<div style="text-align: justify;">Joanna had been, as usual, working at the clinic where she had been since the days of college. Being a veterinarian came as a natural choice to the girl. She wanted to be able to care for her brothers and sisters - no matter which pack they were from, or even those with no pack at all - and had always felt more comfortable around animals than around people. <br/><br/>That night, she had been on call, taking care of a few animals that had been rescued from an abusive owner. It was the kind of thing that made Joanna furious, and she wished she could track that man down and kick his ass. Or slit his throat, if the mood happened to strike her. But Joanna took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand. <br/><br/>She was carefully bathing a puppy which had been cruelly mistreated when the barking sounded. She knew that bark, and she knew what it meant. But she also knew she couldn't just run off and risk everyone knowing what she was. So, she finished bathing the puppy and handed it to her assistant, a girl who was going to college, as she was when she had started working there. "Get him a little bit of warm milk, and put him in a cage with a few blankets on the bottom, please. I will be right back", she instructed.<br/><br/>Getting her coat, Joanna exited the building through the back door and followed the scent of blood to the wolf that had fallen to the floor, kneeling besides him and running her hand over his fur. "What happened to you?", the young woman murmured softly. "Who did this?"</div>