“I’m going with Maverick,” Gina said before Maverick could suggest it and hope she’d go along with it.

  He was glad she wanted to remain with him and he hadn’t had to convince her to stay with him for her own good, not when the other men were listening to what he had to tell her.

  Her brother stared at her as if she had lost her mind.

  “I’m a zoologist. Reindeer don’t live here. I’ve got to document this. I’ll be in touch,” Gina said.

  “Are you serious?” Weston’s eyes were wide with disbelief.

  “Yeah. You know this is just the kind of work I do. I’ll be fine. I’ll call you when we get to the reindeer ranch. I’ll send pictures, even,” she said.

  “Actually, I can show you our webcam at the ranch.” Maverick brought out his phone and then showed Weston the webcam of the property, the reindeer, and the staff feeding them. He wanted to reassure her brother that he was safe to be with.

  “Let me see your ID,” Weston said to Maverick, a modicum of concern in his voice—big brother looking after little sister, making sure that Maverick was who he said he was.

  Maverick was glad for that. “Yeah, sure.” He showed him his driver’s license and a reindeer business card for bookings. “I promise I’ll take care of her.” Seriously, more than her brother would ever know unless they had to turn him too, which might have to happen. But now Maverick would have time alone with Gina, and he could really talk to her about the wolf business. He suspected that was why she wanted to go with him. Though maybe as a zoologist, she really did want to see the reindeer.

  Weston handed Maverick’s ID back to him but pocketed the business card. “You stay in touch,” he told Gina, his voice stern.

  “I will.” She gave him a hug, and he hugged her back.

  Then they split forces; the men took off north, and Maverick and Gina headed out to search for the reindeer. Maverick would need to dump his gear when they found it and lasso it.

  They hadn’t walked more than about ten more minutes when he could smell a reindeer’s scent.

  Gina asked, “Do you smell it?”

  “Yeah, just like you do.”

  “I…I guess so.” She didn’t sound sure of her new abilities.

  “Your brother and your friends wouldn’t be able to smell the reindeer, believe me. Any more than you would have been able to before.”

  “If what you’re saying is true—not saying I believe in any of it—I would have to learn to identify scents, I guess. I mean, I knew your dog’s…” She paused.

  He could see the struggle she was having with the truth He would have to shift for her, and then she would believe.

  “Um, scent on the trail because I smelled it on my blanket in my tent, and finally when I saw you, I smelled the same scent. But the reindeer smells different, and I thought maybe it was him.” She paused. “I still can’t believe any of this. Are you going to try to capture the reindeer?”

  “Yeah. And take him home to our ranch. We feed them a special diet and take care of them.”

  “They’re herd animals.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Okay, so you seriously can’t be a were—wolf shifter. I can’t be one.” She stayed near him as they moved through the woods, searching for the reindeer.

  “I know. It’s hard to believe. We’re wolf shifters or lupus garous. That’s what we call ourselves. Werewolves are seen as…so monster-like in some literature. Oh…I see the reindeer ahead,” he whispered to her. He wondered how the reindeer had ended up here. He’d had a lot of experience with roping them, so as soon as he was able, he’d lasso him and then make further arrangements to move him. But the reindeer didn’t seem frightened, and he suspected it wasn’t wild.

  Someone had to have raised him.

  Maverick carefully set his backpack down and pulled his rope out.

  Gina placed her backpack next to his.

  Then he readied the rope and lassoed the reindeer. “Okay, we’ve got him.”

  “Wow, that was great.” She frowned. “He can smell our scent. He’s not afraid of us?”

  “He’s probably never met a wolf, but if we smell like canines, he might have been raised with them and be comfortable around them.”

  “Wolf shifters,” she said, still sounding incredulous.

  Maverick knew the wolf shifter business was going to be hard for her to believe, especially when she hadn’t shifted yet, though he was glad she hadn’t right now, given where they were. And what if she did and they ran into her brother and friends while Gina was running as a wolf? They’d believe he had lost Weston’s sister in the woods and picked up a female wolf. That would be hard to explain.

  “Now what?” she asked.

  “Now I call my brother to arrange a pickup of the reindeer.”

  “Wait, is that a…” she said, peering into the woods.

  Maverick looked to see what it was she had seen and saw a llama. “Llama? It sure the hell is.” He removed his belt.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going to put my belt on the reindeer, and if you’re not afraid, you can hold onto it as if it were a collar. Then I’ll remove the rope from the reindeer and lasso the llama.”

  “The two are friends. Look how the llama isn’t moving any farther away from the reindeer than he is now. They were probably raised together,” Gina said.

  “I agree. Do you have a belt we can use for the llama as a makeshift collar?”

  She shook her head, removing her backpack and unzipping one of the pockets. “No, but I do have a bungee cord.”

  “That should work.” Then he pulled a carrot out of his parka pocket and walked up to the reindeer with the carrot outstretched, and Gina pulled the bungee cord out of her backpack. Once Maverick had the reindeer eating out of his hand, he put the belt around his neck. It appeared the reindeer was used to wearing a harness. “Okay, if you’ll come up here and hold onto his ‘collar,’ I’ll remove the rope and lasso the llama.”

  “I’ve got this.” She sounded excited to be in on the capture of a couple of out-of-place tame animals. The perfect mystery for a zoologist.

  With the bungee cord in hand, she grasped the belt-collar on the reindeer with her free hand and spoke softly to him while Maverick tossed the rope and lassoed the llama. The llama didn’t even bolt, as if she didn’t want to leave her friend behind.

  “This is so neat. We’ve probably saved their lives,” she said.

  “Yeah, they don’t belong in the forest trying to survive. They might not have made it.” Then he took the bungee cord from Gina, made a collar for the llama, and tied the rope to both of them so he could walk them on a “leash” to a pickup zone. He called his brother right after that. “Before you ask”—he glanced at Gina and smiled—“yes, Gina is one of us, and she’s a zoologist, so she understands something about animals. But also I need a trailer. We found the reindeer. Not only that, but he’s got a gal pal with him—a llama. They’re both tame, which means we need to learn where they belong.”

  “A llama? I figured the hikers were mistaken. I’m glad you found the reindeer and, uh, the llama. I’ll call someone to get you. What about Gina?” Josh said.

  “I’m hoping she’s coming to the reindeer ranch and then the Christmas party at Leidolf’s ranch.”

  “And the others?” Josh asked.

  “They’re off on a Bigfoot–werewolf hunt still.”

  “Okay, good.” Josh sounded relieved. “I also have to tell you the couple who host the radio show? They lambasted the other ranch hands for trying to steal our show.”

  “Really.” Maverick hoped the owner of the other reindeer ranch didn’t give the radio show hosts trouble. “I hope they don’t have any backlash from it, but I’m glad they outed them.”

  “People calling in were for us one hundred percent. They said they’d hate it if they had planned programs and someone else set up nearby to steal their business away from them. Several said they had seen us and loved our reindeer and the calves.”

  “That’s good news. Speaking of which, I’ll let them know we found the reindeer and a llama. They can air that and maybe find where they belong because the animals are probably from this area.”

  “Oh, great idea! Not to mention you going out and searching for the reindeer will probably show us to be the good guys.”

  “I agree. Thanks, Josh. I’ll talk to you later.” When Maverick ended the call, he phoned Andy at the radio station. “This is Maverick Wilding—”

  “The man of the hour. We were just discussing the issue with you and the other reindeer ranch.”

  “Thanks so much. I was calling to tell you we found the reindeer you had seen.”

  “Hallelujah. I’ve got to tell my listeners.” Then he paused and said, “When April and I came across the reindeer in the state park, we told Maverick and Josh Wilding of Wilding Reindeer Ranch. We asked if they could find the reindeer, and they said they would search for him. They did and actually found him.”

  Maverick realized Andy was currently on his talk show right this minute! “But not only did we find the reindeer”—Maverick wasn’t going to leave his brother out of receiving the glory too—“the reindeer had a friend, a llama, and we’re transporting them to our reindeer ranch for safekeeping until we can find their home. We would be grateful if your listeners know anything about where they might belong. If they can let you know or they can contact us, we can take them home.”

  “You heard the man. If you know whom these beautiful animals belong to, give us a call. Thanks for believing us and searching for the reindeer, Maverick. Calypso’s ranch hands didn’t believe us, and if it hadn’t been for Maverick and Josh searching for them, the reindeer and llama would still be in the woods, fending for themselves. Thanks to Maverick and Josh, this story has a happier ending. We’ll be talking to you soon. Signing off for now.” Then Andy said to Maverick, “Okay, we’re off the air.”

  “Thanks for alerting us about the reindeer.”

  “Thanks for believing April and me. We’ll see you next year at your show, but in the meantime, we’ll keep in touch if any of our listeners have any clues as to where the reindeer and llama belong.”

  “Thanks.” Then Maverick said goodbye, hopeful they would get some good feedback soon. He explained what had been said to Gina.

  “Oh, that’s wonderful. You received great publicity, and possibly someone listening to their radio station will know where the animals belong. Wonderful.”

  “Yeah, it couldn’t have worked out better,” Maverick said as they continued to hike through the snowy woods. He and Gina had to get the animals home, checked out by a vet, and fed a proper meal. No telling how long they’d been in the woods foraging for food on their own.

  But mainly, he had to get Gina to safety just in case she shifted in the state park!

  ***

  Gina pulled out her phone and called her brother to let him know she was fine and where she was going next. “Hey, Weston, I’m going with Maverick to his Christmas party.”

  “Where is it located?”

  She sighed. “Where is Leidolf’s ranch?”

  “It’s south of mine. Leidolf Wildhaven. Your brother can check him out. He’s a well-respected rancher.”

  “Okay, thanks, Maverick.” She told her brother what Maverick had said. “Anyway, he caught the reindeer and—get this—a llama too.”

  “A llama? Wow. I didn’t see that. I wish I had. Were they together then?”

  “Yep. We’re taking them to his reindeer ranch now.”

  “Are you sure about this guy?”

  “Yeah. I’ll be fine. You know how it is when I have something I can document about animals in the wild or in captivity. This is a real mystery, and I want to help Maverick solve it. You have fun searching for Bigfoot.”

  “And werewolves,” he reminded her.

  She glanced at Maverick. “Uh, yeah, and werewolves. But you promised me you wouldn’t kill anything if you found what you’re looking for.” God, she couldn’t believe she’d be really worried they might run into real ones now like their friends had in Maine. “All right. I’ll call you later.”

  She ended the call and frowned at Maverick. “Okay, so let’s say I believe you about the wolf shifter business. When you were in your fur coat, you looked like a real wolf. Well, I couldn’t imagine running into a wolf, so I figured you were a dog. But if you were a wolf shifter, you weren’t some deformed wolf monster like in the movies.”

  “We are like real wolves, only we still have our human thought processes. You think like a human, but you have the enhanced senses of the wolf. Not only that, but if anyone checks your blood as a human, it’s totally human.”

  She sighed with relief. “I worried about that.” The coroner had said that the men the Dark Angels had killed had been poisoned with silver nitrite, but while he was doing DNA testing, if he had discovered the men had mixed wolf and human DNA, they would have heard it on the news.

  “And as a wolf, your blood is all wolf’s. We also have enhanced healing abilities twice as fast as humans, and we have longer life spans. Wolves mate for life, so you can make love to a human without consequences, but making love all the way with another wolf means you’re mated for life. No divorce.”

  “Oh, wow, I never thought there would be so many conditions.”

  “You’ll need to stay with us during the full moon. With some of our kind, I mean. You won’t have a lot of control over shifting. No driving a car or working at a job when you’re around humans.”

  In other words, her whole life had just been turned upside down, and she was still reeling from all of this. “So about this Christmas party…”

  “Yeah, at the pack leader’s ranch. We’re primarily red wolves.”

  “They’re rare. I mean, real red wolves.” She’d never imagined werewolves would come in all different kinds of species or subspecies.

  “They are. Even with our kind. A couple of packs exist that I know of, and some red lupus garous have mated grays. But mostly the packs are gray wolves.”

  “And the Arctic wolf shifter who Weston’s friends saw in Maine?”

  ***

  Maverick just couldn’t talk to Gina about the situation that had happened in Maine. She was dealing with enough with learning what she’d become. “Yes. Arctic lupus garous exist as well.” He wasn’t going to tell her about jaguar shifters. Not right now. He suspected learning about wolves was enough for now.

  “I can’t tell my brother about any of this, can I?”

  “No. That’s the only way we can stay relatively safe, by keeping our kind a secret. Do you have other family?” He needed to learn all he could about her, just like she needed to learn all she could about them.

  “My parents. I have no other family except for Weston and them. What happens if someone learns about you?”

  “Us. You might not feel like one of us yet, but you are one of us. We turn them or eliminate those who see us shifting. No one knows of us, and we mean to keep it that way.” He was hurrying her through the woods, trying to reach the trailhead as soon as he could.

  “So the one man who vanished in Maine might be a wolf now and he never got in touch with my brother or his friends because he couldn’t control his shifting.”

  Maverick didn’t want to tell her that Sarge was alive until he had time to explain about the rest.

  Chapter 4

  Gina’s thoughts were swirling around her head like a blender on high speed as she considered the situation she was in. She still couldn’t believe she was a wolf shifter, or lupus garou, but if she was, from what Maverick had told her, she wouldn’t be able to do regular assignments as a zoologist during the full moon. Everything else she could explain away except for one thing—removing all her clothes in the middle of the night when it was cold in the tent and she’d been hot. No way, unless she’d been running a high-grade fever, would she have been too hot to wear her clothes. When Maverick had mentioned she would do just that—feel the heat, the need to take off her clothes, and then shift? That would be the only reason she could think of for why she was totally naked in her tent last night!

  She knew there would be consequences that she didn’t like. If she truly was this imaginary beast. She was still on the fence about it. But what worried her most was that Maverick had evaded the question of what had happened to the men in Maine. If he hadn’t known, which would be very likely given how far away Maine was from Portland, Oregon, why not say so? Or if he suspected they’d been eliminated, why not say that? But he wouldn’t comment as if he knew and he didn’t want to upset her.

  She more than worried what would become of her parents and her brother. What about their friends? It sounded as though Maverick wanted to keep her around, to acclimate her to the world of werewolves, and didn’t have any intention of eliminating her, thankfully.

  Maverick’s cell jingled “Magical Christmas Carol of the Bells,” alerting him he had a call. He gave Josh their location. “Okay, we’ll take the animals to the site where we’d parked our truck. We’re on our way there now.” Maverick ended the call. “We’ll be picked up by a friend, Jim Salsa, at the trailhead and ride down to the ranch.”

  They both put on their backpacks.

  “All right.” She took another deep breath of the air and smelled the reindeer and llama. Earlier, she’d smelled their tension, but now they appeared less anxious. They started to hike in the direction where she’d tracked Maverick’s trail earlier. She couldn’t quit thinking of how “awake” her senses were. She felt like she was experiencing sensory overload.

  She took a deep breath. It seemed like the air out there had suddenly cleared her mind. Like the stuffing in her ears had been removed. She was now aware of the slightest of movements—the pine needles fluttering in the fickle breeze, the flitter of a cardinal’s wings as he flew mostly hidden into the underbrush in her peripheral vision, the dancing of tiny snowflakes making their descent from heaven above. “I heard the plop of snow falling from a branch over there”—she motioned in the direction she’d heard it fall—“the sound of a tiny creature deep in the underbrush, the low twitter of a bird I can’t see, and even the fall of a leaf.” The fragrance of fir and pine, even the crisp snow, filled her nose. “Animal scents are confusing though…but I recognize the scent of a reindeer, llama, and your wolf scent too now. Not to mention I’ve never been able to track anything before like I can now.”