Hungry Like the Wolf(24)

It was Mike’s turn to snort. “You mean like a beautiful face, long silky hair, an awesome ass, and legs up to there? Because I couldn’t help but notice that Ms. Stone has that going on, too.”

Gage growled and stepped toward Mike before he even realized what he was doing. Just the thought that his squad leader had been checking out Mackenzie’s ass bothered him way more than it should have. Fortunately, Xander quickly stepped between them.

“Look, Gage, we’re not saying there’s anything wrong with her being The One, if that’s what she is,” Xander said. “The problem is that she’s a reporter who wouldn’t waste a second telling the whole world if she discovered our secret.”

The whole idea was ridiculous. But Xander hadn’t been a werewolf as long as he and Mike had. He was still young enough to believe the urban legend that every werewolf had a single mate out there, and that once he found her, everything would be right with the world. That was bullshit made up by some desperate young werewolves as a way to make themselves feel better about the fact that they could never make things work with a human woman.

“She’s not The One.” Gage forced himself not to sound too bitter. For all he knew, Xander was one of those werewolves who hoped and prayed for the legend to be true. “And even if she was, it wouldn’t matter. Protecting the Pack is my first priority.”

“Even if she stumbles on our secret?” Mike asked.

That was a question Gage didn’t know how to answer. When he’d convinced Mike, Xander, and the others to come to Dallas and join a team where they wouldn’t have to hide their identities from each other, he promised to keep their secret. And for eight years, he’d been true to his word. The minute they thought he couldn’t, they’d be gone. He couldn’t let that happen, not after all he’d been through to get them to where they were now.

“She won’t,” he finally said.

“But if she does?” Xander insisted.

Gage met his squad leader’s gaze. “Then I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect the Pack.”





Chapter 4


Mac was still giddy as she stepped out of the elevator and weaved her way through the newsroom to her desk. Today had gone better than she could have imagined. Not only had she learned enough to know there was definitely something shady going on at the SWAT compound, but she was also pretty sure Gage Dixon was attracted to her. Even though he was supposed to be the focus of her investigation, that thrilled the hell out of her. If she was lucky, she might be able to get her story and still stay on Gage’s good side. Right. Like Gage was going to forget she’d exposed whoever was using drugs and gotten them suspended…or worse. But a girl could dream. At least for tonight.

She sat down at her desk and grabbed a half-eaten bag of pita chips she’d stashed in her top drawer the previous day. She hadn’t realized she was starving until she’d left the compound. There was absolutely no way she could make it to dinner without eating. She hadn’t gotten more than a handful of the salty, but supposedly healthy, chips in her mouth when Zak sauntered over.

“Hey, you’re back.” He perched on one corner of her desk. “Ted wants to talk to you.”

Mac nodded and shoved another handful of chips into her mouth.

“So, how’d things go with SWAT?” Zak asked, completely disregarding the fact she was busy with a mouthful of food.

She got enough down to answer. “They went great. I mean, I haven’t learned anything definitive yet, but I discovered enough to certainly pique my curiosity, for sure.”

Zak’s mouth quirked. “You are talking about the story, right?”

“Very funny. Yes, I was talking about the story. What the heck did you think I meant?”

He reached into the bag to steal some of her chips. “Well, I know you have a thing for muscular men in uniform.”

Mac gave him an indignant look. “I do not!”

“Right.” He snorted. “So, what’d you learn?”

Mac told him about the bloody bandages and her suspicions about the night vision goggles. She left out the part about having a date with the SWAT commander. Zak was her best friend in the world and the older brother she’d never had, but he wasn’t stupid.

“Okay,” he said as he grabbed some more chips. “What aren’t you telling me?”

She stifled the urge to groan. He should have been a journalist instead of a photographer with that nose of his. He could smell a lie a mile away. But if she told him about having dinner with Gage, he’d only disapprove. Not of flirting with Gage to get a story. She’d done that before. He wouldn’t even have an issue with her being attracted to Gage. That had happened a time or two as well. The thing that’d bother Zak was this crazy idea of hers that she could have her cake and eat it, too.