Jared (River Pack Wolves 3)(2)

Jared wouldn’t allow that to happen.

Krepky had to be stopped, and Jared was the only one for the job. His brothers had duties to tend to, a business to run—they weren’t broken, like him. And now they both had mates to care for, families to start. Things were good for them. Jared would be happy for his brothers, or possibly jealous, but his chest had been a dark cave of ice far too long for feelings like those. There was a reason he spent most of his time in the mountains or on the shooting range. He was only good for one thing now—killing. He could shoot anything, at any distance, under almost any conditions. He knew how to compensate for wind speed, direction, elevation, gravity, and spin of the damn planet. His shifter senses helped, but it was massive amounts of training that made him what he was. That, and a long list of confirmed kills.

But he wasn’t a sniper for the Marines anymore. He’d done his job well, then walked away before he put the gun to his own head. At the time, that seemed sensible… but ever since he took that honorable discharge, he’d thought maybe that was a mistake. Maybe he should’ve stayed overseas until the war took him out. Easier that way. Better than walking around the streets of Seattle, surrounded by civilians living their ordinary lives, acting like he wasn’t already dead inside.

Then this thing with the Senator came along. If Jared could stop Krepky from enacting a law that would destroy countless shifter lives… there wasn’t even a question. It was the thing he had been waiting for—the reason he kept trudging on, day after day. He had something left to do, some purpose or reason why he was still alive, only he hadn’t known what it was until he heard the Senator’s plan. Then it became clear—this was for him to do and no one else.

Jared pulled in a deep breath of fresh mountain air, the pine scent calling to his wolf. The beast rose up under his skin and tuned his senses even tighter, sniffing the air and sensing the wind direction and speed. His eyesight sharpened as he peered through the scope once more.

It was entertaining to see the girl give shit to her father, but Jared knew his focus would wane with fatigue. Her finger-pointing and fist-clenching and red-faced fury needed to burn itself out soon, so he could get down to business and end the Senator’s plans once and for all.

It only took a few more minutes of waiting to get his wish. The girl threw up her hands, turned on her heel, and this time, stormed away. She disappeared down the hallway for a moment, but then reappeared in what must be her bedroom, slamming the door. All the drama was exposed to him with those wide, glass windows. Speaking of people who lived in glass houses and the things they ought not do—the rock the Senator planned to throw at shifters was going to bring his glass house crashing down very soon.

The girl raged around in her room, and Jared took a moment to watch. She was delicate-boned and young—probably only twenty-five. Not really a girl anymore, but twenty-five felt insanely young compared to his nearly thirty-two. Of course, his mileage far outweighed his years. Her youthful, passionate anger took a long time to cool. In fact, it seemed to be going the opposite direction. She banged on the door and threw things around her room. He watched her for a minute longer, just to make sure she wasn’t going to burst out of her room at precisely the wrong moment. But then something happened that made his mouth dropped open…

She shifted.

Jared squeezed his eyes shut momentarily, then yanked them back open. She was back to human, but there was no doubt she had shifted—because now she was buck naked. Small, high breasts. Delicate, narrow waist. Her abundant waves of hair covered her like a young Lady Godiva. Her fists were still clenched, and her face was still red with fury.

Jared watched, transfixed, as she tugged her clothes back on at a furious pace. Then she bolted, straight out of her bedroom door.

He swung his scope back to the main room where her father was mixing himself something to drink.

She didn’t appear.

Jared lifted his gaze and scanned the whole house, but he couldn’t track her. He went back to the scope, but she was gone—vanished into some part of the house that wasn’t visible from his position.

The Senator paced his living room, chugging whatever drink he had.

Jared should take the shot.

That’s why he was here.

He lined up the sight and pulled in a steadying breath that also scented the air—the updraft was gone, the gusts were low. He could hear the soft whisper of the pines across the ravine, signaling the speed. He dialed the windage adjustment, let his breath out slow… and then grimaced as he pulled back from the scope.

The girl was a damn shifter!

The slow gears of his mind were winding up, cranked by that revelation—the Senator’s daughter, for fuck’s sake. What was that about? And where did she go?