Canadian Wolf

“On my way.” He gave a small yank on Lupe’s leash. The dog obeyed and preceded him out the door.

Owen shut the door behind him and took the key from Anthony’s hand. He turned it in the lock.

“So,” he said, “I guess now we just wait.”

* * *

Moving her erect ears, inhaling deeply to further stimulate her sense of smell, Selena stared at the door.

Her shifting had finally ended. As always, there had been discomfort.

Also as always, she had finished taking off her human clothes before imbibing the elixir and waited while Rainey shone the special battery-operated light on her that resembled the glow of a full moon. But this time she had also turned to stare at that closed door.

Maybe the distraction had helped, since the discomfort hadn’t seemed as bad as usual. Even now, shifted, she couldn’t help wondering what it would have been like if Owen Dewirter had actually removed his clothes, too.

“You okay?” Rainey asked as she always did.

In her wolfen form Selena couldn’t shrug and say, “Of course.” Instead, she just gave a soft growl and lowered her head.

“So, you ready to show off to those doubting Thomases?” Rainey asked next. “Why would they even invite Alpha Force to help save their Mountie butts if they didn’t believe that our abilities—your abilities—were real?”

That wasn’t something Selena could respond to, either. Not now, in any event. And in fact she had no answer.

But she’d definitely gotten the sense that the smart-alecky Owen Dewirter believed in, but did not appreciate, shifters.

She would find out why. Eventually.

For now, she padded over to the door and listened. Even as a human, her hearing surpassed that of normal people, but it was particularly enhanced after her shift, as were her senses of smell and taste.

She sensed that Lupe was still outside. The men were talking, perhaps joking a little.

The older man clearly did not know what to expect.

She lifted her paw and touched the door frame, which cued Rainey, who knocked to summon the two Mounties.

Selena heard footsteps on the hallway floor. In seconds, she heard the sound of the key in the lock. The door was pulled open, and Owen stood there, looking in.

On one side of him was Anthony Creay. On the other was Lupe, who pulled on her leash.

Selena walked forward and traded nose sniffs with her cover dog.

“Care to come in and look around, gentlemen?” Rainey sounded smug.

“Yes,” said Anthony, and he strode through the open entry.

Owen just stood there, looking into the room and down at her. She could not read his expression. It wasn’t admiring, but neither was it full of scorn.

“It is real,” she finally heard the older man say. “No Selena here, just the dog. The wolf. Whatever.”

“Yeah,” Owen agreed. “It’s real. And that’s a good thing, since our guys have a lot to learn to accomplish our underlying mission.”

She might help to teach them a lot—but she needed to know exactly what that mission was. And soon.

Chapter 2

It was morning, the day after the three Alpha Force members, including the dog, had arrived in northwest Vancouver.

Now Owen was ready to drive them up to their new headquarters, where he—and they—could get to work.

For the moment, he had parked his SUV in front of the hotel where both he and the visitors had spent the night. He settled back in the driver’s seat, waiting for them.

Last night, when their sort-of demonstration had ended, it had been too late to head out. Besides, Selena had looked tired after what she had been through. Once Anthony acknowledged that she must indeed be a shifter—Owen hadn’t doubted it by then—she, her aide and her dog had remained in that conference room while Anthony and he went back into the hall.

Owen hadn’t locked the door that time. He’d figured Selena, changing back from a wolf-dog into a human—a naked human—might have wanted that option, but she hadn’t asked for it before shifting back, and neither had her aide.

Of course neither he nor Anthony had attempted to peek. Even so, Owen, who never considered himself to have much of an imagination, had still somehow visualized what her slim but curvaceous body might have looked like without any clothes on...

Well, he could imagine anything he wanted, including sexual attraction to a female shapeshifter in human form. That fantasy would remain far from reality, for a whole lot of reasons, not the least of which was that she was a professional colleague...and—oh, yes—she was a shifter.

The good thing was that Anthony now believed—which meant their operation could move forward.

Plus, Owen hadn’t had to strip to get the dispute resolved. It had been a dumb offer on his part. He knew that. He’d recognized it even as he’d suggested it, Anthony’s attitude notwithstanding. Worst thing now was that it might negatively affect his professional relationship with Selena. He’d have to be careful and treat her with total respect from now on.

And keep his clothes on.

Before they’d adjourned last night he’d called this hotel and made reservations for them and himself for the night. His current home was in Ottawa, since he’d been most recently stationed at the RCMP main headquarters there—until now. But he would become a resident of West Columbia as soon as they got there.

He scanned the front of the hotel and saw the trio emerge. He got out of the car to open the doors for them.

The women rolled suitcases behind them and carried bags over their shoulders. Rainey seemed in charge of the dog.

As they got closer, Selena blatantly looked him up and down. Interesting. Did she approve of what she saw?

“You’re not wearing your Mounties uniform,” she said. “Not even the casual kind you had on last night—although someday soon we’re going to insist on seeing you in one of those classic and formal red jackets and rounded hats.”

She had a smile on her face. She looked well rested and seemed clearly in teasing mode. Good. Maybe things weren’t as bad as he thought.

“Only if you earn the right to see me that way,” he said, keeping his face expressionless. “I have to admit that I like you in the civilian clothes you’re wearing today a lot better than the camo uniform.” The jeans and T-shirt she wore hugged her curves.

Why was he noticing such things? Especially after cautioning himself to resist any sexual attraction to her.

He quickly opened the rear hatch and helped them load their suitcases and backpacks, then watched as Rainey ushered Lupe into the backseat and followed the dog inside. Lupe was obviously a well-trained dog, one he’d enjoy working with, given the opportunity.

He doubted that the humans, while shifted, would be as well behaved.

By the time he closed the door after the woman and dog, Selena was already buckled in the front seat. He hurried to the driver’s side and got in.

“So where, exactly, is our destination?” Selena said as he turned the key in the ignition.

“West Columbia.”

“How far is it?”

Owen maneuvered the car away from the curb. It was his own vehicle. Even though this was an official mission, the whole operation was to be done undercover. Plus, he was moving to this area to be in charge of the new covert team. He would not drive his prior on-the-job vehicle, an RCMP sedan, around here.

“About an hour from here,” he finally answered as he pulled into traffic. “It’s a somewhat remote, moderate-sized town where tourists come and go, so we won’t stick out as being intruders. It abuts some forested mountains and seems like a good location for our new detachment, but we’ll see. The location is also part of our experiment. The new RCMP members who are part of my team are already located there, and to everyone they talk to they’re on vacation but considering moving there. That’s what all of us are to say, if anyone asks.”

Owen drove north toward Highways 1 and 99, the Trans-Canada Highway nearest to where they started out, although it would turn into the Upper Levels Highway and Sea-to-Sky Highway before they reached their destination.

“Sounds good,” Selena said. “Since you’re national police and not military, you shouldn’t need something like Ft. Lukman, which is Alpha Force’s headquarters. It’s an actual military facility in Maryland and has units stationed there besides ours. We’ll tell you more about it, if you’d like, as we undertake our training sessions. By the way, what’s your new team to be called?”

“It’s the Covert Special Services Group. Our nickname for the group, at least for now, is the Canada Alphas, or CAs.”

“That works,” Selena said. “At least it’s somewhat compatible with Alpha Force.”

He glanced at her yet again and saw that she was smiling, and that lovely expression was aimed toward him.

“Now all we need to do is to get your shapeshifting team whipped into shape,” she said.

* * *

Staring out the window at the lovely, forested Canadian countryside with vast mountains in the background, Selena couldn’t help wondering how hard their assignment would be. From the little she’d learned when ordered to hurry to this area, the shifters Alpha Force was going to assist in training had only just been recruited into the RCMP. They probably had no experience in law enforcement or the military. Their shapeshifting backgrounds probably hadn’t even allowed them to consider the possibility of shifting outside of full moons, let alone keeping human cognition while in shifted form.

Bless you, Alpha Force elixir, she thought.

Yet she had a sense that this man, who’d be in charge of the RCMP contingent, could make her job even harder.

She needed to figure him out.

What did he really think about shapeshifters?

And the idea of his offering to get naked...? Stop thinking about that, Jennay, she ordered herself silently.

She glanced into the backseat. Lupe lay down with her ears up but her eyes closed, and Rainey watched the view out the window, as Selena had been doing.

Yesterday, they’d been in a car most of the day—a rental vehicle they’d picked up hurriedly in Seattle and dropped off in Vancouver.

Good thing they’d had adequate ID with them to get into Canada—their passports and military identification. But Alpha Force members were always prepared for anything. It was part of the job.

She hoped she was prepared for the man beside her.

Turning to Owen, she asked, “I gathered that you believed in shapeshifters even before you got the assignment of working with them, right?”

“That’s right.”

Along with his bland acknowledgment, she watched Owen’s physical reaction. There was none. At least none that she could see. He didn’t look at her, and his handsome blue eyes didn’t blink as they stared at the road ahead of him. His strong chin remained at the same level as before. He continued to drive at a speed compatible with the flow of traffic, watch the road and not say or do anything that would indicate his attitude toward shifters.

But she was curious. She wasn’t sure why it mattered, but she hoped he not only believed in shifters, but also liked them, at least a little. Might even be interested in them as more than strange aberrations in the world of human beings. Maybe one of them in particular.

Not that she would encourage anything between them but a good professional working relationship. He might be attractive and hunky, and her human hormones might be tweaked just by looking at Owen Dewirter, but she knew far better than to get involved with a nonshifter. She had learned her lesson, and learned it well.

Besides, this nonshifter seemed to have an opinion, one she couldn’t interpret.

But with him, or despite him, she intended to do all she could to make sure that the Alpha Force mission here was a complete success for both the US military and the Canadian Mounties.

Of course, she’d have help when the rest of the Alpha Force contingent arrived.

When Owen didn’t follow up his acknowledgment with anything else, Selena decided to push him for more. “Most people don’t believe in shapeshifters. Why do you? Have you met any? Seen any shifts?”

“Some members of my family knew a shapeshifter.” He didn’t look at her, but his icy expression as he regarded the road suggested he didn’t want to say anything more about it.

Not that that would deter her.

“Knew? They don’t now?”

“No,” he said shortly.

“I gather that the experience wasn’t a good one. But even if they told you about it, if you didn’t see it yourself, why did you believe?”

“Let’s just say I saw and heard enough to convince me. So how about you? What made you join Alpha Force?”

She must have hit a nerve. But surely the man must have realized that if he was about to work with a bunch of shapeshifters, they’d want to know his experiences with others of their kind.

For now, though, she’d go along with him.

“I grew up in Wisconsin, in the same area as the commanding officer who first developed the elixir. He helped to form Alpha Force, and his cousin’s a member, too.” That was Major Drew Connell and recently promoted Lieutenant Jason Connell. “I heard they were looking for new recruits, so of course I had to jump in.”

Not to mention how the timing had worked. She’d needed something then to help her get over a bad romantic relationship.

The divorced guy she’d been dating then, and cared for a lot, hadn’t known she was a shifter. His cute but sneaky young son had unfortunately seen her ending a shift once before her aide moved her away. The kid gleefully told his father that Selena was a werewolf. Her boyfriend had responded to his son that shapeshifters existed only in stupid stories and he wanted his kid to be realistic and smart. He had told Selena about it. Laughed about it.

So she’d left him and her teaching job and hurried home—only to find this position where shapeshifters were revered and treated well.

But she didn’t want to talk about it. Not now and not ever. Like she’d done with her questions to Owen, he’d pushed buttons with his that really bothered her. It was time for a change in subject.

“I’ve always heard such wonderful things about the RCMP,” she said. “How long have you been a member? And do you like it?”

He glanced over at her. Now those gorgeous blue eyes of his actually had an expression in them—pride, if she read it right. “Ten years, and I love it.”

She asked more questions, and Rainey leaned forward to join in the conversation. For the rest of the ride they were regaled with tales of undercover adventure in trapping bad guys, enjoyable training sessions with those horses that the Mounties rode and antics of the K-9s Owen had worked with. He apparently liked canines, even if his feelings about people who shifted into wolves weren’t quite so warm.

Selena realized that, if she wasn’t careful, she might actually come to like sexy Owen Dewirter. And that could really be bad news.

* * *

By the time they reached West Columbia, Owen could almost believe this was a pleasure ride instead of an official diplomatic mission of sorts: the Canadians requesting US assistance for a particularly touchy situation.

One he hadn’t yet discussed with his new best friends.

Friends? Heck. Under other circumstances, he’d have seduced Selena, or at least attempted to, with more than an irreverent yet necessary offer to take his clothes off. She definitely attracted him that way...at least as she was right now, all sexy human female.

The glances they sometimes shared, brief as they were, suggested she might be attracted to him, too. That was fine here, in the car, when neither could act on any inappropriate appeal.

Later, he’d pretend those glances had never happened.

He drove through the residential area and onto a driveway that rose a short distance through a forest and into the hills.

Up that driveway was the small enclave of two homes that had been acquired to become the CAs’ hidden headquarters—assuming everything worked out.

Owen parked on the paved area between the homes and was met by the four new recruits for the CAs who had rushed out of the smaller of the two houses. The one-story white wood-frame building would be used as the meeting place for the US and Canadian teams as the CAs learned how to use their shifting skills for the good of their country.

The group had clearly been watching for their arrival.

“Hi, Owen.” That was Constable Sal Emarra, the youngest of the new recruits, only nineteen years old. Like the others, he didn’t wear an RCMP uniform; instead he was dressed in casual civilian clothes of a tourist. He held out his hand for a shake, even as he peered past Owen into the vehicle.

It was too late for him to see the passengers since they had exited at the other side. In fact, they were already being greeted by the other recruits even as Owen hurried to open the hatch and extract the luggage.

“Where should we put our things?” Selena asked, joining him.

“I can handle them all.”

“But—”

Before she could grab any, Owen hefted the backpacks over his shoulders, then took hold of the suitcase handles.

Selena shrugged and said, “Just be careful with the backpacks.”

“Of course.”

He put the luggage in the larger of the two homes, a two-story that would be used as the Alpha Force barracks. Then he joined the group for pizza in the other house.

Before eating, though, he stood and looked at each and every member of the group. “Let’s go around the room and introduce ourselves.”

“Better yet,” said Selena, also standing now, “don’t just give your names but tell us whether you’re a shifter and if so, what you shift to.”

She gave him a small, smug smile, as if she’d somehow shown him who was boss.

He didn’t contradict her, though. That information did need to be shared.

Selena went first and then Rainey introduced herself as another lieutenant and Selena’s nonshifting aide.

The others went next: Constables Sal Emarra, Tim Franzer, Craig Neverts and Andrea Willburn. The men informed everyone that they all shifted into wolves, too.

However, Andrea, a pert young woman with short black hair and a long nose, said, “I shift into a falcon—and that’s really fun. But tell us, Selena. How do aides work—and what’s a cover dog?”

“Oh, you’re all going to have fun learning what Alpha Force is going to teach you,” she said, grinning.

Owen didn’t miss the way her smile lit up her face or the way her amber eyes sparkled like twin topaz gemstones.

Oh, yeah, this was going to be fun, indeed.

Chapter 3

Selena couldn’t start teaching anything until her fellow Alpha Force members arrived. She might have the teaching credentials and some experience with the unit, but Captain Patrick Worley was the commanding officer on the American side of this operation.

That was why she decided to excuse herself, leaving Rainey with the others who were peppering her with questions about how someone who wasn’t a shifter worked with Alpha Force. There were things, of course, that Rainey could not reveal about their covert military unit, but Selena trusted her not to mention them. Right now, she needed a little time to herself.

“Where are you going?” Owen called to her from the porch as she walked across the lawn with Lupe beside her.

From there, Owen appeared even taller. Even sexier.

She caught her errant thoughts. “Nowhere in particular.”

“Well, then, why don’t I show you where your sleeping quarters will be?” He pointed toward the other house as he walked down the steps. “You can choose which room you want.”

Selena liked that idea. In fact, as much as she loved being part of a large, close-knit outfit like Alpha Force, she hoped to find a room that would give her some privacy.

In fact, maybe she could just pick out a room and chill out there for a little while.

Although it would be hard to chill at all with a hot guy like Owen around. And if she didn’t stop thinking about him that way, she was going to have one really tough time working with him on their training assignment.

She started toward the larger house and Owen walked beside her. “Ever been to Canada before?” he asked.

“No, this is my first time. Have you ever been to the States?”

“A few times.” His tone suggested he might not have been impressed with her country, but when she glanced at him his face had gone to that neutral, unreadable expression she couldn’t interpret.

She had to keep a lot of secrets as a shifter and member of Alpha Force, but she had a sense that Owen Dewirter might have an even greater number of his own.

The front of the other house was similar to the one they’d just left. They climbed stairs onto the broad wooden porch, Lupe following. It was empty, but Selena imagined sitting out there with the entire group one of these days, holding one of the lessons she intended to provide.

After he unlocked the door, she walked through the five upstairs bedrooms, but it was the one downstairs that called to her. It was an understated room with a narrow white dresser with a mirror on top, a small chair and a single bed that was not much larger than a cot. The bare essentials. There was even a private bathroom—small but convenient.

Feeling a presence behind her, she turned and realized Owen was in the room with her. She was in a bedroom, all alone with Owen. Why had she noticed that? And why did it make her feel so warm inside? In fact, the lower part of her body seemed to ignite.

She chilled it immediately. “I’ll take this one.”

“Somehow I thought you would.” He looked at her with an expression that seemed heated—as if he also recognized they were alone in this house in a bedroom.

Then, clearing his throat, he said abruptly, “I’ll leave you to unpack. See you back at the other house.” And with that, he left.

That was a good thing, Selena told herself, though she felt suddenly bereft.

Instead of unpacking, though, Selena called Captain Worley. When she got his voice mail, she left a message, asking him to call with his expected arrival time.

Then she quickly opened her suitcase and pulled out a few items that she hung in her closet. Almost everything was civilian casual, to maintain their cover.

She next went to the entry and got both of the backpacks. She unpacked the remaining bottle of elixir stored in an insulated container and secured it at the back of the refrigerator.

Then she said to Lupe, “Ready for a walk, girl? When you’re done we’ll go back to the others.”

But as eager as Selena was to get started, she had a feeling it would be a long afternoon.

* * *

Owen had returned to where the constables who now reported to him still surrounded Rainey in the small and crowded living room. They were asking her questions about Alpha Force.

Too bad he hadn’t stayed around to listen to her answers. The more he knew about the group that would be helping to train these raw new candidates, the better.

Instead, he had gone off to spend time with Selena. Not that he regretted it.

He felt more than saw her enter the room a short while later. His nerve endings tingling, he looked up as she and her dog joined the group. But then he noticed that Tim Franzer seemed to sit up straighter. He even moved over on the sofa and waved at the empty spot for Selena to sit down.

The guy wasn’t especially tall or muscular, and he didn’t appear particularly good-looking to Owen, not with his round face and prominent nose.