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Alator sat on his haunches and observed as he often did.
“Today was the best day ever!” Dylan shouted as he wiggled out of her lap.
“And do we have a report card, Mr. Wendon?” Brandy stood, brushed dirt off her bottom, and held her hand out to the boy with a stern look on her face.
“It’s called a performance report, Mom.”
“Oh, right.”What was the difference?Why did the world of education love changing the names of things so much? Brandy could hardly keep up.
Dylan got to his feet and retrieved the backpack he’d flung to the ground. He stopped for a moment to scratch between Alator’s ears. Brandy loved how the boy and the wolf had bonded during Alator’s time at Silver Moon. When the wolf wasn’t shadowing her around the sanctuary, he was hanging out with Dylan, playing fetch games—which she’dneverseen a wild wolf do—or running alongside her son through the woods. It was fun to watch them together. As if they’d been friends for lifetimes.
“Here you go.” Dylan handed over a large manila envelope with his name on the outside.
Brandy could tell by the smug look on the kid’s face that he’d done well, which was no surprise. He came from a long line of academic types after all.
She made a big show of dusting dirt off her hands, adjusting her Silver Moon baseball hat, slowly opening the envelope, and sliding her hand inside.
“OMG, Mom!” Dylan danced around her. “Hurry up! I gotta show Gram. She promised me anX-Menmovie marathon if I had good grades.”
“Did she now?”
He nodded. “With popcorn and soda and pizza!”
“Well, isn’t she a bucket ’o fun?”
Dylan’s smile widened. “Gram is the best gram on planet Earth.”
“Truer words have not been spoken.” Brandy ruffled Dylan’s hair with one hand and shook out the folded report card with her other. “Let’s see what we have here.”
Dylan opened his mouth, but Brandy put a finger to his lips.
“I need to concentrate,” she said.
He giggled and went back to where Alator sat. The wolf hadn’t moved a muscle and Brandy marveled over how still he could remain. As if he had all the time in the world to just watch.
What is he looking for?
Because, call her crazy, Alator did seem to be looking for something.
Shaking her head, she focused on Dylan’s report card. Ah, hell.Performance report.
A smile bloomed on her face as she took in all the “above average” ratings Dylan had received.Oh, Diane. You’d be so proud.If only her sister could be there to enjoy this fabulous boy she had brought into the world.
Something nudged her knee and she moved the performance report to look at Alator sitting in front of her, his head tilted as if he were about to speak to her.
“What’s up, big boy?”
“He’s wondering why you’re crying.” Dylan blinked up at her. “So am I. Aren’t you happy about my performance report?”
“Oh, honey.” She bent and gathered Dylan in a tight squeeze. “I couldn’t be prouder. You’ve done a wonderful job.”
“Then why do you look so sad?” Nowhelooked sad.
Dammit.
“I was wishing your mother were here to see what you’ve become.” Brandy held him out at arm’s length. “She’d be so impressed.”
Dylan chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. “Areyouimpressed?”
