Born to be Broken (Alpha's Claim 2)

But this was still great progress. The secrecy of the meeting began to make sense, no one could know Leslie Kantor's secret. She would have to be hidden, the information restricted. Corday said as much. "No one can know about her. If Shepherd got wind, it would be an easy thing to revoke her access."

"Agreed." Senator Kantor had Corday's next orders. "If we kept her here, too many people would see her. We can't have questions raised. I'm entrusting my niece to you, Corday."

The honor bestowed on the low ranked Enforcer came at a very bad time, however there was no way to refuse such an important mission. Claire needed him, but the entire population needed the intel Leslie might uncover. Corday shared his news. "You should know sir, the Omegas were freed. Today we've struck two victories against Shepherd."

The Senator genuinely smiled. "I told you my bet was on Claire."

"You did."

And that was it.Jules frowned, a rare thing, and listened to the audio surveillance of Thólos's pathetic resistance headquarters. The hunt for Claire had been waylaid when report arrived that a certain Alpha female had presented herself on the resistance's doorstep.

Svana—Leslie Kantor—had a different part to play in the fall of Thólos. She had a specific mission that had nothing to do with playing rebel. And if she'd known where they were all along, why not pass that information to Shepherd.

Jules knew exactly what the bitch was up to.

Svana was hunting Claire. Of course she'd know the Omega had escaped. It was the reason he'd had the Alpha female followed since Shepherd's mate had gone missing.

And now she'd lead them right to the resistance.

The woman was truly foolish to think this act would go unnoticed. Shepherd might have lauded his beloved, but Jules did not find her cunning clever. Oh, she was useful and she was powerful, and for that reason alone, Jules had not engineered an accident for her years ago.

But she was trouble.

No matter the plan or the promises, the female was self-serving.

Jules didn't trust her, and was eager to prove that she needed to be curbed. It was the reason he chose to follow them, to make a preemptive visit to the listed domicile of one Enforcer Corday.

It wasn't difficult to breach the building. All it took was the acquisition of one terrified rebel and a few minutes of torture to learn the location of Enforcer Corday's home, and a few well-placed distractions for the dubious couple working their way across the city. While the Enforcer and Svana were still meandering through the dangerous city streets, Jules opened the door to the sad little apartment.

That first breath of air… and the Beta froze. The room was saturated in Miss O'Donnell's scent—the couch, the bed, he even found her bloody dress tucked in the bathroom hamper.

Svana could not have intended it, but she had delivered Jules right to the Beta who'd taken in Shepherd's mate.

Even if the Omega was not in the domicile, Enforcer Corday had access to her. Miss O'Donnell's retrieval was imminent.

Bugs were placed, the surveillance team handpicked by Shepherd's second-in-command, situated nearby. The job was done quickly. All that remained was to report personally to Shepherd and explain the complicated situation.Chapter 5Entering Shepherd's den, Jules could scent his commander's extreme agitation. "I have picked up the trail of your mate."

Shepherd's demand for an answer was immediate. "Where?"

The Beta detailed his report, handing Shepherd a dossier on a young male. "Since Miss O'Donnell's disappearance, as a precaution, I have had Svana shadowed. Today, Leslie Kantor chose to contact the resistance—inadvertently she led us right to their doorstep. While she was there, a Beta by the name of Enforcer Samuel Corday was charged with her protection. I personally went to the Beta's residence to bug the location before he could return with Svana as his ward.

"Miss O'Donnell was not on the premises. Her scent, however, permeates the dwelling. I also found the shredded dress she was wearing when she leapt off the roof. Enforcer Corday is the Beta with whom she found refuge before her assault on Undercroft; I believe he knows where she is. By tracking him through the grid, he will lead us straight to your Omega."

Looking up from the photograph of the handsome male, Shepherd let the weight of his glare run over his second-in-command. "You can confirm that Svana approached rebel leaders of her own accord?"

"Yes." And that was the greater issue, in Jules's opinion. "The niece of Senator Kantor has offered her passcodes to help the resistance."

The stiff set of Shepherd's shoulders, the pulse of danger in the air, warned him the Alpha was not pleased with the news. "Did she?"

"Svana is acting autonomously for purposes of her own." Jules, his chin held high, ignored his leader's silent dismissal of Svana's unsubstantiated misdeeds and outlined the remainder of the report. "She will have recognized Claire's scent the moment she entered Enforcer Corday's domicile."