A Sheep In Wolf's Clothing (Welsh Wolves) (4 page)

Lonny grunted as he lifted the back end of the wolf out of the truck. “No. Just tranqed and that bad foot.”

Kieve shook his head as he grabbed the wolf’s head and shoulders and carried the animal inside.

Kieve had always considered himself strong. He was big—a little over six-two and he worked out regularly—but dang, the wolf was heavy.

They managed to carry the animal up the two steps into Kieve’s lab and place the wolf on the operating table.

Kieve noticed Lonny was a little out of breath as well.

“Heavy boy.”

Lonny nodded. He patted the wolf’s shoulder. “I’ve got to get back, Doc.”

Kieve waved but immediately dropped his hand back to the wolf’s fur. He smoothed his hand down the hard flank of the animal. He slid the table down and focused the X-ray machine on the front paw. He knew the leg was broken but needed to see the break. He placed the wolf’s leg beneath the X-ray and slipped behind the wall.

He took the picture and waited. The film appeared on his digital screen and he saw the break.

He sighed, shaking his head. He could set the bone, but the wolf would likely never be able to run free.

Even knowing he couldn’t heal the wolf completely, Kieve had to do what he could. There were a few local animal rescue groups that would take animals that couldn’t be returned to the wild.

Kieve quickly set the bone, cleaned the wound left by the trap’s teeth and wrapped the damaged leg in a cast. Since the wolf was still knocked out, he gave it a quick anti-biotic shot to stave off any infection.

He did a quick inspection of the animal. He was surprisingly healthy. Not too skinny. Certainly not starving. Maybe Lonny’s uncle was right and the wolf had been stealing chickens. Whatever he was doing, he was eating well.

“Come on, boy. Let’s get you put to bed for the night.”

Hating to cage such a beautiful creature but knowing he really had no other choice, Kieve lifted the wolf in his arms and placed him in one of the large, portable kennels. That would make it easy when he had to transport the animal to one of the rescue groups.

He closed the kennel door and clicked the latch shut.

“Good night, boy,” he said, talking to the wolf out of habit. “I’ll be back to check on you in a few hours.” He switched off the light and headed back to bed.

* * * * *

The animal made the transition as Reese woke, releasing the wolf form and letting the human return. The familiar pain ripped through his body and left him panting and curled up on a cold floor.

Reality returned in slow painful stages...the pounding head first, followed by an aching wrist, then a stiff back. He blinked his eyes open and saw nothing. He growled to himself. Even after three years, his first instinct was to look around.

“Where the fuck am I?” He sniffed the air. Bile rose in his throat at the overwhelming stench of astringent.

Memories of the lab rushed in and he couldn’t control the wolf’s panic. Reese flailed his arms and legs, smacking the plastic walls of his cage, kicking at the confined space.

The cage shifted along the floor and Reese froze, grabbing hold of his frenzied wolf. Barely in control of his human side, he calmed the wolf even as he skimmed his fingers along the edges of his cage.

Beneath the smell of cleaning solutions, he scented dogs and a few cats. A human as well, but not nearby. The rough plastic walls led to an opening covered with thin bars. Those would never hold him. He could break them with his fingers. He tried to sit up but banged his head on the roof.

I’m in a kennel. A fucking dog kennel.

He growled and vowed that if this was some kind of joke, he would kill Dex and Maddock. They were the only ones bitchy enough to try something like this.

He put his hand on the ground and cried out as pain shot up his arm. More carefully, he touched the floor of the kennel, his fingers finding a hard plaster tube. He picked it up and sniffed it, running his hand along the rough edges. A cast. He rubbed the fingers of his right hand along his left wrist. He’d broken it. And someone had set it.

Fuck, he was at a vet’s office.

He barely remembered any of his run. His wolf had been in control and the storm had panicked the animal.

Logic told him the smartest thing to do was to shift back into his wolf form and wait until the vet returned. They had to let him out of the kennel at some point.

But Reese couldn’t do it. The hairs rose on his arms at the mere thought of staying trapped in the tiny space for one more minute.

Turning around in the kennel wasn’t easy and he knocked over the water bowl. Wet and more than a little pissy, Reese slipped his fingers through wire and found the latch. It sprung open easily. Now he just had to squeeze out of the opening.

Rough plastic edges scraped his skin, leaving thin gouges along his shoulders. He dragged himself out, his shoulders taking most of the damage. His wrist ached as he collapsed on the floor.

Coming to his feet, he scanned the room. It was empty of living creatures except for two weak signatures in the corner. He processed the glow and realized they were dogs, one of them just a puppy. The animals stood up when he did and began barking, the sounds meant to warn the wolf away. Even in human form, they sensed his other side.

Pulling back his lips, he growled in the general direction of the sounds and was satisfied to hear the barks turn to whines.

He ran his hands along the smooth table. Exam table. His stomach clenched and he was glad he hadn’t eaten anything tonight. The memories of that lab stayed with him as he slowly explored the room. The only thing that kept him calm was the fact that there were no other werewolf scents.

Everything he touched and sensed confirmed his first conclusion that he was at a vet’s office. But where the hell was he? And how was he going to get home?

He needed a phone, a
real
phone.

He reached out and ran his fingers across the wall, hoping the vet had a landline.

A soft sound in another part of the building caught his attention and Reese froze. Heavy footsteps padded across the floor, growing louder as they got closer.

Knowing he couldn’t explain his human presence, Reese called on his wolf, taking a breath and making the change. He crushed the human groan that threatened as the pain flooded his skin. Within seconds he was on the floor, once again in full wolf form.

The moon’s pull had weakened in the last few hours giving Reese more control over the animal. He kept a tight grip on his wolf, restraining the animal. The wolf’s natural instinct would be to defend and attack the human threat.

The door opened and a brilliant aura entered the room. Reese blinked, his human mind enough in control to process the beautiful mix of colors emanating from the man. Bright reds and blues, the colors blurring into a vivid purple. Passion and kindness reverberated from the large body.

Reese licked his lips, wishing he could actually see the man. The brilliant colors revealed the man’s spirit, but Reese wanted to see his body.

“Hey, little wolf...”

The deep voice called out gently. Reese crouched in the corner, watching the vet walk across the room toward the kennel.

“Are you—? Oh, shit.” The man’s colors changed, glowing with the bright yellow of fear. He froze and slowly turned.

Reese again clamped down on the wolf, not wanting to scare the pretty human any more than he had.

“There you are,” the man said, his voice still low and gentle, but fear made the words tremble.

The wolf sniffed the air, capturing the delicious scent of the human.
Mate
.

The word rang through Reese’s head like a stun gun. He froze. His chest tightened. His heart pounded.
What? No, I can’t have a mate.
The momentary hesitation gave the wolf the opening it needed. The animal shook off Reese’s control. He leapt forward, straight toward the man, landing hard against the man’s chest, tail wagging, tongue hanging out.

From the corner of the wolf’s mind, Reese moaned. The damn animal was acting like a puppy getting his first belly rub.

If the guys found out about this, he’d never live it down.

Chapter Two

Kieve braced himself as the wolf leapt forward, his arm going up, shielding his face. There was no way he was getting out of this without some major bite—

The wolf’s front paws hit him on the chest. The force knocked him back a step. He tensed, waiting for the feel of teeth, but instead it was a long lick to his arm, then a nudge from the wolf’s nose, tapping Kieve’s wrist.

Kieve opened his eyes and stared at the giant animal propped up against his body. The tail wagged and the wolf once again pushed against Kieve’s wrist—a classic plea to be petted.

“Well, damn, boy, you’re not a wild wolf at all.”

Still moving slowly, he reached down and sank his fingers into the fur at the base of the head, scratching just behind the ears.

The wolf whimpered and pressed closer, its head on Kieve’s chest, leaning the full weight of its body against Kieve.

“Whoa, boy, you’re going to knock me over.” He sank to the ground and the wolf followed, draping himself across Kieve’s lap and rolling onto his back. Kieve chuckled and rubbed the wolf’s belly. Maybe he’s a wolf-hybrid, he thought. Whatever he was, this was definitely a domesticated animal.

“We’re going to have to try to find your owners, huh?” He rubbed and patted the muscular chest and soft belly.

Kieve sighed and continued to pet the big dog.

“You are a lover, aren’t you?”

He looked over and saw the kennel door open. Kieve shook his head. He must have not latched it securely. Not moving, because he couldn’t really go far with the wolf in his lap, he peered into the kennel. The water dish was knocked over and the shredded cast lay on the bottom.

“Didn’t like that on your leg, huh, baby?”

The wolf tapped his nose against Kieve’s hand.

“Demanding puppy, aren’t you?” But he returned to scratching the animal’s belly.

“Well, let’s get you back in the kennel and I’ll see what I can do about that foot in the morning.”

Kieve stood, forcing the large animal out of his lap.

The wolf plopped to the ground, tilting its head up. The disgruntled look on the animal’s face made Kieve chuckle. “Sorry to disturb you.” He opened the door to kennel, replaced the water dish and then turned to the wolf.

“Come on, boy. Let’s get you back inside.” He patted his side, but the wolf backed away, limping every time its left front paw hit the ground. “I know it’s not terribly comfortable, but it’s the safest place for you.” The wolf’s head swayed side to side as if telling Kieve “no.”

Kieve gave himself a shake. He spent a lot of time around animals and spent a lot of time talking to them, but he knew they couldn’t understand him. He knew it.

This one just seemed more intelligent than most.

With a sigh, he went over to the wolf. The animal didn’t retreat. Instead, it leaned against Kieve’s legs.

“Come on. You need to get in the kennel.”

This time, the wolf bared its teeth and backed away. It was the first sign of aggression Kieve had seen.

The wolf’s eyes caught the light and looked red for a moment, but the illumination made Kieve straighten. There was something wrong with the dog’s eyes.

Crouching down again, trusting the affectionate animal wouldn’t hurt him, he patted his lap. “Come here, boy.”

The wolf limped forward as if he suspected a trap and Kieve felt the strangest urge to reassure him.

“I’m not going to put you back in the kennel.” No reaction. “I promise. I just want to look at your eyes.”

It was the weirdest thing...like the wolf could understand him. Tension eased from the animal’s muscles and he came closer, plopping down in front of Kieve and placing his head on Kieve’s lap.

As if satisfied he’d gotten his way, the wolf sighed and tipped his head up, letting Kieve have access to his eyes.

“Thanks.” He pushed back the lids of the wolf’s eyes and stared in the depths. He needed to do a better exam, but he was pretty sure the wolf was blind.

“Oh, you poor baby. Blind and now lost.” He rubbed his hands over the dog’s head. “I’ll find your home tomorrow. It can’t be far.”

Patting the dog one more time, Kieve stood. It was getting late. Or early actually. Almost four o’clock. He needed to get back to sleep or he would be worthless tomorrow. He needed eight hours to function well. He had a pretty light day so he could spend the afternoon searching for the wolf’s owner.

But what to do with him now?

Kieve sighed. “Where are you going to sleep tonight, boy?”

The wolf sat and looked up at him, that tail wagging in a slow “take me with you” beat.

“No. You have to stay here. You can’t come to bed with me.”

The wolf whined and slid his nose under Kieve’s hand.

“Okay, I’m pretty sure I’m going nuts because there is no way you can understand me.”

The wolf butted Kieve’s thigh with his head, practically nudging Kieve toward the door that led back into the living quarters.

“Really, the safest place for you would be the kennel,” Kieve said, not changing his tone. The wolf dropped away, his ears flattening against his head. Damn, the animal obviously knew the word “kennel” and didn’t like it. “But, I promised, so I won’t.”

You are losing it, he thought.
Worried about keeping a promise to a wolf.
Still he couldn’t bear to see the look of panic and fear in the animal’s blind eyes.

He looked around. He would just leave the wolf loose. The only other animals he had in house tonight were the two dogs and they were safely locked in cages.

“Okay, boy, you can stay here—” He opened the door just a crack. The wolf slipped through, zipping past him. “Shit. Wait.”

He flipped on the light and chased after the animal. “Great. I have a wolf loose in my house.” He scanned the living room, but there was no sign of him. Kieve’s kitchen was so small he could tell with one look that the wolf wasn’t there.