But there’s something else—something under my skin that wasn’t there before. It’s faint but familiar. Like the day Emily arrived, when my wolf first reacted to her. And nowhe’s clawing at me again. Anxious. Hyper-aware. It’s like heknowssomething. And for the first time, I let myself ask the question I’ve been avoiding:
Is it possible that sheismy mate? And there’s just some sort of delayed reaction or something. I’ve never heard of anything like that, but maybe it’s possible.
The scent of antiseptic burns my nose and the fluorescent light burns my eyes as I enter the pack hospital. I've no idea how Doc or his nurses manage to spend so much time in this building. The nurse at the front desk directs me to Doc’s office when I say I’m here to see him.
“Hey, Doc, you got a minute for a chat?”
He gazes at me, curiously. Like I'm not supposed to be here. I get it. I’ve only ever come to the pack hospital when absolutely necessary. It reminds me too much of Katie. She used to work here. Training to be a doctor. I take a deep breath and stamp down the familiar painful tugging at my heart.
“Sure, everything okay?” he asks, eyeing me curiously—scanning for injuries that aren’t there—as he points to the seat in front of him. Doc is one of the oldest pack members, but he always seems to stay up to date with everything going on. He has a way of being gentle while still calling you on your shit. Perfect for what I need right now.
“Physically? Sure. Mentally? I’m about ready to claw my own damn face off.”
He snorts. “So, a normal day in the life of a shifter in love?”
“Yeah I guess. I was hoping you might give me some of your famous pearls of wisdom,” I say with a shrug. Doc barks out a laugh and slaps my knee.
“Is this because I’m the pack doctor, or because I’ve been happily marked and mated for close to fifty years?”
“Uh both, I guess.” I sigh, running my hands through my hair. “It’s about the girl I brought in here a couple of weeks back, Emily. But you probably know that already.”
Doc nods his head and raises a bushy eyebrow. “I’ve heard you’ve gotten close.”
“Yeah,” I laugh. “You could say that. Today is her twenty-first birthday and I guess we were both hoping we would be mates. But when she woke up this morning... nothing. Her scent’s the same. The sensations I get when I touch her haven’t changed. I’ve beendrawn to her since the first moment I saw her, but I don’t feel any different now from how I did yesterday, and neither does she.”
I let out a long breath of disappointment.
Doc nods slowly. “And?”
“And I forgot what day it was.” Shame floods me all over again. “She showed up, realized I wasn’t her mate, and I didn’t have a single good answer for her. She left thinking I don’t love her. That I wouldn’t go with her. That I chose the pack over her.”
The look on Emily’s face felt like a knife in my chest. Knowing I had hurt her was the worst feeling imaginable. My girl shouldn’t ever have to feel hurt ever again.
Doc doesn’t say anything, just watches me quietly. His silence forces more out of me.
“I guess I have a lot going on right now and I’m wondering if it’s possible that we could still be mates? Is it possible the bond falling into place is delayed?” My voice trembles, a desperate plea barely audible above the rising tide of my fear. The need to have something to hold on to when everything is such a mess in my head. I cling to the fading hope of keeping Emily.
“What makes you think you might be mates?” Doc asks. And if that’s not the million-dollar question.
“I don’t know, Doc. She made me wake up. I love her. She makes me happy, and I think we have both been through a lot that helps us understand each other. Honestly, she’s everything I could have ever imagined in a mate. I get tingles when we touch, even when it’s not sexual. Sorry, Doc,” I say, squirming in my chair. Mentioning sex to Doc has me feeling like a kid who got caught with his hand down his pants.
“I am a doctor, Jack,” he deadpans. “Tell me, did you feel a pull toward her? Even before her birthday?”
“Yes. Since day one.” Even when I didn’t want to acknowledge it.
“Does your wolf recognize her as something more?”
“My wolf wanted her as soon as he saw her. He’s protective of her, but it’s different from how he is with others. He was furious with me when I held back. And now... he’s agitated again. The same way he was the day she got here. Like he knows that my life is about to change completely.”
“Hmmm,” Doc hums. “Sounds to me like Emily is important to you and your wolf. And typically, it's hard to get both on the same side when it comes to relationships. Unless, of course, they are pack, family, or mates.”
“So, you think there’s a chance?”
“Not in the way you think,” he sighs. “The mate bond is a funny thing. We tend to believe that it’s the goddess assigning our perfect partner; our other half. But sometimes, bonds are there for other reasons. It might be that two packs have been at war until the opposing Alpha’s children learn they are mates. Sometimes the bond is an opportunity for not just the mated pair, but for a much wider group.”
I’m about to ask what he means when a mindlink from Sofia interrupts me.
“Hurry, edge of the pack boundary, past the boathouse. Aidan is here. He’s Emily’s mate.”
