by Terry Spear
“Would it cause too much trouble if a couple of us sat in the waiting area?” Ted asked.
“No. My pack mates will smell you’re there anyway. You can’t hide from them. If they see a couple of you, maybe reading magazines, they won’t feel as intimidated. Not that all would anyway. Only the betas in the pack might.”
When they arrived at her clinic early, the guys carried a stack of boxes to pack her stuff while she unlocked the door. Inside, she found the clinic just like it was before she’d left to go to Glacier Peak Wilderness. She couldn’t believe how everything had changed for her since then. A pack vacation had turned into a wolf mating and her helping to find the cure for other wolves. And finding a home for Nick. She had halfway expected Ronald to have had the clinic ransacked, angry with her for leaving the pack and mating another wolf outside the pack. Then again, it was their clinic. He wouldn’t want to trash it. Maybe he was playing it cool in case she changed her mind and wanted to stay with the pack, if they’d allow Aidan to join it.
She felt a little sad that she was leaving. She’d spent so many years working here. Yet she felt good about the change too. Not to mention having her hot wolf mate made all the difference in the world. She’d miss her pack members, but certainly not Ronald and his ruthless minions.
She turned on the Christmas tree lights. Lollipops and candy canes decorated the tree and were treats for adults and children to enjoy after they visited her at the office.
“‘Rumpelstiltskin’ is my log-in, if you want to go in my office and see my notes on the computer.” She changed her sign in the window from Closed to Open.
“Sure, I’ll do that. Rumpelstiltskin, eh?”
“Yeah, one of my childhood favorites. I’ll call my receptionist and nurse. Usually, they’re here before me. They must have been confused about me returning today.”
The men stacked the boxes in her office, and then the other bodyguards went into her break room while Ted and Mike sat in the waiting room, one reading a magazine, the other texting on his phone. Mike said, “Just letting Rafe know we’re here, and so far, everything’s good.”
“Okay,” Aidan said from the office. “I hope that it’s just a matter of your nurse and receptionist being confused about the time when they should have reported, Holly. If it isn’t, we’ll do what we can here, and if you want, we can hang around longer to see if your pack members will show up tomorrow or the next day. Even if Ronald has sabotaged your business by telling everyone to stay away, maybe a few will change their minds. We can stay at your place in the meantime. We still have plenty of time before we’re off to see Rafe and his family. I’m sure you want to pack what you can at your house too.”
“Thanks tons,” Holly said and wrapped her arms around her mate in a hug. She felt bad her pack members weren’t here, but she still hoped some of them would show up sooner than later.
She called her nurse first. Holly hadn’t wanted to let on in front of Aidan how disappointed she was, but she was afraid he could tell. When Sally answered her call, Holly said, “Hi, Sally. I’m taking care of any of the pack members’ health issues and checking blood before I leave the pack for good. Are you coming in?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Dr. Gray. I have my day all planned out and can’t make it in.”
“No problem. No one has arrived anyway, and if they do, I can manage by myself. Well, Dr. Denali is here too. He can help if I need any.”
“Won’t Ronald be upset about him being here?” Sally sounded both shocked and worried.
“Aidan and I were mated. If Ronald doesn’t want me taking care of the pack’s medical needs before I go, then I’m sorry. I’m here for them for the time being. If you change your mind, I’ll be here for a couple of days, more if I need to be.”
“Okay, I’ve…I’ve got to run.”
Sally ended the call, and Holly couldn’t help but notice that Sally hadn’t even congratulated her on the mating.
“Any trouble?” Aidan asked from the doorway to her office.
“She has ‘other stuff’ planned today. I suspect that has to do with Ronald pressuring her not to come in. That’s okay. I can handle it.” She motioned to the empty waiting area.
Aidan pulled her into his arms and gave her a sound hug and kiss. “I’d say if we don’t have any patients soon, we could head over to your place and check out your bed. But if anyone shows up…”
“Yeah.” She kissed him back. “I would do it in a heartbeat if I had a crystal ball and knew for sure if anyone was going to drop by or not.”
“I assume Ronald doesn’t want us to draw anyone’s blood either,” Aidan said.
“Right. If no one’s sick or injured enough to need my aid, they’d stay away. I’ll call my receptionist and see if she has an excuse for not showing up. At least they could have called and told me they weren’t coming in, just as a common courtesy. It’s not like either of them.” She’d call Harper next, but she expected more of the same.
She wondered if anyone had even called her patients to schedule them to come in. That was next on her list to do.
* * *
Aidan felt bad for Holly, but he figured if her people didn’t have longevity issues, they were in the clear. At least for now. If Holly’s blood worked for the rest of the wolves, then they really wouldn’t need anything from her former pack or vice versa.
He found her files on the blood samples and considered the ages of the wolves and how that compared to what they should be.
“This is Holly Gray. I’m at the clinic. Are you coming in today? Looks like it’ll be light traffic-wise, so no problem if you can’t. If you can, just let me know. You’ve got my number.”
“Answering machine?” Aidan called out.
“Yeah. I’ll start calling my pack members and ask if they want to get tested again before I leave or need me to check on anything else that’s bothering them. Sally can do it after I’ve left, but she wouldn’t know what’s she’s looking for, and I doubt Ronald would want her to send the samples to us when I’m no longer with the pack.” Holly sat on a chair in the office, sounding so upbeat. He was proud of her. “Are you seeing anything?”
“Yeah. Three of the ten I’ve checked are aging faster, more like the other packs.”
“Ohmigod, which three?” Holly jumped up from her chair and checked the charts he was referring to.
“Rock Rockledge, one of Ronald’s enforcers; Sally, your nurse; and Trudy, Joey’s mom. I checked Ronald and Jared first, just to see if they might have issues, but they don’t. I figured if they did, they might change their minds about having us work with them.”
“Are you sure?” She was leaning over his shoulder now, and he pulled her onto his lap so they could look at the figures together.
“Yeah, I am. I’ll keep looking at the rest of your people’s blood work. I’m taking notes. You can share with whoever you want.”
“With individual patients, sure. Not with Ronald or his brother. They’re on their own. Let them worry.”
Aidan smiled at her.
She let out her breath. “I’ll just say we won’t check their blood without their permission. I wouldn’t put it past him to try to keep us here against our will just to find the cure for him, if he thought his blood had issues.”
“True. Hopefully, we’ll find a solution for everyone else. Now that I’m seeing problems with some of your people, I have to wonder why some are fine and others are not.”
“I agree.” Her phone rang, and Holly answered it. “Yeah, Mom?” She listened for a moment, then she smiled. “Oh, Mom, that’s good news.” She said to Aidan, “Mom and Dad got an offer on their house, and they’re accepting it. They’re a wolf family who needed a bigger place and more room to run. The people who always work at their business when things get hectic or Mom and Dad need a break bought their store.”
“That’s great news!” Aida
n was relieved everything was falling into place as far as her family resettling near them.
“Mom, Aidan’s here with me. Nobody showed up at the clinic. No, not even Sally or Harper… Yeah, I know. Ronald got to them. We’ll be here for a little while. But Aidan found a problem.” She explained to her mother about some of the pack members’ blood aging faster while others weren’t. “Yeah, I know…but I’m not telling Ronald or his brother theirs are fine. Aidan has gone through ten patients’ records so far, and three of the ten have issues. We’ll try to figure out the common denominator once he goes through the rest of the pack members’ records. Congratulations on the house. I’m calling patients just in case no one’s gotten the word I’m here.” She smiled at Aidan. “Yes, love you too, Mom, and you bet I’ll give Aidan a hug for you. And for me too.”
She called another number and said, “Hello, Trudy? This is Holly Gray. You were scheduled first thing to come in for me to check your blood work.” She frowned. “You can’t make it? Okay, well, did Ronald tell everyone not to come in to see me? If that’s the case, there’s no sense in me sitting at the clinic for no reason.”
“Trudy’s blood is also aging faster,” Aidan reminded Holly.
“Right.” Holly looked at the sample on the monitor, as if she needed to see it again. “No, I’m talking to Dr. Denali. He’s my consulting physician, and he’s found issues with the blood sample I took from you last month… Yes, your cells are aging faster… Of course he wouldn’t lie… Listen, you’re not the only one. There are two others in the pack who have this issue that we know of for now. I can’t say who, because it’s a privacy issue. If they want, they can share with the other pack members.”
“Trudy’s mate is fine,” Aidan said. “If no one’s coming in, do you want to pack up some things and go? We can examine these at home. In the meantime, we’ll get your household goods packed up and get your place ready to sell.”
“Trudy, I’m sorry. If it’s any consolation, all the other wolf packs are experiencing the same issue… Your mate? He’ll have to call me to learn about his work-up. We’ve got to go. Talk later.” She ended the call with Trudy, retrieved her boxes, and began taping them up in the office. “I’m ready to pack everything up, but go ahead and check the rest of the patient records in case anyone shows up after Trudy learns she’s got issues. If Ronald learns of it, then I bet you anything he’ll be the first one over here to have his blood retested.”
“All right.”
“I understand why everyone’s afraid to go against Ronald’s ruling, but it’s still annoying. You saved her son.”
“Well, if her husband learns he’s going to live a lot longer than her, she might stand up for herself.” Which was the same problem Aidan faced with Holly.
Holly’s cell phone rang, and Aidan paused to see who was calling. He suspected Trudy was calling back.
“Uh, Micky, well… Dr. Denali hasn’t gotten to your file yet.” She glanced at Aidan.
He shook his head. “Let me check.” He pulled up Micky’s file on Holly’s computer and checked the blood work. “He’s good.”
“Your blood is fine.” Holly took a deep breath. “Tell your mate to call me, and Dr. Denali will pull up her file next.” She hung up and said to Aidan, “Cynthia.” Then her phone rang again. “Oh, hello, Cynthia. Aidan’s checking it now. Yes, Dr. Denali… He’s now my mate.”
“Hers is good,” Aidan said.
“Your blood work looks fine… No, I don’t know if it will change later. That’s why we need to keep checking, and we need to keep looking for the cure. When I took a sample of your blood, you were fine.” She looked over at Aidan. “Okay, good. See you soon.” She smiled. “Bye.” She set her boxes aside. “Looks like we’re in business. At least we have one patient coming in. Probably her mate too.”
Chapter 27
Within half an hour, twenty people were in the waiting room, ready to get their blood drawn, while Trudy and her mate were first in line. Trudy was teary-eyed, and Clifford was consoling her. “They’ll find a cure before long.”
Aidan realized no one was parked in front of the clinic, or he would have heard them drive up. It was more than strange, but he assumed they were trying to avoid Ronald learning about their visit to the doctor’s office when he’d probably told everyone to stay away. They would have, if it hadn’t been for the findings Aidan had made.
“Aren’t you worried that Ronald will show up and tear into Dr. Denali for being here?” Trudy asked.
“Aidan and I are mates, and we’re working together on this.”
“Oh heavens, yes, you mentioned it. I’ve just been so upset over you leaving and Ronald being angry about it. Congratulations. You deserve a good man, and I’m happy for the both of you. We had word that you took Nick to Montana, and he’s joining Everett and his family in the pack.”
“Yes, he’s very happy, and I think he might even find another mate, given time. Lots of widowed ladies out there. I’m just so glad he’s found a home with a decent pack. They have really good leaders.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m sorry I canceled on you. Ronald told everyone in the pack we were forbidden to see you. He’s angry your whole family left. I think he’s afraid others may follow in your footsteps. And he’s not about to change. He doesn’t like losing control. All anyone needed to see was someone taking a stand. You and your family did, and no one could believe it. Then again, when you found your mate, you couldn’t very well return here with him to stay for good. When Jared hears it, he’ll be furious.” Trudy smiled.
“Too bad. It never had to be this way.” Holly finished the blood tests for Clifford and Trudy and gave them to Aidan to review. Then she took the next couple in while Trudy and her mate sat with Aidan in Holly’s office, waiting to see what he had to say, and he explained what was going on. Then Ted offered to make them some coffee, and Trudy and Clifford left the office to help him.
“No one’s supposed to tell Ronald we’re here. No one’s telling him what you’ve found. It would serve him right if his body is aging faster for all the grief he’s given all of us, and all the bad-mouthing he’s done about Dr. Denali after he saved Joey, for heaven’s sake,” another of her female patients told Holly.
Aidan was glad they were keeping quiet about it, though he suspected word would get out soon enough. Someone was bound to spill the beans.
Though Aidan was in another room, between the door being open to both rooms and their enhanced wolf hearing, he heard everything that was going on. He just hoped Ronald stayed out of their business until after they were ready to leave.
After her patients left, Holly joined Aidan in the office and wanted to look over the lists he’d made. “I’d say half of your pack is affected. What we need to know is how many have really ancient genealogy,” Aidan said.
She looked over the names. “Most of those who aren’t affected by the change have ancient genealogy. They’re proud of the fact. I don’t know about these five. Some don’t really talk about family history. They may not know it as well as others. Most shared their oral history over generations. This one—Rock, on the changes list—has always said his ancestors have ancient wolf genealogy.”
“It looks as though there could be a correlation, at least for most of your people. I need to see how far back royals go in other packs and if any have similar ancient histories. If they do, that throws out the supposition that ancient family history could be affecting longevity. How well do you know Rock?” Aidan said.
“Hmm. Well, since it hasn’t mattered in the past if someone is fudging a bit on their family history, it’s possible his family roots don’t go back that far.”
“You mean he’s been lying,” Aidan said.
“Possibly. As an alpha male and a pack enforcer for Ronald, he’s not going to want to admit it. The other possibility is that his family has always told that story, and the more recent fam
ily members have been sharing the made-up tale, believing it to be true.”
“We need to know the truth. We can check with the other packs about their roots and compare them,” Aidan said.
“If this is the reason, then none of the other packs have ancient lupus garou roots?” Holly said.
“That’s what it looks like. Though I thought my family dated back at least that far, unless those tales were fabricated.”
Ted and Mike were fixing coffee for everyone and adding peppermint candy canes for those who wanted them. Trudy and her husband returned to the office with their cups of coffee.
“Thank you, Dr. Denali,” Trudy said. “It’s not the best news, but I’m glad Clifford is fine. Once you leave, then what happens to us?”
“If Sally can take the blood tests, she can send the samples to us. We can monitor them.”
“Thank you.” Trudy said goodbye to Holly and Dr. Denali. “We’ll keep in touch, no matter what Ronald wants.”
Holly smiled. “Good. He can’t deal with all of you if you stick together.”
Then Clifford and Trudy left the clinic, but they turned right back around and ducked inside. “It’s him! Ronald is heading for your parking lot entrance.”
“Okay, we have a choice. We can stand together and tell him the truth, that some of his pack members have issues with their longevity now. Or you can all hide in my office. But I won’t guarantee he won’t check in there.”
Clifford snorted and folded his arms. “I’m not hiding.”
“Me either,” Trudy said.
Suddenly, Sally burst into the clinic. “Ohmigod, Trudy told me what happened to her. Ronald’s just parking his truck. I nearly hit his vehicle with my car, trying to get in here to warn you first. I’m sure he’s livid about it.”
Everyone turned when Ronald opened the door to the clinic. He stared at all the pack members there, his glare spearing Holly next. Aidan joined her, not about to let her deal with Ronald on her own.
“I want everyone to leave,” Ronald said, spying Aidan’s men all at once. “Now.”