She'd barely made it to page two of her notes when Mr. Hollis interrupted her again, his voice reproachful. "Last year a woman broke into the zoo and set a wolf free. Or at least that was the story the newspapers gave. Naked woman in zoo frees red wolf. So do you advocate freeing wolves from the zoo, too?"
Cassie set her papers aside. The man was referring to Bella Wilder, red werewolf, who had shifted while in captivity from her wolf form to her human form during the new moon. Unless the werewolf was a royal with very few human roots in its bloodline, like Cassie happened to be, it could not remain as a wolf or change into one during the new moon. Cassie couldn't imagine how terrifying that change had to have been for the woman.
Leidolf studied Cassie, his brows slightly raised, waiting to see how she would respond to the question. If only he'd known what she truly was and how she cherished the wolf kind as much as her own werewolf kind. Alex still wore his silly smile, cheering her on.
Attempting not to become antagonistic in response to Mr. Hollis's question, Cassie stood taller and maintained a cool but professional tone.
"The woman was the victim of a crime, Mr. Hollis. She was left naked in the wolves' pen, and the red wolf was stolen. She was never found guilty of the crime of aiding anyone to set the wolf free. And the red wolf was never found."
Mr. Hollis harrumphed and folded his arms across his broad chest. "You didn't answer my question, Doc. Do you believe the wolves in the zoo should be released into the wild? You said yourself that they don't have the same kind of life in the zoo as they do living in the wide, open spaces. You know"--he motioned to the other ranchers--"where they can kill our sheep and goats and cattle."
"Most animals in the zoo are born and bred there. So they're more suited to a zoo environment. Many haven't ever lived in the wild."
"So you're saying no, they shouldn't be released?" Mr. Hollis persisted.
"That's what she's saying," Alex said, as if he was talking to someone who was a little slow to understand.
While she appreciated that Alex stuck up for her, Cassie preferred to fight her own battles.
Mr. Hollis turned around and glowered at Alex. "She's the wolf expert here. If I want your opinion, Sonny, I'll ask for it. Otherwise, mind your own business."
Alex arched a brow and offered a little smile. He was almost as much of an expert on wolves as Cassie was, although being one part time, she did have the advantage. She was glad he kept his mouth shut and didn't say anything further.
A student raised his hand, and Hollis didn't say anything further while she answered the students' questions. Cassie was relieved to see most of the ranchers quit the place. Not Mr. Hollis. She hoped she didn't have to deal with him afterward. And Alex. How in the world was she going to lose him as she attempted to slip into the wilds to study the rare red in the woods?
Of course, Leidolf was the other major problem. He already suspected she'd seen a wolf. She frowned. It couldn't have been one of his people, could it? She sure hoped not. And now because of the tire situation, she was stuck dealing with him a little while longer. At least until she paid one of his men for repairing her tires and thanked him for the gesture. She definitely didn't want Leidolf learning she was one of his kind. The sooner she was as far away from him and any members of his pack as she could get, the better.
Another girl's hand shot up, and she proposed her question. Cassie loved educating students since they were more eager to learn than adults. But right now, she was ready to slip away before anything else went wrong tonight. And she was afraid it would--as soon as she tried to get away from Leidolf without telling him about the wolf she'd actually seen.
Chapter 2
As soon as Cassie finished responding to questions, Hollis moved in to harass her at the podium. Leidolf intercepted him, not intending to let him bother Cassie further, while the students gathered around her to ask about her chosen career field. Dividing Leidolf's attention, the blond guy also inched closer to get a word with Cassie.
The other ranchers shook their heads and left.
"What?" Hollis said to Leidolf as he blocked the sheepherder's path. "Don't tell me you love wolves, too. You raise cattle!"
"She's just an educator. That's all."
Hollis shifted his glower from Leidolf to Cassie. "She ought to be in some other kind of business, the way she looks. If she starts advocating that we allow Oregon to be a safe haven for wolves..." He gave Leidolf another scowl. "A lot of ranchers will turn into hunters, is all I got to say." He stalked out of the building.
Glad Hollis had left, Leidolf folded his arms and looked at Cassie. He was surprised how much she understood about wolves. She truly was an expert, knowing them inside and out. His admiration of her went even deeper. The love she had for them was what really struck him.
"Have you ever slept with real wolves?" a wide-eyed girl asked. "My German shepherd sleeps with me on campouts. Would the wolves you've studied in the wild let you get that close?"
Cassie glanced at Leidolf.
He was used to reading people, and yet he was getting mixed feelings from her expression. Worry that she might say the wrong thing to the older teen girl, maybe? He wasn't certain. What got to him was the way her eyes suddenly became glazed with tears.
Cassie quickly looked back at the girl and said, "Uhm, no. They're wild, and even though I grew close to the packs, even howling so they would gather around me as if I were one of the pack, I didn't... didn't sleep with them."
The hitch in her voice, the change in her tone, the tension in her posture made Leidolf think she had slept with them. Why would she be upset about it? Why not tell the truth?
"Did you ever miss the pack when you left them?" another girl asked.
Cassie smiled, but the look was sad. She swallowed hard. "Of course."
"Any that were really special? I mean, weren't they like all the same to you?" the first girl asked.
Cassie shook her head. "No. All wolves are different. Ever have dogs?"
The girl nodded.
The other said, "Yeah, two cockapoos. You know, cocker spaniel-poodles. And they're really different from each other. One's really friendly with everyone. The other just with us."
"The same with wolves," Cassie said. "One I called Crooked Tail. He had fur that stood up every which way, no matter if he went swimming with us or..."
"You swam with the wolves?" one of the boys asked.
Her gaze flicked back to Leidolf as if she wanted to know what he thought of the matter. Her swimming with the wolves did surprise him. He'd expected she'd sit back with notepad and pen, journaling everything that the wolves did. He hadn't expected her to howl to gather them or swim with them.
He smiled. She didn't. She seemed uptight about having mentioned it at all. She nodded to the boy. "Yes. Anyway, no matter what he did, his fur always stuck out every which way."
"And he had a crooked tail," one of the girls said.
"Yes. And he was kind of a clown. Seemed to go along with everything else." Cassie sounded more lighthearted now.
She waited patiently for the next question, but one of the boys looked at his watch and said, "I gotta go to work. Thanks for all the cool stuff."
"You're welcome." Cassie seemed relieved when the questioning drew to a close and began gathering her notes.
The teens all headed outside, talking about school ending in a few weeks for summer break, and Millie thanked Cassie and then handed her an envelope.
"Cassie, imagine my surprise to see you here," the blond guy said, taking Millie's place as she tidied up the room.
Cassie immediately rolled her eyes at the man and slipped her lecture notes into her leather case along with the envelope from Millie. "Alex, as many times as you've found me, you'd think you'd come up with something more original to say."