Hayes' expression hardens. "Team Echo's operational effectiveness is not your concern, Agent Mathieson."
"With respect, sir, the pattern of movements suggests this isn't just a feral shifter. It's moving erratically, and continues to be seen near large civilian populations."
"And how do you know so much about Team Echo's assignment?" Hayes asks, his voice cold and flat.
I maintain eye contact, keeping my expression professional. "Standard protocol is to review all active field operations in proximity to our own assignments, sir. The Missouri incident is less than fifty miles from—from populated areas I'm familiar with."
"The wolf shifter is a regional issue. The chimeras killed two of our field teams and three retired agents. They are the priority." Hayes' tone makes it clear the discussion is over. "Team dismissed. Written reports due by 0800 tomorrow."
Fuck.
As the room empties, I linger, scrolling through satellite imagery of my mother's neighborhood on my tablet. Nothing unusual, but the satellite passes are hours apart—plenty of time for a creature to appear and disappear.
"Something on your mind, Agent?" Hayes asks from the doorway where he's been watching me.
I stand, decision made. "Sir, I'd like to request temporary reassignment to Team Echo. My knowledge of the Midwest terrain could?—"
"Denied." His interruption is swift and final.
"Sir, with all due respect—" I push back, thinking of the subagents assigned to replace Ghost and Sherlock while they heal. Working with strangers for two weeks leaves an uncomfortable vulnerability. At least with Echo, I'd be protecting what matters most while my real team recovers, not babysitting rookies.
"This isn't about your abilities, Mathieson." Hayes steps back into the room, lowering his voice. "The chimeras recognized you. They focused on you specifically during the engagement. We need to understand why."
My blood runs cold. I didn’t report that, so that means Ghost or Sherlock did…
"Take the afternoon and evening. Go see your mother. Then report back for the Rome follow-up with your report. We're tracking sightings similar to the chimeras in three European cities."
"And meanwhile, this wolf shifter continues to evade capture," I say, the words escaping before I can stop them.
Hayes' eyes narrow slightly, a calculated look passing across his face. I suddenly understand what he's doing—giving me just enough rope to hang myself. He's denying my official transfer knowing exactly what I'll do with this "personal time." This way, if I encounter the shifter, GUIDE benefits. If I screw up, he maintains plausible deniability. "I told her to visit her mother, not hunt the creature." Typical Hayes, finding the loophole in his own protocols that serves the Agency's interests.
My jaw tightens at his political maneuvering. A few hours with my mother isn't a solution. It's a Band-Aid on a severed artery. That creature is still out there, still hunting, still moving closer to the only person who loves me knowing what I truly am.
I don't want a visit. I want that monster's head on a pike. Until the wolf shifter is eliminated, no amount of borrowed time will ease the knot of dread lodged beneath my ribs. Every minute I spend in debriefings or with those two rookies is another minute something could be stalking through her garden, sniffing at her door.
Hayes' expression shifts, something almost like concern crossing his features. "Your personal connection to that case is precisely why you're not being assigned to it, Mathieson. You know the protocols."
I nod stiffly. "Yes, sir."
"Dismissed, Agent."
I exit the conference room, fists clenched at my sides. The hallway to the locker room stretches before me, but all I can see is that bear carcass, throat torn out with devastating efficiency.
The chimeras are my father's killers. I should be obsessed with tracking them, finishing what I started in Rome. But that strange electric sensation that's been building for days now pulses beneath my skin, drawing my attention to Missouri like a compass needle locked on true north.
I press my palm against my sternum, trying to ease the pressure. This feeling started the moment that wolf shifter appeared near Mom's town. It's not just coincidence, it's a connection. The same way I've always been able to sense other magickal beings, only a hundred times stronger. Like it's calling to me specifically.
The chimeras can wait. They've eluded me for years. I can spare time to ensure my mother's safety and now Hayes has given me the ability to do so. Dad would understand that choice. The Rome mission is about vengeance for the past. Missouri is about preserving the only future that matters to me.
My phone vibrates with an incoming call—Mom. I take a deep breath before answering.
"Hey sweetheart, are you back from your trip?" Her voice is casual, normal. She has no idea what's possibly lurking less than an hour from her doorstep.
"Just landed," I say, keeping my voice steady. "Listen, I need you to pack a bag. I need you to go stay with Aunt Carrie for a while."
Silence stretches across the line. "What's changed?"
"Just a feeling."
