“Alpha,” he said with a smile.He wasn’t a wolf, but he always showed deference to his title.“Beta.Thank you for meeting me here.I thought it was prudent.”
“That doesn’t sound ominous at all,” Ledger muttered under his breath.Jericho silently agreed with him.
Just then the trailer’s front door opened and Juniper stepped out, with her sister Clover right behind her.The little girl had her thumb in her mouth as she shyly hid behind Juniper.
“Morning, Miss Parsons,” the doctor greeted.“Let me get right down to business.I got the reports on all the tests I ordered.It seems your father died of a bacterial infection that closely mimics Yersinia pestis.”
“And what is that in non-medical jargon?”Jericho asked.
“The bubonic plague.”
Jericho blinked.“You’re saying the black plague is here in Sheridan?”
The doctor held up his hand.“No, let me clarify.This bacterium closely resembles the plague but it’s not that.I’m not quite sure what it is, so I sent a sample to a colleague at the CDC in hopes they can identify it.”
“Do Clover or I have it?”asked Juniper in a low, hesitant voice.Worry lined her cornflower blue eyes.
“No,” the doctor said confidently.“You and Clover are cleared, but you should quarantine yourselves, which is the reason I wanted all of us to meet here instead of in town.”
“Should everyone get tested?”Jericho asked.
“No, I don’t think so,” Dr.Rosedale replied.“We don’t need to create a panic over this.I suggest having Juniper and Clover quarantine for seven days, and we should know more after that.”
Jericho studied the two girls, and it didn’t sit right with him that they would be all the way out here without anyone to help.Clover would be starting school soon.
“This time next week, I’ll be by to bring you and your sister into town,” he said.Everyone turned toward him.“You’ll both be set up in a small house.”
“I don’t have any money, Alpha,” Juniper almost whispered, not looking at him.As if she had something to be ashamed about.
“Juniper, you’re pack, and it’s my job to take care of pack.You’ll always have a home, no matter what, but I’ll have Corbin look over your father’s estate to see if there’s anything left for you and Clover.”
“Thank you, Alpha,” Juniper said, tears welling up in her eyes.“I didn’t know how I was going to survive, or how I was going to help Clover.I can’t say how much this means to me.”
“Everything is going to be okay,” Jericho promised.
After saying goodbye, he and Ledger and the doctor pulled out of the Parsons’ gravel driveway and headed back to town.
“When we get back to town, I’ll contact Corbin to look into Ezra’s financial background.”
“Don’t forget, we have a wolf training session tonight with the Scotsman,” Ledger reminded him.
“Oh, yeah.That’s right.”Jericho sighed.“At least that’ll take my mind off worrying about those two girls all alone out here.”
“I can have Miles come by daily if you’d like.”
“Okay, that’ll alleviate some of my concerns.”
Ledger nodded as they rode back to town.
****
Tavish’s wolf watchedas Ledger and a sentinel named Miles tracked their prey.Herding a deer toward Jericho, who lay in wait.This was a hunting lesson, plain and simple.In the past, after the full moon run, he’d awoken with fur in his teeth or bloodstains around his mouth.Completely gross, and it didn’t take a genius to realize his wolf was eating whatever animal he’d managed to catch.However, this stealth attack had all of them working together for a single purpose, showcasing the value of unity.
Superior hearing wasn’t the only thing this new shifter nature gave him.He never realized how good his night vision actually was, and from his vantage point, he watched the deer’s movement as it tried to escape the threat of the wolf.It zigzagged across the forest, darting between trees and brush.He could hear the creature’s heart beating in terror since the erratic beats made it easier to stalk.It didn’t know it was being manipulated right into its own death.
Then something surprising happened.
Jericho stepped back and let the deer go.It rushed past them and disappeared into the shadows.Immediately, Tavish resumed his skin and stared in disbelief as the other wolves did the same.
