by Tamar Sloan
Dawn glances over her shoulder to where KJ is tapping away at a computer. “We had a computer whizz, so I thought why not?” She smiles at me, Fae eyes soft. “He took our system to a whole new level.”
You can’t help but smile back when Dawn gives you that look. “Sounds like there’s a lot of talent here.”
Dawn points back to the screen we were just looking at as three wolves lope past. “They’re our first litter. They’ll be ready for release soon.”
I sense her pride and the glow grows to encompass me. I’ve been part of releases back at Jacksonville, they’re moments you don’t forget. “It’s a great feeling.”
She nods, arm coming around my shoulder. “It’s not a very big program, but the results show that it’s worth it,” she squeezes me like she did when I was younger. “Because it’s working.”
KJ’s voice comes from behind us. “They’re here.” He’s tilted his head to the side as he hears something we don’t.
Dawn glances at her watch. “Excellent. They’re on time.”
Must be Riley and Joshua back from doing the rounds. I would have loved to go with them, but Josh had glared at me as I’d opened my mouth. And then I’d remembered that I could run into him…
So Dawn gave me the grand tour of the Resolve building instead. It’d taken all of fifteen-minutes to do the lap, but spending time with her and KJ in the lab had been fascinating. I think one of the microscopes is KJ’s girlfriends. He’d practically stroked it as he talked me through what they’ve learned about wolf genetics here. Words like genotype and chromosomes and something about crisper technology had been enthusiastically thrown around.
He’d also used words like genetic bottleneck to describe what human culling had done to the wolf population. The drastic reduction in population size means there are two ways things can pan out—the downward trajectory will continue and mean extinction, or we’ll turn it around and recover.
Dawn was quick to point out that we’re making the second option happen.
She’d taken me back to the office then, talking me through the enclosures and how they monitor them. KJ had followed, saying something about wanting to analyze some results.
Just like KJ predicted, the door opens and Josh and Riley come through. They’re doing what I’d hoped they’d be doing—smiling.
Like he’s been here for years, Josh grabs one of the desk chairs, spins it around and plonks himself down, arms crossed over the back. Riley comes to stand beside me, her relaxed smile never leaving. I smile back, enjoying the more casual air our relationship has developed.
KJ has barely acknowledged their entry. He’s leaning forward, eyes close to the screen as he studies it intently.
It’s then that my cell vibrates in my pocket. Pulling it out I see that it’s Mom, and I almost don’t answer, until I realize this is unusual. We’ve spoken every day since I arrived, but it’s always been in the evening. Why would she be calling me now? Stepping outside, I take the call.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hi honey. Do you have a moment?”
That has me frowning. No ‘how are you?’, no more questions about why I changed my mind in relation to staying for me to sidestep? “Sure.”
“I went to check up on Achak today.”
There’s a pause I don’t like. “Is there something wrong? Is he sick again?” Please don’t let him be sick again.
“He’s been a picture of health. His daily blood tests have come back clean.”
Relief has my shoulders dropping down. “Good.” Except then I straighten again. “But something’s happened.”
Images of poachers lining up Achak in their sights or poisoned slabs of meat being thrown over the fence zing through my mind.
“I’m really sorry, Ava, but Achak has escaped.”
I flop back against the cold concrete wall. “He’s what? How can that even happen?”
I can hear Mom’s sigh. “He was there yesterday. When we went there today, he was gone. We think he found a rock near the fence and used it to jump the fence.”
Achak has escaped? The wolf I helped raise is gone?
“Ava? Are you still there?”
“Yeah, I’m here. Just trying to process it.”
“I know. We’re all shocked too. We’re going to have to review all our fences.”
“Do we have any idea where he’s gone?” I know it’s a stupid question with no answer, but I ask it anyway. It’s like my brain needs verbal confirmation.
“He could be anywhere. Probably headed for the wilds of the reserve.”
“Probably.” Achak was never going to be a passive participant of the breeding program. “Thanks for letting me know, Mom.”
“Honey.” Mom’s voice is soft with compassion. “I know how much he meant to you.”
I swallow as this finally starts to sink in. “Do you think…do you think this has anything to do with the Furious virus?”
There’s a pause. “His blood tests came back clear, so it’s highly unlikely.”
I let my head fall back as my eyes drift shut. Mom isn’t saying that we still don’t really know what we’re dealing with, so there’s a possibility…
Dawn calls out my name and it has me shooting upright. “I’ve gotta go, Mom. Keep me posted if there’s any sign of him.”
“Of course I will. Love you, honey.”
“Love you too, Mom.”
I hang up and stare at the wall. Achak is missing. Escaped.
Something in the air shifts and a thread I wish didn’t exist flares. It’s enough to have me darting back in the office. We have a meeting to hold and I need to start ignoring that sensation. Technically, I can tap into any thread I want, so it doesn’t mean anything. It will die off the less and less I see him.
Dawn takes her place at her mammoth desk. “Well, we might as well get started.”
I take in the people in the room, wondering if we should wait a few more minutes, despite Dawn’s love of punctuality. “Is everyone here?”
Riley looks around. “We’re all here. Well, except Hunter, but he’s always late.”
I ignore the shiver in my chest that his name triggers. I’m here for the wolves. “So there’s no one else?”
How is Dawn the only person in the room older than twenty?
Riley picks up a pen and starts to twirl it. “Dad wasn’t real keen on the whole captive breeding thing. Lots of the older members of the pack still think like that.”
Josh rubs his jaw, face pensive. “But Hunter went ahead with it anyway.”
Riley tilts her chin, looking at Josh squarely. “Yep.”
Josh nods slowly, never shirking her gaze. “That takes some serious cajones.”
Humans opposed Resolve as well as Weres? And Hunter took all this on at sixteen?
“Dad would have come around eventually.”
Everyone’s gaze shoots up at the sound of Hunter’s voice. Everyone’s except mine. I’d sensed him a little while ago, but I couldn’t judge how far away he was. Despite the minutes of awareness, I still don’t feel ready to face him.
KJ walks over and slaps him on the shoulder in greeting. “For sure. He loved those wolves as much as you do.”
Except Riley looks away, something in her face saying she doesn’t agree.
Hunter enters the room and the space shrinks. I’m looking forward to this awareness dialing down and going extinct. Especially when he hasn’t acknowledged I’m in the room. He heads to KJ’s desk, the one on the opposite side of the room to me, and perches on the edge. With his arms crossed he looks almost relaxed.
Except then his eyes meet mine. They flash copper fire before he quickly banks it, something that just confuses me more. If we’ve never met before, why is he angry with me? If he’s not my white wolf, then why does the thread between us feel like it could charge this room?
He blinks and looks away and now I’m angry with myself. Why was I the one to be looking first and now the last to look away? Surely I have more
pride than that.
“Right.” Dawn pushes herself forward so she can rest her crossed arms on the desk. “The good news is, we’ve vaccinated all the captive wolves.”
Hunter nods. “Quick work.”
KJ throws him a look I can’t decipher. “We had double Fae power.”
“You’re right, KJ,” Dawn adds, “I don’t think I could’ve done it so quickly on my own. We would’ve had to sedate and monitor them all, one at a time.”
As much as I hate myself, I watch to see what Hunter’s response will be. All he does is grunt as he keeps a steady gaze on Dawn.
Josh’s chair creaks as he rolls forward an inch. “Any signs of Furious?”
My attention zooms back to Dawn. Just like Achak, this program has just lost an alpha male. I yank in a breath. Is that the alpha I saw in my dreams? Would I have felt the same sense of recognition if I’d met him as I did with Sakari? But then the possibility whooshes straight back out. That was when I was with my white wolf. The one I’m not sure existed at all…For all I know, Sakari acted like she did because two Fae were in the same area as her.
“Not at this stage. We’re waiting on the blood work for the last couple.”
There’s a collective sigh of relief around the room.
Josh rubs his chin again, a sure-fire sign he’s deep in thought. “I wonder if it’s too fast acting to spread very effectively.”
Riley tilts her head. “As in it flared up but didn’t have a chance to spread because the animals were killed?”
He nods. “Pretty much.”
She glances at Hunter and KJ. “I hope so,” she half-whispers.
KJ spins to face his computer. “That’s my theory, but I’ll get back to you on that one.”
I swallow, I’ve been wondering about this next question all morning. “So, what’s next?”
That seems to get Hunter’s attention. With the briefest of glances at me he looks back at Dawn. “The wild wolf population is next. It’d be easier if two people go out.”
KJ shrugs. “You’re the best person, Hunter. You know these wolves and the terrain.”
Hunter nods and I suspect that was obvious. He looks to Dawn again. “Your skills would be useful.”
But Dawn’s hand comes up like a stop sign. “Yes, some Fae powers would be helpful to keep them calm, but these bones creak out on that cold tundra.”
Riley comes to stand beside her brother. “It’s summer, Dawn.”
Dawn is already shaking her head. “Your definition of summer fits my definition of hot-chocolate weather. I’m too old to be zipping around on a quad in those biting winds.”
One by one, four sets of eyes turn to me. Everyones but Hunter’s. Oh crap, I’m the only other one in the room with Fae blood. “Ah, I can’t, unfortunately. I…ah…”
“No need.” Hunter’s voice is firm with command. “You’ll probably feel the cold too.”
“Exactly.” There’s no way I’m heading out to the isolated wilds with the one person who pointed out everything I’m not. There’s got to be other ways I can help these wolves.
“You’re probably better off here, working with KJ.”
KJ’s eyebrows hike up. “It’s going to be slower going if it’s just you.”
“It’ll be fine.” Hunter’s arms are crossed as he pins KJ with his gaze. “You know I’ll get it done.”
After a moment where my heart seems to have jumped into my throat, KJ shrugs. “Fine. She can help me with trying to figure out what we’re up against. We have time.”
I sag as the tension drains. That I can do.
In the silence that follows I use the time to study my shoes. Mom had insisted I buy snow boots but I’m glad I won’t have to use them. I’m actually relieved when the printer comes to life, the whirring sound pouring out a sheet of paper.
“Ah, I was waiting for that.” KJ wheels his chair over and I figure that’s the cue for the meeting to finish. I’m about to stand when KJ pushes back from the printer like it just exploded.
“Whoa.” He’s holding the piece of paper like it’s the holy grail. “I had a suspicion, but now…”
Hunter has stood up as we all look at each other, wondering what’s going on. “Finishing the sentence would be good, KJ.”
KJ looks up at Dawn, then over at Hunter. “Buckle up, guys. This is gonna blow your mitts off.”
Hunter sits back down, and I wish I didn’t notice the tightening between his shoulder blades. “Explain it like we haven’t gone to med school.”
Josh leans back and crosses his arms in his classic smug pose. “Give me a couple of years.”
I’d roll my eyes if I didn’t get the sense that KJ has something important in his hands.
KJ is rapidly scanning the sheet from left to right, top to bottom, before starting the process all over again. Dawn leans forward, her voice gentle in the silence. “KJ?”
He looks up like he’d forgotten we were there. He glances at the paper, then up again. “So you guys know that when first infected, rabies travels through the nerve endings?”
I glance around, relieved to see I’m not the only one who didn’t. We turn back, waiting for KJ to continue.
“Well, normally that’s what it does. It’s why rabies can take up to a month to show symptoms after infection. It takes time to mosey on up to the brain.”
Hunter straightens a little. “Normally?”
So he noticed KJ’s use of the word too.
KJ glances at the paper. “Yeah, normally. The virus can’t do anything until it gets to the brain. That’s when it causes its havoc, then makes its way to the saliva to spread.”
Dawn’s eyes are narrowed as she watches KJ. “But this is different?”
“From the samples I took,” KJ glances briefly at Hunter, “Furious was in the bloodstream.” He looks at all of us. “And it had been for some time.”
Josh’s spine goes straight as a rod. “It traveled through the bloodstream?”
KJ nods. “Yeah. That’s why this strain has worked so much quicker. It’s found a shortcut.”
In the silence that follows, I can hear my heart pumping a little too fast. This sounds serious.
Josh stands, like the rod just speared into the floor. “That must be why the immuno globulin worked! The added immunity dose went straight to where the virus is.”
I gasp. “Then that’s good news.”
Riley looks around. “It means that if we get that vaccine around ASAP, we can nip this in the bud.”
KJ glances at the sheet, his face pensive. “That makes sense. The globulin provides immediate antibodies where the body needs it most—the bloodstream.” He looks up at Hunter. “Getting this stuff out fast is going to be key.”
Riley stands. “I’ll go with you then.”
Hunter frowns. “No. You know Mom couldn’t cope with that.”
Like he’s just yanked out the plug, Riley flops back into her seat, muttering. “But she’s willing to put me through The Bachelor.”
Josh shrugs. “I’ve worked at our breeding program. I’ll head out.”
Hunter’s glance my way is swift but there nonetheless. “Thanks. We’ll get it done in no time.”
Except Josh doesn’t know these wolves. And they don’t know him. Nor does he have the Fae ability to calm animals. These wild wolves are going to need two shots each, and the quicker and more humanely it can be done, the higher the chance of success and the less stress for everyone.
I glance at Hunter, who’s already turned away. Why is he so familiar, yet nothing like what I’d imagined? Why is our connection so strong, yet one he doesn’t seem to feel?
Surely I can’t be considering the idea that’s germinating like a weed. Still too confused and scared by what all this means, I’d just be making myself vulnerable.
My eyes shut for the briefest of moments. You’ve got to be kidding me.
“I’ll do it. I’ll go with you.”
Ava
Meeting Hunter back at the
Resolve Center early the next morning has my stomach feeling like there’s a snowstorm going on inside it. The few words we’ve had have been terse. Never have I been so disappointed as I was in the moments after we met. Never hurt so deeply.
And yet, like I’m some sort of masochist, I’ve elected to spend time with him.
I know I’ve done it for the wolves. I’d told Mom last night what we’d learned about Furious—that it’s a threat now here on Evelyn Island, but also the need for rapid release of the vaccine.
But is it possible I’m here for another reason? My white wolf had me believing that maybe I had the potential to be something more. His loss meant the foundations for that belief were annihilated. So am I trying to prove I’m not some half-breed prophecy let-down?
Or am I stupid enough to hope for something else…?
The blasting sound of an engine yanks me from my thoughts as a quad bike zooms around the corner of the building. I halt my pacing when I see who the rider is.
Hunter is in jeans and a t-shirt—no helmet, no jacket. Right now, my scarf feels like overkill.
He pulls up in front and kills the engine.
“Can you ride a quad?”
“Ah, no.”
There’s a half-sigh, half-huff. “Didn’t think so.” He keeps staring ahead, like even looking at me is distasteful. “You got the meds?”
I tap the bag hanging from my shoulder. “Vaccines and globulin, check.”
When he finally does look at me, those copper eyes take in my scarf. “Man, I hope you’re up for this.”
Open hostility is not something I’ve ever had to deal with, probably because of who I am. It’s a privilege I hadn’t even realized I had. I’m not surprised it’s unpleasant, but I am surprised at how much it stings coming from Hunter. I realize I have to decide how I’m going to respond to it.
I angle my head, grabbing his gaze with mine. “Why are you so rude to me?”
Hunter jerks back ever so slightly and I relish the sense of victory. Most people see my long blonde hair and sweet face and make assumptions. This is the first time in my life I’ve sought to really challenge it.
Hunter rises in his seat, legs pushing him upward. He leans forward and the breath I pull in is reflexive. Hunter this close is a challenge to my senses. All dark hair and angled lines and the smell of open plains, I know I should move back…but I can’t.
