Page 11 of Threads of Fate

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Ok. See you this afternoon. Prepare yourself

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Love you too.

The words give him the strength to do what he needs to do today. If Finn was worried about how breaking his oath might make Jay and Leo look at him with disappointment, he knows that Gideon would have no regrets. The bus slows to a stop in front of the hospital exactly on time. Dennie waves from his post at the triage station in an empty waiting room, offering an iced white mocha latte from the cafe around the corner.

Pasting a smile on his face and a scent patch on his neck, he jokes, “Thank you, and I didn’t even need to break out the puppy dog eyes!” Nodding in thanks, he drinks deeply. The hit of caffeine is just what he needs since he had to leave his coffee machine and his mocha-scented mate at home. It helps him gethis head around how he was going to handle his illegal breach of privacy.

“You’re welcome. Figured you could use it after last night. You left here looking like a kicked puppy.” The nurse shuffles after him to the command center, slipping in behind the desktop and spinning the chair around and around. “No word on our runaway last night, but Dr. K. wants to know if you still want to talk. He was just here but had to consult. He said he’ll be back in fifteen.”

A crumb of doubt wedges itself into his conscience. Riordan Kennedy is his mentor. The chief of surgery is also a close friend of Jay’s, and the Kennedy pack are frequent visitors at the Rhodes compound for celebrations and social visits. Stealing information from the hospital about Austin was one thing, but breaking his commitment to his mentor and friend would have far-reaching implications. “Sounds good. Tell him I’ll be in the staff room. And let’s hope today goes smoother than yesterday,” he says with what he hopes is a sincere smile.

“Go, Team!” Dennie throws his arms up and shakes invisible pom-poms.

In the staff room, he sits heavily and absently sips his coffee, the flavor making him think of Luca, as it always did. Finn takes strength in knowing that, like Gideon, Luca would want him to do whatever it took to save Austin.

With that in mind, Finn peeks out through the glass door of the staff lounge. Off to his right, he glimpses Dennie practicing a TikTok dance in the empty waiting room. With not one ounce of hesitancy, mind firmly made up, Finn sits at the deserted nurse’s station and wakes the administrative computer up with a flick of the mouse.

This was the moment. Stomach churning and sweat gathering under his green sweater, he pauses; if he typesAustin Renainto the Tennessee Health System database intending toaccess his personal information, the magic will activate, and security will descend in under six minutes—probably less.

So, he’ll just have to be fast. There’s only one thing on his mind: Austin, Austin, Austin.

“Finn?” He had been so focused on his discomfort that Finn had lost track of the possibility that his co-workers were frequently in and out of the ER, even on its slowest days. He would make a terrible spy, dammit.

The eyes of his mentor are on the computer in front of him. There is no way to confuse the admin system with anything other than what it was, and only admin staff should access it at any given time. Even charting is done on tablets found at the other end of the station.

“Finn. Please tell me you’re not doing what I think you are doing,” Riordan says pleadingly, a look of confusion on his face. The beginnings of anger are clear in his expression. There is no fooling his superior. Dennie must have said something about how weird Finn had been last night, and Riordan is the farthest thing from a fool. While Finn hadn’t typed Austin’s name yet, there was no way it didn’t look like exactly what it was. At a complete loss for words, he remained seated in the chair, unable to meet the fellow alpha’s eyes.

“Fuck. Finn, you could lose your job. What could be worth that?” Riordan is genuinely perplexed. “Nothing could be worth losing everything you’ve worked so hard for. Tell me this isn’t what it looks like, and I’ll believe you.” He takes a seat on the desk, waiting for Finn tolie.

Finn’s stomach lurches with shame. “Dan, I’m sorry. It isexactly—”

The code siren interrupts, and both his and Riordan’s eyes fly to the waiting room. Code sirens mean “patient in acute crisis.” Finn puts one hand on the counter, vaults over it, and hits the floor running, assessing the situation on the other side of thedoors in a single glance. A stocky older man wearing a transit uniform is carrying a naked person covered in far too much blood, with even more flowing onto the floor. Dennie is taking a pulse and pushing through the doors before he and Riordan can reach them, leading the man into the med-bay.

Finn comes to a dead stop so quickly his mentor slams into his back, almost taking them both to the ground. The scent is one he knows, but this time, the rotted pear is almost eclipsed by the smell of blood and waste. Vomit and urine and death.Death. Austin. His mate is dead. A sudden loud wailing fills the med-bay until a hard slap across his face makes it stop suddenly.

“Finn, get out of the way!” Dennie shakes his hand out.

Riordan is already pulling the med cart toward him, pulling on gloves. “Put him here, sir, and back up. Dennie, leave Finn for a minute. I need you to call for backup if he’s unable to assist. Finn!” Riordan is a force to be reckoned with. “He’s not dead, you idiot. Stop saying that and get in the game.”

Not dead. Oh, Goddess. Finn moves toward his unconscious mate, grabbing his hand instead of doing anything useful. The one with the two broken fingers. He’s breathing so quickly that there are black spots in his vision. There’s so much blood that Finn can’t tell where it’s coming from, and the boy who smiled and joked and smelled like forever is no longer visible under it all. Seconds later, Riordan is doing chest compressions when the rest of the trauma team arrives at a run.

“His name is Austin Rena, and he is my mate,” He blurts out, holding back the urge to scream.

“What?! But he’s human. Shit. Does he know he’s your mate? No?” at the shake of Finn’s head.

“Well, that explains a lot,” Dennie mutters and hip-checks Finn out of the way so he can put in the IV like the professional he is.

Finn gently places Austin’s hand in Dennie’s and steps back. “Be careful. His fingers are broken.” Dennie looks at him with pity and straightens the hand gently. A small rectangular piece of paper falls to the floor. Clearly, Austin values whatever it is since no matter his state, he has refused to let go.

“We’re going to need a surgical bay and find out who is his next-of-kin,” Riordan tells the nurse standing by.

“Wait!” Dennie says, turning and handing what appears to be a small photo to the doctor. Riordan takes it, and his eyes blow open wide as he glances down at it.

“Holy fuck. This changes things. Shannon, get that surgery prepped, and Finn? You better call your alpha.” He holds out the photo to Finn with a bloody glove. Pulling them off, he shouts, “Patient on the move. Let’s go! And Finn? I’m going to do the best I can, okay? Trust me.” And he’s gone, taking his badly-broken mate with him.

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