Page 104 of White Wolf

“Yes. But.” Ingraham drew himself up straighter, which looked like it took some effort. “I’ve never had the chance to – well, toaska wolf what that was like. And now I do.”

“And you’re not happy with the answers you’re getting?”

“What? No. Oh no! It’s just. If Sasha could collaborate–”

“Elaborate,” Philippe corrected, and then said a word which must have been the English translation for benefit of the doctor.

“Yes, yes,elaborate. It would be so helpful.”

“What do you say, Sasha?” Philippe turned to him. “Care to put it into words.”

Sasha knew he made a face, but figured he might as well try.

He pulled his hand away from the female and said, “Go to the door, please, that’s a good girl.”

She got up on all fours, leapt gracefully down from the table – Dr. Ingraham flattened himself against the cabinet faces with an alarmed sound – and went to the door where she sat down and craned her neck to look at Sasha, searching for instructions.

He patted at the air and she lied down, going into sentry mode.

“But – but I thought–” Ingraham looked between Sasha and the wolf, brows at his hairline. “You said you didn’ttalkto them.” He sounded offended.

Sasha made another face. “It’s not the words. I don’t think so, anyway. She knows what I want her to do– what I’m asking her to do,” he amended. “I don’t force them. It’s not mind control. It’s…” Shit, this was hard to explain.

“If I may?” Philippe said, to Sasha’s relief. “All mammals communicate largely through non-verbal cues. I believe that the wolves read Sasha’s intent and energy through body language, and his tone of voice, yes, but, in this case, I do believe there’s an element of the supernatural at play.”

“Really?” Dr. Ingraham looked delighted. “Fascinating.”

“Perhaps we can convince Sasha to give you a demonstration in one of the larger laboratories.”

“That would be wonderful.”

Sasha bit back a sigh. He hadn’t been an impatient person before, but now he felt restless after just one night back at the base.

The wolves had bristled the moment they drew close enough to the building to smell the humans inside it, which was well before they were able to see its lights through the dark lace of the trees. They’d stopped in their tracks, looking to Sasha, asking with their eyes to stay back, not to go.

It had stirred a physical pain in his belly to force them onward, a dull ache that lingered now. They were wild, and didn’t belong indoors – not like this, in a heartless concrete box of a building, deep underground surrounded by steel and tile and machines.

A “demonstration” sounded a lot like circus tricks to him, and he found himself frowning heavily just thinking about it. They’d decided on a course of action, and he wanted to pursue it – not sit in a basement growing lazy.

“Let’s go to your office, doctor,” Monsieur Philippe said, moving toward the door and snagging Ingraham by the elbow, towing him along, “and I can tell you more about the behavior patterns of wolves.”

Dr. Ingraham twisted to watch Sasha over his shoulder as he was dragged, obviously reluctant – and he almost missed the alpha girl at the door, remembering her when she growled a warning not to step on her. He yelped, jumped over her, and drew a quiet laugh from Philippe.

Sasha just sighed again, holding out a hand and wiggling his fingers in invitation. “Come here, girl.”

She did, nosing into his palm, licking the thin skin of his wrist.

“I know.” He scratched her just behind the ears, until she closed her eyes and tipped her head to give him better access.

“There you are,” a familiar voice said from the doorway, and Sasha glanced up to find Pyotr, with the omega wolf leaning against his leg. “Found something of yours in the hallway.”

“Oh no. Did you see the others? I wanted them to stay together.”

“They were in the big lab, but Monsieur Philippe and Dr. Ingraham went in there.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder in indication, and the rest of the wolves crowded in behind him, slipping past his legs to come into the room with Sasha.

He greeted them all with pets and scratches, letting them crowd around and scent him.

Pyotr came in, too, stroking the omega between the ears in an absent way that meant he was totally at ease with the animals now, a sight which filled Sasha with gladness. He wanted his pack to get along – hiswholepack, human and lupine.

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