shaking. I steadied him, and found myself looking into his soft, tender brown eyes again. “You saved me?” he asked quietly.

I nodded. “You were the only dog left alive. The others had all frozen, even one dog who had lain himself on top of you to keep you warm. You have…Ranger to thank for your life.”

“Ranger,” Scout murmured to himself, “What a friend. Jewel’s going to be heartbroken. And his pups, too, especially little Jen…” He stopped mumbling and stared straight into me. “I also have you to thank. I wouldn’t have lasted out there long, even with Ranger’s sacrifice. I owe you my life. Thanks.”

I felt my face flooding red, but luckily the cave was too dark for Scout to see. ‘What is the matter with you?’ I scolded myself, ‘You’re not falling for a sled dog, are you?’ In truth I didn’t really know what was going on. The situation just kept getting more and more awkward.

Sensing stirrings around us and not wanting to wake the rest of the pack with our talk, I led Scout to the entrance of the cave so as not to disturb anyone. He didn’t object, and when we got to the entrance we both looked up to see the moon shining palely like a yellowed pearl in a black-as-coal sky. Scout breathed in the crisp night air. “Beautiful.” His gaze flicked up to me. “Oh, by the way, I’m Scout.” He glanced down at his leather collar where his name was crudely etched into it by a wobbly hand. “But I guess you already knew that, huh?”

I laughed, something I hadn’t done in a long time. It felt odd in my throat, and I stopped to escape the strange feeling. “Yes, I knew. Well, Scout, where are you going, now that your life has been spared?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t have much of a home. I’m one of the delivery dogs, one of the sled dogs that deliver the mail for Nome. The musher lets me sleep in his shed and puts out food for me…well, he did…but I don’t have a lot to go back to.”

“What about Jewel and those pups you were talking about?” I persisted. I didn’t think him staying with the pack was an option. Unfortunately, he did.

“I couldn’t stay with Jewel. You know rumors would go flying around about that. Jewel and the pups will be hurt when the news comes about Ranger, but they’ll be fine…I can’t go back to Nome without becoming a charity case.” He looked up at me quickly. “CouldIstaywiththepack?” he blurted out.

“What?”

“Could I stay with your pack?” Seeing my expression, he tried to convince me. “I’m sorry to be getting into this so…abruptly, but I’ve always wondered what it would be like to live among wolves. You’re the most beautiful animals I’ve ever seen, and you have real freedom. You don’t have ‘a dog’s life.’ You’re wild, free. No one owns you, no one has to say ‘He’s mine’ like you’re a lifeless part of property. You wolves have it all. I want to be like that. I want that freedom, Aniu.”

The sound of my name rolling from his lips jolted me from my shock. “Scout, you’ve got to be crazy. No dog can live among wolves!”

He looked at me with pleading eyes. In them I thought I saw a hopeful presence soaring like a jet-black raven through his heart. I looked away, knowing his wild spirit would get him into trouble someday. “Seminole won’t like it.”

“Your pack leader? I’ll put up a compromise. Anything. Just so I can live now what I’ve always wanted to, even before I almost died. This is my second chance, Aniu. I’m going to take it.”

I looked up at the radiant moon. It glowed with a dusty, ethereal light that set my soul afire. “Nice night,” I said with a small smile playing on my face. Scout knew I was saying yes to his plea.

“Beautiful,” he replied softly, but when I turned I saw he was staring at me. We looked at each other for a few tense moments, and then I was stretching out my neck and he was leaning into me, and we twined around each other in a soft, smooth embrace.

As I nuzzled into his thick fur one part of my mind screamed, ‘Aniu! What in the world do you think you’re doing? Look at you, cuddling up to a dog! You’ve got to get control of yourself! You’re acting positively scandalous!’

But another part noted how strong in will and body Scout was, and how he seemed to fit so perfectly around me, as if he were made for me. I wasn’t sure which voice I would listen to, but I did know this: I was in love with Scout the sled dog, and not even the anger of the pack could break the bond that had emotionally joined us together.

And so began my epic romance with Scout. We arranged times to meet, mostly in the early morning, when we could be alone and just talk, but it was hard to hide our growing feelings for each other.

The pack seemed pleased enough that Scout was alive and recovering, but they definitely wanted him to go. Scout asked Seminole if he could join the pack, using the same speech that had melted my stiff heart. After much cajoling and clamoring on Scout’s part and some simple arguing on mine, Seminole agreed to have Scout in the pack for a month. If Scout hadn’t died or embarrassed the pack in a major way by then, he could stay.

Scout kissed me right on the mouth when he told me the news, and we both flushed, but I knew he and I had liked it. The rest of the pack noticed our blossoming affection and most of the wolves made a point of avoiding me as well as Scout, and frankly Silver Snow was shocked and enraged when she heard the gossip. I tried to ignore all the insults and gossip swirling around Scout and I, but it was almost impossible. While Scout was away hunting or running errands for Seminole, I was called shameless, a flirt, stupid, and many other names I would care not to mention. The only time I wasn’t truly miserable was either very late in the evening or early morning when I was with Scout.

One night about two weeks into Scout’s trial, I suddenly burst out about how the whole pack had turned against me and the jeers that everyone openly slapped in my face until I was ready to weep in outrage or tear every wolf limb from limb. Scout muffled my sobs against his shoulder, and when I was limp from shrieking he looked me right in the eye.

“I’m sorry I’ve made such a mess, Aniu,” he said gently, “For once I am truly sorry. But don’t think you’re the only one who has names tagged to her back every new day. I’ve had to put up with tons of stuff about my ‘dog blood’, and I don’t think it’s going to get any better from here on out.”

“Do you think it’s all worth it just to stay with the pack?” I asked.

“As long as I can howl with wolves every morning before each hunt; yes, it’s worth it,” he said with a fierce gleam in his eye, “As long as I can join in the hunts and do my leader proud; yes, it’s worth it.” He looked deep down into me. “As long as I can be with you; yes, it’s worth it.”

I felt my face heat and lowered my eyes as I turned away, my heart warm and pounding. Scout longingly licked my face and neck, burrowing into me, but I pushed him away as an alarm rang in my head. “Stop it.”

He froze in surprise. “Why?”

“Because it’s wrong.” I couldn’t stop myself from rubbing my head under his chin, but I pulled back just in time. “Look at us. A dog and a wolf? In love? It’s just wrong.”

His powerful gaze drew me up until I was staring into his brown eyes. “Is love ever wrong?” he asked softly.

I gave in then. Resting my head against his neck, he nestled into me as I stroked the splash of gray on his back. Scout wound around and around me until I lay on the ground on my back and he stood above me. He dove down and kissed me so long and hard I gasped in delight when he finally tore his mouth away.

“You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do that to you,” he said with a grin. I smiled and rolled him down to lay beside me, nuzzling into his chest. We were both a bit breathless, and as my head rose up and down on top of his heaving chest, a question came to mind that I had pondered for a long time.

“Scout, after I rescued you and you were brought to the pack cave, you seemed to awaken for a few seconds and said something strange to me.”

“What did I say?” Scout asked, sounding interested.

“You said ‘White angel, my angel,’ and then you went unconscious again. What did you mean?”

Scout grinned slyly. “I thought I had reached some kind of heaven where a gorgeous white wolf came to me and sang this incredible song. I fell in love with her instantly. I thought she was an angel.” His tender eyes sank into mine. “Turns out I was right.”

I pressed my paws against his chest as he pulled me into him, nuzzling deeply. Happiness blinded me as we made our love true to one another. Scout touched my heart that night in a way no one has ever done since and ever will again.

I opened my eyes the next morning to find myself lying beside Scout just outside the entrance of the pack cave. Danger permeated the air like sulfur, and I scrambled up to see the rest of the pack surrounding us in a ring of hostility.

Scout woke next and jumped to his paws when he saw we were trapped by our own pack. “Aniu-” he whispered out of the side of his mouth, but then Seminole stepped forward out of the