Page 19 of Two Wrong Turns

And yet, I wanted him so badly I could hardly stand it. Even now, when he wasn’t even looking at me or moving around, I felt the need to claim him.

There was a knock on my door eight minutes after my call with Dr. Hepbuck. I appreciated him coming as quickly as he had.

“Where is he?” he asked as he swept his way inside my home. There was no small talk, no need to ask questions. It was all efficient, just the way I liked it.

I waved him into the living room, where Barrett was still passed out. The doctor knelt beside him, much like I had. My bear growled softly at the sight.

“Easy, Alpha. I’m only here to help him. There is no desire coming from me. Take a deep breath. You’ll scent I’m not interested.”

My chest rose as I sucked in air, scenting to see if he was being honest. There was no trace of desire. I did catch a hint of concern, and a touch of fear.

Good. Let him be afraid of me.

Or maybe he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to help my mate? I lost some of my jealousy at the idea. I needed him focused. He wasn’t here to take Barrett away from me.

“Sorry, Doctor. Please continue.” I motioned for him to keep going.

Moving to where I could watch with an unobstructed view, I waited to see what the verdict would be. Dr. Hepbuck took out his stethoscope and listened to Barrett’s breaths. Then he used his freshly gloved hands to poke and prod my mate.

While I appreciated his use of gloves to minimize his scent, I still didn’t like how he touched him. It was too clinical. Like he was a generic patient instead of the most important man in my life.

He was precious. He should be treated as such.

“From what I can detect, he’s simply in shock. There is no evidence to suggest anything worse is going on. What were you doing right before he fainted?”

I shook my head. “We were talking. I was explaining to him about my bear.”

“You told him? Or did you show him?” He waved his hand before I could reply. “Doesn’t matter either way. He likely felt overwhelmed, and his body just shut down. He’ll wake up in a bit. Make sure he eats something and rests. Maybe don’t talk about knotting again so soon.”

The look he gave me was meant to get his point across. All it did was make me angry.

“It wasn’t like I planned this! I wanted to be honest with him. What if we had sex, and I knotted him without consent? He could get hurt. Or he could reject me.”

“Ahh, I see,” he replied.

Yes, I guess he did. I’d said the part I was most fearful of, even though I hadn’t meant to.

While it was rare for a mate bond to be rejected, it wasn’t impossible. Oftentimes, it happened when fated mates found each other after having already bonded with someone else. They would agree to reject the bond to keep living their lives as they had before.

But sometimes, the rejection came because one mate didn’t want to be bound to the other. They wanted the freedom to go about life without any ties to the person Fate deemed to be theirs.

In those instances, the break was often painful for the rejected party. It could even lead to an early death if the heartbreak was too much for the shifter side to bear.

“I’ll do my best. I can’t promise to avoid the subject completely. What if he wakes up with questions?”

Dr. Hepbuck gave me a soft smile. “Then you do your best to ease him into the conversation. Maybe let him lead. I know that might be hard for an Alpha like yourself.”

I shook my head. “I’d do anything for him. Anything.”

My words were a declaration. Even if he did choose to reject me, I’d be there for him as long as my body allowed it. I would spend my last breath ensuring his life was everything he dreamed of.

Right as Dr. Hepbuck went to stand, he froze. I watched him take in a deep breath, then his eyes widened.

“What is it?” I demanded.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, it seems your mate is rather… um, fertile, Alpha. I was taught how to smell the difference for shifters who are struggling to conceive.”

My cock went rock hard at the statement. I was torn between rutting into my mate and running from the house to avoid him at all costs.

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