“Yeah, he trained with George for a couple years before he took over the job.”
“Oh,” Kelsey said, looking around, her chest suddenly tight. “George…is he…?”
“Aw, Kels, you already know. He turned ninety when we were in high school.”
“Wolves live a long time though.”
Jeremy’s smile was kind. “Not forever.”
“What happened?”
“Same as most wolves. He lived to be a hundred and one, and one morning he didn’t wake up.”
She would visit George’s grave while she was here. The Lunar Lane cemetery was a special plot of ground at the end of the lane, past Arlo and Rebecca Chapman’s immense tract of farmland. At the thought, her heart missed a beat.
“What about Arlo and Rebecca?” she said, barely over a whisper. They’d been in their seventies. They should still be living, especially Arlo as a wolf.
“They’re here.” Jeremy pointed. “Both of them, doing well, still active on the farm.”
The years had gone so fast. Aaron had learned the healing trade while Kelsey forged her online brand. Meantime Trevor had clearly taken his handiwork pastime to professional levels. Meantime the others too had found their paths, their roles in the pack’s interdependent ecosystem.
She talked another minute with Jeremy, but on either side of her, she felt the presence of other wolves, waiting their turns…wanting to talk? Oh, she hoped so. When he excused himself to comfort his tiny sobbing daughter—something about a fallen cookie stepped on by a belligerent sister—Kelsey turned and suddenly faced her surrogate mom and dad.
“Oh,” escaped her before she could capture the sound. “Hi. Robert. Ann. It’s good to—”
Ann threw her arms around Kelsey and held on. “It’s our dear girl come home. It’s our dear Kelsey.”
Her eyes filled. “You—you’re not—I mean, we’re—?”
“I can hardly believe how good it is to have you standing in front of me.”
“Same. It’s—it’s really good.” Kelsey wiped her eyes, laughed, and decided on directness. All the family prized it. “Sorry, I didn’t know if you’d welcome me or not. After so long, and no contact.”
“Hogwash. This here is your family.”
Ann made a broad gesture that included the whole pack, and Kelsey’s heart lifted. She could never feel hopeless when Ann was around. She turned to Robert who, true to form, waited for his wife to finish talking. His presence was solid, a mature wolf with gray now sprinkling his temples. He never hesitated to state his opinion in clear terms. With great economy. Kelsey gave him a nod and smile.
“Hi, Robert.”
“Kelsey. We’ve missed you.”
“I missed you too.”
He patted her shoulder as he’d done when she was little, a single heavy pat, a wolf’s paw claiming his offspring. She blinked more tears. They didn’t talk long, but by the time Dad and Mom Sterling stepped away, Kelsey’s entire body had sunk into an invisible ease. Everything would be all right.
Other wolves still lurked. This time when Kelsey turned she faced an incredible slab of muscled chest, incredible even on the scale of wolf physiques. She looked up…and up. She stared.
Malachi’s deep, long rumble conveyed his glad greeting as well as any words could. When he smiled his distinctive amber eyes held more warmth than she’d hoped for. Maybe this was why her thought burst free from her mouth.
“Malachi, you’re freaking enormous.”
His head went back as a laugh like an avalanche thundered out of him. It didn’t last long, but it drew the eye of every person there for its rolling volume. Eyes now twinkling like coins, his unique voice as raspy as ever, he said, “Welcome back, Kelsey.”
“How tall are you?”
“Six-seven.” He lowered his voice. “And a half.”
“And you just…what, woke up this way?”
