Not knowing if or when such an opportunity would come, I started to entertain the idea of going back into the city to do my old job. The thought didn’t last long, chased away by a fear shared by me and my wolf. The last thing I wanted to do was to put someone in danger all over again.
As much as I wanted to get to the bottom of the surgical mix-up, my loyalty to the pack was far more important.
Until Ash said otherwise, I’d remain within the boundary along with everyone else.
Someday though… Someday I’d go back to right the wrong someone else had done.
“I’ve been looking for you all morning,” Val said as soon as I broke through the trees. There was a huge smile on her face, her white gown dancing in the soft breeze. “They kept telling me to check the shed, but whenever I did, you were gone.”
“Sorry,” I apologize, licking the palm of her hand as she knelt down to greet me, “restless paws.”
She offered me a sideways glance, then combed her fingers through my fur. “You know, I’m starting to get used to you like this. I mean, you’re cool as a human and all, but this? This suits you even more.”
“Dirty and out of breath?” I teased, walking with her as she made her way toward the trees.
“Happy,” she corrected me, gently placing a hand on my back as we walked side by side. “It’s still hard to believe. No one’s really told me what happened except that you weren’t turned.” She stopped then, her hold on my fur tighter than before. “What happened, Jo? Jeremy called me and said you might be sick, but when you weren’t at home, I—”
“It’s okay,” I said, nuzzling her as the scent of fear slowly made its way up her chest. “I wanted to tell you when I woke up,” I said, pausing on the other side of the manor, away from the pack and far out of earshot.
“Why didn’t you?” She followed my example, sitting in the grass as she absently combed through my fur.
“I had the phone right in my hand, but I just couldn’t do it.
I had no idea what to say or how to tell you I wasn’t coming home.”
“I can’t say I blame you, it’s just that I… I thought you were gone.” She choked back her tears and started again. “I planned your funeral. We supposed to bury an empty casket this past Tuesday.”
A small whimper made it past my lips, my heart dropping into the pit of my stomach. “If there’d been any way for me to tell you, to explain why—”
“Tell me now,” she said, wiping her eyes before looking at me again. “I’m free for the rest of the morning, so talk.”
I tried to think up an excuse. I tried to find a way to hide the truth. Nothing came to mind.
Val had already seen far worse within the pack without me hiding the origin of my condition from her. Granted, out of all the times I’d thought it through, I never expected it to be as hard to talk about as it was now.
“Someone screwed up,” I said without looking at her.
“When I went into surgery that day, I was supposed to get a human heart. It’s why we have separate staff for humans and wolves. It’s so that—”
“Nothing like this happens?” she asked, taking my chin in her hand. “We can’t run things perfectly all the time.”
“No, but I’m pretty sure you can tell the difference between a human heart and that of a wolf.”
“I can,” she agreed, “but we both know wolves who shift are far more complicated than that.”
“But there are blood tests, markers, and—”
“It’s still something that can get mixed up if someone’s in a rush.”
“Yeah? Tell that to the rest of the pack. They don’t want anything to do with me.”
“If that were true, you wouldn’t be here.” This time it was Fallen who spoke, her chocolate wolf padding up the hill to join us.
Any other time, I would’ve been thrilled to see her.
Instead, my wolf’s fur bristled at the interruption, insisting I protect my sister even though Val seemed to be handling Fallen’s appearance just fine.
Val noticed my discomfort, gently smoothing down the fur along my neck. “It’s okay. She can join us.” Then, lowering her voice even though Fallen would most assuredly overhear, she said, “I’m usually the one playing the big sister.”