Red Eclipse

by McKayla Schutt

  “Let’s get you hooked up and check you.” Alia smiled at her. She rolled her shoulders, trying to ease the tension from the lack of sleep.

  “Is Olsen okay?” The woman looked around like she expected to see someone walk up to them.

  “Excuse me?” Panic filled Alia’s body. How in the hell did she know Olsen?

  “I’m probably smelling someone else. Sorry. Forgive me.” She shook her head.

  “Okay.” They moved into the ward in almost silence, with the exclusion of her doubling over from a contraction. Once Alia hooked her up to the monitor, Maven, the nurse she had been covering for, walked in.

  “Where have you been?” Alia’s exhausted body screamed in silent protest. Already angry about her resting time being taken away, the only response she received happened to be a shrug from Maven.

  “She’s my friend.” Her young fourteen-month-old daughter was in her arms, looking around the room. Maven’s nose scrunched up, looking at the woman in the bed.

  “Has Olsen been to your house in the last few days?” The pregnant one asked and Maven shook her head.

  “I’ll be back to check you.” Alia rushed out of the room, forgetting to ask the woman her name to check her in. She took a whiff of her clothes to see if she could smell Olsen. Only her light body wash and her laundry soap came to her nose. She checked her hands to see if she missed any blood when she scrubbed earlier. Not catching sight of any of his blood under her nails, she shook her head. But the name is the same as the guy I saved. How did they smell him when he wasn’t actually here? She shook her arms out, and walked back in to the room.

  “I forgot to get your name and date of birth to check you in.” Alia waited for the contraction to end as a large one spiked on the screen.

  “Paden Gilbert. March 17, 1998 is my birthday.”

  “Have you registered?” Alia wrote the information on her pad of paper. Paden nodded with her teeth gritted.

  “Do you know a guy named Olsen?” Paden asked, then winced, the sound of the baby moving came from the heart monitor.

  “I don’t think so. I’ll be right back.” Alia retreated to the desk to check Paden in with the ladies’ downstairs. She knew deep down she was a horrible liar. Alia hoped Olsen wouldn’t be brought up any more. I should leave sooner.

  “Where did you work last night?” Maven’s voice filled Alia’s head after she hung up the phone. Alia turned around to find Maven studying her face.

  “The, um, ICU.” Alia pulled at the bottom of her shirt.

  “Uh huh. Sure.” She paused. “You’re a bad liar, but I’ll let it go for now. Paden is ready to get checked.” Maven didn’t wait for a response before walking away.

  Alia took a moment to clear her mind before she walked back to Paden’s room. With a small sigh, she opened the door and felt Paden and Maven constantly watching her. Like they were waiting for her to spit out her secret.

  Chapter Four

  Olsen

  OLSEN’S EYES SNAPPED open, focusing at the clock to see the time. Anger coursed through his body when he realized two hours had passed a while ago. He couldn’t believe he had turned off the alarm without fully waking up. His phone buzzed with multiple text messages. He clicked the button on the top of his phone to see his sister was in labor. Fuck! He jumped out of bed and the urge to find his mate returned. Olsen cursed the bad timing while he shoved his feet into a pair of sandals. He stormed out of the house, then hopped in his truck. If he missed the delivery, his sister would kill him. Olsen weaved through traffic like a hellion.

  His mind raced at the thought of missing his sister’s delivery. With his brother-in-law dead, he was all Paden had left. Narrowly missing a little car, he turned toward the hospital. His phone buzzed with a text from Maven. ‘Hurry! Baby almost here.’ Olsen pressed the gas pedal to the floor, racing down the last street.

  Quickly parking his truck at the hospital, he jumped out. The moment his feet hit the pavement, he caught the sweet citrus scent of his mate. He stood there debating on following the scent, or going to see his sister. Damn! This is all bad fucking timing. Pushing down the idea of hunting down his mate, he ran into the building. His mate’s scent lingered in the hallway, but he put it in the back of his mind. His sister was priority number one. Following the signs, he calmed down when he reached two double doors with the word ‘Maternity’ posted above them.

  Olsen reached the nurse’s station, and a woman pointed him to Paden’s room. He kept a quick pace, and heard his sister cry out, making the hairs on the back of his neck rise.

  “I’m here, sis.” He opened the door to find three women turning to face him. His sister continued to scream in pain, Maven’s hand turned white from Paden squeezing so hard. Then he noticed the woman on the other side of Paden. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a tight braid. The look of horror covered her almost perfect features. The color drained from her beautiful face. The sweet citrus smell hit his nose. Mate!

  “Thank God! Where have you been?” Paden yelled, bringing his attention back to her. She was in a white hospital gown while wiggling on a large bed that was bent at a forty-five-degree angle to keep his sister up right.

  “Sleeping. Sorry. I’ll explain later.” Olsen stopped staring at the woman and looked at his sister. His wolf paced inside wanting to pull the woman outside and complete the bond in a break room, while his human side wanted to demand answers for what the hell happened last night. The room was a pastel yellow which he guessed was supposed to make the birthing mothers happy but not to bright to hurt his eyes.

  “Baby Mason is coming now. Get the doctor, Alia,” Paden said through her gritted teeth. Her name is Alia. He liked the sound of it even if his sister was the one who spoke her name.

  “I’ll be right back.” Alia moved past Olsen, keeping her eyes down. Her hand brushed against him. Ideas of pinning her to the wall and fucking her filled his mind. Damn it, this is not the time to be hard! Every fiber of his being wanted to follow her but his sister had to take priority. He had some time to get Alia but the baby coming wouldn’t wait on him.

  “What the hell happened last night?” Paden asked between contractions. He moved to her side, his whole body waiting for Alia to come back in the room.

  “A hunter shot me and the rest is a damn blank. All I know for sure, is I imprinted with a woman and...” he paused, looking into his sister’s eyes, “I’m pretty sure your nurse is the one who saved my life last night.” He shoved his hand through his hair while her lingering scent drove him slightly crazy. Such bad fucking timing, why universe would you pull this shit? He gripped the bed as a need to grab Alia coursed through him. Keeping them out of reach from Paden was key, as she was strong as hell. His sister may be small, but her strength was well-known. Even her mate had never challenged her before he died.

  Alia walked back in with a male doctor, and a sudden rage came over him. Olsen gripped the bed railing tighter to keep himself grounded while the doctor checked Paden out. The plastic under his grip groaned and Paden tapped at his knuckled to get him to stop but it didn’t work. The doctor announced she could begin to push. Olsen’s eyes moved from Paden to Alia and back to Paden. Alia kept her gaze low, never once meeting his eye.

  “You can do this, Paden. You’re so strong.” A small part of him worried the pup would shift halfway through, but so far, Paden had been lucky. Normally, werewolves would want to shift into their wolf-form when delivering their pups, but Paden had been determined to deliver in her human-form. Her mate had been a human before she had changed him, and this had been a topic they’d debated for days before he’d died. Olsen looked up to find Alia watching him, and her eyes sparked as their gazes connected. A pull from deep down filled him to grab her and take her out of the room. Another scream from his sister made Alia break the connection.

  Her attention remained on his sister the rest of the time. There was something mysterious about his mate, and he was determined to find out every damn thing about her.

&nb
sp; Chapter Five

  Alia

  FINALLY!

  The little boy made his grand entrance and Paden cried as he was placed on her chest. Alia’s heart squeezed with a bit of envy, she had always wanted to be a mother. She bit her lip as the image of her own mother leaving when Alia was at a small age filled her mind. Celina, her mom, had said she would come back for her but to stay with Aunt Jina until then.

  “Let me check his vitals and clean him a little more, then he’s all yours,” Alia said and Paden nodded. Olsen followed her over to the small bed, watching her. She made sure the baby had all his tiny fingers and toes as she cleaned up his sensitive skin.

  “We need to talk,” Olsen whispered. Panic filled her body as she paused mid-swipe on the baby’s leg.

  “No, we don’t. I don’t even know you. Here take your...” Her voice faltered, she didn’t know what to say as she hadn’t been listening to what he’d called Paden the entire time.

  “My nephew. His dad died three months ago,” Olsen said as he looked down at the little boy.

  “Sorry for your loss.” She placed the baby in his arms, making sure Olsen supported the baby’s head. Her hand brushed against his muscular arms, sending a wave of heat to her core. Alia clenched her thighs together as she slowly moved out of the room. Her feet carrying her without her consciously choosing a direction. She turned around the corner, and pressed her head on a wall. I fucked up and bad! Cursing herself for having such a weakness for people in need. Only twice before Olsen had she saved people with magic, her aunt and her best friend. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, but nothing was working. Her body wanted him and she couldn’t turn it off. The moment he came barreling into the room, her body had warmed up like it had been waiting to see him.

  Footsteps down the hall caught her attention. Her eyes moved up and Olsen’s large form turn the corner, almost running into her. Without hesitation, he caged her against the wall with his body. His lips met hers, and her core lit up like a wildfire. Her hands instantly moved to his hair, letting the soft red curls cover her fingers. His tongue entered her mouth, and her tongue danced with his. He pulled back, and it took everything she had to keep herself from attacking him.

  “What happened last night?” His hot breath tickled her skin.

  “What do you remember?”

  “Only that I imprinted and your scent was all over the alley.”

  Her breath caught in her throat. You damn fool. Aunt’s number one rule, never touch a male werewolf.

  “No!” She gasped. “This can’t be. A witch and a werewolf can’t happen,” she whispered more to herself than to Olsen.

  “Wait. Did you say...”

  She placed a hand over his lips and nodded. “Yes, let me move.” She looked around after Olsen released her from the wall, then slipped straight into an On-Call room. Olsen locked the door behind her after he glided in.

  “Are you really a werewolf?” she asked as she turned to face him. Her hands shook as she grabbed the bottom of her scrubs to ground herself.

  “Are you really a witch?” He looked flustered, to say the least.

  “I asked first.” Alia straightened her shoulders. Yep, childish response, but I don’t care. He narrowed his dark blue eyes at her; she could tell he liked to be in charge, but he was in for a rude surprise.

  “Yes. Now your turn.” She placed her hands on her hips.

  “I healed you last night with magic. Then I took your memory.” She shook her head, staring at the ground. “My best friend is going to kill me when she finds out.” Her friend, Elaina, was the one person she had kept in limited contact with after she ran away from their coven. When you imprint, you get a mate, Alia. As in lovers! Her breathing became erratic. Both excitement and fear filled her body at the idea of having a mate.

  “Calm down. It’s not the end of the world.” Olsen grabbed her arm, bringing her closer, and her body seemed to spark up once more.

  “What are the options?” Still not meeting his gaze, she played with her hair for a second before shoving it behind her ear.

  “We mate or I lose my wolf. I don’t know if anything happens to you.” He shrugged and sat on the bed, and she followed. The small gap between them created tension between her thighs. Gently, he placed his large hand on her knee. Every nerve wanted him to move his hand up to help release some of the tension in her body.

  “We don’t have much time to decide. You already took hours away by taking my memory. Which reminds me...why did you feel the need to take away the memory of you saving me? Oh, and thank you for that, by the way.”

  “You’re welcome.” She scrunched her free hand into her scrubs. Her whole body filled with fear of how he would react to the true reason she removed his memory.

  “Are you going to tell me why you erased my memory?”

  “Mainly to keep you safe.” She turned to survey him, concern filled his eyes. She wanted to tell him everything, starting from the awful night she became a fugitive witch.

  “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll come back after your shift and we can talk about our options.”

  “Do I have a choice?” She met his blue eyes, delight covering his beautiful features. He chuckled and kissed her cheek.

  “Nope.” He stood, then left the room, leaving Alia alone, longing to be next to him. Focus Alia. Only a few more hours until you finish your shift.

  Ideas of running filled her mind, but one thing stopped her from getting in her car. I’ll lose my wolf. Olsen would lose a part of himself if he didn’t finish the bond. Yet she had a feeling she would lose part of herself if she went through with it.

  Alia yanked her ponytail away from her head and pulled her braid out to give her hands a task to do. Maybe I can run after we mate. As Alia redid her braid, she came up with her plan. This has to work, or else Olsen’s life will be in danger.

  With the thought firmly in place, she returned to her rounds. She only had a few more hours to be away from Olsen, and yet watching him walk away had made her stomach tighten.

  Chapter Six

  Olsen

  OLSEN KISSED PADEN’S head and moved toward the hall to spy on his mate. His phone rang with Derrick’s number on the screen when he closed the door.

  “Hello.” Olsen looked around the empty hallway. Alia’s citrus scent lingered in the halls.

  “I have some news about the hunter who shot you.” Derrick’s voice sounded pissed. “I need you and Aiden to come to the property.”

  “I need to say bye to Paden and the baby, then I’ll be there.”

  “Tell her congratulations from me.” Derrick ended the call. Olsen didn’t like how angry his alpha was. Olsen returned to his sister’s room to find her feeding the little one.

  “Everything okay?” Paden whispered her question.

  Olsen nodded. “Yeah, just need to help Derrick with a small problem. He said congratulations, by the way. I’ll be back. You get some rest with this little guy. I love you.”

  “I love you too. Be safe, Olsen.” Paden’s stern look was firmly in place. They both knew Olsen was keeping the problem to himself, but she let it pass for now. Paden had always been the patient one.

  Olsen walked out of the room and saw Alia tapping a pen on the counter while she focused on the computer. Olsen hated the fact that he couldn’t stay there and keep an eye on her.

  He clenched his fists, but forced himself to walk away from his mate. His wolf howled with rage and paced inside his mind. We will complete the bond soon. The thought helped him keep walking.

  After a short drive, Olsen arrived at Derrick’s house and saw Aiden pulling on a pair of pants in front of the house.

  “Do you know what’s going on?” Olsen asked as he climbed out of the truck.

  “Only that the bastard who shot you is still on the loose.” Aiden grabbed a shirt from the bag on the ground and they walked into Derrick’s house. A young male wolf sat on the couch with his head down.

  “Look sharp, Ron.” A
iden barked out and the boy sat up tall, but still kept his gaze down.

  “He needs a minute.” Derrick walked into the living room with a glass of water and placed it in front of Ron.

  “I didn’t mean to change him. I swear!” Ron spit out, his eyes filled with worry.

  “What did you do?” Aiden sat next to Ron.

  “I bit him. He had a gun with those nasty bullets, and I didn’t want to get shot.” Ron swallowed hard.

  “Is he talking about the punk-ass hunter who shot me?” Olsen asked. He rubbed the spot where Alia had removed the silver bullet. That hunter was no more than eighteen at the most, and had somehow managed to figure out Olsen could shift.

  “Did he have long black hair?” Ron looked over toward Olsen, who nodded once. “Then yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s the same guy.”

  “Aiden, I want you to track the hunter’s scent. Olsen, you need to take Ron home and warn his parents to keep a sharp eye out.”

  “I can do that, but I can’t join Aiden on the hunt until tomorrow.”

  “Paden will be okay in the hospital for one night alone.” Derrick shook his head.

  “She had her baby? Awesome!” Aiden smiled.

  “It’s not that. Remember how I imprinted? Well, I found her, and I need to talk to her tonight.” Olsen didn’t want to come off sounding needy, but his wolf grated on his nerves.

  “Fine, but first thing in the morning, I want you to help Aiden.” Derrick didn’t look happy, but agreed.

  “Can’t believe you found your mate! That’s pretty cool.” Aiden, the most relaxed out of the three of them, leaned on the wall. If Aiden didn’t have his mad tracking skills, he would have been at the bottom of the pack chain. As kids, somehow Aiden, Derrick and Olsen managed to stay friends through all the high school crap. When Derrick became alpha a year or two ago, he made Olsen his second, with Aiden his third. Most alphas didn’t bother with finding anyone past a second, but Derrick wanted to keep their friendships strong.