3. Rikkart #2
The answer to this question would either save her life or end it, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for either. She jumped and turned to look at me over her shoulder, still hunched over Koit.
“What I think I’m doing is trying to save this man’s life.
I’m a doctor at St. Thomas Hospital. He’s lost a lot of blood, and I couldn’t just leave him to bleed out and die,” she answered.
“Now if you'll excuse me, I need to wrap his wounds to keep them from getting infected.” She looked as if she was irritated with my intrusion and not at all worried that I was moments away from ripping her apart.
“Did he ask for your help?” I pressed.
Werewolves didn’t respond to medication like humans did. Our metabolism ran too high for the effects to last very long, which was the main reason Koit would reject going to the hospital.
“Not in so many words. All he managed to tell was me that I couldn’t take him to a hospital and someone was coming to get him. Alpha, I think he said his name was. I’m assuming that’s you,” she commented, not sparing me another glance, trying once again to lift Koit’s dead weight.
My wolf bristled at her dismissal of us, but he could see as well as I could that she was helping him.
He didn’t like that this stranger was caring for him when it was our job to look after our pack.
I agreed with him, but seeing the mess left behind from the attack, I knew I wouldn’t have been able to save him alone.
My wolf growled at me, unable to acknowledge this woman did more than we could have.
I took a deep, calming breath and walked over to Koit.
Maybe if I let my wolf look into her eyes, then he would let her continue her work without further argument.
I knelt by Koit’s head and gingerly lifted his torso from the blanket.
Her eyes flicked up to mine in surprise, but they didn’t linger on me for long.
I watched as her efficient hands worked on wrapping the wounds, checking to make sure it was tight but not too tight.
From her demeanor, I could tell that she must be used to working around such traumas; her face was a mask of determination.
Her chocolate-colored hair fell around her face in soft waves.
I watched as she brushed it out of her face with her arm, not touching it with her gloves.
Once satisfied with the bandage, she nodded to me, and I set Koit back on the blanket.
She pulled out a stethoscope and moved it around, listening to his breathing and heart.
I could feel it growing steadier, a combination of her attention and my presence helping him heal faster.
“Will he be alright?” I already knew the answer, but a normal person would need to ask.
“I think so, but without knowing if there’s any internal bleeding, we’ll just have to wait,” she said, heaving a sigh and looking at me for the first time.
I let her gaze wander over me. Now that I knew Koit would be okay and that she was no threat, her presence was soothing.
I could feel a strength coming from her that I typically found in wolves, but my senses were telling me that she was fully human.
Did she have a werewolf in her family? Well, there’s a way I could test her to see if she knows.
I looked up, meeting her strong blue-green gaze directly. When she registered my look, I sent a pulse of power behind it. I could hear her heartbeat heighten, and I could smell her fear. She looked down seconds after, staring at her hands, which I could see shaking slightly.
No, this woman has never interacted with a werewolf before. If she had one as family, the fear reaction would’ve diminished over time.
“Thanks. For your help, I mean,” she said, clearing her throat and packing up her supplies.
“Of course. Thank you for saving him,” I answered, knowing that without her, I would have lost my best friend. My emotions running high, I felt my wolf rumble with displeasure at our family getting hurt on our watch.
Much to my surprise, she looked up at me again, meeting my gaze.
I could see a fire behind her eyes that reminded me so much of my mother.
It was rare for a woman to survive the transition and come out the other side as a dominant beta.
My parents had been quite the match for each other.
Somehow, I knew that if this woman had the misfortune of surviving the transformation, she would be a beta with that kind of fight in her.
I’d even say she could be an alpha if it weren’t for the fact that a female alpha hadn’t been born in hundreds of years.
“You never answered me before. Are you Alpha, the guy he was waiting for?” she demanded. “Or are you the one who did this and now you plan to finish the job? I’m not going to let you jack up all the hard work I did putting him back together again.”
I felt my eyes widen in surprise at her challenge. My wolf snarled and paced under my skin, wanting to have the chance for himself to meet this human female who dared challenge us.
“Yes, I’m Alpha and a close friend,” I finally answered, searching her face, trying to find an answer to a question I didn’t understand. “I’m indebted to you for your skill and quick action. Seeing him in that state… I don’t know if I would’ve made it in time to help.”
I paused a heartbeat before my wolf and I came to an agreement.
She may not understand what I was offering her, but it was the only thing I could do of equal respect.
I bowed my head, breaking eye contact first. “I, Rikkart Hunt, thank you for saving my friend’s life when you were under no obligation to do so. ”
She stiffened slightly at my actions and words. Maybe she did understand what I was offering her.
“I appreciate the thanks, but him being out of the woods is still to be determined,” she told me with a frown. “If he has internal bleeding and doesn’t go to a hospital, then I can’t guarantee anything.”
This woman had spunk for scolding both of us. Too bad Koit wasn’t awake to take part, he would have loved it.
“I understand. I promise to take him to our physician if he doesn’t improve. I’ll also get him properly checked out as soon as we’re back home,” I said, a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth.
“Good. Now that you’re here and I’ve done all I can, I’ll be on my way.” She shouldered her bag and took a few steps. “Oh, yeah,” she said, looking back at me. “You can keep the blanket. He needs it more than I do.” Then she walked away from me, not glancing back.
I watched her walk down the street, my wolf peeking through as well. What a wolf she would make.
Right. Keep dreaming, buddy. There’s no way we’ll ever see her again.