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Worry jolted through her, and she slid her hand up until it rested just inside the wolf’s armpit, right where its front leg met its body. She closed her eyes and focused, tuning out the chirping birds and the rustling leaves. There. It was slight, but she could feel it. Stephanie thought she sensed something else, perhaps a mental message somehow making its way through despite the wolf’s pitiful state.
Stephanie opened her eyes and pulled back. She could see no visible injuries on the wolf, but perhaps they were internal. She had two options, and she already knew which one she would take as she returned to Annie. “It’s alive, but barely. I’m taking it to the office. Let’s go put the dogs in the cab of the truck, and we’ll load him in the back.”
Annie turned immediately back toward the parking lot. Sherlock was more than happy to head back in that direction, even if Jacques and Penelope were much more interested in what lay ahead of them on the path. “Shouldn’t we call animal control or something?”
That had been the other option, one Stephanie had quickly ruled out. “There’s only so much they can do, and they’re often backed up as it is. By the time someone gets out here, he might be gone.” Reaching the truck, Stephanie pulled a small tarp out of the back while Annie loaded the dogs into the cab. She couldn’t remember exactly why she had it back there with her other supplies, but she was glad she did.
“Holy shit,” Annie whispered with excitement a few minutes later as they carefully grabbed the wolf’s paws and slid him onto a tarp. “This is incredible!”
Stephanie smiled to herself. Annie might occasionally doubt her future as a vet, but Stephanie never would. That thrill would keep her going, and she’d find more of them.
The wolf was heavy as they carried it out to the truck. She knew they shouldn’t be doing this. They should probably do exactly as Annie had suggested and call the proper authorities. But something inside her argued quickly against the notion. She had to do something. There was a reason they’d happened to come out there on the same day the wolf had. Her heart thundered in her throat as they carefully slid the tarp into the bed of the truck and she closed the back of the camper shell.
The drive to the office felt much longer than it actually was, as Stephanie took care not to brake or accelerate too hard.
“Mom?”
“Hm?” Stephanie frowned as she took a curve in the road that led them back into town, hoping they didn’t encounter too many stoplights.
“Let’s say this wolf is all right, that you’re able to fix whatever’s wrong with him.”
“That’s the idea,” Stephanie replied.
“Well, then what? I mean, you can’t just have a wolf running around your office. It might be dangerous.”
Yes. A wolf certainly should be considered dangerous, especially one cornered in an exam room. If he’d been healthy and on his feet when they’d found him out in the woods, he would’ve likely just run away. He couldn’t exactly do that, though, and Stephanie had caught sight of those gleaming white teeth. “I’ll figure it out. He’s certainly no threat right now.”
Stephanie backed up to the rear entrance of the building. Hoping no one was watching them, she unlocked the back door, and the two women carried the wolf inside on the tarp. “Let’s put him in exam room five. It’s the biggest one.”
The table in there had been specially ordered to accommodate bigger dogs, but she never expected to use it for a wolf. He made even the oversized table look small by comparison.
“What do you need me to do?”
Stephanie could hear the dogs barking from the truck. “Go ahead and take those guys back to your place. It’s probably best if you just keep them tonight. I’m going to get started here. I’ll call you if I need anything.”
Annie hesitated in the exam room doorway. “Are you sure?”
Looking at the beast, there were a lot of things Stephanie didn’t know. She didn’t know what had possessed her to bring a wild animal into her clinic, even if it was closed for the day. She didn’t know what she’d do with him if she could save his life, nor did she know exactly how she’d get him back out to the woods. All she knew was that she had to try. “Yeah. I’m sure.”
Once alone, Stephanie easily fell back into her training and moved through the process one step at a time. With the luxury of a stethoscope this time, she checked his heart rate and other vitals. He definitely wasn’t doing well, but she had yet to find a cause. A quick x-ray didn’t reveal much, except for some old wounds that’d healed long ago. She pulled a couple vials of blood to be run through the lab. With every step, she watched for any signs that he might regain consciousness. Though hope thrilled in her that he might, it tangled with fear.
She laid her hand on his fur, feeling the density of it. It was so thick that it practically pushed back against the palm of her hand. Stephanie once again dared to close her eyes as she sought a link with the animal’s thoughts. She’d known for quite some time that she could reach animals on a psychic level, and she let her mind seek out a connection. It’d always been easier with some animals than others, but she found something right away: flashes of fear and pain. Underneath was something else, something strong that she couldn’t identify. She hadn’t felt anything like it in a long time.
“Something’s blocked in you,” she whispered as she moved over to the drawers on the side of the room. “I don’t know what it is. I’ll be honest. I’m not even entirely sure of what will help, but we’re going to give this a try. It’s worked for lots of sick cats and dogs. People, too, though I can’t help but think animals are more open to it since no one has told them otherwise.”
Moving around to the other side of the table, she knew she could give the wolf a stimulant to increase his heart rate and try to wake him, but it would likely cause him pain or make him agitated. Acupuncture was the best route, and it was one she was confident in. With expert ease and care, she parted the thick fur and inserted the tiny needles. They would open the wolf’s meridians and restore the flow of qi, encouraging his body to heal itself.
It took far less time than she’d imagined. His paw twitched, then his muzzle, showing off those incredibly sharp teeth. The fur along his back rippled as the muscles beneath spasmed.
Stephanie took her stethoscope off her neck and checked his heart rate. Not only was it back, but it was thrumming quickly. “What’s going on with you?” she whispered.
The wolf’s body exploded with movement. His legs jerked and stretched, lengthening before her very eyes. His fur sank into his skin, leaving only a head of dark hair. A soft crack sounded through the room as the wolf’s muzzle shrank and squeezed, its tail disappearing at the same time.
Stephanie leapt back. She hit a cart of supplies, sending numerous items clattering to the floor. Something glass broke, but she didn’t look for it. She pressed back further until she ran into the wall of the exam room and had no other place to go. Her mind refused to understand what she was seeing. It was a nightmare. Horror rippled beneath her skin as she watched the wolf transform into a man.
No, not just any man. Terrified, she took in the dark hair over the strong brows. The square jaw and the wide shoulders. A rush of attraction funneled through her chest despite her panic as the nightmare became more and more real.
She recognized him. She knew him. One moment, she’d had a wolf on the exam table. Now, somehow, in some way that extended past the far reaches of her imagination, it was Bennett Westbrook, her high school sweetheart.
