Page 82 of In the Mouth of the Wolf

I nipped his arm gently.Obviously.

His hands ran through my coat, and I pushed myself into him for more. The touch felt nice.

“You like that, girl? Yeah, I know you like the head scritches.”

His weird paws scratched behind my ears and I closed my eyes. Humans were definitely good for something if they could do that. He stopped, but I wanted more. I jumped and pushed him over with my paws, landing on top of him so he’d be trapped, forcing him to continue until I decided he was over.

“Whoa there!” he laughed. “Okay, okay, I get it.” I licked his face in thanks, and he laughed again.

Just then another scent hit my nose, and I stilled. It was a wolf. Like me.

Pack?

I tilted my head towards the source, watching a darkened silhouette emerge from the forest.

I got off the human and took a few steps towards him. It was definitely a male. His scent reminded me of something, but I had no memory of it.

He came closer, inspecting us carefully.

Pack? I asked again.

Pack, he confirmed.Come.

I made to follow him when the human behind me snarled. I turned around and watched as his body contorted into a shape like mine. His skin coverings shredded as his body grew, elongating.

With a growl, his shift was complete.

He leapt in front of me, baring his teeth at the other.Not pack, he warned.Liar.

Liar? Why would wolves lie?

This new wolf, he was my human’s pack. Now he was my pack, too, I could feel it. So I knew he was right about the other one.

Leave, my pack mate demanded to the intruder. He snarled, positioning himself in front of me.

The other wolf stared at us for a moment more, then finally turned around and walked the other way.

Pack? I asked the human-now-wolf.

He came over and nuzzled my neck, his scent solidifying our bond.Yes.

I whined in excitement. My pack was here! I snapped at him gently, then turned around and crouched, my tail wagging.Play?

He bounced on his front legs.Play.

Then he chased me into the woods, and we didn’t return until the sun rose.

38

NOLAN

“What the…”

The door to the back patio was wide open, a small snow drift accumulating inside. Several large pawprints dirtied the hardwood floor and further onto the carpet. I followed the path into the kitchen, where I found the fridge also open, half its contents spilled on the floor next to Marlowe and Elias. They were both naked and filthy.

“My lasagna,” I moaned. I had made a ton of it, looking forward to the leftovers for my next few lunches, but the pan was empty and their faces were covered in red tomato sauce.

Elias bolted up, his eyes wide. “Holy shit…”

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