she didn’t know as well, most of them females, “Probably Steele’s fan club.”

"Sonya, there you are. You're just in time," Jake called as Steele finished stretching himself out, "Well Steele, are you feeling any better?”

“Why yes, thank you,” Steele replied, “I guess a little rest is all I needed.”

“Can you tell us what happened to you?” Bruno asked.

“I don’t know…… it’s all a blur…”

“Hey Steele, why don’t you start with when you got lost,” Sonya started.

“I didn’t get lost,” Steele snapped, “What would make you say something like that?”

“Well, it would explain why you are here,” she replied.

“Sonya, what are you getting at?” Jake asked.

“This morning I overheard my humans talking about him. They said that he had been on something called the ‘serum run’ and had gotten separated from his team,” she replied, “However, I’m sure that Steele could gladly shed some more light on this.”

Steele scowled as he realized that Sonya was already a step ahead of him. He would have to think of something to say fast, “I can’t tell them what really happened. If anyone else ever found out what I did, it would be like Nome all over again. I’m going to have to think of something else to tell them. Something that is gripping, and doesn’t make me look bad.”

----------

Chapter 2: Something’s Not Right

“Well Steele, we’re waiting,” Sonya said impatiently as Steele quickly prepared his cover story.

“Okay, here it goes,” he started, “I was the lead dog on a run from Nenana to Nome. Several of the kids in Nome had gotten ill and medicine had to be delivered to them. My team had already picked up the medicine, but on the return trip to Nome, things started to turn for the worse. We were running in the middle of a blizzard so I could barely see what was in front of me. Then, out of nowhere, we ran right off the edge of a cliff. I must have blacked out from the impact because the next thing I knew, I was waking up and there was no trace of my team,” So far, most of the story was true; however Steele had conveniently left out a few details. He had gotten his team lost and he hadn’t been knocked out in the fall. After hours of sitting in the cold, the last dog he wanted to see appeared. Balto, a wolfdog whom Steele despised, came to them claiming that he could lead the team home. However, Steele was not about to let any stray half-wolf take his team. This race was his to win - not Balto’s. He tried to stop Balto, but he missed on one of his lunges and fell off another cliff. By the time Steele had climbed back up, Balto was leading his team, along with his glory, away from him.

However, that would not be the story that Steele would tell them. No, his version would make no mention of Balto at all. To make the next part more convincing, he sniffled a little, adding a sadder tone to his voice, “I don’t know if the rest of the team made it, or even if the medicine survived the fall. Oh those poor kids; I tried so hard for them,” he said before burying his face in his paws.

“Oh, you poor thing,” one of the female dogs said, but Sonya only rolled her eyes. She had always been able to tell when Steele was exaggerating. Underneath his paws, Steele grinned wildly, “Hehe, those dupes are actually buying it,” he put a worried look on his face as looked back out at them, “I wandered for days, hoping I would find them, but instead I ended up here. I - I didn’t make it for them,” Steele said, adding a few whimpers, “Steele, you can do better than this,” Suddenly, he howled out a cry and some of the other dogs came over to comfort him, “Yup, if I just keep playing the tragic hero, I’ll have them rolling over for me in no time.”

“Pull yourself together Steele, this story has a happy ending,” Sonya cut in, interrupting his fake sobs, “It turns out that your team had been found and someone managed to take your place and lead them home. The medicine was delivered and I guess the children were saved.”

“But who took the lead?” Misha asked.

“Now that’s where the story takes an unexpected turn. Jonathan said that it was some stray half-wolf that led them home. A half-wolf named Balto.”

Sonya heard Steele give out a low growl, which he tried to cover up by turning it into a cough, “So, a wolfdog…… led them home. Well that’s…… that’s great. I’m glad those kids are all right,” he said flatly. Sonya couldn’t ignore how unimpressed Steele sounded when he had heard that the team had made it home. She knew that he didn’t like wolfdogs at all and would probably have his ego bruised a little by being replaced, but wouldn’t he be happy or at least surprised to hear that his team had made it home safely?

“A wolfdog led them home? How could a mutt like that lead a team?” one of the other dogs shot in.

“Never underestimate what wolves are capable of,” Jake replied, “If Sonya here has shown us anything, it’s that hybrids are always more than they seem on the outside,” Sonya shot the dog a nasty look and that shut him up.

“There’s one more thing I think you should know Steele,” Sonya added, “Your owner is looking for you. I’m sure that if we got one of the humans, they would find you and get you back home.”

“No!” he said sharply, “I mean, you don’t need to trouble yourself with that.”

“No? Why not? Don’t you want to see your team again?” she asked.

“Not exactly,” he muttered.

Once again, Sonya’s sensitive ears caught his comment, “Sorry, what was that?”

“I didn’t say anything,” he said quickly, “I just don’t think you should trouble yourselves.”

“Why not? Don’t you want to go back to Nome?” she asked.

Sonya was becoming a little too nosy for his taste; he would have to get them out of here quickly, “Uh, actually guys, I’m starting to feel a little off again. Could I have some time alone to rest?” he asked. The others nodded in agreement and started to leave the room. Sonya held back, looking at him with a puzzled expression, but eventually she too left.

“I’ve got to be more careful about what I say. I can’t let what I did slip out,” he thought. He couldn’t let them know that after Balto had taken his place, he had sabotaged the marks Balto had left in order to get rid of the wolfdog. While the team had gotten even more lost, he returned to Nome and told them that the entire team had died. However, Balto somehow managed to get the team home, exposing him as a liar. Once the dogs caught him, he was banished from the town, leading him to where he was now, “Those traitors in Nome may have cast me out, but the dogs here will probably take me in. After all, I'm Alaska’s champion dog. I’ll just lay low here for a little while and start fresh. As long as this town’s wolfdog doesn’t get too nosy, I’ll be fine. Soon, I’ll be in charge again and it’ll be just like the old days. Before I ever met Balto.”

----------

As they walked back home, Sonya had to let her suspicions be known, “Alright, call me crazy, but I know I can’t be the only one that noticed how Steele reacted when we gave him the news,” she said.

“Or how evasive he was before you mentioned the serum run,” Jake added.

“So you noticed it too huh?” Sonya asked and he nodded in reply.

“If he was part of an important run, why didn’t he tell us in the first place?" Misha added, "If he thought his team had been hurt, why wouldn’t he have told us about them the second we found him last night?”

“Also, when we told him that his team was safe and the medicine had been delivered, he barely seemed surprised. It was almost like he already knew that it had happened,” Sonya continued.

“Did any of you hear the growl he gave out when we told him that a wolfdog came and helped the team?” Jake asked, “I know he tried to cover it with a cough, but I know a growl when I hear one.”

“I heard it too Jake,” Sonya replied, “I know better than anyone else that he doesn’t like hybrids, but wouldn’t he be happy that his team made it home?”

“Maybe his ego was bruised and he didn’t like the idea of being left behind. You know how much he loves the spotlight,” Bruno suggested.

“I know, but this isn't adding up,” she said, “Something doesn’t feel right about this. You all saw how he reacted when we told him that his owner was wanting to bring him back to Nome right?”

“You mean how he almost jumped out of his skin?” Misha replied.

“Exactly. Why would something like that make a dog like him so nervous?” Sonya asked.

“What are you saying?” Jake asked, “That Steele doesn’t want to be found here?”

“Maybe, but we can’t be sure without any proof,” she replied.

“So how do we get some proof?” Felix asked.

“Easy. We get him found,” Sonya replied. There was no hiding that Sonya didn't trust Steele's answer. From the second she met him, she had never