Chapter 189

Michael POV

I was walking Cedric back to the pack house, discussing our plans for training. He was a good fighter; he just needed a few pointers here and there. We had sparred for another fifteen minutes and then Peter got in and took us both on. To my surprise, my brother was quick on his feet. He held his own for a while against the two of us. Once I hit him in the nose, though, he sank to his knees, while blood gushed out on the mat, and held up one hand telling me to stop. I told him that in a real fight, no one was going to stop while he fixed his broken and bloody nose. He told me to get fucked, then jumped up, straightened his nose and walked off. So much for that. I knew he was distracted, but he needed to get his shit together.

I pointed out various buildings to Cedric as we walked, including the hospital or clinic, depending on where you were from, which would determine what you thought it was. Small towns, this is a hospital. Big towns, it's a clinic. "I should introduce you to our doctor, in case you need any mending while here," I told him.

"I don't get sick," Cedric said, his mouth tilting up in a small grin. I chuckled, because I don't think I'd seen him smile before.

"Oh, I'm sure," I said. "I meant when you need mending from the ass kicking you're going to get every day." Cedric lifted one dark eyebrow but didn't reply.

As we approached, Lynn exited the front entrance, followed by Clint. "Hey there," I said with a wave. "Everything alright?"

"Everything is perfect," Clint said with a grin. "The baby is healthy, Lynn is healthy." He waved an ultrasound picture in the air. "You want to see our peanut?"

"Sure, I'd love too," I replied. I knew how exciting it was to be bringing a pup into the world, and this was going to be the cousin to my own.

Clint and Lynn came forward and showed me the photos. Of course all you could see was the black and white evidence that there was a baby in there, but the sex was not revealed.

"What's the guess on the gender?"I asked.

Lynn looked over at Clint. "We both think it's a girl," she said.

"Why?" I asked, brows raised in curiosity.

"Mostly, my pregnancy has been what I would call gentle. Boys want to come in like wrecking balls," she said with a laugh. Even Cedric laughed softly behind me.

"That's an interesting thought," I said. Just then Mabel came out and waved at us.

"Hiya Alpha Michael," she said. "Nice meeting you Lynn and Clint, have a nice evening," and she was gone as quick as that.

"The receptionist," I told Cedric. "Must be time for her to go home. During the night, a nurse mans the desk while looking after any patients that might be in the clinic for overnight stays."

The front door flew open, and Doctor Constance came running out, her medical bag thrown over her shoulder. "What's going on out here?" she said, approaching us. Then she stopped in her tracks and stared at Cedric. If a black man can pale at all, Cedric did, right there in front of all of us. Constance, in her tall willowy frame, usually so graceful, suddenly seemed awkward. "Uh, hi," she said breathlessly. "Who are you?"

I looked between the two of them and watched as Cedric licked his lips, but couldn't seem to respond. This wisp of a woman had made him speechless, and she was normally one to spit out whatever was on her mind. In this moment, I felt like something cosmic was unfolding in front of us. Lynn gasped and her hand went to her mouth. Clint just looked confused. "Hey Constance, this is Cedric. He's a guardian, and he escorted Clint and Lynn here. He's taking a short leave, spending some time here to train with me," I finally answered for him. "Cedric, this is our pack doctor, Constance."

Cedric cleared his throat and held out his hand, still staring at Constance like he'd never seen a woman before. "Nice to meet you." She gingerly took his huge hand in hers and shook it, then pulled her hand back. She looked down to her hand, turning it over to study.

"Huh," she said before looking back up at his face. "Well, I guess I should welcome you too."

"Thank you, it's nice to meet you ma'am," Cedric replied. Constance laughed.

"Ma'am," she laughed harder. "Ma'am, no, no, no."

Cedric broke out in a toothy grin, his teeth white against his mocha skin. "Okay then. How about Constance then?"

"Connie, call me Connie," she chuckled and turned to walk down the path, I assume to head home. "I'm going to the pack house for dinner tonight. To tired to cook, you want to join me Cedric?" she asked over her shoulder.

Cedric looked over at me, as if to ask my permission. I just shrugged and when he didn't say anything but continued to stand there staring after Constance, I finally just said, "Go have dinner with the doctor, she's great. See you tomorrow." Cedric didn't even say goodbye, just waved over his shoulder as he jogged off to catch up with Constance.

"That was really strange," Clint said quietly as we watched them walk off together, chatting softly so we could only here a word here and there carry on the breeze.

"I think it's amazing," Lynn commented with a smile.

"You do?" Clint asked.

"Yes! I think she might be his second chance," she said excitedly.

"Second chance what?" Clint asked.

"Mate," Lynn said clapping her hands together.

"You will learn all of this stuff with time," I said. "Sometimes, the Goddess will grant those who have lost their mates a second chance at a mate. It's sort of like an I'm sorry, and here's another shot at happiness."

"How would they know if they don't do that whole mating run thing?" Clint asked.

"Good question," I replied. "It's said that in these situations, there is an instinct that goes with it. It's a feeling of belonging, but it doesn't pull you like a true first-time mate bond does, at least not in the beginning. It seems that Cedric knew, but it had freaked him out a bit, and Constance seemed to know that something was happening, although perhaps not exactly what. As far as I know, she's never had a mate or even a genuine love interest. She was always deeply immersed in her studies, and then she went away for a few years, working with various pack doctors to learn everything she needed to know to do her job effectively here. She's my brother's age, so being in your mid-thirties, you tend to think you won't have a mate. This will be interesting to see how it plays out," I said. I pulled out my phone and looked at the calendar. "The full moon is in eight days," I winked at Lynn. "Shall we make bets?"

Lynn laughed, "You want me to make a bet with you that I would lose? No thanks. Since my sister didn't see them or that interaction, I think I'd rather make that bet with her," she said.

"I'm going with no bet," I told them both. "That's a mate bond right there, you will see."