My gaze darted around the darkened hallway as we walked. “Anna is this way,” Agent Walters said as he led the way through the small field office in Ashville. “Just fair warning. She is going to be pissed when she finds out you are taking over her case. She’s been working on it twenty-four-seven since it landed in her lap a few weeks ago. Anna’s a bit feisty so watch out.”

I guess I couldn’t really blame her. “Thanks for the heads up.” I looked at Myles who gave me a sympathetic look.

Jace and Maisy had taken off for the morgue once we’d landed. I hoped they’d have some good news for us. I really didn’t want this to be a pack we were facing. It would be hard to make sure we got the entire pack. And if we missed even one member, there was nothing to stop them from moving on to another town and starting over again.

Walters banged on a door and then opened it. “Anna, you have some special agents here to see you.” He moved out of the way and motioned us into the office.

I moved around Walters and went into the small office. It was quaint, with only room for a small desk, chair and filing cabinet. A single desk lamp was on and the bright white light from the laptop drew my gaze to the woman behind the desk.

My heart skipped a beat when my eyes met Anna’s. She was stunning, with brilliant, bright-blue eyes and long, curly blonde, hair. And she smelled amazing, like wildflower honey, my favorite.

It was enticing and reminded me of home where my parents harvested wildflower honey. I fought the urge to close the distance between us, haul her into my arms and bury my face in her neck.

I didn’t even know where those thoughts were coming from. I’d never reacted to a woman like this before. Shifters usually only found their true mate in other shifters. It had probably just been too long since I’d been with a woman. I needed to focus on the case, not on getting laid.

My hand went to my jeans, and I pulled my badge off and held it up for her to see. “Agent Wheston, I’m Special Agent Connor Briggs. This is my partner, Myles Daughtry. We are here to officially take over this investigation. I’ll need all your notes and files on the case immediately.”

The smile fell from her face. Her jaw worked for a minute as she looked between me, Myles, and Walters. Walters backed out of the room and scurried down the hall like a coward. Anna stood up slowly and came around the desk.

Her nostrils flared as she crossed her arms over her chest. “This is my case. You can’t just barge in here and demand to take it over.” She held out a hand. “Do you have any official paperwork?”

I dug into my pocket where I’d shoved the orders from Gavin and handed them to her.

She snatched it out of my hand, unfolded the papers, and skimmed over it. “I’ve never heard of the SPS before. Who do you work for?”

“It’s classified.” The SPS, Shifter Protective Services—yeah not the best acronym but it worked—was classified.

Her eyes narrowed before she folded the papers back up and crossed her arms over her chest. “I have top-level security clearance. I’m not going to just hand my case over to you, especially when you work for some classified department that I’ve never heard of. I’ll need to check this over with my superiors. You can wait in the hall.” She pointed to the open door.

When Myles and I made no effort to move, she pointed again and inclined her head toward the door. “Hall’s that way, boys.”