“She’s intense,” JC said, pointing a thumb at the door.
“Yes, she is.” A little thrill of pride surged through me. For all the mistakes Mom had made over the years, the one thing I could count on was her fierce protectiveness when it came to her children. She’d walk through fire for me or my little brother Gael. “Sophia Torres doesn’t take shit from anybody when it comes to her kids. I wish she was the same way when it came to her own heart,” I added sadly.
JC sat down in the chair beside my bed. “What you did today was really impressive. Going toe to toe with a shifter after only having turned as recently as you did? Not only that, but an armed shifter? Not many could have done what you did and come out alive. How are you feeling?”
“Fine, I guess.” I touched my hair. It wasn’t caked with mud anymore. “I guess you guys gave me a bath?”
“One of the nurses,” JC clarified. “You were… well, there’s no way to put this nicely. You were fucking gross when we found you.”
I let out a snort. Now that I was warm, dry, and safe, it was easier to laugh at the situation. Nate was down the hall, and having his presence near me was a comfort. Recalling it now, my flight through the woods was more like a bad dream than reality.
“Thanks,” I said. “The mud covered my scent. It’s how I got away from Rick.”
JC stared at me for several seconds, then shook his head slowly. “I’ll be damned. I never would have thought of that. Good to know,” he added with a grin. “You’re obviously a very capable woman, Cameron. I’m sure that will translate into you being a formidable wolf, once you’ve gotten your bearings.”
The praise brought a warm glow to my cheeks. It reminded me of a teacher or my boss giving me approval for a job well done. JC, though young, gave off some sort of benevolent uncle or mentor vibes. Hopefully, this would continue, and I could integrate into his pack with his help.
I wished Nate was in the room with us. He’d always spoken about packs in a hesitant and aloof sort of way, but maybe if this man treated Nate the same way he was treating me, Nate would change his mind.
JC leaned forward and gave me a pained smile. “I’m very sorry your first days as a shifter have been like this. You have to understand, humans being turned is not something we typically deal with. It’s fairly rare.”
“Yeah,” I admitted. “Nate and Ollie both said that.”
“Speaking of that,” he went on. “Can you give me your side of the story? I’ve heard from Ollie, and I’ve spoken to Nate, but I’d really like to hear what you have to say about all this.”
I took a deep, steadying breath, then started from the beginning with the attack in the garage. Certain parts of the story sounded insane as the words tumbled from my mouth. JC never mocked or questioned the story, though. Even the crazy parts like Rick nearly blowing Nate’s brains out, or the feral attacking us at the campground. All he did was nod along, listening intently and never once interrupting. At one point, he even cracked a joke to relieve some of the tension when I was describing my flight through the woods.
“Who knows,” he’d said when I talked about covering myself in mud. “Maybe some hiker got a photo of you, and they’ll tell their kids they saw Bigfoot or a swamp monster or something.”
Was the entire pack so warm and welcoming? If so, Iwantedto be a part of it. My whole life, I’d craved the structure and support ofsomething. I’d hoped marrying an established person like Rick would provide that feeling, that I’d have someone to lean on and give me what I was lacking. Looking back, I realized that had been a childish thought, and I couldn’t believe I’d actually thought that would make me whole.
Would the entire pack be so familial with me? Maybe they could even help get Mom and Gael out of that shitty apartment. Though, that was probably too much to hope for. What Icouldhope for was perhaps changing Nate’s mind. If I couldn’t get him to choose pack life, maybe JC could.
I’d do whatever I needed to do to get Nate to stay. The loss of him this morning had shown me something I doubted I’d ever realized before. I neededhim in a way I couldn’t explain, not even to myself.
34
Nate
Ifound Ollie in what basically amounted to an exam room rather than the ICU-type room Cameron was in. While his injuries had seemed serious at first glance, they were milder than anticipated, so he’d been moved to a smaller room. He had a blanket tucked over his legs and stomach, and his arms were propped behind him on the pillow.
When I opened the door and peered inside, he gave me a grim look.
“Doc?” he said. “Please, don’t castrate me. My testicles have so much to live for.”
“You’re a dumbass, you know that?” I said, closing the door behind me.
He grinned and sat up. “Sorry. I use humor to cope with boredom.” The smile faded as he eyed me. “You know this might have all been avoided if you hadn’t run off. You were like a kid who got pissed and took his ball home.”
Shame, deep and painful, washed over me, and I nodded. “Yeah. Probably true. Rick wouldn’t have dared try attacking usif I’d been there.” I tried to crack a joke of my own. “He saw what a pussy you were, and that’s what sealed the deal, right?”
Ollie rolled his eyes. “Sure. We’ll go with that.”
“I can’t believe you let that fucker get the drop on you.” I shook my head. “You’re losing your touch in your old age.”
Ollie adjusted himself in the bed, wincing slightly. “Yeah, yeah. Next thing you know, I’m gonna have to schedule a prostate exam and a colonoscopy.” He gave a grin, but then it vanished as he gestured toward the door. “Look, man, I heard a bit of what you and Cameron were talking about back at the campground. If you want me to finally put a word in for you, I will. I’ll pull JC in here right now and vouch for you.”
Sighing, I glanced back at the door, then turned to Ollie again. “Maybe. If I can talk myself into it. But only after Cameron is safe and all this is settled.” I shrugged. “If they even want someone like me in their pack.”
