Chapter 35: Lucas

 

It didn’t take long for Dr. Callahan to remove the cast and complete her examination.

“I want you to keep this brace on when you sleep or do any strenuous tasks,” she instructed. “Just to be safe until we can get you in for an x-ray. If you feel any lasting pain, you call me or go see the pack doctor in Thorncrest. But I don’t see there being any issues. I believe you’ve made a full recovery.”

“We’ll get her in before we head back,” I told her as they stood up.

The sound of a vehicle echoed down the gravel drive. It was Jaden. He’d gone ahead to pick up Max and bring him here for us to plan our next move. We’d head over to the Sounding Pass once we were done here. That’s where we’d meet the western patrol captain and the two prisoners. But I still had something to address here first.

I signaled for the doctor to stay as they parked.  

“Sutton, why don’t you go in and finish helping Aunt Lara,” I instructed. “I’ve got some pack business to address. We’ll be in shortly.”

She gave me a nod and a tight smile. As she passed, I grabbed her waist, pulling her in close.

“You’re doing perfect,” I whispered in her ear before kissing her temple. “She loves you.”

I released her, grinning as she tried to hide her blush. She escaped inside just as Jaden and Max got out of the car. Max lifted his arms, giving me a “what the hell” look as he came up the porch stairs.

“I’ve waited this long and you still won’t let me meet her,” he grouched.

“You’ll get your chance,” I told him. “I’m trying not to completely overwhelm her. We’ve got business to discuss. But first, the good doctor is going to tell me what she’s found in Sutton’s test results.” I looked to Callahan. “I’m assuming that’s why you’ve been avoiding my calls.”

Dr. Callahan sighed, pulling a file out of her bag. “I was avoiding your calls because I didn’t have any news for you. For the most part,” she admitted, handing me the file. “These weren’t easy to get without being able to provide basic information about the patient. I had to call in some favors at the lab.”

“But you found something,” I speculated as I opened the file. Rhonen must have become too curious. As he suddenly reappeared and huddled in the shadows of my mind, paying close attention.

“I ran DNA and blood analysis, like you requested,” she said. “You were right, she’s all lycan.”

“Not half-lycan?” Jaden questioned.

Dr. Callahan shook her head. “No, the results say she’s pure lycan. Her mother had to have been one as well, not just her father. Actually, she’s got some of the purest lycan genes I’ve ever seen.”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked.

“Well, we’ve lived close to humans for centuries now,” she explained. “We’re already closely related and human-lycan pairings aren’t that uncommon. Despite lycan genes being the more dominant-presenting, DNA can’t hide human ancestry. Most lycans have more than you would think. Sutton has very little. In fact, there is something else there.”

“Something else?” Max interjected.

“I wasn’t going to mention it because I’m still waiting on more information,” she continued. “But there’s DNA strands I don’t recognize. I’ve reached out to an old colleague from med school. It may take him a while to get back to me, but I’ll let you know as soon as he does.”

“Does that have anything to do with her missing wolf?” I asked.

She got an even more serious look on her face. “No, I don’t think it does,” she said. “I found something else.” She reached over and flipped to a page in the file. “Sutton had trace amounts of aconite in her system.”

“Aconite?”

“Also known as wolfsbane,” Dr. Callahan said.

Jaden snorted incredulously. “You’ve got to be kidding,” he said. “That’s an old wolf’s tale.”

“It’s still a poison.” Dr. Callahan shrugged. “It may not be a lycan’s only downfall as the fables say, but it can still be deadly in high enough dosages. Moderate dosages can impede our abilities, including our ability to shift. But more than that…” She took a deep breath. “There is evidence that shows prolonged exposure, particularly at a young age, can even prevent the development of lycan abilities.”

“Are you saying Sutton’s been fed this stuff since she was a kid?” I questioned, working to keep my outrage in control.

“Unless she can shine some light on a better explanation, yeah, that’s my guess,” the doctor confirmed.

I slammed the file shut, pushing a hand through my hair with a deep breath. I looked through the window, catching sight of Sutton in the kitchen with my family. She was smiling and seemed more relaxed. My heart was breaking with everything that had been done to her. She had been robbed of so many experiences. I wondered how I was going to tell her that her entire life was a lie.

“So, the question now is, does any of this have to do with Alpha Anders and his interest in her and what he intended to do with the information?” Jaden stated. “We have to assume he sensed the same thing Lucas did. But did he look as deep as we did? What more does he know?”

“I’m not about to call him up and ask him,” I said bitterly. “Whatever he knows, we’ll find out on our own. All that matters is that we keep him away from Sutton. Keep her safe.”

“Don’t forget we have two Dawn Stalkers in custody,” Max pointed out. “I assumed you were already going to be questioning them. Maybe they’ll be able to tell us why Alpha Anders is so desperate to get her back.”

Jaden looked at me expectantly. I wasn’t so eager to follow that route.

“It’s unlikely they have any clue other than revenge,” I said. “Asking the wrong questions may give away more than we want. That said, I still want a few minutes with these Dawn Stalkers. I need to set something straight.”