Chapter 23
Chapter 23
“It’s not a stupid question if you can’t answer it.”
Jostein Gaarder
It wasn’t long before the doctor from the night before, who I could only assume was Dr. Li, was knocking at the bedroom door.
“Luna, may I come in?” Her voice was soft, and for a split second, I wondered what would happen if I told her ‘no.’ Would she really go away if I refused to let her in, or would she force her way in and follow Alpha Enzo’s order to examine me?
*His pack calls me Luna, but I have to wonder if that title comes with any real authority.*
But I’d test it another time.
“You can come in,” I called back.
Without hesitation, the door opened, revealing the same woman from last night. Slung over one arm, she had the same bulky medical bag from last night, and under the other, what looked like fresh clothes.
“Please tell me those are for me,” I gestured to the clothes bundled under her arm.
She gave me a tight smile. “Yes, Luna. I’ll give you some privacy to change just as soon as I look at your arm again. May I sit?”
At my nod, she perched on the side of the bed and began unzipping her bag. “Has it been bothering you? Any pain or discomfort?”
“No more than you’d expect from a bruise,” I replied, “The swelling has even gone down. You really don’t need to give me an entire exam.”
“I do,” she said, poking and prodding at my arm much like she’d done the night before. Already, it had begun to turn purplish-red, and if I looked closely, I could see where each of his fingers squeezed. “Alpha is very worried about you, especially given your human nature. We know the limits of werewolves, but humans are a little trickier. We don’t interact with much of your kind.”
“So, I’m guessing you didn’t go to medical school then,” I said, “Or did you? I heard him call you the ‘pack doctor,’ so I assume you must have some kind of training.”
“No, I did not go to medical school, Luna. At least not the kind you’re thinking of…but I did go through an extensive training. I trained under the pack’s previous doctor for a decade before I took over for him,” she told me.
“But you’ve treated humans before, at least in some capacity?”
Maybe it was the lighting, but I could’ve sworn she was blushing as she replied, “No, I have not, Luna.”
An idea suddenly struck.
“You know, maybe my arm is broken or sprained,” I said, “There’s really no way to know for sure, unless I go to a doctor. A human one. I’m guessing you guys don’t keep x-ray machines here.” For good measure, I added, “And I mean, if it is and I don’t get treatment, it’ll probably only get worse…”
*And a human hospital will mean plenty of opportunities to get away.*
She paused her exam to look up at me. “I may have little experience with humans, Luna, but I do believe I can handle a bruise,” she said flatly. Judging from the look on her face, she saw right through my plan.
I sighed. So much for trying.
“Besides,” she said, “Humans aren’t so different than werewolves, anatomy-wise. We’re just a lot more durable. We heal too quickly to get bruises. Our broken bones don’t last more than a few minutes…even our limbs can grow back, depending on how we lost them.”
“And what about scars?” I blurted out. I hadn’t meant to ask, but the words slipped off my tongue before I could stop them.
She was quiet for a moment before she said, “Usually we heal, but…depends how you were scarred.”
That was all she said on the topic, and although I hadn’t mentioned him by name, I had a feeling she knew I was asking about Alpha Enzo.
We spent the rest of the exam in silence.
It wasn’t until she was zipping up her medical bag that she said, “Your arm still looks good. From my research last night on human bruising, it should fade to yellow and brown within a few days. If it doesn’t, I’ll look at it again.”
I nodded.
She handed over the clothes, and what I could tell, they all looked to be women’s clothing in a similar size, which was a relief. Despite the comment he’d made before leaving the room, it didn’t appear as if Alpha Enzo was actually going to make me wear his clothes around the house.
That train of thought sparked another.
“Oh, Dr. Li,” I said, “Do you know what marking is?”
Her eyebrows shot to her hairline. “You don’t know what marking is?” She said it as if I’d just proclaimed I had no idea how sex worked, and now, she’d need to explain the birds and the bees to me.
“I’m human, remember?”
“Yes, I suppose you are,” she said, “You just appeared to have a pretty solid understanding of werewolves, you even came here with one of them. I guess I just assumed you knew everything about us, but…”
She shifted on the bed to face me. “Marking is something that happens in the mate bond, sometimes it’s also called a claiming mark. Once werewolves have consumated their bond, they’ll mark each other with a bite on the neck. It leaves venom behind, so the mates will usually smell like each other.”
“That’s what that is?” I repeated, scrunching up my entire face in displeasure. “No way in hell I’m letting anyone’s fangs even close to my neck.”
Something closed to an amused smile curled at her lips. “I understand why the idea may sound uncomfortable,” she said, “But everyone says it’s quite pleasurable.”
“But you haven’t been marked?” I glanced at her neck, and sure enough, I couldn’t see any indicator of a bite mark.
Something indistinguishable passing through her eyes. “No, I haven’t…” Whatever she meant to say was lost as she suddenly shook her head. “I’m sure Alpha will be back soon, so I’ll leave you to get dressed in something more suitable. It’s a big day today.”
That caught my attention. “A big day?”
Her eyebrows furrowed. “Alpha didn’t tell you?”
I was beginning to get a pit in my stomach, one that told me I wasn’t going to like whatever was about to come out of her mouth. “Tell me what?”
She swallowed, as if unsure whether she should keep talking. “Well, I’m sure he meant to tell you, but the man who attacked you last night? Today is his reckoning. He’ll face punishment in front of the whole pack for how he tried to hurt you last night.”
Whatever I’d expected her to say, it wasn’t that.