“Holden? Holden! Where are the pups?”
I stretched out under the warm covers. My toes kneaded one furry body while I felt another take a deep yawn around my knees. Lexi just snuggled in closer to my shoulder, her nose warm and moist against my neck.
Huh. That had sounded like Max.
The man burst open the bedroom door, stopping to stare at the scene in my bed.
Neither Max nor Shane had returned last night, and I knew I wouldn’t feel comfortable sleeping outside after watching that wolf jump the fence. Except, when I had moved into the bedroom, the pups had followed me, not allowing me to leave their sight.
Since we were all nervous, I had surrendered, letting them sleep with me in the large bedroom. The plan was for me to use the bed and for them to lay on blankets on the floor. At some point, though, they must have snuggled in on the bed, like they did when we had slept outside.
I yawned. “Sorry, Max. I didn’t feel safe sleeping outside after that wolf had just hopped over the wall. The pups didn’t leave my side at all after the ordeal. So, we all slept in here.”
Max slumped down against the door frame. “Understandable. I just thought someone had taken them.”
I sat up at that. “If you thought that, then I think we must reinforce the fence. Today. Make it taller, harder to get over. I don’t want some mangy dog trying to hurt my babies.”
All three pups looked up at me at that and gave me their weird puppy grins.
I could just imagine Lexi saying something like She’s ours, Uncle Max to him.
It startled me to see Max widened his eyes in astonishment. Lexi just gazed at him. I wondered what he thought her look meant.
The pup snorted and Max just shook his head. Huh. Once more, I sensed I was missing something. Something going on right under my nose, and I could sense it, but not quite figure out what it was.
Before I could ask Max, Lexi got up, stretched, and then jumped down to the floor. She wandered out into the living room, her siblings following her on silent feet.
I watched them momentarily before glancing at the clock on the nightstand next to the bed. “Damn it! It’s nine o’clock already. They need their breakfast.”
Max put up a hand. “Let me feed them, Holden. Shower and get dressed. Take your time. I also need to weigh and measure Betta and Lexi. Did Shane come back last night?”
I figured he knew the man hadn’t. I wouldn’t have been nervous if Shane had stayed with us.
I shook my head and disappeared into the attached bathroom.
Max
She’s ours, Uncle Max. I always could talk to you and Uncle Shane. We just didn’t feel the need to. But you need to protect our new mama.
I was shocked. Lexi had talked to me. And yet, it was not via the bonds of Baron’s Pack. This was a different communication path. I wondered if any of them had talked to Shane yet.
Still somewhat in a daze, I made my way into the kitchen. The pups were exploring the living room, after having drank all of the water in the large bowls in the kitchen. I opened the doors to the deck so they could go outside if needed, before refilling the water bowls.
Heading out to my car, I got a large bowl of rabbit meat and a small box with holes punched into it. Scratching noises could be heard coming from inside the box.
I grinned. This would be a different meal time. The pups needed to learn how to hunt. The extra meat in the bowl was to make sure they got enough nutrition, since they were still catching up on considerable growth right now. But first, they needed to get a taste of live food.
I put the bowl into the frig and then moved outside onto the deck with the box. All three pups were out there, laying in the sun, near their den.
Putting the box down, I sat on the stairs so I could be closer to the pups.
“Today we will hunt. These are just mice. If they get away, you will have lost a tasty treat. If you catch most of them, then we will move up to more yummy things like rabbit, which is what is in your breakfast this morning. Live rabbit is so much better than day old rabbit, though, kids. I just want to let you know. So, come over here so we can play.”
Soren came over immediately. I figured that the male pup would probably be an Alpha or Beta when he was grown, given how quickly he had protected Holden from Tessa. Betta moved a little closer, but Lexi remained where she was, watching her siblings through half-closed eyes.
I grimaced. Well, one pup was better than none. I reached into the box and took out a mouse, dangling it in front of Soren’s mouth. The pup snapped at it, snatching it out of my hand before putting a paw on it and biting it into two.
I jumped. The pup was fast. Definitely leadership quality there. He finished the mouse, spitting out the head before looking expectantly at me for more. I chuckled.
“This one you will have to catch yourself, Soren.” I chastised. Pulling out a mouse, I let it loose on the ground in front of the stairs.
Soren was after it in a flash. The mouse scampered into a bush, but the wolf pup flushed it out and almost got it. It ran to his left but suddenly Betta was there, snapping it up and swallowing it whole. The male pup slid to a stop and growled softly at his sister. I chortled at the smug look Betta wore.
“Good going, Betta! Soren, that is how you work as a Pack. One flushes out the game, the other does the killing. Unfortunately, these are so small that killing means eating.”
“Come on, Lexi. Let’s get you into this fun game.” Holden came out of the house to join us, her feet bare. She cradled a coffee mug in her hands.
Lexi had sat up to watch her siblings hunt, but she hadn’t made her way to the ground yet. Holden gently nudged the pup with her foot. She yipped and then slowly got to her feet and made her way down the stairs.
Holden came and sat on the stairs next to me. “How many do you have? Release two this time?”
I chuckled. “I had ten, but Soren ate the first one when I showed it to him. Snatched it right out of my hand. Betta got the second, which I think made him mad. Let’s do two and see who doesn’t get one this time.”
Holden rolled her eyes. “My bet is on Lexi. She really doesn’t seem to be interested.”
The pup in question was laying at the bottom of the stairs, watching her siblings.
I grinned evilly, pulling out two mice. I sneakily set them down close to the lazy pup before letting them go.
One mouse ran away from all the wolf pups, while the other ran right underneath her. Lexi leaped a foot in the air before coming down. Betta already chased that mouse, while Soren had gone after the other. Lexi growled and then ran after her sister. Before Betta could turn around, the mouse had changed direction, running directly at Lexi who snapped it up, crunching it down immediately. Betta looked at her sister sadly.
Soren triumphantly came out of the grass with a mouse tail hanging out of his mouth.
“Poor Betta!” Holden laughed easily.
“Well, she has had one already.” I consoled. “Should we let the rest go? I am okay if some of them win their freedom.”
Holden grinned back. “Yes, lets. Okay, pups, it’s a contest! Five, no six, mice are left. All being let go. If any get away, either you get them later or they have earned their freedom. Ready?”
The pups lined up haphazardly in front of us. Holden pulled her feet up close to her, as I dumped the rest of the mice out of the box. The pups flew around, hunting the rodents.
Holden screamed and jumped up. One mouse had climbed the steps and had ran over her toes. Lexi was there in a flash, snapping up the mouse before running back to continue to see how many more she could get.
“Look at you, Ms. Wolf Biologist. Afraid of a tiny mouse.” I just had to tease her.
“Yep. Not even going to deny it.” Holden looked around carefully and then decided that she would just retreat for now. “I am going… in there… to get the bowl of meat. Yes, that is it. The bowl.” She made a hasty retreat for the house.
I roared in laughter. It had to have been the mouse on her foot that had spooked the woman. I glanced out over the enclosure and saw a silver wolf skulking in the bushes.
“She’s afraid of a mouse!” I yelled, letting Shane know what he was missing.
The wolf pups came back and laid down, panting hard.
“So, of the six, how many did you get?” I inquired.
Two. Betta answered first.
One. Soren’s answer was sullen.
Two, but Holden caught one for me. Lexi laughed.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the silver wolf do a slow blink. Shane didn’t seem surprised the pups were talking, but he was that they were talking to me. Interesting. That wolf would have some explaining to do.
“Well, Soren, you had two already. You each got three, so one got away.” I counted.
Uncle Shane got one. Soren pouted. I chased it towards him, and it escaped through the fence but he was there and he ate it.
I laughed harder, holding my stomach. Shane grinned at me from the bushes before slipping away, right before Holden came back out, sneakers on her feet and the large bowl in her hand.
I stood up. “Wait up a minute, Holden. I would like to weigh Betta and Lexi before they gorge themselves on rabbit.”
I grabbed Betta and walked over to the outdoor area that I had turned into my medical office. Lexi climbed the stairs and laid down near Holden’s feet.
“Silly wolf pup!” Holden smiled down at the pup. “Saving me from a little mouse.”
Lexi gave her a look like Seriously? You were screaming, woman!
I came back with Betta, dropping her near Lexi before picking her up. “Humph, Lexi. You are much heavier than you were even a few days ago. You must weigh about as much as a bunny rabbit now!”
Lexi grabbed my arm with her teeth and gently bit me, her teeth not breaking the skin. I snickered and moved off to weigh and measure her.
Holden moved over towards the stairs and made her way down them, glancing over her shoulder at the others. She fished out a small piece of rabbit and knelt beside Soren.
“Thank you, Soren, for protecting me yesterday.” She gave him the first piece of rabbit, dropping it near his feet. The pup licked her fingers in appreciation and then ate the piece messily.
“What? Playing favorites?” I approached her with Lexi, with Betta tumbling down the stairs after us.
“Thanking my protector from yesterday.” Holden put down the bowl of meat and the pups attacked it.
She stood, watching them make a mess.
“As you should.” My words were soft but directed solely at her.
