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Thank you. I know Tate will say the same when he gets here.

They deserve a safe place to land, Baz replied. The hatchery is a bonus the council will be more than happy to invest the resources in.

Lysander is a wolf, so I doubt there’ll be an issue with pack status for him, but how does it work for someone of a different species? Does someone have to sponsor Ridge and Tate? I know that when I was introduced to Wild, he had pack status here, but did anyone object to it when his name was proposed?

No, they were all very much onboard. Wilder was part of the mission to break up the Red River Outlaws and instrumental in ensuring that the owls who were rescued found homes in a parliament where they wouldn’t be mistreated again. One of them has already found her mate. Another of the owls rescued that day opted to remain at Comet Lake and has pack status as well. We don’t make anyone jump through hoops to be part of the haven we’ve established here. Due diligence is done to ensure we’re not letting someone with the wrong kind of checkered past join the pack. Sponsorship helps but isn’t required. Your friends’ paperwork will be put before the council when they arrive, the same as yours was, due to the actions you’ve displayed over the years. Those alone merit approval without anyone having to speak on your behalf, or theirs.

Logan mulled over Baz’s words as they crept down the hill that led into the valley that the river ran through. The river curved gently where a flat rock offered the perfect place to sit while waiting for a nibble. Another landmark he could commit to memory. The spot Baz led him to was one where the wind was in their favor, while the deer would have to run uphill to get away from them. If they chose this spot to sleep tonight.

Get comfy, Baz said as he wiggled down into the snow. Positioned tail to tail at an angle that allowed the best vantage point from both directions, they settled in to wait for what Logan hoped would be a successful ambush.

What Baz said about sponsorship helping but not being required had really struck a chord with Logan. As he kept careful watch for signs of approaching prey, he had to admit that it felt amazing to know that he now belonged to a pack where wolves were judged on their merits, not for who they knew or how much they could pay. Learning that there was no school fee to pay for Wren to attend had come as a shock, much like so many other things about Comet Lake. It was easy to see why they were thriving and why wolves chose to relocate here upon meeting their mates.

Still, there was one thing that Logan was curious about that hadn’t come up in other conversations. Wrapped in the night, bodies pressed into the snow as they stayed low and relaxed, conserving their energy for when the time came to pounce, seemed like the best time to ask Baz.

Is there a home for orphaned and abandoned pups here like the one I grew up in? Logan asked.

Several, a few generations back, following one of the worst tragedies in Comet Lake history, Baz explained. The original town was built closer to the river than it is now. One year it flooded and wiped out almost a third of the wolves who lived here. Several survivors opened their homes to the orphaned wolves and finished raising them. What came after, however, is one of the greatest legacies to come from that tragedy.

What was that?

The wolves who were raised in those homes opened their homes when the need arose and fostered a culture where wolves of all ages step up to raise pups that are not their own. No one frowns upon wolves in their fifties, sixties, and even seventies adopting because they know that they’ll have all the support they need from family and the rest of the community, to care for the pups.

What happens when there aren’t any more families willing or able to take in pups? Logan asked.

Knowing the council, it would be in their contingencies file, one of many projects Brooks spearheaded over the years. Baz explained. The council keeps a list of families who are waiting to adopt. When the number got low, they put out a plea to every pack member to think about whether adoption or fostering was something they’d be willing to consider. They asked those who were to register so their names could be added to the list.”

Which is how you got the pups.

Yup.

Would they frown on a pair of owls, or even two owls and a wolf registering together?

That I couldn’t say, Baz replied. As far as I know, there hasn’t been a cross-species adoption here yet, though Rusty was nearly the first when a trio of tigers imprinted on him. If it’s something your friends are interested in, the best person they can talk to is Doc Graham. He and his staff handle the registration process. He’d know what obstacles, if any, they might face. He’d also be the first to advocate for them if he feels they would make good adoptive parents.

I’ll make sure they know that.

A whiff of something slightly musky caught his attention, the earthy and grassy undertones alerting him that a food source larger than the deer they hoped for was nearing the thicket.

I smell elk, Logan conveyed to Baz.

Just caught a whiff myself.

There was no need to say more, they both knew it would be an easier target if they were patient and waited for it to pass them or bed down in the clearing. The element of surprise would lessen the chance of being kicked, especially if they were able to sink their fangs in while it was still on the ground.

Patience and focus were what was needed now. With the chance to fill their families’ freezers on the line, they hunkered down and hoped for the best.

Chapter Fourteen

(Rusty)

Two steps away from his snowmobile, Rusty heard his name bellowed and turned to see Flame standing in the open garage bay doors, waving for him to come back. Rusty considered ignoring him, because Flame had been in a particularly foul mood all day, but in the end, he turned around.

“Before you say anything, just know that the complaint department is closed, so if you’re looking for someone else to cuss out, save it. The only thing I’m in the mood for right now is playtime with my pups,” Rusty snapped the moment he reached Flame, whose eyes widened.

“Wasn’t calling you to cuss,” Flame admitted.

“Okay, so out with it,” Rusty grumbled. “What do you want?”