her family had heard Balto’s barking that morning and swiftly took their beloved husky to Doc’s to safely give birth. Balto, on the other hand, mainly cursed at himself for believing that his life was going to be the same once he and Jenna got back together.

Damn it, Balto! He stamped his paw fiercely into the mushy snow as he paced back and forth near the doctor’s office. I knew that they must have had something going on when I found her with that wolf! A growl slipped through his fangs while he thought of that brown-gray lupine. She made me believe that she and him hadn’t done anything, but . . . Jenna lied to me . . . to me - the father of mostly all of her children!  

I trusted her . . . I thought she would still remain faithful, even out there, but . . . A tear fell from his eyes as Balto stood over a small puddle, causing the drip to form ripples against the melted snow-water and distort his reflection. I mean, I never forgot about her when she left . . . and this is what she does to our vow, our fidelity, our love for each other? More tears dripped from his now-saddened red and gold eyes, turning his reflection into a kaleidoscopic pattern of color and shape in the tiny pool.

I don’t know what to do anymore . . . I really don’t . . . but in my heart, I still love her . . . I can’t believe she would lie to me . . .

“Dad?” A young voice came from behind the wolf-dog. It was a female’s worried tone, his red and white daughter’s, Sheae’s. “Dad, are you okay? Blaize said I would probably find you around here.” She carefully approached her father’s side, revealing herself into the light in front of the clinic. She was like most of her older siblings that had inherited their mother’s colors – mostly a medium-red shade but marked with white around her muzzle, chest, belly and paws. Her eyes were strangely reddish-brown and surrounded in gold, obviously more in tune to her father’s.

“Oh, I’m fine, Sheae,” Balto sighed, taking a quick glance at his daughter. You look so much like her, . . . almost like Jenna . . . “I’m okay. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“But I saw you pacing around, Dad,” Sheae reminded him. “You didn’t seem okay about what was going on with Mom—” She caught herself, gasping when the word came out. “Sorry . . .” Her ears fell low to her neck as she rubbed against her father in comfort. “You seem so upset, and we– er, I mean, I’m just so worried about you . . . Are . . . are you and Mom going to leave each other again?” She had remembered the recent incidents with her mother’s exile from town, and like all pups were, Sheae was afraid of history repeating itself.

Balto couldn’t really get himself to give her a straight answer. A part of him wanted to say “Yes,” but another part of him said “No” – what could he do at a critical time such as this?

However, Sheae continued to talk to him, sensing that he was at a loss of words. “I know you’ll probably tell me that I don’t understand exactly how you feel, but just hear me out, okay?” Balto turned to her direction, still with a silent look of disappointment and inner rage on his face. “When Mom was gone out there, I betcha she wished that she could have had you to turn to . . . just like how you clung close to Likea and I whenever we saw you.” She grew silent and sighed, realizing that he really needed some time by himself to ponder on these words that she had said. “Anyway, I’m going to go check up on Likea, okay? I’m sure you’ll know the right thing to do about this, Dad.” After a parting nuzzle, Sheae scampered off towards the barn where her brother was probably resting.

If Dad chooses to leave Mom, I . . . I don’t know if I’d ever want to live in a world without them together again . . . She thought with slight tears in her eyes as she ran faster away from the confused sight of her father.

But what else is there for me to do at a time like this?

Suddenly, the front door of the clinic opened. It was Doc, the old man who not only cared for people, but for the town’s beloved canines as well. His face was welcoming and bright, but this did not affect Balto’s current composure.

“Come on in, Balto,” the man gestured the half-wolf with a hand motion to come closer. “Jenna’s ready and waiting to see you now. I’m sure she’d love to have some company, especially after this.”

Yeah, right . . . like she would want me near her after learning this, Balto let out a sigh. He knew what Doc did not – Jenna probably didn’t want to see him, nor did he her . . . not after what was revealed in the morning. However, he did still love her with all of his heart, despite this sudden event, but he hoped he would never see that wolf ever again.

He followed the human inside, hoping that perhaps something would make everything right again, but just the thought of who the pups’ sire was just made his back bristle angrily. Even if they are his pups by blood, I’ll never accept them as mine in his place . . . they’ll have his blood running through them, and I love Jen more than anything . . .  

If I ever see that wolf Dolo again . . . I’ll kill him . . . I swear I will . . .

As he walked through the waiting room, Balto saw the form of the auburn-haired child that had called Jenna her pet. The girl sat with her parents, anticipating the arrival of their dog’s mate. She was almost a teenager by now, but Rosy still loved the wolf-dog that had saved her life all those years ago.

“Balto!” Rosy halted him, giving the hybrid a warm embrace around his scruffy neck. “Oh, Balto . . . Jenna had more puppies!”

Yeah, but they’re not mine . . . He didn’t respond to her words aloud, but a disgruntled noise slipped from his lips. However, he smiled to hide his true emotions of the truth that she would never be able to realize.

“Hmm, it’s strange how she disappeared some months ago and then just reappeared all of a sudden,” Rosy thought aloud, murmuring to the wolf-dog. “I guess she must have had some fling in the forest, huh, Balto?”

Wow, she figured out more than I thought she would about this, Balto was impressed by the girl’s conclusion, mainly because mostly all of the humans in Nome never really paid attention to the business of the dogs. However, he knew that some humans – mainly the younger ones like Kelly, Saba’s owner ever since she was adopted so long ago – wondered what their beloved canines were up to and were left worried sick about them. Of course, Balto knew of Saba’s major mistake of returning home for a last look at her owner after her revival . . . If it wasn’t for Aniu’s blessed grace and Balto to the rescue, she would have died from the gunshot wound to her shoulder. There are just some things that humans would never understand about what we dogs do . . . Too bad it’ll break her heart that Jenna’s pups are actually sired by a purebred wolf, not a half-wolf hero . . . He let out a sigh just remembering it once again, but it wasn’t like the girl would really know the truth anyway.

“Well, I’m sure they’ll be just like your other pups, boy,” Rosy released her grasp of him, figuring that the doctor was waiting for Balto to make his way to the room that held the new mother.

“Come, come now,” Doc clicked his tongue, calling Balto over into the office. “Jenna’s right in here.” Following the command, Balto left the girl’s side and made his way to whatever surprise awaited him past the doorway.

Inside the room was Jenna, resting on a blanket-covered table in front of him. The doctor placed a stepstool at the table, allowing Balto to reach the top of the wooden table – which he did so – and confront his mate on this sudden turn of events. His eyes scoped the tiny whimpering pups at her belly – five of them – and suddenly, his eyelids began to lower. Balto couldn’t help it – he was completely smitten for pups, his one weakness in life. However, this was different – they were red or brownish-red like her or her mother, ebony and white like her father . . . but there was one pup that was nearly identical to the grayish-brown wolf that had impregnated the one he loved. Just the sight of that single pup made him snap out of his love for pups and remember how outraged he was at what Jenna had hidden from him.

“Jenna?” Doc had left the two of them alone for a while, allowing them to bond with the puppies in private. He whined quietly, nudging against her sleeping neck gently so as not to frighten her once she aroused. “Jen, wake up.”

“Mmm . . .” The new mother drowsily lifted her eyelids, but turned her attention to the other presence that hovered over her. Realizing who it was, her amber eyes began to swell with tears as she gasped. “Oh . . . Balto, I’m . . . I’m so sorry . . .”

He wanted to believe her, he really did. “Jenna, what you’ve done . . . it is something unforgiveable . . .” Balto felt tears drip from his eyes as well as he spoke quietly to her, hiding the anger that burned in his heart; however, he couldn’t stop himself from raising his tone. “You . . . you lied to me when I found you with him . . .”

“I’m sorry, really I am,” Jenna tried to reach her nose towards the hybrid’s but he moved it away, causing her to break down even more. “I didn’t want to hide anything . . . I wanted . . . I was hoping to tell you the truth after the pups were born . . .”

“Well, that explains the hiding from me,” Balto huffed, turning away from her and sitting on the table. “Did you tell any of our children about this?”

She shook her head. “No – I didn’t even tell Sheae and Likea about it. I never told a single soul,” She lowered her ears in shame. “It was torture to endure this secret alone . . . and not tell you the truth . . .”

“Well, I might have been more understanding if you told me the truth sooner,” Balto