2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

F ury

I'm jolted awake by my phone's insistent buzzing, the harsh sound echoing through the empty common room of the Wolven Warriors headquarters. Groaning, I roll off the couch and snatch the device off the coffee table.

"What?" I growl, not bothering with a greeting.

"Fury, get your ass to the briefing room." It's Bold, our fearless leader. "We've got a situation."

I glance at the clock. 2:47 AM. Fanfuckingtastic.

"Can't someone else handle it? I just got off a double shift."

"Nope. This one's all you, sunshine. Briefing room. Five minutes."

He hangs up before I can argue further. I let out a string of colorful curses in both English and Wolven. You'd think after being on this forsaken planet for over a quarter of a century, I'd have earned a bit of a break. But no, apparently being the token "wild wolven" means I'm always on call.

I slouch into the briefing room with thirty seconds to spare, ignoring the pointed looks from my fellow Warriors as I slump into a chair. Bold stands at the front, his expression grim .

"We've got a missing person on Mount Baldy. Human female, late twenties. She's a wildlife biologist up there studying lynx or some shit. Didn't check in with her team and they're worried, especially with a snowstorm rolling in."

I raise a brow. "And this concerns us why, exactly? Don't the humans have their own search and rescue teams?"

Bold fixes me with a hard stare. "They do, but they requested our assistance. And you've got the special skill set, bro."

I let out a humorless laugh. "Oh, so now they want our help? After designating us as Others and keeping us locked in the Integration Zone like animals for the past twenty-six years? That's rich."

"Fury, come on, man," Lash scolds from across the table. "This isn't about politics. It's about saving a life. None of them can scent a trail like we can."

I open my mouth to fire back a retort, but Bold cuts me off.

"You're the only one here who ran with the wolves back on An'Wa. The only one with any real experience in the wild, let alone the snow. Like it or not, you're our best shot at finding this woman alive."

I clench my jaw, hating that he's right. I may despise humans—except for Jasmine and Candy, Bold and Courage's mates who are now part of our pack—but I'm not about to let an innocent person die just to make a point.

"Fine," I bite out. I'm done arguing and don't want to get Bold or the rest of the team in trouble, but one thing is clear. I'll do this my way.

Bold nods. "You'll head up the mountain with a small human rescue team. Sounds like they'll divide you into groups. Grab your gear. By the way, there are already flurries, so pack warm. They're picking you up at the Zone gate in ten."

As I stalk out of the room, I can't help but feel a twist of bitter irony. Twenty-six years ago, I was ripped away from my pack and homeworld by some unknown force that dragged me through that damn Rift against my will. Once here, I was prodded and experimented on by human scientists who saw me as nothing more than a lab rat, then forced to live in a barbed wire enclosure, separated from humans.

And now, here I am, suiting up to risk my life to save one of them. If my packmates from An'Wa could see me now, they'd laugh their asses off.

But then again, they're not here, are they? They're lost to me, just like everything else from back home. All I have left is my rage, my skills, and my Warrior brothers. And if using those skills means saving a life, even a human one… well, I guess that's just the fucking job.

After going upstairs to my apartment—we work on the first floor of the Wolven Warriors HQ and most of us live in apartments up above—I strap on my gear with practiced efficiency. My mind is already shifting into mission mode. The storm will make tracking a bitch, but if anyone can find this missing biologist, it's me.

Let's just hope she's still alive when I do.