Page 113 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha
His laughter was much more spirited then, and he fell onto his side in front of me.“Nothing gets past you, Night,” he said when he’d recovered. “But that’s why you’re a great Alpha.”
I sighed. “The Wargs will have better Alphas than me. We’re too resilient a pack not to.”I stood and returned to the group. “You’ll see to that.”
We stopped once more, once we were within a few miles of the Kings’ compound. The others would soon split away from us, but Doc insisted on the break. He was on the smaller side for a wolf, and the ends of his wheat-blond fur were silver-tipped, a paler color than even Dom’s.
“Alpha Night,” his voice slipped into my mind politely, unobtrusively, just as the doctor would enter a conversation with me.
“Did you need something, Doc?” I asked.
“I wanted to give you an examination. Just to make sure you’re in top shape.”
“Ah. That makes sense.”
Doc, other than Dom, Evan, and Mom, was the only one who understood the full toll that the unclaimed bond was having on my body. I was glad that we had him with us on this mission. Not just so that he could examine me, but also so that he could treat Bryn and Tavi for their wounds. The way they’d looked in the live video that Troy had shown me still haunted me.
Doc and I pulled away from the rest of the pack so I could have some privacy for the exam. He shifted into his human formand pulled out the long robe from the satchel he’d brought with him. Also within the bag were a few medical instruments like a thermometer, a blood pressure gauge, bandages, antiseptic, gauze, and who knew what else. He poked and prodded me for any areas that hurt. Just about all of me hurt, but I felt the pain the hardest in my abdomen and head.
“I could prescribe painkillers,” he said, having caught my eye twitching when he prodded at a particularly tender spot. “That at least would keep you going. But it is technically against the rules for a wolf to take supplements before a fight.”
My tail swished with a sudden burst of annoyance. “It’s also against the rules to force a wolf to participate in a challenge ceremony.”Mom had drilled those rules into my head since I was a pup. I was to hold them as tenets so I would be an honorable Alpha. But given the circumstances, I decided I didn’t give a shit about the rules.
Doc nodded. “Fair enough.”
“You have my complete approval on the painkillers, Doc,” I said. “I’d rather feel nothing.”
He chuckled at me. “Well, they won’t be quitethatstrong, but as I said, they’ll keep the pain from debilitating you.”
“Well, if that’s what you’ve got, it’s what I’ll take.”
He shook a couple of pills onto a nearby flat stone, and used another stone to grind them up. I licked the powder up, and by the time I was finished, my tongue felt tinglingly numb. I really wanted a drink of water after that, but thinking about Alpha rules and my mom reminded me about her Alpha wound and the way Doc had treated her during her recovery.
I hadn’t thought about it very much since then because my mind had been set on getting to Bryn and Tavi, but now that I had Dr. Stan in front of me, I figured I might as well ask him about it now. I’d probably not have another chance.
“Doc,” I said, “are you and my mother close?”
He fumbled with the pills, almost dropping the bottle on the ground. “Wh-what makes you ask that, Alpha?”
I eyed him. “I noticed that you seemed particularly attentive when you were treating her Alpha wound. And when she woke up, she looked at you like…” I wasn’t sure how to complete the sentence. “Well, I’ve never seen her look atanyonequite like that.”
He hesitated, his hand still gripping the pill bottle.
“Don’t even consider lying to me, Doc,” I said. “I’ll know.”
He closed his eyes, let out a deep breath, and then he nodded. “Alright, I suppose it’s only fair that you know.”
I wasn’t an idiot; I was pretty sure I knew more or less what he was about to say. “You and Mom have a history, don’t you?”
“Yes, that’s one way to put it. I grew up with both Violet and Gregor. I was close with your father before he abandoned the pack.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Actually, shortly after he left, he sent for me to join him with the Kings.”
My lips pulled away from my teeth. “He did what?”
He nodded. “I more or less had the same disgusted reaction. I told him there was no way in hell I’d abandon my life, my friends, and my family just to have access to a river. From that moment, he was dead to me, but Violet had hope that he wouldsend for you. She wouldn’t have sent you to him, mind you. She loathed him about as much as she loved him, but she expected him to try and take some responsibility for you. Years passed without a word from him, and then we learned that he had another son. Well, that confirmed that Gregor was too far gone. I doubt you remember that time very much, but your mother was inconsolable when she heard about Troy.”
I caught a flicker of a deep, deep memory that I’d completely forgotten about. It had the gleaming undeniability that all core memories had, but I’d buried it so deep that I didn’t know it existed until someone reminded me of it.
“I remember a period when she cried every time she looked at me. It felt like it lasted for a really long time.”
He nodded. “Yes, I’m sorry the memory stayed with you. But that was how it was.”
