The Wolf Doctor’s Forbidden Mate

Mate?

Vera

Why couldn't I sleep throughout the entire night?

Every time I closed my eyes, I had this strange feeling that something dangerous was about to happen. Something was wrong. I could not explain what it was, but I had felt it since the evening before. The feeling had followed me all night, keeping my mind busy whenever I tried to rest.

By four in the morning, I gave up trying to sleep. I pulled on my running clothes and left the pack house.

The forest looked beautiful at this hour. Dawn had not fully arrived, and the faint light ahead was enough to guide my steps. Birds were beginning their morning songs while the creatures of the night disappeared into their hiding places. A thin layer of mist hung between the trees.

Usually, running helped clear my mind. Today, it did not. The strange feeling followed me.

I ran for almost an hour before reaching my favourite spot, the cliff beside the Jade Waterfall, about ten miles from the pack house. It was mostly used for ceremonies now, which I had never understood.

Bright moss covered the sixty-foot cliff, giving the waterfall its name. The pool below was so clear I could see the green stones beneath the water. In the right light, the whole place looked carved from jade.

It was the perfect place to think. I closed my eyes and began stretching, taking slow breaths while trying to clear my thoughts.

The clinic.

Dr Owens' retirement.

My new position as Head Physician.

The strange feeling that had kept me awake all night.

I was just about to sit down when the entire forest seemed to go silent.

The birds stopped singing. The insects stopped making their little sounds. Even the waterfall seemed to disappear.

My eyes opened at once. A cold sensation travelled along my spine. I looked around, moving my gaze from one tree to another and then across the plants around me.

Nothing moved. Yet something was wrong. I could feel it. The forest seemed to be warning me, and every instinct inside me told me to pay attention. Fear gripped me.

"Well, good morning to you too."

I sent the thought through the mind link before she could say anything else.

"I need scouts at the Jade Waterfall. Now."

"Vera, what's wrong?"

"I don't know yet, but..."

I stopped.

"Yes. I know."

Less than ten minutes later, around twenty-five scouts arrived at the waterfall. The moment they reached me, I could tell they felt it too. Something was strange in the air. Something none of us could explain.

Our Alpha arrived soon after, with her mate beside her in wolf form.

Everyone seemed affected by whatever was happening, but I felt it more strongly than anyone else. Even in human form, I had always been more connected to the forest than most wolves.

Our Alpha looked around before speaking.

"Whatever is happening here isn't affecting Vera alone. Everyone, split into pairs and search the forest. Begin from the north side and keep each other informed."

The scouts followed her orders immediately, rushing into the trees with a howl.

Our Alpha turned towards me.

"You should return with us, Vera. You have an important day ahead of you."

"If you don't mind, Alpha..."

She gave me a small grunt.

"If you don't mind, Sofia, I'd rather stay here a little longer. I may be able to help."

Sofia was our Alpha, but she had also been my closest friend since childhood. Now that she held the title, calling her by her first name sometimes felt strange.

She gave me a concerned look.

"Please be careful. You may be one of our best warriors, but you still can't shift. Whatever is out there is strong enough to affect all of us."

I lowered my head. My inability to shift had always bothered me. A normal wolf should be able to transform by the age of twelve.

I was twenty-three, and I still could not connect with my wolf. Sometimes, I wondered whether I was even a werewolf.

Sofia was heavily pregnant, and her mate refused to let her walk when he could carry her.

I helped her climb onto his back. She hated having to ride him, but she had little choice. Her mate rose and lowered his head towards me in silent thanks.

Sofia took my hand.

"Be careful."

"I will."

Then she and her mate disappeared into the forest. Once they were out of sight, I removed my shoes and crouched down. I pressed both hands into the soil and took a long breath.

Then I began.

Goosebumps spread across my skin when I connected with the forest. The wind began moving again, clearing the heavy air that had surrounded me earlier.

I emptied my mind and focused on what my senses were telling me.I noticed the dampness in the air.

I felt the wind moving through my hair. I felt the earth beneath my hands. I reached further with my senses, searching for anything unusual.

Nothing.

Five minutes passed.

Then fifteen.

Then thirty.

Still nothing.

Whatever had been there seemed to have disappeared. The strange feeling was gone too.

I let out a breath, picked up my shoes and began making my way through the forest barefoot.

The pack house soon came into view. I was almost at the edge of the forest when the wind moved against my back.

I stopped.

I did not need to turn around. Something was there. I lifted my face and drew in a breath through my nose. The smell reached me instantly.

Blood.

A lot of it.

I spun around.

There was no one behind me. No injured wolf. No body. Yet the smell was unmistakable.

Fresh blood.

I hurried back to the pack house and went straight to my room. The scent was incredibly strong, but I could not tell who it belonged to or where it was coming from.

I took a quick, hot shower, put on my scrubs and grabbed my duffel bag. Then I headed for the pack clinic without eating breakfast.

The moment I entered, I remained alert, waiting for something else to happen. Perhaps I was becoming paranoid, but I could not shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"Hey, Violet. Do we have anyone coming in?"

Violet, our head nurse, checked the charts.

"No, Doc. It's been quiet so far."

I looked around the emergency room.

Everything was in order.

Maybe seeing everything like this would settle my nerves.

It did not.

I still felt on edge, and I could not stop thinking about the scent from the forest. Every now and then, I thought I could smell blood again.

Perhaps it was because today was such an important day for me. Today was Dr Owens' retirement party.

It also marked the day I officially became Head Physician of the clinic.

Our pack was one of the largest in the country, and we guarded the southern border near lycan territory.

Wolves and lycans had been at peace for more than forty years, but that did not mean we trusted them.

Our clinic was responsible for the health of every wolf in the pack. As Head Physician, I would also be responsible for the entire clinic and its administrative duties.

Honestly, I did not feel prepared for any of it. I had been sleeping for no more than four hours each night because I had spent weeks worrying about everything that came with the new position.

For the rest of the morning, I made my usual rounds while helping prepare for the retirement celebration.

Dr Owens was one of the most important people in my life.

He had given me a chance when nobody else believed in me. He took me on as his apprentice when I was twelve, and I later finished high school early and graduated at the top of my medical class.

I had worked hard to reach this point. Yet the thought of becoming Head Physician still made me anxious. By five in the evening, the clinic had remained surprisingly quiet. I was ready to hand my patients over to the next shift.

More than anything, I wanted to get through Dr Owens' farewell party without any problems.

I considered mind linking Sofia, but she reached me first.

"INCOMING!" she shouted inside my head.

Before I could ask what she meant, noise erupted outside. The emergency room doors burst open.

A badly injured werewolf rushed inside carrying an unconscious wolf. I ran towards them.

Several nurses who had already changed into their dresses and heels hurried over to help.

We placed the unconscious wolf on a hospital bed. His body changed into human form.

The injured wolf carrying him then collapsed, and we quickly moved him onto another bed.

Dr Owens came out of his office after hearing the commotion.

"Vera, take Eric. Violet, get the defibrillator ready. Erica and Sam, prepare an operating room."

There was no mistaking the urgency in his voice.

I moved to Eric and began checking his vital signs. Wasn't he one of the scouts from this morning?

Then I realised both of them had been part of the search. Eric appeared to have suffered a concussion, and his entire body was trembling from shock. We also needed to check him for internal bleeding.

That feeling of dread I had carried since the forest returned. Then Sofia reached me through the mind link again.

"Vera, we're going to need every available hand. Get your people ready. Ten injured wolves in total. Three lycans."

"Lycans? Did you just say lycans?"

"Yes. Three."

Within the next five minutes, eight more wolves arrived with injuries ranging from minor to severe.

I smelled the three lycans immediately. Two of them were carrying another lycan between them. The unconscious man they were carrying looked close to death.

"Put him here."

I pointed towards an empty bed. They placed him down and then both collapsed beside him, completely exhausted. I immediately instructed the other doctors and nurses to treat the injured wolves.

"Help the ones who are losing consciousness first."

They moved quickly. But the nurses kept glancing towards the lycans, clearly uncomfortable around them.

Thankfully, most of the wolves had only suffered minor injuries. Many had little more than scratches.

I looked around the emergency room. What happened out there? I turned my full attention to the badly injured lycan.

For a moment, I felt as if his weakening heartbeat was somehow connected to mine.

I checked his vital signs while one of the nurses reluctantly attached him to the machines.

His condition was terrible. I placed my hand against his head and lifted one eyelid to check his pupil response.

A strange electrical sensation travelled beneath my fingertips. I pulled my hand back. What the hell?

His eyes suddenly opened. I moved back in surprise. Both of our heart rates rose at once. He stared directly at me.

Those eyes belonged to a man who looked close to death, yet there was something powerful in the way he looked at me.

His lips moved. I could not hear what he said. I leaned closer. He tried again. I moved closer, trying to catch the words.

Then his heart monitor gave one long sound. His heartbeat stopped. My mind struggled to process what had just happened.

I stared at him. His eyes had found mine before his heart stopped. And I was almost certain I had heard him say one word. One impossible word.

"Mate?"