“I have something for both of you,” he said. “Are you done with work, or can I help you finish?”
Titan shook his head. “Everything’s done for the day. All the extra help you hired makes it easy.”
Arthur knew it wasn’t easy. Titan cared so much that it was hard to delegate labor, especially when it came to the medically fragile animals. Arthur wanted to hire a full-time veterinarian or at least several vet techs to work for the rescue. Titan said it wasn’t necessary, but Arthur was going to keep pushing until Titan agreed.
“Great!” Arthur said, pulling out of Titan’s hold and setting Beatrix down. “Your birthday gift is ready. Can I give it to you now?”
Titan nearly vibrated with excitement even as he tried to demur. “You’ve already done so much. You don’t need to do anything else.”
“I promise that everything I do is for my own selfish reasons,” Arthur said. “Making you and Beatrix happy gives me more joy than I’ve ever known.”
“You’ve been so secretive, and you wouldn’t even tell me. I need to know! Where is it?” Beatrix asked.
She was a lot less shy about asking for things for the rescue or for herself than Titan. Although, she didn’t ask for expensive things. She mostly wanted items that made them all more comfortable, like a giant bed or a couch big enough to accommodate them all without anyone needing to be squeezed too much. Any time she showed an interest in something, he made a mental note. Her birthday was next, then Christmas, then New Year’s, then Valentine's Day.
He looked forward to every excuse to lavish gifts on his flock.
Beatrix started patting his coat. “Where is it?”
He grabbed her hands. “It’s nothing that small. We’ll need to travel to the gift.”
“What have you done?” Titan asked with a little frown.
“You’ll see,” Arthur responded.
Beatrix pulled free and grabbed hold of Titan and started pulling him toward the parking lot. “Let’s go!”
Laughing, Titan let her move him to the car they used when they weren’t transporting animals. It was an SUV that comfortably fit Titan despite his size.
Arthur followed them and got into the back as Titan moved to the driver's seat. Beatrix crawled into the back with Arthur and snuggled up next to him as Arthur gave Titan the address to type into the mapping app.
They cuddled and touched as Titan drove. The wolf wasn’t jealous that he couldn’t be part of their backseat shenanigans. All that was coming from Titan was happiness that his mates were enjoying themselves.
Titan had the purest soul of anyone Arthur had ever met.
It didn’t take long for Titan to get to their destination. He pulled to a stop in a designated parking spot, and Arthur could feel his confusion.
“I don’t think this place is open,” he said. “Is the gift inside? We might need to come back tomorrow.”
“I can get us in,” Arthur said, getting out, then turning around to help Beatrix from the car.
They followed him to the front door of the large industrial two-story building. He punched in a code, and the door beeped and unlatched. Pulling it open, he urged his flock inside.
“This looks like the waiting room of a vet's office,” Titan said. “What is this place?”
“This is your second facility!” Arthur announced, throwing his arms out to indicate the whole building.
“What?” Titan exclaimed, looking confused. “Second facility?”
“Yes,” Arthur said, beaming at his flock. He grabbed their hands and led them through another door into a large open space. “This is a 15,000 square foot fully enclosed and air-controlled building. I’ve already had it set up with roomy dog kennels, and there’s a cattery to our left.”
Acting as tour guide, he walked them through all the first-floor amenities, including a medical area, quarantine section, a training and play area, and a breakroom for staff and volunteers.
“But wait, there’s more,” he continued, taking them up a flight of stairs to the second floor. He led them through a set of heavy, industrial iron doors into a beautiful, decorated living room.
“This is our new home,” he announced.
“Our new home?” Beatrix repeated, letting go of his hand to step further into the space.
