“This is Lilith,” I say as I switch Rory to my other arm. “She’s a photographer who’s been living backcountry with her dog.”
Mathias looks down at Nero. “That is a wolf.”
Lilith laughs. “Everyone says that. Nope, he’s just a very big husky.”
He meets her gaze. “One hundred percentCanis lupus.”
She squints at Nero. “Are you sure? The guy swore he was a husky.” She sighs. “You can’t trust any itinerant dog breeders you meet in the wilderness.”
Mathias snorts a laugh. “Wolf, as I am sure you know. I would be curious as to how he is so well-behaved.” He hooks at thumb at Raoul. “That one is impossible, and he is only half wolf.”
“It’s the dog part that’s the problem. Like werewolves. It isn’t the wolf blood you need to worry about: it’s the human blood.”
“Unless your petisa werewolf,” Mathias says, “and so he knows how to behave.”
“Could be,” Lilith says. “See, I didn’t murder my husband after all. He’s just currently in wolf form.”
That makes Mathias laugh. When he reaches a hand down for Nero to sniff, Raoul growls and Mathias turns to Sebastian. “Take him home before he barks again.”
Sebastian salutes. “Yes, sir.”
As they leave, Mathias says, “As Casey is apparently not performing introductions, I am Mathias. The local psychiatrist.”
She gestures at the cleaver. “Specializing in lobotomies, I presume.”
He looks down at it. “Ha! No. That is for my other job. I am the butcher. Everyone here wears many hats. You should come by the shop, and I will find a bone for your not-wolf.”
“He would appreciate that. Thank you.”
I finish the tour and then show her the apartment where she’ll be staying. We built a family residence for families and couples, but we only have one of each right now—Dana and the boys, plus a recently arrived couple. That means Lilith can have a decent-sized apartment for her and Nero. Afterward, we’re standing on the porch, Rory dozing in my arms, when Max comes around the corner, and stops short, seeing Nero.
“Hey, Max,” I say. “I’d like you to introduce you to Lilith. She’ll be staying here for a while with her dog.”
“That’s a wolf.”
“Why does everyone keep saying that?” Lilith says. She sighs. “Next time, I’m asking for pedigree papers.”
Max doesn’t crack a smile. “That’s a wolf. Even before I came here, I could tell when they used sled dogs instead of wolves on TV. And I knew it the last time I saw him… at your cabin.”
Lilith goes still, and I curse under my breath.
“I forgot that,” I say as I lower my voice. “Yes, he’s a wolf, and he’s the one you saw. It slipped my mind, or I would have warned you.”
Max shrugs. “He seems fine now. He just really didn’t want me going near your cabin.”
“I’m so sorry, Max,” Lilith says. “I was inside that night, and when I heard him growling, I came out. I should have gone looking. I just thought he was scaring off an animal.”
“I heard you. I could have gotten closer, but I didn’t know you.” He rocks back on his heels. “So you’ll be staying with us?”
“If you’d rather not have Nero around, he can stay with Casey and Storm.”
“His name’s Nero?” Max tilts his head, looking at the wolf. “Can he be touched? Or is he not that kind of pet?”
“You can pet him. Just let him see your hand first.”
Max puts out his hand, and Nero sniffs it. Then he tentatively pets the wolf. “Is he going to be outside your apartment? Like at the cabin? He might not be used to people walking past.”
“Good point. I was planning to keep him inside with me. He needs more exposure to people if I plan to take him back to civilization.”
