Canadian Wolf (Paranormal Nocturne Romance)

by Linda O. Johnston

  When the hour was up, the groups separated to the locations where they’d been before. As soon as they all were in human form once more, the entire group was to meet back here in the living room.

  Selena followed Rainey and Lupe into the study with Andrea flying overhead as the men headed downstairs.

  She looked forward to the next part of today’s experience.

  She’d grown up with a little access to the elixir, having known the family who’d invented its first incarnation, but she looked forward to the delighted expressions she knew would come.

  Controlling the change, and one’s own mind-set, was an inevitable and endless thrill. It made all the shifters she knew who experienced it feel overjoyed and eager for more.

  Even she still felt it.

  And the CAs who’d just had their first such experience...?

  Selena knew they’d be jazzed and excited and full of anticipation for the next experience.

  That would be a good time, she figured, for the men in charge—Patrick and Owen—to remind them of their underlying assignment and its potential danger.

  * * *

  Owen wasn’t certain why he felt so drawn to watching the shifters change, but he did. In both directions, from human to wolf, then back again.

  Now the reverse process seemed to take even less time, and he observed the wolves’ fur absorbed beneath their skin as the forms of their bodies changed, too, while they lay on the floor.

  He heard the Alpha Force members cheering them on, a nice gesture on their part, he thought. Or maybe the two who were shifters themselves believed their kudos somehow helped the others engage in their new shifting processes.

  He didn’t need to wait down here forever in the cool underground chamber with concrete walls and floor, though. He’d seen what he’d wanted to.

  While the three CAs lay on the floor in human form, grinning as they received their clothes from the Alpha Force members, Owen slipped up the wooden stairs into the kitchen.

  Selena was there.

  She clearly heard him coming up the steps since she was watching the door when he opened it. She stood near the refrigerator, a bottle of water in her hand.

  “How are things downstairs?” she asked, her tone as cool as the drink she held.

  “Shifting is... Well, it’s amazing,” he said, shaking his head as if that action would underscore his words.

  That thawed her a little. “You could say that. In fact, you did. I shift often, and I’m still amazed by it, particularly now that I have complete access to that wonderful elixir.”

  “I wish I could try it sometime.” Owen stopped, wondering where that thought had come from. Him, interested in shapeshifting?

  Of course he knew the impossibility of that. Not even the magic elixir would give nonshifters the ability to shapeshift.

  Selena had taken a couple of steps toward him, as if wanting to soften what she was about to say. The soft, sad look on her lovely face seemed compassionate, even sympathetic. “You know you can’t, don’t you, because—”

  “No, no, I realize that. I’m just expressing my wonder at what you do.”

  Her eyes widened, and he felt utterly captivated by Selena. He took a couple of steps toward her, too. His arms began to reach out, but then he heard a noise behind him.

  He turned as the men exited from the basement.

  “Hey, where’s Andrea?” asked Sal. “We want to compare notes on our experiences.”

  “Here I am.” Andrea strode into the kitchen from the other side, with Rainey and the dog behind her. “And wow!”

  “Exactly,” said Craig. “Wow.”

  Owen realized that his brief time alone with Selena had ended. It was better that way. He had probably said too much already.

  He might need the help of Alpha Force for his assignment, might have to work with these CAs in ways he could not possibly have done on his own.

  Admiring who they were and what they did was okay, too.

  But that was enough.

  “Okay,” he said. “Let’s all get together in the living room and discuss what you experienced.”

  Chapter 11

  Selena wasn’t surprised to hear each of the CAs attempt to top one another in their descriptions of their shifts.

  The three men were outspoken about how different this felt from their uncontrolled changes under a full moon, when they stalked outside until it was time to change back again, only to await the same scenario the following month.

  Then there was today. They’d felt the same discomfort during the change, but it was definitely worth it, each asserted. Tim was the first to talk about it, and he seemed so thrilled, so excited, that he could hardly find the words to describe his experience. Selena couldn’t help wondering if his slight pudginess made his shift more strenuous and difficult than the others’, but he wasn’t complaining. No, he had clearly loved it.

  Then young Sal gave his description a try, and he was passionate if not clear about what it had felt like not just to shift, but to realize what was happening. And then to be fully cognizant of who and what he was once the change was complete. “It was so, so, so amazing!” he asserted, giving a fist pump of delight into the air.

  Craig was less vociferous but no less enthused. “I can’t begin to describe how it felt,” he said, “but I can’t wait to do it again. And again.”

  “My turn!” Andrea interjected. “I’m sure all you guys had a great time. But can you even begin to imagine what it’s like to soar and see things and understand them from the air just like you see and understand things now? I can.” Her falcon-like face beamed.

  Selena felt her own smile broaden. Oh, yes, she understood all of what they described. Well, almost all. She’d never soared while shifted like Andrea did. But the experience, the sensations and the knowledge were all incredible.

  She glanced around, seeing similar pleasure on the faces of Patrick and Marshall. Their two aides, Jonas and Rainey, looked nearly as happy. Maybe they felt some kind of empathy while being part of the process. Or maybe they were just nice people, military souls who derived pleasure from doing their jobs well.

  Then there was Owen, who she had just learned might be experiencing some kind of envy of shifters. Or not. He had to work with them now, so maybe he was just pretending to cast aside his original feelings about them and to like them.

  Yet when she hazarded a glance in his direction, he was looking not at his own delighted CAs, but toward her. She made herself keep smiling, and she nodded a little as if she had said something that he should now accept as true.

  “I’m really glad to hear about all this,” he finally said, not just to her. “In fact, as you all know, this was just step one. Step two, tomorrow, will involve all of you shifting again and then starting to learn the procedures you will need when you are set loose in the area where we believe the kidnappers are hiding out. We’ll decide whether to try it at different times in the day and evening and maybe the night since we don’t know when you’ll actually need to conduct your mission.”

  “Sounds great!” Sal exclaimed, then lowered his head and stared up at his CO with inquisitive eyes. “Don’t suppose we can do it tonight, can we?”

  “No,” Patrick interjected from beside Selena on the sofa. “This was a partially new experience for all of you. Your bodies will need to rest. But our experience with new Alpha Force recruits using the elixir indicates that you should all be fine for a new shift tomorrow. Of course, if you have any reactions that feel different from when you shift naturally under a full moon, you should let us know right away.”

  “Of course,” Andrea said, and the expression on her face seemed to indicate she was trying to be serious and professional, but wasn’t quite able to hide her continuing excitement and triumph about her falcon shift.

  Quiet Tim surprised Selena with his next request. “Since it sounds like we’ll be busy at night from now on, at least some of the time, and we can’t shift again now, is it okay if we have ju
st one more little party tonight?” He looked at Owen. “It’ll help in our cover here as temporary visitors. We’ll need to come up with a good story about why we’re not partying for a while—nighttime hikes or stargazing in the mountains or whatever—and we can mention that at the bar tonight, just in case anyone’s paying attention to us.” He sounded rational—and eager.

  Selena wasn’t surprised at Owen’s response. “You make a good case for having some fun tonight, Tim,” he said. “Anyone else up for it?”

  He looked at her, even as his CAs all issued positive responses. She felt a flush of discomfort redden her face, even as she glanced toward Patrick, then her other Alpha Force comrades. None objected, and she couldn’t think of a reason to deny the CAs a final evening of fun before their work notched up to a new level.

  “Good idea,” she added to the replies.

  * * *

  Good idea or bad, Owen looked forward to what could possibly be their final bar outing while in West Columbia. After all, it might be the final opportunity for fun around here for at least a while. If all went well, his team would learn how to conduct its necessary operations over the next few days and nights, and then they’d finally be deployed for the field assignment for which they had been recruited.

  No more partying.

  Which would probably be a great idea. If he continued to see Selena only in training ops, maybe he would stop thinking about her in anything but her official role here, as an instructional officer for his shifting CAs.

  Entering his hotel room back in town, he dialed his commanding officer for an update on the kidnapping situation.

  “Dewirter? Glad you called.” Creay’s voice sounded tense. “I was about to text you to call me whenever you could, since I didn’t know what you might be engaged in at the moment.”

  “Is there any news I should know about?” Owen studied the wall in front of him as though he could view the faceless, nameless kidnappers. He wanted to strangle them. Did he love billionaires? Not particularly, but he loved his country. And he hated anyone who would harm another person for greed or any other reason.

  “Rene Brodheureux received another ransom note. It pretty well followed the last one, nothing new, just a reminder that he has only another four days to pay or his wife will be toast.” A pause, then Creay continued, “So how are things going with you?”

  “In other words, what’s my timing? Things are progressing well, but I’ll need at least another couple of days before we can deploy.” Owen purposely kept his comments general. Not that he believed anyone was monitoring his calls or Creay’s, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

  “Just keep it moving,” Creay said. “Fast. And keep me informed.”

  “Got it,” Owen said. “I’ll be in touch again soon.”

  “Real soon,” his boss responded. Then Anthony ended their connection.

  Good thing Owen had a party to prepare for, he thought. Otherwise he might focus on the implied criticism from his commanding officer.

  Things were progressing, on his part, at a fair speed. He knew that pushing his new recruits any faster wouldn’t necessarily make them perform better. In fact, it might discombobulate them enough to send them into a tailspin. He wouldn’t do anything that would hamper their ability to do what was asked of them: act like the wild animals they sometimes were, at different times and in different ways than they ever had before.

  Good thing they were given clear instructions along with the elixir that allowed them to change better.

  Instructions largely from Selena Jennay.

  Whom Owen looked forward to seeing again tonight. Partying with...for the last time.

  * * *

  While back in her room a short while later, Selena decided to drive herself to the Yukon Bar that evening. She suspected she wouldn’t want to stay as long as the rest of the Alpha Force members. And fortunately, Jonas had rented a second car for the convenience of the Alpha Force members, setting things up so that any of them could drive it when necessary. She called him to make sure her using it that night was okay. It was.

  “Is that okay with you, too?” she asked Lupe. Her cover dog wagged her tail as Selena patted her head. She’d feed Lupe now, in any case.

  Selena decided to wear one of the few dresses she had brought along on this trip. She’d needed them as part of her cover on her last assignment before she had been told to head to Canada. She hadn’t really anticipated having to get dressed up while instructing the CAs about what they needed to know as flexible shifters. Nor had she figured she would wear the camos she wore while on duty at the Alpha Force headquarters at Ft. Lukman on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Instead, she’d spent the past few days in casual civilian clothing. Getting dressed up tonight would be a bit of a treat. She selected her black, knee-length dress that had a silky gray jacket that would fight off the after-darkness chill. It was one of her favorite outfits.

  She put it on, then quickly checked her hair and makeup. She wanted to look okay, but the idea was just to be one of the partying gang tonight. She had no intention of trying to look especially good for this group. Not even for Owen. Especially not for Owen. Even if she felt some attraction toward the man, she certainly didn’t want to appear as if she was coming on to him. That would be unacceptable in so many ways.

  A short while later, she exited her room with Lupe and met up with the rest of the Alpha Force members, who were congregating in the kitchen.

  “Ready to go?” Patrick asked.

  “Sure.” But Selena let him and the others know she didn’t expect to stay long so she was going on her own.

  She shut Lupe in the kitchen, then invited Rainey to ride with her into town.

  “You look good,” her aide said as she slipped into the passenger seat. “You planning on having some extra fun tonight with Owen?”

  Good thing Selena was already driving. Otherwise, she might have slunk beneath the seat. As it was, she felt her face redden. “No,” she said. “I’m not.”

  “Well, in case you change your mind, it’s fine. You know I’ll always take care of Lupe if you happen not to be around. I’ll cover for you, too. Say that you wanted a night somewhere nearby on your own before things get more intense tomorrow, whatever.”

  The car had reached the bottom of the driveway. Selena considered confronting her sassy, sweet aide and telling her that her duties didn’t include such impossible silliness—and that she was being awfully presumptuous about Selena’s supposed interest in the RCMP leader.

  Instead, she realized she appreciated Rainey’s promise to go the extra mile for her, even when it was unnecessary.

  “That’s very nice of you,” she said, turning to look at Rainey before heading onto the road. She hadn’t paid particular attention to what Rainey was wearing before, but now she noticed that her aide had put on a nice dress, too. Her dark hair seemed even curlier than usual, and she wore more makeup. “But are you the one who has other plans for the evening?”

  “Not at all. But I’m like you. I wanted to make some men in our group notice that female Alpha Force members are a force to be reckoned with on their own, too.”

  Selena laughed. “You’ll do a great job with that,” she said.

  “So will you,” said Rainey. “And if you happen to change your mind, you won’t even need to tell me about it. I’ve seen the way Owen looks at you. And your looks back at him? Well, like I said, you don’t need to tell me if you change your mind.”

  * * *

  Selena found a parking spot about a block from the bar. She and Rainey strode quickly along the barely occupied sidewalks, and Selena was glad to notice the CAs arriving at the door at the same time from the other direction. She didn’t see Owen with them, though.

  “Hi, you two,” Sal said, a huge smile on his face. “I’m ready to party. How about you?”

  “Fine with me,” Rainey said, pulling ahead of Selena and latching on to Sal’s arm.

  The other two male CAs waited politely for Selena to
enter with Andrea in front of them. The moment she stepped inside, Selena saw that three tables had been pushed together in the center of the room once more. She didn’t see Owen there, either. But someone familiar sat on one of the tall stools—Holly. She must have come early to claim their spot.

  One of the servers Selena had also seen here before stood right beside Holly. He was a tall guy in a plaid shirt and dark pants like all of them, but with long, light hair that didn’t quite conceal his large ears. Holly was looking straight up into his face wearing what appeared to Selena to be a sincere yet flirtatious expression, and neither appeared to notice that the CAs had entered the room.

  They didn’t seem to notice anything else around them in the bar’s dim light, for that matter.

  Selena felt, as well as saw, Craig move quickly from behind the group and practically fly around the other crowded tables until he, too, stood beside Holly.

  Wondering whether there was going to be some kind of unwelcome confrontation, Selena glanced toward Rainey, and they both turned and hurried to join Craig with the others.

  “Hi, Holly.” Craig’s tone was calm, but he butted up against her side, put his arm around her and regarded the server belligerently. Selena could almost feel his feral wolf nature.

  “Oh, Craig, I’m so glad you’re here,” Holly said, almost gushing. “Boyd and I were just talking about how much fun it is to sightsee around here, especially if you like hiking. There are some trails with spectacular views, and I’d love to visit them with you. We could hire Boyd as a guide, you know.” She angled her head now to share a quick kiss with Craig.

  Selena hadn’t only been watching Craig’s reaction. She had wondered how the server—Boyd—would react to having the woman he seemed to have been flirting with do a complete reversal now that her boyfriend had appeared.

  At first, Boyd’s light brows had risen as if in complete bewilderment about what was happening. But was that real?