Chapter 80

As I loaded Snowball into my car, Brooke jogged after us through the parking lot, her lab coat flapping behind her like wings. "Wait! I've got his backup battery pack and user manual," she called, handing me a sleek charging pad and a leather-bound booklet. "The pad is wireless—just place him on it when he needs to recharge." "Thank you," I smiled, feeling a strange flutter of excitement I hadn't experienced since bringing home my first real puppy years ago. Alpha Kane parted ways with me at the building's entrance. "I'm heading back to my office. See you at next week's pack alliance meeting." "See you then," I replied, placing Snowball in the front passenger seat. At his insistent whining, I even buckled his seatbelt, which made him yip with satisfaction. The robotic pup couldn't sit still during our drive. Like a typical wolf cub experiencing its first outing, he kept sticking his head out the window, his synthetic tongue lolling happily until I had to command him to stop before some