Chapter Sixty-Five

I continued eating, and finally, after the full third cart, the need to shift stopped. I looked up at the doctor, amazed, but he was still working on Ronnie’s wound. But something changed, something eased. I felt a soft graze of a hand on the bed, and I turned to look at my uncle. Ronnie was staring at me. I smiled. “Hi.”

“Hey.” He looked tired, but his tired voice had the nurse and doctor jolting.

“You’re awake.” The doctor smiled.

Ronnie nodded, and his eyes drifted closed. “Thanks to this beautiful pup.” His eyes glowed grey as his wolf came forward. “Thank you, pup. You saved both of us while dealing with my needs, and I know it wasn’t easy.”

“I’d do anything for you, Logan. You and Ronnie are my uncle.” I smiled, but I felt a punch to my gut, and I knew something was wrong. I stood on shaky legs and faced the door. “I need Ronnie in the bathroom. Sarah, can you stay with him?”

“What?” The doctor looked at Ronnie and then back at me. “We can’t move him. He’s in no shape to move.”

I turned and rushed to the side of the bed near the washroom. “We don’t have a choice. Something is coming, and if he isn’t hidden, then we will all be dead.” I didn’t know how I knew, but I did. The doctor paled, but then he nodded. Ronnie threw back his blankets, and I grabbed him in my arms. “Are you ready?”

Ronnie nodded and grunted as I lifted him. “What’s going on, pup?”

“I don’t know. I just have this feeling of dread in my gut. Something or someone is coming.” I carried him to the bathroom and sat him down on the toilet. Sarah came in behind me with gauze. She knelt next to him and pressed new gauze to his wound.

I kissed his head and closed the door after me, but I could still scent him in the room. I looked around, but I didn’t know what to do. “What’s wrong?” The doctor came over.

“I can only smell Ronnie in this room.” I turned my panicked eyes toward him. “What are we going to do?”

The doctor and nurse jumped into action. The nurse ran into the bathroom, and I heard Ronnie grunt. “What are you doing?” His voice was tired but resigned.

“Hiding your scent, Beta.” Then she was backing out of the room on her hands and knees. She poured something out of a bottle and wiped it up instantly with a towel she grabbed.

The doctor ripped off his gown, mask, and gloves and, with another bottle, he washed himself as much as possible before donning another set. The gauze was picked up from the floor and wrapped in a garbage bag and stuffed deep into the trash before it, too, was soaked with the mysterious liquid.

“What are you doing?”

“Using antiseptic to take away as much of his scent as possible. Now get into the bed and act hurt.” The doctor shooed me back as the nurse and he finished. I pulled in more scent, but I could still smell Ronnie.

I shook my head as I tried to figure out what to do, but the feeling in my gut hit an all-time high, and I panicked. I searched for anything I could think of to help, and my fingers felt something that might save us in my pocket. I pulled out the vial of wolfsbane from my pocket—the one I always keep on me to poison my food, to train like my father trained, the one he gave me. I almost cried in relief.

I turned to the doctor. “I’m going to need you to get more pine solution, Doc.”

“What? Why?” He turned back to me from where he was standing by the door, and I watched as his eyes widened.

“Don’t let me die.” I shifted my hand and clawed at my stomach, and then I poured some of the wolfsbane onto the wound. The instant sizzle from the poison touching my skin was instant, and I wanted to cry out, but I just gritted my teeth. I drew in a deep breath, but this time I only got my scent, my blood, and the wolfsbane. “Scent the room now.”

The nurse and doctor paled but listened to me. They finally sagged when they turned to me. The doctor’s voice was shaky when he said, “I only smell you.”

“Good.” My body shook. “Now treat me. No matter who or what comes in here, you swear I am the only patient.” I pushed my aura into my words, the alpha commanding them to lie. I saw the hurt in their eyes, and I wanted to ease it. “It’s not because I don’t trust you, but whoever is about to come here will try anything to get the truth.” I saw the words settle, and they nodded and got to work.