, we didn’t know any more than Slater wanted us to know.

  “I mean it,” Slater insisted when no one acknowledged his warning with much enthusiasm. “No aggression.”

  The mere mention of the word suddenly sent electrified chills through my body, and I felt my shoulders stiffening.

  Aggression. What’s the big deal?

  Abruptly, I moved my eyes toward the group. I wanted to shift too and join the team, but as I tried, I was oddly stinted. I blinked once, wondering what was wrong.

  “Am I understood?” Slater insisted, his voice almost a rasp but we all heard him, even over the engines.

  The men nodded, the remainder morphing into their wolf bodies, and I watched them helpless, the desire there but the action not following.

  “Washington!” Slater snapped. “What are you waiting for? Get moving!”

  He didn’t need to tell me that the plane was descending. I could feel the altitude changing, and even in the pitch blackness beyond the small windows, I sensed the ground coming up to meet us. I had no idea if we were landing or if we were expected to do a low roll out the back. I would find that out in a minute. In either case, I needed to be at full attention. And I still couldn’t shift.

  “WASHINGTON!”

  I realized then that everyone else had found their animal forms, and all eyes were on me. I inhaled and closed my eyes, beads of sweat forming at my hairline. It was only then that my muscles began to expand and I felt my nose elongate into my snout. I should have experienced relief at the transformation, but as my lids parted and my gaze rested on the others, a burst of aggression shot through me. I bared my teeth at the others, barely noticing their surprise. Any reaction was short-lived, however, as the tail opened, and we were forced to act.

  Zeus went first, followed by his brother. The plane was not landing. We were going at it from the air, and suddenly, I was overcome by a burst of energy as if I were being possessed. I didn’t wait for any of the others to jump and tumble onto the field below, pushing aside my teammates for my chance to hit the ground. I heard several grunts of disapproval, but I ignored them, summersaulting onto the grass and breaking into a run.

  Up ahead, the twins had taken the lead, the flash of their tails acting as a beacon to me. For a short time, I trotted after them, enjoying the rush of cool night air on my snout. I didn’t look behind me, but I was sure the others were there. I wondered if they had the same confidence in me.

  I doubted it.

  My eyes glowed against the night, just as my counterparts, but I had no interest in what anyone else was doing. I was in fighting mode, and while I heeded Slater’s warning, I was ready for anything. After all, when had there not been a fight on a mission? It was impossible to avoid, even in the most peaceful situation. Locals didn’t appreciate being relocated by strang
ers, and there was nothing we could do to alleviate their concerns but use force.

  Hence the reason Slater didn’t want us using force unless necessary.

  But he’s never out here to do any of the fighting. He just barks orders and expects us to follow.

  The bitter thought was unexpected and surprising. I hadn’t really felt so much animosity toward Slater before that night, but I realized I wasn’t just annoyed with the general. My entire body was quivering, waiting for a confrontation, even from the other Shadows. I wondered if that wasn’t the reason I had pushed them out of the way.

  I tried to clear my head and focus on what was happening in front of me, my nerves raw for no good reason. I told myself that it was in anticipation of what was to come, but I wasn’t sure if I believed that.

  A town appeared rather suddenly before us, and despite the lateness of the hour, bodies milled about. Some were still in the mortal flesh, but several males had shifted to form a line as we neared them.

  “You’re not wanted here,” one of them growled through clenched teeth. “Get back.”

  They spoke Spanish, but the dialect was not one I recognized easily. We were somewhere in Central America or the Caribbean, but I couldn’t identify what part.

  Darric morphed into his human form to speak.

  “This doesn’t need to get ugly,” he told them conversationally in perfect Spanish. “But you need to come with us. Trust me, we mean you no harm.”

  “Why?” A woman yelled out as the townsfolk murmured in agreement. “This is our home. You can’t just uproot us.”

  “Your home is in a danger zone,” Darric insisted. “We’re doing this for your own good.”

  My neck was so tense that I felt like it might snap if I moved too quickly.

  “A danger zone?” Someone scoffed. “Who are you to tell us about our home? You’re Americans! You don’t belong here!”

  “We mean you no harm,” Darric continued, his voice even and unwavering. “But if you don’t come peacefully, things will get messy.”

  I had to admire his ability to keep himself so calm. I reasoned that he’d been at it much longer than I had, but I still found these events nerve wracking. That was why one of the twins or Alder handled negotiations and communications, not me.

  The townsfolk looked at one another, a low din following Darric’s announcement, but I could already tell they were sizing us up, trying to figure out if they could take us. I knew they couldn’t, no matter what their numbers. We were too highly trained, too skilled in the art of war to be overtaken by any amount of mountain yokels, regardless of their breed. But they didn’t know that, and that would not stop some of them from trying.

  “Please,” Darric offered when no one moved. “You only need to move over to the next town. Arrangements have already been made. Your things will be safe.”

  I frowned at his wording. If that were true, it was news to me.

  Slater trusts some of us more than others, I thought with contempt, my temper flaring. Again, I was startled by my own reaction. Something was wrong with me, and the timing was terrible. I didn’t have time to address it. I was in the middle of a mission.

  My jaw locked, and I watched as the beings began to nod amongst themselves, perhaps realizing that there was no escape from what we were demanding of them.

  “How long will we be gone for?” someone called out. “What about our animals?”

  “Can we bring our stuff?” another asked.

  “Don’t worry about your stuff or your animals,” Darric told them, shuffling forward with a nod to me and Zeus. I couldn’t see the rest of the team, but I knew they were in the shadows, waiting for one of our signals. “Leave your things, and come with us now. I don’t want to have to tell you again.”

  He purposely did not respond to the query of how long they’d be gone, but the tone of his voice left no room for additional question or argument.

  “Who are you?” I heard one young boy mutter as he followed his parents with the twins. He looked directly at me, the anger and frustration in his eyes piercing me slightly as he did.

  Sorry kid, I wanted to say. I’m not any clearer on this than you are. I’m just following orders.

  Slowly, in a group, the town began to filter away. I didn’t go with them, my eyes trailing over them to ensure that there was no issue. When they had left, the rest of us would go house to house to ensure that the town was empty. Then the recon would commence, but those orders would follow after we’d cleared everyone out. We were on a strictly need-to-know basis, and at this point, we knew everything we needed to know.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I watched the other Shadows venture out of their spots, seeming relieved that the event had gone off so easily. But I wasn’t able to let go of the tension in my body. I wasn’t sure if I wanted something to happen or if I was expecting it. The line between my well-honed sixth sense and my emotions was unusually blurred.

  Keep it together, Trev, I hissed to myself. It’s almost over.

  “Come on,” Alder growled at me as he shuffled by in his human body. “They’re almost all gone.”

  I looked up and realized that he was right. As I’d stood there, struggling to keep control, the town had disappeared after the twins. My head turned, the soft amber of my fur brushing against my nose as I fully looked at my back. It was then when I saw the blur of bodies disappearing into the ravine beyond. It took me a full ten seconds to understand what it was I was seeing, partially because I was half out of it but mostly because I hadn’t expected it.

  We had runners.

  Without bothering to inform anyone of what I was doing, I took off like a shot. Truth be told, it didn’t occur to me to say a word. I was so caught up in the moment that I simply reacted. I heard one of my teammates call out from behind me, but I barely heeded it, my paws crunching against the ground until I was almost flying after the escapees.

  In less than a minute, I found them, a small group of young men, running into the thick of trees. I was on their backs before they noticed me gaining traction, pinning one to the ground with a ferocious growl.

  He screamed in terror as I breathed hot fire down his neck, my teeth bared threateningly. I hadn’t forgotten the promise not to use violence but I was overwhelmed.

  “GET OFF HIM!” One of his friends howled, spinning around to attack me with a stick. My Spanish was not fluent, but I would have understood the words in any language, the terror and fury universal. Moreover, I fully comprehended the weapon coming for my face.

  The simple raise of my head knocked the attacker back and I swatted at him with a paw, causing him to fall against a tree. Suddenly, I was surrounded. There were more than I had originally realized, and I instantly knew that I was outnumbered. Even with all my training, I was only as strong as my team.

  And my team had no idea where I was.

  Even with all my training and sensibilities, I had jumped in without getting a proper handle on what the threat could be. I should have known better. I shouldn’t have been so impulsive.

  It was too late for those regrets now.

  Onto my back legs I fell, fangs gnashing as I challenged them to take me. Their fear was palpable, filling my nostrils in a wave. It motivated me in some ways, reminding me that I was still in control. I snarled twice, nipping at the air without falling onto all fours. I could do this.

  “Leave us alone!” One of the boys howled. “You can’t make us leave our home!”

  I lunged for him, intending to scare some sense into him, but as I did, I felt the stab of something hit me between my shoulders. I winced and whirled, my gaze resting on yet another man wielding a crossbow from ten feet back. He didn’t hesitate as I gaped at him, saliva dripping down my chops as pain seared through my back. The kid fired another arrow and then a third in rapid succession. I hadn’t even had a chance to move, to react.

  A moan of agony flooded the treetops and as I crumpled to the ground. I realized that the sound was coming from me. Blood p
oured from all three of my wounds as dizziness overtook me. I was surprised and anguished, but I couldn’t tell which feeling was stronger.

  Get up! I yelled at myself. Get up and get that kid!

  But for all the injuries I had sustained over the years, this pain was like nothing I had ever felt. My breaths felt shorter, a low wheeze replaced my inhales and my eyelids grew heavier. I didn’t understand what was going on, why my body wasn’t fighting back as it always did. I had been pelted with bullets, attacked by bears and stabbed. A few shots with an arrow should not have brought me to my knees. Nothing about what was happening made any sense, but the more I struggled to understand, the further down I went.

  The last thing I felt was a fourth poke to my frame, this one in my front leg. Another horrific sound filled my ears, that akin to a dying bear, and again, I knew it was me making the sound.

  Then the world went completely black.

  Chapter Two

  Trevor

  “Is he dead? He’s dead? No. Check again. He can’t be.”

  “He’s not dead. His pulse is there, but erratic. We need to get him to the plane. Dammit, Dare, move!”

  “Take his legs.”

  “Move faster. Those bastards are still out there.”

  Searing pain ripped through my body, the voices floating around me in and out of my consciousness. I had been hurt…more hurt than I’d ever been in my life. I didn’t understand any of what was happening. I parted my lips to protest, but nothing came out. The wind around me suddenly slowed, and I felt someone’s hot breath on my face.