“I am listening. It’s just that I figure if I have to dress up like a wolf, I should get some meat.”
“Fine. Tomorrow. I’ll get you some tomorrow. For now, there’s cornmeal.”
“Why did you agree to do it, then?” he says after he’s taken a few bites. “If you have so much to lose?”
“Because I was going to be a nidling. Lone wolves are given to the Alphas as servants. Keeps us busy and out of trouble, but it’s as close to being nothing as you can be without actually being dead. There aren’t many. Mala was one. That’s why she ran away. Do you want this?” I offer my untouched bowl. “I’m not really hungry.”
He scrapes the bottom of his own bowl before taking mine.
“I guess I figured that one chance at living was better than a lifetime of being alive.”
I think I am going to be sick.
Late into the night, the Shifter struggles with a tent and a sleeping bag that aren’t really meant for his big body. His bangs and curses are accompanied by the slithery scraping of nylon against nylon that sets my teeth on edge. No good wolf likes to sleep in a clearing anyway, so I limp off to the edge of the woods and find a nice spot behind the bleached-out cedar stumps. I turn round and round among the dry, fragrant pine needles. Curling my muzzle on my front paws, I fluff my tail across my nose and close my eyes.
Doesn’t matter that it’s still black as night. It’s not the light that tells me to wake up. Honestly, I don’t know what does. A bird, maybe. When the temperature reaches dew point. Pull of the moon, whatever. I wake up when I’m supposed to give the Shifter his medication.
I feel the sproing in my neck, the pleasant pressure as my shoulders widen, the pain in my hips, and the ticklish rearranging of pastern and forepaw. I need fingers, because the clindamycin comes in a wolf-proof bottle that’s in the backpack on John’s rock. The same backpack that is currently being rifled through by the biggest mutant coyote I’ve ever seen.
Acknowledgments
I hope you had as much fun reading Caleb and Brielle’s story as we had writing it! The moment they met in Undercover Wolf (STAT #2) we knew they were perfect for each other. If you’re a fan of our SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team series, then you’ll remember Caleb first made an appearance as a background character in the book In the Company of Wolves (SWAT #3). But he was so dynamic that we knew he needed to be the hero of his own story. In fact, we’d go so far as to say that Caleb is the inspiration behind the whole STAT series!
This whole series wouldn’t be possible without some very incredible people. In addition to another big thank-you to my hubby for all his help with the action scenes and military and tactical jargon, thanks to everyone at Sourcebooks (who are always a phone call, text, or email away whenever we need something). A big shout-out to their crazy-talented art department. The covers they make for us are seriously drool-worthy!
Because I could never leave out my readers, a huge thank-you to everyone who reads my books and Snoopy Dances right along with me with every new release. That includes the fantastic people on my amazing Review Team, as well as my assistant, Janet. You rock!
And a very special shout-out to our favorite restaurant, P. F. Chang’s, where hubby and I bat story lines back and forth and come up with all of our best ideas, as well as a thank-you to our fantastic waiter-turned-manager, Andrew, who makes sure our order is ready the moment we walk in the door!
Be sure to look for the next book in the SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team series coming soon from Sourcebooks. Hope you look forward to reading the rest of the series as much as we look forward to sharing it with you.
If you love a man in uniform as much as I do, make sure you check out X-Ops, our other action-packed paranormal/romantic-suspense series from Sourcebooks.
Happy reading!
About the Author
Paige Tyler is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of action-packed romantic suspense, romantic thrillers, and paranormal romance. Paige writes books about hunky alpha males and the kick-butt heroines they fall in love with. She lives with her very own military hero (also known as her husband) and their adorable dog on the beautiful Florida coast. Visit her at paigetylertheauthor.com.
Also by Paige Tyler
STAT: Special Threat Assessment Team
Wolf Under Fire
Undercover Wolf
SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team
Hungry Like the Wolf
Wolf Trouble
In the Company of Wolves
To Love a Wolf
Wolf Unleashed
Wolf Hunt
Wolf Hunger
Wolf Rising
Wolf Instinct
Wolf Rebel
Wolf Untamed
Rogue Wolf
X-Ops
Her Perfect Mate
Her Lone Wolf
Her Secret Agent (novella)
Her Wild Hero
Her Fierce Warrior
Her Rogue Alpha
Her True Match
Her Dark Half
X-Ops Exposed
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