Sebastian unlatched the gate carefully and let himself inside.
“Start with—”
“Okay, but this is a big secret,” he whispered. “Shh.Did you know a lot of purported ‘wolfdog hybrids’ have little to no actual wolf content?”
“Is wolf content a thing?” he asked. “Is that like the percentage of polyester and spandex in my briefs?”
“You wear that shit?” I asked. “You know it’s terrible stuff—both for your skin and the environment. Organic cotton is—”
“Noted.” He hid a small smile.
“It’s impossible to know if what you’re looking at is a hybrid or just a dog who looks a little wolfy because ten generations ago, a dog ancestor boinkedCanis lupus. Half the animals are rescues with no papers or seizures with phony made-up paperwork. It’s impossible to discern whether an animal has low or high wolf content and because of that, you never know what behavior they’ll manifest.”
“I didn’t know it was so difficult.”
“Yeah, well Ariel’s got no problem telling people that Hades and Persephone are ‘high content’ hybrids for film work, and because they look wolfy and do what we tell them to do, it’s safer for all concerned.”
“That doesn’t seem like a bad thing.”
“And justduh, man. What kind of wolfy anything would leap into a crate and let me drive them from Colorado to California?”
“So it’s a reasonable little fib.”
“It protects the actors, it protects the Sanctuary, and it makes things easier for whoever has to handle the animals on set.” I let Seph nuzzle my pockets, but I was all out of treats. No way in hell would I dothatwith a wolf. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t protect Hades and Persephone. There’s no FDA-approved rabies vaccine for wolfdog hybrids. If either of these guys bit someone—even if it wasn't their fault at all—they’d be considered unvaccinated. That means they'd have to be euthanized and necropsied, period. No exceptions. That’s why I’m so careful with them.”
He frowned. “Can’t they get the dog vaccine?”
“They have, but it’s an off-label use for hybrids. We have to sign a waiver that says we understand that legally they’re considered unvaccinated.”
As he had before, Hades showed interest in Sebastian. Despite being my shy boy, he was the first wolfdog to settle next to the newcomer for pets and ear scratches. The first to put his head down on Sebastian’s knee.
“Holy cow.” The kid looked at him with wonder. “These guys are just amazing.”
“They’re probably only dogs,” I reminded him.
“Aw. Don’t listen to him. No creature is everonlyanything.” He told Hades firmly. “You are a wild, magical creature who belongs to the moon. Yes, you are.”
I offered Sebastian the bottle. “They have no idea what you’re saying.”
He took a swig. “Maybe they don’t understand the words, but they can hear my heart.”
“Well, that cinches it.” I leaned back and put my arms beneath my head. “Ariel is going to adore you.”
“I should probably go.” Sebastian gave each dog a gentle pat before crawling toward the gate. “I have a photo shoot at some vineyard in a few hours. Don’t want to show up looking like a zombie.”
“It was nice meeting you.” Sebastian stood and looked down at me. Because I was drunk and covered in dogs, I didn’t bother getting up.
“You too.” He gave the toe of my shoe a kick with his boot. “You’ve got my number.”
“Let me know when you’re coming to Colorado.”
“I will. Bye, Stone Wilder.” He lifted his phone to snap a picture. When I went to protest, he held a hand up. “I promise I won’t share that one. It’s just for me.”
“Thank you.”
He waited for a moment longer. I didn’t want to say goodbye.
People have come and gone from my life, and except for Serena and my kids, I never really regretted letting go. It was strange how this hurt, like ripping a seedling that’s had its first taste of the sun out of the nurturing earth.
