Chapter 2

He leaps straight into me.

The air escapes my lungs as I crash onto the metal platform, the wolf’s massive body pinning me down.

I groan, trying to duck away, but there’s barely any space in the boot. It’s a reinforced metal box—just big enough to hold a brown bear. And this wolf? He’s close in size. There’s no room to move. No room to breathe.

He flops down on top of me, his weight crushing. Then, to my utter disbelief, he snuggles in—adjusting himself like I’m a pillow.

The pain long forgotten, he sniffs me, nose twitching, head shifting slightly.

I squirm, turning to face him. He pants, tail wagging with a rhythmic thump against the metal walls.

I blink at him, confused. "What are you—"

Before I can finish, he starts licking my face. I squeal, giggling uncontrollably as slobber covers my cheeks.

"So that’s what you were trying to do," I laugh through the ticklish chaos.

He doesn’t stop. He licks my ear, my jaw, my nose—like he’s making up for lost time. For a moment, I thought he was going to attack me. But all he wanted was attention.

Strange for a wild wolf, though.

The Jeep slows to a halt. I try to shove him off, but he’s too big. And too strong.

For several minutes, I’m trapped in a whirlwind of licks and sniffs. I manage to calm him down a little, and he settles—breathing deeply, face buried in the crook of my neck.

Finally, the door creaks open.

He limps to a standing position, facing the light.

"You okay?" Demetri asks, eyes wide with concern. I sit up beside the wolf, brushing hair from my face. He growls at the man, now dressed in a blue scrub. 

Without thinking, I reach out and pet him.

Demetri’s face twists in horror.

"We need to get him inside," Zack says, appearing beside Demetri. "He’s already getting his energy back. We need to move before we lose control."

I want to tell him we lost control a while ago—but now’s not the time.

Instead, I nod and begin to shuffle out of the car. But as soon as I reach the edge of the cage, the wolf growls—louder this time.

I freeze.

Turning slowly, I find myself face-to-snout with him. He huffs, hot breath brushing my skin, and I flinch.

"Eliah, hurry," Zack urges from behind me.

I shake my head. Something’s wrong. He’s provoked, tense. If I move too fast, I won’t walk away without a scratch.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Zack reaching for my arm.

Big mistake.

The wolf lunges, knocking me flat. It felt like I bumped my head on the metal floor, but I ignore the pain. He’s on top of me, growling at the two men outside. 

Zack backs off. Demetri vanishes behind the car door.

Every time I shift, the wolf presses his paw against me—like he’s keeping me down. Guarding me.

"Here!" Demetri reappears and tosses an injection. It rolls to my side, and I grab it carefully.

My heart rate picks up. I know he can feel it. Sense it.

Before he figures out why I’m suddenly flooded with emotion, I pop the lid and slide the needle into his skin.

He cries out, and guilt punches me in the chest.

A few seconds later, he wobbles—then collapses on top of me. I cough up air, pinned again, and wriggle free with Zack and Demetri’s help.

"What is this?" I snap, shoving the empty syringe into Demetri’s face. "I thought you wanted to calm him, not knock him out."

He shrugs, and I respond with a scowl.

"You gonna help carry or not?" is his only response to my threat.

Before I can respond, he’s already waving over the assistants. They climb into the boot and begin lifting the unconscious wolf.

I let out a heavy sigh and follow the vets as they place him on the stretcher and wheel him into the building.

"ELIAH!"

A voice interrupts my dream, and I fly off the couch in a flurry of limbs and confusion.

"Stop screaming," I groan, rubbing the fresh bruise blooming on my hip. Two times in one day, damn.

"Your friend’s awake," Demetri says, his tone bored but teasing.

"Mr. Wolf?" he adds when I don’t respond. "It’s already twelve o’clock. Stop sleeping."

"Yeah, well, I was catching up after this morning’s chaos. The extra hours I worked cancel out the hours I’m spending unconscious," I mumble, trying to stand. I trip, then just sprawl out on the floor, too tired to bother.

"The floor hasn’t been washed today, you know," Demetri says, clearly amused.

I bolt upright, dusting myself off like I’ve just rolled through a landfill before glaring at a smirking Demetri.

Without another word, I spin on my heel and head out the door, leaving the waiting room—and my annoying friend—behind.

The white walls blur past as I jog down the hallway. When I reach the door to the animal wing, I push through and nearly trip over a plushie that’s been ripped inside out.

I scoop up the purple bear and hand it back to its owner—a tiny Pomeranian with a surprisingly fierce growl. Then I hear it.

Whimpering.

I look up and spot him.

The wolf.

He’s in the bear cage just outside the room, torso wrapped in bandages, dried blood still visible through the gauze. The cage was built for rescued bears—big, reinforced, and isolated from the smaller pets. Now, it holds something just as wild.

I skip over toys and beds, making my way to the cage. The wolf stands as I approach, and I’m stunned he can even move after that surgery.

He nudges his snout between the bars and lets out a soft whine. I laugh and gently poke his nose.

He flinches, then presses his face into the bars again.

"Boop," I fall over laughing as he reacts exactly the same way.

"Boop," I add, this time nudging him with my nose.

He doesn’t flinch. Instead, he whines—asking for more.

"Boop."

"Boop."

"Boop."

I alternate between my nose and finger, laughing like a child. When I poke his paw, he lifts it like a trained dog offering a handshake—then flops over, paws in the air, rolling around like he’s showing off.

I can’t stop laughing.

Then he reaches through the bars, trying to touch my hands.

"You’re pretty tame and comfortable for a wild wolf," I murmur, watching him yap softly at the bars, tail thumping like a drum.

For the next few hours, I stay with him.

Playing.

Wondering how a creature this wild could feel so familiar.