Chapter 26
Carson ran through his presentation for the umpteenth time before his scheduled meeting with Maximus and Slate.
When he was confident he was prepared for any questions, he turned to the document he wrote after Cody left him yesterday.
Carefully going over the points he wanted to make regarding transferring to another position within Dire Enterprises, Carson edited them, scratching out some while adding to others.
Finally satisfied, he placed it on top of the documents for the meeting and left for the small conference room next door, where he waited for his bosses to arrive.
His plan was simple—get the hell out of Dodge, hopefully with a job.
Carson was confident it would work, especially since he had the support of his brothers, Cody and Colton.
That would help him get Jackson on his side, so now all he had to do was persuade Maximus and Slate to find him another position somewhere else in the company, preferably out of the country.
Hearing the conference room door open, Carson stood, smiling at his bosses.
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Dr. Mac Evans surveyed the operating room, impressed as he’d been with everything else Colton showed him on the tour of the hospital.
He couldn’t find fault with what he’d seen, so far, but that was the problem; it just didn’t make sense.
The Blackwood Pack was small, kept to itself and, other than Josiah, had no enemies so why the overkill?
That was the question Mac kept mulling over.
“Any questions?” asked Colton.
“You have a very impressive set-up here,” Mac said. “State-of-the-art equipment…even an ICU for pups. Well done.”
“Steel insisted on it after what happened,” replied Colton.
“Oh? And what was that?”
“Let’s go back to Ian’s office. He can tell you more.” Holding the door open, Colton waited until his cousin exited before turning off the light. Leading the way he wondered how his cousin would react after reading the medical files Ian had pulled.
Looking up when his office door opened, Ian searched Dr. Evan’s face and, finding a quizzical look there, said, “Have a seat, Mac…you don’t mind if I call you that do you? I tend to be informal with colleagues.”
“No, not at all.”
“Before we talk, here are medical files of the current patients you’ll be responsible for and I’ve added a few others for your perusal that I think will be informative. By the way, I’ve also included Hope’s latest test results and her proposed course of treatment.”
Taking the stack of file folders from Ian, Mac flipped through them briefly, his eyes widening at some of the names. Then, glancing up at Ian, he asked, “All of these?”
“Yes,” Ian said. “Colton, show Mac his office, please. When you are through, you can do Dakota’s ultrasound.”
As he rose from his chair, Mac said, “Just want to mention I’m sorry about Kieran yesterday. If I had any understanding of what could happen, I would have stopped it.”
Ian shrugged. “As my mate pointed out to me, no one could have stopped him once he decided to help Hope. So my anger directed at you was inexcusable. Go read and then we can talk more.”
“C’mon, Mac.” beckoned Colton. “Your office is next to Ian’s.”
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After his presentation and answering his bosses’ questions, Carson took his seat at the conference table, waiting for feedback on his grant recommendations.
Outwardly, he looked calm and self-assured, but inside his stomach was doing flip- flops.
If Maximus and Slate were satisfied with his work, it would bode well for him when he requested a transfer.
Closing the last grant application folder, Slate looked at Carson. “I’m impressed. I couldn’t have done better myself. As far as I’m concerned, I’m in complete agreement with your proposed course of action regarding all the applications.” Glancing at his father, he asked, “Your thoughts, Dad?”
“Same here. You’re doing a great job,” Maximus said, looking approvingly at Carson. “Is there something else?”
“Yes sir. I’ll be leaving California, but don’t want to leave Dire Enterprises so I’m hoping there’s a position I can transfer to.”
“I’m sure we can find something for you, but may I ask why you’re leaving your pack?” asked Maximus.
“It’s personal, sir.”
“I see.” Leaning back in his chair, Maximus studied Carson and, seeing the sadness in his eyes, asked, “Does Jackson know about your decision?”
“Not yet. Cody and Colton do, but I wanted to firm up my plans before I spoke to Jackson,” Carson replied.
Maximus nodded. “And having a job would make it easier to get the Alpha’s support, hmmm?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do Cody and Colton know why you are leaving?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll talk it over with my sons and get back to you. Do you have any preference as to where you’d like to go?”
“No sir…except some place out of the country.”
“Would this be a permanent move?” asked Slate.
“Yes, at least for the foreseeable future,” Carson said.
“Is there a deadline for your departure?” asked Slate.
“Not really, but I’d like to leave sooner than later,” Carson replied.
Maximus rose, signaling the end of the meeting. “Understood. In the meantime, please proceed as per your recommendations on the grant applications.”
After his bosses left the room, Carson slumped back in his chair and took a deep breath.
A small smile formed on his face before expanding to a wide one as he realized neither Maximus nor Slate said no to his request. Gathering up his stuff, Carson felt happier than he’d been in a long time. He was on the right track.
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Two hours later, Mac closed the last medical file, dropping it onto his desk, staring at it in stunned disbelief.
Thinking back to his conversation with Sawyer and Robin about the power of the Shaman, he realized it was nothing compared to what he’d just learned.
An Alpha/Omega hybrid…two of them…mated to Dire Wolves who are apparently no longer extinct.
Holy shit, Daniel is one of them! My second cousin is a Dire Wolf.
Shuffling through the files again, he pulled out the Shaman’s, flipping it open.
Another male omega with powers given to him by the gods.
..I’ve never seen anything like this before.
Momentary panic hit him as he realized the enormity of the responsibility before him.
What if I make a mistake? What if something happens through no fault of my own?
Then what? What about Hunter if that happens?
Will my cousins blame him for my failure?
“The answer is ‘no’,” Colton said, leaning against the doorframe.
Startled, Mac looked up. “You can read minds, too?”
“I don’t have too…you were thinking out loud.”
“Fuck!”
“You read about Jackson, right?”
“Yup…I’m still trying to wrap my head around it…an Alpha/Omega hybrid…how fucking rare is that?”
Colton smiled. “As far as I know there are only two in the world…but getting back to your concerns, Jackson was dying and there wasn’t anything Ian could do to help him.
None of my brothers, me included, had any thoughts about blaming him for what was happening to our Alpha.
It’s life…and my brothers and I know only too well how shit can happen. ”
“But you saved him.”
“Yes. It was the first time I used my power…the power I never wanted…but when I was standing there, watching my brother’s life ebb from his body, it all became very clear to me why I was given it.
And in that moment of clarity, I thanked the gods and Fates for deeming me worthy enough to receive Raphael’s power. ”
“I don’t have your power.”
“No you don’t, but it doesn’t matter. My power is only one method of helping someone, it’s not the only one.
For instance, no matter how much I want to help my mother, my power is useless on her.
But look at what you did. You kept her alive after her sister died until Kieran could help her.
I read your notes…I know what you did and, frankly, I’m in awe of your skills.
You did everything possible and then, when none of it worked anymore, you went outside the box and tried new things, all in an effort to keep her alive until she got here.
I know how impossible it is to keep someone alive who doesn’t want to live, and yet you did it for months. ”
Embarrassed by his cousin’s praise, Mac’s cheeks grew red. “She’s family,” he muttered.
“True,” Colton said, tilting his head, studying his cousin. “You should know I’m very protective of my mate…Alpha genes and all that…especially now that he’s pregnant.”
“Totally understandable.”
“But you should also know I’m very happy Ian will be under your care.”
“You are? Why? Frankly, I don’t know why I was given this assignment; there are far more experienced doctors in Frontline,” Mac said.
“Yes, I know, but Oracle picked you and she’s never wrong,” Colton chuckled. “If she knows you’re capable enough to handle Dakota’s Dire Wolf pregnancy, then I have no doubt you’ll deliver three healthy pups for Ian and me.”
“That’s what worries me,” Mac frowned. “I know nothing about a Dire Wolf pregnancy.”
“Neither did I. But Ian sent me a bunch of stuff which I’ll dig out for you and you do have Jackson’s medical records as a guide,” Colton assured him.
“Thank goodness, because I’ll need all the help I can get,” replied Mac.
“C’mon, Dakota is waiting for his ultrasound. My brother’s eager to get back to his kitchen and, right now, all he needs is an all-clear from Ian about the pup.”
Scooping up the files, Mac rose and joined Colton. “Then let’s not keep him waiting, shall we?”
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