Linda O. Johnston

by Alpha Wolf

  “You say you called Major Connell because you were nervous after hearing what you thought was a gunshot?”

  “That’s right, Angus. Your officers were very kind, the way they looked around, but they didn’t see anything. After the night I treated the major’s dog Grunge for a gunshot wound, I knew he would understand, so I asked him to come over…and, well…we’ve become kind of close….” She felt her face redden. Had she forgotten anything? She would have to claim that Drew drove up sometime between cop patrols and parked his car in her fortunately two-car garage. And later, some guys from the base drove it back.

  “So, the major was here, you heard some other noise and he went outside?”

  “That’s right.” Would the timing work? This story would presuppose the sound of two gunshots. But she was the only one who reported hearing any.

  “And the two of you were having sex?”

  “That’s not what I said.” But she had implied that the act wasn’t far from their minds at the time. And the thought of having sex with Drew…well, even if it wasn’t something she felt comfortable talking about, the idea sent bolts of lightning through her body.

  “But you did say he wasn’t fully dressed.”

  “Why ask, when I’ve already told you the answers?”

  “Then you do have something going with the major?” Angus Ellenbogen might resemble his easygoing bloodhound Jasper, but his personality was all bulldog. He wasn’t going to let this go in any manner that would let Melanie keep a shred of dignity.

  Should she tell him the truth—and let him think her crazy, instead of sex-starved?

  “I’ve said enough, Chief,” Melanie said. “The people you sent—the investigators? They examined the room where I took Drew and gave him first aid before driving him to the hospital. They took blood samples—” from an area she’d designated where she could be sure they were the human Drew’s “—and also looked around outside for any evidence of the shooter. Why don’t you go talk to them? I’ve said all I’m going to.”

  They hadn’t found the bullet. She had…after Drew told her just where he had been when he was shot. Tampering with evidence? Sure. But she couldn’t exactly leave it where it was and allow the crime scene folks to have the blood on it tested and determined to be canine…or whatever its analysis would reveal for a shapeshifter in animal form. She had hidden it until she could clean it.

  “Well, Doc, we’ll see if we need more information from you. But we’re through for now. I’ll call on your friend the major, though. He was shot here, on my turf. The case is mine.”

  “Next time I talk to him, I’ll tell him what you said.”

  Melanie was glad to see the chief go. Only then did Carla and Astrid enter the reception room. “We couldn’t help overhearing you,” Carla said, her hazel eyes sparkling.

  “It’s not really our business, Dr. Harding,” Astrid said, but the young technician smiled broadly. “But…well, that Major Connell is hot. Is he as good in bed as he looks?”

  “If you two want to keep your jobs,” Melanie said through gritted teeth, “drop the subject. I had to talk to Chief Ellenbogen because there was a crime committed last night. I don’t need to discuss this with you.” Melanie shouldered past them and slammed her office door behind her.

  And sagged against the wall.

  Her life had suddenly become a morass of tiptoeing around subjects she would never have even thought of addressing before: her sex life.

  Her belief, or lack thereof, in the stuff of legends.

  Shapeshifters. Real ones.

  And sexy Drew Connell.

  She would be a hell of a lot better off if she simply forgot what she had seen. Had she even seen it? This far removed from last night, she wondered if she’d dreamed it all. Had a nightmare, from which she had still not completely awakened.

  If she truly had been having sex with Drew Connell, would she still think it had been a nightmare?

  Yes, her mind shouted, even as her body tingled at the thought.

  Well, one way or another, she had to get past all this. She had one more patient scheduled for that afternoon, in a quarter of an hour. Then she could go home. Better yet, go for a drive away from Mary Glen. Eat dinner by herself, maybe in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Yes, that would be—

  Her phone extension rang, and Melanie picked up the receiver. “Dr. Harding here.”

  “Melanie?” She recognized the deep, husky—sexy—voice immediately.

  “Hello, Drew.” She put more strength into her tone than she felt. This man, or whatever he was, was wreaking havoc on every aspect of her life. “How are you? Are you still at the hospital?”

  And are you still in human form?

  “I’m back at Ft. Lukman, and I’m calling to invite you to join me here for dinner tonight.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, but I have other plans,” she lied, even as she kicked herself for rejecting the invitation. Damn it all, but she wanted to see him again.

  To squeeze his arm and see if he was real?

  “That’s too bad,” he said. “I’ve gotten clearance to ask you to be the base’s vet. And if you’re interested, I’ll want to start getting your security clearance as soon as possible. Meantime, those matters you inquired about before? I have some answers for you.”

  “Everything?” she demanded.

  “Everything.”

  “I’ll be there at six.”

  Chapter 14

  “M y official permission to tell you everything depends on your security clearance going through,” Drew said to Melanie. “That could take weeks. Maybe months.”

  She nearly shouted in frustration. She had come to Ft. Lukman this evening, churning with unanswered questions. Not to mention her conflicting thoughts about Drew, and what she knew she had seen, and what she’d told everyone about what had happened. And now, he was putting her off. Why would he have bothered asking her here if he…?

  Then she caught the humorous glint in his sexy amber eyes. And no matter how much her insides flip-flopped, she couldn’t help smiling back.

  She sat facing him at a small, round table in what passed for a food court at Ft. Lukman—a cafeteria-like setting in a room barely larger than her clinic’s fenced-in yard. A few other tables were occupied, mainly by men and women wearing the familiar camouflage uniform that Drew’s shoulders and chest filled out so well. There was a salad bar at one end of the room, a grill in the center, and an area where prepared foods were dished out at the end. A small beverage bar sat beside the checkout line. It served decent coffee, and Melanie had a tall foam cup in front of her.

  She took a sip of the dark, strong brew, keeping watch on Drew’s wry expression. Two could play at his game of teasing. “Well, in the meantime, while I’m not bound by any agreement to keep things quiet, I could sell my story. I didn’t have a huge bombardment of reporters around today, just one, and she seemed very persistent. A tabloid type. I’ll bet she could come up with a nice sum of money if I convinced her I had something interesting to say about the Mary Glen werewolf legends.”

  “Don’t even think about that, Melanie.” Drew’s tone was abruptly stony, his look menacing.

  Which made her shiver inside. There was a genuinely feral side to this man. If she got him angry, might he do something to harm her?

  She didn’t really think so…did she? He’d said his type didn’t hurt regular people, despite all the legends to the contrary. Still, given a good motive…

  “I won’t tell anyone anything, as long as you keep your word and answer my questions,” she said airily.

  “Yeah. Right.” He stood, scraping his chair against the wood floor. He was tall and straight and forbidding, and she winced at how scary he had turned in just an instant. Had she pushed the wrong button? It certainly felt that way. But he’d asked for it. “Maybe this is a bad idea.”

  “Maybe so,” she said softly.

  She, too, rose, then stopped. Something about this man really attracted her, even after what
she had seen. If she left now, she would have no answers. No way of seeing him again. And a story she would have to keep to herself anyway, unless she wanted to join the lunatic fringe—or be counted as one of them.

  “I won’t just leave, Drew. I saw what I saw. And even though I’ve no intention of shouting it to the world, you owe me more explanation than you’ve given so far. Plus, I’m concerned about the dogs on this base. If I can help them, and…well, any other animals around here, then I want to do it. Give me a chance, will you?”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  How had things gone so bad so quickly? Melanie reviewed what she had said…and realized her teasing could have sounded like a real threat. “Everyone has choices, Drew.” She drew closer and put her hand on his sleeve. The material felt smooth, warmed by his body heat, which made her even more aware of him, and how he aroused her without even trying. “Let’s start over. Why did you ask me here this evening?”

  “To enlist your help. And I know I have to trust you, whether or not I like it.”

  She jerked her hand away, hurt as much as if he had slapped her. “True,” she said coolly. “And whether or not you believe it, I won’t betray that trust. Now, show me how I can help.”

  She brought her cup of coffee along as he led her from the small BX and out into the chill spring air. Although the sun had set, darkness was kept at bay on the base by bright lighting along the narrow streets. The buildings, mostly nestled among thick canopies of trees, all looked alike—low and long and generic. A few had lovely spring flowers blooming in rows in the small patches of lawn in front, mostly hyacinths.

  They walked along the sidewalk until Drew led her down a remote walkway to a building nearly hidden in a corner of the compound. Melanie heard barking from inside and couldn’t help smiling. Finally, a hint of the familiar—dogs.

  Assuming, of course, they were real canines.

  They were. There were a dozen, all large and probably well trained, kept in indoor fenced pens that seemed almost luxurious for working dogs. The gates to the outdoor fenced enclosures were shut. Each pen was fitted with a doghouse with soft, clean bedding inside, and there was room in each area for the dogs to stretch their legs. They couldn’t leap over the fencing to fraternize, but they could see, smell and hear each other, so none was truly alone.

  Grunge wasn’t among them, and Drew explained that each of the shapeshifters had a special pet who shared their quarters, as part of their cover.

  “Nice setup,” Melanie said. “May I check over a couple of them?”

  “That’s what you’re here for.”

  “Among other things,” Melanie said dryly. But she smiled as Drew opened the nearest gate for her and the occupant, a German shepherd, approached with tail wagging.

  For the next hour, Melanie examined each of the dogs. All were friendly. More important, they all seemed well cared for. They weren’t hungry or thirsty, and were clearly accustomed to human company. She noticed no signs of ill health.

  She knew some military facilities had onsite veterinary care for dogs trained for protection, bomb-and drug-sniffing, and other K-9 specialties. A veterinary corps even existed. But no such facility was nearby. And this base apparently wasn’t regular army. Melanie suspected she now knew at least some of its unorthodox reason for existing, despite having no confirmation yet from Drew.

  As a result, they might be able to use a little unorthodox assistance from a non-military vet.

  Each dog received an initial and parting hug from her. She ignored Drew, except to allow him to lead her from one enclosure to the next. But of course she was always aware of him. Of where he stood. His expressive, sometimes chilling, very upsetting silence.

  Then there were her own mixed emotions. She was angry with how he treated her. Angry he didn’t trust her, especially when he knew she held such an amazing secret about him, one she could have already disclosed to the world if that was her intent.

  But through all that—or maybe because of it—she felt a strong bond with Drew. She wanted to touch him, though not the way she hugged the dogs. The man was, in some ways, a needy animal, requiring reassurance.

  At the same time, his presence pulled her to him. Was it a supernatural lure, since he was more than a man? In any event, she wanted to sink into his arms. Kiss him. More.

  Eventually, she’d checked on all the dogs. There was no further reason to stay here—except that he still hadn’t addressed all her questions.

  Outside the door to the K-9 quarters, Melanie said, “Thanks for letting me check the dogs, Drew. And of course I’ll make myself available for veterinary services. But…I want to know what you really do here.”

  She expected him to lie. That would have been the easy way, to tell her that he simply worked with the K-9s, and the only secret was the one she had already viewed.

  Instead, he said, “You’ve only seen the area where our cover story is played out. You don’t have clearance to see the rest.”

  “We’ve already been through—”

  “Let me finish. I’ve already put my life in your hands in more ways than one. That’s why I’ll start the process for your security clearance and attempt to expedite it—but for now I’ll act like you already have it and suck up any consequences. I’ve already run the possibility by my superior officer, and he’s kind of on board. I’ll introduce him to you soon. For now—well, I’ll show you some answers to what you’re asking—what we do, and why.”

  He led her to a narrow door that could have opened into a closet. Instead, it led to a stairway. At the bottom of the stairs, they stepped into a well-lit hall lined with several additional closed doors. Drew led her toward one, used a key card to open it, and motioned for her to walk in.

  Melanie stepped inside the huge room, stunned. All this, in the basement of a building that was, essentially, a kennel?

  She had seen a lot of laboratories during her veterinary school days, and generally made a habit of visiting the labs where her patients’ samples were sent to be tested. But none compared with the technological essence of this place.

  Metal counters on top of equally shiny cabinets formed a labyrinth. On top were spread all kinds of equipment, most of which she couldn’t begin to identify except for the familiar electron microscopes and some obvious equipment for monitoring respiration and circulation.

  “Whoa,” was all she could say.

  “Nice, isn’t it?” Drew responded.

  “I’ll say. But…okay, what’s it really for?”

  He took her elbow. Even through her blouse and suit jacket, she felt his fingers, his heat. “Let’s sit down,” he said.

  He led her to a compact office cubicle in a corner, neat yet not as pristine as the rest of the lab. She sat on a metal chair, and he took a seat behind the desk. He stared at her for a long moment, as if again assessing her ability to keep secrets.

  “You’ve already seen what I am,” he finally said. “This military unit…” He paused, and Melanie had no doubt that whatever he hesitated to say was of huge significance to him.

  “Okay,” she said quietly. “I’ll guess. This unit is—well, like your wolf pack? It has others in it who are—” she swallowed “—shapeshifters. You’re all here together for some mutual military purpose. Did I get that right?” She didn’t pause for his answer. “Did you choose Mary Glen because you thought the silly rumors around here would keep the rest of the world laughing instead of believing?”

  “Something like that.” His shoulders relaxed. “It was also easier to recruit because there really are more of our kind around this area. Sometimes legends have their bases in truth.”

  “I see. Okay, then. You don’t feel comfortable trusting an outsider with this kind of information. I get it. But if it helps, consider what life would be like for a veterinarian who publicly claimed to see little green men from outer space. Or to treat animals that suddenly turned into men, or vice versa. I mean, my background is based in science, and what’s commonly believed
to be reality. My colleagues’, too. If I ever made such a claim, who would ever trust me to treat their pets? Or hire me to join their veterinary practices? Or even renew my license to practice?”

  “You have a point. And I don’t really have much choice whether to hide things from you, at least the large-scale stuff. Details are another matter. Even so…well, it won’t hurt to have a pro in animal anatomy and physiology on our team. You game to jump onboard?”

  “Sure.” If for no other reason than she wanted to understand what was real, and what wasn’t…and why she felt compelled to find reasons to remain in Drew’s presence. Was that real, too? Based on some hormonal reaction to the pheromones or whatever that he gave off?

  Did it matter?

  “Okay, then.” He paused for a moment, as if to take a deep breath before diving into the deep end of a murky pool. “Here’s what’s going on around here, in brief.”

  For the next few minutes, Melanie swallowed what was left of her astonishment as he explained that his mission was to head a special group known as Alpha Force. When fully operational, it would be sent in as a last resort in national security situations where special undercover skills were needed and more conventional methods were not successful.

  The letter alpha was the first in the Greek alphabet—and Alpha Force was intended to be number one at what it did. It would in fact be the only military unit with the special covert ops skills its members had. Many of its operatives were werewolves. Others were shapeshifters of other sorts, such as large cats, and even a hawk was in the process of being recruited. The rest were their support, handlers who kept track of their comrades while they were in feral form and watched their backs.

  “There’s also a wolf-pack-psychology reason to call the unit Alpha,” Drew continued—and his explanation was just as Melanie had guessed. “All canines vie to be the alpha—the one in control. When deployed, our unit will be undercover. It may not look like it at first, but we’ll definitely take charge—be alpha to our fellow military operatives.”