Free Living Extinct by Lorie O'Clare Page B

werewolf out with a code zero meant they no longer existed. The bitch had been too young to die.
    Rose watched the program start to run. She scanned the profile of the young bitch, Moira Tangaree, age twenty-three. She was from the island of Malta. Rose had never heard of Malta werewolves, but there were many breeds out there. She imagined the young bitch’s pack were beautiful in their furs.
    “It’s taken care of,” the werewolf at the desk said.
    The older werewolf looked down at her and nodded once. “Shut down your computer and come with us, please.”
    Rose didn’t like the sound of that. She glared at him, doing what he asked and ignoring the curious stares of the other bitches in the room. She hadn’t done anything wrong. Respect ran deep among werewolves. She wouldn’t question the two werewolves in front of the other bitches. But as soon as they were alone…
    “Show me your badges, please,” she said first thing when the two werewolves closed the door behind them.
    She crossed her arms and stared at the suits, managing to keep her heart from pounding furiously in her chest. There was no way they’d smell her nervousness.
    43
    Lorie O’Clare
    “Of course.” The gray-haired werewolf moved around the desk.
    This was Paul Ortiz’ office, her boss. Most of the time he was in the field, as he’d been all week. Rose pretty much ran this branch. The older agent pushed a button on the side of the desk, allowing a small panel to appear. Without hesitating, he punched in the code that secured the office, locking the door and ensuring no recording devices were activated.
    Rose’s heart lodged in her throat. No one was supposed to know that panel existed.
    One at a time the two werewolves showed her their badges. She nodded mutely, noting only the stamped insignia indicating they were official WA agents. She despised the salty smell of nervousness, especially when it came from her.
    “Rose. Have a seat.” The gray werewolf barely moved his mouth when he spoke.
    She swallowed, fighting fear that welled up inside her. She’d done nothing wrong.
    No matter that these werewolves had the power to destroy a den, a pack, anyone—that wouldn’t happen to her. All she did was clerical work. Her review had come back with rave scores. In two weeks she’d be out of here. There wasn’t a damn thing to worry about.
    Taking the seat opposite him, she straightened, holding her head high. “What can I do for you?” she asked calmly.
    The salty smell of her nerves dissipated. She let out a slow breath, calming her still rapidly beating heart.
    “We need to discuss the code zero that was just canceled.” More than likely his mouth barely moved when he spoke because he’d grown too accustomed to showing no emotion.
    Rose nodded. She followed him so far.
    “The bitch, Moira Tangaree, isn’t dead. We know her abduction occurred while on a recent mission. Our job is to find her. The order to delete her file was false and we’re still trying to track where it came from.”
    The other werewolf stood behind her. Regardless that the three of them were in a sealed office, neither werewolf offered any smells that would allow her to detect their emotions. That bothered her. Werewolves with no feelings, no scent to pick up, couldn’t be trusted. After all her years with WA, she’d think she’d be accustomed to it. Instead, it was one of a growing list of things that annoyed her about this agency.
    She frowned, not completely understanding. “Okay,” she said slowly.
    “The bitch whose file you were about to delete isn’t dead,” he repeated, “but she is missing. Let’s say she’s been compromised. Tell me what your normal procedure would be under such circumstances.”
    If he was testing her, she wasn’t amused. No way would this werewolf have reached the level he was at without knowing procedure for a compromised agent.
    “Their file is pulled and put in hibernation until further orders come