An Alpha's Lightning (Water Bear Shifters 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

was.
    “Lance?” Ace asked. “Where’s our boy? We have to get out of here, now.”
    “I’m dropping the hoist cable now,” Lance said.
    “As soon as he’s clipped in, let me know,” Ace said. “We don’t have the time to wait for him to be pulled up.”
    “Really?” Lance asked, sounding taken aback.
    “Yes, really! Your three minutes are up. We gotta go.”
    “Alright,” Lance said. A few moments later, he spoke again. “He’s clipped. Let’s go!”
    Ben shook his head. “Brett’s about to have some fun,” he said.
    Ace shrugged. “Better a wild ride home than a dead ride home. Let’s go.”
    He turned the helicopter back in the direction of the air station. Below them, Brett swung wildly as the hoist cable that connected him to the aircraft was tossed around by the wind and the motion of the helicopter. Lance was trying to pull him in as they sped away, but the task was unusually difficult given the excessive movement. Ace and Ben concentrated on flying the helicopter while Lance did his best to pull Brett up. After a few tense minutes, Lance’s triumphant voice came through their headsets loud and clear.
    “I got him!” he said. “Brett is safely on board.”
    “Yes!”Ben shouted, followed quickly by a loud “Damn it!” as the helicopter lurched again.
    “Woo!” Ace shouted. “Nothing like a near death experience to make you feel alive.”
    “You’re crazy,” Brett said through the headset he had just put on.
    “Guilty as charged,” Ace said with a grin. “Guilty as charged. Now let’s get this bird home.”
     
    * * *
     
    An hour later, Ace was sitting in the dining area of the air station, wolfing down a plate of food. He’d been so busy that he hadn’t had time to eat all day, and it was nearly eleven p.m. A loud bang on the table drew his attention, and he looked up to see a tray of food that Brett had just slammed down in feigned anger.
    “Thanks for almost killing me, jerk,” Brett said. “Although I must say, riding around on a wildly swinging hoist cable beats the heck out of any amusement park ride I’ve ever been on.
    Ace grinned. “I think you meant to say ‘thank you so much for saving my life, Ace.’”
    Brett chuckled and sat down. “In all seriousness, nice work. That was probably our most intense rescue yet.”
    Lance and Ben approached the table, also carrying plates of food, and sat down with the other two.
    “Hey now,” Lance said. “Ace may have been the one to make sure the helicopter didn’t crash, but don’t forget about the guy who pulled you back up into a moving helicopter in the middle of the storm.”
    “Well, there would have been no helicopter to pull him into if not for my expert flying,” Ace said.
    “Sure, it was all you,” Ben said, crossing his arms. “Your copilot was no help at all.”
    Brett laughed. “Okay, okay, you guys. Thank you to everyone for saving my ass out there. But don’t forget that I’m the one who has to go into the freezing cold water on our rescue missions while you sit up there in that cushy helicopter.”
    “Freezing cold water?” Ace asked, punching Brett in the arm. “Come on, man, this isn’t Alaska. It’s San Diego. Don’t act like you’re going for a swim with the penguins or something.”
    The group laughed, but Lance’s face turned serious. “Speaking of Alaska…I have some interesting news. Do you guys remember that black bear shifter I met when I went to Northern California on vacation a few months ago?”
    “Ian? The alpha that heads up a clan of smokejumpers?” Ace asked.
    “Yeah, Ian. That’s the one. Well, his clan had a polar bear shifter join their clan last year. She’s from Alaska, and she moved away because she got caught on the bad side of some clan wars up there or something. Anyway, she went back to Alaska to visit for a few months, and met up with a friend from her old clan. The friend told her that rumors have been flying in Alaska that there’s a group of