Chapter 2

Entering the office building adjacent to the hospital, Tyler already felt the headache starting to form at his temples. He had acquired this hospital as it sat just inside the far northern region of his pack lands. He never understood until today why his father had always left it to the humans. The profits were slim at best, but the staffing was abhorrent. It was beautiful at least and appeared to be well maintained. The whole street-facing side was a wall of reflective windows, while the rear of the hospital boasted views of the mountain range that separated the pack lands from the wild, rogue-infested north. The mountains were usually the picture of beauty and majesty, though in the winter, at this moment, they appeared menacing, almost ominous.

He walked past the line to the receptionist that was all too happy to take care of the handsome stranger that seemed to have no regard for the line they were assisting. He was used to this as he stood at an easy 6’ 4” and 258 lbs of pure muscle and alpha energy. Stephanie should have been here to greet him, but alas, he had to do this himself. Annoyingly, the receptionist snapped the gum in her mouth, taking him in like a tall drink of water. “And what can I do for you, handsome?” She attempted to sound seductive, but just came off completely unprofessional, and the pressure in the temples doubled.

“Stephanie Wilson’s office now.” He snapped and flexed his aura slightly. Her eyes widened, but she now managed to find some of her professionalism. “Do you have an appointment, Mr….”

“Tyler. Tyler LaPoint.” She sucked in a breath, realization spreading across her face as she stammered, “Top floor, 1st door on the left. Shall I ring and let her know you arrived?”

“That won’t be necessary. If she was that worried about my arrival, she would have been here already. Do NOT pick up that phone. I will show myself up!” He barked and strode toward the elevators. A wolf on a mission with a splitting headache and a feeling in his chest he hadn’t been able to shake since arranging this meeting yesterday morning. He hadn’t been himself since then but couldn’t quite understand why.

Stepping onto the elevator, he slammed the button for the top floor and gazed at his reflection. His hair was slightly longer than most wear his age in the business sector, but not long by any means for werewolf standards. His light brown hair appeared blonde in the sun with curls forming the longer it grew. He had finally assumed his position as Alpha of the Foothills Pack, much to the pleasure of his father and mother, who were ready to step aside and see their son flourish. He was away for almost 3 years while searching for his Luna without success. It was not for lack of trying. While on the search for his Luna, he was making deals with surrounding packs for his father, Alpha Gerald, and learning all he could about the dealings of the High Council of Werewolves. In that time, he had courted several she wolves, but none were his mate and amounted to nothing more than a brief tryst and a swift goodbye. Being an unmated Alpha at the age of 25 was rare nowadays, but he refused to snub a gift from the Moon Goddess in the form of his fated mate. A chosen mate was a last resort.

His blue eyes took in a quick assessment of his appearance as the elevator door DING sounded, and he disembarked. He strode toward the door of Ms. Wilson’s office as he heard the start of a telephone conversation and let himself in without announcement. He immediately placed his finger to his lip and mouthed “SPEAKER” to her. He didn’t need a speaker to hear the conversation, but Ms. Wilson was someone he wasn’t too familiar with, so he aired on the side of caution.

From the speaker, he heard a voice that made his heart skip a beat. She sounded gorgeous and feisty, saying, “Coming off a double, but please allow me to answer you before you even finish. I will fill in, but my nurses need a break. This is borderline negligence and poor patient care. I have 3 NSTEMIs, 2 uncomplicated catheterizations, 4 CABGs, and a partridge in a pear tree. According to CICU standards, that means we should have at least 5 nurses here, ideally 10. None of us had had more than 10 minutes to inhale food, and I am pretty sure my bladder is going to rupture in protest!”

He smiled at her holiday humor before quietly replying that they would be over for an inspection in 10 minutes and hung up the phone. He didn’t need 10 minutes, but Ms. Wilson had some explaining to do. “Ms. Wilson, I dislike being kept waiting. I also dislike when people do not follow my instructions. You were to meet in the lobby, and no calls were to be made to the hospital regarding the inspection.” He said the last sentence with a bite, Stephanie could not ignore.

“I wasn’t calling about the inspection, I promise you, Mr. LaPoint. I was calling to get coverage for the next shift. Two nurses called out. One for the CICU and one for the ED. Lorrianna is an excellent charge nurse and would be more than capable of running the ED for a shift!” She stammered as she held up Lorrianna’s employee file. He quickly opened it, but not to see if Ms. Wilson was telling the truth; he had to know if she was as beautiful as she sounded. Plus, it would allow him to learn a little more about her prior to meeting her.

“21 and a charge nurse, how is that possible?” He questioned more to himself than anything, but Ms. Wilson saw her chance at redemption and took it. “She was adopted at age 2. She showed extreme intelligence from an early age and completed high school at age 12. Her family decided that homeschooling was the best option for her, so she completed her nursing prerequisites by age 16 and was accepted into an exceptional nursing program at age 18. They wouldn’t take her sooner due to being underage. She completed the 2-year nursing program in 6 months. She moved on to complete her RN 6 months after and started here at 19 years old for her rotations and was hired upon completion.” She beamed with pride at her recital of the facts about this beautiful creature.

Tyler hadn’t really heard most of the explanation as he found himself being sucked into the depth of those dark chocolate eyes. Her full lips and strong Mediterranean features caused his chest to feel like his heart might make a break for it. He had seen beautiful women before, what was wrong with him? His headache must be clouding his thought process. He needed a good run with Gannon through the mountains tonight, or it was going to be a long weekend.