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Brandy gasped as Alator came into view on the other side of the fence.How had he gotten out?She’d have to figure that out later. Right now, the blood pooling around the black wolf was her top concern.
“Oh, God.” She scaled the fence without a second thought, Parker close behind her, the rifle held out and ready.
She dropped to her knees next to Alator, setting the tranq gun down on the ground. A snap of twigs off to her left made Brandy look over that way.
Hank Swift stood there, his own rifle by his side. “That monster lunged at me.”
“Why? What were you doing that he didn’t like, that I’m sure I wouldn’t like either?” Brandy was torn between tending to Alator and kicking Hank in the nuts.
Parker stepped between them, making the decision for her. “What are you doing over here, Hank? I think we’ve made it crystal clear that we don’t want you anywhere near our wolves.”
“And I’ve made it crystal clear if one of them sets foot onmyland, I’ll shoot to kill.” He looked around Parker, and Brandy attempted to get to her feet.
Parker put his hand on her shoulder. “Take care of Alator. Stop that bleeding. I’ve got this.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t go for the kill shot,” Hank said.
“You’re lucky I don’t go for the kill shot right now,” Parker replied. “Get out of here.”
“I need your help, Parker. The bullet is still in his leg.” Brandy pulled off her shirt, happy she had a tank top under her short-sleeve button down today. She pressed the shirt into the wound, wincing when Alator let out another howl.
“Get out of here, Swift,” Parker repeated.
“One day these beasts are going to rip you two to shreds, and I’m going to find it fucking hysterical.” Hank stomped off, and it took all of Brandy’s resolve not to run after him, tackle him to the ground, and pound on his greasy face.
Parker kneeled beside her. “Let me see.” He put the rifle down and moved Brandy’s hand with her balled up shirt.
Blood immediately seeped from the wound and Alator’s breathing slowed. “Parker, he’s going into shock.”
Parker tossed his cell phone to Brandy. “Call Meredith. Tell her to get over here with a utility vehicle.”
Brandy’s fingers struggled to punch in her mother’s number.C’mon, c’mon. Pick up.Alator’s side was barely rising and falling. She knew that wound wasn’t fatal, but it was never good to have an unconscious, bleeding wolf.
“Hello?”
“Mom, can you get over to the eastern border of the sanctuary? Alator’s been shot.” The words all ran into one another.
“On it, honey.” Meredith disconnected, and Brandy was confident her mother wouldn’t waste a single second getting to their location.
“She’s on her way.” She slipped Alator’s head into her lap, encouraged when the wolf’s green-gold eyes gazed up at her. “It’s okay, big boy. I’ve got you.” She bent forward and pressed her lips to Alator’s jagged left ear. “You’re going to be fine.”
He had to be.
Brandy had no idea how this wolf had come to be near her property the first time she and Parker had found him, but he was part of her pack now. A special part. She’d do whatever it took to make sure he stayed a part of it.
She sure as hell was going to have another talk with Sheriff Olsen about Hank Swift too. There had to be something that could be done to stop his bullshit. Between traps and rifles, the man was a menace to the sanctuary. He had to be controlled.
Alator’s paw came to rest on her knee and she let go of her anger at Hank, focusing all her energy on the beautiful wolf in her lap instead. She stroked his massive paw and a vision of Reardon’s hand on her stomach last night flashed into her mind.
This is no time to be thinking of Reardon.How selfish could she be? Her favorite wolf was bleeding out right before her eyes and her mind was wandering to her erotic escapades of last night.
Squeezing her eyes shut to erase Reardon’s image, she took a deep breath then focused back on Alator. She caressed the wolf’s head, offering whispered words of comfort as Parker used her shirt like a tourniquet. Blood still flowed from the wound, soaking the dirt around the wolf, staining her shorts and bare legs, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t moving.
Alator’s eyes closed, his breathing slowing even more.
“Parker…”
“I hear the utility vehicle. We’ll have him in the clinic in a few minutes.” Parker stood and wiped his hands on his cargo shorts, leaving bloody streaks on the beige material.
