Purple Crescent Moon

Chapter 5. Visiting The Pack Doctor

Rey POV

The pack doctor, Dr. John, steps into my bedroom quietly. He scans the room until his eyes find me; he hastily diverts them to the ground. “Alpha.” He says in acknowledgment. Dr. John is about 50 years old, but he still appears 25 like most werewolves; he is able to age slowly, barely showing a wrinkle or spot on his perfect skin. Dr. John has Blonde short hair with the sides shaved clean. He's short for a male wolf, about 5'10; he has a medium build with short, muscular arms and legs. He has gamma blood in him but chose medicine instead of being a warrior like most of his family did; he's proven to hold his own in battle from when rogues have attacked the pack. He has quiet strength laced with respect for the werewolf hierarchy. After Dr. John had ordered blood work, he decided to do a complete physical checking of my canines, eyes, and body. He politely instructs me to shift only my claws to see the coloring, and if the nails are brittle, he checks my ears for signs of sickness or issues. The doctor uses his tablet to check off a list of tests and adds notes.

A tall redheaded faerie floats into the room a few minutes later to check my auras. The fae’s greenish hands glow bright pink as he scans my body with them, illuminating me. He asks permission to place his hands near my temples in an attempt to communicate with Jax. He clenches his eyes shut and takes long, deep breaths as Jax begins to stir to speak to him. I can’t hear what Jax is saying, but I can feel the incredible amount of pain he’s in.

When the fae finishes, he opens his shining eyes with tears; he places his now dimmed hands to his mouth and takes a deep breath before whispering to Dr. John the results. The doctor nods intently while typing notes onto his tablet as the faerie spills whatever information he’s learned. The Faerie bows at me, and the doctor then vanishes in thin air with a smoky pop. Dr. John sits on my black sofa on the far left side of the room and stares at his tablet with his brows pinched together. He’s yet to tell me even a word of what's going on. I'm sitting on the edge of my black California king bed with my arms crossed over my bare chest, tapping my foot incessantly and staring at him. Eventually, my patience wears too thin, and I jump off the bed.

"John!"

The doctor jumps out of shock from my outburst. "Yes, Alpha?"

"So what is it, John? I don't have time to waste," I flare out my Alpha aura in annoyance.

John's eyes widen, realizing that he'd kept me waiting for so long. He leans his neck to the side in a show of submission.

In wolf packs, the order is regularly reinforced by displays of dominance and submission through a complex mix of vocal and physical communications. So lower-ranking wolves show submission by bearing their necks, one of the most vulnerable parts of their body, to the dominant wolf, typically the Alpha. Most wolves aren't in control of the act; it simply is our animalistic way of showing who is dominant. Those that don’t submit are usually in your same rank; for example, most Alpha’s can’t force submission onto another Alpha. If they were able to, it either means the alpha is stronger than most Alphas, or the wolf has been able to get away with “playing” an Alpha. It doesn’t happen often, but stranger things have been discovered, so you never know.

"My apologies Alpha. I didn't realize how long I've been taking." His voice quivers out at a high pitch, his neck still bared to me.

"Tell me the results, John." I nod and bring in some of my alpha Aura to ease his tension and fear.

He finally straightens up and clears his throat.

"Alpha, your wolf, receded due to the pain of the rejection; this is normal. Since you're an alpha, you'd survive the rejection if you accepted it." He pauses, peeks up at me, and diverts his eyes back down. I let out a breath I didn't even realize I was holding.

"But.." He continues

"But what?" I snap.

"But, the faerie found something …peculiar in your aura."

"Spit it out, John," I demand, pinching the bridge of my nose with my eyes closed.

"Alpha, she found a black spot growing over your aura, much like a parasite."

My eyes snap open, and I narrow my eyes at him. "A parasite? What kind of parasite?"

He lowers his eyes to the ground. "Yes, Alpha, someone or something has been feeding on you. This might be why you didn't take your true Mate immediately. I fear something serious is happening around you that you might not be aware of. This type of infestation can only be done if you allow it."

"Allowed it?

“Ye.Yes, Alpha..”

I stand up and push out my Alpha aura angrily. “Why THE f**k would I allow someone to leach on to me like this? What is it exactly feeding on? How could this happen without me knowing?" I slam my fist to my chest and bare my teeth at him. "I am the strongest Alpha on this planet!"

John bares his neck again, and trembles with his eyes clenched shut. "Alpha, please, your aura is suffocating me."

I retract my Aura, gaining control of my dominance again. As pissed off as I am, it's not John's fault this is happening. You can't kill the messenger, right? John takes a deep breath to regain his composure and breathing.

"Alpha, respectfully, if you did not allow it, then someone near you has been able to.. let's say, trick you into agreeing to it. This type of magic feeds off your Alpha energy, weakening you. It has been done subtly, so you probably haven't even felt it."

“Why would someone close to me do this?”

“Alpha, I’m sorry, but I don’t know just yet; I haven’t been able to study it, and I’ve never seen this particular parasite before.”

I searched my brain, trying to identify who could have done this. I haven't been around anyone with magic at all; I would have been able to sense it. Beings with magic carry an aura the same way Alphas do. I can't hide that I'm an alpha; the power is a part of me. So a magical supernatural wouldn't be able to hide it…right?

"How do I remove it?"

John straightens up and proudly states, "I will help you, my Alpha. My Mate Sarah is a hybrid; she's half Seelie Fae; she can clear your Aura and remove the parasite. I'll call her to come by now."

His eyes gloss over and go distant; I know he's mind linking his Mate.. a few seconds later, his eyes come back into focus, and he smiles faintly at me.

"She's on her way Alpha."

“Good. This situation stays between us. I need to find out who’s done this, but I don't want them to know I’m looking. Can your Mate be trusted?”

John looks at me with a determined face. "Yes, Alpha, we are both devoted to you. My family has cared for yours for centuries. It is our ultimate honor!". He crosses his fist to his arm and bows, a show of devotion.

"Good…Will she be able to capture it to study it or figure out where it came from?”

“I’m sure we will be able to work that out; it's the best way to make sure it doesn't happen again and to find the…traitor.”

“Fine…Let’s get his f*****g leech off my Aura."