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stared at her. Something about her eyes caught his attention.
    “Something wrong?”
    “No.” But he couldn’t shake the weird feeling this was no ordinary wolf. Her eyes shone with intelligence, and she was pure black. Not another color marred her coat. If he didn’t know better...
    “Coffee’s in my office.”
    “Lead the way.” He didn’t drink much coffee, but if it meant more time with Karin, he’d make an exception.
    He planted himself on the extra chair by Karin’s desk and watched her make the coffee.
    “You look pretty in pink. You should wear it more often.”
    “Oh. Uh. Thank you.”
    The compliment seemed to take her by surprise, like she didn’t get too many. Hard to believe. She deserved a lot more.
    “Any idea where your resident rogue came from?”
    “I have no idea, and it worries me. The landowners are right. How can I be sure there aren’t more out there?”
    “Canines can travel long distances in a short period of time. She could have come from anywhere.”
    “You’re right. She’s not tagged, and I contacted other refuges to see if they’re missing any animals, but we drew a blank. We may never know for sure.”
    “What will happen to her?”
    “If she’s healthy, and I can prove she didn’t attack the hiker, I’d like to integrate her into the pack.”
    “It won’t be easy. You may have another alpha female there.”
    “I’d like the chance to try. How do you take your coffee?”
    “Black, two sugars.”
    She poured them each a mug and sat behind the desk. Tongue-tied, she stirred her coffee continuously even though she drank it black. “I didn’t mean to be short with you, but an alpha can get aggressive if you interrupt his mating.”
    “Is that right?” His mouth twitched with amusement.
    “I’m not kidding. The last thing I need now is for someone else to get hurt by one of the wolves.”
    “You’re right. It was stupid of me.” He plastered a serious look on his face. “The building was locked, but I saw the ATV and figured you were with the pack. I didn’t think. I was so anxious to see you again I couldn’t wait for you to come on out.”
    Her eyes widened, and her face darkened to match her blouse. She looked so cute in her embarrassment, he suppressed a grin. Over the rich warm aroma of coffee, he caught the scent of peaches and aroused woman. Most men relied on words and visuals to know what their woman wanted, but his keen sense of smell told him the whole story. It pleased him. What man doesn’t feel a smug satisfaction knowing his woman desires him? Not that she was his woman. Still, it was flattering.
    “Well, no harm done,” she stammered.
    “It won’t happen again.”
    “I should probably check your nose and get back to work.”
    Disappointed, he watched her play with the coffee stirrer for a few seconds, then put his cup down. “Sure, I don’t want to hold you up.”
    She leaned over the desk. Just a little farther and he could nibble on the soft flesh of her neck.
    “It looks good, better than I expected. I don’t think you need that X-ray after all.”
    “I told you I heal fast.”
    She didn’t touch him, and she kept the desk between them. Good idea. If they ended up in the bathroom again, he’d have her undressed and straddling his lap so fast she’d be scared senseless. And she deserved better, a lover who would take his time and worship every part of her body. And that was not him. No, he’d been stupid to come back. No point making it worse by starting something he couldn’t finish.

Chapter Seven

    “This press conference is coming to you live from the office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Byron Fossick.”
    “Finally.”
    “Shut your trap, Glenn. I can’t hear.” Frank threw the deputy a dirty look and turned the radio up
    “…using dental X-rays, we were able to identify the remains discovered in Black Wolf Gorge as those of Samuel Cooper of Pittsburgh. The body was discovered early Friday morning by a park