Hudson spent the next day wracking his brain, trying to think of a way to help the little girl who was so sick. Finally, he went to the clinic, catching the doctor on her lunch break. The she wolf, placing her sandwich back into its wrapper raised an eyebrow at him in suspicion.
‘What have you done now?’ she asked warily.
‘Nothing!’ Hudson replied, insulted, ‘why do I need to have done something to come and see my favourite auntie?’
The doctor rolled her eyes, ‘spill it, whatever it is you want must be huge if you are pulling out the auntie card.’
‘Always so suspicious’ Hudson grumbled as he took a seat across from the woman, his foot tapping the floor nervously.
‘Have to be around you kid, you are a pain in my ass’ his mother’s best friend replied with a wink.
‘I need you to come with me to check over a little girl’ he muttered quickly, avoiding the doctor’s gaze.
Jill frowned, ‘why can’t her parents just bring her here? Is she injured badly? Do they know? Hudson!’ she suddenly snapped, ‘did you leave a pup somewhere injured and come here alone?’
The Alpha shook his head quickly, ‘no, it’s not like that’ he hurried out, ‘she . . . she doesn’t belong to our pack’ headed with a sheepish grin.
Jill sat back, eyeing him, ‘why would you need me to go and see a pup that doesn’t belong to us, why isn’t she going to her own pack doctor?’
Hudson shrunk away from the woman’s stern gaze, ‘she’s a rogue’ he mumbled. Seeing the doctor about to speak, he cut across her quickly.
‘Aunt Jill, she’s only four, there are two small families travelling together, my Ma . . uh, my friend knows them, they are not dangerous. The mother lost her mate, the little girl is all she has left and she can’t afford to take her to a hospital. She’s taken her to a human clinic, she’s desperate.’
Hudson stared at the older woman beseechingly as she absorbed his words. ‘Huds’ she started slowly, ‘I’d love to help all injured wolves . .’ she started.
‘So do it’ Hudson begged, ‘start with Esme, please, don’t let her die!’
Jill sighed, ‘it’s not that easy Huds and you know it, your father would have to approve a rogue family entrance through the border, and for me to treat her. Who knows how expensive her treatment would be, the pack’s finances are not limitless and I need to keep our supplies for our own people.’
The Alpha growled in frustration, his mother’s best friend was pretty much saying exactly what Quinn had said would be the reply. The pack always came first, even at the expense of a defenseless pup.
Scowling, he drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair as he thought. Hudson suddenly sat up straighter, ‘so go to them’ he offered.
Jill’s eyes widened, ‘you want me to go into a Rogue camp, alone, to treat a child?’ she asked in horror.
Hudson nodded, ‘you won’t be alone’ he replied, ‘I’ll be with you, and my . . friend, Quinn. We’ll protect you while you take a look at Esme.’
The doctor looked unsure, ‘I don’t know Huds’ she said slowly, ‘I can’t just take off to a Rogue pack, I’d at least have to tell the Alpha what I was doing and there’s a good chance he’d want me to take warriors if he even allowed me to go . . ‘
The Alpha shook his head immediately, ‘no you can’t tell mum or dad’ he said quickly. ‘There are only seven of them Aunt Jill, none of them high ranking. If dad sends warriors with you, they’ll make the group run in fear. Quinn and I can protect you if need be, but you would not be in danger, I promise.’
The older woman still looked unsure, ‘but . . . ‘ she said slowly.
‘Please Aunt Jill, trust me as your future Alpha, trust me to keep you safe while you check a pup that is really sick.’
The doctor nibbled on her lip for a moment before nodding, ‘OK’ she whispered, ‘arrange with this friend of yours to meet these people. But we will have to go early whilst the warriors are at training and on patrol, either Saturday or Sunday would be best, lots of people around to cover up we are missing.’
Hudson stood up and hugged the woman, ‘Thank you Aunt Jill’ he said sincerely, I appreciate this. I’ll talk to Quinn tomorrow and we’ll sort out going there so you can check Esme.’
Hugging him back, Jill nodded curtly as the Alpha hurried out of her office and back toward the pack house, determined to talk to his mate the next day and arrange for the little girl to see his pack doctor.
The following morning, Hudson was up early, hammering on Garrett’s door until the grumpy beta opened it to glare at him. ‘Dude’ he muttered as he glanced at his watch bleary eyed, ‘it’s five o’clock, why are you waking me? Training isn’t until six thirty.’
Hudson shoved the door wider and stomped into the Beta’s room. ‘We’re training early today’ he ordered, taking a seat at the teenager’s desk and spinning the chair toward his friend. ‘I want to train, eat and be at the school by eight today so get your ass in your training gear and let's go.’
Muttering under his breath, Garrett moved toward his bathroom, disappearing inside to clean up and use the facilities before walking back out and into his closet, appearing moments later, dressed in workout wear.
The pair headed out of his room and down the stairs, walking out into the crisp morning air and heading toward the training grounds that were still empty.
Standing opposite each other, Garrett stretched out his muscles, shaking the sleep from his body as Hudson lay down on the ground pulling his legs toward his chest.
Once both were warmed up, they stood opposite each other, starting to slowly circle as they held eye contact.
‘I’m going to make you suffer for this wake up’ Garrett warned, assessing his Alpha’s movements’
‘Let's see what you’ve got’ Hudson taunted, rolling his shoulders as he readied for the Beta’s attack.
The pair traded blows for a while, feeling each other out as they moved around their imaginary fighting ring. Garrett took a swing at Hudson’s face, the Alpha easily stepping out of the way before sending a punch of his own toward his beta’s stomach. Garrett jumped back from the flying fist, dropping to the ground and spinning with his leg out, to try and take his Alpha’s legs from under him.
Hudson jumped, shaking his head in amusement, ‘I expect better than that cheap ass move’ he called out, catching Garrett’s leg as it sailed under him and pulling as he landed, causing the beta to crash to the ground.
Garrett reached up, grabbing his Alpha’s arm, and pulled him down on top of him, rolling them both over so he was on top and started to rain blows down in quick succession.
Hudson deflected the beta’s attack, winding his legs around his friend’s body and using his strength to twist so that they changed places, Hudson was now on top as Garrett tried to buck him off.
Slamming his fist into the beta’s ribs, Hudson smirked as Garrett coughed fiercely, gasping for breath as he tried to protect his injured side.
Claws came out of the beta’s free hand, slashing four deep cuts across the Alpha’s bicep causing the other teenager to hiss out in pain.
Garrett grinned in triumph, ‘that better for you Alpha?’ he asked sarcastically as he took advantage of the other man’s distraction and flipped his body over his head, sending Hudson tumbling across the grass.
The Alpha extended his own claws, using them to slow his movements, grinding to a halt on all fours as he turned back to the beta who was already up and moving toward him.
Launching himself forward, Hudson dug his claws into the oncoming beta, anchoring himself to the other wolf’s chest as Garrett swiped at his face, though the momentum of the heavier man toppled him backwards, the pair falling to the ground where they rolled over and over. Losing his purchase, Hudson started to slash at his friend, the other teenager meeting him blow for blow as blood seeped into the ground.
After another ten minutes, the pair broke apart, laying side by side, panting heavily as their skin healed quickly.
‘Gage is becoming a weak ass’ Harvey scoffed in his head making the Alpha chuckle.
‘What?’ his beta asked grumpily as he rolled onto his side to glare at his best friend.
‘Harvey thinks that Gage has lost his touch’ Hudson replied with a smirk.
Garrett laughed humourlessly, ‘I won’t tell you what his reply to his Alpha was, but he did say that he was ready to go, any time, any place that Harvey wanted to rumble’ he retorted.
Hudson pushed up from the ground, checking his healing wounds, happy to see that they had already stopped bleeding, before holding his hand out to Garrett and pulling him to his feet.
‘Yeah yeah, Gage knows he’d have his ass handed to him if he tried’ he said, grabbing his friend around the neck and pulling him in for a one armed hug.
‘Come on’ he growled, ‘I’m starving, lets get washed up and eat.’
Garrett nodded, grinning back at his friend, the two heading back to the pack house, separating at Garrett’s door, Hudson heading up to the Alpha floor and into his room to shower and dress.
Twenty minutes later, the pair were sat at the Alpha table, towering plates of food in front of them both as they forced huge forkfuls into their mouths.
‘You two eat like pigs’ came Tilly’s voice as she slid into the chair beside Garrett and started to eat her pancakes, ‘it’s disgusting.’
‘Tilly bear, you hurt me’ Garrett pouted, ‘I eat like a wolf, pigs are prey, wolves are predators and I’m all predator babe.’ He winked at the little she wolf who laughed, throwing a piece of pancake at him which he caught easily in his mouth and swallowed.
‘You don’t need to feed me, I’ve got enough here to keep me going till lunch’ the beta teased, shovelling another forkful into his mouth.
Finishing up his food, Hudson pulled Garrett up beside him, taking his plate and stashing them both on the trolley for used crockery.
‘I wasn’t finished’ Garrett grumbled, following the Alpha outside and climbing into the passenger seat.
‘Well I want to get to school, so next time, eat faster’ Hudson replied, jumping in and turning the key in the ignition.
Reaching the parking lot in record time, Hudson was out of the truck and jogging toward the door before Garrett had even gotten his bag on his shoulder.
‘Where are you going?’ he shouted at the Alpha’s disappearing form.
‘To see my mate’ the teenager replied, pulling open the door and entering, leaving his best friend staring after him in shock.