I was running through tall grass, the sun warm on my skin, laughter bubbling up inside me. Three small brown wolf pups tumbled around my feet, their little bodies wriggling with excitement as they nipped playfully at my ankles. I knelt down, letting them climb all over me, their tiny pink tongues licking my hands, my face.
Mine, I thought, joy flooding through me. My babies.
The smallest pup had a crescent mark on its cheek, just like mine. It yipped happily as I scratched behind its ears. The other two wrestled nearby, rolling in the grass, their tiny tails wagging furiously.
“They’re beautiful,” said a voice behind me. I turned to see Kieran, his face softer than I’d ever seen it, his green eyes warm with something that made my chest ache.
I reached for him, wanting to draw him close
