Chapter 11

It was almost 0200 hours by the time Gage got to the compound. Between giving a statement to the cops who’d responded to the incident, then the duty captain who’d come out after hearing who Gage was, he’d barely had enough time for a quick call to tell Mike he was okay before Deputy Chief Mason had shown up with a half dozen detectives and Internal Affairs. The newsies hadn’t been far behind. Cops getting called out to a rural farm area about reports of automatic weapons fire was one thing. Finding out that a member of the city’s SWAT team had been targeted and ambushed by seven foreign killers armed with those automatic weapons? That was something completely different, and it drew a lot of attention.

It had taken a long time to answer Internal Affairs’ questions. It was tough making up a story that explained everything that’d happened, especially when he was thinking of Mackenzie and what a damn fool he’d been to trust her. Luckily, the entire department had heard the rumors about Hardy bringing in some hired killers, so they were more than ready to believe the men had come to kill him and Mackenzie. The part they had a hard time believing was how one man—even if he was SWAT—managed to kill seven cold-blooded killers with just his off-duty weapon and his bare hands.

Gage had really outdone himself on that part of the story. He should get a freaking Oscar for his acting skills.

And while they were handing out awards, Mackenzie should get one, too, because she’d really made him believe she gave a damn about him. But all she’d ever wanted was a fucking story, and he’d been so convinced she was The One, he hadn’t even seen it. Fool that he was, he’d thought he might be able to make one last appeal to her after Internal Affairs had finished with him, but Mason told him she’d asked if one of the uniformed officers could take her home.

While he was still mad as hell at Mackenzie, Gage was also worried about her. He hadn’t been making that crap up about her being a target. But as much as he wanted to protect her, his first priority was to his pack. Besides, she’d made her decision. She was probably back at the newsroom going over her video evidence and writing the first draft of a story that’d earn her another award for her wall, and end his life, and those of men who were like brothers to him.

It was his own damn fault. He never should have let her get so close. Hell, he should never have let her into the compound. But he’d been fooled by her smile and her pretty face—and yeah, her sexy body, too—and ignored the fact that she’d been after one thing and one thing only—a story. And when her smile and pretty face hadn’t gotten her anywhere, she’d used her body to get what she wanted. She’d slept with him and made him feel things that weren’t real. And when he’d gotten careless, she’d been there to record the whole thing.

So, why didn’t he hate her? Because he was in love with her. He had to be, right? Why else would he feel as if his soul had been ripped out?

Gage punched his code into the control on the compound’s gate and let himself in. The deputy chief had wanted him to relocate to a protective services safe house immediately, but Gage refused. When Mason insisted, Gage had told his boss he’d quit right there on the spot. That hadn’t earned him any future favors with his division chief, but it had ended the discussion, which was all Gage cared about. After tonight, he wouldn’t be working for the Dallas PD anymore anyway.

Gage closed the gate behind him, then headed for the training building. The guys were waiting for him inside. They looked concerned—and wired.

“Where’s Mac?” Cooper asked. “Is she okay?”

Gage set his duffel bag on the floor. “She’s fine. She’s probably at the Dallas Daily Star working on her story.”

Cooper frowned. “Probably?”

“What story?” Becker asked.

There was no easy way to say it so he might as well rip off the Band-Aid. “The story telling the world that the Dallas SWAT team is made up of werewolves.”

No one said anything. They all stared at him like he’d announced he’d just been abducted and probed by aliens.

“You told her?” Mike asked.

“I didn’t have to.” Gage couldn’t keep the bitterness from his voice. He quickly recounted the night’s events, keeping it as brief and to the point as he could. “I didn’t have a choice. I had to shift to fight them.”

Xander swore.

“Did she see you kill those men?” Mike asked.

“Worse,” Gage said. “She caught some of it on video.”

Xander wasn’t the only one who swore this time. Or shifted. They were all looking at Gage with yellow-gold eyes as if they wanted to tear him apart. But Xander was the only one brave enough to come at him with claws extended and fangs flashing.

Gage braced himself, letting out his claws and baring his teeth. Unfortunately, Mike and Nelson grabbed Xander, holding him back. Too bad. He wouldn’t have minded putting his fist in someone’s face right then, and something told him Xander would have given him a good fight.

“This is all your fault,” Xander snarled.

“Don’t you think I fucking know that?” Gage roared. He clenched his fists, welcoming the pain as his claws dug into his palms. “I never should have let Mackenzie step foot in this compound, but I did, and saying I’m sorry isn’t going to change it.”

“He’s right,” Mike said. “Our faces are going to be on every newspaper and television station in the country by tomorrow night. Let’s just worry about that right now.”

Xander pinned Mike with a glare, but only shook off his pack mate’s hold and stepped back.

“So, what are we going to do?” Lowry asked, his golden eyes filled with concern.

“Disappear,” Gage said. “Change our names and go somewhere no one can find us. There are already fake IDs and passports in the safe in my office, along with burner phones for each of us.”

They all looked stunned by that. He couldn’t blame them. Besides having a job they all loved, they had parents and siblings and friends they’d never be able to see again. Parents, siblings, and friends who’d be hounded by reporters like Mackenzie for a sound bite. She wouldn’t only destroy his pack in her quest for truth, she’d destroy the lives of everyone close to them.

Becker shook his head. “Damn. How long have you been planning this? Us going on the run, I mean.”

“Right after I recruited Xander and Mike,” Gage said. “I always knew there was a chance someone would find out what we are, and I wanted to be prepared.”

Xander looked at him scornfully. “And because you let some woman lead you around by the dick, we have to go on the run like the criminals we put in prison.”

Gage let out a soft growl. He didn’t need the reminder. “We don’t have a choice.”

“Yeah, we do,” Xander said. “We can get the video back from Mac and make sure she doesn’t talk.”

The entire room went still. Though whether it was because the rest of the Pack was shocked by Xander’s words or because they agreed with him, Gage didn’t know and he didn’t care. He fixed his senior squad leader with a hard look.

“Anyone who wants to try it will have to come through me first.” Gage slowly and deliberately locked eyes with every member of the Pack. “And you’d better be ready to kill me.”

No one seemed to want to take him up on it, not even Xander.

“Mackenzie said she’d give us twenty-four hours before she ran the story, but I want you all out of here before noon tomorrow,” he continued.

“Wait a minute. What about you?” Becker asked. “You’re making it sound like you aren’t coming with us.”

“I’m not. At least not right away,” Gage added. “I can’t leave until I make sure Hardy is no longer a threat to Mackenzie.”

Xander cursed. “I can’t believe you can even give a damn about her after what she did to us.”

“He gives a damn about her because she’s The One for him,” Cooper said.

“That’s bullshit! There’s no one perfect mate for any of us.” Xander gave Gage a disgusted look. “And if you think there is, you’re a damn fool.” He shook his head. “I’m going to get some air.”

Gage watched him go. He was tempted to follow just to make sure Xander didn’t do something stupid, like go after Mackenzie. Because he’d meant what he said. He’d fight his entire pack before he’d let them hurt her.

***

Instead of running up to her apartment the minute the police officer dropped her off so she could start her story, Mac jumped in her car and drove straight to Zak’s apartment. She needed someone to tell her she was doing the right thing—or the wrong thing. Because she was so confused right then she didn’t know what to think.

As she knocked on his door a half hour later, she realized she probably should have called first. It was after midnight.

But Zak jerked open the door before she’d even finished knocking. He was wearing jeans and a Texas A&M T-shirt. The way his hair was sticking up all over the place made her think she’d woken him up.

“Mac, thank God! I’ve been worried as hell about you.”

Mac brushed past him. “I think I really screwed up.”

Zak shut the door. “I’ve been calling you for the past two hours. You’re all over the news. Something about machine guns and a barn catching fire. What happened?”

“Hardy sent a bunch of hired guns to kill Gage and me,” she told him. “But that’s not important.”

His eyes went wide behind his glasses. “You almost get killed and it’s not important?”

She waved her hand. “No. I found out what SWAT’s been hiding. And it’s huge.”

“O-kay.” When she didn’t elaborate, he frowned. “So, what is it?”

She opened her mouth, then closed it again. “Maybe you should sit down first.”

Zak gave her a curious look, but did as she suggested, parking himself in the overstuffed chair he’d had since his college days. Mac sat on the adjacent matching couch.

“Well?” he prompted.

Mac felt as if he was looking right through her. But he could always do that. The difference now was that she had something to feel guilty about.

“Gage is…”

A werewolf.

It sounded crazy. She’d seen Gage turn into one and she could hardly believe it herself.

“Gage is…what?” Zak asked.

“He’s…” She tried again. And failed miserably. “Maybe I should just show you.”

She took out her camera and turned it on. Her finger hovered over the video playback button, but she didn’t click on it.

“Mac, I thought you dropped the whole idea of doing a story on SWAT.”

“I did. But then I found out what Gage has been hiding and I…”

“Damn Mac, you just couldn’t let this one go, could you?”

She looked up, shocked. He actually sounded mad at her. “It could be the biggest story of my career.”

Zak sat back, studying her from behind his glasses. “But if you run with it, you’ll lose Gage.”

She gave him a miserable look. “I think I already have.”

He sighed. “Maybe you should start at the beginning.”

Mac told him everything. Well, not everything. She didn’t talk about the sex, of course. Which meant there were huge periods of time throughout the weekend she didn’t mention at all. And she didn’t tell Zak the things Gage had shared with her about his life before SWAT, when he was an Army Ranger. She didn’t feel right sharing that.

But she told Zak the most important parts. About hanging around her apartment for hours doing nothing more than talking. About the feelings she had for Gage. And believing he’d felt the same things for her.

“So, what changed?” Zak asked.

She told him about going to her favorite restaurant out in Bonham and about Mike calling to tell them Hardy had sent men to kill them, then about the car ramming them, the chase through the woods, and finally the fight in the barn.

“Then when I went outside and saw Gage… Zak, he was…”

Mac faltered—again. Damn it. Why couldn’t she just say it?

“Was it illegal?”

She looked at Zak in confusion. “What?”

“Whatever Gage did,” Zak explained. “Was it illegal?”

“No.”

“Immoral?”

“No.”

“Did it save your life?”

She remembered the burning barn and the gunmen waiting outside to shoot her and Gage the moment they ran out. “Yes.”

“Now for a tough one,” Zak said. “Is Gage—or anyone else on the SWAT team—going to be hurt if you write this story?”

Exposing the truth was her job. She wasn’t responsible for what other people did with that truth once she exposed it. But then she thought about what Gage said—about people hunting him and his pack, conducting research on them, killing them—and she felt ill.

“Yes,” she said softly. “I don’t know what to do, Zak.”

He gave her a small smile. “I’m pretty sure you do, or you wouldn’t have come here to talk to me. You’re looking for someone to tell you it’s okay to do something your gut tells you is wrong. Sorry, but that’s not going to be me.”

Zak was right. “But there’s never been a time in my life when the story didn’t come first. I’m not sure if I know how to let this one go.”

“Mac, you just said Gage and the rest of the guys on the SWAT team would be hurt if you told anyone about what you saw him do tonight, right?” When she nodded, he continued. “Don’t you think Gage knew that?”

She remembered the terrified look on his face when he’d told her she couldn’t tell anyone what he was. “Yes.”

“And yet he did it anyway, even though he knew what it might cost him.”

Oh, God. If it hadn’t been for her, Gage would never have been in that barn in the first place. He would have taken out the bad guys in the woods. He’d changed into a werewolf because it was the only choice he had.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

“Gage loves you, Mac,” Zak said. “And I’m pretty sure you love him, even if you haven’t admitted it to yourself yet.”

Mac covered her face in her hands. How could she have been so stupid? And why could Zak see everything so clearly when she’d been so blind? She’d just screwed up the best thing that had ever happened to her for the sake of a stupid-ass story.

“Go talk to him, Mac.”

She lowered her hands to look at Zak. He made it sound so simple. “But how do I even begin to apologize to him?”

“It’s not that complicated. Just open your mouth and say, I’m sorry.” His mouth edged up. “It’s pretty easy after that.”

She turned off her camera and shoved it in her pocket, then got to her feet and gave Zak a hug. “Thank you.”

He grinned. “For what? You already knew what you were going to do.”

She laughed. “Maybe, but I just needed my big brother to tell me I was doing the right thing.”

He opened the door for her. “Tell Gage I said hey.”

“I will.”

On the way to her car, she pulled out her phone and called Gage, but it went to voice mail. Damn it.

Gage lived across town, so Mac had almost half an hour to rehearse what she was going to say to him. If he even let her in. She’d bang on his door until he opened it if she had to. And when he did, she’d tell him she didn’t care that he was a werewolf. Then she’d make him see what he meant to her.

But when she got to his place and knocked on the door, there wasn’t any answer. His car wasn’t in its parking space, either. She took out her cell and called him again. Again, it went to voice mail. Maybe he was asleep. Though she didn’t know how he could sleep after what happened tonight. He probably knew it was her and was pretending he wasn’t home.

At the risk of looking like a complete stalker, Mac climbed behind the hedges to peek through the window. The living room was empty. So was the kitchen. She cupped her hands against the glass and leaned closer. Then she frowned. In the light coming from the kitchen she saw that the framed photos were no longer on the wall above the bookcase. That was odd.

She shifted to see better into the kitchen. But all she saw was a neat pile of stuff on the counter. She couldn’t make out everything from this distance, but she recognized Gage’s cell phone sitting on top. Okay, that was even weirder.

Oh, crap. What if he’d asked her to wait twenty-four hours so he and the rest of the team—his pack—could leave town?

She suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. Gage had left, and she was never going to get the chance to tell him she’d made a mistake. Or tell him that she loved him.

Tears blurring her vision, Mac stumbled out from behind the hedges and ran to her car. Gage wouldn’t leave without making sure his pack was safe first. Hopefully, they’d still be at the compound planning or coordinating, or whatever it was werewolves did before they went on the run.

She didn’t take her foot off the gas the entire way there. It was only by some miracle she didn’t get pulled over.

She breathed a huge sigh of relief when she stopped outside the gate and saw that the parking area was full of vehicles. Gage’s Charger wasn’t there, but again, that didn’t mean anything.

Please let him still be here.

Mac hurried over to ring the bell, only to jerk to a halt when she heard a low, menacing growl. Yellow eyes gleamed in the darkness. She cringed when she saw it was Xander. Why couldn’t Gage have been the one prowling around out here? Or Becker. Hell, anyone but Xander. The senior corporal had never been warm to her, but after the explosion at the meth lab, she thought maybe he’d thawed a little. He probably hated her more now. One more thing she’d damaged.

Eyes narrowing, he scanned the darkness behind her before giving her a look that could have melted paint off a car.

“I knew Gage was stupid to believe you’d actually give us time to get out of here.” He snarled, showing her a pair of wickedly sharp canine teeth. “What, did you decide you need some more footage before you wrote your story? Maybe get some pictures of the freaks running for their lives?”

Her face flamed. “It’s not like that.”

“Really? Then how is it?”

Xander’s eyes flashed and she had to force herself not to take a step back at the anger rolling off him.

She moved closer to the gate and looked him straight in his yellow eyes. “I’m here to apologize to Gage. And to tell him that I won’t be telling anyone about your…pack.”

Xander couldn’t completely hide the surprise that came over his face, but he sure as hell tried. “And you expect me to believe that?”

She swallowed hard. “I know you don’t have any reason to trust me or believe anything I say, but I’m hoping you’ll at least give me a chance to talk to Gage.”

He snorted. “Trust me, Gage isn’t interested in seeing you right now. He’s a little busy trying to get us all out of the country before the mob of angry villagers shows up with their torches and pitchforks.”

She hooked her fingers in the chain link. “I don’t blame him for not wanting to see me. I said some really stupid things tonight. I only want to make it right.”

Mac thought she saw doubt creep across Xander’s face, but it disappeared too quickly to be sure. “You don’t get it, do you?” he asked harshly. “You didn’t just hurt him. You definitely messed him up good, that’s for damn sure. But more than that, you threatened the safety of his pack. That’s not something you can fix by batting your eyelashes at him and saying you’re sorry.”

His pack. When Gage had used the word before, she hadn’t truly realized what it meant. The SWAT officers weren’t merely a team—they were a family. She’d not only ripped out Gage’s heart, she’d threatened his family. Why the hell would he listen to a word she had to say?

Tears flooded her eyes and she blinked them back. She had to talk to him. If for no other reason than to let him know that she’d never tell a soul about his pack. Even if she couldn’t get him to listen to anything else, she wanted him to know he wouldn’t need to look over his shoulder for the rest of his life. After all the damage she’d inflicted, that was all she could hope for. It would have to be enough.

She gave Xander a beseeching look, not caring that her eyes were wet with tears. “I don’t know if I can fix this either, but I have to try. Five minutes, that’s all I’m asking for. If Gage wants me to leave after he hears what I have to say, I’ll go. I promise.”

Xander was silent for so long she was afraid he’d turn around and walk away. But instead he unlocked the gate and jerked it open.

“You’ve got five minutes,” he told her. “You’d better make them count.”

Mac had to practically run to keep up with Xander as he led the way to the training building. When they got there, he yanked open the door and waited for her to go ahead of him. She took a deep breath and walked in…and immediately felt like she’d stepped off a bus at the wrong stop.

Fourteen pairs of yellow eyes turned her way. There was shock in some of them, disbelief in others, and outright hatred in the rest.

Gage wasn’t with them.

The place looked as if it’d been ransacked. Maps covered one whole table. Passports and cell phones were scattered across another. And in the center of the room there was a pile of black duffel bags. They were getting ready to leave, and they were traveling light.

Where would a pack of werewolves go to disappear? And would Gage split them up or try to keep them together?

It didn’t matter. If she didn’t convince them to stay, she’d never know.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Cooper demanded.

Mac flinched. “I have to talk to Gage.”

Her words were met with deep-throated growls that made her shiver. If she wasn’t so in love with Gage, she probably would have turned and fled. Not that she would have gotten very far with Xander behind her, breathing down her neck.

“You should leave now, Mac,” Cooper said. “Before this gets ugly.”

She swallowed hard. “I can’t leave. Not until I talk to Gage.”

Trevino advanced on her, teeth bared, claws extended. Brooks, Martinez, and Nelson joined him, their golden eyes on fire.

Mac was thinking she might have to run for the door after all when Xander stepped in front of her, putting himself between her and the men. She barely had time to recover from her shock before Becker and Lowry moved to stand beside Xander, appointing themselves her protectors.

The growls around the room got louder.

Crap.

Mac wanted to think they wouldn’t fight each other, but she realized she didn’t know a damn thing about how werewolves behaved. Maybe they fought each other all the time.

“That’s enough.”

Gage’s deep voice cut through the snarls and the growling immediately stopped.

Mac stepped out from behind the solid wall of muscle in front of her to see Gage standing in the doorway of his office. She started to hurry over to him, but he froze her with a glare.

“What do you want, Mackenzie?” he demanded. “You agreed to give us twenty-four hours before you told anyone. It’s barely been five.”

Had it really? It felt like it had been a lifetime to her. She glanced at the other men, then looked at him. “Can I talk to you alone?”

“I don’t have time for this, Mackenzie. We’re leaving in ten minutes. Anything you came to say to me can be said in front of my pack. So, just say it and get out.”

The anger in his voice was almost more than she could bear. Tears clogged her throat and she couldn’t find her voice. But she had to say something, and fast. Gage looked as if he was ready to walk back in his office and close the door.

She took a deep breath and let it out halfway—just like Gage had taught during their shooting lesson. “I’m sorry.”

Gage shrugged. “No need to apologize. You’re just doing your job, right?”

“No! Well…yes, but…” Mac shook her head. This wasn’t coming out the way she’d rehearsed it. “You were right when you said it wasn’t my secret to tell.”

Gage’s brows drew together. “What are you saying, Mackenzie?”

“I’m saying that I’m never going to tell anyone about what you are.” She looked at the other men. “Any of you.”

Becker cocked a brow. “And we’re supposed to just take your word on that?”

She reached in her back pocket and pulled out her camera, holding it out to him. “Take it. I have no story without it. No one would believe me.”

Becker took the camera. “How do we know you didn’t already download it?”

They weren’t going to make this easy on her, were they? “Would I be here now if I did?”

“Maybe you’re trying to keep us in town long enough for your story to hit the street,” Gage said softly.

She turned to see him standing a few feet away. It broke her heart to see the distrust in his eyes. “I wouldn’t do that.”

He snorted. “Forgive me if I find that a little hard to believe. A few hours ago you had absolutely no problem telling the whole world about us, regardless of what it cost.”

Mac blinked back tears. Xander had been right—she couldn’t fix this. She’d burned every bridge behind her and there was no going back. Why hadn’t she thought before she’d opened her big mouth back at the barn?

“I know it’s no excuse, but I’ve spent my whole life chasing one big story after the next. When I realized what I stumbled onto, the journalist in me took over.” She moved to close the last little distance between them and looked up forlornly into his beautiful eyes. “But when I stopped to think for just a few minutes, my head had a chance to catch up and I knew I’d done something really stupid. I’d thrown away the chance to be with someone special. Someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.”

Gage didn’t say anything. He just stared at her like he didn’t know what the hell she was babbling about.

A tear trickled down her cheek and she wiped it away with a hand that shook. “When we were back at your apartment, I said you could tell me anything. When you decided to trust me with your biggest secret, I betrayed that trust. And for that I’m sorrier than you’ll ever know. I know that I have no right to ask you to trust me now, but I’m begging you to believe me when I say I won’t tell anyone about you or your pack.”

Another tear found its way down her face, and then another. This time she didn’t wipe them away. There was nothing left to say. Either Gage would believe her and stay, or he wouldn’t, and she’d never see him again.

Golden eyes held her captive. “What made you change your mind?” Gage asked.

Mac thought it would have been obvious why she was standing here in front of him pouring out her heart. But maybe it wasn’t. Maybe Gage assumed it was because she had a guilty conscience.

She looked around the room. The other men were regarding her just as intently as before. Only now, the open hostility that had been on their faces had been replaced with curiosity.

Could she tell Gage what was in her heart in front of them? But if she didn’t, nothing she already said would mean anything.

Mac wiped away the tears on her face. Then she took a deep breath, lifted her chin, and told him the truth.

“I love you.”

She held her breath, waiting for him to say something. And waited…and waited…and waited.

But Gage just stood there still as a statue, his face unreadable.

“Um, Sarg. I’m not real familiar with this part, but I think you’re supposed to say something,” Cooper said softly.

Gage still didn’t say anything. Instead, he took her hand and led her across the room toward his office. Before she had time to think, they were in his office and he’d closed the door behind them. He was standing so close to her that it was almost hard to breathe.

“Just like that?” he asked hoarsely. “You’re going to just spring that on me in front of everyone?”

Was he angry? Her stomach lurched at the thought. But she’d said it, and there was no taking it back. “I wanted to talk to you privately, but you wanted to talk right there in front of your pack, so I said it in front of them.”

He slipped a finger under her chin and tilted her head up. “And were you telling the truth?”

Mac pulled away from his finger. He might be the injured party in this whole thing, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t hurting, too. And right now, his attitude was annoying. “Of course I was, but I doubt you’d believe me no matter what I said.”

He slipped his finger under her chin and very gently lifted her face up again. “Try me. Say it again—just to me.”

His eyes were glowing that deep gold-yellow they’d been back at the barn. It was hard to look into those eyes and not be drawn in. She licked her lips. It had almost been easier to say those words with a crowd around her. But it was impossible to be this close to him and not say what she felt.

“I love you,” she told him softly, not pulling away this time. “Is that so impossible to believe?”

“Impossible? No,” he murmured. “But surprising? Yes. Just a just a few hours ago, you were ready to expose my secret to the world. Now you’ve decided that you’re in love with me?”

Before dropping his finger, he let it trace down the line of her throat just a bit. She tried not to let herself shiver at his touch. She’d never expected to feel it again.

“Can I ask what brought on this epiphany?” he said.

“I’d like to claim that I figured it all out on my own, but to be honest, it was Zak.”

Gage frowned. “You told Zak about us?”

She took a step back so she could think straight. “That you and the rest of the SWAT team are werewolves? No. But I did tell him about you and me. It didn’t take him long to point out that I was destroying the best relationship I’ve ever had, with the only man I’ve ever loved.”

Gage smiled just a little, but it felt like the sun finally coming out after a really long rain. “Pretty perceptive…for a guy.”

“True,” she agreed. “He’s good at seeing the things I frequently miss, and he’s never afraid to tell me when I’m being stupid.”

Gage was the one to close the distance this time, and she sighed when she felt his big hands slide down her arms to pull her even closer. “So you love me, huh?”

She dropped her head. “I know you don’t have any reason to believe me, but it’s true.”

“I believe you.”

She looked up at him. “You do?”

He nodded. “I’d know if you were lying. When a person lies, their pulse races, their breath hitches, their muscles tense. They even release certain pheromones. You’re not doing any of that.”

She frowned. “You can smell if a person is lying?”

“Uh-huh. And hearing you say those words and knowing you aren’t lying…that means a lot.”

Her pulse kicked into high gear. “Does that mean you won’t be leaving?”

His mouth curved. “I suppose I don’t have a reason to leave now, do I?”

She shook her head, fresh tears forming in her eyes—the happy kind this time.

Gage searched her face, his yellow gaze bright. “Does it bother you when my eyes are like this?”

She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak, afraid she’d say something wrong again and destroy everything.

“And is it hard for you to be this close to me—to have me touching you—knowing what I am?”

“No.” She gave him a sheepish smile. “I’m just glad you’re still willing to touch me.”

He pushed her hair back, gently cupping her face in his hand. “I never wanted to stop.”

Mac caught her lip between her teeth. As much as she loved hearing him say that, it only reminded her that even though they were standing close together, and even after all that had been said—the apologies and declarations of love—there was still a tremendous yawning chasm between them. There was one more leap of faith she’d need to take before they could completely close that gap. If she didn’t make the first move, he might always think she feared what he was.

She went up on tiptoe and gave him the gentlest of kisses, hoping it would convey how much she loved him.

The glow in his eyes flared, then he bent his head and kissed her back. That kiss started out tenderly, too. But as her hands found their way to his chest and he pulled her against him, his mouth moved more urgently over hers, his fingers twisting into her hair.

And just like that, it was as if none of the idiocy had ever happened.

When he broke the kiss, Gage’s eyes were back to their normal deep, honeyed brown, and he stared at her with the hunger she yearned for. Mac pulled him down for another kiss, but he stopped her with a look.

“I love you, too,” he whispered.

Gage’s actions at the barn had proclaimed his feelings for her far better than any mere words, but still…the words were nice. Really nice.

Then he was kissing her again. Knowing she’d regained what she’d been so sure she’d lost made her so giddy she felt like screaming. But with Gage’s pack—she still couldn’t believe how easily that rolled off the tongue—right outside in the other room, a scream probably wasn’t a good idea.

So, she did the next best thing and started undoing the buttons on his shirt.

Gage lifted his head to look at her with an arched brow. “You know werewolves have really good hearing, right?”

Huh. No, she didn’t know that. She smiled up at him, working at his buttons until they were all undone and she had a view of his chest and abs all the way down to his belt. She slid her hands under the edges of his shirt and caressed those exquisite muscles.

“Then I guess we’ll just have to be quiet,” she said softly.

Mac leaned forward and nibbled at the lines of his pecs. A low rumbling growl slipped out of him.

She pulled away to give him a reproving look. “What part of quiet didn’t you understand?”

He slipped his fingers in her hair, urging her to go back to what she’d been doing. “Quiet, right. Got it.”

When she kissed, nibbled, and licked her way down his chest and stomach, Gage did a better job of holding his tongue—but just barely. Still, she had to smile a little as she unbuckled his belt. If he’d had a problem staying silent for the first part, this part was really going to be tough on him.

Once she had his belt undone, she struggled to work his jeans and underwear together down over his hips. He helped some, but let her work for it, which she appreciated. Anticipation always made things better.

When Mac had everything down around his thighs, she nudged him back so he was perched on the edge of his desk. She wanted him to be able to lean back and relax because she was going to make sure he never forgot what he meant to her.

His cock was already hard and jutting out eagerly before her. She ran her hands up his thighs until she reached the base of his cock. Then she carefully curled one hand around his shaft and tilted her head up to look at him.

“Quiet, remember?”

He gazed down at her with heated eyes. “I’ll try.”

That was good enough for Mac. She dipped her head and wrapped her lips around him. Gage didn’t exactly remain silent, but the groan he let out wasn’t much more than a deep sigh. She doubted even a werewolf would be able to hear it unless he was standing right outside the door.

She worked her mouth up and down his shaft, moving her hand in smooth counterpoint to the rhythm of her tongue. Gage tasted so damn good it was difficult not to cut loose with a few moans of her own. She could do this all night, letting him come in her mouth, then getting him hard so she could do it all over again. The thought alone made heat pool between her thighs.

Gage slipped his fingers into her hair, guiding her movement, urging her to go faster…deeper. But just when liftoff seemed imminent, he used that hand in her hair to bring her to a slow halt, then tug her mouth off his cock.

She started to complain, but he’d already tugged her to her feet and urged her back against his desk before she had the chance. He had her shoes off before she even found her voice.

“Um, I was still working down there.”

He gave her a sly look as he yanked open the buttons on her jeans and pulled them off. She had to grab hold of the edge of his desk to keep from being dragged off with them.

“Maybe,” he agreed. “But it’s my turn now.”

Gage tossed her pants and panties over to the couch that lined one wall, leaving her leaning back on his desk wearing nothing but her top. He reached around her and shoved stuff aside, then urged her back. When he dropped to his knees between her spread legs, his eyes were once again gold. Was he flipping them back and forth to freak her out?

Maybe, but that wasn’t the effect it was having. In fact, it was just plain turning her on.

“Remember,” he said in that low, rumbling growl she was already coming to love. “No screaming.”

He lowered his head and nibbled his way down her inner thigh, and for one crazy moment, Mac wondered if Gage’s teeth were sharper when his eyes were gold like they were now. If he nipped her hard enough, would she turn into a werewolf, too?

But those thoughts disappeared the second his warm mouth came into contact with her pussy. If his teeth were any sharper or longer than normal, she didn’t notice it when his tongue slipped into her folds.

She tried hard to keep her head up so she could watch him go down on her, but as tantalizing as the view was, she couldn’t do it for very long. As Gage’s tongue glided up and down her folds over and over, then finally focusing on her clit, she got so dizzy she had no choice but to drop her head back and give herself over to the pleasure.

Right then, she was far beyond worrying about whether Gage’s pack heard her, but she bit down on her knuckle anyway, hoping it would muffle her moans.

Mac gripped the edge of the desk with her other hand and lifted her head. The sight of Gage lapping at her pussy—his glowing eyes locked with hers—was the most erotic thing she’d ever seen. She forced herself to keep watching him as he made love to her with his mouth, drawing her orgasm out longer and longer until she was sure she would scream.

Only when her whole body was shaking and spasming like she was holding a bolt of lightning did Gage finally let up and move his mouth off her clit. Even then, he continued to slowly lave his tongue across her folds, making little sparks dance in her vision.

She dropped her head back to the desk and gasped for air as Gage went back to nibbling on her inner thighs. At some point he stopped that, too, but she didn’t know what he was up to until she heard his jeans hit the floor.

She looked up to find him grinning at her.

“I love watching you come, did you know that?”

Mac returned his smile. “No, I didn’t.”

She licked her lips, waiting for him to climb up on the desk with her, but he simply stood there gazing at her.

“Thank you for coming back to me,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “I don’t like to think what my life would have been like without you.”

The words made her heart squeeze in her chest. What did a woman say to something like that? You’re welcome just didn’t seem to cut it.

She beckoned him closer. “Care to show me your appreciation in a gratuitously physical manner?”

He hesitated. “Yeah, about that. I don’t have a condom. One of the other guys might, but…”

She grimaced. “Let’s not. Fortunately, one of us was planning ahead. I started taking birth control pills Wednesday morning.”

“Wednesday?” He frowned. “The morning after I took you to dinner at Chambre Francaise? How did you know we’d sleep together?”

“I didn’t,” she said softly. “But I’d hoped.”

Mac motioned him closer again, spreading her legs wider in open invitation. Gage stripped off the rest of his clothes and moved between her legs. He ran a hand up the outside of one thigh, making her quiver all over.

“And you’ve been taking the pill long enough for it to work, right?” he asked.

She nodded. “Most experts recommend seven days, but I think six days is okay. Unless you’re not planning to stay with me if I get pregnant? Now that we’re mentioning it, can you get me pregnant?”

Gage trailed his hand down her thigh and across her stomach. He left it there, caressing her lightly. “Yes, I could get you pregnant. And before you ask—no, the kid wouldn’t come out growling and howling at the moon. That’s not the way it works. And no, if I got you pregnant, I wouldn’t leave you.”

He leaned over and she wrapped her legs around him, pulling him closer and preparing herself for the rush that came whenever he slid inside her. He didn’t enter her, though. Instead he gazed down at her so intently she started to worry he wouldn’t make love to her without protection. But then he licked his lips and she knew he was trying to figure out how to say something…big.

“Mackenzie, there’s something you need to know. Something important.”

O-kay. “Is now the best time for this?”

“Now is the perfect time for this,” he said. “Werewolves have an urban legend that’s been around as long as there have been werewolves. Whether they’ll admit it or not, they all believe there’s one special person out there for them. As in The One—capital T, capital O. Unfortunately, while the legend is so common as to be cliché, I’ve never met a werewolf who found The One.”

Gage leaned closer, so his lips were only millimeters from hers. “But I’ve found mine. You can’t understand the significance of that until I tell you that none of the werewolves in my pack have ever been in a serious relationship—not one. Sure, they sleep with women, maybe even live with them for a while, but it never lasts. Hell, I’ve never been involved with a woman that I even wanted to be around for more than maybe two weeks at the longest, until I met you.”

His mouth traced along her jawline and settled next to her ear, his voice dropping to a whisper. “I knew from the moment you stepped into the operations vehicle that first day that there was something different about you. I didn’t know at first that you were The One—I never believed in that kind of stuff—but some of the guys knew. Cooper. Xander.”

“Xander?” she repeated. “He didn’t even like me.”

“Regardless of what he tells people, Xander believes the legend more than any werewolf I’ve ever met. But he figured you’d use the irresistible attraction I felt for you against me to get your story.”

She winced. “Which is basically what I did. No wonder he looked like he wanted to bite my head off when I showed up tonight.”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Gage whispered. “We’re together, and I’m never going anywhere. I never could have.”

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him more tightly against her, burying her face in his neck. “But you were leaving when I got here.”

He lifted his head so he could gaze down at her. “I was, but only long enough to make sure my pack got out of town and someplace safe. I was coming back to make sure Hardy was no longer a threat to you. Then I intended to watch over you from a distance for the rest of my life.”

The look in his eyes told her he wasn’t kidding. She didn’t let herself dwell on the part about making sure Hardy was no longer a threat. She was just comforted by the thought that Gage would have willingly lived on the street outside her apartment just to be near her. It was insane, but romantic at the same time.

She threaded her fingers in his hair, pulling him down for a kiss. He growled, kissing her back with an urgency that left her gasping for breath by the time he lifted his head.

Straightening, he grabbed her ankles and spread her legs wide. Mac did her best to be quiet, but she couldn’t hold back the moan that escaped her lips when he pushed inside her. Right then she didn’t want to be quiet. She wanted to shout her pleasure to the world—and if his pack heard, oh well.

Gage took her slowly, sliding his thickness deep with steady, even strokes that made her whole body tremble. He moved in and out of her over and over, and the whole time, he gazed down at her with those vivid gold eyes.

She was so in love with him that it hurt, and right there in the middle of their lovemaking, she thanked God for helping her repair the damage she’d done and for making this moment possible.

Her orgasm built higher and higher, but it wouldn’t crest, even though Mac was sure she was about to explode at any minute.

“Harder,” she begged softly.

“You sure you won’t scream?”

She nodded.

It was possible that a little cry slipped out when she orgasmed, but she was too busy coming to care. And when Gage stiffened and came inside her? It was like heaven. The closeness she felt with him at that moment was the only thing that could ever rival the pleasure she’d felt from the orgasm he’d given her.

Then Gage was leaning over her, kissing her hotly on the mouth while his cock still pulsed inside her. It was impossible not to whimper a little with the aftershocks of her orgasm vibrating through her.

Mac felt wetness on her face and realized that she was crying. Gage gently kissed away her tears.

“That was amazing,” she said softly.

“Yeah, it was.” He gave her another kiss, then gently pulled her into a sitting position. “We should probably get back out there.”

But he made no move to get dressed. Instead he stood there between her legs, gazing down at her.

Mac traced her fingers over the tattoo of the wolf on his chest. The design certainly held a lot more meaning than it had the first time she’d seen it.

“So, what’s up with this tattoo?” she asked softly.

Gage chuckled. “It’s the ultimate inside joke. For us, SWAT stands for Special Wolf Alpha Team, since we’re all werewolves and alpha-male types. Get it?”

She poked him hard in the ribs. “Yeah, I get it. I’m sex-addled, not slow.”

Gage laughed again.

Mac went back to playing with his tattoo. She’d never get tired of seeing the way the wolf image moved over his well-muscled skin. Who was she kidding? She’d love playing with his chest if there was a hippo tattooed on it.

She thought back to what Gage had said about her being The One. Maybe he and the werewolf legend were onto something. How else could she explain why she’d tossed aside a once-in-a-lifetime story for a man she’d met less than a week ago? Or that the thought of not having him in her life made her hyperventilate? They were truly made for each other. And if that meant there was some mythical force at work here, she was more than ready to believe it. If werewolves could be real, why not a cosmic love connection?

Mac lifted her head to look at him. “So, what I saw tonight—is that as werewolfy as you get?”

His mouth twitched. “Not exactly. I get a little bit more werewolfy.”

“How much more?”

“Think four paws and a tail.”

Her eyes went wide. “Like a real wolf. Seriously?”

He nodded.

“Can I see?”

He chuckled. “Not right now. Let’s take baby steps with this, okay?”

She made a face. “Okay. But you have to promise to show me.”

A few hours ago, she was freaked out about him being a werewolf, and now she couldn’t wait to see him turn again. Love could do that to a woman.

Mac went back to playing with his tattoo again. “Did you bite all the guys in your pack to turn them into werewolves?”

He snorted. “Hell, no.”

“Then how did you do it?”

“I didn’t. You can’t turn someone into a werewolf by biting them like in the movies. We’re born like this.” When she jerked up to look at him, he laughed. “I don’t mean we’re born with claws and fangs. That might be a little hard to hide.”

“What then?”

“From what we’ve been able to figure out, there’s something in our DNA that triggers our change into werewolves when the right set of circumstances come along.”

“What kind of circumstances?”

“A person carrying the werewolf gene, or whatever you call it, has to be exposed to a high-stress, life-threatening situation. If the person makes it through the situation, they come out the other side a werewolf.”

She chewed on her lips as she considered that. “That’s what happened to you in Iraq, wasn’t it? When all the other members of your squad were killed?”

He nodded. “That’s why I had to get out of the Army. I didn’t have a clue what was happening to me, and I needed time to figure it out.”

As if seeing all his friends killed wasn’t enough, he then had to figure out what it meant to be a werewolf, too.

“Is that how it happened to your pack, too? Combat?”

“Some of them,” he said. “Cooper got blown through a building in Iraq. McCall’s convoy got hit in Afghanistan. That’s where Duncan, our senior medic, was turned, too. He got trapped in a small, forward-operating base that was completely overrun. Most of the others changed while they were on the job, after getting shot.”

“And you just found them and recruited them?”

“Pretty much.” Gage ran his hand up and down her arm. “I didn’t understand the significance of the Pack thing until I had about a half dozen of them together. That’s when I realized we all work better—and are happier—in an environment like this.”

Mac smiled. Gage just couldn’t help it. He was the kind of man who worried about others. “But how did you find all of them? I assume there isn’t a website you can look on.”

“I wish.” He let out a short laugh. “Over the years, I’ve gotten good at knowing what to look for. I read a lot of news articles about cops and stuff, looking for the right clues.”

Clever, she thought. “How do you think your pack’s going to handle it when you tell them that we’re back together again?”

He chuckled. “They already know. It was sort of hard to miss.”

“I was quiet!”

“Not to a werewolf. Even if they couldn’t hear your sexy little moans—which they did, by the way—they wouldn’t have been able to miss that scrumptious smell you put off when you’re aroused.”

Mac groaned, her face hot. “I’ll never be able to look any of them in the eye again.”

Gage cupped her cheek. “There aren’t any secrets in the Pack, babe. You’re just going have to learn to accept it. These guys are going to know every time we have sex because they’ll smell my scent on you, and yours on me.”

“Will that—you and me together, I mean—cause problems?”

She didn’t know much about wolf packs in the wild, but she thought she remembered reading something about how female wolves in heat caused all the males to go crazy.

But Gage shook his head. “They won’t have a problem with it. You give them hope.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“They look at you and know the legend is true, that there really is someone special out there for every one of them.” He grinned. “And if they tease you now and then, it’s just because you’re part of our pack now.”

Part of the Pack. She liked the sound of that.

He gave her a kiss. “Come on. Let’s go see what they’re up to out there.”

Remembering what Gage had said about werewolves and their keen sense of hearing, Mac would rather have put off facing the Pack as long as possible, but she got dressed and let Gage lead her out of his office and into the main room anyway.

She’d hoped the guys wouldn’t be there, but the entire Pack was sitting around casually in their chairs, holding up cards with Olympic-style scores on them. She had more than enough imagination to figure out what they were grading them on. Her face turned bright red. Embarrassed didn’t even begin to cover it.

But after a good laugh, every one of the guys gave her a hug and welcomed her into the Pack. She tried not to make a big deal out of it, but she was touched. She could see Gage was touched, too.