Rising from her seat, she walked over to Marin and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She sank to her haunches and looked the other woman in the eyes, no longer surprised by the pain and suffering she saw in their depths.
She tipped her head to the side, motioning toward the door. “Let’s take a walk.”
Marin’s eyes widened in surprise, but she rose with Aislinn and followed her from the room. When they were alone, she blew out a breath.
“You know, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
Marin shook her head. “But how? Even my mate doesn’t know.”
“When the sorcerer saved my life, he transferred some of his abilities to me. I realized, sitting in that waiting room, that I could read your emotions and your body.”
“That’s pretty amazing,” Marin said with a grin.
“Why haven’t you told your mate?”
“I don’t want to worry him. There’s nothing he can do to save me, and that’s going to tear him apart.” Marin sighed and looked at Aislinn with teary eyes. “Why make him suffer more than he has to? He’s going to have to bear so much before long; I just want to make his time as happy as possible before then.”
“Marin, you have to tell him.”
A deep voice interrupted them. “Tell me what?”
Aislinn looked over her shoulder at Cole and Connor. The two had obviously followed them, wondering what was up. It wasn’t her story to tell, so she looked at Marin.
“You need to tell him. He’s strong and his strength will help you.”
Marin nodded and sniffled. “Stay with me?”
Aislinn nodded and gripped her hand for support.
Marin faced her mate with tears trailing down her cheeks. She held out a hand to him. When his fingers clasped hers, she fought back a sob. It was so unfair that she might lose him after all they’d been through.
“I… I can’t tell him,” she said brokenly, looking to Aislinn for help.
Aislinn nodded and looked at Cole. “I’m sure you’ve noticed some changes in your mate. Her personality isn’t what it normally is, for one.”
Cole nodded.
“There are some other changes to her as well, physical ones. Marin has cancer.”
The blood drained from Cole’s face and her words sunk in and his hand began to tremble.
“How long?” he rasped.
Aislinn looked at Marin, trying to read her body again. “I’m not sure, but I’m going to do whatever I can to make sure she stays with you.”
Connor stepped behind Aislinn and placed a hand on her waist, giving her his support. He was proud of her and wanted to lend her his strength. Whatever she needed, he would give her.
“Ovarian cancer is quick and deadly, but I may be able to reverse it, or at least arrest it. I won’t know until I try, and I prefer to have Eric around when I do. He knows more about my powers than I do.”
Cole nodded and pulled his mate into his arms, burying his face in her neck. His silent tears soaked her hair and his shoulders shook as he cried at the thought of losing her. Marin placed an unsteady hand on his back and held him close.
“Come to Connor’s when you’re ready and we’ll begin,” Aislinn told them before walking back to the waiting room with Connor.
The other pack members looked at them with questions in their eyes, but they held silent. Aislinn wouldn’t tell Marin’s secret. If the other woman wanted the pack to know what she was going through, she would tell them. Otherwise, the secret would remain between the four of them. Well, five if you counted the sorcerer. Aislinn hadn’t been joking. She didn’t want to try a healing without Eric nearby.
Two hours later, a nurse brought out a pink wrapped squalling baby and handed her to Gabriel.
“Your wife is fine and is being moved to another room. She said to tell you that your daughter’s name is Radha Elaine Andrews.”
“Radha?” Gabriel asked in surprise.
“Your wife said it’s Irish and pronounced Row-a. She said it meant a vision.” The nurse smiled at the baby. “And she’s certainly a vision.”
Gabriel smiled down at his tiny daughter. “Yes, she is.”
“I’m going to put Radha in the nursery. We’ll come get you in just a few moments and take you to see your wife.”
Gabriel handed the small bundle back to the nurse and sat back down, waiting rather impatiently to see his wife.
Chapter Eighteen
It was hard to believe a week had passed since they had discovered Marin’s illness. Aislinn had mentioned it to Eric and had asked if it were possible to heal her. In order to prepare her for the task ahead, he had taken her to a small hospital in Mexico in order to train her on the art of healing.
By the end of the day, Aislinn had been soaked in sweat, deathly pale, and worn out. But she’d learned how to set bones, heal influenza, the common cold, and several other injuries. None of the patients had cancer so she wasn’t able to practice her healing on someone that sick, but Eric assured her he would take her to another low income hospital where her talents would be much appreciated and she would be able to practice more.
So far, they hadn’t taken that trip. She was worried about Marin, but the woman didn’t seem to be getting any worse. At least, not yet, but it was only a matter of time.
A commotion outside of the work trailer drew her attention. The men were gathered in a circle around something and seemed to be arguing. Unable to stop herself, Aislinn stepped out to see what was going on. As she drew near the circle, she knew something wasn’t right.
“What’s going on?” she asked in her most authoritative voice.
The men parted and eyed her silently. Finally, Mack, one of the newer guys stepped back and allowed her to see what held their fascination. A small wolf lay curled up, blood oozing from a wound in its side.
“Oh! Oh my!”
Aislinn scurried into the circle and knelt beside the baby wolf cub. She placed a hand on the animal and murmured to it softly. A prickling sensation crept from her hand to the animal and she bit back a gasp. Not a wolf. A werewolf!
“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you inside and taken care of.”
Aislinn lifted the furry bundle into her arms not caring about the blood now smeared on her clothes, and carried it into the work trailer. Laying her precious cargo down on the small sofa, she gently prodded the wound, trying to get a better look.
Reaching for the radio beside the door, she pressed the button. “Connor, it’s Aislinn.”
“What is it, sweetheart?”
“I need you in the trailer now. We have an emergency.”
A moment later, her mate appeared, his worried eyes scanning her and widening when they saw the smears of blood on her shirt.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but this boy isn’t.”
His eyes looked down upon the small bundle of fur and his brow furrowed. “Boy?”
“You don’t recognize him? He’s not one of the pack?”
“Aislinn, what are you talking about.”
“He’s a werewolf.”
The pups head lifted at her words and his eyes bore into hers, surprise flaring in their depths.
“It’s okay, honey. We’re going to take care of you,” she assured the youngster.
“How do you know it’s a werewolf? I only sense a normal wolf lying there.” Connor frowned. If it truly was a werewolf, one he couldn’t sense, then that could only mean something sinister was afoot.
“I think he’s been masked, probably as protection against whoever hurt him.”
“Can you heal him and maybe get him to shift?”
Aislinn bit her lip. “I think so, but it would be better to do it at home. Too many of them saw me bring a wolf in here. If I carry out a small boy, they’re going to wonder where he came from and where the wolf disappeared to.”
Connor nodded. “Okay. Let me just tell the foreman what’s going on and we’ll head home.”
An hour
later, her patient lay on a towel on the bed. Using peroxide and some clean clothes, Aislinn had cleaned the wound as best she could while the child was in his wolf form.
“Can you shift?” she asked.
The wolf pup shook its head.
With a sigh, she knew she would need help. “Eric! I need you.”
The sorcerer materialized and crossed his arms. “You called on me to fix a werewolf?”
“He says he can’t shift and he’s been sliced open with a knife. Obviously someone means him harm.”
Eric stepped closer and looked over the pup. The blue eyes that met his looked familiar. “Zachary?”
The pup whined and nudged the sorcerer’s hand with his nose.
“You know him?” Aislinn asked.
“His father was the alpha of the Raleigh, North Carolina pack, until he died last month. The new alpha, Benjamin, took the position of alpha through a challenge. It seems he didn’t want to take a chance on Zachary coming back to claim his spot at the pack’s alpha.”
“That’s horrible!”
Eric placed a hand over the pup’s side. A blue glow engulfed both the sorcerer’s hand and the wolf pup’s side. When Eric pulled his hand back, the wound had vanished. Picking the pup up in his arms, he murmured a few words in a language Aislinn didn’t understand. A moment later, a little boy with auburn hair and freckles was in his arms.
“I think we may need some clothes,” Eric said with a smile. Placing the lad on his feet, he immediately dressed the boy in jeans and a sweater.
Aislinn knelt beside the child. “Zachary, my name is Aislinn.”
“Hello, ma’am,” he said in a soft voice that held a trace of a North Carolina accent.
“You’re safe here.”
He nodded and tears formed in his eyes. “The new alpha killed my daddy and my momma. He tried to kill me, too.”
Aislinn wrapped her arms around the small boy and held him close. “I know, darling. But the bad wolf won’t hurt you now, you’re safe here.”
He nodded and hugged her back.
“The big bad wolf?” Connor asked from the door with a raised brow.
“You heard?” she asked.
He nodded. “Obviously the boy can’t return to his pack. I’ll call Gabriel and ask him to come over, along with his brothers and mine. We’ll convene in an hour.”
Aislinn tightened her arms on the child. “I don’t care if you convene or not. He’s staying.”
Connor raised a brow and looked at her, his look souring when the sorcerer began laughing.
“The sorceress has spoken, werewolf. I’d listen to her if I were you.”
Connor glowered at the sorcerer. “I heard her.”
Aislinn looked into Zachary’s blue eyes. “How old are you?”
“Five,” he replied shyly.
“Would you like to stay here?”
He looked from her to Connor to Eric before nodding enthusiastically.
“Then stay you shall.” Aislinn rose and glared at her mate. “You might want to move.”
As Connor stepped back into the doorway, Aislinn transformed the blue bedroom into a little boy’s delight. A table appeared with a wooden train set, the dresser was topped with a lamp in the shape of a wolf, glowing stars and a moon appeared on the ceiling, and a blue wolf print rug materialized beside the bed.
Deciding to lend a hand, Eric made a matching bedspread and pillows appear. Next, he created several pairs of jeans, sweaters, socks, and underwear for the child. A toy box materialized in the corner. A stuffed wolf’s head poked out of the box.
When Zachary pulled the wolf out, he saw a ball, cars, and a play set of solders inside the box. Tears formed in his eyes and he ran to hug Eric and Aislinn.
“I’ve never had so many toys before. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Eric stated in his deep, rumbly voice. “You’ve had a trying day. Why don’t you take a nap while Aislinn fixes you something to eat?”
Zachary nodded and climbed onto the bed. Burrowing under the covers, he laid his head on the pillow and closed his eyes. In a matter of minutes, his breathing became deep and even.
In the living room, Eric stood against the wall, arms folded over his chest, while Aislinn and Connor sat on the sofa. The pack had been called and they were merely waiting.
“You know you’re going to let him into the pack. Why call everyone over?” she asked.
“Because it’s a formality. I share leadership with Gabriel, so it’s only right that he has a say in this.”
Aislinn snorted and rolled her eyes. “Please, as if any of you are going to turn your backs on that precious little boy. I swear to you Connor, if you turn him away, I’ll walk out the door and never come back.”
He looked taken aback. “You’re serious? You would choose that child over a life with your rightful mate?”
“If my mate is an obtuse pain in the butt, then yes. If you turn your back on that child, send him out there alone, then I won’t stay with you.”
Eric grinned in perverse delight. “I do believe she has you by the short hairs on this one.”
Connor nearly choked at the comment. The sorcerer was right, but he’d be damned if he was going to admit it. Aislinn meant the world to him, and he’d do anything for her, even if it meant adopting another werewolf’s son. And he had a sinking suspicion it just might be part of the requirement of being her husband. She was obviously attached to the child already.
“If the others agree to let the boy stay, we have to be clear on something. He may be a male child, and once we’re married we can adopt him as our own, but only a blood related male can inherit my position as alpha.”
Aislinn lifted her eyes to his. “And if I only give you daughters?”
Connor looked startled by the thought. “Then, I guess we could reassess the situation then. It will also depend on the type of young man Zachary grows into. If he grows up to be the type of young man who could one day lead a pack, then I won’t have a problem with him becoming my heir.”
Aislinn smiled in triumph. “That’s all I can ask.”
Chapter Nineteen
The pack had been in complete agreement to take in Zachary, and Connor had placed a call to Matt, hoping he would have insight into how to go about adopting the young werewolf. If his original pack thought he was dead, and their alpha had tried to kill him, they didn’t want to advertise that the boy was alive.
After a filling meal and some time to get acquainted better with Aislinn and Connor, Zachary had settled right in to his new life. While he missed his mother and father, he was happy to have found a new family, one who obviously cared about him already. He was lucky and he knew it. He swore to himself, that no matter what it took, he would repay their kindness one day.
While Zachary was playing in his room, Connor and Aislinn cuddled on the sofa.
“You know, someone might recognize him one day. We probably shouldn’t use his given name.”
“You mean, rename him?”
Connor nodded. “It isn’t uncommon when a small child is adopted. And it might help keep him safe.”
“We should talk to him about it. It isn’t right to change his life so much without discussing it with him first.”
“I know, but when he understands it’s to keep him safe, I’m sure he’ll be okay with it.”
“Okay with what, Connor?” Zachary asked from the doorway.
“Come over here a minute, Zachary. Aislinn and I need to discuss something with you.”
“You decided not to adopt me?” he asked in fear.
“No, nothing like that,” Aislinn assured him. “It’s just that… we’re worried that someone in your old pack might see you one day and recognize you. There can’t be too many werewolf boys with red hair and blue eyes answering to the name of Zachary. Understand?”
“You want to change my name,” he stated.
Aislinn nodded. “Yes. We don’t want you to ever forget who you are, but we want to make s
ure you stay safe, too.”
“A new name and a new family.” He nodded. “So what will my name be?”
Aislinn thought a moment. With his red hair and freckled face, he reminded her of a Scotsman. “What about Alisdair?”
He sounded the name out, trying it out on his tongue. With a smile, he nodded and ran over to hug Aislinn.
“Alisdair Zachary Tierney,” Connor said with a smile. “Something new with something old, keeping you a part of both families.”
“I’m glad you were the ones to find me. I felt like I was led to the construction site and now I know why.”
“Why?” Aislinn asked.
“Because you’re the best parents ever.”
Aislinn looked at Connor over the top of the boy’s head, tears forming in her eyes. She cleared her throat, not wanting Alisdair to see she had been crying.
“Well, I think it’s time for bed Alisdair. Would you like me to tuck you in?”
He smiled at her and nodded, then scampered down the hall to his room.
Connor reached over to take her hand. “We should get married as soon as possible and have the adoption papers pushed through. It’s the only way to guarantee his place in our lives.”
With a tremulous smile, she kissed his cheek. “I’d really like that.”
The next morning, Aislinn woke to find herself in Connor’s arms. She smiled and snuggled closer, having missed him the one night they had slept apart. She hadn’t convinced him to be intimate with her again, but she hoped it would happen soon. Having a small child in the house was going to make it more difficult, but not impossible. Alisdair awoke some nights crying out in the throes of a nightmare, but Aislinn was always able to calm him down and get him back to sleep.
Stretching, she pushed Connor’s shoulder.
“Time to get up.”
He grumbled and tried to pull her back into his arms.
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