Page 75 of Anders
Larissa was already reaching for her phone.I’ll call Nick now.
While she made the call, Anders found himself pacing the kitchen, his body unable to remain still as the reality of Etta’s condition truly sank in.
Two to three weeks.Possibly less if the rejection process accelerated—which it very well might now that she was shifting more frequently as her true nature resurfaced.
Nick’s on his way,Larissa said, setting down her phone.He says he has a direct line to the Moonstone Pack’s doctor.
Malcolm watched Anders’s restless movement.How is she this morning?
Stable, considering.Anders forced himself to stop pacing, bracing his hands against the counter instead.The neural blockers are managing the pain, but they’re becoming less effective.She’s experiencing more frequent partial shifts as her wolf fights to emerge, which speeds up the rejection process.
What he didn’t say—what he didn’t need to say to the coalphas who understood mate bonds—was how it felt to watch her suffer, to feel her pain echoing through their connection, to know there was nothing he could do to stop it.
And she doesn’t know how serious it is,Malcolm guessed.
Anders shook his head.She’s still unconscious.
The sound of tires on gravel announced Nick’s arrival, quicker than expected.
I called Dr.Weiss on my way over,he said without preamble as he entered the house without knocking.He’s the Moonstone Pack’s chief physician.Has experience with just about anything that can happen to shifters.Including, it turns out, neural implants.
Anders straightened, instantly alert.What kind of experience?
Military research, from what I understand,Nick said, accepting the coffee Larissa offered.He worked with a government program studying shifter physiology before returning to his pack.Steele—their alpha—trusts him completely.
That’s not particularly reassuring,Anders noted, thinking of Chimera’s government backing.The neural interface in Etta’s neck is military-grade technology.Used against shifters, not for them.
Nick held up a hand.I understand your concern.But Dr.Weiss left that program specifically because he disagreed with the direction their research was taking.He’s been working to counter those technologies ever since.
Malcolm and Larissa exchanged a look, having one of their silent conversations that Anders had come to recognize as a function of their mate bond.He wondered if he and Etta would develop that same wordless understanding, given time.Time she might not have if they couldn’t find a way to remove the interface safely.
What exactly did you tell him?Anders asked, unable to keep the edge from his voice.
Only that we have a shifter with a neural implant causing progressive system failure,Nick assured him.No specifics about Etta’s condition or her connection to Chimera.That’s your information to share or withhold.
Anders nodded his thanks.
Will he come to us?Malcolm asked.Moving Etta again isn’t ideal, especially if Chimera finds a way to keep tracking the interface.
He’s arranging transport now,Nick confirmed.Should be here by late afternoon if all goes well.He’ll bring the equipment he needs.
And what does he want in return?Anders asked, the security officer in him unwilling to accept apparent altruism without question.
Nick’s expression sobered.Information.If Chimera is experimenting on shifters, the Moonstone Pack wants to know.They have their own young to protect.
It was a reasonable request, one that aligned with their own interests in exposing and stopping Chimera’s operations.Still, sharing intelligence with another pack, even one as allied with them as the Moonstone Pack, carried inherent risks.
We’ll provide what information we can,Malcolm decided, looking to Anders for confirmation.Limited to Chimera’s operations, nothing that compromises our pack’s security.
Anders nodded his agreement, though a part of him—the part that woke in cold sweats thinking of Etta’s pain—would have agreed to far more dangerous terms if it meant saving her life.
I should go back to her,he said, gathering his tablet.She’ll want to know what’s happening if she wakes.
Wait.Larissa’s voice stopped him.There’s something else we need to discuss.
The seriousness in her tone made Anders pause.What is it?
Malcolm met his gaze directly.The council will be concerned about the security risks of bringing in an outsider, even a doctor.Not everyone has the same…personal investment in Etta’s recovery that you do.
