Free Wolf Pack by Crissy Smith Page A

hint of blood on whoever was watching him.
    Instead of walking to the right past Zak, and straight to whoever was hidden, he headed to the left. As soon as he was off the gravel path he sped up and ducked behind a large tree.
    He stripped off his clothes before he dropped to his knees. It was easy to start the transformation. He’d had years and years of practice. Cole embraced his animal side and the wild.
    His vision sharpened as the forest around him narrowed. He could pick up on so much more in this form. His senses were heightened while purely human, but when he gave in to his wolf, the world around him changed even more.
    Cole took off at a run. He raced through the woods until he could see where he’d stood earlier. There was no one around now but the scent was fresh. He could track it. He was in hunter mode.
    Male. A wolf shifter. He broke through a couple of bushes, taking him toward the safe zone. As he chased he could tell his prey had also started to run. The bitter odor of fear grew the farther he ran from the Alpha house.
    It was a good thing that he knew the area so well. That gave him a better idea where whoever he was after was heading. Instead of going straight toward the cliffs, Cole knew a shortcut that should bring him in front of the suspect. He picked up his speed but concentrated on his surroundings. The Coalition agents were around somewhere and hopefully they either scented him or his quarry.
    The rush of water was louder as he rounded the corner close to the cliffs. No one knew how many caves were in the area but the number of hiding places had to be large. He slowed down, trying to figure out where the suspect wolf shifter was heading. If he didn’t know the area well, Cole would guess he’d go to one of the obvious cave entrances. He could see three from the rise he stood on.
    He jumped down onto the rocky edge and listened. The first sound to reach his ears was labored breathing before the echo of bushes being trampled.
    Cole gave a wolfy grin. He’d called it right.
    Crouching, he waited to pounce.
    Even with his heightened sight Cole would have to depend on all his other senses, with the moon not providing enough light for him to see where exactly the shifter was coming from.
    The thud of paws alerted him and he launched himself out of the shadows and tackled the fleeing wolf. They both rolled but Cole, having been ready, easily took his suspect by surprise.
    The dark-brown wolf tried to claw at his stomach, but Cole gripped the smaller shifter’s neck in his powerful jaws and clamped down. Instantly the wolf shifter went limp, knowing that Cole was bigger and stronger.
    He growled to ensure that his message was received. Move or fight and Cole would be on him again.
    Cole released his bite before he took a few steps back to get a good look at the cowering male. He breathed deeply to make sure that he had the suspect’s scent in case he ran again. Once satisfied, he lifted his head and howled. A call to anyone close by that he needed help. With the other Coalition agents somewhere in the area he hoped they would respond.
    Above him he heard a screech. He narrowed his eyes but finally spotted an eagle flying in his direction. He howled again. The wolf on the ground flinched. Cole settled in to wait for backup.
    Luckily it wasn’t long before company arrived. Luca was the first to come stumbling over some rocks. He barely missed running him over.
    Cole growled. As a coyote, Luca was a lot smaller than him but there was something about him when he shifted that was just a little on the crazy side. Even Cole would think twice about going up against him in a full battle where they both took their animal forms.
    Luca stalked closer to the dark wolf and sniffed him before turning his back. He bobbed his head at Cole before he retreated to the side and began his transformation back to human.
    When he was human, so of course naked, Luca grinned at Cole. “Your turn,” he said. “I’ll watch