Page 55 of A Wolf's Heart

“Yes, well, mates are bound to one another by choice, but fated mates are bound to one another by natural selection. Though having one mate is common, having multiple mates in this day and age is almost unheard of. There isn’t evenoneof them you could trust? You could pick any one.”

“I volunteer as tribute!” Weylin’s voice called through the open window. There was some wrestling around at the window followed by a “what the fuck?”

Waving my hand towards the window, I gave an exacerbated sigh. “My mates.”

“You’re just jealous you didn’t get to taste her first,” Weylin said, followed by an “oh, shit.” The snapping of bones quickly sounded, followed by wolves fighting.

Rainor walked into the house then, giving a bored look as he quickly walked over to the window and closed it. “Apologies,” he said. “Dr. Thatcher, we brought you here to ensure Lila would be healthy enough to go through her heat. I believe you had mentioned some bloodwork would be beneficial?”

“Yes.” Dr. Thatcher nodded. “Really, it’s the only way.” She turned to me. “Would you consent to that? The test involves the usual blood counts, iron level, sugars. It’s nothing too invasive. It can be helpful because, if you are low on something, your mates can provide it for you.”

I held back my laugh,provide it for me?“And this is all confidential?” I asked.

“Yes, everything we do will be confidential, unless you sign a release form stating we can speak to your mates or anyone else.”

I relaxed a bit. I was curious now about the results of my bloodwork, what with the comments about me looking sickly,then the doctor explaining nutrition, which I had obviously neglected.

“Okay,” I relented. “As long as it remains confidential.”

“Of course.” She began taking a needle and various blood collection tubes from her briefcase.

I could feel Rainor watching me, so I turned my head and met his stare. “Yes?”

His eyes kept up their slow, steady perusal of me. “I haven’t seen you since yesterday. You left the building, and then we felt some sort of pain in our hearts. What had happened? I know you were safe, but what upset you?”

I looked down to where Dr. Thatcher had taken my arm, tying a rubber band around it and searching for a vein. “I was talking to Emma, nothing upset me,” I lied.Nothing of importance to him upset mewas what I should’ve said. It was neither here nor there, though.

“It’s because she’s luna?” he asked.

Dr. Thatcher looked up at me over the top of her glasses. “No,” I said to her. “I wasn’t bothered by that.”

“It doesn’t make sense, then, does it, doctor? She’s fine being away from us, she doesn’t get jealous of another female—” Had he really missed the whole debacle of me almost attacking the doctor?

“Jealous? You want me to be jealous of Emma?” I scoffed. “I wanted to protect her more than I was jealous of her. I felt pity that she has to deal with Kage. That poor woman. Right away, I could tell what a nice person she is.” The doctor poked me with the needle and began taking my blood.

“He’s serviced her,” Rainor continued. “He’s bred with Emma through her last two heat cycles.”

“Trying to force jealousy isn’t going to work, either. I’m not jealous, and I’m sure you’ve had your fair share of women.” It wasn’t like I was a virgin.

“Why isn’t she jealous?” Rainor asked the doctor.

“Well, it could be a number of reasons. Lila wasn’t brought up as we are, so she just may not understand the dynamics. On a deeper level, the bond could be damaged.” She began packing up her belongings. “My advice? The fates brought you four together”—she spoke more to me than to Rainor—“but that doesn’t mean an automatic bond is created. That’s why we have the option to claim or reject. What happened during your first touch?”

I smiled sweetly. “They chased me down with the threat of murdering me.”

“The beast saved you,” Rainor retorted.

“And then chased me down!”

“Yes, my prognosis is a damaged bond. Her wolf won’t care for you if she believes life would be easier without you.” Dr. Thatcher began packing up her things, putting the vials of blood into a little baggie and then into her briefcase. “I’ll get these to the lab right away. Should you need anything, Lila, please don’t hesitate to contact me.” She handed me her business card.

“When should I expect the next wave?” I asked. “I feel completely normal right now.”

“After the first wave, it can take up to twelve hours for the next. Though, each time in between will get closer and closer.” I nodded. “And your decision?”

I sighed, glancing at Rainor. His black hair and red-rimmed eyes did something to my heart, but I had to protect myself. “For now, I’m going to try to take care of myself. What happened with Kage was a mistake. I didn’t know what was going on, but now that I’m informed, I think I can control myself better.”

A sympathetic smile spread across her face. “Should you need intervention, whether through the anaesthetic or anything else, please reach out to me. I will remain on call for you during this time.”

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