by Sky Winters
No sooner had the thought occurred to her that everything went black.
CHAPTER FIVE
Travis
Travis laughed as Kat slumped toward him, laying her head against his arm and falling asleep. They were still about ten miles from her house by his best guess, but he wasn’t really sure, as he hadn’t been to the area in some time. With her out cold, he’d just have to find it on his own.
As it turned out, it wasn’t hard to locate. There was one of those large mailboxes in the shape of a house with reflective letters on the side. He pulled into the driveway, noting that it continued past the house, keeping on it until he thought maybe he’d made a mistake. Then he saw a small bunkhouse-style home sitting at the edge of a large pond.
“Sweet place,” he said to himself as he pulled into the gravel drive that circled around back and fanned out into a two-car parking space.
It looked like the front of the house faced the water, so he figured she must go in the back door when she parked back here. Looking over at her, he noted that she was still out cold.
“Kat, we’re at your place. I think,” he said, shaking her gently.
She didn’t move. He checked her pulse. It was weak, and she wasn’t responding at all. Fuck. What was going on?
Okay. Her parents. That was the answer. It was late, but he’d just have to wake them up. Under ordinary circumstances, he’d call emergency services, but he didn’t know who ran the wolf services way out here. He started the Bronco back up and backed out of the driveway, heading back down to the main house and parking on the road by their front porch.
Easing out of his seat, he lay her down in it and then closed his door, running to the front door and alternately banging on it and ringing the bell until he saw some lights go on inside. An older man with white hair and what he could only describe as a majestic mustache opened it and glared at him angrily.
“Son, this better be fucking important unless you want my foot rammed straight up your ass,” he growled.
“I’m sorry. I ... sir, I brought your daughter home.”
“Great. Do you want a goddamned ticker-tape parade?”
“I ... she’s passed out in my truck. I can’t bring her around.”
Now her father looked more alarmed than angry. He pushed past him and ran to the truck, yanking the passenger door open. Travis followed him helplessly.
“Is she drunk?” her father asked as he checked her over himself.
“She had a few drinks, but not enough to make her pass out like this,” Travis told him.
“Help me get her in the house,” her father told him.
Travis helped him pick her up and carry her to the house. Her mother met them at the door.
“Oh, God. What’s happened? What’s wrong with her?”
“I don’t know, Margie. Go open my office and turn the lights on, then get Dr. Jaxson over here.”
She turned and disappeared down a hallway ahead of them as they carried Kat into what seemed to be an exam room. Kat hadn’t mentioned that her father was a doctor.
“Get her up on that table,” he said.
Travis took her the rest of the way into his arms and lay her down on top of the table, then stood back out of the way, feeling more bewildered than he had in a long time.
“You’re a doctor?” Travis asked.
“I’m a vet, which sometimes comes in handy when a patient is in wolf form, but not as much when in human form. That’s why I sent for the doctor. Tell me now, son. Has she taken or been given anything else?”
“No, not that I know of. She was fine, other than having a few drinks. I thought she had just dozed off until I couldn’t get a response from her.”
Travis was amazed at how calm the vet was as he looked over his daughter, checking her vital signs while he waited on his wife to return with their resident wolf doctor. All packs had one, sometimes more than one, but the second was usually more of a midwife than a full-blown physician. In a pack, there were far more pregnancy needs than anything else.
A noise sent her father toward the door to see if it was his wife returning. It was. He could hear them talking as they made their way back down the hallway toward the exam room. Kat stirred a bit on the table but didn’t wake.
“She moved,” he blurted out as they came in.
“Let me look at her,” a man he assumed was the doctor said, edging him out of the way to stand opposite her father at the side of the table. “I’m going to ask you all to step out for a moment while I examine her.”
The three of them left, closing the door, and waiting in the hallway. Travis felt incredibly awkward. How did he go from a casual invite for a woman to stop by for a drink at his bar to having to bring her home to her parents in such a state? A part of him wanted to escape, but he couldn’t bear to leave without knowing she was okay.
The situation was made even more uncomfortable by the fact that no one was talking. Her parents stood leaning against the opposite wall of the hallway, occasionally looking toward him with disapproval. No doubt they blamed him for this, whatever it was, but he could hardly see how he might have caused it.
It was a relief when he finally heard the doctor speak to her and heard her respond. He wanted to stay and check on her, but it might be more embarrassing for her if he were there. At least that was what he told himself. It felt a little like a situation he would handle wrong either way.
“It sounds like she’s okay,” he told her father. “I think I’m going to go so that I don’t make her feel awkward.”
“That’s probably best,” her father replied.
Travis didn’t miss the ice in his voice or the fact that there was no response from Kat’s mother. A part of him wanted to stay and hold her hand, make sure she was perfectly fine, but he was really a stranger here. He’d done the right thing in getting her here and getting her help. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even see the man approaching until he ran right into him.
“What the fuck?” the big guy said, his brows screwed together and his lips pursed angrily.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention,” Travis told him, edging around his side.
“Who are you?”
“Oh. I’m no one. I just dropped a girl off here.”
“Katerina? You’re the one that brought Katerina home?” the guy barked at him.
“Kat? Yes,” he replied evenly.
The guy was big, but he was a Beta. Travis could smell it on him. He was no match for the superior strength of an Alpha even in top shape, and it looked like his size came more from pizza than squats.
“What did you do to her?”
“Look, I don’t know who you are, but I didn’t do anything. She had some drinks, so I offered to drive her home. She passed out on the way, and I couldn’t wake her. I brought her to her parents for help. The doctor is in there, and she’s awake, so I assume she’s fine.”
“You assume she’s fine? You couldn’t be bothered to wait and see?”
“Look. I am leaving. You can go check on your girlfriend and see how she is for yourself. I’m out.”
Travis began walking toward his truck, but the big guy blocked him.
“I’m not her boyfriend, you dipshit. I’m her brother, and you better hope you’re telling the truth.”
“Yeah. Okay. Find out,” Travis told him wearily.
How a night that had gone so well with her had turned out so shittily, he had no idea, but he was done with it all. So much for Alpha Meets Omega. It might be a great app for some, but he was going to have to give it a pass after this nonsense. He walked around Kat’s brother and got in his truck to leave.
Fuck this night.
CHAPTER SIX
Kat
Kat’s first thought when she had awoken in her father’s office was only to wonder how she had gotten there. The last thing she remembered, she was riding home with Travis, and then things had grown fuzzy and gone black. She woke up to find the pack doctor standing over her w
ith a needle.
“Whoa, what are you going to do with that?” she croaked.
“I was about to give you a shot of adrenaline. I know how you love shots.”
“Where is Travis?”
“Travis? Oh. The man who brought you home. He’s outside in the hallway with your folks.”
“What happened?”
“Well, I’ll need to run some tests, but I think you may have a touch of what your grandmother had when she was your age.”
“What was that?”
“It’s a condition unique to our pack. I only know about it because I treated her in her later years and saw her records. Essentially, your human side attacks your wolf side in an attempt to overcome it. It causes a drop in your blood pressure, and you pass out.”
“Oh, my God! How often is that going to happen?”
“Relax. It sounds worse than it is. Your wolf side is stronger and will always win, but obviously, you can’t go passing out unexpectedly. I have a vaccine for it. It’s mostly antibodies that will combat the human cells, but it also will correct the condition permanently.”
“Thank goodness.”
“Well, that’s the good news. You’re not going to like the next part.”
“What?” she groaned.
“You’ll have to stop by my office to get a weekly shot ... for the next six months.”
“That’s crazy. Isn’t there another choice?”
“Not if you want this to go away.”
Kat looked up at the ceiling and made a clucking sound with her tongue.
“And if you miss a round of shots, we’ll have to start over. The treatment is cumulative.”
“Great. Fantastic.”
“There is some good news, though.”
“Can’t wait,” she sighed.
“As long as you stay on the treatments, you won’t have to worry about passing out again without warning.”
“That is good news. I’m pretty sure that portion of last night’s date will guarantee that I don’t get another.”
“You might be surprised,” he laughed. “How about we get your folks in here and tell them what is going on? Then, one of them can follow me back to the office with you to get your first shot.”
“We can’t just do that here?”
“I don’t carry the vaccine around with me, kiddo. It’s a rare thing that I find someone who still suffers from this particular ailment.”
“Okay.”
The doctor opened the door for her parents, and they stepped in, looking tired and upset. She noted that Travis wasn’t with them, but assumed he was out in the hallway while the doctor discussed her medical affairs. Big Mike appeared in the door, and she waved him inside too. The doctor explained the situation and packed up his medical kit to leave.
“I’ll be right behind you,” her father told him.
“What about Travis? I need to talk to him for a moment before we go. He must feel so weird about all of this.”
“Your date went home,” Mike snapped.
“Oh,” she replied.
It was a bit hurtful that he hadn’t stayed to make sure she was okay, but she supposed it wasn’t his place, and there was no doubt he must have felt incredibly out of place with all of this going on. At least she didn’t have to see him right now, looking a mess. She had a feeling she needn’t bother to message him later either, which was disappointing. He had seemed nice, for an alpha.
“Come on, kiddo. Let’s get you down to the doctor’s office and get this shot so we can all go back to bed,” her father said.
“Okay, Dad. Thanks.”
“He seemed like a nice guy. A little old for you, though,” he told her as they drove down the highway.
“Yes, but I doubt if he’ll want to go out with me again after all this.”
“You might be surprised,” he told her as they pulled into the doctor’s driveway.
He had made it there ahead of them but met them at the door with his finger against his lips as he held the door open for them.
“Marjorie is still asleep. Just have a seat in the kitchen, and I’ll bring your shot out.”
“Okay, Doc. Thanks,” her father said.
A few minutes later, they were on their way back to their house, Kat rubbing her arm where the sting of the needle was still aching.
“Stop doing that. You’re only going to irritate it more,” her father said.
“It hurts, though.”
“And it’s going to hurt more if you keep rubbing it.”
Kat felt like a child, and she knew that he was holding back the lecture he really wanted to give her, the one about going out with strangers and drinking, the one about how dangerous it was to accept rides from relative strangers or telling them where she lives so early into the game. It would all be there, and she was in no mood for it.
To her surprise, he said nothing. Instead, he drove her back to the house in silence. She looked out the window to avoid any eye contact that might inspire a rant until they were pulling into their driveway and he spoke again.
“Do you want to go home, or would you rather spend the night at the house tonight?” he asked.
“Home will be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Doc said I’ll be fine as long as I keep up the shots.”
“Okay,” he replied, pursing his lips.
She knew he was holding back. It was unlike him, but she was glad. She really didn’t want to get into an argument with him. It was nearly three a.m., and all she wanted to do was climb between the covers and sleep until noon. She hurried out of his car as they pulled into her driveway and fished around for her keys, giving him a little wave as she let herself in.
Dropping her bag on a nearby table, she locked the door and went to wash her face and brush her teeth. Looking in the mirror, she could see how disheveled she looked. The dark circles under her eyes made them almost look like someone had given her a couple of shiners. She found herself, once again, glad that Travis had left rather than see her like this. It was probably bad enough what he had seen while she was passed out.
She envisioned her tongue hanging out and eyes rolled back in her head. It was horrifying, but somehow, comical. She laughed at her reflection in the mirror and headed out to bed, falling asleep almost as quickly as she climbed between the sheets.
The next thing she knew, she was waking up just before noon. She had thought she’d still feel tired, but instead, she felt amazing. Perhaps the shots did a lot more than she had thought or been told. She’d have to ask Doc the next time she went in for one.
Retrieving her phone from her bag, she pulled out her phone and looked at it. There were messages from her mother, father, and Mike checking on her, but much to her surprise, there was also one from Travis on Alpha Meets Omega. She smiled as she read it.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t stick around after you woke up. I thought you might feel awkward since we just met. I’d love to see you again when you feel better. If you want to send me your number, I’ll call you later.”
She called her parents to let them know she was fine and then messaged Mike before making herself a quick sandwich and grabbing a bottle of water. She was starving and dying of thirst. Jumping into the shower, she thought about how Travis had looked last night and found her fingers wandering lower to touch herself as she thought about what it might be like with him.
Well, what it might be like with anyone, really—but especially him. Her fingers explored her own breasts and pussy, enjoying the way the hot water caressed and warmed her skin as she tried to quell the sexual tension she was feeling. As usual, she came away frustrated, unable to get herself off.
How pathetic. Not only had she never had a man inside her to give her an orgasm, but she couldn’t even give herself one.
She groaned and finished rinsing off before climbing out of the shower. She looked at her phone, now plugged into the charger by her bedside, and picked it up.
“I’m much better.
Thanks for your help last night. Here’s my number.”
She typed in her cell number and put the phone back down, still thinking about him as she dried her hair and got dressed. Older, gorgeous, more worldly than her. What would it be like to finally give herself to an Alpha, to be his, for one night, for one month ... forever?
Was she really willing to ever give herself completely to a man like that?
CHAPTER SEVEN
Travis
Travis was surprised to hear from her so soon. He hadn’t even been sure she would respond at all. Granted, he’d done nothing wrong last night. It wasn’t if he had drugged her or something, but it wasn’t exactly a terrific way to end a date. She was bound to be embarrassed by it all, though she needn’t be.
Compared to spending the last five years doing pretty much everything personal in at least partial view of someone else, he’d lost a great deal of modesty, though he’d not had much to begin with. She was much more innocent than him. It was a part of his attraction to her. She wasn’t tarnished and tainted by the horrible things in life.
“Hey, brother, can we talk?”
Travis turned to find himself looking at Carl Metcalf, one of the members of his pack council, second in line to the Alpha of the pack. He had a long history with Carl, including the fact that if not for him, he’d have never been allowed back into the pack. It was Carl who stood up for him, pointing out that there would have been a lot of unnamed people who would have gone down for the charges that had all been accepted by Travis in their place.
He’d expected a bit of blow-back once he’d returned, but there had been none of it. Some were grateful to him, some were ambivalent, and some were actually happy to see him. It had only been the Alpha who was concerned with his homecoming, worried that it might inspire a return to the illegal activities that had almost brought the entire pack to ruin. Even he seemed to be coming around.
“Sure, what’s up?”
“I’ve got a job for you.”
