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We’ve taken care of my problem,he thought.Now let’s take care of yours.
He took off at a run. Brandy matched his pace, and he’d never felt so free, so perfectly in sync, so fortunate.
Soon an unkempt farmhouse came into view. The roof was ready to cave in and the wraparound porch veered away from where it should have been secured to the house. Though flower pots flanked the front steps, nothing green and summer-vibrant grew in them.
No wonder he’s miserable, right?Brandy thought.
Reardon nuzzled her neck, loving the pure smell of his mate. He led them—cautiously—around the house and to the equally decrepit barn where it sounded as if someone was using a handsaw.
Follow my lead,Reardon thought.
Using his paw, he pushed open the askew barn door. After a quick search to see if any guns or traps were in range, he eyed Brandy then let loose a ferocious bark.
Hank shouted, dropped his saw, and whirled around from the piece of wood he was cutting. He too looked around the barn for something to use as a weapon, but Brandy rushed forward with her own vicious snarling. The fur around her neck stood out like a lion’s mane and she bared absolutely every one of her teeth as he had.
All the color drained from Hank’s face, leaving him a nice shade of gray. Corpse gray. He attempted to flail his arms and shoo them away, but his attempt was stilted by outright fear.
This is fun!Brandy increased the frequency of her barking and rose to her hind legs a few times.
The two of them circled around the stunned man, each revolution bringing them closer.
Hank backed up until he hit the worktable behind him. “Where’s that stupid sheriff now? I’ll see that Silver Moon Sanctuary is shut down for good. Nothing but a bunch of rabid dogs over there.”
As soon as those words left his lips, Reardon shifted to human and Brandy did the same.
“Did he call us dogs?” Reardon said to an open-mouthed Hank. “No, I don’t think you’ll be shutting anything down. I think you’ll be packing your bags and moving to another location.”
“You don’t want to live next door to wolves that are much more than wolves, do you, Hank?” Brandy’s naked form distracted Reardon, but when he looked to Hank, the man didn’t seem to notice her incredible body. In fact, the only thing he did was wet himself.
“What are you?” Hank whispered.
“Your worst nightmare,” Reardon said as he lunged forward and grabbed Hank around the neck.
The older man sputtered and clawed at Reardon’s grip on him. “P-please, please. D-don’t hurt me.”
“If you leave this place and we never see you again,” Brandy said, coming up next to Reardon and giving Hank a look of pure disdain, “we won’t tear you, limb from limb. You’ve injured my wolves for the last time, Hank. No more guns. No more traps. No more you.” She poked her index finger into his chest at each period.
“And if we do see you around here,” Reardon added, tightening his hold, “it will be the last time anyone sees you. Got it?”
Hank nodded, speechless by this point. He had barely blinked through the conversation and looked as if he wanted to cry.
Reardon regarded him. The old Reardon McAlator would have simply charged ahead and torn the old curmudgeon to shreds. He knew Brandy wouldn’t approve of that, however, nor would Flidae.
You are learning, wolf,Flidae said from the distant recesses of his mind.
He’d learned so much already. About family. About pack.
About love.
“I’ll leave. I’ll put out a for sale sign today.” Hank’svoice crackled and Reardon felt a little bad. Just a little. “I don’t know why I’ve stayed here this long anyway. It hasn’t been the same without my wife. My livestock’s gone. I have nothing here.”
“Time to build your life somewhere fresh, Hank,” Brandy said. “Away from my wolves.”
Convinced Hank had read their message, Reardon shifted again to wolf form to drive the point home.
“And if you try to tell anyone what you’ve seen here today, consider what they will do with a crazy old man who spouts tales of wolves turning into humans.” Brandy shifted as well and bolted to the tree line after Reardon.
Staying in wolf form, they followed the sanctuary’s perimeter fence to the entrance gates.
