Page 47 of Lightning Strikes

Chapter 17

Angela

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I sigh as I sit at the reception desk and type in some new patient notes from the day. Ronnie mentioned he’s leaving next week, so that gives me a handful of days to be prepared for full-time work again.

Instead of renovating this tiny clinic, Deacon accepted my proposal to build a completely new building a few streets over and will take care of it. With how massive the community is and the access to supplies not too far away, he said he could have it done in a month instead of six if they switch off day and night shifts and work 24/7 for the four weeks.

I ended up hugging him for that. His mate finally came home and is adamant she had no idea about what’s been happening at the schools and is upset about it all. At least she seemed like it. I’m paranoid and don’t trust that she didn’t know. How did not one mother come to the alpha mate? It doesn’t add up for me.

Mac has been training with my guards for a week now and he’s excited about starting his new job in a few days. The alpha wants to see him in action before approving apparently, I just hope that Mac’s up to his ‘standards’. From what I’ve seen, his forces and guards are a sight to behold.

Scout has been coming with me to work every day and has graduated out of her small box. She’s plenty warm enough with her thicker black coat of fur and follows my scent when I walk step from her. It also helps that I keep treats in my pockets just in case she gets lost or turned around. I feel bad about tricking her and just feeding her a bottle when she’s hungry, but she’ll be able to munch on real food soon enough.

I can’t imagine being deaf and blind, but she’s a happy kitten. I just can’t wait to be done with the damn bottle feeding.

The phone on the desk begins to ring and I sigh before answering. “This is Angela, how can I help you?”

“Hi… It’s Veronica Pond… Vinny’s mom… I was wondering if we can come in for another checkup? I know you saw him last week and he was fine, I’m just worried. He still doesn’t want to move much or play.”

“Of course. I’m here for another hour, take your time.” I frown as I hang up, focused on pulling up Vinny’s records to add a note that his mom called in for another appointment. These are the times that I wish that Melissa wasn’t human so that I could call her and vent to her, get her to build our new systems, and beg her to come help me here. Maybe in the future we can be more open with the humans…

But that time isn’t now. Especially not when all of the disappearances are happening, and people like Morrow are shady as fuck. Who truly knows what he knew? Did he know those wolves were shifters? Were they even shifters?

Mac still refuses to talk about him… and I… just drop it. It happened tohimand if he doesn’t want me to look into it or talk about it, I can respect that.

Sort of.

It isn’t long before Veronica walks in with Vinny stumbling behind her and he’s crying about having to walk. I step up to him and squat to the ground so I’m eye level with him. “Hey, come with me and I’ll run some scans. You can talk to me, buddy. No one will hurt you here.” He looks away from me and I stand up and wrap my hand around his. “Take a seat and relax, Ms. Pond. I’ll come talk to you in a bit.” She sighs and crumples onto the chair, silently crying into her hands. They’re both highly emotional and upset, and it’s understandable. Her blonde hair is up in a messy bun on her head, no makeup in sight, and they’re both still wearing pajamas.

Her little boy is a splitting image of her, both have the same shade of dark blonde hair, dark brown eyes, and tanned skin. I wonder what his dad looks like.

I can’t imagine what she must be feeling, though. Someone is hurting her son and he won’t talk about it. I’ll just have to try harder. Or use my magic…

I step into the first exam room and wash my hands after laying him down on the cot. “Can you tell me if you’re in pain?” He just shakes his head and closes his eyes. “Are you afraid of someone?”

He presses his lips together and tries to curl up on his side. “Hey, Vinny. You’re okay here. Nothing you tell me will leave this office unless I need to tell the alpha. If you’re just sad and scared, I can tell your mom to try to step back and let you breathe for a few days.”

He still refuses to move, look at me, or even talk. I sigh internally as I place my hand on his head and close my eyes. I push in a touch of sedation, pushing a little into his brain and whisper to him. “Tell me what’s going on.”

He whimpers and slackens on the cot and opens his mouth. “I… I don’t know. I’ve been bullied for years. Older, younger, people in masks and capes… They tell me they’ll kill me and my mother if I talk.” I nod and push a little deeper. I listen to him talk as the movies of his memories play in my mind. I hear some voices, but it’s mostly murmurs and whispers, everything is black as if he’s blindfolded. Pain, bright lights, then screaming. Vinny’s screaming.

I can’t see who or even hear one voice to figure out what’s going on.

He’s stopped talking and fell asleep so I step back and breathe heavily. I shake my head and run my fingers through my hair before placing my head back on Vinny’s head and removing the sedation, removing the memory of me doing that to him. Now he will just think we came back here and talked before he fell asleep. I push some calming sensations through him, and a touch more healing into his body. I pull a blanket out of the cabinet to wrap around him and step out of the room.

I need to get the alpha alone and let him know what’s going on. It’s like a fucking cult… But why hurt the children? Are they conditioning them for something? I press my fingers into my temples, rubbing them as I step back into the reception area and sit beside Veronica.

“He didn’t say much, just that he’s scared and tired. He fell asleep… Do you guys have other family here in the pack? Maybe visit them and relax for a few days. Give him some normalcy or space.” She nods mutely and I pat her shoulder. “We’ll figure it out. Don’t send him back to school until it is. I know the alpha closed both of them, but just keep an eye out.”

“Thank you.” She whispers and rests her head against the wall with her eyes closed.

I nod and sit back down at my ‘desk’ and type up some vague notes about the visit, sending another message to Deacon about meeting him alone as soon as he can. I’m freaked out about what I saw in Vinny’s memories and he needs to know so that he can start figuring out what’s truly going on in his pack.

Carter clears his throat from the doorway and I stand up to meet him outside in the chilled air and send him a look. “What’s going on?” I lean against the brick building, rubbing my arms against the chilly wind.

He sighs and runs his fingers through his white hair. His black eyes are sparkling in the sunlight and it’s hard to look away. He has to be one of the most gorgeous men I have ever seen in my life. “I was wondering if you wanted to go to lunch?” I frown at him and nod.

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