A small smile curved his lips and he answered seriously. “No, I guess it isn’t. Especially now.”
Slowly, she returned his smile.
They spent the afternoon talking about nothing, really. But despite the circumstances of their meeting, Aric couldn’t remember when he’d enjoyed a day more. When she finally left, he could think of only one thing.
When he’d get to see her again.
Aric flat out refused to spend one more second in that damned uncomfortable infirmary bed. They were torture devices specially designed to make the patient want to get well fast, just so he could get the hell off that stupid mattress that must’ve been designed for a ten-year-old. His fucking heels hung off the end, unless he hitched his knees to the side.
Instead, he sat in a visitor’s chair near the window and gazed out longingly at the forest, itching to go for a good run. He would, too, as soon as Melina got her skinny butt in here and let him out of the loony bin. Two days he’d been here since the doc had made him come back. Now he knew how animals in the zoo must feel, and his wolf growled in agreement.
The door opened and Melina stepped inside.
He jumped to his feet, grinning. “Just the lady I wanted to see. Let me out!”
She didn’t return his enthusiasm, but met his eyes calmly, shoving her hands in the pockets of her lab coat. “Aric, sit down. We need to talk.”
“Talk while you sign my release papers.”
“I’m being serious.”
“Uh-oh.” His smile wilted. “What’s up?”
“Your temperature, again. By two tenths of a degree.”
“That’s all? Jesus, doc, you scared me.” He plucked at the ugly gown. “Now can I get out of this thing? It’s a little breezy and—”
“Aric. Sit down.”
Her steely tone could wither the balls right off the toughest of men. Himself included. Swallowing hard, he planted his ass in the vinyl chair again and waited for her to get to the point.
She wasted no time, removing a flat wooden stick from a jar on the counter and moving her rolling stool so that she was situated between his knees. “Open wide.”
He did, trying not to gag as she depressed his tongue and shone a light into his mouth. After a few seconds, she removed the stick and tossed it in the trash. For a minute she regarded him in silence. He fought the urge to squirm like a schoolboy in the principal’s office.
“Your throat is a little red, though it wasn’t yesterday. Is it sore?” she finally asked.
He blinked at her. “I don’t know. I hadn’t really noticed.”
“Swallow.”
He did, trying not to wince.
“Does that hurt?”
“No.”
“Aric.”
“Okay, some.”
She sighed. “I’m going to run a culture, but I doubt anything will show up, since shifters don’t contract human diseases.”
“Then why bother?” He just wanted out.
“Because it could be something we haven’t seen before in your kind. Or it could be an indicator of an altogether different issue.”
His brow furrowed. “Such as?”
“It could just be that your body is out of whack from the abuse you endured at Chappell’s site.”
“But you don’t think so.” This
“No, it isn’t. Bear with me another minute.” She paused, leaning forward. “Your temperature was normal when you were first rescued. We were worried about your body’s condition, but it was fairly good, all things considered. This didn’t start until you got home. Specifically, when you met Rowan.”
He stared at the doc, his pulse leaping. “What does she have to do with me?”
“Do you feel a pull toward her? Does your wolf?”
Ah, shit.
He affected a smirk. “Are you kidding? The woman’s totally hot. And babes in uniform? Damn, there is a God.”
“You know what I mean. Do you? What if I were to inform you—and your wolf—that I’d seen her and Zan involved in a deep, passionate kiss, right before they disappeared into the forest?”
“What!” He was on his feet, hands shifting to claws, fur sprouting before he realized it. His voice emerged in a snarl. “Where is that motherfucker? I’ll tear his asshole out through his throat and feast on his carcass!”
He spun, but before he could dash out the door, a firm hand grabbed his biceps. “I didn’t say that’s what happened. I asked you
As he turned to stare at her, it slowly dawned on him that he’d been baited. The wolf inside him hadn’t been able to tolerate the idea of another man touching what belonged to him—
“Oh, fuck me.” The fur and claws retracted and he walked to his chair, sat down hard. Slumping, he braced his elbows on his knees and hung his head, staring at his bare feet. “Is this what happened to Jax when he met Kira?”
“I can’t discuss that because of confidentiality, but I can tell you that your symptoms are consistent with what we understand so far about the changes a male wolf shifter experiences when he finds his mate.”
“But she and I just met! Don’t get me wrong, I really like her—but I don’t want a mate!” Even as he said this, however, a miserable ache formed in his gut. His wolf paced inside, anxious. Unsettled.
“I have a feeling your wolf doesn’t care what his human half wants,” she said. Her tone was kinder than normal, which said a lot about the seriousness of his situation. “Am I right?”
“Yeah. He’s about to shred me from the inside out.” Leaning back in his chair, he stared at the ceiling. “I can’t fucking believe this. Any of the other guys would make a better mate for Rowan than I would.”
His stomach lurched and he fought not to be sick at the thought of her with someone else. And not to tear the furniture apart.
“Why’s that?”
His laugh was bitter, but he couldn’t help it. “I’m not settling-down material, my friend. My family was so freakin’ dysfunctional, we made the cast of
“I don’t agree. The men you work with, they’re your family,” she pointed out. “You’re close as brothers, and blood doesn’t matter when it comes to the people who really have your back.”
That threw him, and he pondered it for a long moment. “Okay, that’s true,” he said slowly, looking at the doc. “But they’re guys. I don’t have to worry about being bound to one of them for the rest of our lives.”
“Actually, we have no proof that one of you
He cleared his throat. “Well, to each his own. I’ve got nothing against folks finding happiness with their same sex and all, but I happen to know that’s definitely
The barest hint of humor softened her face. “Anyway, the point is that you have a family right here, one that obviously means a lot to you, though you do your best to hide your feelings behind a wall of sarcasm. It’s not as if you can’t learn to be a good, loving mate to your female.”
He wasn’t so sure about that, but figured it best not to get into that debate. “What happened to Jax… will it
