Page 109 of A Wolf's Wound
I turn my attention from Ryder to the shifters that are milling around before us.I notice one is lying on the ground, clutching his leg.
“I’m going to help him,” I tell Ryder.
“Wait,” he says.“I don’t want you mingling with the shifters by yourself.”
“I’ll be fine,” I say impatiently, but he’s looking past me and then waves at a figure in the back of the crowd.
“Sam!”Ryder calls, and a stocky wolf that I recognize from the Stone compound barbecue the other week makes his way to us.“Glad you’re here, man.You okay?”
“I’m fine.I followed the pack,” Sam says.“I figured something was up.”
“Yeah, you got that right,” Ryder says grimly.“I have to get back to the compound and get some equipment to deal with the body.Can you keep an eye on Hannah?”
“This is totally unnecessary,” I tell them both, but Sam’s already nodding.
“Sure, whatever you need.”
Ryder turns to me.“Hannah, humor me, please?I need to know you’ll be okay.”
I sigh.“All right, fine.I’ll see you soon?”
Ryder nods.“I promise.And my family will be here even sooner.”
As he rushes away, Sam follows me into the crowd.We make our way to the shifter I saw, but I notice a few other injured shifters on our way to him.
“I’m a doctor,” I tell the shifter as I reach his side.“Let me help you.”
“Thanks,” the shifter grunts.“I think it’s my ankle.”
“Any other wounded, bring them over here,” I tell Sam before turning my attention to the shifter’s ankle, which is swollen and bruised.
By the time I’m done wrapping what turns out to be a bad sprain, a short line of shifters are waiting for care.I work quickly, and Sam proves to be an able assistant as I stitch up cuts, bandage bruises, and splint joints.
“Hannah!”a woman’s voice calls out.I turn around and see Lori making her way toward me.“Are you okay?”
“Lori!”I cry in relief.“I am so glad to see you.”I finish taping down a bandage over some stitches before turning back to the shifter.“Come see me in the clinic in two days,” I instruct him, and he nods.
As the shifter leaves, Lori embraces me in a tight hug.“Oh, I was so worried!”she says.
“I’m okay.Are you?And the rest of the family?”
Lori nods.“We are, but oh my, this is a mess.”
I laugh ruefully.“That’s one way of putting this.”
“No humans were injured,” Lori tells me, and I nod as a wave of relief rushes over me.
“That’s amazing.”
“I know.”She surveys the chaos around us, the piles of ashes and charred remains along with the shifters that look shell-shocked and dazed.“Now we have to take care of our own.”
“Can we help with that?”a familiar voice asks.
I turn around, and my eyes fill with tears at the sight of my mother and stepfather.“Mom!”
“Hannah!”my mother cries, tears rolling down her cheeks.“Oh, sweetheart, I’ve been so worried about you!”
“How did you know to get here?”I ask.
