My father already had the pack doctor waiting for us as we ran into her room. “Give her to me.” He held out his arms, and 1
handed her to him. He placed her down onto her bed and cut away her clothes.
“What happened?” My father leaned against the wall by the door. Iturned with a growl, and I lunged for him.
“You did this.” I screamed. I saw in his eyes, as his gaze met my own, that he agreed with me. “She shouldn’t have been out there all alone. And you know it.”
“This was her job.” He tried to say, but I interrupted him again.
“That’s bullshit!” I screamed again. “This is Cass, for goddess‘ sake. Don’t tell me whatever bullshit you fucking spout when another pack member is fighting for their life.”
My dad pushed up from the wall. “I-” But the door pushed open and Greyson walked straight to the bed.
“Stop it.” His voice was level as he dropped to his knees next to the bed.
“See, even Greyson doesn’t want to hear your bullshit.” I tossed out, but Greyson looked yup at me.
“I was talking to you.” The words were like a slap.
“What?”
“You are looking at my mate like she is still the weak little friend you had growing up.” He looked down at the woman in the bed. “But she isn’t.” He pushed a strand of hair away. “You gave her the avenue to become stronger, Amy. And she spent the last few years honing it.” He looked back up at me. “When you were fighting for your life, no one questioned you or your duty because you are an alpha. Well, Cass is a Gamma, and she is the best fucking tracker we have ever had. Stop diminishing her.”
I stumbled back a step. “I wasn’t.” I tried to push back, but she just looked at me with devastation in his eyes.
“You were. So stop it.” He looked to the doctor, who has finished cutting away her clothes, leaving her in some boy shorts and a sports bra. “How is she?”
The doctor hesitated as he inserted an IV port into her arm. “The pup obviously returned to the goddess, but something is going on, and I’m trying to figure it out.” He pulled out a vial of blood from the IV and frowned. “Interesting.”
“What is?” My father pushed up off the wall.
The doctor turned and handed him the vial. “I had thought with her injuries that she was injected with silver, or wolfsbane. She shows no sign of healing, so I was concerned.” He looked from Cass’s body to the vial. “But…” He trailed off.
“But what?” Greyson’s voice trembled.
The doctor pointed to the vial of blood. “If there was silver, or wolfsbane in her blood. We would smell it, but we would also see it. Inside the vial there would be a distinct separation of blood, and the contaminant. But there is nothing.”
“Then what is going on? She isn’t healing.” My father pointed to the heavily injured Cass.
The doctor looked slightly uncomfortable. “I don’t know what is going on.”
“It’s Cass.” My words were a soft whisper in the room, but everyone turned to look at me.
“What did you just say?” The doctor looked confused.
“Cass is the reason she isn’t healing.”
“That doesn’t make sense.” He pointed out.
But Greyson nodded. “She is right.”
I nodded. “Cass would have told her wolf to focus on saving the baby. She would have made her promise.”
1/3
Chapter 524
+25 BONUS
Greyson let a tear slip down his face. “Foolish woman.” He kissed her temple. “Come back to me.” His prayer was soft.
“Is that possible?” My father stepped closer to the bed and looked down at Cass.
The doctor seemed to consider it. “While normally, I would say no, this might be an exception.” My dad turned with a confused look on his face. So the doctor continued. “Normally, if a wolf miscarriages, much like a wild wolf, she moves on quickly. She might nest for a bit, or be restless, but the wolf would move on, and try for another, probably starting a new heat within the month. If its an attack like this, the wolf would save the human, and then console her until she was ready for a new heat. But obviously this isn’t happening.”
“She would have convinced Lily to save our pup.” Greyson’s voice was hallow. “She was so excited when she figured it out, she ran to see Amy to see if she was right.”
I stepped back into Rowan arms. “She came to me yesterday to hang out.”
He nodded. “Yeah. She was a little disappointed, but then your dad called for a tracker.” He looked up. “She said she would see you after.”
“Why did she volunteer if she was pregnant?” My dad asked.
Greyson smiled as he looked down at his mate. “She said she wanted to finish this, so that we could raise our pup here, at home. Instead of the Agora.”
Alicia S. Rivers
