Page 5 of Threads of Fate

“Finn, you don’t understand. It’s aman—ahumanmale?” Dennie points back the way he came. Finn can see a shaggy blond-haired male seated in the triage chair, eyes on them. Well, that explains Dennie’s hand-wringing, for sure. This hospital did not see humans through its doors on purpose. There was a magic spell preventing them from even noticing the large brick structure. So, to say the least, having one in its empty waiting room is unprecedented. Regular humans did not know about the Were community, and penalties of varying degrees existed to protect both species. Finn was not going to do anything to jeopardize any of them heading home to their families tonight.

“Alright, Dennie. Let’s move him to med-bay one and put security on alert as well. Nothing to do but see this through. Hopefully, it will be a quick in-and-out. Did you triage?” He asks again, and Dennie rolls his eyes. Finn is so glad to see his equilibrium restored.

“I haven’t yet, but I have his TennCare card here, and I’ll get him into the system after I put him in med-bay one. Here.” Handing Finn the card, he scurries away just as quickly as he’d come. No one wanted anything bad to happen to the human—Austin Rena—on their watch. Finn heads into the wash station to wash his hands and grab his equipment. Stethoscope around his neck and glasses firmly in place, he can hear Dennie asking a few basic questions and the surprisingly deep voice responding with respect by the time he reaches the curtained-off area.

“Dr. Merritt will be right with you, Mr. Rena. Please have a seat on the bed.” Dennie closes the curtain after himself and approaches Finn. “He’s complaining of a dislocated shoulder, and I can smell fresh blood, although he’s not mentioned it.” The nurse is genuinely concerned. Human anatomy is not so different, ‌but Finn knew he’d have to watch his strength when setting the shoulder back to rights. But that’s not what’s got a concerned look on the nurse’s face.

“What aren’t you saying?” Finn learned early in his training that the circle of care meant listening to the instincts of his team and Dennie had some of the best.

“He’s sweet, but something’s not right. He’s trying so hard to be funny and confident, but he smells terrified. I can smell Were on him, but he’s human. He asked questions about the empty waiting room and told me he’d been to Lupine Park, but never seen the hospital. Asked three times how long it might take. And I can hear his stomach growling. I’m going to get that boy a sandwich if you deem it appropriate after consulting, okay?” He snatches the TennCare card from Finn. “I’m also going to pull his records from the system. You do your thing.”

“Yes, boss!” Finn chuckles at the middle finger Dennie throws back over his shoulder, pink Crocs squeaking away.

Finn could hear the occasional faint groan from the other side of the curtain. It’s unlikely Austin would have heard Dennie speaking, as they were far enough away, and the ambient noise in the bays was high enough to avoid eavesdropping. It is a privacy feature heavily used in medical facilities that cater to Weres and their exceptional hearing.

Straightening his white coat and affixing his most professional smile to his face, Finn pulls the curtain back and comes to a full stop. The scent in the room is not the human’s natural one. It reeks of rotten pears. A Were has been obscenely scenting this human; it oozes from every pore, and it appears it is without awareness or consent.

But it’s not his scent that is most arresting about Finn’s patient. Austin Rena’s otherworldly beauty might have him confused for a mythical fae, and Finn flicks his eyes to check the human’s tiny, perfect ears. Not that fairies were a thing.

He glows, but it comes from inside the human’s soul. Even as a dark bruise mars his left cheekbone, Austin is stunning. With his shining silvery-gray eyes, high cheekbones, and full lips…and are those…freckles? Fuck. So many caramel-colored freckles.

His mate, Rowan, has so many, and his mates tease him that they are kisses from the Moon Goddess (often while kissing them themselves). But beautiful as Rowan’s are, they are nothing like the constellation of spots covering the tops of Austin’s cheeks and nose. He thinks that perhaps this is the most beautiful person he has ever seen, and that’s saying something, given he is bonded to the ever-ethereal, model-worthy Grayson Pearce.

When Austin catches sight of him and smiles, Finn is glad the loud ventilation system drowns out his whimper. Yes, a whimper! He is an adult alpha male and a Professional for fuck’s sake (yes, a Capital-P Professional!), and he does not go around whimpering over patients. Were doctors are put through rigorous testing, trained, and tested again and again to avoid just these reactions.

As a species, Weres are instinctual and sense-oriented. It takes a great deal of personal fortitude and training to overcome it when faced with extreme circumstances. Finn passed at the top of his class. He will not kiss that perfect record goodbyenow. Realizing he is standing with his mouth hanging open like a newly-presented adolescent, he clears his throat and meets Austin’s eyes.

“I’m Finn Merritt, uh, Dr. Merritt…and you are Austin Rena?” Austin smiles again, pure sunshine personified, and Finn can feel his cheeks go pink. He hasn’t felt this way since they met and courted Gideon two years ago.

Well, fuck.

Thatisa surprise. Is this human their mate? The heat in his face, the turmoil in his belly, and all his instincts screaming for him to grab Austin and scent him all over?

Check, Check, Check.

It wasn’t unheard of for Weres to find a mate in humans; people were people, after all. But it was still surprising that Austin would find his way into Finn’s hospital. An entirely human-free area 100% of the time. Finn had had similar reactions when meeting all of his mates: a blast of instant connection and attraction that was preordained. It made them powerfully connected.

After his first meeting with Rowan and Grayson at an art show, he’d eventually come to learn that the Goddess had originally intended for them to be eight. Jay often told stories about the one who had died when he was still a teen. Finn didn’t know how Jay managed the loss most days, and he still experiences days where the nine-year grief is just as fresh.

So, who is this gorgeous human?

Austin’s cheeks are the sweetest shade of pink, making his freckles even more prevalent. “Yes, thank you for seeing me, Finn…I mean Dr. Merritt. I’m sorry, that was too familiar. I don’t know what made me say that!” Austin shakes his head in embarrassment, but the movement causes him to cry out and clutch his left arm, his forehead beaded with sweat.

“How did you say you injured your arm?” Finn carefully approaches the bed. “May I touch you?” He asks quietly, forcing down his instincts to grab him and hide him away. “And how did you hurt your knees?” The material over his knees is wet with blood, and Finn can smell it still seeping into the saturated material.

There’s a pervasive scent of rotten pear that is almost overwhelming up close, and he wants to put Austin into a hot shower and scrub until all he can smell is his mate’s scent, then replace it with his black currant one.

Professionalism, Finn.

“I uh…fell at the apartment. Dropped dinner and slipped in it, banged my head, hurt my arm, and landed in the glass on my knees. I’m really accident-prone.” He grins sheepishly at Finn.

His guileless gray eyes and sweet smile are intended to be distracting, and while Finn is distracted for sure, he also knows it is a lie. A torn rotator cuff and what looks like embedded glass in his knees are no small thing, but Finn is a scientist and he’s not done gathering his evidence. His face must have reflected his doubt because Austin tenses.

“That must explain why I can hear your tummy rumble from here.” Finn makes light of the situation to ease Austin’s obvious discomfort.

Austin’s smile falls from his face. “Yeah. Really disappointed I didn’t get to eat that.” He presses his good hand to his belly as if it can quiet the sound.

“We’ll fix you up and get you something to eat. How about that?” Austin is exactly his age, but his sweet face and gentle demeanor make Finn feel years older. Make him want to put his new mate on his lap after that hot shower and share his sashimi. Maybe that way, he could try to find out more about him with his nose (teeth?) in his soft neck. Take his mate home with him andcuddle him into their nest. Get rid of the last of that rotten pear smell.

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