Checks, Balances and Manipulation by Charlie Richards

Out of the Cage: A man with a sordid past that comes back to bite him must decide how best to protect those he loves.

Jared Templeton has been mated to his wolf shifter, Carson Angeni, for over a decade. Having spent the first half of his adult life as a high-paid assassin, Jared thought he’d struck a decent balance with pack life. Everything changes when their beta takes a position on the Shifter Council. That forces Alpha Declan to hold a challenge for a new Stone Ridge pack beta, which draws in unfamiliar wolves.

The way one of the contestants—Larson—watches Jared arouses his suspicions, but he tells himself he’s being paranoid. Jared wasn’t being paranoid, and Declan’s daughter Sara is kidnapped. Even though they manage to save her, Jared still blames himself and acts rashly in an attempt to catch the culprits. His choice puts not only him but Carson in a tight spot with their alpha and a few others in the pack. Will Jared remember that pack is there for each other and aren’t just people to protect? Or will Jared’s past catching up with him create too big a wedge to overcome?