After Gabby finished, Rachel shooed her out of the kitchen with orders to rest while we cleaned up. Rachel turned on me with a grin and started talking about a cute pair of shoes she’d found. As I washed off the stove, I wondered how Peter put up with such a talker.

By the time we had everything clean, Gabby was lying asleep across the bed on top the covers.

“Good night, Clay,” Rachel called from her room just before she closed her door. It was way too early to go to bed. At least I didn’t have to hide the fact I was spending the night.

Gently picking Gabby up, I pulled back the covers. Then I removed her socks. She’d be more comfortable without her pants, but I wouldn’t be. I pulled the covers up, tucked her in, and kissed her forehead. Her nose wrinkled in her sleep when my whiskers brushed her skin. I chuckled and reclined next to her. Not yet ready to sleep, I read for a while. She didn’t move much, but I glanced at her often. I had to. With two words, she’d made it impossible to look away. He’s mine.

I read for a while, slept a bit, then woke and read some more. The sun rose and still she slept. That was what she should have done yesterday.

Finally, she yawned, stretched, and opened her eyes.

“Good morning,” she said, pulling the covers up to her chin.

I closed my book and studied her. She had more color back.

“I want to talk to you but keep falling asleep. If I do it again, wake me up.”

Not a chance. I slid an arm around her and pulled her against my side. She smiled and relaxed.

“During the Introduction, when I said my head hurt, I saw a man step away from the line. I know how your kind views Introductions. It didn’t seem right, so I peeked at his spark. It hurt like hell, but I saw he had the same color light as Elder Joshua and the wolf that’d attacked us. I thought maybe it could be the same guy‒that he needed to leave because you’d recognize his scent. Then, I saw three more, further away. Something’s going on, but I can’t figure out what.

“I know you didn’t stay with the pack full-time, but did you ever notice any of them acting differently?”

I shook my head, and she sighed. Smoothing her hair back, I wished I had the answers she wanted.

Her phone vibrated, but she didn’t reach for it. Usually, only one person called her. Sam.

“If only I could trust Sam. If I could ask him questions about Elder Joshua without him repeating them, I might be able to figure this thing out.”

After the way Sam had handled the Introduction, I wasn’t willing to trust him, either. He’d jeopardized Gabby’s wellbeing with his need to adhere to our customs. I wondered how long it would take for the challenges to resume.

Would he keep them away long enough for her to fully recover?

After almost a full week of silence, Gabby finally answered one of Sam’s calls.

We were in her room sitting on the bed reading, as usual, when her phone rang. She stared at it for a moment, sighed, and picked it up. I stayed where I was and listened to the stilted conversation. I wanted to know if he’d push the Introductions again.

After he asked if she was feeling better, he asked if she’d come back to the Compound over the long Thanksgiving weekend. She avoided a direct answer, and he tried apologizing for his actions. She made non-committal noises, obviously still mad and not yet ready to forgive. Then, he asked what had happened to her during the last visit.

Our gazes met briefly, and she answered vaguely that she had been sick. A long moment of silence passed. When he spoke, he didn’t comment on her answer but asked again that she consider coming “home” over holiday break. She said she’d think about it then hung up.

I thought that call was a signal that life as we’d known it would resume. However, for the next few weeks, no challengers approached me, and Sam continued to call Gabby daily. Most of their brief conversations touched on weather, school, or investments. Anything pack related stayed off limits. He was genuinely concerned about her, but Gabby had lost whatever trust she’d once had in him.

She talked to me often, trying to reason out her ability. She felt certain that the answer lay in the transfer. So I kept a close eye on her to ensure she didn’t pull that stunt again. I didn’t leave for work until she left for school, and I made sure I returned home before she did. I was tempted to follow her, too, but resisted. It seemed less likely she’d use her abilities on someone at school. She wanted to study the effect. That made Rachel the most likely candidate. So, when Rachel was around, I stayed in my fur. Mostly because I could get away with more as a dog. But partly because I thought she’d eventually notice the missing “dog” when I was around. Plus, that woman talked too much when I was a man.

On one of the rare nights Rachel stayed in, she started talking to Gabby about me. I lay curled on the floor next to Gabby, listening and amused.

“You are so weird about him. What is it about the guy that keeps you coming back?” Rachel sat on the couch, folding her clothes.

Gabby smiled slightly and turned the page of the book in her lap before answering.

“You don’t know him like I do.”

“How can you know him at all when you two don’t talk?”

“You don’t need to talk to get to know someone. You just need to listen,” Gabby said.

I watched as her eyes stopped moving over the words in her book. Her gaze met mine, and a smile twitched her lips. I wondered what thought put it there.

“But that’s what I’m saying. He doesn’t talk. What are you listening to?”

Gabby laughed. “Actions speak louder than words. He’s there when I need him, he’s kind and caring, he keeps me safe; and as you’ve seen, he cooks and cleans. What’s not to like, Rachel?”

Yeah, Rachel, what’s not to like? I wanted to hug Gabby. Rachel’s grumbling told me she disagreed with my suitability for Gabby. So I stood, walked over to her, and lay down on one of the blouses she was trying to fold. Take that.

She laughed and tried to move me, but I just laid my head on my paws. I caught Gabby’s wide grin and winked at her.

Shaking her head, she went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. I was glad she was looking for more food. She didn’t eat enough. I’d been stopping at the store after work trying to tempt her with different things. Mostly, what I bought went unnoticed. Tonight, though, I was pretty proud of what I’d found, a big double-chocolate cake. Sure enough, Gabby honed in on it.

“Can I have a piece of your cake?” she asked.

“I thought it was yours. It was here when I got home,” Rachel called back.

I moved off Rachel’s clothes to watch Gabby. As she continued to stare at the cake, her expression softened.

I smiled. I just needed to be patient a little longer...

My patience paid off when the snow started to fall the week before Thanksgiving. The wind howled, and despite having the heat on, it was still chilly inside.

I lay at the end of the bed in my usual spot. Gabby had just crawled under the covers. Even with her feet under me, she shivered. I didn’t see how. She wore two or three layers.

“Screw this,” she said, sitting up. Then, she pulled off her sweatshirt and tossed it toward the closet.

I lifted my head, watching her and wondering what she was up to. She lay back down but started wriggling under the covers. A minute later, her sleep pants sailed across the room.

“Clay, will you keep me warm tonight?”

What? Hell, yes!

I shifted as I jumped off the bed and grabbed a pair of shorts to yank on. A second later, I pulled back the covers and slid in next to her where I belonged. Hopefully she couldn’t see my toothy grin in the dark. I just couldn’t help it. She wasn’t sick and she wanted me in bed with her. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. She snuggled in. I grunted when the ice cube she called a nose pressed against my bare chest, but I didn’t let go.