Page 14 of Wolf's Midlife Bite

“It seems to me that she does an awful lot for you around here, and you ought to treat her better. If you do have a problem with her, you sure as shit don’t need to be airing it out in front of your patients. Have some goddamn decency and respect.” Brody’s legs twitched as he considered jumping to his feet and pounding this guy into the wall like he deserved.

Though he obviously had zero awareness of how he affected his staff, Dr. Watson definitely noticed the rage seething inside of Brody. “My apologies,” he mumbled to Robin before slinking out of the room.

Her tongue was pressed against the inside of her cheek as she slowly returned to the stool. Robin glanced out the door. “You didn’t have to do that,” she said quietly.

“I’m sorry.” Brody doubted Dr. Watson’s apology had been genuine, but his own was. “I probably overreacted, but if he were my boss, I’d have a hard time not slugging those fucking Chiclets out of his mouth. He’s a full-blown, top-shelf douche.”

A snort of laughter escaped from behind her mask. “That’s not fair.”

“What? You don’t agree?”

“I do. I just wish I could call him that myself. Let’s get things finished up.” Robin pulled on a pair of new gloves.

“Maybe I didn’t need to call him out for the way he treated you, but you didn’t have to make excuses for me coming in here without a cavity or anything,” he noted as he lay back again.

She took a long piece of floss from the tray nearby and began her work, expertly threading it between his teeth. Robin spoke quietly. “I guess I didn’t, but it seemed easier than trying to explain it all. You’ve only gotten a small taste of what Dr. Watson’s like. He’d probably have more to say to me if he thought I was using my job to get dates.” She muttered something under her breath that he couldn’t quite hear.

He picked up on the scent of peaches again, and every muscle in his body was tense. Brody felt an aching in his bones as he fought to keep them where they were. Many changes happened when he shifted, and keeping everything in check was getting more and more difficult. First, he had to be this close to Robin in a public setting that also felt incredibly intimate, with her face so close to his and his head practically in her lap. That was hard enough, considering the night they’d shared, but then Dr. Watson had kicked his protective instincts into overdrive. The man had no idea how lucky he was that Brody had the control he did, though it probably looked like he didn’t. Brody’s breathing increased as he felt his beast pushing once again, demanding to come out. He just had a little while longer. He had to keep it in check, but he felt a jolt of adrenaline run through his system as he realized he might not be able to do that.

Robin, meanwhile, had no idea what he was going through and was still talking. “Your x-rays really are quite remarkable, by the way.” She turned away from her work to squint at the computer screen again.

All the training and years of experience simply couldn’t compete with the emotions churning inside him. A stinging sensation shot through his gums as his fangs burst forward.

And pierced right through the material of her glove.

“Ow!” Robin jumped back and stared at her pointer finger, her eyes wide with shock. “What the hell?”

Brody had been fighting so hard against that damn wolf, and now was the moment it chose to finally settle down. It retreated swiftly and left him alone to deal with this. His throat tightened as he tried to think of something to say. How could he explain?

“That’s weird. I don’t know how, but I must’ve nicked myself against your tooth while flossing.” Robin was still staring at the speck of blood, bright against her blue glove. “I guess you’ve got some pretty sharp teeth in there.”

“I’m so sorry.” He moved to sit up. Holy hell, he’d fucked up. Bad.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. It was just a freak accident.” She quickly raised his chair and pulled her glove off. She crossed to the sink and began disinfecting the wound. “Standard procedure is that we both need to be tested. We’ll basically treat this like a needle-stick. We have to check for HIV, hepatitis, things like that. I don’t mean that as any sort of insult to you. I’m sorry for the trouble; it’s just the way things have to be done.”

“Really, don’t apologize.” Especially since it wasn’t her fault. “I’m fully aware of the protocol. It’s the same for me in the tattoo industry, so I get it. I can guarantee you that I’m clear in that department, but I’ll get tested this afternoon. My sister’s a nurse, so I’ve got an in.”

She nodded, but she was still staring at her hand as though it had six fingers instead of five. The sweet flush of her skin had gone pale.

He had to tell her. There were far more implications than she realized, but he couldn’t just tell her now. She was freaked out enough, and the middle of a busy dental office just wasn’t the place. “Listen, to show you just how not sorry you need to be, why don’t you come to my place for dinner tonight? I’ll text you the address.”

“Um, sure. I’ll let you check out with Maggie if that’s okay. I’ve got to get this taken care of.” She stepped out of the exam room.

Brody had swung his legs over the side of the chair, and he pressed his hand to his forehead. This was going to be a tough one to explain, both to Robin and his pack. Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

“Dr. Watson, I need to talk to you.” Her voice drifted in through the open door.

“I’m busy.”

“This is important. I’ve had a blood exposure. I’m canceling the last of my appointments for the day so I can get to the lab before they close.” Brody could still hear the fear in her voice. Not, he was sure, because she was worried that he had some disease, but because the incident had happened at all. She seemed like the type who liked everything to go according to plan, and this sure as hell hadn’t been scheduled into her day.

“Are you kidding me?” Dr. Watson’s ire was thick, and Brody heard the slapping sound of papers hitting a desk. “I’ve already had to rearrange the afternoon’s schedule because you insisted on screwing it up. Elmington is thoroughly insulted, and now you’re costing me money because you’ve got to go and get tested. Shit, Robin.”

“I’m sorry, Dr. Watson.”

His wolf had already tried its best to surface, and now it was so close, he thought it very well might come surging out of him as he shot off the exam chair. Brody curled his fists as he marched out of the exam room. It only took a quick turn of his head to see Dr. Watson in his lavish office. He stood behind a large wooden desk, his teeth bared and his hands on his hips. Robin was in front of him with her back to Brody.

The next thing he knew, Brody was standing next to her. “How can you give zero fucks about your employees’ well-being and still be in business? Robin just told you she had a blood exposure.”

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