The Wolf’s Forbidden Mate by Layla Silver

Chapter 3 — Travis

I wandered into the waiting room of Allegra’s office where plastic plants sat in every corner. Their synthetic leaves were a contrast to the graying scenery outside, a sign that inclement weather was coming. Chilly rain would soon follow and my bones would freeze as soon as I walked back outside.

I shook off my light jacket and sank into a cushioned chair, listening to the hiss of air escaping the plastic that mingled with the sound of muzak playing over the speakers. The secretary desk was empty. I chalked that up to the fact that either Allegra hadn’t gotten along with the new secretary or she assumed she didn’t need one.

She is all about control, I reflected while playing with the frayed fibers on the knee of my jeans. The fabric was about to split. Alpha leaders can be like that, but especially this one.

The rather large double doors seated on the other side of the secretary desk parted, hinges creaking loudly as Allegra stepped partially into the waiting room.

“Travis, hello,” she greeted while waving me into her office.

I nodded as I stood up, bowing my head. “Allegra.”

“Please.” She waved more urgently and then glanced at her watch. “I’m packed with meetings today.”

I walked briskly past her and took a seat, popping open the folder I had placed in my lap. I pulled out a few excel sheets I had created to present to her. If I could appeal to Allegra at all, it would be to her business side. The shelter was a business. I just needed to make sure it kept running like a business—or it would end like a business, too.

“As you know, I’ve been running the Paw Pride Shelter for years,” I explained as I set a sheet on her desk. She hovered near her seat, not quite sitting down or reaching for the page, but eyeing it carefully. “We’ve dipped over the years and have hit some pretty hard times.”

“As have most businesses.”

I swallowed the quip that had lodged itself at the back of my tongue. I gave her a tight grin and nodded, continuing, “We’re skating on fumes at this point. Well, it’s more like the fumes of fumes. We’re really not surviving at all, Allegra. We really need help.”

“And why should I care about this?”

“Because it’s part of your pride.”

She studied me carefully, her eyes appearing glassy for a second as she turned thoughtfully toward the window. The sun had broken through the clouds and cast bright patches over the landscape outside, illuminating lush, pink cherry blossoms that had sprouted throughout the lawn. Evergreen bushes that were expertly trimmed marked a pathway leading from one building to another.

She cleared her throat and turned back to me, eyes narrowing slightly. “I’m afraid I can’t do it.”

“Why not?”

“My decision to not grant additional funds is due to the fact that the shelter is insignificant to the pride.”

I shook my head. “That’s ridiculous, Allegra. We’ve been able to—”

“You said you were sinking. I can’t imagine what you’re going to say next is going to help your case. Any benefit the shelter might have provided in the past has long since passed.”

“That’s unfair to say. We could easily recover with your help.”

She shook her head as the right corner of her lips tugged up into what I supposed was a half-ass attempt at a smile. “The numbers on that sheet are astounding, Travis. I don’t think you could recover at all, even with my assistance.”

“What about the city? The people in the city? Don’t you think it helps to have a place where cats can go and get adopted? I mean, we’re panthers.”

Her head tilted slightly as though she were actually considering the question. If I couldn’t appeal to her business side, then I would at least try to draw out her goodness. I knew she had it in her. She had to have it in her. She couldn’t possibly be this rigid piece of ice all the time.

She licked her lips carefully. “I can’t help you, Travis.”

“Think of the benefit. We could bridge the gap between packs, too. We could have—”

“Mixed babies? Again?”

I took a shuddering breath. I pushed too far. “It would mean the world to me if you could help my shelter, Allegra. It’s very much a part of the pack as much as I am.”

“I’m sorry, Travis. I simply can’t help you. You’re dismissed.”

She turned to the window, approaching it casually as though she had just ordered a whipped cream latte with two extra shots of espresso. It was that easy for her to pass everything off. It was that insignificant. Of course, it was. To her, the men in the pride were nothing more than breeding machines. I had pushed enough. If I argued anymore with Allegra, then she would snuff me out like a candle flame in a winter storm.

I stood quickly, grabbed the sheet I had placed on her desk, and retreated from the office, leaving the double doors open behind me as I made my exit. I pulled on my jacket as I walked into the crisp chill of the afternoon, the sun retreating behind a set of clouds as I unlocked my car. I sank into the driver’s seat and stared at the entrance to the building.

What are we going to do now? I considered how many cats we had in the shelter and how few families had come through to adopt recently—which was practically zero. It wasn’t looking good. I guess I just have to come up with a solution on my own.

My shoulders ached as I started the car and made my way back to work. Oliver and I did our usual rounds of care. I met with a few regular clients who brought their cats in for check-ups and headed home that evening, drifting listlessly into my country house and locking the door behind me.

I gazed at the queen-sized bed in the far corner of the room, the sparse furniture, the kitchenette to the right. My stomach growled when I thought about making dinner, but I wasn’t in the mood to cook and I certainly wasn’t in the mood to pick anything up. It wasn’t like I could afford it.

After settling in, a knock echoed from the door. I peeked through the peephole to see Milton standing on the other side. I smiled weakly as I let him in.

“Hey, buddy,” he said as he held up a brown paper bag. “Hungry?”

“Is that wanton soup?”

“Can’t fool that nose of yours.”

“You drove all the way out here to feed me?”

I chuckled as I gestured for him to come inside. He sank into the tattered couch and propped his boots up on the coffee table. For a panther, he sure wasn’t particularly graceful. We had been best friends for years, pretty much our entire lives. I knew everything about him.

Which meant I knew exactly why he was here.

“Heard about your plea,” he said while handing me a plastic container full of hot soup.

I accepted the container as I sat next to him. “Yeah, it went really well.”

“Sounds like Allegra gave you the business.”

“As she does.”

He shrugged. “I’m her accountant, so I have the inside scoop if you want to know.”

“Is that legal?”

“I mean, I’m not supposed to say anything directly to you, but suppose I had a quick look at the books.”

I raised my eyebrows as I pried the lid off the soup container. “And?”

“And I shouldn’t even tell my best friend about the fact that Allegra doesn’t have any money.”

“No money?”

He shook his head. “Nothing.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Not to someone who isn’t an accountant.”

I rolled my eyes. “Alright, Mr. Smart Ass.”

He chuckled as he swirled a white plastic spoon into his soup. “The way she’s been behaving with the ski resort has all but turned two investors away.”

“How’s she acting with the ski resort?”

“That I can’t say.”

I shook my head. “Not so smart after all.”

“She’s desperate to cut funds wherever she can. I wouldn’t take the rejection personally.”

“I feel like we’ve had this conversation before.”

He smirked in my direction. “About a girl named Sara, I think.”

“Or was it Samantha?”

“Who knows?”

I laughed. “So, she’s in hot water herself. That doesn’t bode well for the pride.”

“Yeah, but she’s still a great alpha, isn’t she?”

“You know my opinion about Allegra.”

He shrugged off the comment. “She’s doing her best.”

“I think that changes from day to day.”

“Isn’t that how it is with everyone?”

Not like this. Not when an entire pride of panthers is relying on you for support. I shook away the thought and set the container on the coffee table. I nudged Milton’s boots off the wood, chuckling when he hissed. I sighed. This is ridiculous.

“You’re not hungry?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“You’re depressed. Is there another girl?”

“No, I’m worried about the shelter, Milton.”

He sighed as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “That bad, huh?”

“It’s awful. We’re so deep in debt that I can’t even see the way out.”

“You knew that place would drain you.”

I glared at him. “I wasn’t about to abandon a bunch of cats.”

“I know. I get it. I’m not making fun of you. I just...Don’t you think you’re wasting your time?”

“It’s never a waste of time to help animals.”

He nodded thoughtfully, scooping soup into his mouth and humming contentedly. “I get it.”

“Do you?”

“I mean, I’m trying to get it. I’m a simple guy. I like simple things.”

I laughed. “You’re a nut.”

“And you’re my best friend. So, what does that make you?”

I smiled warmly as I said, “That makes me insane.”

We spent another hour together before he left. As soon as the house plunged into silence, I filled the space with the sound of my desperate sigh. I scrubbed my forehead. I ran my fingers through my hair. I shrugged my shoulders and paced around the kitchenette, along the brick wall leading to my bedroom, and then following the opposite brick wall toward the tattered couch and television. I kept pacing my home until my legs ached.

I whacked my forehead lightly, rhythmically. How am I supposed to fix this?

While I loved puzzles, I didn’t particularly enjoy this one. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. If I paid off the debts, then there wouldn’t be any money left to pay for supplies—or to pay Oliver for his time. I knew I didn’t have to pay him much, but I wanted to give him something substantial for his efforts. The man had to eat.

I went to my computer, booted it up, and opened up the events page for the city of Boston. There were dozens of artists in the area. Actually, there were more than a dozen. If I could scrape together some funds, then I could put together a fair with an art auction to help raise more money for the shelter.

And if it fails, then that’s it. We’re done, I reflected glumly. But I have to try. I have to do everything I can before we officially sink.

Feeling a renewed sense of energy, I opened a blank document on the screen and started typing up precisely what we would need to make the auction happen. I could put out flyers in town as a call to all artists. I could email our clients about it to see if anyone could donate their time or even just a little bit of money to get things going.

I nodded as I typed, feeling the flow of creative energy echoing from my fingertips. By the time I had a proper action plan in place, it was late and I needed to get to bed. I shut off my computer, stripped away my clothes, and turned out the lights. I crawled beneath the thin sheets on my bed and sprawled out, staring into the inky blackness around me.

It might be a pointless effort, but I had to try. If I didn’t try, then I couldn’t say I did everything. And the cats were worth it. They needed homes and families, good families. I couldn’t just release them back into the city and I certainly couldn’t keep them here.

I sighed as I closed my eyes. Tomorrow was a new day. I could worry about it tomorrow.