I need a drink
Between dreams and reality, I felt a firm surge and a rustling voice in my mind. I tried shutting it out but it grew firm.
I forced my eyes open, first glancing down at Elena's body, next to mine. Her head was resting on my arm. She'd fallen asleep after our talk, and she'd insisted I stay next to her.
I guess I dozed off too. I'd actually very much love to sleep a bit more. So what the hell was this distraction?
I felt the surge again. It was a mind-link.
I tapped into it, grudgingly.
Boss,
Of all the times you could be a nuisance, Miguel, why did it have to be now?
I'm so sorry. But Dr. Drake is here.”
That did the trick. Suddenly the sleep vanished from my eyes. Gently, I rolled Elena off me and slowly got out of bed and tiptoed out of the room.
Dr. Drake was in the living room, sipping a cup of coffee. He dropped the cup and shot me a smile when I came down the stairs.
“Alpha Vince.”
“Dr. Drake, perfect timing. Would you be so kind as to check on Elena?”
I knew he was here to give me news on Anastasia after going over to check on her. But I also needed him to check on Elena too. I'll hear both news at once.
“Why? Is she sick?” He asked, assuming his professional aura.
“No, not sick. It's just…” Suddenly, I was feeling a little shy. No, not shy. Never shy. More like uncomfortable, spilling my shit out here.
My men were in every corner of the room. The maids were going about their duties. This wasn't the place for this conversation.
“Join me in my study, will you?”
“Sure, Alpha Vince.”
I led the way to my study. Once the door was shut, I found the courage to say what I struggled with earlier.
“I can't sleep with her until I'm sure she's strong enough to handle it.”
Dr. Drake arched a brow. I didn't miss the sneaky smirk on the corner of his lips either. He's a little mischievous shit when he wants to be.
“I'll go check on her.”
“She's asleep though.”
“Don't worry about it, Alpha Vince. I got this.” He winked and left.
I ransacked the files on my desk, thinking that I could, maybe, work on my pending Alpha cases a bit. But misery hit me instantly, accompanied by thoughts of Anastasia. I found myself shutting those files and staring at the ceiling, while wallowing in deep thoughts.
I wasn't sure how much time passed but Dr. Drake was back, like he never left.
I sat up, awaiting him to start talking. He sat down, getting comfortable.
“So?”
“She's fine. Very exhausted. Nothing good hours of sleep wouldn't fix.”
“You're saying we can…”
“Yes, you can.”
“My child's not gonna get hurt?”
“No, Alpha Vince. Your child's gonna be fine. You can do whatever with her, but then again, the fact remains that she's pregnant. So not too rough.”
“I'll be careful.”
“Tell me something, was she crying? I noticed tear streaks…”
“Yes. We had an issue.” I cut him off.
He nodded. “I'm sure it's something you can fix.”
“Of course.” An awkward silence.
“About….your other patient,” he began, making my heart jerk. “She has a bump on her forehead. It's not very deep and she'll be healed in a few days.”
Dr. Drake doesn't know Anastasia. When I was a teenage Alpha, Dr. Drake was out of the Pack, studying.
I was already mated to Vanessa, and Trent was already a toddler when Dr. Drake returned and became the Pack's Doctor. So there's little to no chance that he knows Anastasia.
He doesn't seem like he's curious either. He's keeping it professional.
“She also has mild signs of fatigue. But that's all.”
I nodded, unsure of what to say. I glanced at him and noticed how conflicted he was. Clearly, that wasn't all. He was struggling to say more.
“Is there something else you wanna say?”
He looked at me. “I don't know. Should I say it?”
“Go ahead.”
“Well,” he adjusted in his seat, intertwining his fingers. “I noticed something kinda weird about her.”
“What is it?”
“She…doesn't have scars.” He dropped, like it should have a big impact. But I didn't even flinch. Why was this a big deal?
“Isn’t that what happens when you morph into your wolf form when you're injured and your wolf clears up your wounds. The damn traditional way?”
“Yes, but to the point that you have no single scars? Not a line? Not a tear? Like a damn newborn? That's…classic.”
Okay, I see his point.
“Also, there should be scars from injuries she had when she was younger and her wolf was yet to surface. But she literally has none. She's damn smooth.”
“What are you insinuating?” I was feeling unexplainable chills from his theory.
He ran his fingers through his beard. “Not insinuating. I'm not saying anything precisely. I'm just saying it's such a rare case. Never seen anything like this before. Either she was way too careful during childhood and never sustained any injuries or she used some scar-cleansing lotion. Either way, I'm wowed.”
“Does such lotion really exist?”
“Yes, I think so.” He's not sure.
I hate how anxious this whole thing is making me feel. I hate all the slimy, little mysteries surrounding Anastasia's return.
Trying to recall if she had any scars back then would be hard because…her memories were long buried in the basement of my heart.
I never dared revisit them for two decades. If I tried now, I wouldn't recall much. Definitely not something as insignificant as her body scars.
“I'd love to sit here and ponder with you, Alpha Vince, but I have an emergency I need to attend to in the hospital.” Dr. Drake was on his feet, ready to leave.
“Thank you. And please, can I count on you not to mention my other patient to anyone else?”
He smiled. “You know you can, Alpha Vince.”
“Thank you.”
I saw him out the door. While his car was leaving the premises, Leo's car was drifting in. I waited on the spot, watching him alight from his car.
“Hey man,” he greeted. We shook hands. His assessing gaze instantly spotted my frustration. “What's wrong?”
I rubbed my temples with a groan. “I need a drink...”
“Sure. Where?”
“My clubhouse.”
He grinned. “Get in.”