He turned back to me and whuffed in my ear and neck.
Carter and Kelly scooted forward slowly.
Joe ignored them because he’d found something interesting to sniff behind my ear.
They inched closer.
Joe touched his nose to my forehead.
They scooted closer.
Joe turned to glare at them.
Carter yawned, as if bored.
Kelly put his head on his paws.
Joe turned back to me.
“You’re being dumb,” I told him.
He bared his teeth at me, shiny and sharp.
I batted him across the snout.
I said, “I’m not scared of you.”
Carter and Kelly sprang forward, rubbing up against me on either side.
Joe snarled at the both of them, eyes flashing.
They just laughed at him.
Later, they hunted.
I lay on my back, watching the moon overhead.
The air was warm and I was happy.
HE KILLED a doe and dragged it out of the woods to lay before me.
Its tongue hung out of its mouth, eyes wide and unseeing.
I said, “Seriously?”
He preened, muzzle caked with blood and grime.
“Seriously,” I sighed.
HE SAID, “When I found you, I thought you were the entire world.”
He said, “I gave you my wolf because it was made for you.”
He said, “When Jessie came, it broke my heart.”
He said, “I tried to like her. I promise. And I do. I did.”
He said, “But I hated her. I hated her so much.”