Page 54 of Frenzy
“What?” Murphy asked, but he was already relaying my message to Merrick.
“Look, I don’t know what the hell is going on, and I’ll know more when I talk to Doc. Just get Susannah to the infirmary as soon as you can—I don’t give a fuck what Wilkie says. Got it? I’ll pass it by the Alpha General, but Courtland isn’t going to give a fuck if you steal Susannah from her abusive Alpha, I can tell you that. He’s not like the old Alpha General.”
Yeah, that old bastard had believed Pack business was between an Alpha and his Pack, and it didn’t matter if there was proof of abuse, no one was allowed to interfere. I could hear Merrick growl down the line.
“I’ve wanted to punch that asshole in the face for a while now. We’ll get her to the infirmary.” He cut the call, and I quickly punched the speed dial for Courtland.
“Yes?”
“It’s Radic. We have a fucking huge problem. More Betas are getting sick.”
“What? You sure it’s just the Betas?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. Only the females too, if we use Bonnie as case zero. You need to get Doc and head up to John Fairweather’s place. Merrick and Murphy are grabbing Susannah and bringing her to the infirmary.”
“Okay, I’ll be right there. I’ll bring Doc.” Then he hung up.
And my phone rang once more.
By the time the sun set, fifteen female Betas were unconscious, most at home, though Susannah was in the infirmary with Bonnie. Elizabeth Fairweather had been patched up and was resting at home. With the exception of Susannah, they were all young and unmated. What the hell was happening?
The fact there were two extra doctors in town had never been more appreciated, though everyone was acting defensive considering they were outsiders. But eventually, all the women presented the same. Fever, loss of consciousness, pain. Doc had learned with Bonnie, and quickly made them all comfortable. The Legion Generals had been conferring all day, trying to work out if this was a virus or some kind of poison. They locked down the borders, though I don’t know what they thought that would achieve.
The whole town was starting to panic though; women were whisked away indoors just in case it got them too, and the commissary was picked clean, as well as the bakery. I’d had a million phone calls, and it got to the stage where I had to stop answering, instead leaving a voice recording of important information.
On top of that, Wilkie and Merrick had gotten into a brawl, and Merrick had bitten Wilkie’s ear clean off. Doc had been too busy stabilizing the female Betas to sew it back on, so one of Wilkie’s Betas had done it. Somehow, I didn’t think it would stick.
Finally, the calls had slowed down, and there were no more cases coming forward. I forwarded the phone to my cell, and got the hell out of the office. I needed to find Bonnie and Pryce, make sure everyone was okay.
The streets were eerily quiet when I left, and I shook off the chill that stole down my spine. I drove the ATV a little too fast to the infirmary, barely bringing it to a stop before I was out of it and up the back steps. Murphy was standing guard at the back step, his face a hard mask.
I slowed my pace. “You okay?”
Murphy slid his eyes toward me, grinding his back teeth. “I just really hate that fuck, Radic. I hate him.” I didn’t even need to ask who ‘him’ was, because I hated Wilkie too.
“I know, man. I kind of wish Merrick had eaten his ear.”
Murphy gagged a little. “I kiss that mouth.”
A surprised laugh burst out from between my lips. “Yeah, fair call.” I went to step past him, but paused, thumping him on the arm. “She’ll be okay, you know. She’s tough, Susannah; she always has been. Wilkie…” Yeah, Wilkie was a fuck. We didn’t need to expand on that. And Merrick and Murphy had been 100% in love with Susannah growing up. They’d been heartbroken when Susannah had chosen Wilkie, and then had to sit back and watch him treat her little better than a fucking glory hole in a cheap gas station bathroom wall.
Murphy nodded, and I stepped into the back of Doc’s house. There were a lot of people in the infirmary. Susannah and Bonnie were in the same room, pushed to separate sides of the space. In the center was a blond kid who smelled like a shifter. He was playing with our cubs, blowing raspberries and playing peek-a-boo, and the cubs were smiling in a way that made my chest feel too full.
But he was still a stranger. A low growl slipped from my mouth, and everyone looked at me. Pryce stood, slipping toward me quickly. “That’s Bohdie. He’s with the doctors from out of town. He’s, uh, bored, I guess.” He lowered his voice. “My Beast doesn’t think he’s a threat. He’s a nice kid. It’s allowed me to focus on Bonnie, because something is wrong, Rad, and Ican’tpull myself away.”
The desperation in his voice made me pause, and even as I searched his face for answers, he was moving back toward Bonnie. I looked over at Merrick, who still had Wilkie’s blood on his shirt, and he rested against the wall beside Susannah’s bed.
“What the hell is going on?” he demanded, the Alpha power from his Beast all up in his tone.
The sound of a growl at my back had me spinning around and coming face to face with Courtland. He looked stressed as fuck, still letting out a low grumbling sound as he stared down Merrick.
The Alpha in question dropped his eyes. “Sorry, Alpha General.” He looked up at me through long eyelashes. Too long for a man. “Sorry, Rad. I didn’t mean to Alpha you. It's been a hell of a day.”
I gave him a tight smile. I knew he was stressed; we’d been friends for long enough that I recognized it in the lines of his body, the tightness of his face. “It’s all good. We’re all stressed about the unknown.”
Another voice interrupted. “Well, I can fix that.”
I looked over to see a girl, who was definitely still a teenager, flounce into the room, her curly hair bouncing with each step. She looked pretty happy with herself, and honestly I was confused as hell until Doc appeared. He was side by side with a man who looked about thirty but had the eyes of someone much older. Definitely the Lycanthrope. I tried not to let the scary stories of my childhood color my perception of the man.
