Every time it happened, my heartbeat tripped over itself like a puppy learning its own paws.
We weren’t competing today. Our event, Pampi’s division, was scheduled for tomorrow. So this was our day to observe, analyze, and pretend we were nothing more than two handlers soaking in the atmosphere.
And maybe check out if there was anything else that was suspicious, but no one needed to know that part.
So far, nothing seemed off. No tampered hurdles and no suspicious figures lurking around the judges’ tables. There was also no sudden illnesses or equipment failures.
Compared to yesterday’s subtle sabotage attempt, today felt almost… tame. Maybe whoever had messed with the course earlier decided to keep their head down.
That was a good thing, and disappointing in a way that made my adrenaline feel misplaced.
When the last dog crossed the finish platform and the final handlers were ushered out for cool-down, I exhaled a long breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
The ballroom lights softened as the staff began shutting down sections for the night.
“Well,” I muttered, stretching my arms overhead, “that was something.”
Jaime didn’t look away from the emptying course.
“Hmm… all clean today. No tampering,” he said under his breath.
“You sound annoyed,” I teased lightly. “Almost like you wanted something to happen.”
He shot me a flat look. “I wanted answers.”
Fair. We stayed seated for another minute, letting the crowd thin. My mind drifted back to the morning. To the unexpected high point of the day. He was going to let me run with Pampi in the heats.
Even better, we ran together as wolves. That alone had my wolf preening like it had won a medal. I glanced sideways at him, unable to stop the smile tugging at my lips.
“What?” Jaime asked, brow lifting.
“Nothing.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Just thinking about how you let me run with Pampi earlier during practice.”
His expression softened by a hair. It was barely there, but visible enough that my chest warmed.
“She liked you, and she responded well,” Jaime admitted.
“Yeah she did,” I said, puffing out my chest.
Pampi wasn’t just loyal, she was exclusive. Jaime was her sun and moon, the only orbit she acknowledged. The fact that she tolerated, much less enjoyed, my handling meant something.
Handlers started moving toward the exits, and lights inside the ballroom dimmed further. I stood, stretching my legs.
“Dinner?” I blurted before I could think better of it. “Or a beer? Something to unwind.”
Jaime’s posture went stiff, the same way he reacted to suspicious noises and unknown scents. I lifted my hands quickly.
“Uh, it’s not what you think. Just two colleagues grabbing food.”
God. I wished I could stuff the words back into my mouth and sew it shut. My wolf winced at the awkwardness rolling off me like smoke.
Jaime blinked once, slow and assessing. I braced for the shutdown.
“Okay,” he said simply.
I stared.
“Okay?” I had to repeat.
