Shifter's Control (Wolf Pack Special Ops Elite Book 2) Read online

  Shifter’s Control

  Wolf Pack Special Ops Elite - Book 2

  Sammie Joyce

  Contents

  Shifter’s Control

  Sammie Joyce

  Prologue

  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

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  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 Control

  Wolf Pack Special Ops Elite - Book 2

  Sammie Joyce

  Prologue

  Zeus

  Wind rushed by my face, the scent of the air driving me toward the end of the woods as Darric raced beside me. Blackness enshrouded us on all sides, the thick of trees only obstructing the light more but we didn’t need it. Our night vision was sharp, precise, and I could have scaled a tree to take out an owl if I’d seen one above me.

  Darric seemed far more entranced with the idea of sprinting, his muscled legs identical to mine as he moved, our steps almost synchronous. I barely looked over at him but I could sense my twin there as I always did, his mere presence an extension of my body since before we were born. He was as much a part of me as my arm or leg and I fully noticed when we weren’t together. When he was hurt, I felt it in my bones, the agony just as swift and deep as if I had been personally touched.

  That night, we weren’t competing, not really, except that everything we did was more or less a match, even if it wasn’t conscious.

  Which was odd because we so often saw ourselves as united against the rest of the Shadows. Being the only naturally born wolves in General Slater’s Relief Division, we sometimes felt like it was us against everyone else. Whether that was true or not was another story but at least I had the solidarity of knowing my sibling felt the same way.

  Abruptly, my brother came to a faltering stop and I paused too, eyeing him through my peripheral vision. My heart pounded loudly in my chest and I stared at his massive, furry frame questioningly.

  He shifted back into his mortal body, blinking as he fell into form. Again, I cocked my head, unwilling to shift when we had such a good momentum going.

  “Let’s race to the quad and back,” he said, glancing at his fitness watch. “Then head in.”

  I was slightly disappointed that he wanted to call it a night already. I felt like we’d just gotten started but when I glimpsed the time on the screen, I realized that we’d been at it much longer than I realized. Darric stared at me, waiting for my acknowledgment, and I bowed my dark head to show him I accepted his terms.

  “Ready?” he said, a taunting lilt to his tone. “Loser buys beers.”

  I braced myself for the challenge but before I could blink, my twin morphed and sprang ten feet ahead, leaving me in his dust.

  Oh, it’s on, I thought grimly, sprinting to catch up with him. What a cheater.

  The race began with friendly enough intentions but by the time I caught up to and surpassed Darric, my paws were pounding against the spread of fallen leaves through the forest and my lungs were about to burst.

  Neck and neck we flew, each one of us catching the upper hand only to be outdone by the other until the compound appeared ahead of us. Darric slowed his gait, ready to turn, but I didn’t hesitate at all and whirled about, my tail smacking him fully in the face as I moved. I heard a low growl of disapproval escape Darric’s mouth but I didn’t stop, legs flying to their full capacity as he nipped at my heels.

  The chase was on now and I weaved in and out of the trees, the adrenaline overtaking me until I had lost all track of my humanity and lived fully in my animalistic mode. Even as I put distance between us, my pulse quickened to send blood rushing through my head, my desire to win surpassing anything else.

  Up ahead, I could see the end of the forest where we’d promised to end our game but once I crossed over the threshold, I kept going. I didn’t need to turn to know that my brother had ended our little play. I sensed that he was staring at me as I bolted through the clearing, feeling freer than I had in a long while.

  Why don’t we do this more often? I found myself wondering, my snout raising toward the brilliantly starlit sky, sniffing out signs of life. Suddenly, I wanted a kill and I wanted it badly.

  “ZEUS!”

  I heard Darric calling after me but it was almost a whisper in the back of my head.

  “ZEUS, COME BACK!”

  My tongue lolled out of my mouth as my senses found my target. A nocturnal rabbit sat frozen, his own senses on high alert as I whooshed toward it. The animal dared not move, its best course of action to hope that I hadn’t seen it, but he didn’t stand a chance. By the time he realized that I was on him, it was too late for him to scamper off into the night.

  Strong jaws locked around him and the thrill of it dying in my mouth with a relenting sigh was enough to drive me to the height of my euphoria.

  This was what I was meant to do.

  No sooner had I fixed the bunny between my razor-sharp teeth than the animal was snatched from my grip. Growling, I fell back and narrowed my eyes. Surprise overcame me as I realized Darric was the one who had taken my kill. He morphed into his human form as I snarled.

  “What the hell are you doing?” he demanded, a note of alarm lacing his words. I fell back, ears flattened against my ears as my dark eyes peered out at the rabbit still dangling in his hands. I couldn’t stop staring at it, the desire to snatch it back insurmountable. I released a low, threatening growl as I inched forward, my chin close to the ground.

  “Zeus…?”

  A flash of concern colored my brother’s eyes and I suddenly realized that I was overexcited. Inhaling, I fell back, willing my nerves to steady, but all I could think about was downing that rabbit. My body quivered and I knew I was relinquishing control.

  “Zeus!”

  I panted, inching back further, trying to shift out of my wolf form, but in my primitive state, I was finding it impossible. A slither of dread snaked down my spine and I could feel all the hairs on my body rise in unison.

  “Are you stuck?” Darric demanded, tossing the kill aside to near me. Again, my dark eyes flashed toward it, my heart beating erratically.

  What is going on?!

  I couldn’t change back into my mortal form, despite my intense desire to morph. Again, I stepped back, my brother closing in on me. I bared my teeth in warning but Darric wasn’t fazed by my reaction.

  “Come on, Zeus,” he said urgently, alarm overtaking his complexion. I swallowed and sighed, wrenching my eyes away from the bunny and closing my lids. I had to focus like I’d never done before to bring myself out of whatever haze it was that had come over me.

  Trembling, I roused every ounce of willpower I could muster and finally, blissfully, I felt my body give way to my six-foot-one frame.


  “Jesus, Zeus, what was that?”

  Still shaking from the effort, I shrugged nonchalantly at my brother.

  “What?” I asked innocently, careful not to look at the rabbit, lest it send me back into my heightened state.

  “What?” Darric echoed in disbelief. “You got stuck in your shift, didn’t you?”

  I eyed him warily.

  “No, I didn’t,” I lied.

  “Yes, you did,” my twin insisted. I turned back toward the treeline but Darric wasn’t going to let me off the hook that easily.

  “Has that ever happened to you before?” he asked. I ignored him, picking up my pace to make my way back to the compound. He reached my side and grabbed my upper arm, forcing me to look at him.

  “Zeus, it’s me,” he growled. “You can tell me if something’s going on.”

  I pulled my arm away from him and scowled, my jawline twitching.

  “I would tell you if something was going on,” I replied but even as I spoke, I could hear the lie in my voice.

  “Would you?” Darric demanded, not bothering to hide his doubt. “Because it looks like you have a problem.”

  “What are you accusing me of?” I snapped. Even in the darkness, I could read the look of surprise on his face. He wasn’t used to his happy-go-lucky twin barking at him as I was but I couldn’t help myself. I was suddenly feeling very attacked.

  Maybe rightfully so, a little voice of reason chirped in my ear.

  “Accusing you?” he echoed. “I’m not accusing you of anything. I’m worried about you.”

  I snorted and continued forward, dismissing his words.

  “Save your worry for the rest of the team,” I said. “They need your help more than I do.”

  “They aren’t the ones who can’t control themselves,” Darric shot back without a note of amusement in his voice. Defensiveness shot through me and I glowered at my brother over my shoulder.

  “You should watch what you say,” I told him warningly. “Rumors get started that way and we all know how that works out.”

  It was Darric’s turn to snort contemptuously.

  “We’re in the military, Zeus, not high school. Our only concerns are the missions and getting out alive. We’re a team, one that needs to depend on each other and trust one another.”

  “Then focus on those things and less on me,” I retorted, knowing that I was acting petulant. My twin meant well but I couldn’t help but be guarded, not when he was looking at me like that. I wasn’t used to it and I didn’t like it, not in the least.

  “Zeus…”

  I increased my stride, not wanting to meet Darric’s eye. I knew he could see right through me like no one else. Lying to him was exactly like lying to myself. To his credit, Darric dropped the subject, likely sensing that he wasn’t going to get anywhere by pushing me, and we returned to the compound in silence but I could feel him watching me like I was a ticking time bomb.

  The truth was, what had just happened had scared me a little bit but I wasn’t going to let anyone know that, not even the person closest to me in the world. It wouldn’t take much for Darric to see right through me and despite the love I knew my brother had for me, his loyalty, like mine, was to the team. If he predicted that I might be a loose cannon, he’d have no choice but to report it to the others and I had no illusions about what General Slater would do. There was no room for mistakes with the Shadows, no sympathy for a soldier who lacked discipline. The General would reassign me or worse if he caught wind of whatever was happening to me.

  And what did I have if I didn’t have the Relief Division?

  I shoved the thoughts aside and increased my pace. I was almost running now, as if to evade the umbra of darkness that threatened to encompass me. I didn’t know where it had come from or why I couldn’t fight it off but my lack of control was becoming an issue and I knew it. This wasn’t the first time I’d been unable to shift on command. It was just the first time that I’d been caught.

  Without looking back to see if Darric was behind me, I scaled the high, barbed-wire fence protecting the compound and landed easily on my feet. The security, tight as it was, had nothing on our talents. That was because we were the best of the best, the stealthiest operatives possibly in the world. If anyone could stay under the radar, it was the Shadows.

  I would just have to do better in the future not to get caught, I vowed.

  And try to get myself under control.

  Chapter One

  Lori

  It was odd facing traffic at that hour of the night in Savannah. Usually by eleven o’clock, most folks were in bed, but this evening, an ambitious construction crew decided that Veteran’s Parkway needed a gussying up and for over fifteen minutes, I had been held up by a teenager holding a stop sign as my irritation mounted.

  I was home now, the weariness of the night wearing on me to the point that moving from the driver’s seat was an insurmountable task in itself. I removed the keys from my ancient Honda and stared at the siding-laden backsplit. The exterior made me cringe, even in the shadowy blackness of night, weeds overgrown on the patchy, dead grass. My eyes trailed over the dirty windows and I made a mental note to wash them on my next day off but the thought was futile as so many of my well-meaning mental memos were. More often than not, I was called in to work on my days off and if I wasn’t, I was far more interested in spending time with Kenzie than I was doing housework.

  Clair hadn’t bothered to clean up any of the outdoor toys but I couldn’t fault her for that. She wasn’t exactly getting paid the going rate for a babysitter, let alone a housekeeper. Still, most of the time, she did more than I deserved. I wondered why she hadn’t bothered today.

  Not that I was going to ask. I was beyond grateful that I had a Clair in my life. Most of the people I knew in my situation were working to pay for daycare.

  With a sigh, I grabbed for my purse from the passenger seat and opened the car door, ambling toward the front door. My head was throbbing after the double shift but I knew I’d feel better the second I stepped over the threshold. It was like a magic spell, crossing that portal, and her name was Kenzie.

  Clair looked up from where she sat on the couch watching some reality TV show about a bunch of spoiled rich kids on a beach.

  As if that reflects anyone’s real life, I mused as I gave the sitter a tired smile. Why is it called reality TV when it’s so out of touch with reality?

  Just another one of my useless philosophical moments that made sense to no one but me—not that anyone was asking for my opinion on anything other than pie flavors.

  “Heya, Mama. How was work?” Clair asked brightly as I entered.

  “It was good, fine.” I flashed her a quick smile. “Sorry I’m late,” I told her, closing the door behind me. “Amber didn’t show up for her shift and we had a hard time finding a replacement.”

  Clair eyed me sympathetically, shaking her head.

  “They tried to make you pull a triple, didn’t they?” the teen asked, rising from her spot. Her dark eyes glimmered with wisdom beyond her years and sometimes, I forgot that she was only nineteen.

  Then again, in our neighborhood, everyone had no choice but to grow up quickly. There were no sheltered children in Cann Park.

  I have to remember that. There’s really no escaping it no matter how much I try to protect Kenzie.

  “They tried to get me to stay,” I agreed. “But I managed to convince management that I’m much more effective when I don’t pour hot coffee on the customers when I’m falling asleep on my feet. I think the threat of liability bought me some empathy.”

  Clair shook her head admiringly as I handed her a couple of tattered bills from my purse.

  “I don’t know how you do it, Lori,” she sighed with too much appreciation. “I don’t know what I’d do if I were you.”

  I knew that she meant it in a complimentary way but the words only sent spikes of bitterness through me.

  Do yourself a favor and don’t ever be me! I wan
ted to yell at her. Be smart. Go somewhere with your life.

  I didn’t show Clair my misgivings as I kept the smile on my face. I’d had years of practice holding in my true feelings, after all. She had no reason to suspect that I was hanging on by a thread underneath my exhausted, porcelain façade. The truth was, I was just one or two more cracks away from becoming a pile of dust.

  “You gotta do what you gotta do,” I replied lightly. “How was Kenzie today?”

  Clair giggled and rolled her eyes.

  “You know how she was,” the sitter replied, laughing. “Perfect as always. Seriously, I don’t know what you ate or drank when you were pregnant with her but you ended up with an angel child.”

  That made my heart swell but I laughed.

  “Said like a woman who has never withheld a Pop-Tart for breakfast,” I joked but I knew that Clair was right. In the grand scheme of things, I was beyond lucky for the way my daughter had turned out.

  “She’s in bed?” I asked, nodding toward the landing.

  “Of course!” Clair sounded slightly offended that I even asked but it was less about her babysitting techniques and more about my precious six-year-old who marched to the beat of her own drum. I had no doubt that Clair had asked Kenzie to go to bed or that my child had pretended to go to bed. The real question was, was Kenzie asleep?

  We’ll see, won’t we? I thought dryly but I didn’t speak my thoughts aloud. Clair would be apt to take it personally if I did.

  “I should get going,” Clair said, stifling a yawn. She had been there since eight o’clock and I had to work in the morning again.