Chapter 79

Sarah POV

I expected the inside to be a profusion of rainbows and inspirational posters, which it was, but there was also a sense of purpose everyone seemed to carry that I greatly appreciated. Another point of interest was the breakdown of the different gender, queer, wolf, and human identities into various groups that identified themselves in various ways. Some groups had special howls, others songs and dances, as well as flags, pins, shirts, candles, and other things I recognized as sex toys and both human and wolf baby items.

Grace had obviously been there before, so as soon as our two bodyguards gave us the OK, she led Chloe away to a partitioned play area where a good dozen kids and pups their age were working with those foam building blocks I knew Zane had already ordered a set of.

I was a surprise to everyone, however, though a lot of people made sure to stare without appearing to stare. I smiled and forced myself not to creep into a corner, and then I walked around to read the various articles and awards for the center that had been framed and were handing on the walls.

I was unsurprised to see Olivia’s My Friend Has No Fangs book, signed, inside a glass display case, along with a photo of Olivia and Zane standing with a group of teens in front of the building.

“Did you and Olivia found this center?” I asked.

“No, just let them name it after me in return for a donation,” Zane said.

“A huge donation,” said a young woman who was suddenly standing next to us. I looked at her wide smile and noticed something odd about the shape of her eyes, but I couldn’t quite identify what. “The place has tripled in size since he’s been helping.”

“How lovely,” I said even as my gaze went to the bright colors of her shirt that spelled out Call Me a Kallmann!

She saw me reading and laughed. “I have Kallmann syndrome, means I was never able to call my wolf. If I were human I’d say I never went through puberty. Also, I can’t smell for shit, which for a wolf is almost as bad.”

I thought of what Zane had said about the social role of scent in werewolf culture and nodded. “I see.”

She laughed again, and the noise was a loud shrill that had probably gotten her a lot of teasing as a child. I liked it, but then, I tended to like genuine things whenever I found them.

“Aw, don’t look so bummed,” she said. “I’m not, well, anymore. My parents threw me out, of course, but my condition means the center couldn’t turn me away when I asked to live here.”

“Judy is one of a few residents,” Zane explained.

She nodded. “Since I’m basically the most human version of a wolf you can get, they put me in charge of the disabled humans who come here, especially those from abusive fAmelies. Makes me feel incredibly valuable!”

“You are,” said an older beta who came up and gave Judy a “hug” that didn’t actually touch her. “We’d be lost without you.”

Judy laughed again and flapped her hands a bit. I thought it was probably a stemming gesture and assumed that Kallmann syndrome might involve being neurodivergent.

She leaned toward me just slightly, but I took a cue from the beta and didn’t try to touch her or get too close in response. “They think I might get a little better with hormone replacement therapy, but I don’t want the center to spend money on me when there are people who really need help.” She shrugged and added, “If you can’t be normal, be helpfully weird, that’s what I say.”

She laughed loudly again, and I saw Zane was looking at me with only partly hidden concern. Did he think I was going to say something mean to her?

“It’s a great saying,” I told her. “I trained to help special needs children as part of my educational degree. I may want to refer someone to you in the future. Would that be all right?”

“Sure.” Judy dug into her front jeans pocket and pulled out a rumpled business card. “Here’s my contact info.”

“Do you have your phone?” I asked. “I’ll give you mine as well.”

She reached into a back pocket this time and handed over a well-used cell phone that I took while being careful not to touch her fingers. I typed in my number and handed it back with equal care.

Meanwhile, the beta was telling Zane it was almost time for him to speak.

“He’s a great speaker,” Judy told me earnestly. “Do you want to sit with me to listen?”

“Very much,” I said. Then I nodded to Zane and followed her to a large room that was obviously used for meetings. A podium had been wheeled up against the back wall.

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.—e.e. Cummings, read one poster behind the podium.

We need, in every community, a group of angelic troublemakers.—Bayard Rustin, read another.

No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.—Marsha P. Johnson, read a third.

“Judy!” a well-dressed she-wolf said with pleasure as she sat down on Judy’s other side. “It’s so good to see you. How is the campaign going?”

“Excellent! Better than predicted, thanks to you.” Judy swiveled her head around to beam at me. “Lainey here works for a PR firm but volunteers her time here to help us.

My antennae went up. “Oh?”

“It’s my pleasure,” Lainey said, smiling at Judy fondly. Then she met my eyes and said quietly, “My brother’s co-species. This place helped him tremendously.”

“That’s wonderful,” I said, then turned to the podium as Zane walked over to stand behind it.

“It’s great to be back here at my favorite NPO,” he said, earning him a round of applause.

Zane continued on with his usual gorgeous composure to praise the work the center did, name a few people for their outstanding efforts, and, rather quickly, I thought, to announce he was upping his annual donation to the center to $200,000. That got him a standing ovation.

“Before I go,” he said when everyone returned to their seat, “I know I’m not the one you’d really like to hear from today.” He smiled at me, and I froze in my chair.

“Sarah, would you mind saying a few words?”

After swallowing with a dry mouth, I stood and walked over to him while people applauded. Thankfully, he didn’t go sit to watch me but stayed at my side as I looked out over the dedicated, hard-working crowd. I noticed Chloe and Grace had stopped playing and were watching avidly from the play area.

“The media is calling me a hero,” I said, just going with the first words that came to mind. “But you people I’m looking at right now deserve that title more than I do. I’ve been here with you for less than an hour, and I already feel inspired to change the world. What a wonderful gift.”

They clapped for me again, which made me smile while my stomach calmed down a bit. “The work you’re doing here is so important, and I’ve already made a friend with Judy over there. I hope you don’t mind if I visit again soon and find out what I can do to help.”

More applause. Zane smiled at me in approval.

“But I hope I may also be bold enough to ask that you won’t mind if I also come here when I need help,” I said next. “The strength and dedication I see around me are invaluable resources for any social warrior, and that’s what I know we all want to be.

Right now, we’ve just begun to try to help the humans recently rescued from the human trafficking ring who abducted them from their homes and their fAmelies. I admit I find the task daunting, but looking at you now, I know it’s a task that not only needs to be done but can be done, as long as there are people like you in the world.”

I paused in the somewhat daunting silence. Had I overstepped? I smiled again and said, “Thank you.”

The applause started then, and soon I was getting my own standing ovation. Even the kids in the play area were clapping, and I heard Chloe hoot loudly and cry out, “Way to go, Mommy!”

I decided to applaud them all back.