Linda Johnston - Canadian Wolf

Lupe whined—she didn’t want to wait. So Selena figured she had better take her dog outside now.

She fastened the woven yellow nylon leash to Lupe’s matching collar and picked up a recyclable bag for anything Lupe might leave. “Let’s go,” she said, smiling at her eager dog.

On the front porch, Selena looked around before closing the door behind her. No sign of Owen. Good. But she’d have to try to hurry since she’d no idea when he might reappear, most likely from the other house.

Lupe seemed interested in going to the area between the two buildings, which was mostly grass edged in neatly trimmed bushes. Needles from the nearby fir trees decorated the lawn.

Lupe pulled gently, her nose to the ground, and Selena followed. Since it was dark outside and the illumination from the lights around the driveway wasn’t very bright, this area remained shrouded in shadows. That was fine. Selena stayed alert, all of her enhanced senses attuned to ensure that nothing perilous was around.

Selena detected the scent of some kind of small feral animal, although it was light enough to suggest that whatever it was had come and gone. But that explained why Lupe seemed extremely interested in smelling the grass and its light needle covering. The dog soon produced what she needed to, and Selena scooped it with the bag she’d brought.

That was when she heard a sound other than the branches of the nearby trees blowing in the light breeze and the very distant sound of an occasional automobile.

No, this was soft footsteps on pavement. Lupe heard them, too, since she raised her head, and her pointed, erect ears moved like antennae toward the direction of the sound.

Had Rainey returned? Selena hadn’t heard any car noises.

No, it was probably Owen heading toward his car. Selena remained still, listening. There was no reason to believe that whoever it was constituted a threat to Lupe or her.

Lupe pulled her lead and dashed toward the sound. “Wait!” Selena commanded, keeping her voice low. She didn’t want the person to hear her, especially if it was Owen.

But Lupe didn’t wait. Her leash taut, she kept pulling Selena in the direction of the driveway. She was usually quite obedient. Not now. Did she sense a danger from which she wanted to protect Selena? Or a friend she wanted to greet?

Selena found out in moments as the back-lit figure of a tall, well-built male appeared in the gap between the buildings. Lupe headed toward him, and Selena released her leash.

It was clearly Owen.

Selena followed her dog, knowing she needed to work to get Lupe even better trained here. Yes, she was mostly obedient, emphasis on mostly . Alpha Force cover dogs did get a significant amount of training, but they weren’t necessarily expected to act as official K-9s who sniffed out explosives or cadavers or anything like that. Their function was to be there for their shapeshifter counterparts so that if anyone saw an animal in wolfen form, they wouldn’t be surprised—even if that particular wolf happened to be a shifted human.

Same went for other types of cover animals, such as those for felines or birds or whatever.

Selena knew that the Canadians would soon need to find cover animals for all of their CAs, including a falcon counterpart for Andrea. But that was far from being her current concern.

“What are you doing out here?” Owen demanded as she got closer.

“Since Lupe’s all over you, I’d imagine that’s pretty clear. She needed to go out.” Selena purposely made her tone sarcastic. That would certainly reduce any further possibility that he’d want to kiss her again, wouldn’t it?

“Sure. But...well, even up here, you need to be careful. One reason we chose this area is that we don’t know of any problems, but there are no guarantees.”

As she got nearer, he wasn’t silhouetted now and Selena could make out his features. Handsome features—with his brow knitted in apparent concern.

And that made him look all the more appealing.

She suddenly had an urge to rush toward him and be the one to instigate the next kiss.

Fortunately a noise sounded behind him. An automobile was heading up the driveway. Rainey was probably returning.

That sound also gave Selena an instant to calm herself—and her very human hormones. “I appreciate that,” she said. Then, to remind him—and herself—of who and what she was, she added, “You may not be aware of it, or even if you are you might not be thinking about it. But shifters’ senses are very much like the animals’ they shift into. I heard you come outside the other house probably a lot sooner than another person would, for example. I’ll stay wary, but you don’t need to worry about me.”

“Right.” He didn’t sound entirely convinced.

Rainey parked the car she had driven—a rental, Selena figured, although she wasn’t sure whose—and came running up. “Hey, you two. Three, I mean.” She bent to pat Lupe. “I’m ready to go off to bed so I can get up early tomorrow. How about you?”

Selena glanced toward Owen before answering. His gaze was on her, and it was probably a good thing that Rainey remained somewhat in the shadows behind him.

She hopefully couldn’t see the very hot, very suggestive gaze that Owen leveled on Selena. But she caught it. And quite possibly she thought the same thing he did.

Yes, she was ready to go off to bed. Alone.

But the idea of sharing it with Owen?

After their earlier kiss, it definitely crossed her mind.

* * *

Off to bed. Oh, yeah, Owen had heard that. Thought about it as he regarded Selena. Sexy Selena. Hot Selena, whom he’d definitely enjoyed kissing.

Werewolf Selena.

She and her dog walked with him to his SUV as if she hadn’t sensed the gist of his thoughts about bed when Rainey had mentioned it. Maybe she hadn’t—although her expression seemed to say otherwise.

No matter. He could always act now as if Rainey’s words hadn’t triggered his imagination—not to mention a reaction from his most private body parts. Selena had, after all, reminded him earlier of why he wasn’t fond of shapeshifters.

“I’ll be back here first thing with the rest of the group,” he said, slipping into the driver’s seat of his SUV. He’d decided to stop in at their hotel to speak with them briefly before heading to his own room that night. “I’ll make sure we get here early for them to get breakfast ready for all of us. As Canada Alphas, they’ve already begun to learn that their duties are diverse, and preparing meals can be among them.”

He liked how Selena smiled under the faint lights. He was also amused when she shifted her dog’s leash to free up one hand so she could grab hold of the car door.

“My turn,” she said, starting to close it.

“Hey, you’re a gentleman, too,” he teased as he settled into the seat.

“You got it.” She slammed the door shut.

But as he turned the key in the ignition, his mind rebelled against what he had said.

Selena was anything but a man, gentle or not.

And her very womanly characteristics just might drive him nuts as he continued to work with her on this assignment.

* * *

Once they were all inside the house, Selena went upstairs with Rainey and helped her choose the room she would stay in while they were here. Rainey opted for the one overlooking the front of the house. Selena then left Rainey upstairs and returned to the room that was now hers.

She had already changed into her long-sleeved navy pajamas, washed her face and settled herself beneath her bedcovers when Rainey knocked on her door. “Come in,” she called.

Rainey, too, had put her on pj’s, a frilly pink outfit that contrasted pleasantly with her dark, curly hair. She grinned as she sat at the foot of Selena’s bed.