Morgan (2 page)

The other seven men had all been born in Eminence but had left at some point to follow their individual career paths. They had all volunteered to return home when the Alpha had put out the call that the pride needed to train new soldiers. Ben and Cameron had been recruited by Samson when he’d been in their hometown of Pine Falls,
twelve weeks ago.

Ben couldn’t believe that he and his brother had been excited about the chance to train with Samson. “We had cushy jobs as deputy sheriffs, but were damn quick to sign up for this special brand of torture.”

“We were idiots,” Cameron said, not opening his eyes. “The man lives up to his nickname. He
is
a fucking machine. No human can do the things he does.”

“Come on,” Tanner Willis said. “
If we don
’t do it this time he’ll have us run it all night.”

Ben watched all the muddy and tired men rise to their feet and head to the start of the obstacle course. He reached out a hand to Cameron, yanking him to his feet once his brother grasped his arm.

“Bet I can do it a full minute faster than you,” Ben said. He smirked at his brother and pushed him toward the rest of the group.

“In your dreams, Benny boy,” Cameron said. They all stretched out their muscles and waited for Samson to blow his whistle. Not one of them wanted to do this fifty-mile course again today. Not one of them wanted to disappoint their commander. Samson was honing their naturally fast and strong shifter bodies into something extraordinary. They’d all make it in under twenty minutes this time.

Ben was the last one over the line, having stopped to help Asher Pollock out of the pit he’d fallen into. Ben looked at his watch as soon as he reached the finish. Eighteen and a half minutes.

“Thank fuck for that,” he said, gulping down air as he struggled for breath.

“Thanks for pulling my dumb ass out of that pit,” Asher said. “When the hell did Samson dig that?”

“While you ladies were all sleeping,” Samson said. He was smiling broadly, obviously thrilled that he’d caught one of them in his trap. Ben didn’t know how he managed to make changes to the course every couple of days. He could only assume that Samson never slept.

“Ben and Cameron, I have a surprise for you,” Samson said. He tipped his head toward the bunk house.

“Oh no. I may not survive a surprise,”
Cameron said.

Cameron walked just as swiftly to the bunk house as Samson. He wasn’t nearly as worn out as he was pretending to be. As they rounded the corner, Ben saw the man standing at the foot of the stairs and ran to embrace him.

“Evan, when the hell did you get back?” His big brother looked tired, but he was here, and he was alive. Ben released him to let Cameron hug him.

“Just got out two weeks ago,” Evan said. “I’ve been home to see the folks and now Samson has asked me to come down and join in the fun.”

“Right, fun,” Cameron said. He tried to glare at Samson, but it turned into a smile. They all really liked the commander, and they’d been loving the training.

“Shit. You two look so different,” Evan said. He looked them both up and down. “You both look to have gained about forty pounds of muscle. I may have to use both hands to beat you in a fight now.”

Ben looked at Evan and then at Cameron. He was right. Cameron was no longer slim and lean. He resembled Evan now, not as tall, but just as thickly muscled. “Can we take Evan into town for a beer, Samson?”

“Sure, but he’s taking you all out for sniper training at 0600 hours, so don’t drink too much.”

The whole group groaned, but none of them meant it. They loved all the weapons training.

Ben pretty much loved all of it. Close combat, unarmed combat, stealth and observation. What Samson had been teaching them went far beyond the scope of what they’d learned as deputy sheriffs. Being a cat shifter, Ben had thought he had speed and stealth as an innate gift. Samson had shown them how much better they could all be.

After a quick shower they all went into town to the newly opened club, The Mountain Air. Two of the other trainees, Wes and Troy Pollock, were the owners. The twins had made a fortune in computer software design and had refused to drive thirty minutes to nearby Grand Springs to drink. Their solution was to renovate an old abandoned building off Main Street and open their own club.

“The place
looks fantastic, Wes,
” Ben said. “Your contractors did good work.”

“With beer as the incentive, are you surprised?” Wes said. He and Troy left them to go and speak to their bar manager, a human male who had been poached from the rival bar, Rory’
s, in Grand Springs.

“So you’re out for good?” Ben asked as Cameron brought their beers to the table. The club was busy, with most of the tables filled.

“Yep. I’m not a SEAL anymore,” Evan said. “I’ve been at it for fifteen years, and people were starting to notice I hadn’t aged. Plus, I was ready for a change. I’ve had enough of war.” Ben could see the weight of those fifteen years in Evan’s eyes. “I also heard about the mates.”

“There have been a few of those over the last six months,” Cameron said. Ben saw the wistful look on Evan’s face.

“Are you thinking of going to look for your mate?” Ben asked. Evan was only fifty-seven, and had previously shown no interest in settling down.

“I wasn’t until I saw our folks. The mates sound like they’ve really changed the whole town. For the better, too.” Evan said. Ben and Cameron looked into their beers and nodded. Aiden, Kaitlyn, Meg, Abbie, and Brody were all special people with some unusual attributes, and they’d brought a wealth of happiness to their mates in Pine Falls.

“Vampires and demons,” Ben said. “Who would have guessed?”

“To be honest, I was a little envious of them,”
Cameron said.

“You never said anything.” Ben and Evan both looked at Cameron. He held his hands up in surrender.

“Caleb and his brothers, Sean, Brayden, and even the feral twins, they were different once they’d met their mates. They have a special bond.” Cameron took a deep breath and released it with a sigh. “I want that one day.”

Ben and Evan both clinked glasses with Cameron. Ben hadn’t said anything to Cameron or his parents, but he’d been glad to get away from Pine Falls. He knew exactly what Cameron meant. He felt empty inside when he was around the mated couples. His cat knew it was missing its soul mate and it wasn’t at all happy. Neither was Ben.

When he was exhausted from Samson’s training he no longer felt that missing piece as keenly. He told himself he was making himself into a better mate. When he found his mate, he wanted to be able to keep her safe from any threat.

The last six months had given them a glimpse of the evil the world held and he wanted to be prepared for anything. Once he found her, nothing was ever going to hurt her.

Morgan could hardly contain her excitement as she waited in the front pew of the small Catholic Church. She’d discovered that
Sister Vincenza
was indeed still alive and,
amazingly
, still came to St Bernard's each morning to arrange fresh flowers. She was ninety-three years old and continued to arrive at five in the morning. Morgan covered her mouth as she yawned.

She’d arrived at the motel in Lansing late the evening before and had only gotten a few hours’ sleep. She’d called the church en route and been thrilled to hear that the Sister was still here.

She could have waited until the following day and enjoyed a sleep-in, but she was full of nervous tension. She felt sure she was close to finding out who she really was. Close to perhaps discovering who her birth mother was
. Then
maybe she’d no longer feel that emptiness inside her.

Hearing footsteps, she rose and turned toward the back of the church. Seeing the elderly woman with her arms filled with flowers, Morgan rushed down the aisle to help her.

“Here, let me hold some of these for you.”

“Thank you, young lady,” the Sister said. She released some of the bouquets to Morgan and continued her trek to the front of the church. “Are you the woman who has come to see me? You’re here very early. It must be important.”

Sister Vincenza put her flowers down on the altar and turned to look Morgan up and down, a small frown creasing her lined brow.

“It’s very important to me,” Morgan said. She put her flowers next to the Sister’s and wiped her sweaty palms over her jeans. This might be monumental to Morgan. A life-changing moment.

“
Well, we’d better sit
then. Come.” The Sister was tall, with a straight spine and a sharp gaze. Morgan was thrilled. It all pointed to her not being affected by dementia or the forgetfulness of old age.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Sister,” Morgan said. She sat and turned her body to face the old nun. The Sister was still gazing at her, her brows now even more deeply furrowed.

“I understand you’ve come a long way. Why don’t you tell me why this is so important to you?”

“My name is Morgan Trent. I was adopted at eight months of age and am searching for information pertaining to my birth parents. I came across some information that said you placed a six-month-old baby into the welfare system twenty-two years ago. The age, sex, and eye color are a match for mine. I was hoping it may have been me.”

Sister Vincenza stood and straightened her habit. She ran her hands over the fabric, smoothing it even though it showed no creases. “I’m afraid I can be of no help to you, young lady.” She walked to the altar and began undoing the ties on the bouquets.

“Because it wasn’t you, or because you don’t remember?” Morgan asked softly. She was deflating rapidly. Feeling crushed. She hadn’t realized until this moment just how much hope she’d put into this being the breakthrough she’d
needed.

“Because I made a promise and I won’t break it.” The Sister didn’t turn to look at her, just continued her work.

Morgan surged to her feet and ran to her side. She did remember. “Please, I need to find my birth mother. I have this … this part of me that needs to know who she was. Why she left me. Who I am.”

Sister Vincenza put down the flowers and cupped Morgan’s cheek with her cool, rough hand. Morgan was a good ten inches shorter than the older woman and felt very much like a small child as the woman stared into her eyes.

“You told me who you were. You’
re Morgan Trent. Weren
’t your adoptive parents good to you?”

“They were, they are, amazing. My mother died six months ago. Despite the love shown to me I’ve always felt that I had something, some secret, buried deep inside of me and it’s waiting to be set free.”

“That’s a child’s dream, a flight of fancy. Not the sort of thing you should cling to now that you’re a grown woman.”

Morgan felt herself getting angry and frustrated. Her eyes burned with unshed tears, and she dashed a hand across her face to make sure none had spilled out. This woman was refusing to help her. Even though the sister had made a promise, if Morgan was the baby in question then she felt that she deserved to know.

“
Look, I don
’t even know if I’m the baby we’re discussing. If I am, then I think I deserve to know all I can about my mother, and if I’m not, then the information will go no further. I promise. I have no wish to hurt anyone. I just want to know about my parents.”

Sister Vincenza gasped and pulled her hand away from Morgan’s cheek. She was shaking her head and muttering what sounded like a prayer under her breath.

“I thought it was you. You look very much like her, but I wasn’t sure until I saw your eyes.”

Morgan was confused. “My eyes?” She reached up and wiped away the tears that were now running down her face.

“They are glowing, just like hers did. You
are
the baby I held in my arms that night. You and your sister were so tiny, so cold and hungry. I will never forget the way it broke your mothers heart to leave you both with me.”

Morgan’s head swam and she felt her knees begin to buckle as the Sister pushed her back onto the pew.

“I have a sister? Well, shit and damn. I have a sister.”

“Fuck no. Not now,” Michael said. He pinged the IP address and started another search. His fingers tapped on his desk as he waited impatiently for the result. “A cyber cafe, great.”

He stood and ran down the hall in search of his brothers. He couldn’t believe a threat had surfaced now, not when Bethany could give birth any day. Samson was going to be beyond pissed.

“Samson, Jason, where the fuck are you?” Michael skidded to a stop as his gorgeous mate stepped into the hallway directly in his path.

“
Michael.
” Bethany laughed as he swept her into his arms instead of bowling her over. “What are you yelling about?”

“
I don
’t want to tell you just yet,” Michael said. Their bond as mates made it impossible to lie to her, but he wasn’t lying. He wanted to talk to his brothers before he worried Bethany with this.

“Is this another I-can’t-tell-Bethany-because-she’
s-pregnant
issue?” Bethany pursed her lips, her laughter evaporating. “I’m pregnant but I refuse to believe I’ve become fragile.”

“After everything you’ve survived I would never make the mistake of considering you fragile, darlin’.” Michael kissed Bethany tenderly and walked with her into their kitchen. “I just need to speak to Jason and Samson first.”

“You stink of fear and anger, Michael,” Bethany said. She pushed against his chest until he reluctantly set her on her feet.

“This”—she rubbed her distended belly tenderly—“is my cub, too. Don’t you think I deserve to know if something is threatening him or her?”