Chapter 26

Teddy:

I get off the plane, and I feel my stomach flip inside of me. It’s scarier being here in Alaska than it was when I was told that I was being sent here to assist Alexandra. My father was too busy with everything happening back at home so he couldn’t come. Everyone thought that I was the next best option. Everyone except for me, that is.

I walk past TSA and see a wolf holding a sign with my name written on it, and suddenly everything just feels more real. I walk over towards him, and a smirk pulls at his lips. “You must be Teddy. Do you have any bags to pick up at baggage claim?”

I shake my head no. Since most of what I brought was medical equipment, with a few exceptions, I was allowed to bring everything I needed onto the plane. He just nods in response and grabs the bags that I have with me. “Then let’s get going, shall we?”

I follow him to a Jeep and get inside. The beginning of the ride is deathly silent and slightly awkward. Sadly, I know that I’m the main contributing factor to this. The wolf goes to speak when my phone starts to ring. I pull out my phone and see that it’s Blaine calling. Smiling like an idiot, I pick up the phone. “Yes?” I ask, trying not to sound so excited.

“I heard that you went to Alaska to help Alexandra and Mason. What happened?” I guess Avery doesn’t give them all the details back at his pack. I take a deep breath before telling him what's going on. “Alexandra went into heat. The ideal situation would be for my father to come assist after her heat calms, but he's too busy. So, I am the consolation prize.”

“You’re not a consolation prize. This is an opportunity to get more hands-on experience for something that is extremely common.” I don’t think of it that way. Having Blaine for a mate is such a pleasant surprise sometimes. “I guess you’re right.”

“I am. I’ll let you go though since I’m sure you’re busy. Just let me know how everything's going when you get some time.” I smile even though I know he can’t see it. Probably more because he can’t. “Okay.”

I hang up, and I still have a goofy grin on my face. “I know that look.” The wolf says while still looking forward. I realize that I never got his name. “Was that your mate?” he asks.

“Yes, it was,” I state in a matter-of-fact tone. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your name?”

“Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you. My name is Harris. I’m from the Dark Moon pack.” I just nod my head.

We drive for a while longer. He tells me about how they came to know V and even about how Alexandra and Avery ended up in Alaska before we finally make it to the pack house. Avery is waiting outside with Nick. I quickly get out when the car comes to a stop.

“Teddy, welcome to Alaska.” I just nod. Avery makes me nervous. Although I’ve been told he isn’t as scary as he looks or comes off, he still just makes me uncomfortable. “How long has she been in heat?” I decide to just ask for all the information I'll need to update my dad.

“It’s been five days. It was set off when Mason came back from his hike up Denali Mountain, and since Mason is 18, he hasn’t gone through a rut.” I cock my head to the side. I've never heard of a rut before. “Thank you. I’ll update my dad and tell you what he says.”

Avery nods, and I walk away. Although my dad is busy, I think it'll be better to call and update him than to text. He hates texting. He picks up on the second ring. “Teddy, what have you found?”

“Avery says that she's been in heat for five days.” I don’t even get a chance to finish telling him everything else Avery said because he cuts me off to think out loud, like he usually does. “Well, heats typically last five to seven days, so she’s in that range where she can come out at any point. So, you arrived just in time. Anything else?”

I’m a little annoyed because I was trying to tell him that information before. But I know that this is how my father works, and I can’t be too upset by it. “Yes, he said that her heat was set off when Mason came back after hiking up a mountain.” I don’t bother trying to tell him the rest as he starts on another tangent.

“Well, we know that mated females are more likely to experience extreme symptoms when they are around their mates. His dangerous hike probably made his pheromones more potent than usual. This could have induced her heat early. However, that doesn’t explain why this hasn’t happened with V and Cassie. I will have to get samples after they come back to see their pheromone levels.” He pauses just for a moment. “Anything else?”

“He said that Mason is 18 and hasn’t gone through a rut yet.” This information is met with silence. Very uncharacteristic for my dad. “Dad, did you hear me?”

“Ah, yes, sorry. I’m just…thinking.” He must be seriously in deep thought if he isn’t thinking out loud. “I wish I was there. Mason is the first male I know that mated before he had his first rut. This could be important for so many studies and baselines. Will this make his ruts more manageable? Will they manifest in a sexual way or in a destructive way? So many more questions than answers.”

“What is a rut, dad?” I ask him, not really able to follow his rant.

“It’s a long story. I’ll explain more when you get back. It sounds like you can help them with the medication I gave you. Make sure that they both get doses of supplements. I gave you a chart for each. It’s dependent on the amount of time the heat lasts.” I’m sure he is rushing to get off the phone so he can focus on the rut information. Since he isn’t going to tell me anything, there's no need to keep him on the phone any longer. “Alright, Dad. I’ll call you when I have an update.”

“Sounds good, Son.” We hang up, and I sigh before I see Nick staring down at me.

“Must you tower over me like this?”

“What did he say?” He just seems worried. I’m sure he knows very little about heats and what to expect. I honestly don’t know much either, and now throwing in this rut thing, I’m just lost. “Just to wait until her heat dissipates and administer the dosages based on the total length to both of them.”

“Dosages?” Nick asks, not knowing about the supplements and medication we use for our pack members after heats. I don’t get a chance to answer before another Jeep pulls up. This one has two wolves who obviously don’t belong in this pack.

“And they’re back,” Nick says, and Avery turns around with the scariest face I’ve ever seen on him. “I guess they didn’t get the memo the first time.”

They get out of the car and walk up towards us. They seem okay, but I notice right away that they are spirituals. Maybe it’s a good thing that my dad didn’t come. Most of us don’t mind them. Obviously, I believe in science and what we can do for our kind, but I don’t mind that they have their own way. My dad and Avery, on the other hand, hate them.

“Avery,” the man says with a nod. Avery doesn’t acknowledge him, just stares at both of them. I can feel the tension, mostly on Avery’s part. Thankfully, there is a nice interruption.

“Yo, everything good over here?” Smiley pops his head out from around the corner. He and two of our warriors from the 4th arrived three days before I did. Smiley is easygoing until the fighting starts.

“Yes, everything's good. We just came to check on the female.” I'm about to say something but get interrupted by Avery. Nice to know that even without my dad here, I’m still put on the back burner.

“We told you she was fine and that we don’t need help from your kind, John.”

Even Smiley seems to be taken aback by how volatile Avery is being without provocation. “Ugh, John.” I stop as soon as everyone looks back at me, especially Avery. “She'll be fine. I have everything that she could need when it comes to recovery and fighting the residual effects of her heat.”

Smiley’s smile seems to get even bigger. I didn’t think that was possible. Even Avery cracks a smile before he turns back to John. “Like I said, she’s fine.”

The door slams open, and I turn to see the biggest wolf I’ve ever seen in this pack. “Oh, hey, I think she’s coming out of her heat.” I look to Harris, who quickly grabs my bags, and we follow the other wolf inside the house. He stops in front of a room, and I stop to knock on the door. I want to make sure it’s okay before I go in.

“It’s fine.” I hear a male say softly. I’m sure he’s almost completely drained of all his energy. I open the door and see Mason hunched over the side of the bed while Alexandra lays completely still on the other side. I can see she's still completely drenched in sweat. Obviously, she will need my help first.

I walk over towards her, and a low grumble comes from Mason. I stop for a second and remember that he can’t do anything even if he wants to. He's expended all his energy. When I make it there, I grab her right arm and feel that her skin is burning. The quicker I set up the IV, the sooner I can get rid of her fever, chills, and delirium.

I set up her IV and hook the saline solution up. Next, I grab my dad’s chart to see how many cc’s of the medication she needs before putting that into the IV as well. After the medication has time to work its magic, I will give her the supplements. They're supposed to help replace the protein, nutrients, and minerals lost from five days of not eating. Mason will need them now.

I go towards him. “I hope you aren’t afraid of needles.” He just flings his arm towards me limply. “Do what you need to.”

I quickly place the IV in and add the supplement bag to his IV. “How long until he’s back to normal?” Avery asks me. “Without these supplements, a week at best. With them, two days tops. Might even be one since the heat was only five days.”

Avery nods before he comes closer to speak to Mason. “Your training resumes in two days. You’ve fallen behind, Nick.” Mason doesn’t seem to care. Instead, he keeps his head low as he takes in deep breaths. I'm packing up to give them privacy when Mason grabs my arm. “When will she be back to normal?”

“Alexandra will take a little while longer. Usually, there are symptoms after a heat that I’m going to help her combat. The female body also goes through more rigors due to the extended fever, increased hormones, and increased pheromone release. She should be back to normal in about five days.” Mason quickly cuts me off.

“Five days!” Mason yells at me. “Be glad. Without Dr. Billings' medicine and supplements, females used to take weeks to recover after a heat. We will not wait for her. We will continue training. It’s what Alexandra would have wanted.” Avery talks at Mason, not to him. Mason seems to understand and just nods in response. I can’t wait to get back home.