was folding a shirt while thinking about how Lane was the biggest tease or remembering how Pax had stood up to Gerardo.
These guys made me feel like a woman again. Not a mom. Not a wife. Definitely not a maid. They made me feel like they actually saw me, not just what I could do for them, and I was starting to get addicted to it.
That night, I was laying in the dark reading an erotic ménage on my tablet - for research, of course - when I heard the wolves howling again. It sounded far away, possibly even up at that nature area Henry had planned for wildlife, so I tried to ignore it. Some nights they made more of a ruckus than others. Tonight, it sounded like only one or two. Not like I could tell their voices apart.
About ten minutes later, I heard the back door open softly. I eased myself out of bed to see if that was Gabby. She probably thought I was asleep, so had invited her boyfriend over again. It was Saturday night, after all. If she intended to stay in the backyard, I wouldn't make a fuss, but I might keep my eye on them. There was a difference between being an open-minded mother and a stupid one, after all.
As carefully as I could, I parted the blinds, peering through the smallest crack I could manage. Yep, that was definitely Gabby, but she was alone, staring out into the yard. Confused, I followed her gaze toward the back fence. For a moment, I couldn't figure out what was so interesting. Not until it took a step away from the fence.
Wolf.
The animal looked young and lanky. In the darkness of night, I couldn't be positive of the color, but I was pretty sure it was grey. All of that was fine. Watching it slink across the grass to my back porch? Heading right toward my daughter? Not so much. Wolves didn't act like that, not unless they were rabid!
"Hey, you," Gabby said, her voice only audible because I was right at the window.
The wolf's ears perked up, and he walked a little faster, his eyes locked on her. The beautiful, pale eyes of a predator, and my stupid child was talking to it like a dog? Of course she was.
I didn't even think. I just spun, grabbing my phone from the table beside my bed, hitting the first contact as I rushed out of my bedroom and toward the back door. Wolves didn't do that. They stayed away from people unless they were sick. I had to get Gabby inside without setting it off, and then figure out how the hell to get it out of my backyard!
Ian answered on the first ring. "Hey."
"There's a wolf in my yard," I snapped as I flipped the switches for my porch lights, illuminating everything.
"Fuck!" Ian hissed, then he hung up on me.
I didn't even care. I was too busy yanking open the door to worry about what he was doing. "Gabby, get inside," I told her.
She was looking at me, horrified. "What are you doing, Mom?'
"Inside!" I barked.
But the wolf was already retreating. The problem was that it didn't have anywhere to go. My gates were shut, and the fence was high. However it had gotten into the yard, the thing seemed unable to get out. It raced along the back fence, looking for shelter, finding none.
Then I heard my gate thrown open, and another beast raced in. Behind it came Ian, Pax, and Trent. I barely had time to notice them before their dog was on the poor wolf, making the kind of sounds that meant this would be bloody.
"Don't let Red hurt it," I yelled.
Those words seemed to set Gabby off. She began to scream, "No!" and tried to rush for the yard. Thankfully, Pax was faster.
He caught her with an arm around her waist and hauled her inside. My daughter fought him, struggling to stay and watch. Too bad for her, Pax wasn't a weak man. Pinning her arms with his, he lifted her feet and forcefully carried her in while I stood there with both hands over my mouth.
"It's ok," Trent promised, ignoring the dogfight as he turned me to follow. "Elena, you're in your nightgown."
"Just don't let Red kill it?" I begged him. "It's just young and probably lost. I didn't know how to get it out of the yard, and Ian hung up on me."
"That's all Red's doing," he