Never Goodbye, A Werewolf Romance - (Book 1-The Mist Series)

~Chapter 11 - Card Games~

~Joseph~

I strode to the waiting hospital elevator with my head held high and Maddison beside me. We stepped inside, and the doors slid shut, separating us from watchful eyes—human and werewolf. It had been two days since I had rushed Louise to St. Jane’s Hospital. I struggled to focus on anything in those days. It had become so bad that I cancelled Maddison’s date. The least I could do was make up for it today. Once I’ve checked on Louise, that’s it. I have to be done with her… Right?

Zodiac growled, flashing his canines in my mind. “Yes!”

I growled back at him, but said nothing.

Maddison paused, pulling me to a stop, and glanced around with large brown eyes. “Joseph, why are we at the hospital?” Her voice pulled me back from my thoughts. “When you asked me out, I thought you meant for pizza or something. This isn’t the date I expected.

I turned to her. “I’m sorry, it won’t be long…”

She eyed me with an air of suspicion. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” I lied. It had been days since I had been fine.

With a ting, the elevator stopped, and the doors flew open, revealing the long white corridor leading to Louise’s room. I stepped off, and Maddison followed close behind.

I took her hand and faced her. “A friend of mine is sick. I wanted to check on her…”

“Aren’t you sweet?” Maddison brushed my hair from my eyes. Her lips rose into a luscious grin, and for a moment, I got lost in it. “I knew I liked you the first moment I stumbled into your arms that day.”

“I wish I could remember that day.” We stared into each other’s eyes, before Zodiac gnarred, the gruff sound echoing through my mind.

She tilted her head to one side, her dark hair cascading down her shoulder. “It’s a memory I will never forget.”

“Pretty…” Zodiac idolised Maddison for a fleeting second, before he went rigid and slipped into the back of my mind.

“Well,” I said with a sigh before turning away. “We should get this over with.”

When we arrived at the seats outside Louise’s room, Kingston was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, his white hair tucked behind his ear.

He met my eyes and scowled, his scowl deepening the closer I got. “Bro,” glancing at Maddison, he mind-linked me. “You’re an i***t! Your fated mate is in that room!” His eyes flickered from her room to me. “Louise has been here for two days! And I know you’ve visited her every day since…”

“Let me guess, Levine told you?”

“Nope.” he shook his head, his scowl contorting into a knowing smirk. “I guessed, but you just confirmed it…”

“Think what you want, but I never went into the room…” I glowered at him, making him unfurl his arms. “Besides, that sick girl can’t be my mate. You know my mother won’t allow it… And my father—and, well… I know the Elders would have something to say about it.”

“You say all that, but something keeps bringing you here.” Shaking his head, Kingston leaned against the wall and puffed out a deliberate breath. “And to bring Maddison… That’s like a taunt to the poor girl…”

“At least Maddison is healthy…. She comes from a Beta family… And she’s nearly eighteen…” I defended. But those words seemed weak in defence that even Zodiac made a mocking rasp.

Kingston pushed off of the wall. “I think you have more of a connection with Louise than you like to admit…”

“Silence, Beta!” Zodiac gnashed his teeth in my mind, attempting to take over.

“Settle,” I warned him, pushing back.

Kingston had a point, but I refused to tell him that. When I thought about Louise, I remembered how fragile she was. Then I would focus on how much I enjoyed holding her against me, and how perfectly she fit there. That was where my mind would stay. My heart fluttered at the memory, making the heat return, and my pants suddenly uncomfortable.

“See what I mean…” Kingston teased, holding my gaze. “Do I have to sing that entire song to you? It’s getting hot in here…”

Zodiac growled. Kingston stiffened and his mocking stilled.

“It’s just the mate bond…” I gestured a hand at the door. “Besides, I’m checking on her like any Alpha would… There’s nothing else behind it.”

Zodiac huffed. “Lies…” He turned his head away from the conversation.

He continued to be an indecisive oddball—Interested one minute—Cold and callous the next. Jekyll and Hyde!

Kingston squinted at me in disgust. “That’s a low blow, man! I don’t know how you can keep lying to yourself!”

“It’s the truth.” I pointed at her door. “She has cancer! My parents would lose it if they knew… If they knew she was my mate, then they would call in the Elders! I can’t fucken help that! I can’t help her!”

“The scent…” Zodiac said before vanishing again.

Clearing her throat, Maddison turned her haunting eyes on me. “Joseph, I’m glad you feel you need me around, but I think I’m intruding on something private.” She pointed a slender thumb towards the exit. “I might go… I have a few things to do anyway…” She reached up and kissed my cheek. “I’ll see you later…”

“Can’t wait…”

She spun around and headed for the exit. I watched her go, her tight dress hugging her curvy figure, her brown hair bouncing.

How would Louise look wearing a dress like that? The heat intensified, and I couldn’t move, knowing what would be on display against the front of my pants. My head throbbed. What the f**k do I do?

“So?” Kingston said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Are you going to check on your mate before this scent overpowers the hospital?”

Before I could answer, Doctor Levine Anderson—my uncle—emerged from Louise’s room, wearing his usual dusty blue scrubs and cap. At a closer look, I realised the skin around his eyes was a dark purple with exhaustion. When was the last time he slept?

Laughter followed him. It’s Louise. The sweet sound made my heart flutter and Zodiac whimper.

“Hey Doc,” Kingston grinned at Levine, waving him over.

I pushed the thought about Louise from my mind, forcing that arousal away with difficulty.

“Hi, boys,” he greeted us as he approached. The exhaustion was heavy in his voice. “Are you here to see Louise?”

Grinning, Kingston gestured towards me. “He is…”

Uncle Levine eyed me suspiciously, my scent stronger than I had hoped. “You?” He sniffed, catching it, and he blinked back in surprise. “Why do you smell like that?”

“That’s an interesting story…” Kingston teased, offering a Cheshire grin.

Uncle Levine’s attention intensified. “Joseph?”

I ran a hand through my hair. “I-err… Umm, I—”

“—As fun as this is,” Kingston interrupted, “I might leave you to it…” He turned to Uncle Levine. “You’re a wise man, Doc. Maybe you can talk some sense into this knucklehead. He doesn’t listen to anything I say. He might listen to you.”

Uncle Levine raised his eyebrows in confusion. “I don’t understand…”

“Kingston…!” I shook my head, knowing what Kingston had planned. “Don’t do it!”

“Too late…” My Beta winked at both of us. “You’ll see…” He turned on his heels and walked away, sliding his hands into his pockets.

“What was that about?” Uncle Levine asked, now setting his attention on me. “Why is Kingston acting so odd?”

“Long story…” I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck.

“Teenagers…” He shrugged a shoulder. “Are you here to see Louise… the Omega you brought in?”

“I guess so,” I replied. “I mean, can I?”

“Her situation looks grim,” Uncle Levine cautioned. He glanced from Louise’s door to me and lowered his voice to just above a whisper. “I shouldn’t be telling you this because of doctor-patient privacy, but something tells me you seem to care about her… whatever your reason…” He glanced around, making sure we were alone before he continued. “What I’m about to tell you must never reach your parents… or anyone that will inform the Elders…”

I hesitated, studying his face before I replied. “Okay…” I exhaled a breath and downcast my eyes. “I know what Louise has…”

“I thought as much.” He nodded, fiddling with the clip on the top of the pen in the chest pocket of his scrubs. “But what you don’t know… I have been on Louise’s case for a little over eighteen months…She has stage three cancer… And she’s dying…”

What? Zodiac and I were at full attention. A heaviness fell on my shoulders. Louise was dying! No, that’s impossible! Louise is a werewolf!

Uncle Levine eyed me curiously, trying to decode my thoughts, before crossing his arms. “Do you mind telling me why you’re suddenly interested in Louise? She’s never been a concern of yours before.”

“I feel… obligated.” I half-lied. Or was it a total lie? Do I care, or don’t I? s**t, Louise was dying!

“Joseph!” Uncle Levine said with a deep growl that vibrated the janitor’s trolley across the hallway. “Is there something I should know? Something that might help?”

I shook my head. Can I tell him? The fewer people who knew my fated mate was sick, the better. And safer. “I’m doing the Alpha thing, seeing as we can’t tell my parents…”

“I don’t believe that for one second!” Uncle Levine sniffed the air, wretched my arm behind me, and pinned me against the wall. His wolf, Jasper, peered back at me from Levine’s eyes. Even though he was not an Alpha in the Mist Clan, I could still feel the aura of his alpha blood. He was my mother’s brother, after all, and he was powerful. “I know there’s something more. I can smell it, and for the sake of that girl in there, I want to hear it!”

My uncle had a bright spark that burnt within his soul. He protected those who needed it and never backed down. That was what I idolised him. He had lost his mate many years ago, yet he stood here, tough and willing to help. Such a devastating loss caused only a few werewolves to return from the depths of depression. Maybe he’s the one person I can confide in.

Zodiac hissed from the shadows. “No…”

“Louise…” I exhaled, lowering my voice to a mere whisper. Zodiac dug his claws into my brain, but I ignored him. “I think… No, I know… she’s my mate…”

Uncle Levine laughed, then realised it wasn’t a joke and tensed. “Seriously?” He released me and stood back, tapping his fingers against his chin. “That’s great… but not so great… Oh, that could be problematic!”

I winced, rolling my shoulders, hearing an audible pop when they fell into their usual place. “Tell me about it. I know she’s my mate… It does all crazy things to my body, but that scent…”

Zodiac growled, then turned his back on me. This mate business was messy. Was this girl worth the humiliation and worry?

I scrunched up my nose at the memory of the terrible scent. “It’s like sour caramel… Vinegar… It sends Zodiac insane!”

“That is a serious problem…” Uncle Levine glanced at the door and then back at me. “Our connections lie in scent. Each mated pair has a scent that only they can recognise… it attracts them to each other. Sadly, that sour smell is the cancer… and until that’s removed, the scent will remain.”

I nodded, but couldn’t hide my disappointment.

His eyes glinted with a hint of fatherly pride. “Louise is tough… surprisingly so for an Omega.”

“I realised that after she had a go at me in your clinic… And at school…” I held two fingers, “Twice… And at the training yard…”

He grinned. “Imagine what she will be like once she meets her wolf.”

“She’ll be seventeen on the nineteenth of June,” I added, surprised at myself for even remembering that. “She’s a year away from meeting her wolf.”

“Right,” Uncle Levine pondered, his mouth contorting, before waving at the door. “I suggest you get to know her, go beyond our wolf’s instincts and see what happens… If she’s your mate, there will be a way to move beyond it… maybe you could—”

“—No!” Zodiac interrupted. He pushed at my restraints and glared back at my uncle through my eyes.

Uncle Levine narrowed in on Zodiac, making the beast back up. “Sober up, Zodiac! Jasper has been around much longer than you. He will gladly put you in your place!”

Zodiac defiantly flashed his teeth. “We can’t have a sick mate!”

Jasper snarled. His alpha aura was so strong in my head that Zodiac couldn’t move. “If you don’t want someone as amazing as Louise as your mate, Zodiac, then you don’t deserve a mate!”

Zodiac’s growl escaped my lips before Jasper released his alpha aura, and Zodiac relented.

I groaned, pressing my palm to my throbbing eye. “He’s so fucken moody… and why I can’t decide on anything!”

Uncle Levine sighed, a reminiscent twinkle in his eyes. “I remember those days. When you meet your mate, your entire being goes into the basic animal instincts—protect and mate… And mate a lot…”

I smirked slightly, knowing exactly what he meant. “I’ve had images…”

“Be careful of those,” Uncle Levine warned. “It can be overpowering…”

Multiple giggles rang out from the hospital room. I straightened, my body going rigid. Louise was not alone. Who’s with her? Unable to stop myself, I stormed towards the door.

“Joseph?” Uncle Levine called after me.

I drowned out his voice as those protective instincts hit overdrive and pushed open the door, ready to rip anyone apart if I had to protect her. Even Zodiac had poised himself, prepared to attack. But when we smelt that sour scent, Zodiac growled, his hackles high, and returned to the shadows.

“You’re an old maid, Jo!” Louise laughed, holding cards in her hands. “I win again!”

Around her, machines beeped and whirled in an ominous melody. Cords dangled from her chest—her tiny figure almost lost amongst them. Across from her sat the two Omegas that had helped get Louise inside the packhouse. Lorraine and Joanne.

Joanne pouted, crossing her arms. “Damn it! I never win!”

Lorraine snorted. “I’ve only won one! I think Louise is hiding cards.”

“You need to stop letting me win,” Louise laughed. Her laugh paused when she caught my scent and realised I was in the room. She stiffened.

“Alpha Joseph…” Lorraine gasped, standing with a meek smile. The Omega was pretty, with large, bright eyes.

Joanne dropped her cards and stood. There was something about this Omega that was different. She was a thinker—a watcher, taking in everything around her. She offered a curt bow. “Alpha…”

They both watched me with an air of caution. Alpha Blood made other werewolves behave that way, especially Omegas, Deltas, Gammas, and Betas. My aura as an Alpha was powerful, but it didn’t have the same effect on Louise.

Louise puffed out an irritated breath as she laid back against her pillow. “My day was going well…”

An unstoppable growl rumbled from deep within my chest, making the other two shudder. Louise ignored it, her eyes darkening as she tightened her hold on the blanket. Why doesn’t my Alpha status work on Louise?

I crossed my arms and met her gaze. “How are you, Louise?”

Zodiac returned to my head and started pacing. “Why won’t she submit to us?”

I couldn’t give my wolf an answer because I didn’t know.

“Look, Joseph… there are enough people here for my pity party.” She shot me a defying scowl. “Thanks for checking on me, but I don’t remember sending you an invitation!”

Sarcasm, I knew it well, and she was a pro. I chuckled inwardly.

Zodiac huffed. “We can add sarcasm to the list of pros.” Then, with a wag of his tail, the moment was gone.

“I came to check on you.” I stepped closer, making all three of them tense.

“Well…” she trailed off and grabbed her stomach, scooting back against the headrest. Her face twisted as she leaned forward and gasped for air. “Not again…!”

“Doctor Anderson!” Lorraine shouted. Wide-eyed and pale face, she hurried out of the room.

“Help is on its way,” Joanne soothed, sitting beside her friend. “Slow and steady breaths…”

Louise exhaled a slow breath, seething with every movement. “Thank you… Joseph…” She waited for another wave of pain to pass and then glared at me with fury in her eyes. “Thank you for coming all this way to rub salt in the wounds!”

My heart did a strange backflip at her words. I wanted to hold her. But something was stopping me, and it wasn’t just Zodiac. Was it the fear of what my parents would think—what they could do? Or was it the fear of the Elder stepping in and all hell raining down on me? I stood there at a complete loss. Should I help her or not? The entire room would know she was my mate. No… I can’t… they can’t know!

“No…!” Zodiac breathed in, and we both shuddered at that scent.

“Arh, that scent!” I rubbed my forehead, shaking my head at the same time.

Uncle Levine appeared in the doorway. “Louise, it’s going to be okay.” He met my gaze with a piercing look of disappointment and hurried into the room. The room filled with panting breaths as he pulled a syringe out of his medical bag and held Louise down. “It will be okay. I’ve got you!”

A high-pitched whimper made me recoil as he injected something into her shoulder. No! I found my feet backing out of the room, putting as much distance between us as possible. I can’t watch this!

Zodiac growled, piercing his onyx claws into my brain. “Leave! Now…!”

“Leave!” Jasper ordered in a voice that stirred fear in my chest.

The next thing I knew, I was driving away from the hospital, sweat pouring from every inch of me. I needed an escape. I needed to let Zodiac out before my brain exploded.

“Kingston!” I summoned my Beta with a voice I didn’t recognise. “Run… we need a run… Now!”

After a second, Kingston replied. “You sound weird…”

“Now!” Zodiac roared, his voice rattling my brain.

“I’ll meet you at the packhouse!”