by Terry Spear
“Next time we go shopping, the family wants you to be in charge of Joey, not for the run tonight though. I forgot to mention that to Holly,” Marianne said.
“Maybe he’ll mind you when he doesn’t mind Marianne.” Holly knew Greg liked to teach the pups the rules from an older teen’s perspective, so he was just giving Marianne a hard time.
“We’re going for a wolf run tomorrow evening too,” their mom said.
“We’ll leave super early in the morning, I imagine,” Holly said.
Greg groaned. “Make it a night mission.”
“No. Hopefully, if we leave before anyone’s up and about, we won’t get caught.”
“Okay, well, just wake me when it’s time.”
“I will.”
In the past, Marianne and their brother would have been running with the other teens. Since Holly had made it known she was interested in helping wolves from other packs, Greg’s girlfriend had ditched him—which upset Holly too. She hadn’t wanted her actions to affect her family, but she felt the pack had serious issues they needed to deal with. Maybe the other teens in the pack were also ostracizing her brother. That thought stoked her ire.
Marianne’s friends had cooled it off with her too, which was part of the reason she was spending so much time wolf-sitting for the Dewitt family.
Holly suspected Ronald wouldn’t want her to leave the pack because they needed a wolf doctor, so he’d made some allowances for her rebellion. Otherwise, she assumed she would have been out of the pack like Nick. They knew she’d still want to see her family too. What if the condition reducing wolf longevity was contagious, and she ended up creating the same issue for her family when she visited them? But pack members had met other wolves, and nothing bad had come of it.
For the moment, Holly felt her relationship had strengthened with her family just like it had been before Aidan Denali had come into their lives, spreading word of gloom and doom. But his news had made her think that before long, they could face the same issue as other wolf packs.
The conversation soon switched from the issue with Nick to Dr. Denali being in the area.
“What’s going on with you and Dr. Denali?” her dad asked Holly. He and her mother had headed to the kitchen to fix a supper of mini pepperoni pizzas and spinach salad, with the rest of the family joining them.
Greg grabbed one of the carrots his mother had just peeled and began chomping on it. “She wants to work with him to save the wolf world.”
Their parents both looked sharply at Holly, but they’d known how she’d felt about this all along!
“It’s a free world,” Holly said. It would have been, if they didn’t have a pack leader who was so controlling. Some packs needed strict rules—or at least some of their members needed stricter rules. She didn’t feel anyone in her family did. “And I want to help him with his research.”
“She’s interested in him too, not just to work with him.” Greg filled glasses with ice and water.
“He’s a doctor like her.” Marianne set the table, and Holly was grateful her younger sister was sticking up for her. “Not to again mention he rescued Joey.” She seemed impressed by Aidan’s actions, and Holly was glad for it.
“Don’t you think you’re going to cause issues with Ronald if you persist with this?” her dad asked. “I worry about you.” He said it in a way that showed his concern, but he didn’t sound like he wanted her to stop what she planned to do. Just that he wanted her to be sure she’d thought over the consequences.
“What if he had another doctor working with him on the problem? Maybe he could find a cure faster.” Holly couldn’t understand all the unfounded antagonism Ronald felt toward anyone who wasn’t in their pack. Yeah, sure, they’d had problems in the past. But not everyone was a problem wolf. She was certain not all packs were trouble either. And the pack’s past problems didn’t mean they’d have any further issues.
“We don’t have a problem,” her dad reminded her.
“Now. Not right this very minute. But what if we begin to experience a faster aging process? What if we could have stopped it before it ever became an issue for us?” Holly didn’t believe she could come up with the cure just because she knew what Dr. Denali had already discovered, but maybe if they bounced ideas off each other, he could figure it out. Trying to do this all by himself, he had to feel discouraged sometimes.
On the other hand, Aidan might really be a lone wolf about doing his research, and having anyone else suggest something could rankle him. She only knew that his brother was a billionaire real estate mogul and Aidan was just as wealthy from his pharmaceutical research. She’d heard some of the packs were contributing funds for his research, but he didn’t seem to have an assistant working with him. She did wonder if he could review her pack members’ blood to determine what had changed for the others and why theirs hadn’t changed. She was willing to give him her blood, if Aidan thought it would help.
“You know, we should treat this like The Walking Dead.” Greg sounded serious.
“Zombies?” Holly didn’t have the faintest clue how that would be relevant.
“Yeah. One bite from them, and they could turn us into one of them.” Greg took another bite of his carrot.
Marianne rolled her eyes.
“Have you discovered any changes in our cells?” her mother asked.
Holly’s mother could be more reasonable than her dad, but Holly felt the way she’d asked was a reminder that Holly hadn’t found any discrepancies, so they didn’t have a problem. And to leave well enough alone.
“Yes.”
Her mother raised her brows.
Holly shrugged. “For those who worship the sun. Even though we have faster healing genetics, the sun’s rays are taking a toll on their skin.”
“Idabel,” Greg said. “She sits out in the sun all the time. Her wolf genes don’t have time to repair the damage.”
“Exactly. And for those who don’t get enough exercise, that’s creating health problems.” Holly carried the pizzas to the table. “Most of us get plenty of exercise because we love to run as wolves, but a few couch potatoes in the pack don’t, and it shows. Eating fruits and vegetables…” She glanced at her dad and brother to point out who she was talking about. Even though her brother had just eaten a carrot, he would often forgo his veggies for strictly meat and more meat.
“We’re wolves.” Greg served up the pizzas. “Meat eaters. Carnivores, not omnivores.”
“We’re human too, and that makes us omnivores.” Holly and the rest of their family took their seats at the table. “And one of the women in the pack, who drinks only sodas—no milk, no cheese, or other calcium-rich foods—has lower bone density and higher fracture rates. Her bones appear to be much older than they should. So even though we have faster healing genetics, we can sabotage our health by eating too many foods lacking in significant nutrition.”
“That’s the issue with prematurely aging as humans as well as wolves, but what about the longevity issue with our kind?” her mother asked.
“That’s what I want to know about. If I worked with Dr. Denali, maybe I could learn something that would be important to us.” Holly lifted a slice of pizza and took a bite.
“Are you thinking of staying with him?” her dad asked. “That could only lead to more trouble for us.”
“I want to work with him online, if he’s agreeable.”
“What if Holly’s right?” Marianne asked. “What if she and Dr. Denali are right in assuming we could all end up aging faster than humans if we don’t learn what caused the others to change? I mean, we could be in real trouble too.”
“Exactly.” Holly served some of the spinach salad and poured blue cheese dressing over it. “By then, it could be too late for a lot of us.” She looked at her parents this time.
One thing they enjoyed as wolves was the family unit that
was so important to them. Their parents would be around for a much longer time. Being there when the grandkids and great-grandkids came was something everyone looked forward to. The generations all helped one another over the years. Holly didn’t want to lose that connection.
Her mother reached over and squeezed Holly’s dad’s hand, giving him a pointed look.
He let out his breath on a heavy sigh.
Her dad and brother had been the staunchest opponents of her meeting with the doctor once she’d learned what was going on with the other packs and what he was doing to help resolve the issue. Holly realized what working with him could mean to her family if Ronald found out. Her parents loved their pack and their antique and craft shop in Seattle, and she didn’t want them forced out. In addition to that, her patients in the pack would have a hard time finding another doctor. She hoped that would be enough of a reason for the pack leader to leave her family alone.
No matter what, she felt compelled to do this. To help other wolves, even maybe the one who had rescued her so many years ago, if he was still alive. And she really, really liked Aidan.
“What about this other business with the doctor?” her dad asked.
“There is no other business,” Holly said.
“Oh, there’s other business.” Greg laughed.
Not to be baited, Holly finished off her pizza and took her plate into the kitchen. “Off to really take my shower now.”
“Don’t leave without me in the morning if I’m hard to wake,” Greg said.
“I’ll wake you.” Holly headed for the bathroom, and after she showered, she returned to her bedroom. Wearing a pair of flannel pj’s—pink and blue and yellow featuring snowflakes, reindeer, and snowmen, making her feel warm and whimsical—she climbed into bed. She pulled her cell phone off her bedside table and saw she had two messages from Aidan, asking if she’d gotten back all right.
She loved how he followed up on his promises and wished she’d checked her phone earlier. In contrast, Jared would tell her they’d do something together and then forget or decide he didn’t want to do whatever it was with her, and he’d never let her know he’d changed his mind and made other plans. Without her. Aidan’s actions showed he really cared, and she appreciated that. But what would he think when she told him that her people weren’t aging any faster than before?
Chapter 8
Holly called Aidan back. “Hey, how are you feeling?” She’d worried he might have overdone it because of the distance they had traveled today, though he might play it down and not be honest with her. She also wondered how he’d take the news when she told him her pack’s blood hadn’t changed and she was willing to offer hers to him to study.
“I’m fine. Thanks for asking. I wanted to make sure you were okay. I texted instead of calling, in case it was safer for you.”
“Ronald and Jared were here, but they didn’t suspect anything.”
“Good, though you should be able to do as you want as long as it’s legal. Do you make house calls?”
“Don’t tempt me.” Then she frowned, her medical training coming to the forefront. “Are you really feeling poorly?” She was ready to dress and head over to his place right that minute, if he was feeling bad. Even though he had held his head up as a wolf, his ears perked, his tail high, all alpha posturing as they made their way across the wilderness, she swore she’d seen him wince a few times when they stopped to search for scents.
“Truthfully? I think I’m okay, but having a doctor check me out would verify that.”
She laughed. “What time in the morning did you want to look for Nick? We could meet at the same place we did today.”
“I don’t want you to get into trouble with your pack. I was thinking we’d go it alone this time.”
“Thanks for worrying about me, but whenever I’m here, I look for Nick to see how he’s doing, so if I don’t accompany you, I’ll be going with Greg.”
“They may be fine with that, but not with you running with wolves who aren’t in your pack.”
“True. I’m usually alone so I don’t risk getting someone else in trouble.”
“Except that Greg was with you tonight.”
“He’s my seventeen-year-old brother, twin to Marianne. He insisted on accompanying me. He wanted to meet you and protect me. I think mostly he wanted some adventure and to see Nick. Besides, we’ll end up together anyway, since I’m sure we’ll all be headed in the same direction—to the last place we saw Nick.”
“I agree. I just don’t want you getting into hot water with your pack leader. You didn’t have any problems when you arrived home?”
“Jared and Ronald were interrogating my family at the cabin. They were worried because we’d shown up so late. I told them we had gone for a wolf run, looking for Nick. Which is the truth. Jared was mad I had run without him when he’d asked me earlier to run with him.”
“I thought you weren’t mating him.” Aidan sounded disappointed and a little growly.
“I’m not. I think he’s more concerned someone like you might be prowling around and catch my attention.”
“Was he right?”
She chuckled. “Yeah. Does bright and early work for you?”
“Hell yeah. Meet you in the morning at six. And thanks for giving me an intro to Nick.”
“He probably wondered if you were new to the pack, or if my brother and I had given it up and joined your pack instead.”
“You can, you know. We’re not a typical pack, but my brother and his mate and I would love it if you joined us. Your family would be welcome too. I don’t know how you put up with such a disagreeable pack leader.”
She couldn’t believe he’d offer for her to join his pack. And her family too. Did that mean he would agree to her working with him? Regardless, offering for them to be part of his pack was an honor. “No one can challenge Ronald, and most don’t want to leave their homes and businesses behind in Seattle. Oh, and you haven’t asked, but if you’re equipped to take blood samples there, I’m willing to give you mine.”
“Hot damn. Yes, I am, and I’d be forever grateful.”
She wasn’t sure how he’d react when she gave him the news, but she really hoped that it would make a difference in his research. “We don’t have your longevity issues.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment.
She could imagine how shocked he was to learn that. She’d been just as shocked to learn other wolves were having issues with it. “Are you still there?”
“You said you’re still aging at the same rate as before?”
“Yeah.”
“You’ve tested everyone’s blood in the pack?” Aidan sounded serious but excited too. “And they’re all the same way? Every one of them?”
“Three months ago, yes, ever since you came to get samples from us, I’ve been doing so. Ronald was worried his own longevity had been affected, but he was also concerned that if someone else had the affected DNA, he or she might infect us. And you know what that means. They’d be kicked out of the pack. I monitor it once every three months. My next time to check everyone’s blood is in January.”
“What about Everett Johnston, his mother, and his sister, formerly from your pack? I tested them, and they had the same issues as us.”
“They left before we knew about the situation, and I couldn’t test them. I didn’t realize they have the issue too. The same thing with Nick. I don’t know if his blood will show the same as yours or if he’ll have the longevity we have.”
“Do you mind if I come for your blood now?”
“You’re kidding. Okay, I know you’re not kidding, and I understand. But no. It’s too dangerous for you to come into our resort. I’ll come to your place. Just give me directions.”
“I’ll meet you where I did earlier and bring you here.”
“Are you sure your head is okay?�
�
“Hell, it’s never been better.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, research first, right?” Not that she blamed him, particularly when he’d learned how unique her people’s blood was. “Okay, I’ll head out.”
“As a wolf?”
“It would be faster, and I’d have better luck avoiding being seen.” She was excited to be a part of the research in person, not just online. She truly hoped her blood would give him a chance to make a breakthrough in his research. And she’d love to see the results of his work if he had it available.
“I’ll meet you there. Ted and Mike will come with me in case we have any trouble.”
“All right. I’ll let my family know. Be there in a little bit.” If her blood could provide a cure for the other wolves, she would be thrilled. Doing something for their kind on a grander scale would be the highlight of her life.
When she left the bedroom, she found her mother sitting on the sofa reading a Christmas mystery and her dad reading a magazine featuring antique Christmas decorations. Seeing her emerging from her room again, they both raised their brows.
“I’m going to see Aidan and give him some of my blood.”
Her dad shook his head and continued to read an article in his magazine. This was such a nice getaway for her parents. Others in the pack were manning the store while they were here.
“You’re a big girl,” her mother said, “but I hope you know what you’re doing. If you have any romantic notions about the good doctor, he may burst your bubble. He’s interested in his research and solving the longevity mystery. He wants you to help locate Nick for the same reason. That doesn’t mean he has any romantic inclination toward you.” But her mother was considering her with an inquisitive look, as if she wanted to know if there truly was more going on, after all that Greg and Marianne had said.
Her involvement with Aidan could cause problems for her and her family. On the other hand, she knew she’d have to find a mate outside the pack sooner than later, because no one in the pack suited her, so no matter where she found a mate, it was going to cause trouble.
