“What are you planning?” My father leaned forward. I ignored the doctor and his nurses, knowing they would keep their mouths shut.
“I want whoever that did this to think they succeeded. I want them to think they got away with it. And I want to use this to trap them.”
“Amy? What is going on?” I drank down a juice and held up a hand as I quickly ate a sandwich. I felt a little lightheaded and needed to eat something. “I feel like you have figured out something and I am still fumbling around in the dark.” My dad looked between me and Ronnie, his sluggish mind still trying to catch up.
I tried my best to meet his eyes, I really did, but I knew he wasn’t going to like what I was about to say. “It’s Beck, Daddy.”
“What?”
“I need you to listen to what I’m going to say, without interrupting, and think before you jump to defend him. I need you to think clearly, without thinking about your past. Promise me.” I finally looked at him, and he gave me a quick nod. “Aurora escaped the Gamma, which should have been impossible for her strength. She also managed to attack him and put him down long enough to get off pack land, but he didn’t mind-link anyone. Ronnie found him unconscious by her cell.” I waited for him to nod before I went on. “Then there was the attack. The rogues knew intimate details of the pack and our procedures, stuff that Aurora alone wouldn’t have known. Something the Gamma would. And now, Beck is back up and running, and Ronnie is attacked and almost killed. He would have been killed without the secret training your dad put you two through.”
Chapter Forty-One
M
y father sank with each word. I watched as his world crumbled, and I was sorry for it. It wasn’t what I wanted, but it needed to be said. Beck had caused half the issues here. I was sure of it. “How can you be so sure?” His voice was soft, but his eyes held a tiny seed of hope.
“I’m not. But if he thinks Ronnie is dead, then we have a chance to catch him.” I gave him the tiny bit of hope. “I might be wrong. I am more than willing to be wrong. But all of what has happened isn’t sitting well with me. Something is wrong, and someone betrayed this pack. That person is the same one that attacked Ronnie.”
“You are making a leap.”
“No, I’m not.” I looked at Ronnie, pale, nearly dead and being pumped full of my blood to keep him alive long enough to heal. “Ronnie ran all the way from where he was attacked to us here, in my room. That gives me a bit of information. He trusted who attacked him, and because of the attack, it made him question everyone in the pack. If it was a rogue, he would have mind-linked someone. But he didn’t. He ran straight to us, to you.”
“It doesn’t mean it was Beck.”
“It doesn’t. But he said Beck was gone. So either he ran, or he’s dead. And dead men don’t show back up if he finds out Ronnie is dead.”
“So if Beck shows back up…he’s guilty.”
“It would be a strong mark against him, but I would still wait for Ronnie to wake up and get his story. And I would work with Beck to get answers, too. I wouldn’t condemn a wolf just because he made me uneasy.” My father nodded, and I grabbed some water.
“This is going to take more time than I thought. Amy, I think to be safe you should just eat and drink continuously. Your wolf will help rebuild your blood supply as it empties, but you will need fuel for her to work.” The doctor was still pushing gauze into the wound.
“Has there been any change?” My dad stood and walked closer to the bed as I turned to the cart and started to eat the rest of the sandwiches.
The doctor gave a quick nod. “Not much, but the edges are starting to come together.”
“Dad?” I chugged another glass of water. But there was something missing from this cart. Something my body needed. Something in my body flipped. I could feel Nix begging to come out, even though she knew she couldn’t.
“Yeah darling?”
“Can you order me steak, a lot of steak? And more juice.” I tore into another sandwich, but I was suddenly starving. “I don’t even care if it’s cooked all the way.”
“Amy?” My dad came over to where I was at and looked at me, but I felt my eyes had shifted.
“I’m holding on to Nix but a thread. I don’t know what’s wrong. But I need meat. Now.” I tore into another sandwich.
The doctor paused. “You can’t shift Amy. I know you’re newly shifted, and it’s impossible to control your wolf, but if you shift, Ronnie will die.” I nodded and refocused on the food.
As long as I kept eating, I would be fine. I hoped. What the hell was going on?
It’s Ronnie’s wolf, Logan. He’s finally awake. He says they need protein to heal, so he is sending the craving to us, but he’s a little more powerful than he realizes, and Megan is insatiable. Which is making me the level head in our trio, and I’m too close to the surface. You’re feeling Megan’s need.Nix’s voice trembled with need, but she sunk her claws into me, refusing to shift.
“Logan is awake and is sending his need for protein to me. His only thought is to heal Ronnie.” I tried to snatch another sandwich, but the cart was empty. My eyes raced over the cart. “Fuck.” I trembled with need.
“Amy, it’s okay. They are almost here.” My father sank down in front of me. “Hold on baby girl.”
I shook my head. “I can’t.” I felt my face start to shift. “The need is too much.” My bones shifted more until my father pierced my leg with one of his claws. I screamed and my eyes snapped back to his.
