5

I thought more about that as I climbed into my car and fired it up, turning the heat to defrost the window. His eyes were the thing I found myself fixated on  but damn if I couldn’t look at everything else just as much. He was a good 5 inches taller than me. He had dark brown hair and light brown eyes. His hair was shorter on the sides and wasn’t too long on the top, just enough to be messy but not enough to look unprofessional. He was also in deliciously good shape. I’d only seen him in long sleeve button down shirts but I could make out that he was strong and lean and a part of me was dying to rip them off him.

Ok, and we are now turning down the heat cause I’m hot enough to warm the car. Get it together, Novaleigh.

I drove down the road and crossed through the woods until town came into view. My mind was still reeling with thoughts of Remi but as soon as I saw the old sign for that bar I felt my stomach clench and the nausea came up again. Stupid. That was the only way to describe that night. That fight with my dad was fresh in my mind but no matter how mad I was, alcohol was not the answer. I’d avoided drinking for exactly the reason of what happened. Not because I believed in not being drunk, but I didn’t trust what I might do when I was drunk. Look who was fucking right. A few rounds of bourbon, a sly compliment and I had a stranger in my bed. My first time was a one night stand. I felt like a whore just remembering and the worst part was that I had proved my dad right.

I had been on a date, and for the millionth time I told him it was just me doing exactly that, dating. And he started ranting about waiting for the right person, my soul mate, just like he did. It was a sore spot since Mom died. And when I tried to defend myself it turned into a full blown argument and ended with me getting in my car and leaving, fuming that he didn’t trust me or believe me that I Was trying to find my soul mate and I Wasn’t doing anything stupid in the meantime. But then I did.

And the dude had the audacity to give me this bullshit speech in the morning before I could even open my mouth about how he wasn’t looking to settle down, and never did this, but wasn’t looking for anything more with me. So I also managed to choose a fuck boy for my first time which made me feel so much better.. not. So I did what was sensible, I made him coffee and eggs and sent him on his way. I had actually woke up thinking, well maybe I could at least get a few dates from the guy and see if I could make it into something, at least for my own self worth. Like I said, stupid.

I pulled into the store’s parking lot and promised myself I wouldn’t give that douchebag another thought. I would never be going back to that bar again, so hopefully I wouldn’t see him again and whats done is done. New life, new me.

{ Remington }

I watched her walk out the door and I tried my hardest not to look at her ass in those jeans but damn if my eyes didn’t have a mind of their own. And it was worth it. My mate was smoking hot. She was curvier than most women I knew. She filled out her shirts and her jeans beautifully and I was looking forward to running my hands over those curves and holding tight to her hips every night. Her hair wasn’t longer now compared to when we were 6 and in a strange way, I loved that. It was still chopped off short at her chin and it framed her face perfectly. She wore minimal makeup and modest clothing, basically the opposite of Clarice and a lot of the girls here and I loved it.

“So, now that its just the two of us, is there anything that you want to say? Or anything that needs my special… attention?”

I fist my hands at my sides in anger and frustration and turn to face her. She is sitting on the counter with her legs crossed and her skirt hiked up above her knee. The shirt she was wearing was a joke since her breasts were barely covered. It was unprofessional, for the smallest of the reasons it irritated me.

“Such as?” I didn’t hold back the ice in my voice today and this seemed to catch her off guard a bit but she recovered.

“Well, am I actually in the old wing? Or are you giving that new girl the crummy old wing, where she belongs? And can we at least talk about if there is a way I can persuade you to consider me for the Head Nurse position?” She leaned forward over her knees, pushing her chest out and up and making me want to vomit at what she was implying.

“Clarice, I thought that I had made my stance pretty clear on me and you and the fact it was never going to happen, but apparently I need to spell it out clearer. I. Am. Not. Interested. I am waiting for my mate, you and everyone else is this pack knows that. And that aside, I would never allow seduction as a means to deciding positions in this clinic. Cora is more professional than you, more experienced, more compassionate and caring to the patients. She is the best nurse that we will have working for us, which is why she is the one who will be our head nurse, and that is not up for discussion. YOU will be in the old wing, where the new pediatrician will be.”

“What, so you and the whore can be in the new wing all by your lonesome?”

“First of all, watch your mouth. Secondly, Yes, I will be in the new wing and so will Novaleigh. Because the kids are getting their own wing and they are the ones who find comfort in repetition and familiarity, so having you there will put them at ease despite the surrounding changes because you are familiar. Everything choice I’ve made for this clinic, is for the PATIENTS. And it would do you some good, to remember that. That they come first.”

“I have done nothing but put this clinic and those patients first since I started here and I am extremely professional and compassionate and I have years of experience!”

She looked like a toddler who had her favorite toy stolen as she stood in front of me. She had hopped down from the desk, abandoning her attempt at seduction and choosing the route of argument instead.

“Professional, huh?”

“Yes!”

“I can see one of your fucking nipples, Clarice. Your skirt is so tight and high that it belongs in LA on a fucking music video. You have no concept of modesty and professionalism in the way you dress or the way that you conduct yourself with others or myself.”

“so I have to dress like a nun to get respect then?”

“Respect is earned. You are an excellent nurse. But you have so much to learn about all the other things that come along with just having knowledge and functioning in a hospital or clinic. A dress code, is a good start. This isn’t the place for dressing like a slut. Outside of here, do whatever you want. But in this clinic, I don’t want these wolves to feel like they need to cover their pups eyes when they are here for an exam.”

“this is not fair, Remington, and you know it. Basically you hired two new nurses over me and I’m the one who has stuck around.”

“Right, stuck around… because this job has been so terrible. Paid well, time off, position of authority and respect in the pack. Horrible really, not sure how you survived. And I hired one nurse over you, Cora. Novaleigh and you have equal positions. Both nurses. I could have demoted you to the receptionist job, but I didn’t. Thought about it, for this exact reason, but I decided you are an asset when you are a nurse. And keeping you in the pediatric wing is a compliment, you just refuse to see it that way.”

“So I should be grateful that you hired the new nurses over me and didn’t demote me? I should be GRATEFUL that you overlook how much I do here and how much I contribute to the functionality of this place? You need me. This clinic needs me. I deserve that promotion, and I think you should give it to me.”

“You’re right. I do need you. I need you to leave.”

Her face rose up into satisfaction before her entire body froze in fear. She was not listening to me, and she wasn’t giving up. I was trying to make this clinic better in every way, and I wasn’t sure she was going to help with that.

“Go, get out of my clinic. Take the rest of the day, hell the rest of the week off. And if you cannot come back and accept the new way things will be here with nothing short of fairy fucking joy and patience, don’t come back. You are an excellent nurse and I hope you come back. By the time you do, the new pediatrician will be here. But if being the main nurse and face of the pediatric section isn’t enough for you, don’t come back.”

I made sure my face showed that I was 100% business and I noticed her bottom lip fall open but when she saw that she wasn’t getting anything more out of me, she grabbed her coat and stomped out of the clinic, slamming the door on her way out.

I released a sigh of relief at the possibility that this Clarice thing may be over, either she won’t come back or she will and she won’t be such a pain my ass. But it was short lived as I heard screaming from the parking lot. I ran to the door and threw it open just in time to see Clarice throw a punch and hit Novaleigh square in the eye. As soon as she connected with her head I released a menacing growl and Clarice’s eyes snapped to mine and she knew then and there, she fucked up. She turned and ran away towards the packhouse. I thought long and hard about chasing her down but my wolf pushed me straight to Nov who was now on her ass up against her car holding her face in her hands.

Clarice was a wolf, and Novaleigh didn’t have hers yet. I was a little scared at how much damage she might have done to her.

“Novaleigh, Nov, look at me. It’s Remington. Look at me.”

I took both her hands in mine and I lowered them from her face. Her eye was solid black already and the purple around it was growing more each second that passed. Based on the shape of her nose I was pretty sure it was broken. But the worst part, was the tears streaming from her eyes. Those were the part that broke me.

“Novaleigh, its alright. Its going to be fine.” I scoop her up into my arms without hesitation and rush through the front doors into the clinic. Find the first open door I know has a bed and everything in it and place her down on it. I make quick work of finding cloth for her bloody nose and tell her gently to hold it there while I look for the other things I need. I feel around her nose when I come back and sure enough, it needs to be reset. I’ve never done this for someone who wasn’t a wolf, but I knew it hurt like a bitch for humans.

“Nov, I need you to tell me something. Tell me a story. I have to set your nose, its broken. Distract yourself. Tell me about your dad. Tell me about your fight.”

She can’t actually speak, blood is running down the back of her nose into her throat and she is sobbing but she nods and starts trying to speak. Once she is a minute into it and distracted, my hand still firm on her nose, I make one smooth jerk. I watch in horror as her eyes widen as the pain registers and then they roll to the back of her head and she passes out. I catch her effortlessly and pull her towards me so her head is resting on my shoulder. I needed her to stay upright while that blood was still trickling down her throat. I held her there and I allowed all the fury pumping through my veins to come to fruition.

-Armi.-

-Whats wrong-

-I need you to send someone to track down Clarice-

-why? Is she missing?-

-No she fucking attacked my… new nurse-

-attacked? Clarice?-

-yeah. She tried to seduce me. I turned her down. She demanded a higher position. I told her to get the fuck out. She attacked the new nurse and broke her whole damn face-

-I’ll find her-

I’m sure it sounded exaggerated, and I knew that he was bound to be confused why I cared so much about someone being punched. I left out the human part because that would be long explanation. I figured that ‘breaking her face’ was the wolf equivalent of breaking her nose. I’d deal with Armi’s questions later though. As long as Clarice was being found, I could stop thinking about that for now.

I focused back on my mate, who was still knocked out on my shoulder. I shifted us so that I was sitting on the bed and she was in my lap, her head on my shoulder. Despite the circumstances, the sparks were evident everywhere her body was touching mine and they were overwhelming. This was the first time I’d had her entire body against mine and it was calming my wolf down. I hoped it was helping her as well.