The Pack's Luna: The Pack Series Book 4 novel Chapter 402

Jude

Getting out of the van served two purposes. First, it forced Wendy to rely on herself and not me. She’s still lacking self- confidence. That needs to change so she can take on these types of jobs in the future by herself and the teams can feel confident in her abilities because she is confident in her abilities.

The second reason was because I was on the verge of crossing a line. It didn’t occur to me when I asked her to come along that I’d be in close quarters with her, having her scent filling the air around me, her sweet voice in my ear non-stop, and the heat of her body so close that it would take nothing for me to strip her down and bury myself inside her. I’m fairly confident that she wants the same thing, but she’s underage and I know she wants to save herself for her mate. I respect that about her, and I don’t want to take that away from her on the off chance that I’m not her mate. If I am her mate, which I’m really hoping is the case, then I’ll just be delaying the inevitable and I’m patient enough to wait a couple of months until she turns eighteen.

But fuck me it’s hard to be in those close quarters with her, desperately wanting her, and not being able to do a damn thing about it. When I got out of the van I was so fucking hard I thought I might shoot off in my pants.

But I hadn’t left her on her own. I’m responsible for the Alpha Squad on this mission and I understand the responsibility that goes along with that. While I trust Wendy to figure things out, I can’t put the team at risk while she does. But she didn’t need to know that. If she had, she wouldn’t have risen to the level that she did so quickly. It was the same as answering Raptor’s questions about Cyra and Lila’s safety before we left the Academy. She knew the answer, she just needed to feel confident enough to tell Raptor.

“Should I help you?” she asks from the van as I start stacking the wood to start the fire.

“No. Continue to monitor them as they make their way north. Watch for anything that might be a threat to them,” I say, walking back inside the van and instantly going hard again. Goddess, I love the way Wendy smells.

“You’ll need to watch ahead of them,” I tell her, showing her on the monitor. “If you see anything that moves that’s larger than an otter, holler. If you see something large that isn’t moving, tell them to stop and get me. Lack of movement is more concerning than movement,” I say.

“Why? Because Stellan is hiding?”

“Exactly. We don’t know what he’ll do if they stumble across him and flush him out,” I say, looking over the monitor and not seeing anything concerning.

“I don’t think he’s on that side of the river,” she says, watching the monitor.

“I don’t either. If he tried to cross the river, he’s way the hell downstream by now. I’m sure if they don’t find anything, Raptor will take us south tomorrow or the next day to try and pick up his scent. Once they’re in the water, you need to watch them. Cipher and Siren are new. They don’t have the stamina that the others have and they already struggled to cross the river once. Raptor will try to keep them close and help them cross if they start to struggle, but you need to watch them in case they get caught in the current so we can rescue them if needed.”

“So, it’s not just keeping them safe from predators and Stellan. It’s also the elements that we help to monitor to keep them safe,” she says.

“It’s our job to keep them safe from every possible threat,” I tell her.

“What’s pool time?” she asks as we watch the team on the monitor.

“You’ll get it if you make to the second year,” I tell her.

“You don’t think I’ll make it?” she asks and I hear the hurt in her voice.

I turn to look at her, making sure she sees the truth in my eyes. “I think if this what you want, what you really want, nothing will stop you. But you have to decide if this is the world that you want to live in. This,” I say, gesturing to the van and its cramped space, “is the job sometimes.” 1

“Will I always get to go on these jobs with you?” she asks, biting her lip. Goddess, this woman will be the death of me.

“No, unfortunately. Focus, Sphinx. You’re working,” I say, hopping out of the van again and reminding myself that I’m working too.

I get the fire started, watching as the flint lights and then the larger pieces of wood start to burn. I didn’t have to get in the water to know it was cold. We had a late spring thaw, so the river water hasn’t had a chance to warm up yet. The Alpha Squad will be cold when they finally get back here.

“Jude.” The urgency in Wendy’s voice has me rushing back into the van. When I do, I see that someone is being dragged by the current.

“Cipher or Siren?” I ask, knowing the three who have been on the squad for years are strong enough to make it.

“Cipher. Raptor has Siren,” she says, pointing to the screen where I see him dragging her across.

“How far out, Wendy,” I say, rushing to the supply box in the van.

“Three-quarters of a mile.”

“We’re losing Cipher!” Raptor barks into his communicator.

“Tell him we’re on it,” I say.

“What does that mean?” she asks as I grab a rope out of the supply box. I hold it up.

“It means, I’m going to get him.”

“Jude, no! The current is too strong.”

“I’m a third year Academy student, Wendy. I’ve been in the pool many times. Tell Raptor we’re on it.”

I can hear her heartrate increasing, but I don’t have time to worry about her. I need to get to Cipher. “Make sure the others get across,” I say as I race to the river. From here, it looks deceptively calm. “Raptor, we’re on it,” Wendy says in the earpiece.

“No offense, Sphinx, but you better fucking mean Hacker is on it,” Raptor growls. “Raptor and Siren touched ground,” he says, and then I hear him running.

“Hacker is on it,” she says. I already know that Raptor won’t get here in time, but like a true leader, he’s trying to save his team member. However, I’ve never lost someone on a mission, and I don’t intend to lose someone now.

I tie the rope to a tree and hit the comm.

“How far out, Sphinx?” I ask, as I tie the rope around my waist.

“Half a mile,” she says.

“Hacker, don’t you let him get past you,” Raptor growls as Venom and Intrigue announce that they are on the ground. Both of them sound winded, but I know it won’t stop them from heading this way. They have a team member in trouble and Alpha Squad doesn’t leave anyone behind. None of the squads do, but Alpha Squad is Alpha for a reason.

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