Pack Secrets(5)
*****
Two days later Dee was exhausted. Work and her son were consuming her. Carter had boundless energy and she’d been holding off taking him into the forest for a run because she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on him. She knew that’s what he needed though; a good run on four legs would tucker him out and give her a small break from his endless questions.
She exited the back of the house she’d been renting and took him to the edge of the forest. “It’s time to play, but I want you to remember the rules. Stay where I can see you and don’t play with other wolves if you see them. Got it?”
“Yep, I can’t wait, Mama. I’m so happy I get to be my wolfie.”
“Shh, keep your voice down. Remember, we don’t reveal our animals to anyone. Don’t forget, Carter, it’s very important.”
“I knows. But Mama, I’m a wolfie and Gama and Papa never lets me run.”
He held his little arms to his side and pumped them back and forth like he was running, his legs joined in the action. She was taken back to the last time she’d seen his wolf; no, she’d never think about that, it was in the past.
“Are you ready, Mama? Watch me.” He stripped his clothes, flinging them every which way until he was naked and crouched down on the ground. His body shifted in a matter of seconds. He’d always been fast, alpha fast.
He bumped his head into her leg once before he tore off through the foliage behind their house. He urinated on every tree, howling once as he got to the far end of their property. She watched him run back and forth digging, scratching and generally having a great time as his wolf. It was important to let your beast out to play every once in a while, there were people who’d gone insane from denying their beast for too long.
She let him run for a good hour until she noticed him start to slow down and do more rolling in the dirt than anything else. He came over to her appearing like he wanted to change back when there was a noise in the woods. His ears perked up and he tore down the steps and into the wooded area bordering their house. She chased after him calling his name and was shocked when he came out of the forest with a bunny gripped in his jaws.
She smiled down at him, “Great job, buddy, you’re going to be a master hunter, already slaying the bunny. Time to go in now.”
There was a gagging sound and Carter released the rabbit from his mouth and proceeded to vomit in his wolf form. She didn’t even know wolves could vomit. “Change back, Carter, it’s time to go in.”
Instead of doing what she asked, he whined and began to gag again. Carter wasn’t an ill child. In fact, wolves rarely got sick, so she began to panic. She retrieved her phone and called the only person she knew that might be able to help.
Being in Alaska felt right, even if he ended up having to heal half the population’s ailments. Justin really enjoyed the community. There wasn’t an internet café or a Starbucks on every corner. The people that lived here were more in tune with nature.
He’d been out scenting with Blake who’d warned him that he was out marking the border of his territory when he scented a wolf shifter that he wasn’t familiar with. They didn’t know if it was a rogue or an old pack member, but the scent was distinctly feminine.
Over the last couple minutes Blake, in wolf form, had appeared restless and on edge. Not to mention his scent changed to almost panicked. Blake was practically running while scenting and it was making Justin Nervous.
Blake’s phone rang for the twentieth time and Justin smiled as he jokingly answered without looking at the caller ID. “Blake here, but if it’s a woman I’m happily mated and not on the lookout for Mrs. Nunn as I’ve already found her.”
The person on the other line was breathless and he heard some sort of disgusting retching in the background through the telephone line. Justin asked, “Who is this?”
An all too familiar voice came over the line and Justin got chills as he heard her say. “He’s sick.”
Justin demanded. “Where are you, Dee? Where is he?”
There was a pause before more gagging sounds started and a breathless Dee broke his heart by pleading. “Please help him. We’re at home.”
Blake was already sprinting to the car, no longer shifted, in full alpha mode with Justin close on his heels. “We’re on our way.”
Justin disconnected the call, and was so rattled he couldn’t even open the car door. Blake came around and flung it open for him before rushing to the driver’s side and starting the car. Pulling out of the parking lot the car swerved. “What the hell, bro-” Before Justin completed his sentence, Blake pulled Justin into his mind. Through Blake’s blood bond with the pack, Justin could feel Dee’s panic. Justin was glad Blake was behind the wheel: he would have been too overwhelmed by Dee’s distress to drive. Justin sat in the passenger seat, feeling her distress. Every minute that went by was killing him, knowing he wasn’t there for them when they needed him.