Page 6 of Shift Happens
“This is insane. I’m talking to a wolf because its eyes remind me of my weird employee.” I rubbed my face. “I need sleep.”
But as I turned to leave, the wolf scrambled forward, moving awkwardly as if injured. It caught the edge of my jeans with its teeth, tugging gently.
“Hey!” I pulled away, startled. “Let go!”
The wolf released me immediately, backing up with that same whimper. And then—I still don’t know how to explain what I saw—it seemed to look… apologetic? It lowered its head, ears flattened, the very picture of contrition.
A particularly loud thunderclap made the wolf flinch violently, cowering against the wall.
Afraid of storms? Wait, didn’t Milo mention something about the full moon and not being able to contact him?
The pieces clicked together in my mind, forming a picture so absurd I almost laughed out loud. But those eyes…
“Okay,” I said, feeling completely ridiculous. “If you’re Milo, um… nod your head.”
The wolf immediately nodded, eyes fixed on mine.
My legs nearly gave out. “Holy shit.”
Another crack of thunder, and the wolf—Milo?—trembled visibly.
“You’re afraid of storms?” I asked weakly.
He nodded again, then lifted one paw that appeared to be bleeding slightly.
“And you’re hurt.” I took a deep breath, trying to process the impossible. “And I’m having a conversation with a wolf in my alley. Perfect. Totally normal Tuesday.”
Rain began to fall, fat drops quickly turning into a downpour. Whatever was happening, I couldn’t leave an injured animal—or possibly my employee—outside in this.
“Can you walk? We should get inside.”
Milo attempted to stand but favored his injured paw, wobbling unsteadily.
“Right.” I approached slowly, hands visible. “I’m going to try to carry you, okay? Please don’t bite me. I don’t have health insurance that covers werewolf attacks.”
He made a sound that was almost like a huff of laughter.
Cautiously, I scooped him up, surprised at how relatively light he was. His fur was softer than I expected, and he was warm—almost hot—against my chest. He tensed briefly, then relaxed, his head tucking against my shoulder.
“This is the weirdest thing I’ve ever done,” I muttered, carrying him through the back door and up the stairs to my apartment. “And I once dressed as Aquaman for a blind date, so my bar for weird is pretty high.”
Chapter 3
Once inside, I set him down gently on my bathroom floor and examined his paw. There was a small cut, probably from something in the alley, but nothing serious. I cleaned it carefully with antiseptic, which earned me an indignant yip.
“Don’t be a baby,” I told him. “If you can turn into a wolf, you can handle a little Bactine.”
After bandaging his paw, I led him into the living room, spreading an old blanket on the couch. “You can sleep here. I assume you’ll… change back? Eventually?”
The wolf nodded, then looked at me with an expression I could only describe as embarrassed.
“What’s wrong now?” I asked.
He looked down at himself, then at me, then made a gesture with his muzzle toward the blanket.
“I don’t—” Then it hit me. “Oh. When you change back, you’ll be naked. Right.”
The wolf nodded again, and I could swear if wolves could blush, this one was doing it.
