Chapter 4: The Clinic

 

Five Years Later

The injured man appeared at my clinic. His face was covered in blood, and his leg had a deep wound. I immediately set to work on his wound, stitching it with skillful hands.

It wasn’t unusual for wounded wolves to appear at my clinic. Somehow, I’d managed to survive the fall from the cliff five years ago. The Crimson Rose Pack thought I was dead. Desperate to save my child, I left our pack borders and found a small, quaint pack, the Orchid Pack.

They took me in and offered me a home. I’d been reluctant at first. I was unwilling to trust anyone, given what my own pack had done.

But the Orchid Pack didn’t pressure me. I didn’t even have to join their pack if I didn’t want to. I could just stay until I was healed.

Days turned to weeks, and weeks to months, and the pack grew on me. They were a gentle, traditional pack who didn’t believe in fighting. As such, they were not entangled in the battle between the North and the South packs.

They were neutral territory.

To my delight, I gave birth to three beautiful triplet wolf pups: Riley and Ryder, who were both boys, and my sweet girl, Reece.

By the time I gave birth though, the war between the packs was escalating. Injured wolves often roamed the woods right outside my cottage. I could hear them howling in pain.

As luck would have it, my wolf, Zira, had extraordinary healing powers. It was a trait of Primal Female wolves. The idea came to me when the babies were barely one year old.

I could use my healing abilities to set up a clinic. I could help the injured wolves. I could provide a safe haven for them while they healed.

The wheels fell into motion and I quickly became the only doctor in the pack. I was both revered and adored for my healing abilities. Word of my clinic spread and before long, there wasn’t a week that went by that I didn’t have a patient.

It wasn’t just injured wolves that I took under my care. It was rogues, too. Wolves cast out by their packs. I knew what that felt like, to be betrayed by your own pack. The elders had almost forced me to abort my babies. The Alphas had turned from me. And Lily, the Luna, had betrayed me.

In my clinic, every wolf was welcome. Injured wolves, rogues, it didn’t matter. I treated them all with dignity and respect. The wolf clan world was falling deeper and deeper into chaos. More and more injured wolves wandered into my clinic.

Sometimes, I wondered if I’d be able to keep up. I thought about my babies’  fathers often. Although I tried to push the thoughts out of my head. And I was pretty good at it. Forgetting.

That was, until one of them hobbled right into my clinic.

“It’s just a gash,” he said as I stitched him up. “If you have someone more dire to attend to, I can wait.”

My hands were steady as I pulled the thread through the wound. Even though my heart was racing.

It hadn’t recognized him at first. His face had been covered in blood. He’d just come from a battle, he told me. He’d been separated by his brothers and he needed help before he could make it home.

As I wiped the blood from his face, my breath hitched.

It was Storm. I recognized him the moment I saw him, with his unmistakable auburn hair and amber eyes. At first, my stomach had clenched. The Alphas thought I was dead. What would he think when he saw me here?

I’d left that life behind. I had no intentions of ever returning to the Crimson Rose Pack. Not after the way they’d treated me.

So naturally, I was afraid the moment I saw Storm.

But then I noticed that his eyes were vacant. He didn’t look at me as I led him to the small operating table. He reached out in front of him, trying to find his way with his hands.

Storm was blind.

I had no idea how he lost his sight. Nor when. But the moment I realized it, my stomach settled. He wouldn’t recognize me because he couldn’t see me.

“It’s fine,” I said gently as I bandaged up his leg. “It’s a slow today. I don’t have any other patients.”

“Lucky me,” he said with a smile. The smile that I’d seen so many times growing up. It tugged at my heart strings. “I’ve heard you’re an incredible doctor.”

“The rumors are true,” I said with a teasing tone. “I’m quite spectacular.”

“Momma!”

Just then, Riley burst into the room, followed by Ryder and Reece. Their faces were smudged with dirt and Reece’s dress was stained at the hem. Her lop-sided pigtails were tangled. Ryder and Reece were barefoot. They’d been out playing in the forest. And by the looks of it, they’d brought some of the forest back with them.

“Momma, Ryder found a frog and he won’t share it…” Riley’s voice trailed off as his eyes  landed on the man on the table.

“Who’s this?” Ryder asked, cocking his head to the side. “Is he a hurt woof, Momma?”

“Wolf, love,” I corrected him. “And yes. I just stitched up his leg.”

All three of the kids came to the bedside with curious expressions. They were no strangers to me treating injured wolves. They’d grown up with me as the pack doctor. But there was something about Storm that drew them towards him.

For whatever reason, they approached Storm with looks of fascination on their faces.

“He’s handsome," Reece said.

“He’s handsome,” Riley said, rolling his eyes. “Look at his muscles. He’s so strong.”

The children gawked at Storm, awestruck by his strength and handsome face.

“You know what I think,” Reece said, putting her hands on her hips. Nothing could have prepared me for what she said next.

“I think he should be your husband.”