"Sasha is a wolf," I said carefully, redirecting a little to hopefully easier topics. "Will she shift soon? Or has she already?"

"Pups don't shift for the first time until they're around four or five," Archer explained. "They keep warmer that way with the extra fur while they're little."

"I see." A sudden idea occurred to me, and it made my blood pound with anticipation. "When I first woke up here, you offered Sasha to me to hold." I sawed my teeth across my lower ...