Copyright © 2019 by Terry Spear

  Cover and internal design © 2019 by Sourcebooks

  Cover art by Craig White

  Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Originally published in Destiny of the Wolf in 2019 in the United States of America by Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks.

  Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks

  P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410

  (630) 961-3900

  sourcebooks.com

  Contents

  Front Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from Jingle Bell Wolf

  One

  Two

  Three

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  One

  Retired army Special Forces officer and gray wolf Michael Hoffman had stopped at a service station on the way to check out a gray wolf pack in Colorado, run by a Bella and Devlyn Greystoke, when an attractive blond captured his eye. Her hair was swept up in a bun, strands falling loose around the nape of her neck and framing her face. She was wearing skintight black jeans, a soft, light-blue sweater, and black suede boots on this cool, fall day, but what really caught his attention was her sweet scent. She was a wolf. And he thought he recognized her and her scent. If so, it had been a long damn time since he’d seen her, and it had to have been a really brief encounter, because he didn’t remember having really talked to her at all.

  Michael had served all over the world providing foreign internal defenses, special reconnaissance, counterterrorism, and yeah, unconventional warfare when the mission required it. Running into she-wolves he was attracted to rarely happened. Mostly because they just weren’t where he was at the time or were ineligible—mated, too old, or too young. He wondered if she was part of a pack here. Hell, maybe she was mated. Before he could ask her if she belonged to a pack locally—since he was here now and might as well check it out—she got into her car and drove off in a hurry.

  Thinking he could follow her and still learn if she was part of a local pack in this part of Colorado, he finished gassing up when he saw three men jump into a black pickup, yelling to each other that they had to catch the woman. The driver gunned the engine, and they tore off after her. Michael could be wrong, but he sure thought it looked like trouble was headed the she-wolf’s way. After replacing the gas nozzle on the pump, Michael jumped into his Jeep and slammed his foot on the gas pedal in hot pursuit, ready to provide some Green Beret muscle if the little lady needed it.

  * * *

  Retired army officer and red wolf Carmela Wildhaven couldn’t believe a stop at the service station outside of her pack’s territory on the way to her home from the airport could potentially prove to be dangerous. She’d headed toward the store to buy a bottled water when she saw three male wolves near the glass door inside whom she thought she recognized. A chill ran up her spine just thinking about them. She’d hoped they hadn’t seen her before she hightailed it out of there.

  She couldn’t believe the former army sergeants were here, so close to the Silver Town wolf pack’s territory. Unless they were from here originally. She sure hoped not.

  She didn’t regret that she’d sat on the board that had eliminated them from the service for smoking pot in a government van while in uniform and on post, right before she’d retired from the army. The looks they had given her when they left the hearing warned her that they’d pay her back, because as a wolf, she should have been voting in their favor to allow them to stay on active duty. But she really hadn’t thought she’d ever see them again.

  If they had just been given an official reprimand that had stayed in their records but they had faced no other consequences, she could see them pulling something like that again or worse. Then what would happen? They’d be incarcerated? As wolves? Not good. Besides, she hadn’t been the only one who had voted them out of the service—all the combat officers and the noncommissioned officers on the board had too.

  She’d quickly turned around and climbed into her car. She’d hoped she’d managed to leave before they saw her. She drove out of there as fast as she could without running over anyone or hitting another vehicle and headed toward home again, realizing if they hadn’t seen her, they might still smell her scent in the area. Why were they here? That was what bothered her the most. She hoped they hadn’t been trying to track her down, but it seemed to be too much of a coincidence that they were here.

  She’d just returned from Germany where she’d participated in a crossbow competition that she nearly won, but she’d just missed out, and her bags were still in the car. Her crossbow and quiver of arrows also. Unfortunately, she’d lost her phone somewhere between the States and Germany. She had no idea when or where she’d lost it because her cell phone had died and she couldn’t use it until she had a chance to charge it. She’d wondered if someone had stolen it from her or if she’d left it behind somewhere. She really could use it now to call the sheriff for help.

  She glanced at her rearview mirror and saw a black pickup truck following her some distance behind. If she could just reach her turnoff a couple of miles ahead and drive for three more miles, she’d be in the Silver Town wolf pack’s territory.

  A couple of weeks ago, she’d joined them and started her job as the receptionist at the clinic that served the pack before she had to leave for Germany. Thankfully, Darien and Lelandi Silver, the pack leaders, had been fine with her taking off right after she had been hired on. They’d been impressed with all her wins in archery competitions, and they’d even set up an archery range so she could teach anyone who wanted to learn how to use a crossbow and so that she could continue to practice her skill and win more competitions.

  She sure hoped the wolves from the army weren’t members of the Silver Town wolf pack and she just hadn’t met them yet. She wasn’t even sure how the pack leaders would handle that, since she was new to the pack and they might have been with the pack much earlier on, so who would they side with?

  She glanced up at her rearview mirror again and saw the black pickup was now barreling down the highway, speeding, growing closer. It might not be the men from the army. It could be someone else who was driving recklessly and not trying to chase her down.

  Not that she really believed that. Her blood chilled, and she tightened her hands on her steering wheel.

  She was speeding on the two-lane road, but they were still catching up to her, hell-bent on reaching her, intimidating her, or, if she was lucky, just planned to pass her.

  She thought of turning around and going back to the service station. She didn’t see anywhere to pull off and turn the car around though. Maybe she could slow down and let them pass if that was their intent, but they were driving so fast, she was afraid they might hit her car anyway.

  They were so close now, they were practically on her bumper. Angry and frustrated, she could do nothing about it. They nudged her car, once, and then twice. The last time, they backed off a bit, and she thought maybe they were going to give it up. But then they sped up again. Only this time, they struck her car hard. A loud bang resounded, of metal on metal. Her heart practically seized. The road curved, but she couldn’t make the turn. At the high rate of speed she was going, the car flew off the road. It landed hard on the ground, the sound of explosions filling the air. She realized all four of her tires had blown.

  The car traveled through branches and fall leaves, slowing it down some. She hit the brakes, trying to stop from hitting the huge, oak tree in her path. The car still slammed into the tree, jolting her hard. Her airbag instantly inflated and deflated. She was glad she always wore her seat belt. She felt okay, a little sore, but nothing that would slow her down. She could stay in the car and hopefully remain protected. She glanced out the back window while struggling to unfasten her seat belt. Stay calm, she told herself.

  The driver had parked the truck on the road, and all three of the men were exiting their vehicle. It was them. The three sergeants, all rogue wolves. One of the men had a tire iron in his hand. They meant business.

  She was afraid her car wouldn’t protect her.

  The seat belt released, and she threw open the driver’s door, grabbed her crossbow and her quiver of arrows, and jumped out of her car. Panicked, she stumbled on a couple of tree roots, regained her footing, and ran in the direction that would take her to her pack’s territory and hopefully safety.

  She glanced back and saw the men were stripping off their clothes. God, they were going to run as wolves, and she couldn’t outrun them as a human. She wouldn’t have enough time to take down all three men with her bow ei
ther. As a wolf, she could move faster, but fighting three male wolves? She wouldn’t stand a chance.

  * * *

  Michael saw the pickup slam into the red Ford Escort, sending it flying off the road. His heart practically stopped. He’d kill the men with his bare hands. Or better yet, his teeth. He jerked his Jeep to a stop behind the pickup and saw the woman disappear into the woods. The way she was sprinting indicated she hadn’t been injured badly in the crash. But a pack of three male wolves were chasing her, their clothes scattered in a couple of piles on top of the leaves, and a tire iron was lying nearby. From the way her car had slammed into the tree, he could see the vehicle was totaled. He was glad she didn’t appear to be injured.

  He had to remind himself that she could be the one in the wrong. What if she’d killed one of their family members? And they were intent on eliminating a rogue wolf?

  Wolves had to take care of their own. He was well aware of that. They couldn’t go to prison regardless of the crime committed, because during the full moon, the man might shift into a wolf, and that would cause a world of trouble. He jumped out of his Jeep, raced down the incline, and stripped off his clothes. He couldn’t reach the wolves while running as a human, and he stood a better chance fighting them wolf-to-wolf. Not a really great chance. They were all big males and would give him a run for his money.

  Even if she had wronged someone, he wanted to know the details before he let them take the matter into their own hands. She was still running as a human, and she’d never outrun the wolves before they caught up to her.

  Maybe he could distract them long enough so she could get away.

  He stopped and howled, telling her to keep running and he’d take care of these wolves, hoping his howl would delay them too. They all stopped. The three male wolves turned to see who was following them. The woman was standing slack-jawed not that far ahead of them. Michael bared his teeth at his prey. He was taking the wolves on, even if the woman was in the wrong. They could sort it out later.

  * * *

  Armed with her crossbow, Carmela still couldn’t believe the three male wolves had found her and were chasing after her. Once they’d wrecked her car, she’d run about a half a mile through the woods from there, hoping she’d find help. No such luck. She really, really didn’t want to shoot them, but she didn’t think they had any intention of just airing their griefs with her or they wouldn’t have wrecked her car and come after her. Not after they had cast her growly looks, threatening her they’d pay her back at the end of the hearing.

  Now, there was a new male wolf on the scene, aggressive, baring his canines at the three males that he’d brought to a stop with his howl. She prayed if anyone was in the area, they might hear the mystery wolf’s howl and come to investigate what he was doing here.

  He barked at her, telling her in no uncertain terms to get the hell out of there.

  But if he was there to serve as her hero—maybe he was with the Silver Town wolf pack and she just had never seen him before—she wasn’t leaving him to fight these wolves on his own. He might be big and tough, growly and capable, but there were still three of them he had to fight.

  She considered stripping and shifting, but she was a female and a red wolf, which made her a smaller wolf, and there wasn’t any way she could successfully win against any of the males. Her crossbow gave her the only chance she had. She nocked an arrow and aimed at one of the wolves, the biggest one, who was in the middle of the three, the one she thought was the leader of the pack, and she’d thought he was the leader when they went before the army board. He had a darker, more mottled coat of blacks and grays, a little bit of beige, and a white belly. One of the gray wolves was gray and white and the other pure black. She didn’t think she had anything to worry about with the wolf challenging the others, his saddle reddish, his back gray, his belly blond, and his mask reddish.

  The leader bared his teeth at the lone wolf, but the leader didn’t race in to attack the other wolf. She was surprised he wouldn’t, because the lone male wouldn’t be much of a contest for three males in their prime. Still, she was certain they wouldn’t want to be injured either if the wolf could do some real damage.

  She hoped she could even the odds somewhat.

  Then the lone wolf circled around in her direction, the whole time watching the other wolves for any sign of aggression on their part, his jaw set, his eyes narrowed at them. She assumed he was trying to reach her before the other wolves attacked, attempting to provide better protection for her instead of trying to draw them away from her, because she wasn’t leaving. She was surprised he’d risk taking her side in this if he didn’t belong to the Silver Town wolf pack.

  He lifted his chin, and she knew he was going to howl. For help this time? For his Silver pack mates? She so hoped he was one of them, but his call earlier hadn’t brought anyone else to their aid. She was afraid no one was close enough to hear his howls.

  Before he could get much more than the start of a howl, the leader of the pack raced forward to stop him. The other two ran forth to aid their leader, and she aimed her bow and shot the leader, aiming for his chest, but he ducked, something a regular wolf wouldn’t have done, but a wary human would, and her arrow sailed over his back. He was moving so fast, she quickly nocked another arrow and nailed him in the hip this time. It wasn’t in her nature to kill a wolf. A lupus garou. She wanted to disable him and let the pack handle it. But she wasn’t going to allow the wolves to kill the lone wolf who was standing by her side. She had hoped that would stop the aggressor wolf and the others would turn tail and run back to their truck.

  The leader stumbled but then kept moving toward the lone wolf as if her arrow was doing nothing to slow him down, and the other two wolves were nearly upon them. She didn’t have time to nock another arrow. She lifted her chin and howled as a human. Her howl would carry some distance, though in the woods, it wouldn’t travel as far as she’d like. Maybe she could alert her pack members, if any were in the area, to come save them.

  The lone wolf tore into one of the other wolves. The leader collapsed before he reached her, the arrow finally having an effect, and the other wolf came at her before she could nock another arrow. She slammed her bow against the wolf’s head as he lunged at her, his teeth bared, and she smelled onion on his breath as he tried to bite her.

  Two

  Michael was trying to kill the black wolf so he could tear into the other wolf next and protect the woman, a red wolf. He really thought he recognized her now that he saw her up close. From the army? A brief encounter when he was at Fort Sam Houston but leaving for his next assignment? He hoped she wasn’t in the wrong, but he couldn’t help himself when a woman was in need of a hero.

  That was only if he could protect her! She was fighting the wolf with her crossbow and trying to nail him with an arrow in her other hand. The wolf was dodging her efforts, growling and snarling and snapping. Michael had done a lot of damage to the black wolf he was fighting, but the wolf was just as big as him, and the black wolf had bitten him in several places too.

  He and the other wolf were snarling and growling and biting, but then the gray wolf lunged at the woman, and she tripped and fell over some exposed tree roots. Michael had to leave his flank open to the black wolf so he could attack the gray wolf before he killed the woman.

  The black wolf took advantage of Michael’s maneuver and jumped at his flank. Michael was afraid he’d made the worst mistake of his life, but he had to stop the gray wolf. Michael managed to tackle the gray wolf, forcing him to the ground and stopping him from hurting the woman. She was on her feet in an instant, and with both wolves tearing into Michael, he noticed she was able to nock another arrow. She aimed and shot the gray-colored wolf. The wolf was in such a rage, the arrow didn’t appear to be slowing him down. Michael bit into the black wolf again, and this time, he managed to grab him by the back of the neck, bit down hard, and killed him.

  She fired another arrow, and it just missed Michael’s ear. He turned to see the gray wolf lunging at him. The arrow went winging by Michael and hit the last aggressor wolf. Another arrow and then another flew past Michael until the gray wolf was wearing four arrows, and he sank to the ground, unable to fight any further.