Page 10 of Cursed Wolf

“They’re not gonna believe you healed from a hairline fracture this soon, but as long as I’m not hallucinating and they see what I see,” I cocked my head from side to side and the wolf copied the movement, “I don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t release you.”

For some reason, my chest ached at the thought of never seeing this wolf again. True, he’d been the highlight of my week and I loved wolves in general, but I’d never gotten attached to other animals like this one. Something about him was special. Different.

A few hours later, I was sitting across the large desk in Dr. Stone’s office, which was currently being occupied by my arch nemesis.

“Actually.” Dr. Marcus leaned back in the leather office chair, hands clasped behind his head. “I’m thinking we should keep the wolf a little longer.”

I stared at him from across the desk, stopping short of jumping up to plant my palms on that lacquered wood and demanding why. But really, what else should I have expected?

“Why?” I asked as politely as I could muster instead.

“We need to run another blood panel on him. The sample you got came back inconclusive.” Dr. Marcus gestured at a piece of paper in front of him. “We also have people from the Wolf Research Center coming down to see him for themselves.”

“Why?” I asked again, knowing I must have sounded like an annoying child.

He shook his head with a scoff. “You don’t get it, Emmaline. This could be an undiscovered wolf species. Do you have any idea how much prestige that comes with? This little backwoods country vet clinic can become something huge.”

And you’ll become famous, I thought, which was almost certainly the real reason he wanted this.

“If he’s a different species, there’s more of his kind out there,” I pointed out. “We’ll send a report to the research center, to Fish and Wildlife, the park rangers, everyone who might get another sighting. But this wolf deserves to be released.”

“Deserves?” Marcus repeated in a mocking tone. “Damn, you really are a bleeding heart.”

“We’re veterinarians,” I snapped. “Our duty is to help animals, not use them for prestige and fame.”

“Correction.” He held up an index finger. “I am a resident veterinarian. You are just a veterinary intern.”

“We both have the same letters after our names, D-V-M,” I said. “You’re not better than me just because you got the residency.”

“Mm, some would argue that I am,” he replied smugly.

He wasn’t wrong. Some people out there would agree with him. People who believed your entire self-worth was based on your position in society, how high you climbed that ladder and who you rubbed elbows with.

I hated that gut-deep knowledge that my parents were among those people.

In any case, how was I supposed to respond to that? He was being a bully, trying to make me feel small. After a lifetime of being compared to my more successful peers, you’d think I’d learn to not tolerate shots at my self-esteem.

But I wasn’t a badass like Annika. I couldn’t conjure up a don’t-give-a-fuck attitude. The truth was… I did care. Too much. All my life I’d been taught that other people’s perception of me was all that mattered. And I always failed to measure up.

That didn’t mean I was going to allow my wolf to stay in a cage.

“I only need one vet to sign off on the wolf’s release,” I said quietly. “If you won’t do it, then I’ll ask Dr. Stone.”

Marcus barked out a laugh. “And you think he’ll say yes to you over me?”

I shrugged. “Dr. Stone cares about wildlife conservation.”

“He also cares about funding for the clinic. Putting this little town on the map and drawing even more tourists here. Big picture shit. Not just one stupid wolf.” Marcus leaned back farther in his chair when I didn’t respond. “Anyway, I already talked to Dr. Stone. He’s on board with everything I just told you. So you can save your breath, Emmaline. He’s not going to release the wolf.”

In my mind, I screamed, picked up the coffee cup on his desk and threw it in his face. Demanded for him to do the right thing for the animal, not sacrifice the wolf for funding, prestige, or other stupid reasons. It seemed so completely unfair that he could throw his weight around and I just had to take what was given.

“Okay.” I stood from the chair and headed for the office door, not giving him a moment to patronize me any more than he already had. “Thanks for your time, Dr. Marcus.”

My decision was made before the door clicked shut behind me. It had teased the edge of my thoughts since I sat down with Marcus, but after that conversation, I knew it had to be done.

I was going to release the wolf myself.

It was surprisingly easy. Marcus left work early as usual. Dr. Stone wasn’t due to come in today, so as the most senior staff member, I stayed late. Again.

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