Rowan leaned in, voice barely above a whisper.
“Stay,” he said. “Just stay.”
At the veterinary clinic, the truth emerged. The dogs had been deliberately abandoned. The house had been part of an illegal breeding operation. When the puppies were born too small, the owner walked away rather than risk cost or exposure.
The dogs had been deemed expendable.
They survived anyway.
The puppies warmed, their breathing strengthened. The mother stabilized, refusing food until each pup latched. Rowan remained through the night, sitting on the clinic floor, back against the wall, present in a way he hadn’t been in years.
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