Visionary Wolf

Can she love the wolf...

Inside the man?

Lieutenant Liam Corland is the newest member of an elite military unit for shapeshifters. A tech expert, his task is to counter reports of Alpha Force’s existence spreading online. When the rumors take a dark turn, his mission grows more urgent. His greatest ally is Dr. Rosa Jontay—the woman who’s seen him at his most vulnerable, the woman he knows he can never have. The woman he can’t possibly live without...

LINDA O. JOHNSTON loves to write. While honing her writing skills, she worked in advertising and public relations, then became a lawyer...and enjoyed writing contracts. Linda’s first published fiction appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and won a Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for Best First Mystery Short Story of the Year. Linda now spends most of her time creating memorable tales of paranormal romance, romantic suspense and mystery. Visit her on the web at www.lindaojohnston.com.

Also by Linda O. Johnston

Guardian Wolf

Undercover Wolf

Loyal Wolf

Canadian Wolf

Protector Wolf

Back to Life

K-9 Ranch Rescue

Second Chance Soldier

Trained to Protect

Undercover Soldier

Covert Attraction

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Visionary Wolf

Linda O. Johnston

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08218-1

VISIONARY WOLF

© 2018 Linda O. Johnston

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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Visionary Wolf is dedicated to all Mills & Boon

Supernatural readers, especially those who have

enjoyed my stories about Alpha Force.

And yes, as always, my thanks to my fantastic agent,

Paige Wheeler of Creative Media Agency, and to my

wonderful editor, Allison Lyons. There may be no

further Alpha Force stories, but I look forward

to more Heroes.

Also, as always, I thank my dear husband,

Fred, for being there, and for inspiring me.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Extract

About the Publisher

Chapter 1

Good thing he was at Ft. Lukman, Lieutenant Liam Corland thought. At any other military facility, he would never feel comfortable walking calmly with his dog, Chase, across the nearly empty grounds, in his casual camo uniform, later in the morning than he should be reporting for duty. In fact, he wouldn’t feel comfortable working at any other military facility, period.

But this was where Alpha Force was stationed. He had just left his apartment in the bachelor officers’ quarters. Now he headed toward the building across the compound that contained so many important functions—mainly laboratory, cover dog kennel and offices, including his own.

Sure, he should have started his important assignment of this day an hour ago, so he didn’t want to make his lateness too obvious. He avoided the most used pathways, hustling along behind buildings occupied by units other than Alpha Force. Chase and he would be picked up on security cameras when they sneaked in through a back door of the appropriate building, but no one would do anything about it, since they belonged there. Besides, he had a good excuse, and he probably wasn’t the only one who slept in a bit. Not that he had gotten much sleep anyway.

There had been a full moon last night. He had shifted, of course—pretty much on his own terms, thanks to Alpha Force.

And thanks also to the help of his aide, Sergeant Denny Orringer, who now waited for him in the kennel and lab building. Covering for him, if necessary.

He’d talked to Denny earlier, and—

There. Chase and he had reached the back of that building, near the doors leading into the kennel area. The shapeshifters’ cover dogs like Chase were kept there frequently, along with other dogs that helped this military base look like it had a lot of well-trained canines living here all the time.

Of course Alpha Force members who had cover dogs also kept them with them a lot as well, both at Ft. Lukman and when they were traveling—as long as there were some living here, too, to keep up appearances.

Liam, a tech expert, used the key card he had programmed himself to open the back door. He slipped in and enclosed Chase in one of several fenced areas, joining three dogs that resembled him.

Of course, Chase looked wolfen, resembling Liam himself while he was shifted...

“See you later, guy,” Liam whispered to his canine companion, who was already being greeted by his fellows.

Heading for the stairway down to the most important floor of the building, which contained offices and the laboratories where the very special Alpha Force elixir was brewed, Liam walked slowly, figuring he was likely to run into someone else dressed like him.

But fortunately, he saw no one—so no one saw him, either, as he again used a key card to open a door, this time to the stairs.

He heard raised voices from down the hall when he slipped carefully into his own office. They sounded excited. With his special senses, even when he was in human form, he could easily have eavesdropped had he wanted to.

But what he wanted was to get to work.

First, though, he shot a quick text message to Denny to let him know where he was. Then he booted up his computer, a highly sophisticated desktop that was the epitome of today’s technology.

A good thing, since it was used for such a critical purpose.

His phone made a text ping. Denny was probably just acknowledging what Liam had sent. He’d check it later.

A sudden urge for a cup of coffee shot through Liam but he ignored it. He’d get one later when he went to the meeting, but right now he needed to check his usual social media and other sources.

His job at the moment? Look for any and all mentions online of people claiming to have seen shapeshifters last night, in this area first of all, then other locales in this country and the world where Alpha Force members were stationed. And, finally, everywhere else.

He’d undoubtedly find some mentions. Perhaps a lot. He always did, and most appeared to come from people who loved what they considered paranormal—fiction lovers who wanted to see if others, unlike them, had spotted shifters during a night of a full moon. They were easy to deal with.

But Liam needed to deal with the reality of those who didn’t have the kinds of backgrounds to have been introduced to Alpha Force and what it did, but had caught glimpses of possible Alpha Force shifters on that night of the full moon—or claimed to.

Liam had to find their posts, then kid around online. Make them look foolish to the rest of the world, and maybe even to themselves.

That was one of the things Liam, vying, at least in his mind, for tech champion of the universe, did best. But he wasn’t a geek. Oh, no. He loved being a member of the military. Of Alpha Force. He both looked and acted the part.

Except at the computer.

Using one of his many false identities, he logged on to a favorite social media site—and gasped. “No!” he exclaimed aloud.

He read the post more carefully, then jumped onto several other sites—and got the same results.

Existence of a strange military unit of shapeshifters was mentioned more than once on this day after a night of a full moon. That wasn’t unusual.

But claims of damage, destruction—and injuries to real people? The extent of what was described on so many sites was horrific.

And did not bode well at all for Liam’s vision of shifters’ acceptance someday by other people. Those lies were more of the reality now, though.

“I need to let the others know.” Liam was barely aware he was talking aloud. He picked up his phone, then realized this was critical enough that he wanted to tell his superiors in person. One in particular—Major Drew Connell, their commanding officer who had begun Alpha Force and remained in charge.

Drew’s office was on the opposite side of this floor, past the lab areas, and Liam immediately headed there. If he hadn’t had this important assignment, that was where he would have gone first, since nearly all Alpha Force members present on the base attended informal meetings in Drew’s office the morning after a night of a full moon. Liam would have headed there eventually anyway to let the others know what he found.

But with these horrible allegations... Liam had to let his unit members know right away. Then he had to dig further online to learn their truth—or, hopefully, not.

If not, though, how had so many unheard of references and accusations been put out there?

He put his computer to sleep, then hurried out his office door, down the halls whose plainness would never suggest the amazing things that went on in the laboratories beyond them, to another hall lined with closed doors. The last one was to Drew’s office.

Without knocking, Liam burst in, expecting to see Drew there holding court with the other shifters and their aides.

But though the room looked busy, he didn’t see that officer in charge. Nor did he see Captain Jonas Truro, Drew’s close friend and aide, a medical doctor like Drew, but, unlike him, not a shifter.

That was strange for a post–full moon meeting in Drew’s office. Did they know what Liam had learned online? Were they trying to deal with it themselves?

But Liam might just be allowing his own angst over what he’d seen on the computer to lead him to false conclusions. Drew and Jonas could be down the hall in the restroom. Or checking something in the lab. Or—

“Oh, there you are, Liam.” Denny, in a folding chair near the doorway of the small, crowded office, stood and looked at him. “I’m glad you read my text.” Which Liam didn’t always do quickly, and he wasn’t about to tell his aide he hadn’t this time, either. Denny was younger and shorter than Liam, and he had a slight growth of facial hair. Liam kept his own dark hair closely shaved—when he was in human form.

He wondered what Denny had said in that text, but he wasn’t about to check now.

“Come in, Liam,” Captain Patrick Worley said, also standing. He was tall, dressed in camos like the rest, and the expression on his face looked grim. Had he heard about what the Alpha Force shifters were alleged to have done?

Had Alpha Force shifters actually done any of it? Any of them in this room?

“Glad you’re here,” Patrick continued. “Have you checked out any online references to shifters yet?”

“Yes, and—”

But Patrick didn’t let him finish. “Good. We’ll want to hear about it. But first there’s something you need to know that we’ve been discussing. Something bad.”

Liam swallowed hard. “I definitely want to hear about it.” Hopefully, none of it was true and he could find a way to calm all the comments that had shown up online. Or—

“It’s about Major Connell,” Patrick said. “Something went wrong with Drew’s shift. Really wrong. He hasn’t shifted back from wolf form yet, and he’s not doing well. Right now, Jonas is with him at the veterinary clinic in Mary Glen. Drew is being cared for by Melanie.”

Drew’s wife, a veterinarian. Not a medical doctor.

This was definitely bad. Very bad. Certainly more important than the false claims Liam had seen online.

What was Alpha Force going to do?

“How is Drew now?” demanded Dr. Melanie Harding Connell. Dr. Rosa Jontay’s boss faced her at the back of the Mary Glen Veterinary Clinic’s main hallway, arms crossed, head tilted.

Rosa understood her concern, of course. Major Drew Connell wasn’t just the head of that highly special military unit known as Alpha Force. He was also Melanie’s husband. Father of her adorable four-year-old daughter, Emily, and two-year-old son, Andy.

“He seems tired,” Rosa said softly, looking into Melanie’s sad but pretty blue eyes. “I just came out of the room for a short break and to get coffee, but I’ll be heading back in there soon. Jonas is still with him.”

That was Captain Jonas Truro, also part of Alpha Force, and from what Rosa understood Jonas was additionally a medical doctor—and Drew’s aide when he shifted. She had seen him a few times in the year or so she had been here, but, as with most of the Alpha Force members, she didn’t know him well. Jonas had apparently been hanging out with his superior officer earlier that night—and later.

“Thank you. And thank Jonas.” Melanie also seemed tired. Stressed. But that wasn’t surprising.

As the only veterinarians at the clinic, they both wore white lab coats. Rosa was the taller one. They both had brown hair pulled up in back by clips, with Melanie’s darker than hers.

Not that she was comparing herself to Melanie, Rosa thought. She considered them both exceptional vets, and that was what really mattered.

But she did wonder what it was like to have as strange a relationship as the one between Melanie and Drew. Committed and deeply caring—but yes, strange, since Drew was a shapeshifter.

“Everything okay with the rest of the clinic?” she asked Melanie. “Do you need me for anything else?”

“Fortunately, we’re not very busy today. What I need you to do is—”

“I’m going back into that examination room right now,” Rosa finished. “But with this kind of situation...it’s so different, and other than to keep an eye on him I’m not sure what to do.”

“That’s all I want you to do. Having Jonas there helps, but the kind of medical assistance Drew might need now—”

“Is veterinary. Right. I understand.”

The door to the reception area down the hall opened, and the senior receptionist, Susie Damon, came out and looked toward them. “Our eleven o’clock Yorkie appointment is here for an exam and shots,” she called. “Okay to bring him in?”

“Fine,” Melanie responded. “I’ll be right there.”

Melanie was handling all the cases that came in, for now at least. She was clearly upset, and Rosa assumed she feared breaking down if she was the vet to spend time with Drew.

And that might make things worse with him.

Melanie looked back toward Rosa. “Just so you know, I did get a call a few minutes ago. So far...well, I gather there are no more answers from Ft. Lukman yet, but one of the Alpha Force members is on his way to relieve Jonas. Maybe whoever that is can shed some more light on what’s going on there, and when...”

She didn’t have to finish. Especially not with the newest look of pain that flashed across her face.

“That’s fine,” Rosa said. “I’ll still hang out with Drew, but I’ll also see what I can learn from whoever that is and report to you if it...if there’s any indication of what they’re doing and how long it will take.”

“Great. And maybe Jonas can help more by doing something at the base. I’ll check back with you soon.” Melanie headed down the hall toward the reception area as Susie led the tiny Yorkshire terrier and his not-so-tiny owner toward one of the closest exam rooms.

Which left Rosa to go grab two cups of coffee from the break room at the end of the hall and take them with her to another exam room, the one where Drew had been brought by Jonas and Melanie early that morning, before anyone else had arrived—but after dawn had broken.

Rosa looked around the hallway once more, but it was empty. Then she slipped into the room.

It was a fairly ordinary exam room for a veterinary clinic, with the back wall covered by a cabinet containing shelves for supplies like bandages, exam gloves and disinfectant, and a sink in the middle for washing hands and more. There was a closed trash can nearby, and a couple chairs sat along the outer wall. In the middle was a substantial metal table.

One of the chairs was occupied by Jonas, who stood when she entered. He was a large guy, dark-complected and dressed in a camouflage uniform. He was around her own age of thirty, she figured.

“Here’s some coffee.” Rosa handed him one of the cups.

“Thanks,” he said as he accepted it.

Rosa turned then. On the table with legs adjusted to keep it close to the floor lay a large canine that resembled a wolf. And he was a wolf—of sorts.

That canine was Major Drew Connell of nearby Alpha Force, its lead officer, from what Rosa had heard.

She had also heard that Alpha Force was a highly covert military unit of shapeshifters, which was fascinating to her. There had been a full moon last night, and Drew had shifted into his wolf form. But he hadn’t shifted back at dawn or beyond.

He’d been home when the sun rose, and the Connells’ home was next door to the vet clinic. Melanie had brought him here after taking their daughter to preschool and making sure the sitter was there for their son. Rosa could only guess what Mommy had said to their kids about where Daddy was, and about the wolf in their house.

Or maybe the kids were shifters, too...

Melanie had also called Jonas, who had arrived at the clinic even before Drew and had stayed with him, along with Rosa, from early morning. It was around ten o’clock now.

Rosa realized she had been standing in the doorway after closing the door behind her. The wolf on the table hadn’t moved—before. Now, he made a soft growling sound and, moving slowly, carefully along the towels that had been secured around the metal top, repositioned himself into a canine sit. His fur was long, an almost silvery brown, with patches of darker coloration. His eyes were amber, and he seemed to stare at her over his long, pointed muzzle.

“It’s okay, Drew,” Jonas said. “It’s just Rosa.”

In his current situation, Drew looked a lot like Grunge, a wolflike shepherd-malamute combination that Rosa had been informed was his cover dog. That meant, she’d been told, that Grunge could be pointed out to people as Drew’s pet, the canine they supposedly saw when he was changed, not him. She assumed Grunge was hidden at home at the moment, or maybe at the base.

“Hi, Drew,” she said. “How are you feeling now?”

He couldn’t answer by speaking to her, of course. But from what Melanie had told her, the members of Alpha Force took some kind of medicine—an elixir, they called it—before they shifted that helped them keep their human cognition. He most likely understood what she said.

But they also were supposed to turn back into human form once daylight began after a night of a full moon, unless they had drunk that elixir and chose not to shift back then. She gathered that Drew hadn’t chosen to stay a wolf when daylight arrived that morning, but still hadn’t regained his human form. And judging by the reactions of Melanie and Jonas, that wasn’t good.

He apparently did understand her, though. Maybe. But he aimed his gaze down at the table and shook his head slowly, as if communicating to her that he wasn’t feeling well.

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

And she was. The fact that she had known about shapeshifters, and had, in fact, helped to treat some shifted wolves and other creatures at her home in Michigan, had been the main reason Melanie had hired her here. Apparently the shifter community kept in touch with each other, or at least some did, and Melanie had been hunting for someone like her. And Rosa had been thrilled by the offer of this kind of job.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked, not for the first time, looking from Drew to Jonas and back again. She had sat in here with the two of them pretty much since she had arrived at work that day. Melanie had tearfully explained the situation, including her request that Rosa stay with Drew and make sure he wasn’t suffering.

Or, even better, report to Melanie when he finally started to shift back to human form.

But that hadn’t happened. Not yet, at least.