What Happens Under a Full Moon...

When naturalist Maya Everton travels to Washington State, she is nearly attacked by a pack of wolves—until another wolf arrives to drive them off. Later, she discovers Lieutenant Ryan Blaiddinger shifting and realizes he is her mysterious protector. Ryan is a member of the elite unit of shapeshifters known as Alpha Force, whose mission is at cross-purposes with hers...

But as news of the attacks spreads in the small community, the scientist and soldier unite to protect area wolves from locals who will stop at nothing to decimate the perceived threat. And close together in the moonlit woods, they may not be able to resist their own natural instincts...

“So when are you going to explain everything to me?”

Ryan said nothing for a long minute, although he did take her arm to help balance her. A real gentleman.

A wolf in man’s clothing—casual, ordinary-looking clothing, right down to his own athletic shoes.

A wolf…

“There’s not much to explain,” he said. “You saw me. I’m a shapeshifter who changes into a wolf sometimes.”

“Then it was real, not some kind of hypnosis or mind control?” Although even if it had been, she’d have no idea why he’d have done it to her.

“No, it was real.”

She slipped a little on some leaves beneath her feet, possibly because of the distraction and unease his words caused within her. He caught her, and she was very aware of his touch.

A human’s touch.

But still…

LINDA O. JOHNSTON loves to write. While honing her writing skills, she worked in advertising and public relations, then became a lawyer…and enjoyed writing contracts. Linda’s first published fiction appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and won a Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for Best First Mystery Short Story of the Year. Linda now spends most of her time creating memorable tales of paranormal romance, romantic suspense and mystery. Visit her on the web at www.lindaojohnston.com.

Protector Wolf

Linda O. Johnston

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

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Protector Wolf is dedicated to wolves of all kinds, as well as people who love and protect wildlife. And like my other Alpha Force Nocturnes, Protector Wolf is also dedicated to shapeshifters and the readers who love them.

Plus, despite this being repetitious, again my special thanks to my wonderful agent, Paige Wheeler of Creative Media Agency, and to my delightful Harlequin editor, Allison Lyons. They’re so great in helping to keep the stories of Alpha Force an ongoing miniseries. Protector Wolf is number eight!

And, as always, thanks to my amazing husband, Fred, whom I acknowledge in each of my books because he inspires me. My hero!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Extract

Copyright

Chapter 1

Lieutenant Ryan Blaiddinger strode quickly down the sidewalk.

Beside him were his dog, Rocky, and his aide, Staff Sergeant Piers Janus. The two soldiers were dressed in civilian clothing—nice slacks and button-down shirts. They were here in Fritts Corner, Washington, undercover.

According to the map on Piers’s phone, the park they sought was only a block away. Ryan scoped out the whole street—fairly narrow, considering it was the quaint town’s main avenue. Some of the buildings appeared to have been constructed more than a century ago, with spires, decorative windows and wide porches that led into restaurants and other retail establishments.

“We’re almost there,” Piers said, staring at the phone in his hand. Piers was short and a bit stocky, and despite his being in his early twenties his blondish hair had begun to thin. But he was a damned good helper—in many respects.

Piers held Rocky’s leash, and the dog bounded along with him.

The dog with thick brown-and-black fur who resembled a wolf.

A wolf who looked a lot like Ryan...when he was in shifted form.

The air was brisk but dry on this Thursday afternoon in September. Cars drove by in both directions, with no hint of any traffic jam in this small town. People passed by as well, and a few headed in the same direction they did.

Interesting that on the day of their arrival a public meeting was scheduled about the very topic they’d come to check out.

But maybe it wasn’t too surprising. After all, though there had been sightings of wild wolves for years in various areas of Washington State, even identification of some small packs, the latest new sightings had been right around here, in this area southeast of Tacoma.

And when Ryan, sounding as offhand as he could, mentioned wolf sightings to their hotel’s receptionist a short while ago when they checked in, she had immediately perked up and told him that a naturalist had just come to town and was going to talk on that very topic in less than an hour.

That was really interesting since wolves previously hadn’t been spotted around here much for a long time, the receptionist had acknowledged. Lots of people in town were fascinated by the situation...though some weren’t too happy about it.

There. The open-air park, mostly green, rolling lawn with a few trees, was finally off to their right. A large crowd stood on the grass facing a raised podium that appeared old and worn, perhaps even constructed around the same time as the rest of the town.

On it stood a tall and slender woman. A screen behind her contained a photo of a wolf, projected there by some modern equipment that clearly wasn’t as antique as the town.

“The pictures I’ve shown you are from other areas in Washington,” she was saying into a microphone so her deep, energetic voice projected around the area. “It’s so exciting that wild wolves have been returning to this state. Of course WHaM has been keeping up with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s postings online, as well as US Fish and Wildlife, which has jurisdiction for their protection around here. We’re thrilled—and tracking them, too, taking a census including the official estimate of nineteen packs in the state. Plus, we encourage the media to let the public know. Any media people here?” A few hands were raised. “Great!”

WHaM. That was Wildlife Habitat Monitoring, Ryan knew. He needed to talk to this woman after her presentation, and using his cover of being with the US Fish and Wildlife Service—not the state’s—should make it easy for him to find out everything WHaM knew about the latest wolf sightings.

Of course their agenda was far different from his. Wolf sightings to them would be just that—evidence of the continuing but slow return of wild wolves to increasing locations in this state, fewer here than in the eastern part. And some had already been destroyed after attacking livestock, though not in this area.

Ryan was here on his first lead assignment representing Alpha Force. Rocky and Piers had come along as his backups. He was the only commissioned officer present—and the only member here of that covert military unit of shapeshifters who was actually a shifter himself.

For the moment, he eased his way through the large group of onlookers, men, women and children of all ages, knowing that Piers would follow with Rocky. Rocky might garner some attention since he looked so much like a wolf, but that was because he was Ryan’s cover dog. He had been chosen because of his resemblance to Ryan in shifted form. That way, in case anyone noticed him while shifted, they’d be told it was Ryan’s dog they’d seen. Him as a shapeshifter? What a laugh.

Or so went the cover story he’d been provided by Alpha Force.

He finally reached the front of the crowd after excusing himself and smiling and looking apologetic to lots of people along the way.

What did they all think of the slow influx of wolves around here?

Were any of them shapeshifters, too?

Ryan would find that out while he was here. Quickly. It was a major part of his assignment.

And if there were other shifters? Well, he’d determine, once he’d found and spoken with them, exactly what that might mean with respect to their lives here...and, potentially, to Alpha Force.

Right now, though, he moved over to give Piers and Rocky room to stand beside him. The woman was still talking, speaking with such excitement that it appeared contagious. Lots of folks in his area were cheering and clapping.

Which meant he’d better take time to listen.

“Wolves are such wonderful creatures,” she was saying—and that warmed his insides immediately. This close he could see how attractive she was, with a curvaceous body and a face pretty enough to put her onstage for something other than a wildlife proponent rally. “They’re smart, loyal to their packs, loving to their families and more. They’re—” She had been scanning the crowd with her gaze as she spoke, sometimes waving her slender arm beneath its black WHaM T-shirt up toward the screen behind her, where the pictures of wolves had now turned into a rotation. But now she stopped.

She was looking down toward Ryan, which gave him immediate pause—until he realized she was instead staring at Rocky.

“Is that a wolf among us?” she asked, this time looking right into Ryan’s eyes, or so it appeared from this distance.

He smiled and called out, “No, he’s my pet, a shepherd-husky mix for the most part, I think. But I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some wolf ancestry in there, too.”

“Me, neither,” she said. But cocking her head so her long, pale brown hair slipped to the side, she held the microphone back up to her mouth. “Okay, folks, you’ll need to see that adorable dog before you leave here this afternoon, especially if you’ve never seen a wolf before. But one thing I should mention is that wolves are wild animals and should stay that way.” She paused, and again stared right into Ryan’s face so intensely he felt as if she was almost touching him. Maybe slapping him. But she looked away again before she said, “Everyone, never, ever, try to turn a wild animal into a pet...especially wolves.”

* * *

Maya Everton wanted to jump right off that stage and confront that guy. No, what she really wanted was to meet that wolf-dog face-to-face, hug it, feel its soft fur.

And then let it loose, as wolves should be. Only she realized that, even if that canine had once been wild, as a pup or older, it could probably not survive in the wild now.

Maybe she could talk to his owner later, find out the dog’s background, so she could hopefully feel content that she was wrong, that this truly was a canine with dog genes that had never actually been a wild wolf.

“Okay,” she was saying despite her thoughts twisting in so many ways. “Has anyone here seen any of the wolves that have visited this area?”

A woman way toward the back of the generous crowd waved her hand. Maya was thrilled that so many people had shown up to see her, to hear her talk about WHaM and its excellent work keeping track of wild animal sightings—wolves and more. But the latest influx of wolves was a big deal here. Newsworthy, and they needed to be protected. WHaM maintained a comprehensive file on all the wolves sighted recently in this state—more in the eastern areas than here, though that might be changing. Her organization had been in close touch often with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and had a good relationship with them.

Like other wildlife, wolves weren’t appreciated in all areas of the state, especially those where some had apparently attacked local farm animals. But around here, they had a fresh start.

She called for the woman to come up to the microphone and describe her experience. While Maya waited for that lady to make her way through the crowd, she looked again toward that wolf-dog. Gorgeous.

His owner wasn’t bad-looking, either—as long as Maya could regard him without anger. Well, for now she’d give him the benefit of the doubt.

The woman soon joined Maya onstage. She introduced herself as Ivy. Ivy appeared in her fifties, with a lined face and a huge smile. “I live near here,” she said, “but a distance out of town. It was so amazing. I heard some howling in the dead of night and looked outside, only to see a couple of wolves jump over my fence, run through the yard and then out again. It was light enough under the full moon that it didn’t matter that I’d forgotten to turn on my porch lamps.”

“Really? That’s so exciting!” Maya really was impressed, wishing something similar had happened to her. She’d had to seek out every wild animal she’d seen herself without any miraculously appearing. “And did you let anyone know officially?” She thought she recalled a report on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife site, or WDFW, that could have been a description of what had happened to this woman but she wasn’t sure.

“Absolutely. I researched online what to do and filed a report there with Washington’s fish and wildlife department. Only—”

She stopped, and her face seemed to age visibly.

“Only what?” Maya prodded gently.

“Only the one thing I forgot was to grab my camera.” Tears rose in her eyes.

Maya couldn’t let her leave the stage feeling bad, so she said, “But you took a picture in your own mind, I’ll bet. Will you ever forget what they looked like?”

“No, never.” The lady smiled, and Maya gave her a brief hug, encouraging her to rejoin the rest of the audience.

Her presentation was pretty much over—at least for this day. “Thank you all so much for coming,” Maya said. “And just remember some of the takeaways I suggested to you. First, you should all be proud, as Washington residents, that wolves are returning to your state and this area, and should continue to as long as you treat them well. And second—keep up with what we’re doing at WHaM in our tracking of wildlife and otherwise. Provide reports to us, too, and photos if you happen to take any. But be sure to report, as Ivy did, to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and maybe the federal fish and wildlife department, as well. And if you care to make a contribution to help us keep WHaM going, that would be more than welcome. Just visit our website that’s on our flyers. I’ve got a boxful right here on the stage.”

“There’s something else you should all remember,” yelled a voice from the audience. Maya’s gaze lit first on the guy with the wolf-dog but he was scowling in concern. He hadn’t been the speaker.

“What’s that?” she asked, feeling as if she was setting herself up for some kind of bad situation.

She proved to be right. A couple of men and a woman separated themselves from the middle of the crowd and made their way onto the stage beside her. She felt her brows go up and a slight smile make its way to her lips, even as she continued to figure this wasn’t likely to be anything good.

One of the men, maybe her age of late twenties, wore a plaid shirt and a huge, snide grin. He put his hand out for the microphone. Reluctantly, she handed it to him.

“You all know me,” the guy said to the audience. He turned back to Maya. “But you don’t. My name’s Carlo Silling. I’ve lived in Fritts Corner all my life. This is my town, and those wolves getting close aren’t a sign of wonderful things to come, no matter what you and your wham-bammers seem to think. You don’t live here. You’re not subject to the danger that wild wolves can present to people, as well as any livestock they raise. They’re just that—wild animals. And I’d suggest you leave this stage, leave this town and let us take care of our own bad luck.”

* * *

Ryan felt himself freeze with tension as his hands curled into fists at his sides.

He’d been staring at that guy Silling as he’d come onstage, as well as the others who’d accompanied him. The malicious, menacing way they regarded the naturalist whose name he’d learned was Maya Everton made him want to rub those expressions right off their faces.

“I agree with Carlo,” the woman yelled to the crowd. “I’m Vinnie Fritts—and this is my husband, Morton.” She nodded toward the man in a yellow shirt beside her. “You all know us and how long we’ve been around Fritts Corner—Morton’s family especially. Who needs wild animals here to hurt people and ruin our wonderful town’s reputation?”

Ryan stood then and, grabbing Rocky’s leash from Piers, maneuvered from the front of the crowd and onto the stage.

Time to express their cover story.

“You’re all certainly entitled to your opinion,” Maya was saying. She had somehow retrieved her microphone and was glaring at the three interlopers. “But the reality is that if you stay away from wildlife, particularly wolves, they’re likely to stay away from you, too. You do need to be careful on behalf of your pets, though, since they can often resemble prey. And—”

The guy Carlo reached out and grabbed the microphone again, even as Maya attempted to hold on to it. “Yeah? Well, what if that lady Ivy happened to be in her backyard that night she saw those wolves? Or—”

This time, Ryan was the one to grab the microphone, even as the other guy, Morton, started to stride toward him.

That was when Rocky growled—and the guy stopped.

“See what I’m saying?” Carlo yelled out to the crowd.

Ryan smiled as he spoke into the microphone, not pleased to see those who’d admitted to be with the media continuing to take pictures. Oh, well. His cover was solid. “This is my dog, Rocky,” he said, “who only resembles a wolf. He’s well trained in many ways, including my protection. Threaten me, and he threatens back. But look, everyone. The appearances of wolves in this area clearly started months ago, even longer. I’m unaware of any farms or dairies around here. Have any people been hurt?”

That wolves had been seen, per Ivy’s story, around a month ago under the light of a full moon, intrigued him—but he’d check more into that later.

Maya strode up to him. She was as tall as she had appeared from below, though she wasn’t close to his height of six-two. He’d noted the fear and dismay on her face as he’d gotten close to the stage, but now she’d recovered all her aplomb as well as a huge smile that she leveled on him. “Thank you, sir,” she said. “And thank you, pup.” She turned toward Rocky, standing beside Ryan, who nuzzled her hand and wagged his tail just like any well-trained, friendly dog.

“That’s his way of saying you’re welcome,” he told her unnecessarily, loud enough that the audience should be able to hear. He was gratified to hear a bit of laughter.

“So, as this gentleman asked,” Maya continued, “has anyone been hurt since the wolf sightings started?”

Apparently not, since no one responded in the affirmative even though the low roar of the crowd’s voices grew louder.

“Great. Anyway, please keep in mind what I said before. And thanks to all of you for coming.”

“You’re welcome,” shouted a female voice. “Thank you for coming. And I totally agree with you.”

“Me, too,” chorused other voices in the audience.

“That’s so wonderful,” Maya called back. “You’re totally in the right.”

“So are you, and WHaM,” yelled a skinny guy in the front row, doing a fist pump.

“Thanks,” Maya returned, smiling down at him for a second before turning away.

Ryan was amused that Maya ignored the others onstage as she approached the table where her computer equipment rested. He joined her there, Rocky at his side.

“I’m Ryan Blaiddinger, with the US Fish and Wildlife Service,” he told her. “Count me with those who liked your presentation. And I want to hear more.”

“That’s great, Ryan,” she said. “Glad to meet you. You can join us.” She once more picked up the microphone from the table and spoke into it. “Hey, everyone,” she called to the now-disbanding audience. “I just got an idea. Can anyone suggest a bar in town where we all can meet?”

A bunch of people spoke out once more, this time making suggestions. The decision was to go to Berry’s Bar, a nearby establishment that sounded fairly large and accommodating.

“See you there?” Maya said, turning back to Ryan.

“You can bet on it. In fact, Rocky and I would enjoy walking there with you now.”

“Of course, though I need to drop some of my things off at my car. I want to learn more about your wonderful wolf-dog.” Her tone had turned soft and loving as she gazed down at Rocky—making Ryan wish for a moment that she’d been speaking about him instead. Which was ridiculous. She was a potential information resource for him, and that was all. And of course Rocky was one special dog.

“Good. Ready to go now?” Ryan glanced toward Piers, who stood near them. His assistant nodded briefly. He was ready to go—and to have Ryan’s back, if needed. Maybe Maya’s, too, since for now, at least, their goals seemed aligned.

“Just a minute while I gather up my stuff and turn this area back to the park personnel,” Maya told him. “Then I can join you.”

The idea of her joining him for any reason sounded much too good.

He was going to have to be careful in this lovely wildlife lover’s presence.

Chapter 2

Maya had encountered controversy before. She thought about that even more as she moved about the stage, first watching the local park attendants pick up their gear, then packing up her notebook and tablet computers, printed files, WHaM brochures and other items she’d brought.

The crowd below dissipated noisily, leaving the grass they’d been standing on bare, but she didn’t hear any arguments among them. Maybe the pro-wolf people and anti-wolf people had gone their separate ways. Good. She hoped to meet with a lot of the pros shortly. Maybe some of the media, too.

But as much as she disliked it, controversy was sometimes part of her job. Despite the growing numbers of outspoken people who liked wildlife, those who despised it—or wanted to kill it, whether or not using the protection of livestock or humans as their supposed rationale—never seemed to get smaller. That was why she not only took census but also spoke before groups, partly to make sure the pro-wildlife faction recognized that the other mind-set existed and knew they had to oppose it.

Usually, her talks and that knowledge helped to make those on her side a lot more outspoken right along with her. They often contributed donations to WHaM, too, which helped the nonprofit.

Finishing her organizing and packing, she glanced toward the steps off the stage and saw that the nice, helpful—and great-looking—guy Ryan stood there with Rocky, waiting for her. She couldn’t help smiling. Now, there was a man with proof right beside him of his position on this important subject.

It was almost time to head to the bar. She’d intended to stay in Fritts Corner for only a few days, but now she might hang out longer. Of course, that depended at least in part on who showed up at the bar this afternoon and how they acted.

Maya intended to get to know some of the people around here, particularly the few locals who had already been generous with donations. This wasn’t the way she’d hoped to get them together, but it should work.

Now, she walked toward the steps, following the park guys whose hands were full of the town’s electronic equipment they had collected. Her arms were full, too, and she stopped at the top of the steps to rearrange what she carried so she wouldn’t fall.

She shouldn’t have been pleased to have Ryan reach up to steady her—but she was.

“Thanks,” she told him as he held her arm.

He didn’t immediately let go, either, as she reached the last step. She made herself pull gently away, not wanting to encourage him to think she had any interest in him except as an animal advocate.

Although...did she want him to be interested in her in any other way?

No. Of course not.

“My car is parked just past the bar,” she told Ryan. He was watching her with very deep brown eyes. She hadn’t looked at him this closely before but couldn’t help appreciating how good-looking he was, with angular planes on his face and dark brown hair cut short. She turned slightly to try to prevent his recognizing that she’d been studying him. “You can just go to the bar, and I’ll meet you there after I put some of this stuff in my trunk.”

He reached toward her and lifted one of her tote bags and a few other things she held, lightening her load tremendously. “I’ll carry these. You lead the way.”

She couldn’t help looking at him again then—continuing to appreciate his tantalizing appearance as well as his gentlemanliness.

Still holding a few things she wanted to carry with her, including her tablet computer, she headed across the grass to the sidewalk, and then in the direction of the bar and where she had parked her car. Both Ryan and Rocky stayed beside her. The three of them pretty much took up the whole sidewalk, but other people didn’t seem upset about stepping aside to let them pass. Maya shot each of them smiles—and they smiled back at her as they seemed to enjoy Rocky.

“Nice town,” Ryan said. He was watching the people, too, so his reference to the town seemed to mean its inhabitants. At this angle, she was glad to look around nearly everywhere but toward him.

“It sure is. I like the people—most of those I’ve met anyway—and this area is definitely charming.”

She’d enjoyed sightseeing before, on her way to the park. She just hoped the town maintained its charm by continuing to be supportive of the return of the wolves.

For right now, talking in generalities about this area seemed pleasant enough as they walked. They soon reached her car, after passing Berry’s Bar on the way. It looked crowded inside despite the time being early afternoon. Were these all people from her talk wanting to discuss wildlife some more? She hoped so.

She opened the trunk of the sedan she had rented and Ryan put his armloads of her stuff into it. She did the same with what she was carrying.

Ryan closed the trunk. “I’ll be interested in how things go at the bar this afternoon. And I enjoyed your talk before. But I wanted to say something before we’re with the crowd.” He stood in front of her, Rocky still at his side, and frowned, which removed some of the allure from his good looks.

“What’s that?” She felt sure she wouldn’t like whatever he had to say.

She was right.

“I know about your organization, and I like what WHaM stands for. I’ve heard about how you go talk to groups like this while you confirm and count sightings of endangered animals. But—do all the talks wind up with results similar to yours? I mean, not only did you get people there who are excited about the prospect of a new influx of wildlife, but those who are against it. Outspokenly against it. Doesn’t that harm your position and your organization?”

“No,” she said flatly. She turned away, starting to walk toward the bar, and Ryan and Rocky joined her. “Well...maybe.” She didn’t look at them. “Controversy sometimes stirs up people who didn’t even know they had an opinion. So far I think that’s been helpful.”

“Maybe,” Ryan said. “But it can also cause problems both for your group and for the animals—potentially risky for both of you. I’d suggest you back off a bit, though I’d like to know more about your intentions. Let’s talk about it another time.”

They’d reached the crowded sidewalk in front of Berry’s Bar. “Sure,” Maya said, realizing that the idea of getting together with the gorgeous, sexy man to talk appealed more than a little. But...could it be risky? She hoped not. Should she back off? That wasn’t her.

What they would talk about might only rev up the controversy she knew was there.

* * *

Ryan saw Piers as soon as he entered behind Maya, with Rocky at his side. He’d told his aide to get here ahead of him and save some seats.

Were dogs allowed in here? If questioned, he would just claim that Rocky was his service dog. He even had paperwork in his pocket that would confirm that—if the person asking didn’t dig too deeply.

Inhaling the strong, predictable scent of alcohol, he waved, and Piers waved back, gesturing for him to join the group sitting on stools at the bar. Ryan therefore maneuvered through the crowd—and away from Maya.

Which in some ways he hated to do.

The woman was beautiful and sassy and loved wild animals. What wasn’t there to like about her?

The fact that she might be putting herself—and his role here—in danger?

Could be. That was why he had asked her to back off.

Sure, there was likely to be attention regarding each new wolf sighting around here, especially if they continued and grew in numbers. But he needed a bit of quiet in his own search regarding the inherent nature of those incoming wolves, not people talking and arguing, or worse.

And he didn’t get the sense Maya would pay any attention to him.

“What’s wrong?” Piers asked quietly as he reached the bar.

“Nothing, I hope.” But his aide knew him well. “We’ll talk later,” he amended.

“Fine.”

Ryan ordered a dark beer, which was also what Piers had in front of him. He decided to confront the situation of Rocky right off and requested that the bartender, a sizable fellow with a full head of hair and a beard, bring a bowl of water.

“Sure thing,” the bartender said. “Nice-looking dog. Is he yours?”

More or less, Ryan thought. He certainly treated his cover dog as his own. “Yep,” he said. “Rocky is one really good boy.”

“I bet.” When the bartender brought a metal bowl half-filled with water to the customer side of the bar and laid it at Ryan’s feet—next to several pairs of feet belonging to other patrons—the guy asked, “Have you ever been to Fritts Corner before?”

“No, though I really like this place.” He was laying it on a bit thick, but what the heck? “I’m here because of the latest wolf sightings. I work for US Fish and Wildlife.”

“Really?” The bartender’s whole, round face lit up. “Were you at the talk at the park before? I was here working, but I heard about it.”

“I sure was.” Why not go for broke—maybe lay into some of Maya’s contentious ground? “There were some arguments. Not everyone is glad there are wolf sightings around here. How about you?”

“I’m definitely for them,” the guy said with no hesitation. He held out his hand to Ryan to shake. “I’m Buck Lesterman. My family recently bought Berry’s Bar, and I’m happy with everything to do with wildlife.”

Which was what Ryan had been looking for. Was this guy a shifter? Were any members of his family?

Or was Ryan just hoping too hard to find some evidence of shifters in this area?

Could be that all the recent wolf sightings were just that—sightings of actual wolves. Well, he would know more tonight.

“Glad to meet you, Buck. I’m Ryan, and this is my friend Piers.” They shook hands, too, then Ryan continued, “Not sure how long I’ll be in town, but I’m glad I’ve found this place.”

“Hey, bartender!” called a guy nearby.

“’Scuse me,” Buck said. “Got to get back to work.”

That was when Ryan heard voices raised behind him, and he turned.

Maya sat at a table, hands on her hips. Across from her were the three people who’d come onstage to give her a hard time, and they didn’t appear any friendlier.

Time for Piers and him—and Rocky, too—to join her.

As they moved in her direction, so did a few other people Ryan believed he recognized as having been at her talk.

Were they for, or against, her position?

* * *

This discussion was getting out of control. Too bad Maya couldn’t have just invited the people from her talk that she wanted to come here.

Fortunately, some of the people who’d been on her side were in the crowd, too. In fact, the tall, skinny fellow who’d been at the front and called out something favorable had made his way through the people who were giving her a hard time. Now, standing beside her table, he waved at her and asked, “Can I buy you a snack to go with your drink?” His brown eyes were open wide beneath shaggy blond brows, and his huge smile looked hopeful.

“Thanks,” she said, facing him and using the opportunity to look away from the others, “but I’m good.” She appreciated that he’d been on her side, yet she felt a bit uncomfortable under his happy stare—even though it was way preferable to the potential argument that had just started.

“You certainly are,” he said. He held out his hand. “I’m Trevor Garlona. Trev. And I want to know all about you and WHaM.”

“Thanks,” she said. “But—”

“Hey, I’m talking to you.” The voice across from her sounded familiar—the woman who’d just challenged her. “Don’t you ignore me. And why are you even still in town?”

Maya turned again in her seat just a little. She had already recognized the woman who had confronted her after her talk. That woman now stood at the opposite end of the table from where Maya sat with a glass of wine in front of her. Some other people who’d been at her presentation had just gone up to the bar to order their drinks.

That guy who’d introduced himself as Trev moved in the direction she now faced, although other people, including that woman, didn’t get out of his way. He squeezed in and looked at her, though, from behind them and raised his glass of beer as if toasting her.

She didn’t toast him back, but neither did she try to get away. Not yet, at least.

She felt a little relieved to notice that Ryan had joined her, too, and stood at her side. She wished he’d come here sooner. Despite his attitude before against how she worked, she wanted to spend more time with the great-looking guy. Talk to him more about wildlife.

Especially now, while she was being confronted again. What was this woman’s name? Vinnie? Vinnie Fritts, wife of a man who had the same name as this town and whose family had apparently lived here a long time, had maybe even founded it.

She wasn’t that old, though—maybe midforties. Her hair was a wavy mass of brown that appeared cut and styled to remain exactly so on her head. She wore bright pink lipstick and dark-rimmed glasses. Surprisingly, the whole package went well together.

Now, if she only had a sense of consideration of others and their opinions...

“Do you have any pets at home?” Maya countered, focusing on Vinnie. “Or small children?” She took a sip of her dry white wine in an attempt to bolster her floundering courage but it didn’t help. At least she didn’t think she was projecting any nervousness in her tone of voice.

“No. Our kids are in college, and no way would we have animals in our house.”

That figured.

“Well, I appreciate your coming to my presentation,” Maya lied. “And everyone is entitled to their own opinions. But since you don’t have pets or young family members at home, I doubt that you have to worry about anyone being attacked by the wolves—assuming these wolves run away from confrontations with nonprey creatures, as most do. And—”

“And you’re trying to convince us that you’re not only entitled to your opinion...” said the man in the pale yellow shirt just beyond her who hadn’t spoken before. It was Morton, Vinnie’s husband whom she’d introduced at the talk. “...but that you know everything, and everyone who lives around here should support your ridiculous position? Now look, lady. This is my town. My family’s town, and I intend to protect it. Understand?”

“No,” Maya said quietly. “I don’t.” She noticed then that most conversations in the bar had ceased. It was a lot quieter than when she’d entered. She didn’t see any of the people who’d admitted to being with the media there, though.

“We don’t want any damned predatory creatures around here.” The man spoke through gritted teeth. He appeared older than his wife, maybe in his fifties. His hair was thin, his brows gray and curved over his angry brown eyes. His arms were crossed over a chest that appeared sunken—but his fragility did nothing to ease Maya’s fear of him.

She figured that this man hated wildlife—or, worse, wanted to wipe it out. She might not like the idea, but there were laws protecting some species in specified areas, and requirements of licenses before hunting those that were more plentiful and might actually need to have their numbers limited for the good of the rest of the species. She wasn’t a vegetarian, and she could understand hunting for one’s dinner.

But she had a sense that this guy just despised animals enough to kill for sport. And if that was true, she would despise him.

Right now, though, she did not want to continue this confrontation.

“Look,” she said, “I recognize that we have very different positions on this.”

“Ya think?” Morton asked sarcastically, his hands now on his hips. “Hey, here’s what I think. I’ll be the one to change my mind, suddenly love wolves. Want to hug them all.” He glanced toward Ryan, who stood with Rocky beside him. Morton moved then, approaching the dog with his hand out. “Well, aren’t you just the greatest creature on earth?” He reached out and shoved Rocky’s muzzle.

The dog didn’t even growl, which made Maya very happy. But the man’s gesture didn’t.

“Don’t you hurt him.” She hissed between her clenched teeth, “He’s a lot nicer than you are.”

“That’s for sure.” Ryan placed himself between his dog and the jerk of a man who’d touched him. Ryan’s friend Piers also stood at the dog’s side and faced down Morton as well as Vinnie and Carlo, who’d joined him.

“What a great dog that is,” said a male voice from behind Maya, and she realized that Trev had moved again.

“He sure is,” said someone else, a woman this time.

“Leave him alone,” came another voice. When Maya turned to see who was there she was both glad and surprised to see at least half a dozen people behind her, apparently backing her up. She recognized some, maybe all of them, from her talk.

“Back off,” said yet another one.

“This isn’t over,” Morton said, sidling away from Rocky and all the people now confronting him. “Not unless you leave and stop trying to get people to love those damned wolves. They’re nasty and vicious and don’t belong around here.”

“Sounds like you’re describing yourself,” Maya couldn’t help saying in return.

She caught Ryan’s eye, then recalled that he had suggested she was endangering herself by her attitude in standing up to these people who didn’t see things her way.

But instead of scowling or looking angry, he had a half smile on his sexy face and shook his head slowly as if amused by her.

That made her want to run over and hug the handsome guy—but she stayed still.

Instead, it was Morton Fritts and his gang who stomped out of the bar.

Chapter 3

Good. They were gone.

Ryan continued to stand near Maya, with Piers and Rocky at his sides—and all those nice people behind her who’d spoken up in support of her.

Bartender Buck Lesterman had joined them, too. Interesting.

This group seemed to be filled with wildlife advocates who appreciated what Maya said and stood for, which was a good thing in Ryan’s estimation.

But were any of them shifters? All of them?

There’d been hints of an influx here thanks to the wolf sightings, and Alpha Force members had heard those rumors.

If some or all of these folks were shifters, then Maya had helped Ryan start to meet his goal. He owed her for that.

But for right now...

He regarded the group across from them, then strode forward, hand outstretched, purposely avoiding the guy who’d spoken with Maya and offered her a snack, apparently flirting with her. For some reason, that irritated Ryan, even if the guy turned out to be a wildlife advocate.

“Hi,” he said to the first of them. “I’m Ryan Blaiddinger, with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Thanks to all of you for your support of conservation of the latest arrival of wolves around here.” He felt Maya stir behind him and figured she wasn’t thrilled that he’d taken over the position she probably intended to fulfill.

“Good to meet you, Ryan,” said a petite woman with long and fluffy light brown hair streaked with deeper color. Hair that resembled a wolf’s?

Ryan knew he was reaching a bit in an attempt to convince himself things were as he hoped.

But he might not be wrong...

“I’m Kathie Sharan,” the woman continued. “This is my husband, Burt. We just recently moved here and bought the Corner Grocery Store down the street. We used to live in Montana, and there are wolves there, too. We’ve no problem with some showing up in this neighborhood. It’s kind of cool, in fact.”

Could that actually be why they’d moved here?

“Hi, Ryan.” Burt, tall and thin with deep brown hair and a hint of a beard, edged next to his wife and held out his hand. His grip was firm as he shook Ryan’s. “I hope you’ll come visit our store while you’re in town. You, too, Maya.” He turned toward where she stood and held out his hand to her, as well.

A couple of other people near them also issued greetings that Ryan returned. Maya, too, and also Piers when Ryan introduced him as another employee of the federal fish and wildlife organization. And all of them made a fuss over a clearly pleased Rocky.

Even bartender Buck did so, as did the guy who’d been flirting with Maya—Trev Garlona. He’d introduced himself, as well.

So at least some of these wolf advocates had recently moved here and purchased businesses, intending to stay.

Of course Ryan could be completely wrong. They might have had different agendas when they decided to settle in Fritts Corner, nothing at all to do with wolves—or shifting.

But he had a feeling he would get to know some or all of them a lot better.

Maybe starting tonight.

For now, though, he needed to prepare, perhaps even to rest. He soon said goodbye to the gang of wolf supporters who’d joined them, and they all headed back to their seats—after Buck promised to refresh their drinks. The place remained busy, and the sound of conversations picked up once more. Other bartenders had remained active, so Ryan also inhaled the scent of different kinds of alcohol.

All seemed well again.

Even so, he asked Maya, who had also turned to go, “Where are you off to now?”

The people who’d given her a hard time were no longer in the bar. They surely wouldn’t be waiting outside to give her a hard time—would they?

He’d rather be there for her, though, just in case.

“I’m heading back to my hotel,” she said. “I may even take a nap. It’s stressful to give a talk, and to act happy and energetic and all...anyway, I’m glad how things have turned out so far and really appreciate your support.”

“You’re very welcome,” he said, knowing his face mirrored her large smile. “How about if we walk with you?”

“Which hotel are you staying at?” Piers asked. He was now at Ryan’s side and had taken Rocky’s leash.

“The Washington Inn,” she said, unsurprisingly naming the largest one in town.

“So are we,” Piers said.

“Great,” Ryan said. “Let’s get on our way.”

* * *

Maya saw Trev waving goodbye as she prepared to leave, and she briefly aimed a wave back at him. But her mind was on something else altogether.

Ryan, Rocky and Piers were all staying in the same hotel as she was.

How close was Ryan’s room to hers? That question kept intruding into Maya’s mind as they walked out.

No matter. They could be next door to each other and still be worlds apart.

They had to be. Sure, he was a great-looking guy. A nice guy who clearly wanted to walk with her to protect her in case those nasty folks who’d confronted her were still around. He didn’t have to say so for her to know that.

But other than their love of wildlife, they most likely had nothing in common. Even if they did—well, she’d been involved with a guy not long ago who’d professed to love wild animals but acted like a jerk when it came to maintaining a relationship with a human being. He’d even publicly slammed WHaM.

She didn’t need anything like that—especially since she’d soon go home to Denver and figured a guy with the US government would return to the DC area, far from her.

“I don’t see your buddies out here,” Ryan said. “Guess they decided not to harass you again.”

“I sure hope so,” she said. “Maybe they can start picking on each other instead.” She admired the few buildings they passed. “This is such a cute town. Where do you live? Is it anything like this?”

“We live near Washington, DC, not Washington State,” Ryan responded. Near it? Not in it? That made Maya wonder where, but before she could ask he got in his own question. “And you? Where are you from? Colorado? Isn’t that where WHaM is headquartered?”

She acknowledged that it was, and they talked a bit more about her organization as they continued down the block, with Piers behind them.

Rocky trotted between Ryan and her, and she got a truly warm and fuzzy feeling about this short walk and the males near her, including the dog. In a minute they had reached her car and said goodbye.

And because she didn’t have far to drive, she arrived at the Washington Inn about the same time as the two men and the dog did. Or maybe, driving slowly, she had unconsciously planned it that way.

The inn, like so many other buildings in town, was quaint, with multipaned windows and circular turrets. The concrete exterior looked substantial, though, and Maya figured it was either a much newer structure than it appeared, or it had been remodeled recently.

She parked in the lot beside it and walked quickly to the front—just as the others arrived, too. She joined them.

“Hi again,” she said, waiting while Ryan stopped at the grassy area near the front with Rocky. “So where are your rooms?” she asked Ryan casually, as Piers preceded them inside.

“First floor, toward the back. It’s a good spot to take Rocky into the yard if he needs to go. How about you?”

“Third floor,” she said, “around there.” She pointed toward the right, glad that the windows there indicated multiple rooms so she didn’t exactly tell him which was hers.

They proceeded up the walkway to the steps and, crossing the porch, entered the quaint-looking lobby. There were only a few people there, mostly in line at the reception desk. Piers stood nearby reading a newspaper. He joined them.

Ryan lifted his arm with the loop of the dog leash over it and Piers slipped it off him. “You can put him in my room,” he told Piers. “I’ll be right there.” He then said to Maya, “I’ll walk you to your room, just in case.”

In case her new enemies were around, she assumed. She hadn’t seen any sign of them on the road and didn’t really need Ryan accompanying her—she hoped—and yet she didn’t object.

They soon were in her room, which was as charming as the rest of the inn. He even went inside, glancing around, walking past the bed with a fluffy, lace-trimmed coverlet.

She had a momentary urge to ask him to stay. Just to talk a little longer, of course. About wolves and other wildlife.

Not about a wild life. The guy was one delicious-looking man and had started to get her internal juices flowing when they were together. But he was mostly just a nice guy with similar interests to hers. And he’d given no indication he thought of her in any sexual or other way—a good thing.

That meant she didn’t have to worry about any interest on her part that could lead to disaster, as her recent relationship had.

Even so, she found herself asking, “So do you have any plans for this evening?”

She couldn’t quite read the odd look that quickly passed over his face, replaced by a smile that almost appeared pleased. “Sleeping,” he said. “I intend to order in pizza later for Piers and me. I brought food for Rocky. I’m already a bit tired and may do some hiking tomorrow, so I’ll go to bed early.” He looked her over. “No offense intended, but you appear a little sleepy, too. Maybe you should do the same thing.”

That had been what she was considering...unless they worked out a dinner date, which would undoubtedly be a bad idea.

She noticed that he didn’t suggest that she join them for pizza, either.

“I just might do that,” she said. As he walked to the door of her room she added, “Have a good evening. And thanks again for all your help.”

* * *

Rocky was well trained, but even so he wasn’t staying alone in Ryan’s room that night.

No, right now Piers drove all three of them, in the sedan they had rented at the Sea-Tac International Airport, along the remote, twisty roads outside Fritts Corner, beyond the park and beneath the forest’s overhanging trees to a clearing they had previously scouted out.

Near an area where wolves had been spotted over the past months.

The ride was bumpy, and Ryan was conscious of every jolt. It was getting close to twilight now.

It was nearly time.

And since this was the night of a full moon, Ryan would be shifting.

But thanks to that wonderful elixir that had been formulated and modified over time by Major Drew Connell, the founder of Alpha Force, and other members, Ryan would not only have some limited choice as to when the shifting started and a lot of choice about when he shifted back, but he would additionally retain his human cognition.

Unlike the other shifters he anticipated meeting on this night.

“Here we are,” Piers said, stopping the car. Rocky, in the backseat, let out a small woof, as if he understood where they were and what was about to happen.

This wasn’t his first time, after all, to be around when Ryan shifted—and it wouldn’t be his last.

Piers parked, and Ryan immediately exited the car. There was hardly any light in the sky, and the clearing was vast enough that Ryan knew the full moon would soon appear.

There were plenty of times in his past when that would have caused him to shift into a feral wolf as soon as darkness fell. But now—

Now, he couldn’t have been more delighted that Alpha Force had found and recruited him into its amazing military unit. He was starting to give back, including by being here. And he loved it.

If he was correct about the nature of at least some of the people here, he might even be able to give back more to his cherished organization by recruiting others who, in turn, could add to its very special mission.

He’d already done some of that while being trained and working directly with other shifters located by senior Alpha Force officers.

Piers pulled the large backpack out of the trunk and approached across the hard dirt of the clearing to the area several feet from the car where Ryan had stopped. Ryan began to remove his clothing, even as Piers extracted the cooler in the backpack and from it one of the vials of elixir that they had brought. He also pulled out the light that, turned on, resembled the light of the full moon, although, since it would not be necessary tonight, he returned it to the backpack.

“You doing okay?” Ryan’s efficient assistant now stood there with the vial in one of his large hands, assessing his superior officer.

“I’m fine, Piers. And how are you?” Ryan kept his tone light, even though he knew exactly what he was about to go through.

The elixir helped shifters in so many ways—but nothing could totally eliminate the discomfort of a shift from human to animal form—and back again.

“Okay, buddy. The moon’s a-rising. Let’s get this thing started, okay?” The stocky young guy grinned as if he couldn’t wait for his superior officer’s shift to start. And maybe he couldn’t.

Ryan was now nude. He felt the pulsing sensations inside him that presaged a natural shift.

It was definitely time for the elixir.

“Bring it on,” he told Piers, reaching out for the vial.

* * *

His initial shift was over. He was standing again, this time on four canine legs, the discomfort behind him.

Just in time, he thought—since he heard a howl in the distance. Followed by another, and some barks. They all sounded far away, but he would have heard them even without his enhanced hearing.

Shifters? Most likely. Natural wolves might howl and bark like that, of course. But why would they do so tonight? And not just one or two now, but several of them.

Ryan could tell—thanks to that enhanced hearing—not only the direction from which the sounds came, but he had a sense of distance, too.

The others were likely in the hillsides here, beneath the trees, farther from town, perhaps farther along the road where Piers had driven them only a short while earlier.

Rocky remained in the car. Piers had returned to it to sleep, to wait for Ryan’s return early in the morning, when he would naturally shift back on this night of the full moon.

He also had some choice about when to change back, even under the full moon. But if he did not choose when, it would occur once the sun started to rise.

Another set of excited howls. They caused more excitement in Ryan, as well.

Time for him to run through these woods, let his wolfen side loose. Revel in his very special gift, his talent, the other, only partly human feature of his life.

His shifting ability.

He felt his mouth move as he allowed himself to express his emotion in what would have been a smile had he not been shifted.

He aimed one glance toward the car where his companions now sat and waited for him.

And then he ran into the woods.

* * *

Maya hadn’t been sleeping deeply, though she had been in bed for a while, reading at first, then nodding off.

But her mind had been tossing around all that had happened to her that day.

Her talk. The confrontations with those wild animal–haters.

The support she had received from Ryan, backed up by some of the other people in this small town near which wolves had begun to appear again.

And—

Hey. What was that? Was she imagining things because she was thinking about the local sightings of wolves?

Maybe, but she thought she’d heard not only some canine barking but also a howl. Yes! She had. It was followed by another.

And now there were even more of them, somewhere way in the distance. But close enough to be heard here, right in the downtown area of Fritts Corner.

She froze. If she heard them, so did those wolf-haters. She wasn’t in any kind of law enforcement. She had no weapons.

But might the US Fish and Wildlife Service be able to help?

She hadn’t gotten Ryan’s phone number, not even his room number, but she felt stressed enough to use the hotel’s phone to try to call his room even now, in the middle of the night. She did reach a hotel operator—after waiting several minutes. And then, when she was connected to his room, no one answered.

She tried the same with his friend Piers, but again no answer.

He’d said he was going to bed early—but maybe the sounds had awakened him, and now she couldn’t join up with him to check things out.

Heck. Maybe there was nothing she could do. Maybe the wolves wouldn’t really be in danger.

But if nothing else, she could bring her camera—just in case.

She’d already risen from her bed.

Now, she threw her clothes on, grabbed her purse and camera, and rushed out the door.

Chapter 4

He loved it, reveled in it, this unleashed, unfettered ability to run on four powerful legs, beyond the park, up hillsides and within woods that were entirely new to him, in darkness lit only by the full moon.

To chase in the direction where he would soon see others who were like him in one way or the other: wolves that were born as canines, or that were humans in shifted form.

Those whose howls he still heard—

But he nearly stopped running as he heard something else. Voices that weren’t wolfen but human.

Male and female voices in the distance, low but audible to him, with his highly enhanced keen hearing while in wolf form.

And that wasn’t all. He knew who was talking. He slowed his pace and inhaled and smelled, from the same direction, those humans with scents he had first sensed that day but not as intense as he could inhale now, as a wolf.

The smells included those of the two people named Fritts. And more. Another human scent emanated from that same area.

But they weren’t the only ones.

A different scent, but no sound, came from near them, as well. An aroma that was entirely familiar—now—to the wolf who was Ryan.

The scent belonging to Maya.

None of the humans should be here, not with wolves of any origin around, here in the woods in near darkness—except for that brilliant moon.

Most especially not Maya.

Was she not aware of the potential danger from the wolves she also revered and wanted to protect? She had sounded so wise, so knowledgeable before, when she had spoken to an audience and talked with individuals. But did she ignore her own wisdom when wolves were around?

And if they were shifters, without having access to his special Alpha Force elixir they would not have human cognition. They could be just as dangerous as wild wolves to mere people.

And what about those other people? Would they present a danger to the wolves—and, perhaps, to Maya, too? Or were they themselves in danger?

He turned to move more purposefully in the direction from which he scented Maya.

If Maya wasn’t cautious, he would have to be so on her behalf.

He wanted to protect them all, the wolves and the woman, and perhaps the other people, as well. If the wolves harmed them, then other humans might hurt those wolves.

But there was only one of him. And if he had to choose who to protect, he knew which it had to be.

* * *

Maya had arrived at the edge of the woods, and now debated what to do.

She had known from the moment she had heard the distant howls and barks, while still inside the hotel, the direction in which she had to go, and she had hurriedly driven that way. When she parked her car and got onto the sidewalk at the park where she had given her presentation, she’d stopped to listen even more.

The sounds now came from somewhere to her right, in the woods beyond the park. She had hurried in that direction.

At the time, she had felt somewhat surprised to find herself alone here. Surely other people heard the sounds and could figure out where they came from. And some of the people who’d attended her talk had seemed fascinated, too, by the reappearance of wolves in this area.

Plus some had claimed to be part of the media. Were they interested in wolves or not?

Was she the only one who hoped to actually see them? Or was everyone afraid?

Well, no matter. Although...well, she wouldn’t have minded some company.

Too bad she hadn’t reached Ryan. She couldn’t help assuming he was already outside, also trying to get a glimpse of the wolves. If so, they could have joined up, banded together, safety in numbers. And being with him in the middle of the night would be practical, nothing to do with the fact she found the man attractive.

No matter. For now, all she really hoped for was to see those wolves herself.

The air was cool, and the intermittent sound of the soft wind, plus occasional cars in the distance, were the only sounds she heard at this moment as she stood there.

Still at the edge of the park, she looked beyond the streetlights behind her into the near darkness of what lay ahead. The only light came from above, the brilliance of the full moon.

She carried a special flashlight that she could make as bright or dim as she wanted, as well as a state-of-the-art small camera that took still photos and videos. Mostly what she wanted was to observe and film the wolves from a distance, without them getting too interested in her.

Another howl sounded, followed by some yips and a couple of additional howls. How many wolves were out there?

She would have to be very cautious. Those wolves would sense her before she could get close. And there was no way she could communicate to them that she loved wildlife, only wanted to see and photograph them.

This was probably a bad idea—but it might be her best opportunity to see them.

Here, at the end of the park, the grass gave way to low foliage at first that soon rose to become mountainous woodlands, with trees relatively close together and dry underbrush below. The area was fairly dark, since the treetops erased the light from the moon above.

Maya gave herself one more chance to stop, to back off. But only for a minute. Then, she pulled her flashlight out of her purse, set it for its dimmest setting and started out.

And heard another wolf howl.

She smiled and carefully started forward. She heard her own footsteps on the dried underbrush but not much more. Was she still heading in the right direction?

At least she went in a straight line, so she would be able to find her way back. Even run back, if she had to...

She reached a clearing. Was that a human voice she heard somewhere ahead, off to the side?

Maybe she should go back...

But that was when she heard the crackling sound of dried growth being stomped on by feet—canine feet?

Was she really going to get to see a wolf? Yes!

And in fact, there one was. She upped the intensity of her flashlight as she aimed her camera at it, just as another wolf joined it.

They were both running toward her. Still filming, she looked around. Fortunately, she stood beside a nice, wide tree trunk. Maybe she should get behind it—

But the wolf at the front growled, ran even faster toward her.

Was it going to attack?

“I just wanted to see you,” she cried aloud, knowing how ridiculous that was. As if the creature could understand she was on its side, doing her job, learning about it. Quickly, she moved so the tree was between the wolf and her. But where was the other one?

She heard some barks then that sounded angry. Feral growls, just as another wolf emerged from the woods and attacked the wolf that approached her. The third wolf, behind that one, leaped into the fray, as well.

“No. Please. Don’t hurt each other,” Maya cried out, but she wasn’t stupid. Not entirely, she thought. She used the opportunity to light her flashlight beam to the fullest and run back through the woods in the direction from which she’d come.

She glanced back once, though. The fight had wound down, at least somewhat. One wolf—the attacker?—was facing the other two, crouched as if ready to leap onto them again and growling deeply.

The others stood warily but did not appear as if they were ready to attack again.

Which made Maya smile, at least a little, as she turned again and hurried toward the edge of the park.

Yes, she’d been foolish. But she’d seen wolves. Three wolves. And she’d gotten videos of them.

She wasn’t hurt, and the canines appeared to be okay, too.

This was definitely a memorable night.

* * *

He remained in a crouch, growling and teaching the others he faced who was alpha, at least for now.

Their scents were strong, and not entirely wolfen.

Then they, too, were shifters. That didn’t make them less feral, less likely to attack him.

And it wouldn’t have prevented them from attacking that foolish human woman.

But at least he had been able to save her from harm.

And soon, tomorrow, when he had shifted back and was in human form, he would find an opportunity to chide her, and more.

To warn her never to put herself in such a situation again.

He was unlikely to be there the next time.

The other wolves had apparently had enough. They both issued loud warning growls back to him, then turned and loped back into the darkness of the forest behind them.

Good. He, too, returned to the darkness but in a different direction.

He wanted to get a better sense of these surroundings and where the wolves by blood might be—and whether these shifters might be in any danger.

Only later, when morning started to arrive, would he shift back.

* * *

She was out of the woods, so to speak, and onto the lawn constituting the park. Maya smiled, stopped walking and turned to look back at the dark woodlands she had just left.

The wolves were still there, somewhere. Hopefully, none of them had been injured by the others.

She had seen them, photographed them, and she was fine. More than fine.

Too bad she had no way of rewarding that one wolf who’d confronted the others and allowed her to get away. He surely had an agenda of his own that had nothing to do with her, but she still appreciated it.

With a sigh, she turned and started walking briskly back to where she’d parked. Good night, wolves, she thought as she got into her car.

There were some other cars on the road now. She even saw a few people exit a bar on the far side of the street, though not the one she’d visited before.

Had anyone else heard the wolves?

Did anyone else in this town really care?

Surely the answer was yes, at least those who’d come to her presentation or commented on it afterward, like that bartender she had met. What was his name? Lesterman?

Or maybe the other people who’d been there, the Sharans, and that lady, Ivy, who had seen a couple of wolves. They’d at least seemed interested.

And her new buddy Trev. He’d at least expressed some interest in wildlife at her talk. Had he heard the wolves from wherever he was? Did he give a damn?

Then there had been Ryan, and his friend Piers. They’d surely have been interested.

She’d thought she heard some human voices. Could it have been theirs? Were they also out here checking out those howls?

If so they’d surely left Rocky in one of their rooms. The dog might have been particularly at risk when wolves were around.

She parked behind the hotel and went inside.

She felt so happy and excited that she wished she could shout about her amazing evening to the world.

Or at least to people who might give a damn.

But it was way too late to call Ryan in case she had guessed wrong and he was in bed at this late hour. Nor could she call any of her colleagues at WHaM, since this area was on Pacific time and everyone else would be an hour or more later.

With a sigh, Maya made her way through the empty, dimly lit lobby and headed up to her room for the night.

And figured she wouldn’t sleep at all.

* * *

But she did sleep, though not at first.

Once she’d gotten into the antique-style bed in her hotel room, Maya had visualized those wolves once more. All three of them.

Were there more in the area? The return of wolves to various parts of the state of Washington had been slow and sparse, especially around here. Even so...

How many? Despite her duty to take census, she didn’t intentionally begin to count wolves, like sheep, but she knew there were more than three.

Finally, smiling to herself, she actually relaxed. And slept.

Still, when she woke, the same visions and questions captivated her mind.

Well, somehow she would find a way to use it all, to continue to inform locals who were otherwise unaware that wolves had returned to the area—and how wonderful it was. First thing, she would check her video to see how it looked, since she would show her results to as many people as she could.

And expound even more about wildlife—probably without revealing she’d put herself in danger.

But wouldn’t it be fun to let the world know she’d been saved by one of those wolves? Sure, but then she’d have to let everyone know that she’d felt threatened by the others.

Somehow, she finished showering and dressing and prepared to visit the local world again today.

She looked at her video, thrilled at what she’d captured, yet a bit uneasy that it did show the wild and potentially dangerous nature of those feral canines. But, heck, that was who and what they were. People could admire them as wildlife, stressing the wild part. She certainly did.

She didn’t exactly have a plan, but first thing would be to find somewhere to grab breakfast, hopefully someplace busy. Maybe she could start expounding on her latest lesson about the visiting wolves there.

She pulled on a nice blue shirt over jeans, then looked out her hotel room window. Sun shone between an irregular blanket of clouds. She looked down through the partial brightness toward the street, trying to recall what restaurants she’d seen in the area—and noticed that Ryan and Piers were out there walking Rocky on the Washington Inn’s narrow lawn next to the sidewalk.

Hey, no matter that she hadn’t reached them before. Now, they would be good targets for starting to tell her story about the night before. They’d at least be interested.

She put her camera into her purse and headed out the door. Not wanting to wait for the elevator, she walked the couple of flights of stairs down to the decorative lobby and hurried through it to the door, then outside and down the walkway to the sidewalk. She looked around and saw the men and dog still on the lawn but near the end of the block. She headed briskly in their direction, noting that a few other people milled around outside the charming structure, probably additional tourists who were staying there.

Now wasn’t a good time to stop and be friendly and talk up wildlife to strangers, she realized—despite how strongly the urge shoved at her.

Before she could get to Ryan, though, Trev exited a car parked at the curb and hurried up to her. “Good morning,” he said. “How are you today?” He aimed his geeky grin at her again, and she briefly smiled back at him. He was dressed in a white button-down shirt tucked into blue jeans.

“Okay,” she said. “Have a good day.” She turned away, ready to hurry off toward her goal.

“You, too. You know, I heard about your organization WHaM before. I saw online, on the WHaM website, that you were going to give a talk here, and that’s why I came to town.”

She stopped for a moment. “Then you don’t live in Fritts Corner?”

“No, but I wanted to hear you.”

“That’s very nice,” she said, meaning it. She’d have to tell her coworkers that the small mention they’d put up on the website was achieving what they wanted, at least a little—attracting people to learn more about them, and wildlife. “Then you care about wildlife?”

“I think about wildlife a lot,” he said.

“And did you hear the wolf howls last night?”

“I did, from my hotel room. They must have been pretty close to town.”

“You could say that,” she said.

“Hey, would you join me for breakfast?” He looked so eager that she considered saying yes to this wildlife aficionado who’d come here because of WHaM. But that wasn’t how she wanted to spend her morning.

“Sorry, I can’t. I have other plans.” And she did, even if they didn’t work out the way she hoped. “I hope to see you later, though.” Maybe. Especially if she had an opportunity to give another talk on behalf of WHaM.

For now, she said goodbye to the guy, who appeared disappointed. She felt bad, at least a little, as she strode away. But if he truly was flirting with her, and not just because he liked WHaM, she didn’t want to encourage him.

And right now she wanted to find out if Ryan and Piers had heard the wolves, too. They were the ones who’d been defending her and cheering on the return of those canines to this area. And if they had heard the wolves—well, she would enjoy the opportunity to describe her own adventure last night to them.

Should she tell others, too? Maybe. What she could do, after she reached Ryan and his crew, was to talk loudly enough that people around them could eavesdrop and hear it all.

Before she reached them, Ryan looked toward her. She couldn’t quite interpret his smile, though. Oh, yes, there was a smile on that really great-looking face of his, and yet it didn’t look exactly humorous or welcoming or glad to see her, the way she expected. Well, hoped, at least.

Instead...she couldn’t quite interpret that smile, but the first thing she thought it conveyed was irritation, maybe. Scolding? Wry, certainly.

“Good morning,” she called out, feeling somewhat annoyed herself. Why should she have to interpret this man’s expressions?

“Good morning, Maya,” Piers said. The smile on the shorter, heavier guy’s face looked a whole lot more friendly. “Did you have a good night’s sleep?”

“Yes, I did. But not before—”

“Have you had breakfast yet?” Ryan interrupted. “If not, why don’t you join us?”

Somehow his words, and his now-challenging expression, definitely turned Maya into the one who was irritated. Maybe she should tell him she already had plans and go find Trev again.

But she really wanted to tell them about her night and at least find out if they’d heard the wolves.

She first hurried toward Rocky. “Good morning, boy.” She greeted the friendly wolflike dog by patting his head and scratching behind his alert ears. “And, no.” She turned to face the men. “I haven’t had breakfast yet. I’ll be glad to join you. I had a very interesting evening and would love to tell you about it.”

“And we’d love to hear about it,” Ryan said. The expression on his face didn’t change.

“How about Andy and Family’s?” Piers gave the name of a restaurant Maya had noticed a couple of blocks from the hotel, the opposite direction from the park.

“Sounds great to me.” Maya strolled around Ryan to stand beside Piers. She’d walk beside him, and hopefully Rocky, too, till they got there. Her conversation with Piers was likely to be a lot friendlier than if she spent the time with Ryan. Although she’d like to understand why. “Let’s go!”

Chapter 5

As he walked along the sidewalk behind his three companions toward his upcoming breakfast, Ryan wondered if this was a good idea.

Oh, yes.

What he’d really wanted to do, upon first seeing the lovely, upbeat—and foolish—woman was to grab her by the shoulders and shake her and tell her she could have been killed.

But he would give too much away by doing that. No, he’d have to be a whole lot more subtle, yet still find a way to get that chastisement across to her.

The sky was somewhat overcast this September day, the air a little brisk, although it would warm up later. He felt warm enough now, though, partly because of his suppressed anger—and concern.

What would have happened if she’d been attacked by the wolves? Those wolves would have undoubtedly been considered feral and dangerous and possibly hunted and killed.

And would Maya have survived such an attack? To his surprise, that mattered as much to him as—maybe more than—whether the wolves who might be fellow shifters would have gotten out of the situation okay.

They reached the restaurant. Unsurprisingly, Andy and Family’s was family style, and on this Friday morning it was crowded.

“Hey, there are a lot of people here,” Piers said unnecessarily. He’d turned to look back at Ryan, clearly giving him the opportunity to decide to go elsewhere.

“The food must be okay.” Ryan gave a brief nod to his aide. He was fine with staying here to eat.

“Probably.” Piers glanced toward Maya, who was still beside him, but instead of giving her the opportunity to say no Ryan moved past her to the glass front door.

Sure, they’d have to wait even to tell the people seating customers how many of them there were. But at the moment, having a lot of people around to eavesdrop on, after last night and the full moon and those howls and barks, could be pretty interesting.

And maybe he and Piers would be able to determine what to do next, who else to get chummy with, to confirm that at least some of those wolves were shifters.

They needed to go chat with the people they’d suspected were shifters anyway. If they had more ammunition, all the better.

But he believed he had a good idea of the wolves’ human identities thanks to their scents while he—and they—were shifted.

Would the Sharans be here for breakfast today, for example? It didn’t matter. Ryan had believed it was their scents he’d smelled last night. But he wouldn’t confront them here anyway.

He’d also had Piers check online to learn if there’d been any indication that the media—those who’d claimed to be members yesterday at Maya’s talk or others—had mentioned Maya, or last night’s wolves, in any paper or blog or broadcast somewhere but he had found nothing. Not yet, at least.

“What’s the wait time?” Maya asked the middle-aged lady holding menus who’d come by to check on how many people there were in each party.

“We’re pretty fast,” the lady said. “Probably no more than five minutes. You can wait right here and we’ve got an area on the back patio where we can seat you with your dog.”

Five minutes up here, in the crowd, with lots of gabbing people even before they took their seats. That could work in their favor, Ryan figured.

“Let’s wait,” he said, looking first at Piers. He turned to Maya and asked, “Are you okay with that?”

“Sure,” she said, then repeated, “Let’s wait.”

* * *

Standing behind the rest of her group in the waiting area line leading up to the rows of tables, Maya couldn’t help looking around at this crowd. The place resembled nearly every other busy family style restaurant she’d ever eaten at, with servers in the aisles and tables filled with people of all ages, some dressed as if they were heading to work on this Friday morning, and others as casual as she was in her shirt and jeans.

No, not all ages, she contradicted herself. The kids were fairly young. Their older counterparts might already be at school for the day.

But the conversations created a low-key roar, and she also heard the clink of silverware on plates and the clunk of glasses on tables.

Hey, if she didn’t know better, she’d wonder if her visit with wolves had elevated her own senses the way theirs were—like her hearing. But she had no doubt they’d enjoy the aromas around here more.

In fact, she looked toward Rocky. Sure enough, his canine nose was elevated and sniffing and—

She glanced up to find that Ryan was smiling at her, and this time it seemed genuine. Surely he couldn’t read her mind...could he?

“You hungry?” he asked. “I am.”

Apparently he couldn’t—although his question was definitely pertinent here. And her answer, partly thanks to the low-level aromas she could inhale, was, “Me, too. This is a good place to be hungry. But what about Rocky? Will he also eat here?”

“He had his breakfast back at the inn,” Ryan said, “but I won’t be surprised if he talks one or more of us into giving him some of what we’re eating, too.”

“Bet on it.” Piers was also smiling but his gaze drifted around the busy dining area as if he hoped to glom on to a table they could request. Which would have been unlikely even if they didn’t have Rocky along, since, although a few more people had been seated since their arrival, there were still a couple more groups ahead of them.

Maya made herself tear her gaze away from Ryan’s great-looking, angular face with just a hint of beard shadow, as if he hadn’t fully shaved that morning. Though those dark brown eyes looked a little tired, they seemed to be studying hers. Why? Hadn’t he slept well—and had he been out looking for wolves? And now, was he trying to figure out if she was telling the truth, that she really was hungry?

Absurd. And yet she thought she sensed some kind of question, or message, in his expression.

Her mind began churning around possible ways to lead into a conversation with him, get him to reveal what he’d done last night and what he was thinking. But before she got very far the restaurant hostess invited the last groups ahead of them in line to follow her.

They should be next to get a table—at least assuming the patio area designated as appropriate for Rocky to join them had a vacancy.

Rocky. He’d been sitting, examining the air around them and behaving like a well-trained dog, despite his resemblance to wild wolves. But something, maybe the movement of the people ahead of them, apparently got his attention, and he stood.

Ryan immediately tautened the leash attached to his collar, drawing closer to the dog. “Easy, boy,” he said.

Maya noticed then the people hurrying toward them from between the nearest tables, people who’d been at the bar yesterday and indicated their support of what WHaM stood for. The Sharans. Kathie and Burt, right?

Kathie was ahead of Burt and she looked first at Rocky, then at the people with him.

“Hi,” the short, attractive woman said as she reached them, smiling toward Maya. “So you brought that adorable dog who resembles the wolves you talk about to breakfast with you?” She moved her hand slowly in Rocky’s direction as if making sure he knew she was friendly.

Rocky started to rear up on his hind legs, but Ryan, pulling the leash gently and also pushing him with his other hand, got him to settle back down. “Sit, boy,” Ryan said, and the dog obeyed, though he began sniffing the air even more than Maya had noticed him doing before. Interesting. She didn’t smell even a hint of a difference in the food aromas around them and wondered what Rocky smelled.

He pulled sideways again when Burt, a beefy guy with a short chin and long nose, got close and put out his hand, too, as if he also wanted to pat the dog. Rocky seemed pretty interested in these people. Maybe they were the reason his sniffing had grown more pronounced, and Maya wondered what they had just eaten.

“I’m delighted to have Rocky’s company for breakfast,” Maya said. “Oh, and Ryan’s and Piers’s, too.” She lifted her eyebrows as she passed her gaze over the two men, waiting for their reaction.

Surprisingly, neither was looking at her. Ryan had one hand on Rocky and was watching him, and Piers was regarding the couple who’d just joined them here as they’d been leaving the restaurant.

Maya sensed something going on that she didn’t follow, but no matter. She’d ask about it later.

For now, she wanted to say something nice to these friendly folks who appeared to love wildlife. “You said before that you own a grocery store, right?”

Kathie nodded. “Yes, we do. We sell pet food there, too.” She grinned as she looked toward Ryan, obviously knowing who was in charge of Rocky.

“We brought enough for a while,” Ryan responded, “but we’ll still check out what you’ve got.”

“Well, I’m sure I’ll need some snacks while I’m here,” Maya said. “I’ll definitely come to visit your store.” And buy something there, in support of these people who seemed truly in favor of the idea that wolves had returned to this area.

The hostess returned then. “We’ve got a table for you on the patio, where your dog is welcome,” she said, menus still plentiful in her arms.

“We’ll let you go now,” Kathie said. “We’ve got to get back to the store anyway.”

“See you there later,” Maya said, earning another smile from Kathie.

But before Kathie and Burt had taken more than a few steps, another woman stepped in front of them, blocking them—Vinnie Fritts.

Rocky, still under Ryan’s control, remained standing—and growled, not a good thing, Maya thought.

But Maya considered growling herself, and more, when Vinnie began talking. “How dare you bring that damn dog here!” she spat toward Ryan. “And how dare any of you say that it’s a good thing that wolves are back in this area? What happened last night is at least partly your fault, damn you.”

Maya didn’t really want to ask but said anyway, “What happened last night?”

“Those damned wolves. Did you hear them howling? My husband did, and he decided to go check them out, make sure the town was safe. And it wasn’t. He wasn’t.”

Maya had a sinking sensation that she knew what was coming, but she had to ask again, “What happened?”

“Morton was attacked. Mauled. Fortunately, he’s going to be okay, no thanks to you. But those horrible creatures don’t belong here. One way or another, they have to go.”

* * *

Ryan couldn’t help it. His first reaction, rather than sympathy—feigned or otherwise—was to glance at the Sharans. They were blocked from leaving by Vinnie but now faced her back as she looked furiously toward Maya.

He felt fairly certain that the Sharans were the wolves he’d confronted last night to protect Maya, shifters with no human cognition or control. He couldn’t recognize their scent for sure while he, and they, were in human form, but he did sense that they weren’t ordinary humans—and Rocky’s reaction to them also suggested a different aroma from a regular person’s. The dog hadn’t acted that way when they’d been around the Sharans before, but he might sense now that they had recently shifted. Did all cover dogs have that ability? Ryan wasn’t sure.

The Sharans’ reaction was what his should have been. Both maneuvered around Vinnie so she could see them. They began expressing how sorry they were to hear of Morton’s injuries. No admission that they’d had any part in them, of course. But they acted like concerned fellow townsfolk.

Even if they were the cause of the man’s injuries, they might not even know it, since they wouldn’t have had human awareness—but might they have recalled their attack anyway?

Ryan recalled a lot of what he’d done while shifted before he had joined Alpha Force and learned about the elixir—mostly visualizing, not consciously thinking about what he’d done, or analyzing it.

But would the Sharans? Assuming it had been them. There were probably some truly feral wolves in the area, too—and possibly more shifters.

“Thanks,” Vinnie muttered at their sympathetic words, but she still kept her focus on Maya.

Heck, Maya was the last one here who should get any blame for a wolf attack. Ryan moved around this group so Rocky was behind him. He whispered to Piers, as he passed, to take the dog to the table the hostess had found for them. “We’ll catch up.”

Then he joined Maya at her side. Her expression appeared stricken. Horrified. And remorseful.

“I’m so sorry,” she finally managed to say to Vinnie. “But—well, I did remind people that wolves are wild. I gather that poor Morton was outside, and—”

“Like I said, he went out when he heard those howls last night. He wanted to make sure that those damned wolves, wherever they were, were not about to hurt anyone. I don’t know exactly how it happened. Maybe he was protecting another person. Maybe he just happened to cross the wolves’ path at the wrong time. But fortunately he yelled and ran and somehow got away from them. I’d been worried about him so I called Carlo Silling and he picked me up in his car and tried to follow where the howls were, too. When we heard Morton yell we went after him and got him to the hospital.”

“Is he going to be all right?” Maya asked.

“Yeah, we think so. No thanks to you.”

At Maya’s cringe, Ryan stepped between Vinnie and her. “That’s enough. We’re all sorry that your husband was injured, but Maya’s right. She did warn people that wild wolves are...well, wild. She didn’t encourage anyone to face them.”

But with herself...? He looked down at her then, attempting to put a chiding expression on his face, but only for a moment.

For now.

“Yeah, they are,” Vinnie said. “They’re dangerous. They don’t belong here. And if they stay around here, near Fritts Corner, well, yeah, they’re supposedly protected under the law. But I know we can get around that if we figure out which ones attacked my husband. And if that kind of thing happens again you can be certain we’ll do everything possible to make sure none ever gets near this town again.”

She pivoted and nearly knocked over some people in line behind them who weren’t hiding the fact they were eavesdropping.

“That’s such a shame,” Kathie Sharan said. “No one likes to hear that, especially not those of us who care about wildlife.” She looked at Maya, and Ryan thought he saw tears in her eyes. In both women’s eyes, in fact.

“But she shouldn’t threaten any protected species,” Burt Sharan interjected, putting his arm around his wife.

“No, she shouldn’t,” Maya said, “though I can certainly understand her position.” Her head drooped—and Ryan found himself beside her, his arm around her the way Burt had done with Kathie.

He felt something amazing, something indescribable, when Maya turned and put her head on his shoulder. He faced her, held her even closer, wanting to comfort her—and more. His whole body was reacting to her closeness. And it didn’t hurt knowing that this woman was someone who gave a damn about wolves.

But Ryan’s shoulders stiffened at that thought. She cared about wolves, sure—but what would she think about people who turned into wolves, and back again?

Most regular humans, unless they’d had contact with shifters, didn’t believe in them. And once they had something like that, which they considered weird and paranormal and scary, happen within their consciousness, they backed away.

Might even become particularly fearful of those creatures, real or shifted.

Even so, for now, he didn’t loosen his grip.

But he couldn’t help wondering how Maya would react knowing that the wolves who’d nearly attacked her last night were likely shifters.

Or that he was a shifter, too.

Chapter 6

How could she be so very aware of this man’s nearness? His arms around her.

His lower parts hard as he pressed against her.

Absurd to even think about it. He was simply being nice. Kind. Sympathetic.

She shouldn’t need sympathy. Morton Fritts did. She felt just terrible about what had happened to him, as if it was her fault.

But she hadn’t brought the wolves here. She was merely an advocate, excited that a wonderful protected and endangered species appeared to be making a resurgence here.

Enough of a resurgence that she, perhaps acting foolish in her delight, had nearly been attacked, too.

If anyone should have been mauled, it was her.

“Thanks,” she finally said in as decisive a voice as she could muster. She pulled back, immediately feeling somewhat bereft as Ryan no longer held her, no longer touched her. But it was better this way. “Let’s go find our table—although I’m not very hungry now.”

“Don’t let any of this get to you.” Ryan’s tone sounded like an order, and she looked up into his face. His brows were knitted, but there was something in his expression that suggested caring. She started to smile, though a bit weakly she figured—but then he added, “Of course I gather you also did something as foolish as Morton Fritts, but you’re just lucky you weren’t hurt, too.”

She took a step back, bumping into someone standing there in line. She excused herself but didn’t take her gaze off Ryan.

How did he know that? She hadn’t left a message when she’d tried calling him at the hotel. And all she’d really said on the subject this morning was that she’d had an interesting night.

Still, under the circumstances—the howls and barks in the distance and her obvious love of wolves—he could certainly have guessed what she’d done.

And since he apparently hadn’t been in his room when she called last night, maybe he had done the same thing. And maybe he had seen her, though she hadn’t seen him.

She needed some answers. “Yes,” she said, “I’m lucky, and maybe you are, too. Did you do anything after you heard those howls last night?”

When he frowned and opened his mouth to reply, she shook her head. “Let’s go sit down and order breakfast—and we can each tell our reactions to those sounds and what we did about them.”

* * *

Okay, so he’d gone a little too far in his initial chastisement of Maya. So what?

He didn’t have to get into specifics.

As they made their way between tables, with him in front, Ryan spotted Piers sitting at a table outside just beyond the glass door. He couldn’t see Rocky at first but figured the dog had been there long enough to relax and lie down on the patio.

“There they are,” he said and finished leading Maya to the table.

Rocky stood up, and Ryan couldn’t help smiling at the way Maya immediately went over and petted him before taking her seat facing Piers. That was a good thing, since one of the remaining chairs had its back to the far patio wall, and if Ryan sat there he’d be able to keep an eye on the crowd.

Ears, too—although he hoped he didn’t regret too much that he was there as a human, with limited ability to eavesdrop. But if someone happened to mention the word wolf he was sure he would hear it.

Piers picked up the menus near him on the tabletop. Ryan noticed he’d already gotten a cup of coffee. As he handed a menu to Ryan, Piers looked at him quizzically, as if asking what he’d missed.

But he’d heard the worst of it before heading to the table: Morton Fritts had apparently been attacked by a wolf.

Ryan didn’t want to bring that up now. There was nothing they could do over breakfast to research which type of wolf had attacked the man, let alone fix that situation.

As a result, he just gave a brief shrug and opened his menu. “Great! They have a good selection, and I’m hungry.” Which he actually was, after his busy night on the hillside.

Not to mention the energy used for shifting. That burned a lot of calories.

As he read the menu, he did hear the word wolf and several times with his heightened hearing. He allowed himself to glance in those directions. Other seated diners, both here and inside, seemed to be discussing the events of last night—at least the howls, since he heard that word a few times, too.

He also heard the word attack at least once...

News had apparently spread about Morton Fritts. Not that it was likely to be hushed up for any reason—not even by shifters, if they were the source of the problem. They could discuss it while in human form, but would they know who did it—shifters or not? And if shifters, which ones were involved?

But with all the various conversations, many of which seemed to be on that subject, and the fact that there was a curious woman at his side so he couldn’t simply sit there listening, Ryan gave up on the possibility of learning much that was useful right away.

Nor did he get any sense, via scent or conversation, that anyone here was a shifter—not that his belief was conclusive.

He decided to order eggs with sausage and toast. Good thing he figured that out fairly quickly since their server, a thirtysomething woman who looked like she’d been at this for a while, came right over to their table for their orders.

Maya asked for only toast and decaf. When the server was gone, she looked toward Ryan. “Did you go outside, too, after you heard the howls?”

Ryan knew he had to be cautious about how he responded. But he’d already hinted that he was aware she hadn’t stayed in her room.

Not that she’d recognized him. Sure, he had chased the other wolves away from her, but he didn’t think she had a clue that any of them were shifters.

Before he responded, though, he glanced toward Piers and grinned, knowing his aide would take his cue and keep any answers on his part consistent with Ryan’s.

“Yes, we did hear those howls and all and went out for a little while,” Ryan said. “As representatives of US Fish and Wildlife, we wanted to gather as much information as we could. We wanted to listen, to try to determine how many animals, presumably wolves, were howling and from what direction. We left Rocky in our car since he wouldn’t necessarily follow a safety protocol and stay with us rather than pulling away to chase whatever was making those sounds.” He glanced down at the dog, who once more was lying on the patio.

Ryan then shot a glance toward Maya, just as the server came with her decaf and his high-octane coffee. She also refilled Piers’s cup. “Your food will be up shortly,” she said, then left.

“Did you hear any more when you were out there?” Maya asked. “See anything?”

“A few more distant howls and barks, but that was all—and we didn’t see any wolves or other wildlife.” He didn’t need to tell the truth, of course. In fact, nearly everything he said was a lie. He happened to be one of those wolves. “How about you? Did you go outside to check things out, too?”

He needed to tread somewhat lightly here, but he’d already suggested he knew that answer.

“Yes,” she said. “I wanted to see the wolves, so I followed the sounds as best I could.”

“I gathered they were on the hillsides beyond the park. Was that what you determined?”

“Yes,” Maya said. She sucked in her lips slightly as if in worry, and if Ryan read her expression correctly she was recalling all that had happened.

“And did you see any?” Her response would be what determined how he followed up.

“Yes,” she said almost curtly. He gathered she didn’t want to continue after that.

But Piers, great aide that he was, was the one to ask, “Really? What did you see?”

Her eyes narrowed, and then she looked down at the table. “They were beautiful,” she said almost reverently.

Ryan shouldn’t feel so happy to hear her words, her attitude. Maya might be one gorgeous woman with a laudable attitude toward wolves—but she had no idea who and what he was, along with the probability that there were at least a few others in this area.

She might not be so pleased about the proximity of wolves if she did.

“How many wolves did you see?” Piers continued. “Where were they? I assume you didn’t get near any of them, right?”

Piers hadn’t been close enough to see the encounter among Ryan and the two other wolves he believed to be shifters, but Ryan had filled him in once he had shifted back to human form—including how he had kept the wolves from attacking the lovely and foolish human who’d tracked them down.

“Well...” Maya looked toward Ryan as if attempting to judge how much he knew. He’d already suggested that she might have done something as foolish as Morton Fritts and was therefore lucky she’d not been hurt.

But he wasn’t about to tell her why he believed that to be true.

He looked straight back into her soft hazel eyes. “Why don’t you tell us what you did and what you saw?”

“Because I’m both happy and embarrassed about it.”

Their food arrived then, and Maya looked pleased at the interruption. But a short while later, when they’d all taken their first bites of food—and Ryan had given Rocky a taste of his sausage—he said, “Okay, tell us about your night.”

She took a deep breath and raised her light brown eyebrows as if she actually did feel discomfited about her anticipated response. But she described having followed the howls and other canine sounds into the woods, using her flashlight and camera—and being confronted by a couple of wolves.

“But then there was a third one,” she said, “who distracted the two that seemed as if they might attack me. I ran away then.”

“I hope you sent thoughts of thanks to the wolf that helped you,” Piers said, taking another sip of his coffee before glancing toward Ryan.

Ryan couldn’t help a small smile although he aimed it at his own cup rather than toward his aide.

“I definitely did,” Maya said. “He might have saved me from...from being mauled like Morton Fritts.”

“Quite possibly,” Ryan agreed. “You need to be careful. In fact, once we find out the details of the attack on Fritts, I’d suggest you give another presentation on behalf of WHaM, or just in general if that’s better for you. You should emphasize to people to stay far, far away from wild animals, because they are wild. They don’t know even to stay away and not hurt wonderful people like you who give a damn about them.” Unless they happen to be shifters with access to the Alpha Force elixir, he thought, but of course he wasn’t going to mention that.

“That sounds like a good idea.” She looked him straight in the eyes again.

Damn, but she was one beautiful woman. He was attracted to her. Very attracted. Would like to do more, a lot more, than just have breakfast with her...and save her from other wolves.

But any thoughts beyond encouraging her to be a wildlife proponent were inappropriate.

And so, after exchanging gazes with her, he gave a goofy grin and dug back into his breakfast.

* * *

Oh, that look on Ryan’s face. It was as if he forgave her foolishness in seeking out the wolves—yet he cared about her, was glad she was okay.

Or was she reading too much into it?

Maya reached over and picked up her last piece of toast, slathering a little apricot jam on it. That gave her an excuse not to look directly at Ryan, at least for this moment.

But she remained fully aware of his closeness. And how she felt glad about that.

But only because the guy also liked wildlife. And maybe he seemed a little attracted to her just because he was glad she was out there promoting the return of wolves to this area and championing all creatures.

“I like the idea, too,” said Piers, sort of interrupting the mood, but that was a good thing.

Maya took a decisive bite of her toast. She had no intention of getting interested in any man, let alone one who lived outside Washington, DC.

And just the fact that Ryan appeared to love wildlife, too, didn’t mean they shared anything else in common. Or that the way they cared could coincide.

She had gone through that before with her ex, who’d turned out to be the opposite of what she’d believed. She had even developed what she’d believed to be a relationship with him, a reporter who seemed to support her pro-wildlife position.

But just the opposite. He had turned on her in a number of articles lambasting WHaM for not just documenting and counting an influx of wildlife but acting as advocates, too. She’d been hurt and angry and determined not to get involved with someone like that again.

US Fish and Wildlife undoubtedly had a different agenda from WHaM, despite their few similarities.

And Maya figured she had a different agenda from Ryan—although his suggestion about a modified topic for her next talk actually made sense.

“So how long are you staying in town?” she asked Ryan, turning back to face him again. Maybe he was leaving today and she wouldn’t see him again.

That should make her feel relieved, shouldn’t it? But it didn’t.

“Not sure yet,” he replied, which did in fact give her a sense of relief. A small one.

Being in his presence, getting to know him better—would that be a good thing?

Possibly...but only as long as they helped each other in their quest to ensure that wolves remained welcome and safe in this area.

And hopefully didn’t attack any more people. But neither of them could guarantee that.

She, though, by giving another talk on staying far away from them might be able to help, at least a bit.

But would she convince herself...?

“How about you?” Piers asked. “How long will you be here?”

“I’d originally thought just a couple of days,” she said. “But it sounds as if there is a lot more I can do here, both by informing people and maybe even finding out about the wolves here and how dangerous they might be. If they attack people, that’s bad for them as well as for the humans near them. It gives people an excuse—maybe even a good one—to hunt the wolves, even though they’re protected in this area.”

“I think we’re on the same wavelength,” Ryan said, his tone decisive and his expression now not particularly warm but highly businesslike—a good thing.

“Then let’s work together,” she said. “Find out about that attack last night and try to determine the wolves’ location. And despite the danger those wolves may present—well, I’m hoping to find a way to make sure they’re left alone.”

“Sounds good to me,” Piers said, nodding, then looking toward Ryan.

“Absolutely,” he agreed.

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