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“Did I scare you, buddy?” She bent down, her hand held out to summon him. “I didn’t think one could scare a wolf. Learn something every day, I guess.”
He shook off the memory of his first change from human to wolf and trotted toward Meredith. Her hand running over his coat did wonders to bring him back to the present and bury the horrors of that night in the woods. During his stay at Silver Moon Sanctuary, he’d come to appreciate the motherly role Meredith played so well. She never failed to throw some maternal attention his way, which he greatly appreciated.
After he’d met Zian, he’d never seen his own mother again, despite her promises that they would be reunited. It wasn’t her fault though. He’d been the one to stay away.
“I’m heading to the grocery store, Alator. Got to get some healthy stuff for my sweet-toothed brood. Brandy and Dylan would bathe in sugar if I didn’t pay attention.” She chuckled and gave him a final pat. “Be back in a few. You’ve got things under control, don’t you?”
Reardon angled his head at her, wishing he could talk to her using words. Instead he pushed his nose into her hand and let out a short ruff.
“I thought so.” She waved and climbed into her car.
Reardon watched her leave as he’d watched Brandy and Dylan. For the first time since he’d arrived, there were no humans at Silver Moon Sanctuary.
He ran past Lug and Bele who were sunning themselves nearby. When he got to the clinic, he glanced around to find only the trees watching him. He shifted to human form and drew in a deep breath. Gods, he hadn’t been in human form in two weeks. His legs actually felt shaky, his muscles tight, his beard wild and unruly.
Lifting a hand, he turned the knob on the clinic door and sent a thank you to the gods that it was unlocked. He stepped inside and marveled at how different the large room looked from his human height. He was so used to trotting around at counter-top level that he’d never gotten a proper look at the clinic. It was neat and orderly and somehow cozy despite the strange equipment he’d seen Brandy and Parker use to keep him and the other wolves at the sanctuary healthy.
The advances in medicine that had been made since the time he’d come from were remarkable. It’d taken him the full two weeks to understand how humans lived in Brandy’s time. Cars instead of horses and wagons. Lights instead of candles and torches. Stoves, ovens, and microwaves instead of fires in hearths. It was all so amazing, and he rather liked the way of life these humans enjoyed.
Scanning the clinic now, he found a pair of Parker’s scrubs often worn when the veterinarian tended to the wolves. Reardon slid them on to cover his very naked body then set about looking in drawers and cabinets. In Brandy’s desk drawer, he located a nice stash of money which he stuffed in a pocket. He’d overheard Dylan asking for money when he wanted to buy a comic book and understood that one could acquire things with it. The first things he would acquire would be better garments because Parker’s scrubs were… snug.
After finding the bathroom and a pair of scissors, he used the reflective glass in the room to tidy his beard and hair as best he could. Both had become unruly because he’d been in wolf form for so long. He located a pair of work boots by the clinic door that were a little tight but tolerable and he walked back outside. Staring at the tire tracks Meredith and Brandy had made on their departures, Reardon kneeled down and sniffed the imprints. He could easily follow them. Both women had mentioned going “into town,” so he figured town would be the place to acquire more suitable clothes and perhaps find Brandy.
Because he could wait no longer for her meet his human form.
Chapter Seven
“I’m so full.” Brandy felt positively round after the breakfast she and Dylan had wolfed down.
“Me too.” Dylan patted his belly. “They make the best chocolate pancakes.”
Brandy slung her arm around Dylan’s shoulders. “If you buzz around like a rabid bee later due to your horrific sugar intake during that breakfast, I don’t want to hear about it.”
“I’ll run it off with Alator. He’s always in the mood for a chase game.”
That was true. That wolf did anything Dylan suggested. The boy had a few school friends, but otherwise spent his free time with Brandy, Meredith, Parker, or alone.
Until Alator showed up.
Dylan had always liked hanging out with the sanctuary’s wolves, but this bond with Alator was completely different. It was almost as if boy and wolf could anticipate each other’s needs and fill them without much effort. Brandy had once read an article about how soul mates didn’t have to mean two people in love. It could also mean finding something in someone else that completed you in some way. Dylan and Alator appeared to do that for each other.
“Can we go to the pet store?” Dylan asked as he avoided stepping on any of the sidewalk cracks beside her now.
“The pet store? What for?” Brandy couldn’t think of any supplies the sanctuary needed at the moment.
Dylan shrugged his left shoulder. “I have some allowance money saved and I want to buy a surprise for Alator.”
Brandy smiled. “Well, that’s a nice thought, kiddo. Okay. Let’s go.”
Dylan grabbed her hand and they walked across the street from the breakfast place toward Pete’s Pet Paradise. The day was warming up to a toasty eighty degrees and Brandy drew in a deep breath of flowered air. Big pots of bright red geraniums hung from the rustic lampposts lining Main Street in the center of Canville. Red, white, and blue decorations adorned many of the shops along this main artery of the small town in preparation for the Fourth of July parade in two weeks. Brandy, Dylan, and Meredith loved this event and set up lawn chairs on the route every year. They usually hooked up with Parker and ate a picnic lunch complete with Brandy’s favorite part—blueberry pie.
“I can’t wait for the parade,” Dylan said as if reading Brandy’s thoughts.
“Nothing better than fireworks on a hot summer night.”
Dylan held up his fists then splayed his fingers out quickly as he arced his hands over his head. “Boom! Sizzle! Crash! The finale is the best part.”
“Agreed.” Although Brandy’s mind did wander to having someone to hold her and kiss her during the fireworks… maybe setting off fireworksinsideher. That’d be nice for a change.
