She used that second to kneel slowly, lowering her height to appear less of a threat. Salt wind stung her knees through her jeans, but she stayed down, arms still raised in surrender. “See? It’s okay.” The wolf blinked once, then turned its head toward the emptier end of the beach.
It took a few steps, paused, and looked back at her, ears pricked as though testing whether she would follow. When she didn’t move, it repeated the sequence—a few more steps, another look back, a light whine.