Later that evening, the two of them sat on opposite ends of the couch as they watched television, the dog on the cushion between them like a disapproving chaperone. Every time Matt moved, Sadie lifted her head off her paws and looked at him, as if hoping this time he was heading into the other room to get her a snack. But all he saw in her soft brown gaze was judgment. My Vic, she seemed to be saying. Hands off, human. Tonight the alpha of the pack is mine. You can sit with us but that’s as close as you’re getting to him tonight.
Once, when he stood and stretched, he scratched behind her ears and told her, “Enjoy it while you can, pup, because you’ll be sleeping all by yourself later and he’s going to be with me.”
Vic glanced over, amused. “Are you talking to the dog?”
“You should see t
