Chapter 35
*Josh's POV*
The old man climbed up the stairs. He gripped his hand against the railing then would heave himself up to the next step. The whole process seemed to take ages, and by the time he reached the top he was huffing and out of breath again.
Every time he was out of my site then returned it was as if he aged two years. The man wasn't all that young to begin with, but he wasn't old either. He was probably in his late 50s with wrinkles just starting to form around his eyes and mouth. I imagine going up and down stairs in addition to walking across the yards over a dozen times in the last 24 hours was probably leaving him fatigued and feeling every year of his age. The more fatigue that he showed the more frustrated I became.
At the top of the stairs, he doubled over pressing his hands to his knees while his back heaved up and down with each breath. Alpha grabbed the man's arm and gently guided him to one of the few chairs in the living room. Dr. Cassidy collapsed backwards making the plush recliner groan. Before he spoke, he pulled a stained handkerchief from his front pocket and wiped away the sweat that was crawling down his forehead.
"Henry. That's the father of Rory."
My stomach twisted and I turned around so they wouldn't be able to see the pain in my face. Not only did she have a mate, but it was the one person that both Adam and I despised more than anyone. The boy that Luna was coddling, and kissing was the next descendant in this line of lunatics.
"Do we know anything further?"
The chair creaked again as he repositioned himself. "The midwife said they were trying to get the baby away from him. She said that neither of them knew what was happening just that he wasn't right, and the girl was afraid. They are waking her up now to do the exam."
Alpha moved to the other side of the living room and peered out the back window. Wolves were running out of the trees intermittently as they returned from the campaign. Some were running straight to their homes while others howled and sparred in random back yards.
"Once she is able to answer some questions, we'll get some more answers. For now, her health is priority."
We all remained silent. Nobody knew how to move or really where to look. A knock on the door made us all jump.
I moved to open the door, but Rowland stepped in before I was halfway there. He plopped down on the couch opposite Dr. Cassidy and sprawled out propping his leg up. His muddy boots hung off the end careful not to make contact with the new sofa.
Alpha glanced back at him rolling his eyes. If I was honest the man reminded me more of Noah than Jameson. If it wasn't for the blond hair and striking similarity in facial features that only being kin could explain I wouldn't believe him to be the father. Jameson always had a slightly serious air about him bordering paranoia. He was so consumed with the security of his status that he seemed like he was trying too hard.
Rowland, on the other hand, was relaxed and had no concerns about who the Alpha was spending time with unless it became a threat to the pack. Maybe that was something that would just come with age. It could also have appeared as a result of my sudden welcome to the pack.
"Status update?"
"We buried the wolves. No IDs of any kind on the property that we could find. It's possible they were on them when they shifted which is of no use to us. Either way they were unidentifiable except for one. Henry was eliminated. I was able to recognize his wolf."
Alpha nodded but didn't move from the window. "And the cops?"
"Will come to get a statement from the girl once she is able. The case is otherwise closed."
"Girls."
At this Rowland moved both feet back to the floor and sat up straight. "Girls?"
"The second she-wolf found at the pond. She has shifted into her human form and is receiving medical attention as we speak. She is not only the mate of Henry, but the mother of the baby in our care."
"Does Luna know?" At this he turned around and looked at Rowland. His face was serious.
"She does not. Nobody in this room is to breath a word about it until I decide how to handle it. The girl does not know the child is here, and it might be best that way."
"Sam. 'The girl's' name is Sam."
My words sounded harsher than I intended. The anger and fear were mixing together in my chest while also making my head pound. I could count on one hand the times that I felt I couldn't control myself from shifting and this was getting dangerously close to being one.
My body yearned to protect her. I wanted to stand over her until she was healed and rip the throat out of anyone who showed her anything other than the respect deserved of a Luna. I knew she wasn't one, but my wolf felt she deserved it, nonetheless.
My brain was more logical. Sam was Henry's mate. She could have been just as cooperative in the entire scheme as he was. The story the midwife told could have been just that. A story orchestrated to convince someone on the outside that Sam was nothing more than a battered mate.
Rowland glanced at me with his eyebrows knitted together before turning his head back to the two men with the same expression. Alpha was the first to answer.
"It seems as though when her mate died, the goddess felt it fitting to pair her with Josh."
I hadn't told him this in any certain words, but I wasn't trying to hide it either. It made slightly more sense knowing that Henry was dead. If wolves did find second mates it was normally many years later after they healed from the loss of their first. To instantly mate on a new shifter was...unheard of.
The doctor walked up the stairs with her bag in hand. Rowland and Dr. Cassidy both stayed where they were. Alpha and I both turned to face her. She pushed one braid behind her shoulder and looked at each one of us.
"I don't think I introduced myself. I'm Dr. Acharya."
"How is she?" I knew I should have waited for her to start talking about it. I also probably should have listened to her introduction, but I couldn't wait any longer.
"She's okay. She did lose quite a lot of blood. I've given her a touch more pain medicine, but once it wears off she'll be okay with Tylenol. Keep the fluids going for the rest of today then she'll be able to come off that as well. She needs to stay on bed rest for at least a week. My midwife tells me that Rory is her son. I will have to report it to the police so expect that visit, but I recommend she avoid breast feeding for the same amount of time. She has been given quite a lot of sedation."
We all nodded in unison, and I moved to step around her to go back downstairs. My stomach ached and the pull was unbearable. The doctor stepped in my way. Her shoulders pushed back, and she looked up at me with determination. She either had no clue she was in the home of wolves or had no desire to live another day.
I bit the inside of my cheek hard enough to taste blood. I kept reminding myself that this woman helped my mate. She was helping her.
"If I find out that you laid a hand on my midwife or even so much as raised your voice at her, then Sam will be at the hospital within minutes, and you will be on the restricted list if not in jail. Are we clear?"
I swallowed the growl and nodded. I knew if I opened my mouth, it wouldn't be pretty.
She squinted her eyes at me for a few seconds before stepping aside. "I'm returning to the hospital. Janey will stay here for the next few days then I will come back and pick her up." I rushed down the steps until she looked up at me,
I slowed my pace and tried to smile. It must have worked because she gave me a small smile back. They had helped her sit up a little by propping pillows against the wall. One hand was draped across her stomach and the other was sitting on top of Janey's hand.
I pulled up the chair that was put down there for the doctor to the foot of her bed. I didn't want to move too close and make her uncomfortable.
"I'm going to say this now because I don't think we will have much time." I took a deep breath. A tiny wrinkle formed between her blonde eyebrows. "You're going to have a lot of people coming to ask you a lot of questions. I don't know what your answers will be. I just want you to know that I am on your side. Whatever happens and whatever your answers you're not alone. I will protect you with everything I have."
Tears bubbled up in her clear blue eyes. She sniffed with force not allowing the tears to drop. The midwife coughed to remind us of her presence then rolled her eyes.
"Wolves...so dramatic." I growled quietly looking down so she couldn't see my snarl.
"Be nice Janey." She patted the girl's hand and gave her a warm smile. Her voice was horse as if each word had claws crawling up her throat. Her eyes squinted slightly with the pain, and I felt even more anger towards the midwife for forcing her to speak.
Janey handed her a cup of water and helped her bring it to her lips before returning it to the floor.
"As soon as Janey thinks you're ready we can get you moved into a more comfortable room."
"Probably tomorrow at the earliest. Those are quite a lot of steps."
"I could carry her if that meant she'd be more comfortable upstairs." Janey squinted her eyes in disapproval while a light blush creeped across Sam's pale cheeks.
"I'm sure her husband would love that."
I gritted my teeth. The idea of being in competition for my mate's heart with that...low life made my whole-body tremble with anger. I hissed, "He's dead."
Janey sat up straighter and the blood from her face drained. Sam on the other hand didn't seem surprised or sad. Curiosity dissolved my anger.
Sam dropped her eyes to her stomach intertwining her fingers. A normal wolf would be wailing, howling, destroyed. Her breath never changed. A tear didn't fall onto her arms. She was...impartial...bordering relieved.
Footsteps rumbled down the stairs. I looked up expecting to see Cassidy, but instead Alpha was the one that walked into the space. He placed a hand on my shoulder and stayed standing behind me.
"I know you are still very weak, but there are things we have to know." She nodded then winced as she pushed her body up straighter on the bed. "First, how old are you, and do you have parents we can call for you?"
She bit her bottom lip while glancing at Janey. "I turn seventeen next month."
Well fuck.
Alpha continued unphased. "And parents?"
She shook her head. Janey helped her with another large gulp of water before she started speaking again. "Henry and his mother found me when I was nine. My family was part of an extremely small pack. My dad wasn't...the nicest and was perfectly happy to accept money for me. My mom was too strung out to care either."
My heart sank. "How did you come to be at that pond?"
"Is the other girl, okay?" I glanced up at Alpha. His face remained neutral.
"What other girl?" Her eyes widened and her face flushed in panic. Janey winced as Sam dug her nails into the midwife's arm.
"You have to find her!" I tried to stand up to comfort her, but Alpha's fingers gripped into my shoulder forcing me to stay seated. The panic was rolling off of her and seeping into my own emotions.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Tears streamed down her face, and she fought to get out of the bed. Janey pulled her arm down to keep her laying on the bed.
"I heard screaming. All the guards ran to the back portion of the property. At first, I was going to use it as an opportunity to run. It was the first time I wasn't guarded since his mother left us."
"Why didn't you?"
"The screams...they weren't just fear. It was pain. I couldn't leave someone in pain. I was able to draw them away so I could get to the building. That's when I found her." She swallowed hard. "Henry was...hurting her. I did what I had to do to make him stop. She forced me to run ahead while she faced the guards. After everything he did to her...she saved me."
That definitely sounded like Lily.
"How long did you two keep her there?"
"You two? You think I had something to do with that?"
"How would you not know your own mate was holding a girl captive?"
She narrowed her eyes. Something laced into her emotions that was different.