AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Pushing open the door, she headed outside. Five wolves immediately greeted her, knowing exactly what she had in the bin.
“Okay, okay,” she said. “Let’s remember our manners, shall we?”
Albi, Bele, and Nuno, three of the gray wolves at the sanctuary, pushed their noses into the bin while Lug, a brown wolf, and Dragon, a black one, sat on their haunches, perfectly willing to wait their turn… as long as their turn came quickly.
She tossed meat out to the hungry wolves then wandered a little deeper into the woods until she found Sirona and Arawn, the other two black wolves, perched on a rocky outcropping. They picked their way down the hill to retrieve the meat cubes she left for them. Those two were inseparable and even though Arawn was missing a front right paw, that didn’t keep him from following Sirona everywhere.
I wouldn’t mind an attractive male following me everywhere.
But the only male that hung around the sanctuary was Parker. He and Brandy had gone to college together and had tried the whole relationship thing. It hadn’t been a love connection. Not the one either of them had been hoping for anyway. They’d connected in about a million other ways—both were wildlife biology majors—but a heat did not exist between them, and they’d each decided that was fine.
They’d gone into business together instead with Parker joining the sanctuary staff as a consulting veterinarian. He’d seen to the conditions of each wolf at Silver Moon and checked in on them on a regular basis. He also taught a college class and used the sanctuary as a practicum location for his budding wildlife biologists so they could get some hands-on experience with live animals in need of real care.
She loved having Parker around. He was a great friend, an excellent vet, and a wonderful role model for Dylan, who Brandy often worried was missing out by not having a father in the picture. Parker filled the vacancy nicely by giving Dylan attention. He’d taken him camping, let him assist when examining recuperating wolves, and hosted science-fiction/fantasy movie nights on a regular basis. Just last weekend, they’d done a Star Wars marathon and the opening music had been stuck in Brandy’s head ever since. Parker also fed Dylan’s comic book addiction with his collection of Marvel and DC comics which he let the boy drool over every now and again.
Things were good. They really were. Sure, Brandy hadn’t had an adult relationship in a long, long time, but she was filling her life with experiences that were just as meaningful, just as fulfilling. Being a mom to her sister’s son had been an unexpected situation, but she loved Dylan as if she’d given birth to him herself. She couldn’t imagine her life without him in it.
She could, however, imagine someone of the tall, dark, and handsome variety in her life.
“Keep dreaming, sister.”
She portioned out the rest of the meat and watched for a few silent moments as the last group of wolves tore into their dinner. Brandy loved being with the wolves. Her connection to them was something tangible. She actually preferred their company over most humans.
When he’d finished his meal, Lug wandered over to her and pushed his big head into her kneecap.
“What’s up, boy?” She reached down and scratched at the wolf’s ears. Dylan had named him Lug, as inyou big lug,because the wolf was clumsy but super affectionate. He had the sweetest disposition, especially for a wolf that had nearly died on the exam table about two years ago.
A farmer in Idaho had caught Lug scoping out his cattle and hadn’t thought twice about yanking out his shotgun and drilling the wolf full of bullets. Miraculously, Lug had not been killed by the onslaught, but he was in rough shape. A small conservation group in the area had contacted Brandy and she and Parker flew out to assess the wolf’s condition. By the grace of Mother Nature, they’d been able to remove all the bullets and Lug’s will to live had been strong.
When they’d come back to the sanctuary with him, Dylan had taken one look at the goofy wolf and dubbed him Lug. Brandy swore the wolf had healed faster thanks to Dylan’s friendship, corny as that sounded.
“Did you enjoy your dinner, boy?” She gave Lug a few more minutes of petting and laughed when he took the end of her T-shirt between his teeth and gently tugged. “Want me down at your level?” She crouched and Lug instantly got to his back on the ground, exposing his belly for a rub. Sometimes Brandy wondered if the wolf wasn’t more dog than anything else. The interesting thing about Lug was she’d tried to release him back into the true wild, three times, but he wouldn’t go. He ran after her SUV every time they’d attempted to let him go.
“He knows he’s got a good thing at the sanctuary,” Parker had said.
Though her mission was to keep wolf numbers up in the wild, Lug had wormed his way into her heart and Dylan loved him too. After the third failed attempt to release, she’d decided to keep him. He repaid her by keeping an eye on the rest of the pack. It was a good deal.
“Okay, boy.” She patted Lug one final time and rose to standing. “I have to try feeding Nymph once more. Want to come?”
As if understanding, Lug fell into step beside her as she navigated through the woods back toward the main facility. Meredith and Dylan came out the library door and Lug immediately jogged toward Dylan.
“Everyone all fed?” Meredith gestured to the bin Brandy carried.
Brandy pointed to the kennel windows. “All but one.”
“Ah, Nymph still resisting?”
“Yup.”
“Maybe she wants barbecue sauce on her chicken,” Meredith said.
Dylan burst into laughter. “Oh, Gram! I said the same thing.”
“Did you now? Well, clearly you are a comedian like your dear old granny.” She hooked her arm around Dylan’s shoulders and squished him against her until the boy squirmed.
“Don’t quit your day jobs. Either of you.” Brandy pointed at each of them then led everyone inside the kennel area.
Lug trotted over to Nymph’s cage and sniffed around her with curiosity. Nymph hadn’t interacted with many of the wolves yet because she wouldn’t leave her cage, but Lug had been in a few times to check her out, as was his duty as self-designated supervisor. Nymph wasn’t overly friendly to him, but she didn’t shy away either. Her nosed raised, she at least explored his scent without the wariness she showed almost everyone else.
