Chapter 45

Ashley clicked on the cab light of her four-by-four vehicle – the one she takes on an assignment to unfavorable environments– to check out the crude map a buddy in the Arizona Fish and Game department had sneaked to her. It seemed she was lost. Although she'd found the referenced mile marker with no trouble at all, the map, unfortunately, didn’t show the Forest Service route number, nor was there any indication that two roads forked with the main highway.



She scowled up at the dark Arizona sky, taking it rather personally that the weather report hadn't mentioned snow, then checked her watch. It wasn't even five o'clock, but the sun had long ago disappeared into layers of blustering clouds. She felt pretty blustery herself. She wondered why her boss had insisted she was the one who must come for this particular sighting.



From the onset of this grueling drive through the narrow, twisting roads of the primitive Blue Range, her mood had been glum. She'd driven all night from the comfort of her home to offer her help on this expedition, only to meet a reception as chilly as this unexpected March storm.



Captain Meri Alersbeque of the Arizona Highway Patrol had given her a fishy look as if she were somehow personally responsible for the recent slaughters.



"Thank you, Miss Ashley," he'd said dryly. "But every jurisdiction in the state is wanting to horn in on Misson squad. We have enough radicals on the team. We don't need another one."



She'd swallowed the insult without retort, although at no little cost to herself, and tried to tell the short chubby, and pompous man that the carnage couldn't be the work of wolves. Not even bothering to mention that the Mexican wolf had been living in peace with humans for decades, she brought it up regardless.



"Contrary to fairy tales, books, and reports, wolves didn't mutilate their prey by ripping off limbs and tearing out entrails. They killed it, then ate it."



Also, there was the question of the infant boy. A forest ranger had found the baby wailing from cold and hunger amid the torn remains of its parents. If, by remote possibility, wolves had been responsible for the carnage, why would they have spared the weakest victim?

None of it made sense.



"And what would make us believe you over books and reports?" Captain Meri asked dryly.



"The Hybrid leader is my boyfriend, idiot!" She'd thought, of course, she couldn't say that.



She just sighed and smiled at the captain and then went on to explain that she wouldn't even have come if it wasn't for the sightings. But three separate groups of backpackers had reported seeing a large canine deep in Ebony Canyon. Since few people were skilled enough to hike so far back into the rugged country, Dana gave some credence to their reports. Those men and women understood the wilderness, knew animal tracks and spoor and were not given to panic attacks.



Still, even the best of her limited persuasion skills got her nowhere, so Ashley decided to strike out on her own, despite the captain's chilly reception.

The idea of finding a truly feral pack that had experienced little or no contact with a man thrilled her. Though she knew it was a long shot, she had to check it out for herself. Something she couldn't do sitting in her Ranger, trying to figure but which way to go.

She shut off the dome light, pulled up her parka hood, and stepped from the Ranger.



Snowfall was still light, but a capricious wind periodically whipped the flakes into whirlwinds. The highway was deserted. She hadn't passed or been passed by anyone for over an hour. Of course, sensible people were home in front of warm fires, not standing at the fork of a remote road shivering in the wind. The waning sun cast soft, hazy light from somewhere behind the thunderheads, which combined with the falling snow to create a fog that made Ashley think of the mists of Avalon. She stuck her tongue out playfully, caught a soft crystal, and let it melt in her mouth.



She loved the wilderness. Loved the pine smell, the murmuring sounds that soothed her soul, loved feasting her eyes on the unspoiled beauty. Warm fire or not, she'd rather be here any day of the week. Now she wished she wasn't human, she wished she was a wolf, she wished she could be with Logan for the longest time. She sniffed the crisp air, a habit she'd developed from staying with wolves. They did it to check the terrain for prey or predators. Since she lacked their keen olfactory nerves, it served no such purpose for her.

She'd spent so much time with her animals she was beginning to act like them.



A gust of wind blew under the edge of her parka. She tightened the drawstring, then started walking toward the intersecting roads. They were a four-wheeler's nightmare—unpaved, splotched with ice, and barely wide enough to allow two cars to pass without scraping sides. Judging by the deep ruts, a snowplow had been through recently, leaving cliffs of snow on the sides of each road.



Ashley approached the fork where the roads met the highway and squinted through the gathering low fog. Maybe the north road. After all, she was headed in that direction.

Faulty logic, she had to admit, but if the choice turned out badly, she could always backtrack.

So what if she ended up camping here all night? Her Ranger was well-equipped. Her main concern was that Captain Meri and the Missons would start their search without her.



Of course, the unit would have to contend with the storm, too. Besides, despite the excited skip of her heart every time she thought of it, she would undoubtedly learn that there weren't any wolves around. Her best guess was that some fly-by-night zoo owner had released a captive animal into the wild after learning how expensive they were to feed. Maybe a bear, or even some large jungle cat. Not wolves.



Perhaps a delay wouldn't hurt. She could sure use a solid night's sleep.