Alliance of Shadows: NEIL

Three

Phillip Kade had been my father’s best friend since their college days. They had been your typical frat boys and partners in crime. Well, right up until my mother came into the picture. Before that, they enjoyed the freedoms awarded to them.

Thankfully, I had no hassle registering her. Clara had already listed herself as Izzy's next-of-kin, which saved me a lot of time.

Not that the nurse wanted to mess with her Alpha's order.

Suddenly, Izzy made a break for the front door. Catching her around the waist, I carried her down the hall.

When I set her to her feet, I said, "You're acting like a child, Izzy. This appointment is important."

Her blue eyes met mine, and the world seemed to stop. There was real fear in them, and when she spoke, I could hear it in her voice. "No, I've changed my mind. I want to go home. Please, Neil, please don't make me do this."

"I don't have a choice," I said with a frown. "I promised Clara that I would take you to see Phillip and that I'd take care of you. It's not a big deal, Izzy."

"It is, though," she argued quietly. "I'm taking up your time when you probably have better things to do today."

I ran my hands along her arms and tried to kiss her forehead, but she pulled from me. Sighing, I said, "You're wrong. I didn't have anything better to do. I'm going to be there with you. I promise I won't leave for the entire time, okay?"

Pulling her into my arms, I felt her relax a little more. I kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back.

When we got into the room, Phillip was waiting. He held out a small blue gown and advised her to change in the bathroom so he could do a complete physical.

I sat stone-faced while he talked and joked with her in an attempt to make her relax. He succeeded, and she let him do his job in peace. When he touched a small bruise on her arm, she winced.

Narrowing my eyes on the offending mark, I realized it was in the same place where I had held her down that morning. I never meant to hurt her. My knee bounced as I thought about what happened that morning.

It was a habit I took to using when I was nervous. Unfortunately, Phil knew about it, and I knew that he would call me on it as soon as he had the chance.

The concerned look that crossed his face while he wrote something down on his notepad made me want to disappear. I was screwed. I knew I was screwed because he would likely contact Clara or my father over it. Clara, I could probably talk my way around.

My father would hand me my ass.

Finally, knowing that she was hiding things from him, he turned his eyes to me. “Have you noticed any changes in her appetite or sleeping habits lately?”

I spoke up for the first time, “She’s been having a lot of panic attacks lately, and I did notice that she scarcely eats. There have been some nightmares, too.”

The situation was much worse than I had formerly predicted.

He nodded, “That would account for her weight being under the normal standards for her height and age. As for birth control, we have three options: the first is the pill, the second is an injection given every three months. The final option is a little more invasive for such a young girl, the IUD or Intra-Uterine Device, also known as a Mirena.”

I sat forward in an attempt to show some interest. “What’s the difference between the three?”

“It all depends on what Miss Wilkes wishes to do at this point. However, before I can recommend anything, I have to ask when your last PAP test was, Miss Wilkes.” He replied.

"Never," she murmured.

He shook his head. "A Papanicolaou test isn't just for girls who have a lot of s****l intercourse. It can also determine health concerns such as HPV, cancer, etcetera. Are you a virgin?"

Blushing, she shook her head.

"Okay, so the first thing we need to do is get that done and draw a little blood to test for any hidden medical issues you might have. When the results come in, I'll let your aunt know." Phillip indicated the exam table as he spoke and told her to lie down.

Turning to me, she held out her hand. I took it and tried not to let my jealousy get the better of me. Another man was touching her. I knew he meant no harm and that she needed to have this done, but she was mine.

My actions earned me a raised brow from Phillip, but he said nothing. He knew that she was in the dark about our kind, so he wisely kept his commentary to himself.

I rubbed her arm gently, “You’re not in any pain, are you?”

“No,” she replied.

I knew better, though.

She was in pain, but she was used to it.

Her step-father was lucky he was already dead. Otherwise, I would hunt him down and end his putrid life. There was no reason for him to hurt such a fragile angel.

My eyes widened a fraction, and I slowly checked my thoughts.

I knew then that I wanted to protect her. I wanted her to feel safe, and I wanted her to know I cared for her.

Worse, I knew I would stop at nothing to make my desires a reality.

He smiled up from his place as he took a swab of her insides. “We’re almost done.”

She nodded vigorously, gripping my hand like a lifeline.

Tracing circles over the back of her hand, I looked over to Phillip. I was not the friendliest wolf in the pack, and he knew it.

“So, how long for the results to come back,” I asked, brushing her hair back from her beautiful blue eyes.

“A few weeks, but I will put a rush on it,” he replied as he finished the exam. “Other than being slightly underweight, she seems to be in good physical health. I can contact a psychologist friend of mine to see about doing a few in-home sessions with her if you like.”

I watched as Izzy left the room to change back into her clothes.

Phillip looked over at me when she was gone. His face blank, he said, “Does Clara know?”

“No, and neither does Izzy,” I whispered as I looked toward the closed bathroom door.

He frowned. "What aren't you telling me?"

I told him what I'd overheard the night before. Then, I told him what had happened before we got to his office.

“You took her to see Molly? Neil, that was careless of you,” he scolded. "You don't give the Devil ammunition, boy. You take it away."

Falling back in the chair, I sighed heavily. I didn't like the way he spoke to me about it. However, Dad had given Phillip Elder status. As an Elder, he outranked me, but not my father.

Phillip leaned over in his chair as he spoke in a hushed tone. “Are you serious about what's happened to her, Neil?”

“Yeah,” I breathed.

He whistled. "That's not good.”

Watching the door cautiously, I said, "I don't know what I can do to help her, though."

Phillip snorted a laugh, “You're doing the best you can at the moment. There's only so much you can do on your own, so don't go beating yourself up over it. Maybe you should let her in.”

“I'm just as broken, Phil,” I replied. "Probably on a different level, sure, but still broken."

He leaned back in his chair after he handed me the paperwork. "I don't know what to tell you, Neil. For now, I'm ordering a complete set of labs to make sure that there are no serious concerns and that everything is functioning properly. Keri, my nurse, can draw the blood before you leave so we can get it out of the way as fast as possible. These meds should help with the nasty anxiety attacks, too.”

I nodded, thanking him as I pocketed the papers. A dark shiver stole up to my spine. Phillip’s eyes went wide as he looked past me.

Glancing over my shoulder, I spotted Izaria watching us. Her eyes were locked on me, and she wore an unreadable expression on her face. It honestly scared me more than I was willing to admit.

I cast my eyes to the worn linoleum floor as she gave me a withering glare. “Neil, do you have to talk behind my back like that?”

“Are you a ninja,” I asked as I gestured to the seat beside me.

She didn’t even crack a smile.

For someone so tiny, she packed a ferocious temper. She looked over at Phillip, getting right to the point of our visit. “What about birth control?”

He pursed his lips, nodding in response before he said, “I can give you a while to decide between the three options. In the meantime, I can administer a single dose that will last three months.”

“Alright,” she huffed in agreement.

I was a little shocked to find out that she was scared of something no bigger than a sewing needle.

Phillip finished administering the injection and tossed the used needle into a sharps container.

"Neil, if there are any concerns, or if Clara has any questions, don't hesitate to call me." He said as we left the office.

Once I put more gas in the car, I drove out of the town limits. Fog clouded the ocean while finger-like threads of it crept up over the rocky cliffs and across the road. It felt like an omen of bad weather as the car lights reflected off the guardrails.

The road was flanked by steep jagged cliffs and crumbling, flat-faced mountainous hills. It was curved and had hills with sharp turns at the bottom in some places, but it was straight and smooth for the most part. You could see the ocean from the road as the waves crashed against the rocks sending white foamy spray up into the air.

Clusters of forest and smaller settlements made up much of the countryside.

I pointed out huge white bales to Izzy as we drove past them. Jokingly, I told her all we needed now was a bonfire and a gigantic stick so we could roast the marshmallows.

When she laughed, but it didn’t sound natural in the slightest. Her laugh was something I desperately wanted to hear.