Alpha's Protective Pup

7

At least, I didn’t bring it up at first. The problem was, I couldn’t keep myself from discussing what was on my mind or bothering me at the time. The urge to share it became unbearable; I felt like I was ready to burst.

“We’re getting quite involved in a woman whose name we don’t even know,” I said, earning a glare from Lukas. “Well, it’s true.”

“And we both know why this is the case, so there is no point in bringing it up.”

I frowned, but dropped the subject anyway. “Do you think she might stay once she heals up?”

“Honestly, I couldn’t tell you, Oscar. It’s going to be quite a shock for her when she finds herself in a den full of werewolves.” He raised his brows. “Considering the fact that she’s part wolf and an omega, it’s no wonder she’ll want to leave this place as quickly as possible.”

If the woman wasn’t willing to stay of her own volition, then so be it. I would not force her, and neither would Lukas. This would not please my father, of course, so I was going to try my best to convince her to stay.

A small part of it was driven by pure selfishness, but there was another motive, too. Now that her Lycan blood was active, she was going to go through changes that she wouldn’t understand. The same went for her omega blood, which had been dormant as well.

Surrounded by understanding individuals, would help to navigate her significant changes. She would need support and understanding. However, this was all a moot point until the woman woke up.

Eventually, the door opened, and the healer stepped out.

“How is she?” I asked, beating Lukas to the punch.

The healer glanced at me. “She’s doing fine. Her Lycan blood has finally kicked in, so the wound is already healing. I’d estimate it will take around two or three days for the wound to heal.”

“Is she awake?” Lukas asked.

“No, but she’ll probably wake up soon. Just give it some time.”

I nodded, feeling a wave of relief wash over me. “Let us know when she’s up and coherent. It’ll probably be best if the two of us were to speak with her about everything.”

“Look, when she wakes up, I’m going to be the one who is there. So if she asks me where she is, I’m going to be honest and tell her,” the healer announced with a warning glare. “Keeping it from her is going to do no good. All it will do is cause her alarm and the last thing I want is a panicked patient. They usually make terrible decisions that hinder their healing process.”

No one was going to argue with Margret. She had been working in the position for decades now, and I doubted she would ever retire. Chances were she’d die first before that ever happened.

After what felt like an eternity, we finally received the news that the woman had awakened, bringing an end to the torturous wait. Lukas and I both stopped what we were doing and rushed over there to speak with her.

The first thing I wanted to learn was her name.

CHAPTER 4

ISLA

A

fter I passed out from the pain, I would occasionally come to and hear voices around me. I still wasn’t with it, so it wasn’t like I could take in the conversation. The times I regained consciousness, I’d realize I was somewhere I didn’t recognize. I’d felt this immense panic and then this odor would reach me. It was a strong, calming scent that made me drift slowly back into unconsciousness.

By the time I regained full alertness, I was unsure of how much time had passed. My eyes flickered open, and I peered around the room. It looked like I was in some kind of cave, which made no sense. Why am I in some kind of cave?

The room itself looked to be an infirmary. I then remembered my injury and yanked the blankets off my body. I could tell someone had done a skillful job of bandaging my leg, but I had to remove the dressing to assess the extent of the injury.

When I saw the wound, I recoiled at the sight. It still looked injured, but it was not as bad as I remembered. To my surprise, the healing process had sped up, leaving me bewildered. I was an average healer, never having healed this fast before.

I heard someone coming and grabbed the blanket and yanked it over me before lying down. The door opened and then closed. Footsteps approached the bed until finally stopping. At that point, I heard… laughter.

“Girl, I know you’re awake!” a woman’s voice exclaimed. “All your senses are giving you away.”

I pushed the blanket down and found myself face-to-face with an older woman with wild graying blonde hair and gold eyes.

“I haven’t been a girl in a long time,” I murmured, my senses on high alert as I observed her every move.

She snorted. “By the time you reach my age, everyone is a kid.”

Most times, I would’ve laughed or given a half-hearted snicker at that kind of comment, but my focus was on waking up in an unfamiliar setting. The woman sensed my anxiety and sighed.

“My name is Margaret. I’ve been the healer for the Sabretail Pride for a few decades now. One of my fellow pack members brought you in after a wolf who trespassed on our territory attacked you.” She explained it as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

I blinked. “Half of the s**t you just said makes no sense. What the hell is a Sabretail Pride? You make it sound like some wolf pack.”

“My, you are a dim-witted one, aren’t you?” Margaret suggested, exasperation clear in her tone. “Perhaps you hit your head during your attack, but I’ll tell you again more clearly. The Sabretail Pride is a wolf pack, though the more common term for our kind is werewolf.”

I laughed because it sounded insane. Then I remembered that wolf attacking me and another one showing up. The second one transformed into a human right in front of me.

Well, s**t. I was surrounded by werewolves, wasn’t I? I couldn’t very well deny it any longer.

“It feels like there is more to this?” I narrowed my eyes.

Margaret lifted a brow. “Why do you say that? I can assure you we have no plans to kill and have you for dinner.”

I pulled the blanket off to show her the now unbandaged wound. The second I did that, the woman scowled.

“Do you know the work that went into healing, cleaning, and dressing that wound?”

“You would’ve had to look at it eventually, so I figure I did you a favor.”

She gave me a frown but must’ve figured I was right because she leaned closer, inspecting the wound. “It is healing nicely. I’ll admit to that.”

“What did you put on it to make it heal so fast?”

“Nothing special.” Margaret shrugged.

I had the sense she was still hiding something from me, but it didn’t seem like I was going to get any more information out of this stubborn old bat. She should retire and allow someone with a better bedside manner to take over.

“Then why did I heal so quickly?” I asked, not willing to let it go.

There had to be more to it, and I was determined to find out what.

Margaret sighed. “You will not let this go, will you, girl?”

“My name is Isla, not girl.”

She giggled. “It matters not to me what your name is so long as you’re on the way to healing properly.”

“Just tell me what is going on!” I snapped, growing restless with the situation.

“Your werewolf blood has finally awoken, which is why the wound is healing quicker than it normally would for a human.” Margaret stared at me like it was obvious.

It might’ve been obvious to her, but it wasn’t to me.

After it sunk in, I started laughing. “Neither of my parents were werewolves, so that makes no sense.”

“Girl, there is a lot of mystery surrounding half-breeds. In some, they display their wolf’s blood at birth, while others don’t show it until puberty. Then some go their entire life without showing unless another wolf’s saliva or blood comes into contact with them,” she told me. “So, one of your parents had to have wolf’s blood, but it remained dormant their entire lives. It would’ve been the same for you had you not taken a stroll through the woods.”

On a logical level, everything she said made sense, but I refused to entertain her ideas. All I could do was shake my head like a maniac.

“No, I won’t accept that.”

She shrugged again. “That is your choice, girl. Eventually, your Lycan blood is going to get stronger, which will cause your senses to heighten… among other things. Then there is your secondary status, but I will not address that right now. I feel it might be too much of a shock for you. Let the boys explain it, anyway.”

After re-bandaging my wound, Margaret left. As she was leaving, I glimpsed two guys outside the room.

Eventually, they came inside. I tensed at first because these were two strange men coming toward me, but they filled me with two strong, but distinct, odors. When it reached me, I felt an instant calm and just leaned back against the headboard.

I saw the two men look at each other with annoyance. Although they weren’t annoyed at me, I could sense the tension between them. I raised my eyebrow, but I paid little attention to it.