Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed/enjoyed the first chapter!

Chapter Two

"So then," Paul laughs as he begins recounting their story back on his and Rachel's porch. "He gets one look at her and gets that kinda high look Jared has when he sees Kim. The really dopey one. And I'm freaking out because poor Quil is still trapped there in a cage-"

"Embry imprinted on the vet?" "No way!" "What'd he do?"

Paul waved his free hand, the one that wasn't holding a beer, at his rapt audience until they settled down. "He just stares at her stupidly, and she's off yelling at him and me about breaking and entering and animal custody. And I'm trying to figure out how to get Quil out when he's passed out. And I figure we can just make a run past her pretty easy, and it's not like she knows our name or anything, and then Emb has to open his mouth…"


"Hi, I'm Embry," the second one said, still giving her an amazed look. What the heck had just happened? Was he on drugs? Multiple personality disorder? "What's your name?"

Laura glared at his outstretched hand and turned back to the first one, who had opened the wolf's cage. "I told you he's dangerous! That's a wild animal, and he's hurt!" she screeched. She finally swung the wood at Paul, and it splintered like matchsticks on his broad back.

Paul whirled around, growling, but suddenly Embry was standing between them, crouched protectively. Laura scooted backwards, not wanting to get in the middle of their fight. The two men were silently staring one another down, and neither looked like they would back down. Laura circled cautiously around them until she was between Paul and the wolf, and she carefully shut the cage door again.

At the sound, Paul whirled around, but there was no Embry in between them. Laura planted herself in between the invaders and the animal. "He's under my protection now. Either get some proof that you own him, or get the hell out of my office," Laura said firmly.

Paul looked down at her, as if emphasizing the fact that he could just swat her aside with one hand if he needed to, before he nodded. "We'll be back tomorrow," he muttered, turning around. He grabbed Embry's collar and dragged him out behind him.


"So do you have proof that you own a wolf?" Brady asked Paul.

Paul grinned. "Nah, but Claire does," he said, tipping his beer in her direction.

Claire looked surprised. "I do?"

Paul nodded at her hand. "You've got the ring, which is as good as owning him. We'll just make it official with some forged documents. I know a couple guys in Port Angeles who'll do the job."


The wolf's wounds had healed much faster than Laura was expecting. When she changed the bandage the next morning, the wound was almost completely closed up. She made a note to take out the stitches later. The one thing that was really bothering her was that he was far too complacent. He barely ate, even when today she had brought in leftover steak. He was only drinking half as much water as she estimated an animal of his size should be taking in. And she hadn't used sedatives on him since the first night, and those wore off halfway through the operation. But all he did was sleep all day. He should be far more energetic.

Suddenly, the wolf picked up his head and sniffed the air. In a moment he rolled to his feet and let out a loud howl.

Laura jumped back, startled.

"Laura? The wolf's owner is here," Katie called.

Laura rolled her eyes. Not Ulley again, she thought and she walked down the hall.

"Hi."The girl standing in the waiting room was a bit pale under her naturally tan skin. "I'm here for Qu-the wolf." Behind her loomed one of the guys from last night, but thankfully not the one that she had hit with a board.

"I thought Sam Ulley owned him?"

The girl rolled her eyes. "Sam's my…brother. Here's my license." She handed over an official looking-document from the state of Washington certifying her ownership of a large cannus lupine, and a driver's license for her id. Laura raised her eyebrows. The girl was nineteen and had a wolf for a pet? What?

On the other hand, the document looked official enough, and Laura would prefer for the wolf to go back to a home of some sort than send it to the wild life officials. She had an inkling of what they would do to a suspiciously large, possibly dangerous wolf found within city limits, and it wasn't something that Laura was comfortable thinking about.

Silently she handed the paperwork back and motioned them to the backroom. "He's been healing up quite nicely—very quickly, actually."She was surprised to see that the wolf was still standing when they opened the door. It was the most energy she had seen him exert for the past three days. She went into doctor mode and started rattling off instructions. "His caloric intake should be higher than the past couple of days. He's barely eaten anything here, so make sure he gets in a solid two meals. Preferably high in protein and iron."

The girl was on her knees in front of the cage, her arms stuck through the bars to pet the animal. She was crying, which Laura uncomfortably decided to ignore and turned to guy that came in with her, who was watching Laura with rapt attention. "I'm going to give you some antibiotics for the next three weeks or so. They should be taken orally once a day, with food. You're going to want to watch the bandages. They need to be changed every two days or once they get dirty. Make sure he doesn't scratch the stitches, or they'll scar." She stopped to think. Had she missed anything?

She handed the prescription over to the guy—Embry? They stood in awkward silence for a minute, the weight of last night's events heavy. In the light of day, she noticed that he was huge. Maybe the adrenaline of last night had stopped her from calculating how much larger they both were, but her head only reached his collar bone.

"What do we owe you?" he asked finally.

Laura waved the offer away. "You'll have to pay for the prescription when you pick it up. The care's on the house. I'm just glad someone came for him and I didn't have to call authorities."

He shook his head firmly. "I insist. You've looked after him for three days. You…saved his life. We are in your debt." He paused. "And we did sort of break in last night and you didn't call the cops on us. How can we make it up to you?"

"Take better care of your wolf," Laura said gruffly. "I don't know what happened the other night, I probably don't want to know, but if he ends up in here again looking like he did the other night I really will call wildlife control." She stared at him seriously, wanting to make her point. "Wolves are not pets. They need lots of exercise and fresh air and constant stimulation. If I get any word about animal abuse or improper care from you guys I will make sure he gets a new home."

"We would never hurt him." The soft protest came from the girl, who had opened the cage door and was now almost wrapped around the wolf protectively.

"Don't worry, we'll keep a closer eye on him, make sure he doesn't run off again," Embry said pointedly.

The wolf whimpered.

Claire stood up slowly, wiping her face with an embarrassed smile. The wolf nudged her leg with his head, and she grinned widely and scratched his ear.

Laura watched the interaction with interest. The wolf, a huge predator, was really acting like a normal pet. And they seemed to have a good relationship.

Claire produced a collar and a leash from somewhere in her purse. The wolf looked ridiculous with it on, but Laura would be the last one to speak up about that. With a smile and a wave, the girl led the wolf out of the room. Laura was pleased to see that he was barely limping.

Embry, still beside her, cleared his throat. "That was a serious offer. We'll pay you for your time. That wolf is…very important to us all." He paused. "We can never repay you for saving his life."

"Yeah, and what was he doing in the next town over, bleeding out?" Laura finally snapped. "Why the hell would you break into my office at night to get him?"

Embry looked down. "Like I said, send us a bill; we can't thank you enough."

Laura nodded stonily. "I'm glad he's ok. They seem very…close."

He was staring at her. She shifted, uncomfortable, and moved towards the door. Just because the break in last night hadn't ended badly, it could have. Laura was not foolish enough to remain alone with the man who had broken the lock on her door. Who knew what else he was capable of? Last night she had barely slept after they left. She had kept all of the lights and the tv on and sat up late, unable to relax fully.

He coughed awkwardly. "Paul-the, uh, other guy from last night—he feels bad about what happened too. He's a carpenter and he wants to come fix your lock. Whenever is convenient for you." He seemed to shrink under her calculating gaze. "Or just send us the bill. The La Push Council will make sure we get it."

She looked up quickly, surprised. "Do you work with them? On rehabilitation of wolves?"

Embry raised his eyebrows. "I've worked with the wolves a little," he said cautiously.

"May I come visit your operation?" Laura was curious about what was going on down the road. Solely professional curiosity, of course. If there was an illegal wolf training operation happening right under her nose, she was duty bound to report it.

He hesitated. "I'll have to check with the council."

Laura smiled. "No need, they already visited yesterday. In fact, I think I have their number. I'm sure they'll be fine with it."

The man smiled, a bit uncomfortably. "Well, who am I to say no to the council? Does Saturday work for you?"

She nodded. "Sounds great." She held the door open, ready for this conversation to be over.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I got your name…" He held out his hand expectantly.

"I'm Dr. Karl," Laura replied coolly. She pretended to not see his hand and motioned him through the door. "Thanks for picking the wolf up. I'll see you Saturday."

He got the hint and nodded at her before leaving.

Laura leaned against the wall for a moment, collecting herself. She had thought she would be scared to see one of them again, and yet she felt no fear, only curiosity. Where did they get a wolf that large? How was it so well trained? And why were they willing to break into her clinic to get it back?

Embry felt a smile grow on his face as he left the veterinary clinic in Forks. Claire and Quil were waiting in the cab of his truck, firmly wrapped around one another. He was glad to see Quil utilizing the pair of pants that Embry left him there. Embry banged twice on the windows before entering.

"How are you doing?" he asked, clasping Quil on the shoulder.

Quil grasped his forearm. "I'm good. Really, what are the odds I would end up outside a veterinarian's place?"

Embry chuckled. "Yeah, pretty lucky."

"So how mad is Sam?"

Embry snorted. "Legendary. You might hear Billy Black tell this story around a campfire some night. Assuming Sam let's you live, of course. There's a meeting tonight."

"Ah, fun," Quil said drily. Out of the corner of his eye Embry could see his friend was paying more attention to Claire's hand then Embry's warnings. "I hope Sam doesn't mess with that woman that took me in."

"He won't," Embry said quickly and certainly.

Quil looked over curiously, surprised by the response. "How long was I over there for? Shouldn't they check that she didn't put a video of me online or call National Geographic or anything?"

"I'll deal with that."