Page 28 of Amaris Rejected

"Well, uh... I’ve been feeling nauseous and vomiting in the mornings." she gloats, her hand rubbing her stomach. "My breasts are tender," she adds with a smirk. I know she’s trying to goad me, hoping to cause more tension between Devon and me.

I can see what she's trying to do. Little does she know, she doesn't have to convince me. It's Devon she needs to manipulate and she’s a pro at that.

"Are you pregnant?" I probe, playing along with her little game.

"Maybe," she beams, excited.

Reading over the previously deleted medical records, I hit print. As the pages appear, I turn to Gemma. "Can you bring the Alpha in here immediately?"

"Yes, Dr. Amaris," Gemma replies, leaving the room.

"What?!" Jeni shrieks. "Why are you bringing Devon in here? I have a right to my privacy!"

"As I said before, Devon is the authority here. He’ll decide what rights you have."

"You thief! Devon is mine, not yours!" Jeni, claws out, suddenly springs from the bed and leaps at me. I flinch back, but in the tiny room, escaping her is nearly impossible. Thankfully, Gemma returns in time to grab her from behind and force her to the floor, but not before she slices down my torso.

Four, bleeding cuts run from my neck to my stomach. Fortunately, they’re not deep and should heal without complications, but my clothes are in tatters. Beneath the shredded material of my shirt, nestled between my bloodied breasts, hangs the amulet that I was given at birth.

Devon arrives just in time to see Jeni’s attack, his face pales with shock. I did try to warn him that she can’t be trusted. Two more enforcers appear, detaining Jeni in leather-covered, silver handcuffs. "Put her in one of the holding cells," Devon instructs. Fortunately for Jeni, she won’t be paraded around the packhouse in shackles as the security offices are on the same floor as the clinic. These room are secure and safe, as they, too, are silver-lined but humane.

Jeni's father, Alpha Quinn, arrives with the extra guards. Devon must have mind-linked him about the situation because his skin is gray. He’s probably shocked, as well, by what we’ve all just witnessed.

"Jeni! What's the meaning of this? What have you done?" he cries.

As they cart Jeni off, his eyes narrow as he looks at me in disgust. His gaze shifts to the amulet resting on my bloodied chest, his expression turning from anger to confusion. "Where did you get that?" he roars.

Before I can answer, he tries to wrench it from my neck.

I grab it in my hand and shrink back. "It was left in my blanket when I was found as a babe."

He blinks at me, shaking his head. A deep sorrow reflects in his now golden eyes as he recognizes the amulet. His voice strains low, the wolf, now dominant, taking over. "My missing pup!" he growls.

“What?” I whisper, unable to make sense of his words.

“My missing pup wore that amulet when she disappeared at birth,” he continues, his voice barely audible. “It’s our family crest.”

His words, combined with the blood loss and the wolf's confession are too much and I spiral. The world spins as everything fades to black and I sink to the floor with a thump.

When I wake up, I’m on the bed. Devon's gaze travels from my neck to my stomach, where he holds the bulk of a roll of gauze, trying to staunch the blood flow. Even though I look worse for wear, the wounds are healing nicely.

At that moment, the last of the machines on the counter cut off. “That’ll be your test results,” I offer.

“Let’s get you cleaned up first,” he suggests.

"Where did Alpha Quinn go?" I question weakly.

"With Jeni, " he answers grimly, still working on the wounds around my ribcage. “We'll talk about that later.”

Sheila, the nurse, appears in the doorway, her gaze locking on my wounds. "Do you need me, Alpha?" she asks. Her training kicks in as she grabs a med cart. “I heard what happened, let me help.”

But I trust her just about as much as I do Jeni. Since I discovered that Sheila’s the one who tried to delete Jeni’s medical records to cover the fact that Jeni wasn’t pregnant, I know she helping her. What else has she done or will she do to aid Jeni in her schemes?

"Devon, get another enforcer down here, now," I wheeze. “And don’t let Sheila out of your sight. She’s dangerous.”

Sheila falters but nods, admitting her guilt, but continues working to stench the blood. Within minutes, another enforcer appears at the doorway. Once my wounds are covered, she murmurs, "You need a few stitches to heal properly."

"Thank you," I tell her. "Devon, while this enforcer escorts Sheila to another cell, preferably one where she and Jeni can't talk, I’ll need your help." I tremble weakly. "The charges will be accessory to mate bond tampering and medical record fraud. Possibly more.”

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