Page 30 of Wild Heart

She passed him the coffee and leaned beside him on the fence. For a moment, they said nothing. Just listened to the crunch of animals moving through the woods, the distant call of a hawk, the heartbeat of the sanctuary.

"You’ve changed since I got here," she said suddenly.

He looked over at her, brows raised.

"You’re quieter, still," she continued, "but you meet people’s eyes more. You trust yourself again."

Mason looked down at the coffee in his hands. "I guess I forgot who I was for a while. I was going through the motions, just doing what needed to be done. But now... I want to be part of more than just survival."

"You already are," she said gently. "You’ve kept this placerunning. You’ve supported Olivia, trained Davey, helped me find my footing."

He met her eyes then.

"You gave me back a piece of myself I thought was long gone," he said quietly. "You reminded me why I came here in the first place."

Natalie reached out, her gloved hand brushing his. They stayed like that for a moment longer than necessary. The quiet was broken by the sound of footsteps. Davey appeared at the path, breathless, carrying a folder and a look of worry.

"Hey. Sorry. Mom sent me. There’s something you should see."

They followed him to the lodge, where Olivia sat in the kitchen with her laptop open and a frown carved deep into her brow. Her brace rested on a stool beside her, a constant reminder of how far she had come, and how far there was still to go.

"It’s from the council," she said, motioning them forward. "Carson Bell’s pushing for another round of review before the final vote. He’s drumming up concerns about local livestock safety again."

"We already addressed that," Natalie said, scanning the document. "The data doesn’t support his claims."

"Doesn’t matter," Olivia said, her voice tight. "He’s gone public with it. He did a local radio interview this morning, and he’s quoted in the paper. He’s framing us as reckless. Emotional."

Mason bristled. "And he’s positioning himself as the calm voice of reason."

"Exactly."

Natalie crossed her arms. "Then we don’t wait for the council to act. We make our move first. Community day is this weekend. Let’s show them firsthand who we are."

Davey spoke up next, something hard and young and proudsettling in his face. “I’m going to help make this fundraiser count. I’ll handle the school booths. I’ll talk to the youth volunteers. I’ll make them see."

Olivia smiled, tears threatening again. "That’s my boy."

Before the moment could settle, the lodge phone rang.

Olivia answered. Her expression changed as she listened. "What? When? How bad?"

She hung up and looked up sharply. "There’s been vandalism. The education sign near the east trailhead was torn down. The enclosure gate near the fox pens was found wide open."

Natalie swore under her breath. "Any animals hurt?"

"No. James did a sweep. Everyone’s accounted for. But someone clearly wanted to send a message."

Mason’s eyes darkened. "We need to secure the perimeter. Set up cameras if need be. Double shifts.”

Olivia stood. "We don’t scare. Not now. We make the fundraiser bigger. Louder. We call in the press."

Natalie added. "We show them they picked the wrong people to intimidate."

Everyone nodded their agreement. The fight was just beginning.

12

The flames of the bonfire licked high into the sky behind the sanctuary lodge. The night was crisp, the stars sharp above. Sparks drifted upward like tiny fireflies, catching on the wind before dissolving into the night. It was the end of a long day of repairs, planning, and cautious optimism. The fundraiser was just days away, and the sanctuary was buzzing with preparation and a newfound resolve, its heartbeat steady and strong.

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