Alpha Squad: Boot Camp

Chapter Three

Chapter ThreeAdam wasn't sure how long he had been running through the woods when he stopped. What was he even doing?

They had entered the park, looking for the crime scene the two detectives at the police station had told them about, when some activity up ahead had stirred his suspicions and compelled him to give chase. He hadn't even taken the time to alert Eric or the rest of the team what exactly he was up to, he'd just gone for it.

And now, he was probably a mile away from where he started. How was he going to explain this? Something had awoken his animal instincts and compelled him to run. What—or rather, who—he'd been running after smelled like a bear, but not like any he'd ever met before.

There was something different about this scent, something… tempting.

He scratched his head and turned back again, tracking his as well as the other shifter's footprints to where all of this had begun.

Even though it was already quite dark, he could clearly see the taped up crime scene in the distance. But his team wasn't investigating the crime scene, they were about ten feet away from it, leaning over something on the ground.

"Where did you rush off to, soldier?" Major Williams demanded.

Adam averted his gaze from hers. Ordinarily, he did not appreciate being questioned like that, but she was unquestionably in charge of this unit. A lot had changed ever since he'd joined Alpha Squad, even his attitude. "Ma'am, I was chasing an intruder."

He glanced at Eric, who had his arms folded. The other team members stood by in silence. Bentley glaring as usual, whereas Cooper—for lack of a better description—just looked vacant. Blackwood wasn't even looking at Adam; instead, he was still focusing on that something on the ground they had all been studying moments ago.

"Bro, I'm telling you, there was somebody here," Adam insisted.

"I understand. But you can't just run off like that. We're a team, remember?" Eric said.

Adam sighed and nodded. His older brother was right. Teamwork wasn't his forte.

"What's that?" Adam asked, pointing at the thing Blackwood had been staring at.

"Looks like a shred of clothing," Blackwood said, leaning down to pick it up.

"Wait!" the major snapped, causing Blackwood to flinch back. "Remember your training; police procedures 101. This may not be part of the crime scene, technically, but it's still evidence."

Blackwood relaxed again and retrieved a pen from one of the pockets on his technical vest. He picked up the fabric by balancing it on the end of the pen and held it up at face height.

All three shifters on the team leaned in closer to inspect the item.

"Don't tell me you're going to sniff the perp out!" Bentley protested.

"Whatever works," Eric said.

Adam found himself lost for words. That scent. It was so much stronger on this piece of fabric, but it unmistakably belonged to the bear he'd just chased. He found himself almost overwhelmed by it. Floral notes complemented a rich, warm, inviting base scent that reminded him of a cinnamon roll fresh out of the oven.

"Definitely female," Blackwood remarked.

"I agree," Eric said.

"Why on earth would some woman be snooping around a murder scene in the dark?" the major wondered aloud.

"Not just any woman," Eric said.

"Bear shifter," Adam finally spoke up.

The three humans—Bentley, Cooper, and Major Williams—all turned their heads in his direction.

Was it what he said? Or how he said it? Had they caught on to the strange effect this female bear's scent had on him?

Adam pressed his lips together and waited for someone else to speak. After running off without warning on their very first field assignment, the last thing he needed was to make an even bigger fool of himself.

Eric broke the silence. "It's not so dark for us. She would have been able to see just fine."

"Ah, yes, of course," the major mumbled.

"Well, this is all highly suspicious. We've got bodies that have been mauled by something with large, sharp teeth, and now a bear shifter woman tampering with the crime scene." Bentley cleared his throat. "It's got to be our suspect, surely!"

Adam frowned. That was a bit of a stretch.

"That's one theory," Eric said.

"We'll investigate all possibilities," the major said. "But just in case this is our murderer, then we must follow protocol. Under no circumstance are any of you—that includes you, Adam—to go after this individual on your own. We don't know what she's capable of. It's too risky."

Adam frowned again. She'd been faster than him, sure, but she'd had a significant head start, and she'd shifted, which explained the torn clothing. Although a confrontation with a fellow shifter wasn't without risks, he couldn't accept that she posed a threat to him, or anyone else. Perhaps she had another reason to be here tonight.

But voicing out his doubts would just get Bentley riled up again. Adam decided to keep his thoughts to himself.

"Blackwood, secure that piece of fabric as per protocol. And let's actually investigate what we came here to see, the crime scene." Major Williams pointed her flashlight back in the direction of the police tape.

The bright light was a bit distracting. Adam, as well Eric and Blackwood, would have found it easier to see in whatever natural light there was. Of course, the humans weren't able to function that way.

Despite having trained together, there was still a lot Adam had to get used to now that he was working so closely with members of another species.

They spent about an hour in the park, investigating, discussing, and taking notes and samples. But the more they talked about the case, the more obvious it became to Adam that Bentley had already made up his mind. The man clearly didn't believe in coincidences.

The shifters, Adam included, took a more pragmatic approach. Rather than point the finger at one of their own, they wished for more information.

"She's definitely been here, within the tape boundary," Eric said.

Adam and Blackwood nodded in agreement. But why?

Bentley scoffed. "As I've told you. She's the one. Though you lot being able to smell her around the place is not going to do us much good as evidence."

Adam rolled his eyes.

"We should probably examine the body," Blackwood suggested. "Get a better sense of what we're dealing with.”

The others paused for a moment. It was a logical request, but Adam wasn't keen to get too close to a dead body. The pictures they’d seen at the police station were plenty graphic for his taste.

"Excellent thinking, Blackwood," Major Williams said. "I will put in a request with Chief Inspector Huddersfield tomorrow morning."

Adam glanced at Eric, who showed no sign of worry or distaste at the prospect of getting close to a viciously mutilated murder victim. Then again, Eric famously never showed his emotions.

Fine. We'll suck it up and carry on, then, Adam thought.

Whoever the woman in the woods was, perhaps she wouldn't be anywhere near that squeamish. She's voluntarily wandered around a bloody crime scene by herself, right until Adam and the rest of the team arrived. He wouldn't be a coward about it either.

Major Williams rounded everyone up. "Let's call it a night. Tomorrow the investigation really begins."

"Yes, Ma'am," the squad responded in unison.

Together, they marched back to where they'd left the Land Rover. Private Callahan had either not moved at all in the time they were in the woods, or had hearing as good as any shifter, because she was in position behind the wheel already.

"To the inn," Major Williams instructed.

Callahan nodded and turned the key, causing the old engine to cough to life.

It didn't take them long to pile into the back. Soon after, the vehicle started its short drive to their stop for the night: an old farmhouse that had been converted into a pub and inn. This wasn't half bad.

The scents emanating from the dining hall were promising as well. After a whole day on the move, Adam's stomach could not wait to sample all that this place had to offer.

A quick glance around the rest of the team suggested everyone, including the humans, felt the same.

The hearty meal put Adam in a calmer, more reflective mood. He found himself sitting in a big leather armchair around the fireplace at the far end of the pub. His brother Eric sat opposite in the other chair.

"It's not quite what I expected," Adam said.

"What is?"

"This mission."

Eric nodded. "Well, I suppose few things in life are as we expect them to be." He glanced across the room at the major, who had been deep in conversation with Private Callahan. Adam frowned when he noticed the major pause and looked up in Eric's direction. More of that nonverbal communication stuff he'd noticed earlier in the day.

"What's going on between you and the major?" Adam blurted out.

Eric blinked a few times and pressed his lips together as though he had been caught in the act.

"Bro, don't you tell me it's nothing. I have eyes," Adam insisted. His brother had a hard time sharing, but Adam was ready to pry him open once and for all.

"Don't you say a word to the others," Eric spoke in a low growl.

Adam rolled his eyes. "As if. Now, spill!"

Eric stared him down in silence for a moment, until he finally started to explain. "Fine. We're mates."

That made perfect sense, but the revelation still came as a bit of a shock to Adam. "Mates? Bro, when did that happen?"

Eric shrugged. "I could feel it from the beginning. Just like the stories go."

Adam sat back and scratched his chin. "When we saw her at the motorway services?"

Eric nodded.

"Wow. And nobody else knows?" Adam asked.

Eric gave him one of those disapproving big brother looks. "Of course not. How do you think Bentley would take it? Or bloody General Stone, who—"

Adam's eyes widened. "General Stone, who, what?"

Eric shook his head. "No. None of your business. And anyway, it's not important. The main thing is, we're a couple, and nobody can know about it, at least for now."

Adam did his best not to stare at Major Williams from across the pub. He'd never thought of her that way. The woman wasn't someone to mess with; the way she ran the squad demonstrated as much. And to think that she was basically like his sister-in-law? It was a lot to take in.

"But you knew it immediately, like, when you saw her?"

Eric frowned at him. "Why are you so interested in this?"

"Just… no particular reason," Adam said.

Eric squinted at him, like he could see right through his lie. Of course Adam had a very specific reason for asking these questions. The scent of the woman he'd chased through the park had had a very odd effect on him. Could something similar be going on here as what had happened between Major Williams and his very own brother?

"I suppose it was a combination of things. Seeing her, her scent, a kind of magnetism between us. It's tough to explain."

Adam nodded. That was already a lot more information than he could have hoped for. Bottom line: you knew it when you felt it. There was only one solution: Adam had to find the woman who had been in the woods today and figure out exactly how he felt once he saw her face-to-face. Only then would he find out the whole truth about her.