Page 2 of The Night Wolf
“I think he’s out with his wife. It’s their anniversary and—”
“I don’t give a damn if they’re in the middle of having sex,” Gareth snarled, his voice barely human. “I want him at the clinic in twenty minutes, ready to treat an injured wolf. He is not to argue, only to obey. Do I make myself understood?”
Lyram’s voice quavered slightly when he answered. “Yes. Yes, sir.”
“Good. And Lyram, I need you there too. We may have a situation on our hands, and I would prefer both of us there, just in case. Oh, and if you would, stop by my house and grab me a set of clothes.”
“Alpha?”
“I’m….” Gareth sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m naked. My wolf forced the shift, and I couldn’t stop it.”
Lyram gasped. He would know the significance of what Gareth was saying, but not comment. An Alpha who didn’t have control of his wolf had control over nothing.
“I understand. I’ll call Dr. Frank right away.”
“Thank you,” Gareth said as he disconnected. He pushed harder on the accelerator, grateful when they reached the borders of Lydon territory. Franklin’s clinic wasn’t too far away—especially at almost ninety miles an hour. Gareth wasn’t certain why this wolf affected his own so, but every fiber of his being screamed that this wolf was special and must be protected.
And right now, Gareth would give his all to ensure that happened.
The rest of the trip went by in a blur. The beautiful evergreens, the still lake, and Mother Moon hanging high in the sky—all things that Gareth loved were ignored. His only concern now was the wolf in his care.
As he approached the compound, he laid on the horn. Before Gareth’s SUV skidded to a stop, Lyram was there, Dr. Franklin by his side with a gurney. Without a word, the three of them worked together to move the wolf from the SUV to the waiting conveyance, then inside Franklin’s clinic.
It took hours. Gareth had dressed, then stood at the window, watching as Franklin examined the wolf. Lyram kept Gareth well stocked with fresh coffee and offers of food, but Gareth wasn’t interested in any of it. He just wanted to know what had happened to this poor wolf.
Finally Dr. Franklin motioned to Gareth. He stepped through the door as Franklin took off the gloves and gown that he wore. He turned to Gareth, and the exhaustion in the doctor’s face was evident.
“Lyram, get Franklin some coffee.”
“Right away, Alpha.”
As soon as he was out the door, Franklin moved closer to Gareth.
“He has six broken ribs, a deep fracture to his skull, and the pads on his feet have been worn to almost nothing at points. They’ve bled and scabbed over several times. I’ve never seen anything like this before. His body should have healed as soon as he shifted. The only thing I can think of is he’s been living exclusively as a wolf for quite some time.”
“But he’s so young, so how could he be?”
Franklin cleared his throat. “I think it’s more he’s malnourished and weak. If I had to guess, I’d say he’s probably early to midtwenties. So it’s likely he’s been a wolf for a few years at least.”
“This is insane,” Gareth snapped, sliding a hand through his thick black hair. “No one stays in form indefinitely.”
Franklin shrugged, which only exacerbated Gareth’s annoyance. Franklin had been the pack doctor for almost forty years, and Gareth had never seen the man without answers.
“How do we get him back to human?” Gareth demanded.
“He has to do it himself. Right now I’ve got him on an IV to replenish his fluids. The immediate problem is he needs to eat. I can count his ribs through his fur, which means he hasn’t had a decent meal probably in weeks. I don’t understand it. How could this happen?”
“That’s what I want to know.” Gareth needed answers. Lyram had tried to convince him to go home and get some rest, but Gareth refused. He needed to ensure this wolf would be okay before he could even think about sleeping. There was something about him, and until the mysteries surrounding him were resolved, Gareth wasn’t going anywhere.
Lyram came back with a cup of black coffee, which Franklin gratefully accepted.
“Can you compel him to shift?” Lyram moved closer to the wolf and sniffed. “Fuck, he needs a bath.”
Gareth growled deep in his throat. He had no idea why Lyram sniffing the wolf caused his hackles to rise, but fortunately neither man was paying attention to him.
“He needs more than that.” Franklin drained his coffee. “See here?” He pushed back the fur to reveal pockmarks on the skin. “He had dozens of ticks feeding from him. I removed them, but they’ve strained his system to the point where it very nearly shut down. He shouldn’t be able to get any human diseases, but he’s burning with fever. Frankly, I’m surprised he’s alive. I’ve sent for antibiotics, but they won’t arrive until tomorrow.”
That wasn’t good enough as far as Gareth was concerned. “What? Why are these things not in supply?” He stomped across the room and scoured the shelves, which was foolish because he had no idea what he was looking for.
