“Thank you,” I croaked.
After Bear left the room, I crawled into bed. Jordan and Alex’s scents surrounded me, and I breathed deep. I wanted to immerse myself in their aroma. I already missed them terribly, and worse, I was so worried. It was going to be a long three days.
25
Jordan
The Alpha Division consisted of ten shifters from around the country. Our division was only one of many the U.S. government had under their thumb. Each group was stationed in a different sub-area. Our division was responsible for four states, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. We had been called to help neighboring sectors in the past, but it didn’t happen often.
Before going into the mission, we met up at command central, as we liked to call it, but it was really just a warehouse on the coast of North Carolina. For the most part, all ten members of the Alpha Division were put on a rotation. Not every member went on all missions. The six of us that were chosen for the mission Wild Hunt, stood around a large table with Teij.
Blue prints were spread out, as he went over our course of action. As our commander, he would be seeing over our strategy, but he would not be joining us for the mission. When Teij wasn’t present, I was the active second.
I stood beside Teij with Leo on my right. Leo’s blond hair was shoulder length and pulled back with a rubber band. There was a boyish quality about his face. He was in his early thirties, but could have easily passed as a seventeen year old. His other form was a lion, and though he gave off an easy going attitude, the man was fierce.
Alex stood across from us, on the other side of the table next to Paul. Paul was a cherry, new to the Alpha Division. This was his first mission. I hadn’t figured him out yet. The man was dark in all aspects. Many things went on behind those black eyes, and I liked to keep an eye on him. His form was a jaguar like Alex and me, but he hadn’t come from our community. He said he was from farther north, but I didn’t know where yet.
Terry and Hawk stood to Teij’s right. Terry was a fox shifter and our best sniper. The woman could hit any target dead on and knew how to hide. She was average height and slim build, with short dirty blonde hair that spiked up in the back. Her face was model beautiful, when she wasn’t scowling at one of us. She was the only woman on our team, and although we liked to tease by calling her Foxy, we tried not to give her too much shit. She was too good at her job for that.
Hawk was just as his namesake. He could fly over undetected and keep our asses out of trouble. The man was tall and lanky, but was as strong as the rest of us. His brown hair was cut short and business like. His eyes were brown and his face seemed average. In fact, his total appearance was average. If you didn’t know any better, you would have thought he was an accountant or some shit, not part of a paranormal military operation.
Teij was a large man, around six feet, five inches and as dark as midnight. His bald head and silver hoops dangling from his ears gave him a menacing appearance. His white teeth practically glowed against his dark skin, adding to the effect.
Teij wasn’t a tyrant, though. He was a bad ass, but he had an eerie calm about him that made you think he was just waiting for the right time to pounce. I thought shifting into a Bengal Tiger had something to do with that, hunting their prey and all.
Before moving into the town, we had mapped out our positions. Wilde Mountain was oddly shaped, almost exactly like a dartboard. They were surrounded by mountains, then the first of their property began. The outside ring consisted of heavily wooded forest, which was excellent for shifters to run and hide. Next was a ring of farmland and then the residential area.
Our goal was to hit the bull’s eye, center of downtown, Wilde Mountain. The Town Hall was where we should find our first target, Alexander James Wright Sr.
“Alex and Leo, I want both of your alter egos coming in from the north.” Teij pointed to the top of the map. “Make your way to this house, 124 Wickham Lane. That’s where the drugs were being stored as of last week. At Jordan’s command, fire it up.”
Teij didn’t wait for their approval, he just continued. “Paul, I want you coming in from the east and meet up with Jordan at the bull’s eye.
“Terry, you’re coming in from the west. Make your way to the bull’s eye and set up high. Hawk, do what you do best. Take to the sky and keep watch.”
Everyone gave a nod, ready to get going.