Day of the Wolf: A Steamy, Action-Packed Wolf Shifter Romance

By Terry Spear

Looking for an action-packed quickie?

USA Today bestselling author Terry Spear brings her trademark action, romance, and wolf pack dynamics in this thrilling Heart of the Wolf novella!

• A heroine with a target on her back
• A hero determined to protect her at all costs
• Enough action, mystery, and wild romance to keep readers enthralled

Red wolf Carmela Wildhaven retired from the army, but not until after she helped vote out three sergeants who'd been using illegal drugs. Now that she's out of the military, those former sergeants are out for her blood. She just has to reach the Silver wolves' pack territory in Silver Town and these men can't hassle her. But when they run her off the road before she can reach safety, she knows she's on her own.

Retired army Special Forces officer and gray wolf Michael Hoffman had plans to check out the Greystoke pack in Silver Town when he smelled three unfamiliar gray wolves. When he realizes they're making plans to take down a red she-wolf, he determines to protect her at all costs. Now Carmela and Michael are alone, injured, and have only each other to rely on, but nothing will stop these fated mates from making it out of this alive…and together…

Everyone loves Terry Spear's wolf shifter romances!

"Riveting and entertaining…makes one want to devour all of the rest of Terry Spear's books."—Fresh Fiction for Wolf Fever

"Wolfishly delicious…an exciting, action-packed paranormal romance that kept me enthralled."—Romance Junkies for A Howl for a Highlander

"Terry Spear weaves paranormal, suspense, and romance together in one nonstop rollercoaster of passion and adventure."—Love Romance Passion for Destiny of the Wolf

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sourcebooks
• Release date: Sep 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781492694151

Terry Spear

USA Today bestselling author Terry Spear has written over a hundred paranormal and medieval Highland romances. One of her bestselling titles, Heart of the Wolf was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. She is an award-winning author with 2 Paranormal Excellence Awards for Romantic Literature. A retired officer of the U.S. Army Reserves, Terry also creates award-winning teddy bears that have found homes all over the world, helps out with her grandchildren, and enjoys her two Havanese dogs. She lives in Spring, Texas.

Book preview

Front CoverTitle Page

Copyright © 2019 by Terry Spear

Cover and internal design © 2019 by Sourcebooks

Cover art by Craig White

Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

Originally published in Destiny of the Wolf in 2019 in the United States of America by Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks.

Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks

P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410

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Contents

Front Cover

Title Page

Copyright

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Epilogue

Excerpt from Jingle Bell Wolf

One

Two

Three

Acknowledgments

About the Author

One

Retired army Special Forces officer and gray wolf Michael Hoffman had stopped at a service station on the way to check out a gray wolf pack in Colorado, run by a Bella and Devlyn Greystoke, when an attractive blond captured his eye. Her hair was swept up in a bun, strands falling loose around the nape of her neck and framing her face. She was wearing skintight black jeans, a soft, light-blue sweater, and black suede boots on this cool, fall day, but what really caught his attention was her sweet scent. She was a wolf. And he thought he recognized her and her scent. If so, it had been a long damn time since he’d seen her, and it had to have been a really brief encounter, because he didn’t remember having really talked to her at all.

Michael had served all over the world providing foreign internal defenses, special reconnaissance, counterterrorism, and yeah, unconventional warfare when the mission required it. Running into she-wolves he was attracted to rarely happened. Mostly because they just weren’t where he was at the time or were ineligible—mated, too old, or too young. He wondered if she was part of a pack here. Hell, maybe she was mated. Before he could ask her if she belonged to a pack locally—since he was here now and might as well check it out—she got into her car and drove off in a hurry.

Thinking he could follow her and still learn if she was part of a local pack in this part of Colorado, he finished gassing up when he saw three men jump into a black pickup, yelling to each other that they had to catch the woman. The driver gunned the engine, and they tore off after her. Michael could be wrong, but he sure thought it looked like trouble was headed the she-wolf’s way. After replacing the gas nozzle on the pump, Michael jumped into his Jeep and slammed his foot on the gas pedal in hot pursuit, ready to provide some Green Beret muscle if the little lady needed it.

* * *

Retired army officer and red wolf Carmela Wildhaven couldn’t believe a stop at the service station outside of her pack’s territory on the way to her home from the airport could potentially prove to be dangerous. She’d headed toward the store to buy a bottled water when she saw three male wolves near the glass door inside whom she thought she recognized. A chill ran up her spine just thinking about them. She’d hoped they hadn’t seen her before she hightailed it out of there.

She couldn’t believe the former army sergeants were here, so close to the Silver Town wolf pack’s territory. Unless they were from here originally. She sure hoped not.

She didn’t regret that she’d sat on the board that had eliminated them from the service for smoking pot in a government van while in uniform and on post, right before she’d retired from the army. The looks they had given her when they left the hearing warned her that they’d pay her back, because as a wolf, she should have been voting in their favor to allow them to stay on active duty. But she really hadn’t thought she’d ever see them again.

If they had just been given an official reprimand that had stayed in their records but they had faced no other consequences, she could see them pulling something like that again or worse. Then what would happen? They’d be incarcerated? As wolves? Not good. Besides, she hadn’t been the only one who had voted them out of the service—all the combat officers and the noncommissioned officers on the board had too.

She’d quickly turned around and climbed into her car. She’d hoped she’d managed to leave before they saw her. She drove out of there as fast as she could without running over anyone or hitting another vehicle and headed toward home again, realizing if they hadn’t seen her, they might still smell her scent in the area. Why were they here? That was what bothered her the most. She hoped they hadn’t been trying to track her down, but it seemed to be too much of a coincidence that they were here.

She’d just returned from Germany where she’d participated in a crossbow competition that she nearly won, but she’d just missed out, and her bags were still in the car. Her crossbow and quiver of arrows also. Unfortunately, she’d lost her phone somewhere between the States and Germany. She had no idea when or where she’d lost it because her cell phone had died and she couldn’t use it until she had a chance to charge it. She’d wondered if someone had stolen it from her or if she’d left it behind somewhere. She really could use it now to call the sheriff for help.

She glanced at her rearview mirror and saw a black pickup truck following her some distance behind. If she could just reach her turnoff a couple of miles ahead and drive for three more miles, she’d be in the Silver Town wolf pack’s territory.

A couple of weeks ago, she’d joined them and started her job as the receptionist at the clinic that served the pack before she had to leave for Germany. Thankfully, Darien and Lelandi Silver, the pack leaders, had been fine with her taking off right after she had been hired on. They’d been impressed with all her wins in archery competitions, and they’d even set up an archery range so she could teach anyone who wanted to learn how to use a crossbow and so that she could continue to practice her skill and win more competitions.

She sure hoped the wolves from the army weren’t members of the Silver Town wolf pack and she just hadn’t met them yet. She wasn’t even sure how the pack leaders would handle that, since she was new to the pack and they might have been with the pack much earlier on, so who would they side with?

She glanced up at her rearview mirror again and saw the black pickup was now barreling down the highway, speeding, growing closer. It might not be the men from the army. It could be someone else who was driving recklessly and not trying to chase her down.

Not that she really believed that. Her blood chilled, and she tightened her hands on her steering wheel.

She was speeding on the two-lane road, but they were still catching up to her, hell-bent on reaching her, intimidating her, or, if she was lucky, just planned to pass her.

She thought of turning around and going back to the service station. She didn’t see anywhere to pull off and turn the car around though. Maybe she could slow down and let them pass if that was their intent, but they were driving so fast, she was afraid they might hit her car anyway.

They were so close now, they were practically on her bumper. Angry and frustrated, she could do nothing about it. They nudged her car, once, and then twice. The last time, they backed off a bit, and she thought maybe they were going to give it up. But then they sped up again. Only this time, they struck her car hard. A loud bang resounded, of metal on metal. Her heart practically seized. The road curved, but she couldn’t make the turn. At the high rate of speed she was going, the car flew off the road. It landed hard on the ground, the sound of explosions filling the air. She realized all four of her tires had blown.

The car traveled through branches and fall leaves, slowing it down some. She hit the brakes, trying to stop from hitting the huge, oak tree in her path. The car still slammed into the tree, jolting her hard. Her airbag instantly inflated and deflated. She was glad she always wore her seat belt. She felt okay, a little sore, but nothing that would slow her down. She could stay in the car and hopefully remain protected. She glanced out the back window while struggling to unfasten her seat belt. Stay calm, she told herself.

The driver had parked the truck on the road, and all three of the men were exiting their vehicle. It was them. The three sergeants, all rogue wolves. One of the men had a tire iron in his hand. They meant business.

She was afraid her car wouldn’t protect her.

The seat belt released, and she threw open the driver’s door, grabbed her crossbow and her quiver of arrows, and jumped out of her car. Panicked, she stumbled on a couple of tree roots, regained her footing, and ran in the direction that would take her to her pack’s territory and hopefully safety.

She glanced back and saw the men were stripping off their clothes. God, they were going to run as wolves, and she couldn’t outrun them as a human. She wouldn’t have enough time to take down all three men with her bow either. As a wolf, she could move faster, but fighting three male wolves? She wouldn’t stand a chance.

* * *

Michael saw the pickup slam into the red Ford Escort, sending it flying off the road. His heart practically stopped. He’d kill the men with his bare hands. Or better yet, his teeth. He jerked his Jeep to a stop behind the pickup and saw the woman disappear into the woods. The way she was sprinting indicated she hadn’t been injured badly in the crash. But a pack of three male wolves were chasing her, their clothes scattered in a couple of piles on top of the leaves, and a tire iron was lying nearby. From the way her car had slammed into the tree, he could see the vehicle was totaled. He was glad she didn’t appear to be injured.

He had