by Jenny Tia
8
Stefan
I checked my watch and realized only five minutes had passed since the last time I checked my watch. That never happened at Goldleaf Hospital. This city was a time-suck. It just dragged on forever, and ever…
If I checked on my patients one more time, they’d probably think something was seriously wrong with either them or me. And that wouldn’t do. I decided to go for a stroll through the other departments to kill some time and help get a handle on the hospital’s huge and complicated floor plan.
I made my way down a wide corridor. My sneakers squeaked quietly, and my thoughts turned to Nic. He had been pretty sweet that morning. Even though I was reticent to accept his offering of a breakfast muffin, I had to admit it was a nice gesture… And the muffin was really good.
I’d been a total brat to him. I still felt it was necessary to make sure he wasn’t getting the wrong idea. Fated or not, I didn’t want to get swept off my feet and lose sight of everything truly important to me. I had already been through that with my ex, Justin, and I felt certain neither my heart nor my ego could take another hit like that. I may have been interested in Nic, but that didn’t mean I wanted to fast forward to us riding off into the sunset.
Sunsets lead to darkness.
As I turned a corner, I heard shouting coming from the other end of the hallway and I spun around to a part of the hospital that was usually quiet. The sign above the doorway read “EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT”. I felt sick to my guts, but I instinctively quickened my pace and pushed through the swinging doors to see what was going on. Though used to dealing with the pain and gore sometimes seen in the emergency department, this time I felt scared. My pulse felt like it was banging against my temples and my mouth had gone dry. My wolf was whining and cowering, but why?
I saw two orderlies push a stretcher past me. The flash of silver on the patient’s clothes drew my attention, and my heart stuttered before I even looked up to the man’s handsome face.
It was Nic. Blood flowed bright across his neck and cheek like a swath of crimson silk, spilling onto the stretcher.
Within two seconds I had pushed another nurse out of the way to get to the stretcher. I reached out to grip the side rail so no one could separate me from him. Nic’s eyelids fluttered open to look at me and he managed a tiny smile before his eyes fell shut again.
My panicked pulse kept rising as we moved Nic into a private room. When the stretcher stopped moving, he reached for my hand. I said quiet thanks to the moon goddess that his skin was still warm. My wolf wanted to check over his entire body for any other wounds. I inhaled deeply and did a quick scan but didn’t smell any blood other than the spill at his neck. Another nurse moved in to put pressure on the wound. Before I knew it, Casius ran into the room.
I snapped at the Alpha Select. “What the hell happened?”
“I can’t tell you right now—”
“You have to,” I growled, and in a rare act of bravery, I could feel my wolf snarling at him too.
“Nic was protecting me. I was under attack and he took the brunt of it. That’s all you have to know. Please, help him, Stefan.”
I wasn’t satisfied with his explanation but more than that, I was incensed he was pointing out the urgency of the situation to me. I went into nurse mode and pulled on protective gloves.
A doctor pushed past me and pulled on gloves. She heard the snap of latex around my wrist and she looked me over like she’d never seen a Goldleafian before.
“Nurse?”
“Yes, doctor.”
“Gauze, please.”
“Yes, doctor.” I grabbed a roll from a box on the counter. I nodded to the other nurse to get out of my way and pressed the gauze gently against Nic’s wound. He hissed softly in pain. “Sorry, I know it’s uncomfortable, but we have to stop the bleeding first.”
My wolf whined at the thought of causing him even more pain than he was already in.
The doctor backed me up. “The wound is healing, but I want to make sure the bleeding has slowed down considerably before we think about stitches. Let me have a look.”
I pulled the gauze away gingerly and blood began to seep down Nic’s neck again, pooling in the space between his collarbone and his deltoid muscle. It was my turn to hiss in pain. I hated the sight of his blood. I felt light-headed and nauseous. The last time blood made my stomach turn was at the start of my first year in nursing school.
I spoke quietly to the doctor. “Do you think he needs a transfusion?”
“I think he’ll be okay, as long as his blood clots soon. Take his vitals, just to be sure. I’ll hold the gauze.” I worked quickly to hook Nic’s arm up to the blood pressure monitor, and with the touch of a button, all his vitals appeared on the screen. I was suddenly very thankful to be in a state-of-the-art hospital, and I said another fervent prayer of thanks when the numbers looked okay.
“You’re going to be fine,” the doctor said to Nic in a soothing tone. “We’re going to stitch you up in a minute, okay?” She pulled the gauze away and I saw the blood had slowed to a trickle.
“Suture kit please, nurse.”
I darted over to the counter to grab one and pulled up a portable worktable for her. Then she turned to Casius.
“Was this wound caused by a wolf shifter or another kind of animal?”
“Um… A…wolf shifter, yes.”
I noticed he was wringing his hands.
“You sure about that? If it was another species, I need to know right now. The risk of it not healing right will be higher,” the doctor said as she worked to clean the area of Nic’s injury.
I cleared away the bloodied gauze.
“It happened so quickly, I…can’t be one hundred percent sure,” he said, sounding more distressed than I could recall seeing him before.
“Okay, we’ll just keep an eye on it, then.” The doctor threaded surgical thread through a needle and started to close the gaping slash. It was difficult to see such a deep cut on such a vulnerable place on Nic’s body. I knew I wouldn’t be able to take a deep breath until the doctor had closed the wound and it was securely bandaged. As wolf shifters, we healed quickly, but a deep gash like that could lose too much blood before the skin had a chance to heal.
I readied a sterile gauze pad and some surgical tape so I could bandage Nic as soon as the doctor finished the stitches. Within five minutes, the doctor had done her job, I’d placed the last of the tape on Nic’s neck, and he was sleeping peacefully.
Once the doctor and the other nurses left, I collapsed into a chair next to his bed. As the adrenaline left my blood, I felt the energy drain out of me.
Casius blew out a heavy sigh. “That was intense. Come on, let’s go for a walk.”
I shook my head. I may have been finally able to breathe, but there was no way I could leave Nic’s side. I felt like a magnet was holding my butt to the chair. My wolf wanted to climb onto the bed with him and curl up at his feet.
“I don’t think I can leave.” My voice came out sounding uneven, dazed.
Casius nodded. “I understand. Stay with your mate. I’ll go tell your boss where you are. What’s their name?”
“Oh, thanks. It’s Helen.”
“I’ll be back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail,” Casius said, and then he winked at me.
His huge frame disappeared through the door, and Nic and I were suddenly alone. His long eyelashes were almost resting on the tops of his cheeks. His pink lips looked moist and soft amidst the unshaven stubble that decorated their edges. I found myself relishing in the opportunity to really look at him. I’d been too afraid the other times I’d seen him, not wanting to give him the wrong idea. But now he was completely unaware, and I could take my sweet time.
Even under the harsh hospital lighting, his face was a fascinating combination of strong and soft features. His eyebrows were strong and thick. I noticed a few flecks of dried blood on his cheek and grabbed an alcohol swab to gently wipe them away. I glanced up at the screen s
howing his vitals and saw his blood pressure had returned to a normal level. Satisfied he was recovering well, I sank back into the chair and watched over him, nervously bouncing my leg. I didn’t feel like I would be able to rest in any way until he woke up.
Somehow, I must have fallen asleep because I woke up to someone running their fingers through my hair. Relief washed over me as Nic’s alert gaze met mine. He was smiling down at me. The relief wore off in an instant, though, replaced by rage.
“You’re an idiot!”
“I am?” He laughed, and I noticed how tan his face looked against the stark white of the hospital sheets, which only stoked the fires of my anger. It pissed me off knowing how much I was still attracted to him.
“Yes! For putting your life in danger. Goddess knows what kind of situation you were in because Casius wouldn’t tell me…” I sighed dramatically. “But if you ever scare me like that again, I’ll kill you myself. Whatever you were up against, it’s nothing compared to me. You can believe that. My fingernails are sharper than whatever did that to you.” I pointed at his bandaged wound.
Nic grinned then managed to turn his head to face me more directly. His wound must have been healing quickly because he didn’t even wince in pain as the bandage shifted.
His voice came out hoarse. “I didn’t think you cared that much. I didn’t think you cared at all, actually.”
I cursed my tendency to overreact. Did he think I now liked him? No, I was a nurse. It was my job to care.
“Don’t mistake my empathy for anything other than what it is. You’re an injured patient, nothing more.”
Nic just smiled dreamily at me as if he could see right through my attempt at a cover-up. His ability to read me only made me feel vulnerable, exposed. And it would have been ten times worse if we were actually mated to each other.
I shook my head. No way could I mate with someone in such a dangerous and secretive line of work even if I did actually like him, which, beyond his obvious physical attractiveness, I still wasn’t sure I did. Being with someone like that—caring about someone like that—would be torture. I didn’t want to deal with that kind of pain. In fact, I knew I couldn’t handle that kind of pain.
I left the room more certain than ever I wouldn’t let myself fall for Nicolas Black.
9
Nicolas
Hospital. What was I saying about it being a peaceful place? Even though I felt fine soon after I woke up, Cas and the doctors had insisted I stay in for another night, and Stef pushed to make it two.
“So we can keep an eye on you. For observation,” he’d said as he’d checked my vitals for the millionth time. I gave him a grin and he rolled his eyes. “Dream on. I won’t be here, I’m off for the next couple of days. Enjoy the peaceful hospital.”
I did my best, but honestly, I missed him. Plus, I was antsy to get back to duty. It felt like a waste to be sitting around in my private room “resting”. I called my mom but just got the answering machine. I didn’t want to worry her, so I didn’t leave a message.
By the second day, the peacefulness had truly transformed into boredom. To my relief, Casius and Alpha Hughes came to visit in the evening. I was staring out the window and watching the pine trees practically glow in the late summer sun, running every moment I’d had with Stef through my head when I heard a deep cough in the room. I turned, too quickly, and winced as my neck wound stung.
“Hey, easy does it.” Alpha Hughes put a hand on my shoulder and smiled down at me. “How is it? All healed?”
Casius appeared beside him and growled under his breath. “You shouldn’t have come between Eli and me. I saw it coming. I was prepared to defend myself.”
I bit my tongue. I knew better than to argue with his alpha arrogance. Instead, I turned my head to Alpha Hughes and gave him a big, cheesy smile. “It’s healed. It’s just raw, new flesh. Got to keep the bandages on for another day. They’re annoying, but I’m just thinking of them as a scarf.”
Alpha Hughes chuckled and squeezed my shoulder affectionately. “I’m so glad you’re okay. The doctors said the wound was deep. And thank you. Thank you for protecting the future Supreme Alpha.”
Casius snarled and almost left the room in frustration, but Alpha Hughes gave him a big smile and he calmed down.
I scooted up in the bed. “It’s nothing. It’s my job. What happened after I, uh…took the bullet for Casius?”
“I would have been fine—”
I smirked, and Casius scowled.
Alpha Hughes shook his head. “Eli had a strong reaction to what happened. We’ve been observing him tightly.”
“A strong reaction?”
The sudden thinning of Alpha Hughes’s lips told me there was no room for more questions. I glanced at Casius, but he was giving nothing away. Instead, he picked up a standard-issue Inner Guard duffel bag that he must have dumped on the floor beside the bed.
“Clean uniform. We need you back at work.”
“Good.” I threw back the covers and started to get out of bed, but Casius rushed to my side and looped an arm beneath mine.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Take it easy.”
I slapped him away and got to my feet. “I wasn’t shot, Cas. I can walk.”
Alpha Hughes chuckled. “Your strong work ethic is inspiring, Nic. But we don’t need you back until tomorrow.”
I’d already started untying the back of my hospital gown. “I’ve got to get out of here. Give me an assignment. I’ll do guard duty in the woods. I’ll babysit your annoying son. I’ll clean the toilets. Anything.”
Casius chuckled. “Come over for dinner. There’s someone who would like to see you.”
My heart did a somersault and my wolf yipped excitedly.
While I changed into the clean uniform, Alpha Hughes took care of getting me discharged. Once that was all done, Cas helped me into his truck as if I’d really taken a heavy blow, as if I didn’t just have a slight scratch on my neck now. But I let him do it. It wasn’t often I got to see his alpha protectiveness come out in such a soft, caring way. It was cute.
“You sure you’re okay?” He passed me a bottle of water and looked me over with a frown etched into his brow.
“Hm?” I turned to face him with my head leaning back against the headrest. The bandage around my neck crinkled up and pressed against the wound. “Yeah, man. I’m totally fine.”
“That was a lot of blood, Nic.” His voice was quiet, and I thought I caught a quivering at the end of his words.
I didn’t know what to say that would convince him I was totally fine. I shrugged. “I’m okay.”
He swallowed and tightened his grip on the steering wheel while we sat with the engine idling. “I was…worried.”
I nodded and held his gaze. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”
Casius took a deep breath and put the truck into gear. His grip was firm on the wheel as he drove us out of the hospital parking lot, and I lay back and watched the world pass by through the windows.
“It feels good to be out. I can’t wait to get back to work.” I smiled as we pulled up to the usual rush-hour traffic at the intersection of Main Street.
“You’re really ready to jump back into it?”
“Yeah. It’s what I do. Of all people, I would think you’d understand.”
Casius grunted and nodded. “Well, there’s a night shift if you want to get back so quickly. More stuff at the station. But someone has to do it. Mikel’s losing his mind in that observation room.”
“Great. Sign me up. I’m itching to get back to being useful.”
“You make it sound like you were in prison, not the hospital for two days.”
“Two long days. Man… That was enough to drive my wolf a bit crazy.”
We fell quiet, and I had a feeling we were thinking about the same thing.
“You said Eli had a…strong reaction to what happened?” I glanced at Casius, but he kept his attention on the bumper in front of us as he nodded.
“More like
a full-blown meltdown.”
“What do you mean?”
“He freaked out, really bad, and then he kept saying ‘sorry’ over and over again. Almost like he was catatonic. Last I saw him, this afternoon, he was in the same state. He’s muttering ‘sorry’ instead of ‘resist’ now.”
I grabbed the bottle of water out of the cup holder and took a heavy swig. I had questions but didn’t even need to ask them. As we pulled onto Main Street, Casius gave me the answers.
“He didn’t fully shift. It was just the fangs, the claws, some fur, hints of ears…”
I did a double-take. “What? That’s weird.”
“Right? According to Hughes, it should be impossible. The most any wolf shifter should be able to do in their human form is to bare their fangs.”
“Huh. Maybe he’s like, half-wolf? One human parent, and one wolf parent?”
Casius shook his head. “Hughes was telling me that during his time, when the humans had been alive, I mean, when all the humans had been alive, they had mates who were wolves, yeah. But the kids they had together were always either all wolf shifter or all human.”
“No hybrids?”
“No hybrids. No half-wolves. As far as Hughes knows, there was never a hybrid born. But that’s what he thinks Eli is.”
I sighed and slumped back against the seat. “Poor guy.”
“Eli?”
“Yeah. He’s been living with humans, who hate us… That means they hate part of him. That’s rough.”
“Yeah. I guess it is. I hadn’t thought about that.”
“You heartless alpha.”
Casius’s laughter boomed, which lifted the mood. We cruised around the circular road that took us past the Supreme Mansion, heading east toward his house, away from mine to the west. It was funny though, I had no desire to go home. All I wanted was to see my fated mate.
The look on Stef’s face when he’d left my hospital room haunted me. He’d looked almost sad, like there was an element of resolve and defeat to it. I was not a fan. I had to find out what that was about.