What This Wolf Wants (2 page)

Jackie pulled out white towels from the dresser and set them next to some glass jars on the metal cabinet containing cotton balls, individual packets of alcohol swabs, and a box of latex-free gloves.

Exhausted as she was she moved automatically, setting the room for what her Alpha, Dean Kinigos, had called a serious problem. While she didn’t know the specifics of this “serious problem”, she wanted to be prepared.

As one of the doctors in the community, she saw patients during normal office hours in her clinic, where another doctor and a nurse-practitioner also received patients. However, the majority of her patients were wolf shifters and while most acclimated themselves to a human environment, some had not. So Jackie created this room to provide a measure of safety for the later group of shifters. Not to mention the need for immediate medical supplies when they came to her home unexpectedly in the middle of the night with gashes or broken bones. Wolves were, after all, night creatures. Having a mini-emergency medical facility—mini being the operative word here—was a necessity.

Another quick glance at her watch and she hastened her pace. In her own room she changed clothes, donning dark blue scrubs, and tried not to look longingly at her large, fluffy, warm, and comfortable bed. She loved her bed. It was one of those sleep number beds and she enjoyed the freedom of changing the firmness of the mattress whenever she desired.

And right now she didn’t just love her bed, she ached for it. Especially since she hadn’t been in it in over twenty-four hours. Longer actually.

Yesterday, one of her patients had gone into early labor and, desiring a home birth which most shifters preferred since any hospital births might arouse suspicion to their “other” status, Jackie had high-tailed it to the Sorenson home.

It had been a difficult birth, compounded by the horrifying realization that the cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck, creating panic for the parents, friends, and herself. Each pup was precious. Not just a miracle, but an affirmation of the continuation of their kind. It’s a chance at replenishing the wolf shifting population that had nearly been decimated in the Pack War some forty odd years ago. A war that had lasted for over a decade, though the actual time-frame wasn’t well known. In those days, most packs lived far from the human populace, making it difficult for those now alive to know for sure just how many shifters died. But the stories told by the survivors made it sound as if tens of thousands had been reduced to a mere couple thousand.

So through the harrowing birth, Jackie had worked tirelessly and with a professional calm she’d been far from feeling. After what felt like a million years, Jackie finally held a quiet female pup in her arms, and, staring into the tiny blue eyes gazing up at her, she’d fallen in love. Again.

Though only thirty-one, Jackie had a biological clock that was clanging away at her on a daily basis, but until she found her mate, having her own pups was impossible. Biologically she could have kids with any fertile male, but they wouldn’t be shifters. Any male offspring would be human while any female child had a small chance of receiving shifter DNA. Because of the rarity of finding one’s mate, the birth of any shifter child was a blessing.

Once the sweet baby had entered the world and all necessary precautions and tests taken, Jackie had left the glowing family to go home, shower, change clothes, scrape her thick, long chestnut hair into a tight ponytail, and head to the clinic. Though she could have called in, she didn’t think it fair to her patients and at that time, she was still fully functional.

But the day had been a long one. Too long. Instead of ending her shift at five, she’d found herself providing medical attention to two young and energetic pups. Both required multiple stitches, one a leg cast and the other an arm cast. While shifters healed quicker than humans, they didn’t heal immediately. A broken bone would take a week to two weeks to heal and still needed to be immobilized. Then she’d sent the boys and their parents home with a stern lecture.

She sighed now, remembering the intense concentration on each boy’s face as she’d tended to them. Shifter children were called pups until puberty hit. That was when the males started to exhibit heightened aggressiveness, their senses becoming superior to humans and the opposite sex suddenly more interesting. Then their beast emerged for the first time at the full moon. After that, they were considered juveniles.

But this only happened for the males. For some reason the females never shifted from human to wolf form at the full moon. It was stated that because the woman carried the pups, a physical transformation would cause a female to lose the baby. But why not at least have the ability to produce claws? Heightened senses and super human strength were great, but sometimes she could really use a good pair of sharp claws.

Thinking of the full moon, which was a mere week away, Jackie headed back to the kitchen hoping for one more piece of pizza before Dean showed up. She always found it amusing that ER staff and cops alike equated the full moon with an increase in accidents and crime. For her, it was actually the week leading up to the full moon. The male wolves had a tendency to get restless. Many became short-tempered. Others got downright cranky, and they were all horny. To the nth degree.

Jackie grinned around a mouthful of pizza. She thought of the week leading up to the full moon as a male shifter’s PMS, Pre-Moon Syndrome, and she knew she wasn’t alone in that regard. Hell, even her soon-to-be Lupa, Dean’s fiancé Kaylie Gentry, often joked about it. That woman was a spitfire, smart as a whip, easy to get along with, and one fantastic veterinarian. Even though she was fully human, Jackie couldn’t think of a better mate for her Alpha. The man had been on the edge of losing control of his wolf. Too serious, too self-contained, and so full of a barely controlled fury that she’d harbored some doubts about his stability.

But Kaylie centered him, calmed him and most importantly, made him laugh.

If nothing else, that alone earned the human Jackie’s love and loyalty.

The sound of an engine brought her around and she shoved the pizza aside, quickly washing her hands once more. By the time she opened the front door, Ben Anderson, one of Dean’s leaders in the pack, was there.

“Evening DocCha.” Though long used to the nickname, an abbreviated term for Doctor Chavez, Jackie blinked at the man with some surprise.

“You okay, Ben?”

“I’m good.” Though the welcoming grin faded to concern, it did little to detract from his rugged handsome looks. Jackie liked Ben, as did most of the ladies, and had been a little sorry they weren’t mates. If one looked beyond the serious eye-candy and jovial attitude, they would see a highly intelligent man. The breadth of his shoulders and the muscles she knew roped his abdomen—hey, she was his doctor after all—weren’t just from being a shifter. Ben worked the winters up at the ski lodge, usually search and rescue, and in the summer months he logged at the Woodcliff Lumber Company, now owned by Dean Kinigos. She’d also seen him doing odd jobs throughout the years that required not only physical strength, but people skills.

It was rare that a pack leader not have a stable job, but then again, the man exuded strength, stability, and empathy. If Jackie had to guess—

which she often did out of shear curiosity—Ben was Dean’s feeler.

Checking into the lives and concerns of the pack members in a more informal way. Not that he wasn’t sincere, but because the pack was so large that even with leaders, sometimes issues went unvoiced.

When Dean had become Alpha he’d created a council of eight individuals that represented his pack. Each of the eight had their own, smaller tribe to watch over, protect and guide. The eight, along with Dean, voted on issues that affected the whole pack. While majority ruled, Dean was still the alpha of the pack and could veto any suggestion at any time.

His final word was law. If a pack member didn’t like it, they could leave the pack and the town, or challenge Dean for alpha position. However, in the nearly four years Dean had been Alpha, no one had challenged him and it was doubtful anyone would. The man was well-liked, respected by both shifters and humans, and oozed strength and power from his pores. He could hold a room from his very presence alone.

Dean created Woodcliff into a haven for wolves and had become the example that other pack alphas were anxious to follow. After all, while only a handful of wolves could be strong enough to be an Alpha, they couldn’t hold the position of one if he didn’t have a pack.

“There’s something weird going on.” Ben’s voice broke into Jackie’s thoughts and she followed the man’s gaze to land on Dean.

Whatever it was that he held wrapped up in a blanket in his arms was very large, and limp. She could scent the blood and see the flop of furry legs.

“A wolf?” she whispered to Ben in a quizzical tone.

“Shifter.”

“Strong one if he can shift outside the full moon.” Her mind raced, flipping through a mental log of shifters she knew who were capable of such a feat. “Who is it?”

“Don’t know.” Ben shook his head, the bright porch light turning his streaked-blond hair into spun gold.

Jackie frowned. An unknown shifter that had the ability to fully change from man to beast outside of the pull of the full moon could mean serious trouble.

“What happened?” she asked as Dean walked over the threshold, adding, “Down the hall to your right.”

It was Ben that answered her. “Dean and I were at the Haven,” he said referring to the wolf compound built outside of town to contain and protect the male shifters each month, “going over inventory when we heard gunshots.”

Her eyes widened as she hustled after Dean. “Gunshots?” Not a common occurrence in Woodcliff.

“Hmmm. When we went to investigate, we found him.”

“Idiots,” she glared at them both over her shoulder, snapping on gloves at the same time. “Both of you could have been shot as well.” Cautiously she drew the blanket away from the wounded animal, remaining on the side of the bed away from its dangerous muzzle. One snap of those sharp teeth and powerful jaws would really ruin her day.

“He’s out cold.”

Jackie didn’t even glance at Dean. “I would be too if I were shot, but I don’t take chances. Not when he could rip my hand off without a thought.” She ran said hands gently through the thick, dark brown fur.

“He’s got a deep gash along his left hindquarter and a smaller one across his shoulders. The round wound in his side looks to be a bullet entry but I need to shave the areas to be sure.”

She stripped off her bloody gloves and moved to the metal cabinet. There she pulled out scissors, a razor, and a comb. “I wasn’t expecting a wolf, Dean. While most of my patients are shifters, I’m a human doctor, not a veterinarian. You need Kaylie.”

“She’s on her way.”

Jackie peered over her shoulder at the large wolf. “You sure he’s a shifter? I mean he smells like a shifter, but my senses might be picking you up.”

Dean’s deep green eyes locked on her brown ones and didn’t let go. “I’m positive.”

She swallowed. “And you don’t have any idea who it is?” If possible, Dean’s muscles tightened even more. But he only shook his head. Jackie flicked her gaze to Ben who was leaning one shoulder on the door frame just outside the room. When their eyes caught he only lifted a finger to his nose and slanted his eyes at Dean. Ben was trying to tell her something, something that had to do with this unknown’s scent. And Dean.

“Hmmm. Normally I’d ask you to bring him out of wolf form so I could examine him better,” Jackie slipped on new gloves. “But if a bullet is still inside, pulling him out of wolf form will only cause the wounds to close around the bullet. Then I would have to cut into him. And we don’t want that.”

“No. We don’t.” Her Alpha muttered. A quick glance and she saw that his face seemed a bit paler. He even took a step back.

Choking back a snicker Jackie once again sifted through the blood-matted fur. “I need to get a sedative and pain reliever in him. Then I need all this blood cleaned up.” When neither man spoke Jackie lifted her eyes from her unexpected patient. “What? No volunteers?’

“Ben.” Dean called out.

Ben straightened from his position. “What? Me?” His brows rose so high they melted into his hair.

“Good lord.” A new and very feminine voice sounded behind Ben.

“You’re both freaking shifters. Wolves. You hunt, kill, and eat things that totally make me want to vomit. But you can’t handle a little blood when it’s on an examination table?”

At the sound and sight of his mate, Dean’s eyes morphed from bland curiosity to a love so intense that it made Jackie tingle all over.

“Hey,” Dean’s voice was husky in greeting, snatching Kaylie’s hand and pulling her to him for a hot, sloppy kiss.

Jackie dropped her gaze at the intimate contact, which was just shy of the bedroom, but sneaked a look when Dean gave a growl of irritation.

“Down boy. I’m working here.” Kaylie dodged out of Dean’s reach and went to the sink. “Hey Jackie. Looks like we’re tag-teaming tonight.”

“I’m glad you’re here,” Jackie responded. “Not only is this your area of expertise, but getting any help from the testosterone twins over there was going to be fruitless.”

“Figures.” Kaylie Gentry winked at Jackie then eyed the wolf as she dried her hands. “What do we know?”

“Only that he was shot. I’ve only done a cursory examination. I was about to get a sedative in him but I don’t know the animal doses off the top of my head.”

“Got it.” Kaylie reached for the black bag she’d brought before joining Jackie at the table. “I had to stop at the clinic to get some supplies, which is why I’m late.”

Jackie gracefully moved to the other side of the bed, knowing if the wolf woke, she was better equipped at handling those dangerous claws and teeth than a human. Plus, as her Lupa, Jackie would never risk Kaylie in any way.

“So,” Kaylie asked conversationally as she and Jackie worked on their furry patient. “Where did you find him?”

“About two miles northwest of the compound.” Dean told her, his voice louder to be heard over the buzzing of the electric razor.