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who had no idea who or what she was and probably wouldn’t care even if he did know. She swallowed hard. Perhaps she’d been right all along and that was all she was, a prize to be won and without that lure she wasn’t good enough for anyone…
    She’d survive this, go back to Pavlovan visit the Oracle and find a new mate. If she could get Mac out of her system…
    That was the part she was finding difficult.

Chapter Five
    Mac finished packing and went out to meet the incoming shuttle. He’d managed to occupy himself with work for the past few days and hadn’t seen Neeve at all. She’d done as he’d asked and contacted Kaiden for him to be removed from her pool of mating material. Forcing himself to rebuild his psychic shields had been much harder than not seeing her. He yearned for her like some stupid teenage crush and wanted to be with her all the time.
    “Dammit.” Mac muttered. “This is the best way.”
    “I beg your pardon?”
    Kaiden stood at the doorway of the shuttle, his large frame filling the space. The snow was falling heavily and a thick white mist had descended over the base making it difficult to tell the ground from the air.
    “Sir.” Mac snapped out a salute.
    “Captain McNeil.” Kaiden’s gaze fell to Mac’s backpack. “I need to speak to you before you leave.” He stepped out of the way. “I’ve also brought someone you know.”
    Mac went still as one of his least favorite people on the planet stepped out from behind Kaiden’s vast bulk.
    “Captain McNeill.”
    “Professor Dean.”
    “It’s good to see you again, Captain.” The professor’s dark eyes scanned Mac’s face. “I need to run some tests before you can leave.”
    “I’m no longer in your program. It was dissolved.”
    Professor Dean looked back at Kaiden who had remained by the now closed door.
    “The professor has authority to examine you, McNeil.”
    “Who from?”
    “The Commander in Chief.”
    Kaiden’s shields were so high that Mac could get nothing out of him. He saw the disdainful glance Kaiden gave the professor and knew that he wasn’t the only one who trusted the scientist about as much as a used plutonium salesman. Which was odd, because Kaiden had always been the great believer in the program--the one who’d insisted everything would turn out right.
    Mac let out his breath. “The medical lab is through here, Professor.”
    He led the way through to the medical wing only to find that the professor’s entourage were already milling around the space and making it their own. He didn’t recall giving anyone permission to install new tech into the lab, but he suspected his protest would be ignored.
    Professor Dean’s arrival meant the minions scattered, leaving Mac alone with the woman. She settled at one of the terminals and glanced at him.
    “Strip please.”
    Mac took a deep breath. “Why is that necessary?”
    “I need to do a whole body scan.”
    “For what purpose? I’m officially on leave.”
    “As you’ve already been notified, your leave has been cancelled by the authority of the Commander in Chief. Do you want to be court-marshaled?”
    Mac held the professor’s gaze. “To be honest? At this point, I don’t really give a shit about continuing my military career as long as you keep your hands off me.”
    “If you are court-marshaled and found guilty, you won’t be allowed to go free and live a normal life. Who would want a super soldier living next door? You’ll be sent to my lab, and I’ll own you.”
    “I’d rather commit suicide.”
    “And if you attempt that, you’ll be considered mentally unstable and I’ll be empowered to round up all the other males who were in the program with you and have them exterminated as a threat to our great nation.” She paused. “Is that what you want?”
    He simply stared at her, his hands fisting at his sides.
    She smiled. “But it doesn’t have to come to that, does it, Captain McNeil? Just stay here, mate with Dr. Neeve for