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Rafe stood at the end of the run, watching the wolves race back and forth with ice cubes in their mouths, and happy grins when they’d dropped those. It was hard not to share in their obvious joy. He hadn’t expected the simple enrichment exercise to be so effective for them, but sure enough they couldn’t get enough of the small, frozen treats. They seemed to like the ice even more than the grass and sunlight of their new surroundings.
He tapped the surface of his omni and turned off the polarized light running above the pen. Instantly the wolves switched from black to the blurry camouflage of their natural state.
It made it more difficult to see the three members of the double-J litter, but he didn’t mind. For now they fit in as part of the pack. In another month or so they’d form wolfbonds with one of the ranger cadets, and they’d head off to live aboard a starship with their rangers. They could afford a little time to be wolves.
JJ leaned against his leg, weight almost enough to push Rafe off balance. With the cast off, the wolf was once again an irregular-shaped blur in the absence of polarized light, but Rafe knew the pup’s shape and reached down unerringly to ruffle the wolf’s ears.
"Though you’re hardly a pup now, are you?" Eight months had passed since he’d returned to Secundus, and the young wolf was absolutely in the midst of an awkward adolescence. Adorable juvenile proportions had converted into a gangly mess consisting mostly of legs, ears, and tail, while fluffy soft fur had begun to be replaced with the thick warm coat of adulthood.
Eight months that had flashed by in a heartbeat, and somehow, Nafisi continued to say yes each and every day. It was a miracle he’d never stop being thankful for.
Rafe rubbed his way down to the wolf's shoulders, and then dug his fingers in to fire off a bout of play-wrestling that had JJ bounding backwards with a bark, front body low in a play bow. The response was so similar to how Actaeon had played that pain twinged in his chest, bright and sudden, at the sight of it.
The door to the clinical suite opened and Nafisi came out, one hand raised to shield her eyes from the glare of the sun. "I don't know that I'll ever get used to that."
Like every other time he saw her, his breath caught in his throat. Happiness pushed out the pain of loss, until there was no room left for anything else. Rafe glanced toward the red star on the horizon, past the large, blue-and-brown-banded ball of Calypso. "I used to say the same thing about non-recycled air."
“And yet here you are,” she murmured, closing the distance. “Out in the fresh air.”
“And the sun.”
“Ugh.” She grimaced then threaded her fingers into his and turned to watch the wolves in the pen. "The new mama is fine, by the way. Not that you were asking."
"I knew you would tell me in your own time." He turned with her, slipping his arms around her shoulders as she wrapped hers around his waist. "The rest of the pack seems happy. They like the ice cubes." It had been a genius idea, really. Bits of fresh meat frozen in ice, so the wolves had to figure out how to crack the ice open to get the treat. He chuckled and rested his chin atop her head to watch them. “They like what’s inside, at least. They put up with the rest to get to that.”
“Speaking of, are you planning to take them to the big yard later?" Her thumbs hooked under his belt and pulled him close.
"That had been my original plan," Rafe said. "I figure it's important for them to get some exercise. Run them down a little before the slick-sleeves show up." Having the base close to ranger school meant that the recruits saw the wolves more frequently than they used to, but it also meant more people putting time constraints on the ranch. He leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead, taking a moment to relish the smell of her shampoo. "Unless you've got a better idea?"
Her fingers skated into the hair at his temples, tightening up just enough to guide his mouth down to hers for a slow, promise-laden kiss. Languid want curled through his blood, and she let out a startled squeak as he swung her up from the ground.
When the kiss ended, he smiled at the half-lidded gaze she gave him, hoping the ridiculous happiness he felt was just as visible to her. "Yes, I'd say that's a much better idea." He carried her back up to the ranch house and let them both inside, while JJ trotted along beside them.
As soon as they were through the door, she squirmed free of his arms and walked back toward their bedroom with an exaggerated sway in her hips. “Well, soldier? Coming?” Either her walk had the desired effect, or his pants had shrunk two sizes while he stood there.
Rafe turned to say something to JJ, but the wolf had already gone to lie down next to the electric heater with a smoked bone in his jaws. As the runt, he might never have found a proper bond, wouldn’t even have survived in the wild, but someone with too much heart had given the wolf a second chance.
And him too. Rafe peeled his shirt over his head and tossed it on the couch. “No room for you in the bed, I’m afraid.” He grinned at JJ, but the wolf just snorted and went back to chewing.
He’d spent so long living in his past that it was almost miraculous for him to stop and look out the window. For the first time, he could see more than the ranch. He could see a future.