Claire nodded and forced herself to move more slowly. In her human form, she couldn’t communicate with her mother silently. Marie lifted her head and stared straight at Claire for a moment before she slunk to the front of the cage and pressed her flank against the bars. Ignoring Matthew’s astonished gasp, Claire knelt down and pressed her forehead against the soft fur of her mother’s neck. The wolf whimpered too softly for human ears to hear. Hot tears leaked out of Claire’s eyes and dripped down onto her mother’s pelt. Claire stroked her mother’s haunches, feeling the bones underneath. On top of everything else, Dr. Engle wasn’t feeding her enough.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. Matthew was only a few feet away, so it was hard to talk quietly enough that he wouldn’t hear, and there was so much Claire wanted to say. “I’m going to get you out before the full moon,” she murmured, fighting off the dragging weight of her sadness.
Matthew’s shoes squeaked on the linoleum when he finally walked up to the cage. “You really aren’t scared of anything, are you?”
Claire looked up at him. “I’m not scared of this wolf,” she said. “I can’t believe anyone thinks it’s okay to treat her like this.”
Claire mistook the astonishment that flashed across Matthew’s face when she turned to him. He’s surprised that I’m crying.
“How—how did you know it was a female?” He knelt down next to her.
Oh, crap.
“I—I think I heard it on TV,” Claire stammered. Her mother’s ears pricked up, and Claire felt the muscles in the wolf’s side ripple in concern.
“Really?” Matthew cautiously ran his fingertips along the wolf’s shoulder. “Huh. Dad really wanted to keep that secret. He’ll be megapissed if it’s gotten out.”
“Oh,” Claire said. “Maybe I’m mixed up. I thought I’d heard that, but it must have just been a lucky guess.” Change the subject, change the subject! “Um, how many times have you visited it?” Talking about her mother this way when she was close enough to touch made Claire nauseous.
“A few times,” Matthew said. “It took me a while to get brave enough to pet it like this, though.” While he stroked the wolf, Claire made the most of her night vision, looking for a way to get her mother out of the cage. The bars were solid—too solid to be harmed even by a werewolf in its prime. Obviously, or Mom would already be free. They have to keep a key around here somewhere. …
Claire’s mother began to pant, and Claire could smell the hunger on her breath. “Is there any meat around here?” she asked Matthew.
“You—you want to feed it?”
“She looks hungry.” Claire used the word “she” carefully. The sooner she could get Matthew to see that the animal in front of them wasn’t a thing, but a feeling, thinking creature, the better.
Matthew pursed his lips. “There’s food in the fridge, but my dad says if it’s fed too much, it’ll get bloodlust and they might not be able to control it.”
“Do you think there’s a chance he’s wrong about that, too?” Claire stared at him intently. “Matthew, he’s starving her.” She got up and walked to the refrigerator. Let him chew on that one for a minute. Inside the immaculate fridge, test tubes and bottles covered the top rack, but the bottom two shelves were stuffed full of family-sized packages of hot dogs. Cheap hot dogs, Claire noted with disgust. She bent down and grabbed four packages of the food from the bottom shelf. After she pulled the other packages forward, it didn’t even look like anything was missing.
Claire hurried back to the cage and knelt down in front of it. Matthew stared at her strangely while she ripped off the plastic wrappers and slid the meat through the bars. The smell of it hit her like a slap—it was no better than dog food. Her mother dragged the hot dogs to the back corner of her cage and gulped it down. The whine of relief that whistled through her nose as she ate sent desperation zipping through Claire. She couldn’t leave her mother here for one more minute, not with what Dr. Engle was making her endure.
Claire looked at Matthew, her patience worn thin. “What?” There was more sting to the question that she’d meant to show.
He leaned back. “Sorry. It’s just—I didn’t expect anyone to understand why I didn’t hate it—I mean, hate her. But you seem to feel even sorrier for her than I do. I’m just surprised, that’s all.”
Claire ran a hand across her forehead. She really had to be more careful. “You told me she wasn’t dangerous,” she said. “And I trust you.” Flustered, Claire turned to ball up the trash from the hot dogs. It’s the truth. I do trust him.
Matthew’s warm hand brushed her hair back from her face and he leaned toward her. Out of the corner of her eye, Claire saw her mother cock her head at them. Before he could kiss her, Claire ducked to the side and gave him a brief hug. There’s no way I’m kissing anyone in front of my mother.
“It’s late,” she whispered. “We should get home before Lisbeth kills me.”
“Oh, yeah, you’re right.”
Claire could feel his confusion through the shift of the muscles in his back.
“Thanks for bringing me,” she whispered. Claire pulled away from him and they both looked at the caged wolf.
“We’ll come back soon,” Matthew said.
Claire couldn’t tell if he was talking to her or to her mother. He started back to the door. Claire hesitated. She stared into her mother’s gold-flecked eyes.
“Be ready,” Claire mouthed. “I’m coming back for you.”