VAMPIRE Wolf

Chapter Three

Sven

“I come bearing good news,” the doctor says as he enters the room we’re all gathered in, waiting to hear what Dad’s latest results are.

The New Haven hospital has a secret wing specifically for supernaturals, and the surprisingly young doctor is a shifter himself, which is convenient. Mom keeps joking that he’s checking me out, but I don’t see it. I don’t understand why she’s so fascinated by him, either. He’s handsome, sure, but he’s so… boring.

“What is it?” Mom asks, squeezing Dad’s hand until it turns red.

“The cancer hasn’t spread,” says the doctor, casting a smile around the room. “In fact, it’s shrinking. The chemo seems to be working well, as do the experimental injections.”

“What does that mean?” she asks, sitting forward on her seat.

“It means your alpha might have a few more years left in him,” the doctor says with a wink.

Dad’s shoulders sag with relief. It’s the first time I’ve seen him show any kind of emotion where his cancer’s concerned. Mom flings her arms around him and pulls him in for a tight squeeze, kissing his cheek.

“Is it still terminal?” Eric asks. He’s never afraid to ask the tough questions.

“It’s hard to say since he’s a shifter,” says the doctor. “If he were human, yes. But I think we’ll have to wait for time to tell. We’ll scan you again in three months and see how everything looks.”

“Thank you, doctor,” Dad says with a curt nod.

The doctor leaves and Mom immediately starts babbling away with excitement. It’s good to see her like this. Happy. Her mood keeps up all the way home, and for a little while, it’s easy to forget why I was so stressed about coming back to Connecticut. She’s like a new person, and Dad’s spirits seem higher, too. It’s like our family has been glued back together.

“I’ve got to find you an alpha like that doctor,” Mom says to me on our way into the house, her eyes twinkling with new life. “Isn’t he gorgeous? If I weren’t so excited, I would’ve remembered to ask him for his number.”

“He’s okay,” I say warily, following my family inside.

“‘Okay’?” she echoes, laughing. “Someone has high standards. ” She ruffles my hair playfully before turning her attention back to Dad, fortunately for me. “We should all take a trip together, now that we’ve been given such good news. It’s been a while since we got to travel.”

“It has,” he agrees, sinking into a chair at the kitchen table. He seems completely overwhelmed by Mom’s newfound energy. “I think I’d be up for a trip.”

“Where are we going?” Eric asks, pouring himself a tall glass of milk. “Camping could be fun.”

“Fishing trip!” Anders cheers, pumping a fist in the air.

“And hunting,” adds Eric. “As wolves, of course.”

I hope they don’t notice the face I’m pulling. Hunting has never been my thing. I always pretend like I can’t keep up so I don’t have to be the one to take down an animal.

“That might be a little too exciting for your old man,” says Mom, giving Dad’s shoulder a squeeze. He winces and pats her hand like she’s hurting him, and she probably is. Mom’s a hell of a lot stronger than she looks. “I don’t think I can give up my creature comforts, so how about we rent a cabin instead? Eric, you can bring Alyssa, since you’re planning on living together soon and all.” Her eye twitches a little. Maybe it was my imagination.

“Sounds good to me,” Eric says, chugging his milk down to the last drop in one gulp.

“When are you getting your own place?” I ask him.

“Two weeks,” he replies. “We’re moving in together before the wedding, and it’s not going over too well with you - know - who, who thinks we should wait.” He flashes a grin at Mom.

“So I’m traditional,” Mom says dryly. “Nothing wrong with that.”

“What about you, Anders?” I ask.

“I have my eye on an omega,” he says, nodding. “It’s a guy, before you ask. Someone we grew up with. His name begins with an ‘N.’”

“Nate?” I ask, surprised, remembering the sweet, quiet kid who used to follow Anders around like a lost duckling. He’s definitely not who I pictured Anders going for, but I always thought they’d be a good match if Anders could get his eyes off the cheerleading squad.

“Yep. Nate.”

“Are you serious yet?” I ask, a little mindblown.

“Getting there,” he replies. “We’re taking it slow, but I definitely imprinted on him. It happened at one of the pack functions, actually. He walked into the room and everything just… clicked. It was pretty amazing.”

“I couldn’t wait to imprint,” Eric says with an undeniable air of superiority. “Alyssa couldn’t either. I want to get my life on track as early as possible, and with some shifters waiting until well into their senior years to find their fated mates…”

“You didn’t imprint on her?” I ask.

“Nope,” says Eric, shaking his head.

“What if you meet the person you were supposed to be with?”

Eric shrugs. “And what if they’re with someone else? I can’t base my life on ‘what if’ scenarios. I get along with Alyssa, and she’s drop - dead gorgeous. I couldn’t be happier.”

Mom beams. “I think it’s very mature of you,” she says. Dad nods in somber agreement. “That’s what we did. Right, honey?”

He doesn’t answer, just gives her a faint smile.

I get the feeling Eric’s only getting married so he’ll be the shoe - in for the next pack alpha if something happens to Dad, or if he resigns, but I keep my mouth shut. It’s none of my business, however baffling it is that someone would throw away their shot at marrying their fated mate. I know I’m not going to do that. I’ll wait as long as I need to, regardless of what anyone thinks. If it takes a hundred years, so be it.