Clarey rolled the cart in with a large bowl of steaming water. A pair of tongs stuck out of the bowl, and a stack of clean towels sat next to it.
“Anything else you need?” Clarey asked in her soft voice.
Katee looked at the other woman and noted she was pale and trembling. “Thank you, Clarey. I’m sure that everyone is hungry. Maybe you could fix some food?”
“Yes, ma’am.” The timid half-shifter turned away.
“Oh, and Clarey…”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for sounding the alarm when I didn’t show up for dinner.”
The delicate woman returned her smile. “You’re welcome.”
“Okay, you fix dinner, and I’ll fix the wolf. You might want to ask a couple of the men to help out since they’re not doing anything else.” Katee winked before turning her attention back to the job at hand.
Clarey’s soft giggle had her smiling as she dropped a scalpel, pair of tweezers, pack of needles, and thread into the water. She laid out bandages, a large elastic wrap, several sets of rubber gloves, and a surgical mask on the cart. Then she found a good size bottle of anesthetic spray and another of antiseptic which she laid on the cart. Once she had everything she thought she would need, she pushed the cart down to the other end of the table where Lasso lay panting.
After pulling on rubber gloves, she poured half the contents of the bottle of vodka into the bowl and swirled it around. Looking at Toren, who remained by the wolf’s head, she nodded to the bottle of whiskey on the table.
“Try to get him to swallow some of that.”
While Toren helped the wolf drink generously of the alcohol, she finished preparing for surgery.
Finally, she felt she was ready and had Duck and another man whose name she didn’t know hold the big animal down while she sprayed the wound and surrounding area liberally with anesthetic. The wolf whined and tried to fight, but then settled once the anesthetic and alcohol deadened the pain.
She worked as quickly as she could, shaving around the wound before cleaning and disinfecting the exposed flesh and deep cut. Once she felt the wound was clean enough, she began stitching. She then laid bandages on the wound before having the men lift the wolf high enough that she could wrap the elastic band around its middle several times before using several safety pins to hold it in place.
Once she was finished, she looked at Toren. “He’ll need quiet and rest until he can shift back. And a good meal when he’s ready. Once he’s able to shift back, we’ll see how the man is doing.”
Toren nodded. “Thank you. You were amazing.”
“I did my job. Just hope I don’t have to do that too often,”Katee said, tired from the stress of the day and the late-night surgery. “If it’s okay, I’d like to go up and get a shower now.”
“I’ll bring a tray of food up to your suite, if you’d like,” Clarey said from where she was standing in the kitchen doorway. “I’m sure you’re starving.”
Katee looked over and smiled. “Thank you, that would be wonderful.”
Chapter Ten
Toren followed his mate up the stairs, and when she stumbled, he swept her into his arms, bridal style, and carried her the rest of the way to their suite. He didn’t stop until they were in the bathroom. Standing her on her feet again, he started the shower. She looked beyond exhausted, and he knew without her saying a word that she would need help in the shower.
Stripping her and then himself, he guided her into the shower room and under the waterfall shower. She just stood under the water, so he took over. His mate needed care, and he felt privileged to be able to give her that TLC.
He took his time washing her, surprised when he found her pussy was dripping wet. Once she was clean, he quickly washed up, then turned off the shower. He dried her thoroughly and then quickly wiped himself before picking her up and carrying her into the bedroom.
“Toren?”
“Yes, dancer?”
“I just wanted to tell you that I love you. I know it’s been a crazy day, but being taken made me realize how much I really, really love you.”
Toren’s heart swelled, and he hugged her close. “I love you too, mate. It just about killed me when I realized you’d run away without telling anyone. Do that again, and I’m tying you to the bed for a month.”
Katee giggled. “Oooo, kinky.”
“I’ll show you kinky, mate,” he said, dumping her onto the bed and then following her down. His cock had been hard and needy since she’d climbed into his lap in the car. He could wait no longer.