Page 176 of Hateful Games

Disaster, that’s what.

“I have to get my gifts pre-approved from Bee,” I confess. “Or else I’m not allowed to be the bridesmaid.”

“Seriously?”

“Yep.” I nod and smirk. “But you have my blessing.”

We move along the cages and the next one has my heart breaking. I lower to my haunches and peer at the dog huddled in the corner, sound asleep. Half of his skin is gone and red. The street dogs in India are already slim but he’s almost skeletal. “What happened to him?”

“Some kids poured acid on him,” sadly murmurs Sami, crouching next to me.

Iris gasps loudly behind me while my eyes tear up as I stare at the sleeping dog. “What’s his name? Is he going to be okay?”

“We found Veer abandoned on the side of the road two weeks ago and were able to give him immediate treatment from our part-time vet. He’s stable for now and still on pain meds, and we have to feed him with IV tubes. Unfortunately, he’s not even the worst of our cases. Every day, I’m surprised how low humans can go.”

Having humanity is a rarity these days. The world is becoming crueler every day and voiceless creatures bear the brunt from the worst of monsters. People have two opinions about this breed of street dogs. Either they hate them or feel sympathetic.

I hear horror stories in newspapers that break my soul.

I wish I could help them all but it’s impossible. Most shelters are understaffed or short of money. It’s why I try to donate as much as I can. If not all, I’m going to save as many as I can.

“This is worse than low, it’s horrific,” angrily says Iris.

I cautiously stretch my arm and caress his injured face, the texture uneven. He stirs, eyes blinking open, and he lets loose a tiny sound, leaning into my palm.

I fall in love.

I’m going to adopt him as soon as he’s better, I decide right then.

“When is the vet coming to check on him?” I ask, watching him fall back asleep.

“Depends on their private clinic hours,” replies Sami. “We can’t afford to hire a full-time doctor as we provide free services. Our staff can handle basic first aid and treatments but for major surgeries or treatments, we raise money through social media and contribute however much we can.”

We stand and I face her. “If you have someone in mind, let me know and I’ll pay their fees. As well as two or three trained nurses. Then the rest of you can focus on the day-to-day tasks.”

“Wow. Really? That would be a tremendous help.”

“I might not be able to visit daily and contribute physically, but financially, I can support you.”

“And I can help you with social media content,” offers Iris.

“Thank you so much,” Sami cries with happiness. Then she hugs us both. “You’re both angels.”

“You’re an angel, Sami,” I say. “Most people would look the other way.”

Sami leaves to start making calls while Iris and I busy ourselves feeding the stray dogs. They all run to us and most of them patiently wait as we offer food. I notice how a lot of them are crippled but they haven’t lost their spirit, which makes me happy.

It’s almost evening when we’re finally free and just playing with a mother and her one-month-old pups. One has made herself home on Iris’s lap.

“Chat with Nathan yet?” I casually question.

“He’s been busy.”

I squint my gaze. “Or you chickened out.”

“I did not.”

“How’s the stalking going?”

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