Chapter 1
Maxwell
“Hi, Dr. King.”
“Good morning, Lewis. How are you doing this morning?”
Lewis sighed. “I’m okay, I guess. I miss Abel. I’m happy he is with his mate, but I mean, his mate is a mobster. That’s wrong. Why? Why would someone like that get a mate?”
I took the box that Abel handed over. I didn’t ever have to tell them my order when I came in. It was always the same: an assorted dozen of donuts and pastries. Another filled with muffins. I didn’t eat any of them. Well, not often. But I’d found that having them out and available for my patients made for some very happy omegas.
“I do not know the specifics, as it was not mine to know,” I told him. “But I do believe that despite Abel’s mate’s position or family, he was paired with him because they are a good fit.”
Lewis scowled. “How can you say that? Able doesn’t deserve to be tied to someone who kills people.”
I shook my head. “I’m not meaning to offend you, Lewis, but if you think about those around you, many have killed others for various reasons. A lot of us have been around for a verylong time. Situations haven’t always been as safe and secure as they are here on Treasure Ridge. Maybe consider that before you make assumptions about people and what they’ve done and why.” I took the second box that was full of various muffins from Beau as he shouldered Lewis out of the way.
“Don’t pay him any mind. Seriously. He’s in a mood. Sorry, Dr. King.”
I smiled. “No need, Beau. Enjoy the rest of your day,” I told him. I took my boxes and left the bakery. I absolutely could use magic to provide donuts and muffins for my patients, but I liked supporting the bakery. It was usually a positive experience, and I did understand Lewis’s worry about Abel, but I’d heard about how and why the situation came about, and I was of a mind that Abel would be very much loved and cared for at his new coven.
I’d met with the arctic fox shifter a few times, and although he tended to be quiet for the most part, I also knew he had a backbone of steel, and he was no shrinking violet. Everyone deserved to find happiness and their forever mate, and if Abel’s was a vampire that happened to be part of a mafia family, well, I wasn’t one to judge.
I carried my boxes back to the omega clinic, and after I unlocked the back door, I entered and set them on the break room table while I prepared for the day. There was a whole lot happening this week. Today, I was going to receive my new, permanent office assistant. I was very happy to welcome Owen to the team here. He was an already mated omega who was closing in on two centuries old and already had a family of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. I would miss Cecil and Todd, but Cecil never needed the position, and he and Warwick very much wanted more children. Todd, he had his hands full, and although I’d welcome him back on a moment’s notice, I knew he wasn’t coming back.
Later this week, I was supposed to meet the new doctor that the council had hired to help me. I was certainly looking forward to that. Not that I couldn’t take care of all of the omegas on my own, but it was going to be nice to be able to take time off here and there.
I used magic and brewed myself another cup of tea as I sat down at my desk and turned on my laptop. I checked the schedule and saw that I had Chase on the schedule this morning, which surprised me. I didn’t remember adding him to the schedule, but I wasn’t the only one who had access to my calendar.
It took a bit to remember the last time I had seen Chase. His and Reinhold’s twins were four now. He’d not renewed his suppressor subscription…oh. Well, there was that. Maybe he was looking to renew it, or perhaps it was a visit for something else. I would know around nine when he arrived.
At ten, I had Scott, and at eleven, I had Drew. It was going to be a busy few months if they all turned out to be pregnant or were about to be. I took a sip of tea as I looked over the afternoon schedule and smiled. I was going to be dropping in on Master Ambrosius to check up on him and little Andrea. All of his children were simply precious, and the newest little vampire in their family was no different.
I heard a knock on the back door, seconds before a greeting.
“Hello? Dr. King?”
Immediately, I stood to go greet them. I met Alpha Taio at the door. “Hello, Alpha Taio, and good morning.”
He smiled in return. “Good morning, Dr. King. I was helping Owen this morning by showing him around.”
I grinned at my new office manager. “Good morning, Owen, and welcome.”
“Hi, Dr. King. I’m excited to be here.”
“Trust me when I say I’m happy you are here as well. I can show you around if you’d like.” I glanced at Alpha Taio. “Unless you needed to take him for something else.”
Alpha Taio shook his head. “No, not at all. His mate is over at the main building, and I promised I would walk Owen over and introduce him formally. I’ve done that now, and although I do understand the reasoning for Jun’s protectiveness, I also know that Owen is more than capable and is perfectly safe here on the mountain.”
I smiled and heard a quiet snort. Owen quickly turned to Alpha Taio. “Thank you, Alpha Taio. I appreciate you taking the time to escort me over this way. Please tell Jun I’m here. Although I’ve already said as much, he is still going to worry.”
“I do understand. I worry about Lan all the time, and she’s never far. We can’t help it at times.” Alpha Taio nodded and then left. I waved to him, and after the door clicked shut, Owen sighed.
“I love my mate. More than anything, I love him. But he is overly protective. I get it. We’re new here, and everything is uncertain. But I’m a hundred and seventy-eight. We’ve been mated for almost ninety years.” Owen gave me a baffled look. “I’ve given that man six babies—four were alphas, one male omega, and one daughter. One. How is it that we only got one daughter?”
I smiled at Owen. “I cannot explain that, sorry. It just happens sometimes.”
Owen shook his head. “I know that. I was just saying that he has no reason to worry about me as much as he does, but that doesn’t stop him. It never will.” Owen grinned. “Do I call you Dr. King? Or do you go by Dr. Maxwell? The last office I worked in, we used Dr. Joe and Dr. Mark. But they had the same last name because they were brothers.”
