The rest of the week passed uneventfully, Hudson grabbing Quinn after class on Friday to make sure that they were still on for Sunday.
Quinn nodded, ‘Patterson said he would get them back to their camp ready for your doctor to see her on Sunday morning. She is right, the earlier we can get there the better, so how about we meet at six at the edge of the market?’
Hudson had agreed and the pair had gone their separate ways, Harvey wagging his tail happily in the Alpha’s head at the knowledge that they would see their mate again in a few days.
Saturday, Hudson spent the morning teaching his sister to swim, remembering to leave his mother a note for once before they left the pack house. He again spent the evening rewatching the same films at a sleepover with Tilly, allowing her to paint his face and nails but he made sure to clean everything off after she fell asleep before snuggling in beside the little girl on her bed, covering her with a blanket and allowing sleep to take him.
‘You sleep here all night?’ came Garrett’s voice, breaking through his dream where he had been chasing after an auburn coloured wolf, the she wolf glancing back at him tauntingly before shooting into the trees again. Harvey hot on her heels, loving the game as they dodged each other, her snapping at his tail playfully.
‘What? What time is it?’ he grumbled groggily as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
‘Five AM Alpha’ Garrett crowed, ‘payback is a bitch! Up you get.’
Snapping his eyes open, Hudson scrambled for his phone, checking the time as he bolted up from the bed, running from the room at full speed.
‘I was just messing with you, it really is five o’clock, you can sleep in’ Garrett’s voice trailed behind him.
‘I need to go! Got a, um, meeting at six’ Hudson mind linked back so the rest of the pack wouldn’t hear.
Washing quickly, he dragged on clean clothes, hopping down the corridor to the stairs as he tried to pull on his sneakers. Running down to the front door, he pulled it open to find Jill leaning against his truck, checking her watch impatiently.
‘You took your time’ she growled, stalking around to the passenger side and yanking the door open.
‘Sorry, I had a sleep over with Tilly, I forgot to set my alarm’ the teenager replied as he slid in behind the wheel and started the engine, taking off down the road as soon as Jill shut her door.
Moving through the streets, there was very few cars on the road and they arrived at the market at ten to six. Parking up, Hudson climbed out of the vehicle, Jill joining him with her doctors bag gripped tightly in her hand.
In front of them, Quinn stepped out of the side alley, watching the doctor nervously.
‘Do you promise that she’s not going to hurt them?’ the she wolf asked, nodding toward the older woman.
Jill stepped forward, holding out her hand for the teenager to shake, ‘I’m Jill, this knucklehead’s surrogate aunt and best friend to his mother’ she introduced herself. ‘I have no desire to hurt anyone, goes against my profession, plus I really don’t want my Alpha to know that I snuck out with his wayward son to treat a Rogue not checked out by our warriors.’
Quinn released a slow breath as she shook the other woman’s hand, ‘Quinn’ she replied, ‘thank you for giving up your time to see Esme. I’ve . . tried to get her help . . ‘ she mumbled sadly.
‘But wolves don’t like to associate with non pack members, especially a Rogue group’ Jill finished for her understandingly.
Nodding, Quinn beckoned them to follow her, the two shadow pack members walking a few paces behind her as she led the way to the forest, following the same route that Hudson remembered.
After a few minutes, Quinn held up her hand, halting the duo, ‘could you stay here just for a moment so I can speak to them before they meet you?’ she asked, biting down on her lip. ‘I did tell them about you, but . . . . ‘
Jill placed a hand on the young girl’s arm comfortingly, ‘we understand’ she replied, ‘two pack wolves, one that’s Alpha blooded, it’s going to worry them, you need to reassure them before we approach.’
Quinn nodded, obviously relieved, giving the older woman a small smile before turning away and heading into the trees. Hudson stood silently waiting with Jill until his mate appeared again, smiling brightly and calling them over.
Hurrying to her side, they were soon back in the small clearing, Ivar and Keta were clinging to their mother’s legs as Hugh stood in front of them all, arms crossed over his chest.
Next to the Rogue werewolf stood Patterson, guarding his tent where Hudson assumed Esme and her mother were hiding.
‘Patterson, Guys, these are the people I told you about, this his Hudson’ Quinn introduced, waving a hand toward the Alpha who gave them a small smile and awkward wave. ‘And this is his pack doctor, Jill, she is going to take a look at Esme for us.’
The group of Rogues eyed the pair warily, edging closer to each other as if to protect themselves.
‘I’m just going to take a seat right here’ Hudson said quickly, dropping to the ground and crossing his legs, putting himself at a lower and less intimidating height. He saw Hugh immediately relax, his wolf feeling less threatened by the strong aura rolling off the young Alpha.
Quinn turned back to Patterson, ‘can you ask Lilith to bring Esme out here?’ she asked quietly.
Patterson studied the newcomers for a moment before slowly nodding and turning toward the tent, pulling open the flap and crouching down to speak to the two people inside.
‘I don’t want to Pat’ came a woman’s harassed voice, ‘we don’t know them! What if they hurt her, she’s fragile enough.’
‘I won't let anything happen to her Lil’ Patterson replied gruffly, ‘she needs a doctor and this is the best option we have.’
‘I could have taken her to the human clinic’ the woman continued to argue, ‘you made me come back.’
The werewolf scrubbed a hand down his face, ‘the humans can’t treat her Lilith’ he said in defeat, ‘this is a proper wolf medic, you know we can’t afford to be seen by the hospital, don’t you want her to be well?’ he asked.
Lilith’s sharp intake of breath was all that was heard before she growled, ‘of course I do, she’s my baby! I want . . I need . . ‘
‘So bring her out here and let this nice lady look her over’ Patterson cut her off, reaching into the tent and gripping a slim white hand.
Slowly, a blonde woman uncurled from inside of the tent, a tiny little girl clinging to her chest, her eyes half closed as she leaned against her mother’s shoulder.
Moving out into the open, Lilith sat just outside the tent, still not handing her daughter over as she watched the two pack members with obvious trepidation.
Jill moved closer, dropping down onto her knees in front of the woman, keeping some space between them when she saw the other she wolf flinch away from her. ‘I don’t want to hurt Esme’ she said softly, ‘I just want to see if I can help her feel a bit better.’ Jill studied the fraught looking woman, ‘please can I check her over? I promise I’m not going to take her away or do anything that you don’t agree too.’
Reluctantly, Lilith nodded, disentangling the girl from her body and laying her down between them, keeping one of the tiny girl’s hands clasped in her own.
Giving her a reassuring smile, the doctor moved her attention to the little girl who was peering up at her through tired eyes, her breathing laboured as if just staying alive was taking everything she had.
‘Hey sweetie’ Jill soothed, reaching out and patting the child’s other hand, ‘your name is Esme right?’
The little girl nodded weakly, her eyes closing for a moment before she forced them open again.
‘I’m Jill’ the she wolf continued, ‘and I’m a doctor, I help people feel better, can I take a look at you and see if maybe I can make you feel better too?’
Esme nodded slowly, her chest wheezing as she tried to speak.
‘It’s OK, you can just nod or shake your head if that’s easier sweetie, don’t feel like you have to talk’ Jill murmured as she opened her bag and took out her stethoscope.
Looking up at Lilith and then Patterson, Jill asked, ‘was she a sickly baby? Was she born like this?’
It was Patterson who answered, ‘no, she was really healthy when she was born, just like any other pup, then when she was about a year old, she started to get temperatures, her body would ache and sometimes she was sick.’
The doctor nodded as she placed the end of her stethoscope under the child’s top and listened to her chest. Frowning, she took her pulse, then pulled out a thermometer to take her temperature.
Placing her hands on Esme’s stomach, she paused as the child whimpered, ‘does that hurt sweetie?’ she asked, giving her a comforting smile.
Esme nodded as a tear squeezed out of her eye and ran down her face.
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you’ Jill soothed, ‘you are such a brave girl, I don’t think i’ve ever had such a brave patient before.’
‘Really?’ Esme whispered, biting down on her lip to stop it from trembling.
Jill nodded, ‘some of the warriors I deal with are big babies’ she confided, with a wink, making the four year old giggle weakly.
‘Is that big Alpha brave?’ Esme asked, glancing over at Hudson worriedly.
Jill shrugged, ‘well when he got a big splinter in his hand, he cried while I was taking it out’ she whispered conspiratorially.
Esme’s eyes widened as Hudson pouted, ‘I was three!’ he grumbled, ‘and it was huge, almost went through my hand!’
‘It was the size of my pinky fingernail’ Jill retorted, ‘and I’m sure you were at least five, much too old to be crying about a splinter.’
As she distracted the little girl with her story, the doctor continued to examine the child, pulling up her shirt and then inching down her leggings to check her skin.
Looking up sharply, she pointed at a red rash on the child’s thigh, ‘how long has she had this?’ she demanded in her most professional voice.
Lilith shrank back against the tent as Patterson frowned in confusion, ‘since she was little, maybe from the time she was two years old’ he replied. ‘Her dad had it too, it was on the back of his right leg, like a big patch, we figured it was some sort of allergy but we could never figure out what he was allergic too.’
Jill quickly, dressed the child again, ‘how long did her dad have that rash?’ she asked, keeping her tone neutral.
The werewolf’s brow creased, ‘maybe five years before he was killed’ he muttered, glancing at the she wolf for confirmation.
Sitting back, Jill crossed her arms, ‘that rash is from wolfsbane’ she said, a tinge of anger in her voice, ‘you only get it from extensively consuming it over time.’