“I’d do anything for you, Logan. You and Ronnie are my uncle.” I smiled, but I felt a punch to my gut and I knew something was wrong. I stood on shaky legs and faced the door. “I need Ronnie in the bathroom. Sarah, can you stay with him?”
“What?” The doctor looked at Ronnie and then back at me. “We can’t move him. He’s in no shape to move.”
I turned and rushed to the side of the bed near the washroom. “We don’t have a choice. Something is coming, and if he isn’t hidden, then we will all be dead.” I didn’t know how I knew, but I did. The doctor paled, but then he nodded. Ronnie threw back his blankets, and I grabbed him in my arms. “Are you ready?”
Ronnie nodded and grunted as I lifted him. “What’s going on, pup?”
“I don’t know. I just have this feeling of dread in my gut. Something or someone is coming.” I carried him to the bathroom and sat him down on the toilet. Sarah came on behind me with gauze. She knelt next to him and pressed new gauze to his wound.
I kissed his head and closed the door after me, but I could still scent him in the room. I looked around, but I didn’t know what to do. “What’s wrong?” The doctor came over.
“I can only smell Ronnie in this room.” I turned my panicked eyes toward him. “What are we going to do?”
The doctor and nurse jumped into action. The nurse ran into the bathroom and I heard Ronnie grunt. “What are you doing?” His voice was tired but resigned.
“Hiding your scent Beta.” Then she was backing out of the room on her hands and knees. She poured out something out of a bottle and wiped it up instantly with a towel she grabbed.
The doctor ripped off his gown, mask and gloves and, with another bottle, he washed himself as much as possible before donning another set. The gauze was picked up from the floor andwrapped in a garbage bag and stuffed deep into the trash before it, too, was soaked with the mysterious liquid.
“What are you doing?”
“Using antiseptic to take away as much of his scent as possible. Now get into the bed and act hurt.” The doctor shooed me back as the nurse and he finished. I pulled in more scent, but I could still smell Ronnie.
I shook my head as I tried to figure out what to do, but the feeling in my gut hit an all-time high and I panicked. I searched for anything I could think of to help and my fingers felt something that might save us in my pocket. I pulled out the vial of wolfsbane from my pocket. The one I always keep on me to poison my food, to train like my father trained. The one he gave me. I almost cried in relief.
I turned to the doctor. “I’m going to need you to get more lupine solution, Doc.”
“What? Why?” He turned back to me from where he was standing by the door and I watched as his eyes widened.
“Don’t let me die.” I shifted my hand and clawed at my stomach, and then I poured some of the wolfsbane on to the wound. The instant sizzle from the poison touching my skin was instant, and I wanted to cry out, but I just gritted my teeth. I drew in a deep breath, but this time I only got my scent, my blood, and the wolfsbane. “Scent the room now.”
The nurse and doctor paled, but listened to me. They finally sagged when they turned to me. The doctor’s voice was shaky when he said. “I only smell you.”
“Good.” My body shook. “Now treat me. No matter who or what comes in here. You swear I am the only patient.” I pushed my aura into my words, the Alpha commanding them to lie. I saw the hurt in their eyes and I wanted to ease it. “It’s not because I don’t trust you. But whoever is about to come here willtry anything to get the truth.” I saw the words settle, and they nodded and got to work.
The IV was changed from the one I had to a fresh bag of saline and lupine. I felt the rush of cold fill my arm as the solution went to work, counteracting the wolfsbane. Then the doctor and nurse started in on my wounds. They weren’t healing. Which is exactly what I needed them to do. Sure, I could have not made them as deep as I did, but I needed this to be believable.
“Fuck.” The doctor looked up at me and I smiled. The nurse realized that she still had on her old gloves and gown, and she quickly changed. I wanted just another level of safety so I mentally flipped through the book of shadows I was working on memorizing and I found a spell. One that was undetectable once it settled. It sealed a room. I looked at the bathroom door and focused on it. I didn't have what was needed for the spell, not the fire, nor the supplies, but I had to try.
I closed my eyes, held out my hand, and whispered.Selta sealter bog forshire. I felt it settle on the bathroom door and sighed in relief.
The nurse came back to the bed, and the door flew open. The doctor and nurse turned to the door, and I screamed.
My father came in and turned to look around the room. His eyes widened when he saw me, and he took a deep breath. I watched his face settle a bit before he turned to the door and waited. Beck walked in, and two women followed him. The one that looked my age was a wolf, but the older one, the older woman, was something else.
Witch.
The word bounced around in my head and I knew I was right. The older woman was a witch. She shuffled in and I could hear her whisper to the younger woman. I watched as Beck and the other wolf scented the room, but I knew he would only smell me.
The pit in my stomach grew. I watched as the older woman let go of one of her many necklaces. She was prepared to release a spell on everyone in the room if they had found Ronnie, which I think they expected.
“Daddy? Why did you bring these people here? The doctor is still trying to heal my wounds.” My voice quivered with the pain. I felt the nurse move my hand under the blanket slowly and I was confused, but didn’t draw any attention to the move.
“The Gamma here wanted to see that you were okay before he allowed any more food here.” I looked down and shivered. I moved the blanket and saw why the nurse covered my hand. It was still covered in my blood. I looked up at her, and she met my eyes. She gave a tiny nod, and I turned back to the group at the door.
My eyes narrowed. “You’re the reason the Omegas can’t come here to give me the food my wolf needs to heal?”
Beck fumbled with his words, but the other wolf stepped in. “As Gamma of this pack, he ensured the Alpha was protected.”
