Drew: Special Ops (Shifters Elite Book 4) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Shifters Elite: Drew

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Afterword

  Drew

  Shifters Elite

  Ava Benton

  Contents

  Shifters Elite: Drew

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Afterword

  Shifters Elite: Drew

  A former Special Forces wolf shifter.

  Drew’s got an assignment—true. But he’s also got it bad for a certain hottie that hates him.

  A dire wolf shifter hottie.

  Ever since those dire wolf shifters came to their rescue—and who said they needed rescue anyway—Nia’s been unable to deny her attraction to Drew. But she keeps acting like she’s hating on him.

  These shifters have enough problems with being hunted and staying hidden from the black-hat contractors that want them dead. And now love has complicated everything.

  — More Ava Benton shifters are coming! —

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  1

  Drew

  “I gotta say, that felt good last night. Hunting as a pack again.”

  Carter nodded with a smile. “You’re right. I need to lighten the hell up. I don’t know why I was so worried about shifting in front of Alice.”

  “You got lucky. All three of you did,” I said with what I hoped was a genuine smile.

  I didn’t want to be one of those people who struggled to pretend to be happy for the people he cared about. I really was happy for them. My brother and cousins were happy with their new mates, and I was sure the women they had chosen were the right ones. Nothing wrong with that.

  Even so, I was starting to feel like the odd man out.

  Carter always could read my moods, and vice versa. It was the whole twin thing. We didn’t even have to look at each other sometimes to pick up on what the other was thinking.

  “How are things going with that girl? What’s her name?”

  “You know her name,” I grumbled.

  I was glad we were walking alone around the bank of the lake, or else everybody would’ve seen the way my expression changed. I didn’t like wearing my feelings on my sleeve. It was bad enough Carter always knew what was going through my head.

  “Nia,” he said, with a knowing look.

  “Yeah. Nia. Congratulations.” I picked up a rock and threw it into the lake. “We could go back to patrolling for suspicious bad guys any time you want, by the way.”

  “Unlike you, I can focus on more than one thing at a time.” He elbowed me when I didn’t respond. “Come on, bro. What gives?”

  I looked across the lake and sighed. “I don’t know. I thought there was something going on between us for a while there, especially right after we got back from that little road trip. She seemed really happy to see me.”

  “I remember that—she practically attacked Alice, but she wouldn’t stop looking at you.”

  “Right? I was hoping we could get something going on after that, but then she started ignoring me. Acting bitchy. I don’t know—it’s not easy, hanging around here, trying to help the group out when there’s this awkwardness between us.”

  “Ever considered coming out and asking what her problem is?” he asked.

  “I have. You know me—I’m not gonna sit around and mope if there’s something I can do about it.”

  “So? What happened?”

  “She acted like I was nuts and pretty much told me there was no reason for her to act like she was mad at me because she doesn’t even think about me. Ever.”

  He shook his head. “That sounds like overkill to me.”

  “Right? I thought so, too. But whatever. There are more important things to think about right now. Like, ya know, getting home someday.”

  “Yeah. That.” He grimaced.

  “What’s that about? That face?”

  “I was born with it.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Get serious.”

  He shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I don’t know, man. I’m sort of liking life out here.”

  “That’s because you have Alice. But what if she moved out there with you? She probably would. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. It’s actually kind of sickening.”

  “Shut up.”

  “I mean, did she ever have a head injury? Something traumatic?”

  “Seriously, fuck you.”

  I chuckled. “Honestly, though. I bet she would.”

  “Is that even fair? To ask our women to live with us because we can’t live anyplace else? I can’t help but wonder.”

  “Good point. I wish I knew what to tell you.”

  “It’s okay. Rhetorical question and all that.” He took a deep breath. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with him lately.”

  “Dad. You can call him Dad.”

  “He doesn’t even go by the same name anymore. He’s Jordan now. I’m sorry, I’m trying to be okay with this, but it’s hard as hell.”

  “I know,” I said, even though I didn’t understand why he had to be so damn stubborn.

  It didn’t have to be as complicated as he was making it. I reminded myself of all the stupid stunts he pulled when we were kids, just for the sake of doing them. Jumping off the roof came to mind first. And Dad had warned him, obviously, which had made my brother even more determined to jump. Two broken legs and an entire wasted summer later, he still didn’t learn his lesson.

  “As I said, you’ve been spending a lot of time with him.”

  “And the sky is blue, and the grass is green. What’s your point?”

  “My point is, I was wondering why. God, you’re such a smug pain in the ass sometimes.”

  “And you’re just a general pain in the ass. Why do you want to know so badly? Why not come chat with him sometime, and you’ll see all we’re doing is spending time together.”

  “Making up for lost time?”

  “Maybe. What’s so bad about that?”

  “Nothing. I don’t know.” It was his turn to toss a rock into the lake.

  “You should come over to his cabin sometime. I know he would appreciate it. And you might feel better if you do.” I knew he wouldn’t—I’d have to drag him, kicking and screaming. Come to think of it, Roan and Slate might have to help with it.

  Alice waved to us as she jogged up.

  I felt Carter’s mood lift as soon as he saw her.

  “Hey! I have the first draft together. I can’t wait for you to read it.” She threw her arms around his shoulders and planted a loud, smacking kiss on his mouth.

  I guessed it was sort of cute. Maybe.

  “First draft?” I asked, looking from her to my brother.

  “Oh, you didn’t tell him?” she asked, turning to me. “I’m writing a new seri
es of articles for my paper. All about what happened to your dad and your uncle, and all these other people.”

  “Wait. What?” I glared at Carter.

  “Sorry, I forgot to mention it. What’s the big deal?”

  What was the big deal? The big deal was I wanted to drown him. I couldn’t believe he would even let her think that was a good idea.

  I wished she wasn’t standing there, looking all hopeful and shiny and happy. I didn’t want to ruin things for her.

  “Are you sure it’s a good move to publish something like that right now?”

  Her face fell. “I shouldn’t do it?”

  “It’s not that you shouldn’t write it. Just… maybe this isn’t the best time to publish. That’s all.”

  “I just want to help. I feel like I have to help somehow. I started all this.”

  Carter draped an arm over her shoulders and shot me a dirty look. “You didn’t start anything,” he said, rubbing her arm. “They started it. Whoever conducted the experiments, whoever wants to cover up what they did. Not you.”

  “Even so,” she whispered.

  Her skin went paler than usual, making her freckles stand out even more. She looked about ten years old when her eyes went wide, the way they were just now.

  Time for a little damage control. “Don’t sweat it. I’m just being overcautious as always. Carter will tell you; I do it all the time.”

  “He’s basically an old woman,” Carter added.

  I shrugged like there was nothing I could do about it.

  She gave us a weak, shaky smile. “Okay. Anyway, will you come back to the cabin and read it?”

  “Of course.” He kissed the top of her head and led her back, but not before throwing me a couple of dirty looks over his shoulder.

  I would get an earful when we were alone again. That was okay, since I had one for him.

  I looked out over the lake and weighed the pros and cons of taking Alice’s article to Dad. On the one hand, I understood her need to help out. I would feel the same way in her position. I didn’t want to shoot her down.

  On the other hand, she wasn’t thinking clearly. Neither was Carter. Too busy getting laid to think straight. I gritted my teeth and reminded myself it wasn’t his fault. He wanted to make her happy. Even so, she was potentially putting the entire group—including my family—in deeper shit.

  Minutes later, I knocked on the door of Dad’s cabin and hoped Carter would forgive me one day.

  “Come in!” Dad called out. He sounded authoritative. He was used to being in charge.

  I opened the door, and he smiled from where he was in the middle of a set of pushups.

  “Hey. Sorry if I’m interrupting you,” I said, hanging out in the doorway.

  He finished his set and got up on his knees. “You should know better than to think you ever have to apologize for coming to see me.”

  I couldn’t help it. No matter how pissed off Carter was at him, I couldn’t help loving that I had my father back.

  We could never go back in time, but we could make the most of the time we still had. I wished he wouldn’t ruin things the way he was.

  “Thanks.” I closed the door behind me and sat at the little desk under the window. I imagined him sitting there, watching over his people, making plans. “I have something I think you should know about, but I need you to promise that you’re not gonna lose it and you’re not gonna tear into Carter for it.”

  He grimaced. “That doesn’t sound good.”

  I watched as he took a towel from inside the bathroom door and wiped the sweat from his face. It would take a little while for me to get used to the jagged scar running from his temple down to his jaw.

  “I know Alice’s heart is in the right place…”

  His expression changed. “Alice. Yes. I’ve been meaning to talk to Carter about her.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I warned.

  “Not to criticize her. She sounds like a nice girl, though I do wish Nia and Lance had had the sense not to talk to an outsider the way they did. But Alice didn’t know any better. I can’t blame her.”

  “I’m glad you feel that way, because she’s trying to help now.”

  He froze. “How?”

  “She wants to write another series of articles, this time telling people about your experiences. How the experiments changed you and the others, and why you’re now hiding.”

  His nostrils flared. “She can’t be serious.”

  “Remember, she doesn’t know who she’s dealing with. She still doesn’t understand.”

  “But he does. I can’t believe he would encourage something like this.” He headed for the door—

  —I managed to get up and put myself in his way, but just barely in time to stop him.

  “Please, don’t go over there angry. It’ll only make thing worse.”

  “I haven’t done anything to make things the way they are,” he argued. “Your pig-headed brother is the one who can’t accept my apology or take the time to understand why I did what I did. I refuse to coddle him.”

  “Terrific.” There was nothing I could do.

  They were basically the same stubborn, willful, listen-to-nobody assholes when they wanted to be.

  I stepped aside, and he flung the door open before storming outside.

  “Good morning!” Nia called out.

  She was a real ass kisser.

  Yeah, okay, maybe I wouldn’t have thought that if she hadn’t pissed me off.

  Dad either didn’t hear her or was too pissed off to answer. Either way, her face fell.

  I pretended I didn’t notice as I followed him to the cabin Alice and Carter were sharing.

  Not like she mattered right then, anyway. I was too concerned with World War III, about to take place in Carter’s cabin.

  2

  Drew

  Dad pounded on the door. His shoulders sat just slightly south of his ears. His hands tightened into fists, hanging by his sides.

  “Please, calm down,” I muttered.

  I felt how close he was to losing control of his temper and it unnerved me. I had never seen him lose it before—his top priority was always keeping himself under control for our sake. But we were young then, and still learning what it meant to be who and what we were. I wasn’t sure he would give Carter that courtesy as an adult.

  If he heard me, he pretended not to.

  Meanwhile, I held my breath, ready for him to shift at any second.

  The door opened. Carter fixed Dad with a steady stare. “Good morning. What did I do now?”

  Dad snorted, but looked past my brother and straight at Alice. “I want whatever it is you wrote.”

  Carter shifted his position, placing himself between Dad and his mate. “Excuse me?”

  “Carter, this has nothing to do with you. Yet. What’s important right now is making sure that article doesn’t get published.”

  “I don’t understand,” Alice said in a very small voice.

  “Now’s not the time,” Dad said.

  I noted the way he controlled himself when he spoke to her—it reminded me of the way I’d speak to a terrified animal or a small child. Like he had flipped a switch inside himself and was a gentle parent all of a sudden. “It’s very important that we keep ourselves as hidden as possible and deal with this on the sly. Out of the public eye.”

  Carter huffed and puffed. “Yeah, we see how well that’s gone so far. Two of the four of us lost our father permanently—and the other two might as well have.”

  I winced.

  Carter really knew how to drive a point home.

  Dad stood tall. “As usual, son, you don’t understand half of what you think you know—but that doesn’t stop you from shooting your mouth off. I guess I only have myself to blame for that, since you get it from me.”

  Carter folded his arms over his chest. “Why don’t you clarify for me, then?”

  “What’s the point? I can talk until my face is blue, but you on
ly hear what you want to hear. You insist on misconstruing even the simplest points, so long as you can twist the truth into a narrative which supports your ideas.”

  I winced again.

  He was right about that, and he cut right to the heart of it. Just like Carter usually did, I noted. They were disgustingly alike sometimes.

  Carter’s expression softened a little. Just a little. “I’ll listen.”

  “I would like to come in, if possible.”

  Carter hesitated—then nodded and stepped aside.

  Dad walked in, followed by me.

  Cold fury rolled off my brother and hit me head on. We would have words later.

  The cabin was just like Dad’s—small, but homey.

  I wouldn’t dare let more than two people stay in one, not when one of the two people was as large as me or my brother.

  Technically, the cabin was for Alice, but Carter was staying with her. For protection.

  We did our best not to give him too much shit for calling it that.

  Dad sat down on a worn-out couch whose springs protested weakly.

  Carter stood in the center of the room, arms still folded, while Alice sat on the bed. She reminded me of a kid getting ready to be chastised in front of the entire class.

  “All right. What is it that I don’t know?” Carter asked.

  I wish he would take the snide tone out of his voice. He couldn’t possibly know how ridiculous he sounded.

  Dad turned his dark, troubled eyes toward me. “This involves you, too,” he explained in a softer tone than before. He sounded much older all of a sudden.

  “What do you need to tell us?” I asked.

  Before answering, Dad looked over at Alice. “I trust this is off the record—but if you’re important to my son, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t hear this.”