Free The Lycan Society (The Flux Age Book 1) by Steven J Shelley Page A

mission, Florence,” said the Mother flatly. “You’re one of our best warriors. I know that.”
    Florence turned away. “Didn’t help Martin,” she said, surprised at the emotion welling inside her. She hadn’t realized how guilty she felt for not staying in that alley.
    “There was nothing you could do,” the Mother said firmly. “Don’t confuse guilt with regret. The latter is a complete waste of your time.”
    Seeing the logic of this, Florence nodded.
    “Now,” said the old woman. “Listen closely. I’m about to give you a street address in Berlin. I want you to take the girl there as soon as you touch down. Our contact will do the rest.”
    “A diviner?” Florence asked with trepidation.
    Mother Arena nodded.
    Diviners were said to be able to ‘see’ a person’s spirit beast. The Lycan Society used them occasionally for this purpose, but they were notoriously elusive and unstable. It was said that with every successful divination they edged a little closer to madness. Florence didn’t relish the prospect of making contact with a diviner, but Yasmin Silver was clearly of great interest to the Lycan Elders. She would protect the girl to the best of her abilities. She tried to wipe her recent mission with Martin Halliday from her mind. There was still something that troubled her about the mission.
    “It’s too neat,” Florence said abruptly.
    The Mother arched an eyebrow, prodding Florence to continue.
    “You find a diviner in Berlin at the same time Herr X is spotted there? I smell a trap.”
    The Mother nodded slowly, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. Her eyes gleamed with pride. “That’s the Florence I know,” she said. “It’s a pity you have no interest in being a Mother.”
    Florence couldn’t help but smile. Mother Arena permitted her to operate in the field, however her IQ tests indicated she would make a superb commander one day. But Florence would have none of it - she had a rare werewolf ability and was going to use it in the heat of battle. She was a warrior.
    “Yes,” the Mother agreed, “it certainly looks like a trap. But our Chapter in Berlin suggests the diviner is legitimate nonetheless.”
    Florence felt a cold anxiety in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t like the sound of this one bit. Why walk straight into a trap? The Elders must really want to know more about Yasmin Silver.
    “Understood, Mother,” she said, looking her superior in the eye. “But if you wanted to keep Yasmin around, why assign her to me? Surely Jack would be a better choice.”
    “I saw the way she was looking at him,” the Mother conceded, shifting her attention to the earth globe. “But Jack Foley hasn’t quite become the man we hoped he would be.”
    Florence waited, thinking the Mother might elaborate, but she said no more.
    “Good luck, child,” the Mother said quietly, already ruminating on other matters. “Protect Yasmin like a sister.”
    “I will, Mother,” Florence said as she left. The formal nature of the briefing worried her. She’d never seen Mother Arena so distracted, so troubled.
    She took the elevator down to the skirmish rooms. There, lycans could shift freely in a safe environment. Werewolves were of course able to control themselves, but the max shifters were supervised by handlers who ensured they didn’t harm others accidentally. From what Florence had heard about max shifting, there was usually an instinct that prevented the shifter from harming pack brothers and sisters. Still, it certainly paid to have the skirmishing rooms monitored for anything untoward.
    Florence found Jack and Yasmin in the main skirmishing hall watching a bunch of werewolves undertake an aerial evasion course. The hairy male operatives swung on cables attached to the high ceiling, dodging concrete blocks and other random obstacles. In their current state they moved incredibly fast, chattering to each other in low, guttural growls. Florence rolled her eyes - these guys were probably