63 Days Later

by Adrienne Wilder

  “Then what’s that look for.”

  “I worry I don’t deserve you.”

  “You do.” August pressed his cock against Keegan’s hole. “You deserve me. I deserve you. We’re stuck with each other, remember?” August put his left hand over Keegan’s. The rings they wore scraped against each other as he wove their fingers together. August nudged his way through the tight ring of muscle and didn’t stop until his hips pressed against Keegan’s ass. Heat clenched and unclenched around August’s cock. He groaned. “I should do this more often. Goddamn, you feel good.”

  August drew back and rocked forward. Keegan tightened his hold on August’s hand. He pulled Keegan’s head back and claimed his mouth. August thrust his tongue between Keegan’s lips with the same determination that he fucked him. Each plunge harder than the next until the waves slapped the sides of the tub and August’s skin burned hotter than the water.

  He drank away Keegan’s gasps and fed him small grunts until there was only the music of their lovemaking trapped in the room. With every stolen glimpse of Keegan’s eyes, the love and adoration burned brighter. It was a feeling August knew well, one that devoured him from the inside, tore apart his soul and drove him to claim the man under him.

  And all of it burned brighter than the euphoric high sweeping away August’s senses, seizing every nerve in his body, drowning him in eternal bliss within a mere few seconds.

  “Want you to come for me, baby.” August sucked on Keegan’s bottom lip. “Want to feel you come for me.” August shifted his weight and Keegan jerked. The flush in his cheeks darkened, and he shuddered. “That’s it…” August panted against Keegan’s mouth. “So tight. Fuck, you are perfect.”

  A low growl built in Keegan’s chest vibrating up through August’s body.

  “That’s it baby, feels good doesn’t it?”

  “Yes.” The word was nothing but an animalistic growl. The chords in Keegan’s neck stood out, and he yelled August’s name. The concussion of his release flung August from the edge. With every pulse of his cock, he thrust until he’d emptied everything and was left collapsed over Keegan’s back.

  *****

  “When do you think their eyes will open?” August laid in the whelping box with Daisy. Eight puppies wobbled and tumbled as they scooted around.

  “Should be any day now.”

  “You said fourteen days, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Do they ever open them earlier?”

  “Sometimes.” Keegan knelt beside the box. He didn’t know which was more beautiful, Daisy and her pups, or the absolute joy in August’s expression when he held them. “You said you named them.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Can you tell them apart?” A few were more red, others gray, but for the most part, they were identical.

  “Of course. What kind of father would I be if I wasn't able to tell my kids apart?” August grinned, and Keegan frowned. August handed a puppy to Keegan. “That one is Lily.”

  “This one is a boy.”

  August tipped his head, and Keegan turned the puppy over. “He’s progressive. He won’t care.” August held up another. “This one is Rose.”

  “You named them all after flowers?”

  “Don’t be silly.” August picked up a slate gray puppy. “This one is River.”

  “I sense an outdoor theme here.” Keegan put down the puppy he held.

  August handed him another. “That one is Ice.” It was almost white, so it made sense. “And you 've already met Tulip.” August pointed to the smallest in the litter. “The last three are Dahmer, Manson, and Freddy Kruger.”

  Keegan narrowed a look at August.

  “What? I thought you’d approve, seeing how you didn’t get to name Daisy, Cujo.”

  “I didn’t want to name Daisy, Cujo.”

  August rolled his eyes. “Only because I named her before you did.” August herded the last three puppies closer to Daisy. “Their names are Sky, Storm, and Chrysanthemum.”

  “Chrysanthemum?”

  “Sure.”

  “That’s a mouthful.”

  “Chrys for short.” August kissed the puppy he held and set it in front of Daisy. She gave it a good tongue wash while the others fought for nipples. Despite being away for several days, Daisy’s milk hadn’t dried up. While August had still insisted on supplementing them, at least he and Keegan were able to sleep through the night.

  The smile on August’s face fell.

  “What’s wrong?” Keegan put the puppy he held with the others.

  “The other day when Kathy gave me a ride home she asked me what I was going to do with the puppies.”

  It was an issue Keegan had already thought about but didn’t want to bring up. Especially while Daisy was sick.

  August sat up, and Keegan put an arm around his chest. “What do you want to do with them?” He rested his chin on August’s shoulder.

  The puppies grunted and growled. Daisy watched them. Every so often she would push them with her nose to line them up.

  August held Keegan’s wrist. “I'm not sure.”

  “What did Kathy say?”

  “She said she knew someone who had a wolf breeding program to introduce them back into the wild. But if the puppies are part dog, I doubt they’d want them. And if they’re part coyote what good would they do if she’s breeding wolves?”

  “She could breed them with pure wolves. A few generations and they’d be wolves. And I doubt the crossing with a coyote would do any harm. It might actually do good. Gives genetic diversity which they need if they’re working with a limited gene pool.”

  August looked at Keegan.

  “What?”

  “Where did you learn all this wolf breeding stuff?”

  Keegan’s first instinct was to pull away. Holding August and talking about his past did not belong together. But August squeezed his hand.

  “Salvatore had an associate who bred dogs. When I was a kid, before…” Before Keegan had to take over his father’s horrific duties. “Anyhow, a lot of the kids there helped in the kennel. I just helped a bit more.”

  “What kind of dogs?”

  “Big ones. Cane Corsos.”

  August furrowed his brow. “Never heard of them.”

  “A lot of people haven’t. They’re from Italy.”

  “Why did he have them?”

  “They make incredible guard dogs. Salvatore would have them trained for protection.” Hopefully, August wouldn’t ask him to elaborate on what kind of protection. Because what Salvatore used those dogs for was as despicable as what he used Keegan for.

  August must have seen something in Keegan’s expression because he stayed quiet.

  They went back to watching the puppies battle over who got to eat from which teat.

  “What do you think I should do?” It was rare for August to sound so lost.

  “Well, they’re barely two weeks, so I’d say think about it, then contact the woman and talk to her.”

  “And if she doesn’t want any of them?” The broken expression on August’s face punched Keegan in the heart.

  “We’ll keep them. We’ll get them all sterilized, but we’ll keep them.”

  August stared at Keegan like he didn’t know who he was. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll probably regret saying that.”

  August smiled and kissed Keegan on the cheek. “But you said it.”

  Damn it, he did.

  *****

  August rested his elbows on the side of the whelping. Daisy came in from the dog door and stood beside him. For the past several days August had watched thin lines form across the puppies’ eyelids, and now they’d parted.

  “Look they have eyes.”

  Daisy cocked her head at August.

  “Well, I knew they had eyes.” One of the puppies looked up at August and barked.

  Daisy stuck her nose in August’s ear.

  “Hey, what did I do?”

  Daisy jumped in the box, and immediately
the puppies went into a frenzy trying to push around on wobbly legs, rolling over, stumbling, landing on their tiny chins in their mad rush to get to their mother.

  Daisy sighed and gave August a forlorn look.

  “Don’t look at me like that, I wasn’t the one who went gallivanting around the neighborhood and got knocked up.”

  She squinted at August.

  “Planned Parenthood is your friend. You should have told me you were seeing someone.”

  Daisy snorted and plopped down. A puppy squealed from somewhere under her side. She shifted, and it emerged immediately joining its siblings.

  There was a knock at the door.

  August knew who it was and he dreaded meeting her. Lisa Gardner, a wildlife rehabilitator and current director of the Eastern Timber Wolf breeding program. August’s reservations weren’t because she was a bad person, but because of how the idea of placing the puppies felt like a betrayal to them and Daisy.

  Keegan emerged from the bedroom, hair still wet from his shower.

  “I’ve got it.” August went to the door. He paused with his hand on the knob. He took a breath, exhaled, then opened the door.

  Lisa’s smile was blinding. “Hi.” She held out her hand. “You must be August.”

  “You found us.” He tried to smile but the butterflies in his stomach inched up his throat, and all he could do was grit his teeth.

  “After the time I've spent in the woods it was easy.”

  August stepped aside. “Come in, have a seat.” He wrung his fingers, stuffed his hands into his jean pockets, then took them out and folded his arm. Manners. Manners. She wasn’t here to confiscate the puppies. “Oh, uh, do you want something to drink?”

  “No, no I’m good.” She tugged off her gloves and laid them with her coat on the arm of the sofa. “Oh, my.” Her freckled face blossomed into wonder. “Is she from Alaska?”

  It took August a moment to realize Lisa meant Daisy. “Yeah, we brought Daisy back with us.”

  “Daisy, huh?” She grinned, and her green eyes sparkled. “Will she let me get close?”

  “Sure. Why wouldn’t she?”

  “Normally wolves are pretty protective.”

  Daisy was protective. She’d proven her love for her pack more than once in Alaska. But August was pretty sure that’s not what Lisa meant. He walked over to Daisy and sat beside the whelping box. Lisa joined him. She held out her hand, and Daisy sat up to sniff her.

  “She really is incredible.”

  “She is.” August ruffled Daisy’s ears.

  “Will she let me pick up the puppies?”

  “Sure.”

  Lisa reached into the box.

  Daisy looked at August. “She’s not going to take them, she just wants to look.”

  Daisy laid her head back down. Lisa had a funny look on her face.

  “What is it?” August hoped there wasn’t something wrong with the puppy she held.

  “It’s almost like she understands what you’re saying.”

  “You have no idea.” Keegan walked over and sat in the nearby recliner. His well-worn jeans molded to every line and curve of his thick thighs while nicely hugging his package. He caught August staring. August smiled and shrugged. Keegan said, “She’s smart. Even for a wolf, she’s smart.”

  “I can see that.” Lisa looked the pup over.

  “Can you tell if they’re wolf and dog or wolf and coyote?” August wasn’t sure which would be better.

  “It’s impossible at this age. And we might never be able to tell depending on the breed she got with if it was a dog. As for a coyote, there are some subtle signs, but nothing is absolute.”

  “Does that mean you won’t be able to tell if you can use them or not?”

  “Well, we can DNA them. That will tell us if there's any domestic dog in these little guys.”

  “So, you can give them a home?” August tried to keep from sounding hopeful, but he was.

  Lisa’s smile was sad. “Unfortunately, if I took any it would probably only be females. We have a male wolf in our breeding program that’s unrelated to all the female wolves we use. But if she bred with a coyote- wolf mix, then there's a good chance the puppies will have enough wolf in them to be an asset. Even with a totally unrelated male, we're severely lacking in enough diversity to ensure that the animals released won't be too related to produce healthy offspring. But if they come back with a lot of domestic dog, or only domestic dog as the sire, then no. I won't be able to take them.”

  August’s heart sank a little. “I guess you don’t know anyone who would be a good home, huh?”

  Lisa put the puppy back in the box and picked up another. “Wolf hybrids, especially dog-wolf hybrids can be unpredictable. They often have a lot of the instinct and very little of the natural fear of humans. Few people, and I mean very few have the skill, understanding, and set up to have one. There are a lot of legal ramifications too. Not to mention laws in some areas that make it illegal to own them.”

  August glanced up at Keegan. His stern expression was unreadable.

  “Is there anywhere for them to go?” August never thought he’d say those words. But eight puppies, eight growing puppies, and soon eight adults, were a lot of animals. Especially, if they were as big and powerful as Daisy.

  Lisa returned her attention to August. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know of anywhere.”

  “What if we ran an ad in the paper?”

  She shook her head. “That would probably be the worst thing you could do.”

  “Why?”

  “Because there are people who would take them because they’re free, but the kind of homes they’d have to offer would more than likely be a poor match. Not because everyone who wants a free pet is bad, but because these are not domesticated dogs.”

  And wolves were not pets. How many times had Keegan said that to August?

  “What if we had a sanctuary built for them?” Keegan said.

  Lisa looked at him. “It would have to be big. Animals like this are going to need a lot of room.”

  “We’ve got a lot of land, and there’s more around us.” The sliver of hope in August’s chest sparked. “Is there anything we’d need to do to have one?”

  “If you own the land and you’re not breeding them, I don’t think there’s much else you’d need except a suitable fence.” Lisa touched noses with the puppy she held. “When they get a little bigger, and you still want to place them I’ll come back and collect DNA samples. It will have to be sent off to a lab for comparison, so it won't be quick. But if they're enough wolf, I can help.”

  Lisa put the puppy back with Daisy. She immediately cleaned it.

  Keegan still wore an unreadable expression but the determination in his eyes all but burned.

  *****

  Keegan drove the four-wheeler with the wagon full of fence posts up the hill where he’d run out. He slowed down when he approached the two men who owned a fence company, Frank Harris, and his son Luke.

  “You sure you don’t want to go with the three-foot fence?” Luke wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve. Despite the six inches of snow on the ground, both men had shed their coats. “If you’ve got trespassers a few strings of barbed wire along the top would discourage them.”

  “I’m sure. Eight foot is what we want.”

  Frank and Luke unloaded the pile of posts. “How many of these did you set up yourself?” Frank eyed Keegan. But then Frank seemed to eye everyone.

  “Didn’t count. But it was a lot. I would have done the rest, but I wanted to get it done as soon as possible.” The puppies were growing way too fast and keeping them in the whelping box was becoming a challenge. Keegan had raised the sides and made a door for Daisy to go in and out of, but they were already trying their best to scale the two-foot addition. At least Daisy was doing a really good job of leading them outside to do their business. So far, the accidents had been at a minimum.

  “We’re gonna carry the auger along the lines we set up and
drill a few holes.” Frank waved a hand in the direction of the pink ribbons Keegan had tied to trees to mark off the fifty acres he wanted to be fenced. “Then we’ll have to call it a day. We’re almost out of Quikrete and will need to get another load before we can set these posts.”

  Luke pulled the last pole off the wagon. “This would be easier if you’d have someone clear a path for the fence.”

  “Son,” Frank said. “You need to quit bitching about what will make things easier for you to do your job and just do your job.”

  Luke picked up one of the posts and carried it to the next hole. Frank watched him. “He’s young.”

  Keegan nodded. “Yeah, but he’s also right.”

  “Maybe. But plowing through here with a front-end loader will only mess up the scenery.”

  “Exactly why I’m not doing it.” Also, the dense trees would hopefully stop any stray bullets from hunters or better yet keep the pups hidden from any prying eyes.

  Frank dusted his gloves against the leg of his coveralls. “Well, I’m gonna get back to work. I have two more boys with me tomorrow with additional four-wheelers so we can get these posts spread out and the fence rolls distributed.”

  “What time do you need me out here?” Keegan backed up the four-wheeler.

  Frank cut Keegan a look. “We don’t need you out here. Stay at home. Enjoy a day off. Eat leftover Christmas dinner. After all, this is what you hired us for.”

  True. And to be honest, Keegan missed August. From here the cabin was hidden behind acres of green and white. The untamed view was almost enough to remind Keegan of Alaska. “I guess if you need anything you know where to find me.”

  Frank waved Keegan off, and he headed back up the trail with the empty wagon. Keegan parked the vehicle under the shed. A muffled yell came from the cabin. Keegan took up a run. The cry grew more panicked, and without thinking, Keegan reached back for his rifle which wasn’t there.

  He had to remind himself this wasn’t Alaska, so the chances of it being anything he couldn’t handle with his hands wasn’t likely. He rushed inside.

  “Stop! Damn it. Will you stop!” August’s angry voice cracked.

  At first, Keegan had no idea what he was looking at. August’s legs, jutting out from the end of the sofa. Puppies attacked his pajama bottoms, tugging them down his hips. Both of his butt cheeks were covered in scratches and teeth marks.