Finding Buried Secrets: A Seaside Wolf Pack Novel

by C. C. Masters

  Austin nodded. “There’s a lot of paperwork when marines are injured or killed in combat, and there were a lot of witnesses to yours. It’ll be easier to cover up what people saw here versus everyone involved overseas. We’ll have someone go back to the hospital to convince the doctor that the wound he examined fits his expectation of the human progression of healing.”

  I cocked my head to the side. “How are you going to do that?” I asked in disbelief. “He knows I was mostly healed.”

  “We have the means,” James growled from his position against the wall. “And you need to play along.”

  Austin nodded. “We’ve already modified your electronic chart, and someone will be there later today to adjust the memories of the staff who interacted with you.”

  “What’s this going to cost me?” I asked suspiciously. I might have gotten a little boost in pay from being in combat the last few months, but even my tax-free status during my time overseas wouldn’t give me the amount of money I suspected I was going to need to cover this.

  Austin steepled his fingers patiently. “I’m not going to demand anything from you, but I hope our help will earn your loyalty to the pack.”

  I frowned at him. “I’m a marine, not a politician. What are you asking me for?”

  Cody chuckled. “There’s a lot of shit going down in the shifter world right now, and we need allies, not enemies.”

  “I don’t get involved in that kind of stuff,” I told him firmly. “I’m an independent agent when it comes to shifter politics.”

  “Can you independently get yourself out of the mess you’re in right now?” James pointed out.

  “No,” I admitted reluctantly.

  “You’re expecting the community to take care of you, but not giving back,” Austin said gently.

  I gave a frustrated sigh. “I see your point. I can’t survive in the human world without the shifter network, but what is it that you want from me?”

  “Nothing right now,” Austin assured me. “Stay in Seaside, get to know my wolves while we sort out your issues with the marines. You’re going to have to lay low for a few months while you ‘heal’ from your debilitating injury and we can give you a place to do that. If at the end of that time, you want to move on, then we’ll help you. But I’m hoping that you’ll see that you can do a lot of good in the world by joining with us.”

  “And your wolves won’t have a problem with a panther hanging around their territory?” I asked suspiciously.

  Austin shrugged. “Every one of my wolves was either in the military or had just gotten out when I met them. Not many were in your exact situation, but quite a few were unsure of what path to take when their careers ended.”

  Cody cleared his throat. “You can do anything you want, but being in the marines gives you a particular set of skills. Especially with the amount of time you’ve spent in combat.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I don’t think an accounting firm is going to hire me to crunch numbers with my resume.”

  Austin smiled at me. “Not yet, but if that’s what you want to do, then you can go to school for that.” He gave me a considering look. “But I don’t get an accountant vibe from you. I think you like the adrenaline and the challenge that the marines give you. I have several teams overseas now with security contracts, and I have another team for stateside missions. Think about if that’s something you’d be interested in pursuing.”

  “It doesn’t bother you that I’m not a wolf?” I blurted out.

  Austin blinked in surprise. “You’re either good at what you do, or you’re not. I’ve had the opportunity to go through all of your files, security clearance documents, and history and now that I’ve spoken with you, I have a feel for who you are as a person. That’s what matters to me.”

  “Paperwork and files can be fake,” James interrupted as he pushed off the wall and stalked towards me. “We’ve altered records enough to know that.”

  I watched him warily as he picked up a folder from Austin’s desk. “I want to hear everything from the beginning, and I’ll know if you’re lying about anything,” he told me with the threat clear in his voice.

  “The beginning?” I thought I was being successful at hiding my nerves, but James narrowed his eyes at me. Tendrils of his magic reached out towards me and wrap around my aura. The other guys had told me James would know if I lied, and they probably all thought that he was just extraordinarily perceptive and good at reading people, James included. But he was somehow using his magic almost as a lie detector. Interesting. What other surprises were these wolves hiding?

  James nodded. “Let’s start with where you were born and work through the following twenty-three years.”

  I sighed, but realized they were offering me a legitimate opportunity here. I could walk out of this door right now and be in the same spot that I was in this morning or I could see what this pack of wolves had to offer me. I needed their help, and they would make good allies if I did need to leave the marines. But I didn’t trust them. People never did anything for free. And everyone wanted to take more than they gave. What was Austin’s real motivation here?

  There wasn’t anything outrageous in my past – I wasn’t a career criminal or anything. I just had to glaze over the parts of my life that would tie me to the community in Colombia. Oh, and hide the fact that I wasn’t just a regular shifter. I was about to find out just how good James was at detecting lies.

  I told the truth about my mother being from Colombia and my father being American. I explained that I had been raised in America, but glossed over all the time I had spent with my grandmother and the rest of the jaguar community while I was growing up. I also didn’t mention how my parents kept me away from the rest of the supernatural community and did everything they could to stay under the radar. I definitely didn’t mention my suspicion that my grandmother and the rest of the jaguar community probably wanted me dead.

  “And your parents were killed in a car accident?” James asked with suspicion in his eyes. I hadn’t believed it at the time either, because how could two lives be snuffed out so quickly in random car accident? So pointlessly? I had been convinced that there was more to it, but the evidence had proved me wrong. It had been raining, and a fuel oil truck carrying a full tank had blown a tire. The driver had lost control and my parents had been smashed between the truck and the rock wall on the side of the highway. Everyone had assured me that my parents would have died quickly and painlessly, but I had still had nightmares for months, imagining the horror and agony they must have experienced in their last moments.

  I tried to act nonchalant about it. “Yeah, I went into foster care for a while, but they decided a group home would be better for someone like me.”

  Austin looked at me with pity, and anger sparked inside of me. I hated to have anyone feel sorry for me. The years I had struggled had toughened me up and made me into the strong person that I was today.

  “Yeah, I would have preferred to have my parents alive and well,” I said sharply. “But I made the best of a bad situation, and I’m proud of what I accomplished.”

  James gave me a nod of respect. “That’s when you joined the Marines. What was it that attracted you there? Your ASVAB score is good enough for the Air Force.”

  I stared at him. “The marine recruiter told me I wouldn’t make it through basic and would be crying for my mom on the first day.”

  Austin smiled at me. “So you signed a contract and proved him wrong.”

  “I did,” I said softly. “I proved everyone wrong, and I made my life worth something. I found purpose in the marines.”

  James cleared his throat. “Let’s go through your military career. You went through basic at Parris Island?”

  James was relentless with his questioning, and he tended to hone-in on what I would have preferred to gloss over. I actually started to sweat at some points, but Austin and Cody toned James down each time he started to get too intense. I could see why they made such a exceptional leadership team
because they knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses and leveraged them for maximum effectiveness.

  “We’ve read the reports about the IED that injured you,” Austin said softly. “But there was a member of your team who was killed.”

  I immediately stilled. I had shoved my emotion deep down and refused to even think about what had happened to Hart. I had focused on dealing with one problem at a time – and I had plenty of those. In the back of my mind, I still expected her to walk up and punch me in the arm. I wanted her to grin at me and tell me it was all a prank using some gruesome Halloween prosthetics.

  “By the look on your face, I don’t need to ask if you were close,” Austin murmured. “Losing someone is never easy under any circumstances. But a good deal of us who lose someone in combat tend to blame ourselves, wonder if there was something else we could have done to prevent it.”

  “Feel guilty because you were the one who lived,” James added.

  I looked up at James in surprise. He was the last person I’d ever expect to understand how I was feeling. His eyes had softened just a little bit, but it was enough to tell me that he had lost someone as well.

  Austin leaned forward. “You aren’t alone here. And I know it’s still fresh in your mind, and probably too soon to talk about, but know that there are quite a few combat vets here that can help you through it.”

  I let out a shaky breath and opened my eyes wide to prevent any traitorous tears from slipping out of my burning eyes. “Yeah, that’s…uh…”

  Austin and James both looked away to give me a second to compose myself. I quickly rubbed my eyes and shoved all the sadness, guilt, and pain deep down where it belonged.

  “So, um, back to the questions?” I said with a forced smile.

  Finally, James declared the inquisition over, and Austin offered me a room in this ridiculous mansion. I nodded in acceptance as Austin stood and held out a hand for me to shake. “I hope this is the beginning of a good relationship between us.”

  “Me, too,” I told him honestly. I probably should be a little upset that they put me through the wringer with all of their questions, but I found it comforting that they were so selective with who they allowed to be a part of their pack. I had a feeling that the bullies and criminals that made up some of the other wolf packs I’d encountered wouldn’t have been allowed to step foot on Seaside territory.

  Chapter 2

  “No,” I said bluntly.

  James stared at me without blinking his dark eyes. “That’s your assignment. Are you challenging me?”

  I let out an irritated breath. “You know I’m not, but babysitting some chick isn’t a task for my team.”

  “It is now,” James told me coldly. No one would ever accuse James of being warm and friendly, but that was the reason we worked well together. We were both pragmatic assholes ruled by logic rather than emotion. But this was one of those times where we were going to butt heads.

  “Can’t the twins-”

  “No,” James said with a frown. “They have Anna to worry about, and I don’t want them splitting their focus.”

  “Fine,” I growled. “But this had better be really short term.”

  “She’s in there,” James said as he pointed his chin towards the kitchen.

  I reluctantly started in that direction but paused when James called out to me. “She’s a panther, not a wolf.”

  I rolled my eyes. Could this be any more ridiculous? “Fine, but you had better line up a job for us where we can slay bodies and fuck shit up to make up for this.” I could feel James’s amusement even though he didn’t respond.

  The girl – no - woman turned to face me as I stepped into the kitchen. Her light eyes were narrowed in suspicion, and I couldn’t tell if they were blue or gray from this distance. I flicked my eyes over her and saw that her marine uniform couldn’t hide a fit body held in a defensive posture. Was she expecting a fight?

  There was an intense, silent moment where we both just stared each other down – two predators sizing each other up. Sam’s eyes searched mine as if her gaze could penetrate deep into my soul and I instinctively growled at the perceived invasion. To her credit, she didn’t back down and made it clear she was willing to go toe-to-toe with me.

  I smiled at the sight, but no one would ever call my bared teeth friendly. “Sam?” I asked grudgingly. I might have been irritated and spoiling for a fight, but I wasn’t in the mood to waste my time with her.

  “Yeah,” she said cautiously, her body tense. I took a moment to take her measure. She wasn’t being cautious because she was afraid, she was sizing me up as an opponent, looking for my weaknesses. Interesting. There were only two reasons a girl half my size would consider taking me on. The first was because she was vain enough to think that her pretty face and hot body would make me back down or hold back. The second was that she was over-confident of her own abilities and had dismissed me as a dumb brute. “How’d you get your combat action ribbon?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral and my face expressionless. I wanted to know if she’d try to use her good looks and feminine wiles to manipulate me or if she would try to challenge me based on her own strength.

  Sam narrowed her eyes at me, her hackles up. The way I had asked the question had insinuated that she hadn’t really earned it, and we both were aware of the challenge I’d issued her. I was pushing her to see how she’d react.

  I didn’t take my gaze off her while I waited for an answer. She had probably run into assholes who questioned whether she really deserved all of her ribbons and rank simply because she was a female, but I was genuinely curious. Most female wolves didn’t leave the pack they were born into unless they were traded to another pack. What circumstances led a female panther to be on her own, and to choose to fight in the marines rather than the thousands of other occupations she could have chosen?

  “I earned it on the ground outside the wire,” she said with a proud lift of her chin. “The same way I earned everything else.” I grunted as I took in the rest of her awards rack. It was fairly impressive for someone her age and gender. “We good?” she asked with a challenge in her voice.

  My eyes went back to hers to see that they had turned to a smoky gray that reminded me of an angry gray sky, right before you heard the crack of lightning during a storm.

  I ignored her question to see how she’d react. “I’m Trevor,” I told her gruffly. “This way.” I held out my arm to point in the general direction of the stairs. James had said she was staying here, so it would be best to put her in a room out of sight for now. Especially since I didn’t like the way those gray eyes had grabbed a hold of me and how her very presence was waking up parts of me I hadn’t realized were asleep.

  “Nice to meet you, too,” she said sarcastically. She tilted her head to the side to evaluate me. “You don’t look like a Trevor. Do you have a nickname?”

  I held back a smile. She wasn’t going to let me intimidate her at all, she was going to come right back at me. The twinkle in her eye let me know that she was teasing me and trying to get a reaction. She thought she could get under my fur with a barb? Or was this another effort of feeling me out for weakness?

  “What’s your last name?” she pried. I motioned for her to follow me again, unwilling to play along. “Fine,” she said as she slung her heavy duffel over her shoulder and walked over to me. “Lead the way, T-Rex.”

  “You first.” We both stared at each other. I didn’t want a strange shifter at my back, even if she was a female. And this female definitely had claws. She wasn’t a domesticated house-cat - this was a wary predator who was patient enough to wait until the moment was right and victory was assured.

  Now that she was close, her scent wrapped around me. I had expected it to be sharp and faintly unpleasant the way that a cat’s scent was, but instead I found it tantalizing and sweet. I kept my thoughts off my face and my eyes on hers. I had just walked away from a confrontation with James, but backing down twice in one day wasn’t something that was i
n my DNA.

  “Together?” she offered with a smile as her body relaxed. She had somehow decided that the threat of violence had passed and had abruptly shifted her attitude from potential challenger to friendly banter. Or was that typical of a cat? Mercurial moods and violent outbursts? I suddenly wished I knew more than rumors about feline shifters.

  I shrugged, and her smile brightened even more. Why did I get the feeling that smile was more dangerous than her ire?

  I could already tell this was not going to be the simple, short, duty that James had said it was. There was something about this female that had sparked a light in the darkness of my heart. Maybe it was the way she wasn’t afraid to meet my eyes with a challenging smirk on her face, or maybe it was the fearless way she walked into the home of a strange pack of wolves. Either way, I knew she was going to be trouble. Trouble with a delectable ass I could sink my teeth into.

  Chapter 3

  The staircase was wide enough for me and the T-man to walk side by side. His face was stoic, and he didn’t even glance in my direction, but his magic was reaching out to mine in what I could only describe as an exploratory caress. And as much as I hated to admit it, it was a pleasant feeling.

  I hefted my bag higher on my shoulder and used the movement as an excuse to check him out. He had a trimmed beard that screamed combat veteran and the sharp hazel eyes to go with it. If I had to guess, I’d say he was prior special forces. He had that confident, dangerous attitude that told you he was the most lethal predator in the room. He was also tall, muscular, and had a spectacular ass. I smirked before my eyes drifted back up to his face. Where Austin and Cody had given off ‘good guy’ vibes, I could tell Trevor was rough around the edges and had been through some shit. His eyes constantly moved as if evaluating the room for potential threats, and he was perpetually on edge and ready for action.