“I guess.” Alexi still didn’t sound convinced, but he shelved his concerns when two orderlies appeared, one pushing a wheelchair.
Colt followed close behind.
“Let’s just get you transferred into this, sir,” the one in the lead chirped. “The ambulance is waiting outside.”
Ambulance?I mouthed at Colt.
Colt shrugged.
A few more minutes and Alexi had been transferred to a gurney in the back of the ambulance.
“Climb on in.” Colt offered me a hand up the steps. “You can strap into the jump seat next to Alexi.”
“What about you?” I could already tell there wasn’t room for him, me, the ambulance medic, and Alexi.
“I have a ride.” He nodded to a gleaming black motorcycle parked at the curb. “I borrowed Rafe’s bike to get up here. Gotta get it back to him.”
Torn, I looked from the bike to the ambulance and back. As much as I didn’t want to leave my friend, I was even less inclined to be separated from Colt so soon after we’d made up.
“Go, Sky,” Colt insisted. “I don’t have a spare helmet, so you’re going to have to ride in the ambulance. I’ll see you in a little over an hour and a half.” He brushed a chaste kiss over my cheek. “I promise.”
I tried to hold back a sigh but failed and Colt winked at me as I climbed up into the ambulance and fastened my seatbelt.
Alexi dozed for most of the trip. The medic looked up from his crossword book when I wondered aloud about it to assure me that that was completely normal; that -Alpha or not - the stress of being moved into the ambulance had likely exhausted his badly injured body. Still, it was a long, boring trip with nothing to do but pine for the Alpha leading the way on the motorcycle.
Once we’d arrived, Alexi was bustled into a small cottage – a guest cottage, Colt had explained – and situated in a large bed in the middle of a pleasant, quiet room. The doctor that I remembered from my arrival immediately began to read through his charts, speaking quietly to a serious-looking Omega hovering nearby.
“I’m Eloy,” the Omega said quietly, holding his hand out first to Alexi and then to me. “Most people call me Lee.” He glanced almost shyly at Alexi, his long, dark brown lashes lowering slightly. “I’m training to be a nurse, so, if you’re okay with it, Doc will instruct me in how to help you.” Before Alexi could respond, he rushed on, “but if not, Doc can find someone else who is already trained.”
Even though he was in pain, Alexi smiled at Lee. “I’m sure you’ll do fine, but won’t your mate mind?”
Red flooded into the young man’s cheeks as he shook his head. “I, ah, don’t have anyone at all who will mind, Alpha.”
Alexi’s smile widened, making me wonder if they’d overdosed him on his pain medication. “I’m sure that we’ll get along fine.”
Doc coughed behind his hand, but I was pretty sure he was hiding a laugh. Then he cleared his throat, regaining Alexi’s attention. “I’ve known Dr. Felder for years and I know him to be a very thorough physician. I assume he’s explained everything about your injuries?”
“I think so,” Alexi agreed, stretching his leg out and then wincing. “Although he didn’t tell me when he thought I’d be able to walk again.”
Doc nodded seriously. “The truth is that we don’t know. Even with your Alpha blood, it’s going to take time for the damage to heal.” He pulled a sheet of photo paper from the chart that the medic had brought and showed it to Alexi. “You can see here that the bone is fractured. And you know you lost a lot of blood. You’ll have to be patient.”
“I’ll do my best,” Alexi agreed with a yawn that he followed with a small laugh. “Not that I really seem to have too many choices with as tired as I am.”
Doc smiled understandingly and then my attention was drawn away from their interaction when an unfamiliar man entered the front door and tapped Colt on the shoulder, discretely motioning him outside. He followed without a word, but was back quickly, his brow furrowed with irritation. He caught my eye and nodded to the door, so I excused myself and followed him back out to where the stranger waited on the porch.
“Sky, this is Drey. The attorney I told you about?”
“Nice to meet you, Sky.” Surprised when he extended a hand to me, I shook it.
“Hi.” Now that I was close to him, it was nearly impossible to miss the fact that he was an Alpha. As he made direct eye contact, I found myself taking a step back.
Colt reached for my hand and pulled me against his side. “You’re scaring him, man.”
“What?” Drey shook his head. “I’m sorry, Sky. I didn’t mean to. I guess I forgot you’re an Omega.” He smiled apologetically and moved his gaze back to Colt. “Do you want me to explain it to him?”
Colt sighed. “Yeah. Probably better that way.”
“Why don’t we go sit?” Drey led the way to a picnic table under a towering pine tree. “We need to talk about your new status as a shifter,” Drey explained. “The council only allows thirty days for a newly changed shifter to register.”
I stared at him and Colt interjected. “That means that you have to either identify as an unaffiliated being or notify them what pack you belong to.”
Drey cleared his throat and I turned back to him. “There are a number of options,” he agreed, pulling a sheaf of papers from the folder he carried. “This is a list of all of the packs nationwide who accept werewolves and that are accepting vetting applications.”
Colt snarled at him and he shrugged. “It’s not fair to expect him to make a decision without all the information.”
At that moment, I decided that I liked Drey. “Thanks.” I stared blankly at the paperwork for a minute. “I still have a couple of weeks?”
Drey nodded. “My cell phone number is on the top page. If you have any questions or need any help, just call me.”
I nodded and excused myself. It looked like I had some reading to do.
