Chapter 32
I got down on my knees beside Lily and ran my hands through the fur at her neck. I placed my forehead against hers and marveled at her size.
A fair amount of wolf shifters were about the same size as a regular wolf, but the longer an alpha line remained in power the larger their descendants were. She rivaled my size and might even be slightly bigger which for a she-wolf was unheard of. I could only imagine the size her brother was.
I pressed my lips against the top of her snout and closed my eyes. If she didn't regain her energy, then I would never see her as a human again. Her paw twitched causing me to jump back and scramble across the floor.
Her eyes twitched open and began scanning the room. Doctor Cassidy stepped forward with a syringe in his hand, but I grabbed his ankle to stop him. The man glared back at me for a split second before hiding his emotion.
The wolf began to stir and open her eyes.
"She will be lethargic and slow for a few minutes, but after that if she can't shift, we will need to sedate her again. It's too dangerous for us all."
I waved him off and moved onto all fours then flat on my stomach to be at eye level with her again. Her eyes darted around, but there wasn't any spark of recognition in them. She growled curling up her lips to show the large teeth. I reached my hand out to place it on the side of her face.
"Lily...it's me. I know you're in there. We need you to shift." The wolf's lips quivered then snapped at my arm. Luckily, she was still slowed down from the sedation and I was able to move away in time. "Lily please!" My words came out almost as a sob, but the wolf just growled and moved its paws trying to find her footing to stand.
Before she could get into a standing position the doctor pressed the needle into her hind end causing her to yelp and try and whip her head around. Within a few seconds she began to sway slightly. Her eyes darted to mine in panic and then she was limp again.
"What the hell was that? That's not just having the energy to shift."
Dr. Cassidy sighed and returned to his chair. "That's what I feared the most. There's a crucial balance that happens in the body of a shifter. Stop shifting and the human will take over completely. Stay in animal form too long and the wolf takes over."
I nodded and remained looking up at him from the floor. I felt like a child sitting on the rug at circle time. "We have an alpha to force us to shift if we refuse one way or the other. It seems as though there could be a combination of things in this instance. By the amount of blood and missing fur on her body there was substantial trauma to her human form. Her wolf is taking over. The human side is probably too weak to surface or gone altogether.
'Your Dad has already tried to use his Alpha energy to force a shift and it did nothing. From what I have been told she has been denounced from her father's pack so for all intents and purposes she is without an alpha that would have the authority to force a shift.
'The last piece to the puzzle is one that I can't prove but would make the most sense. If she was held captive, I assume she would have not been allowed to shift. Being a wolf would strengthen the bond you too have because the wolf side is what allows her energy to pull you in and vice versa. The longer she is not a wolf the weaker that side becomes. When shifting and using all of her energy the wolf is holding on for life just as much as the human side is now. It doesn't want to give up being the primary or share it, because it fears that it will not be used again."
A rock formed in my stomach, and I glanced between the doctor and my family. "So, what do we do?"
Dr. Cassidy leaned his head forward and scratched the back of his neck. "I can't tell you what to do with a rogue wolf. That is not my place within the pack. I can tell you that if we can't get her to shift in the next forty-eight hours, she will most likely not ever be human again. At that point she might be more comfortable to be released into the wild."
At this I stood up and shouted at him. "She's not an animal! She's my mate!"
Dad walked over and put a hand on my shoulder guiding me into the dinning room. "Adam, I know this is a lot to deal with, but don't take it out on the one who is trying to help."
I dropped my head on to the table and despite my best-efforts tears burned my eyes. The rock that had settled in my stomach grew legs and climbed up my throat. My breathing started to become more difficult, and sobs shook my body.
Dad's hand moved off my shoulder and was replaced by Mom's arms wrapping around my shoulders from the chair beside me. Her hair tickled my arm and I focused on her slow breathing and small hand moving up and down my arm in slow steady movements.
After a few minutes I was able to raise my head and calm my breathing.
"Can someone please get Josh? I don't understand why he's not here." My voice cracked a few times, but for many of them the words came out normal.
The doctor stood up and gathered his bag. "I need to check on the she-wolf. I assume her sedation will be wearing off soon and she will also most likely need another dose. I will send him to you immediately."
"Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate all you are doing for them both." He nodded and walked out the door to wherever the she-wolf was being kept.
In the time it took Josh to walk into the house I was able to bring Dad up to speed on the campaign. I recounted how Rowland was dealing with the police and the pack of wolves that decided to camp out at the pond. I also went into detail about how all the threats had already been eliminated before we arrived. It appears Lily and the she-wolf rescued themselves.
"You called?" He looked anxiously between us and the door without so much as glancing at Lily. I couldn't tell if it was intentional to avoid seeing her or if something else was pulling him away.
"I need you to go and get her mother. I promised her she would be able to see Lily again."
Mom tightened her grip on my arm. "Should we wait? What mother would want to see her baby like this?"
I shook my head and peeled her hand off my arm. "I promised her. If even a little piece of Lily is left in there her mother would want the opportunity to talk to her again."
Josh turned to head towards the door. "Wait. Make sure it's only her mother. I don't want her entire family seeing her like this or trying to take her away from us."
"She will be here soon." The door clicked behind him, and I found the strength to walk back over to the sedated wolf.
I returned to my place on the floor with an arm draped over her body. Her rough fur poked at my skin but feeling her warmth breath across my neck brought me peace.
*Josh's PV*
When I walked on to the front porch it was late enough that the porch light had already turned off for the night. The house was silent and still with no lights turned on. I was nervous to knock and wake the baby, but it couldn't wait until morning.
I gently knocked barely making a sound. When I didn't hear any stirring, I knocked slightly harder. The shuffling that followed told me that someone heard.
The door swung open, and Leo stood on the other side. He was pulling a t-shirt over his head and looked at me with a slight bit of panic behind his eyes. He reached over and flipped on the porch light, so I wasn't standing in the dark.
"Adam made a promise to Trinity that when we found Lily, she would be amongst the first to see her."
A small squeak came from behind Leo, and he stepped aside to reveal Trinity standing in baggy pajamas. She was wringing her hands together and bit her lip as if she were afraid, she had misheard.
"You really found her?"
"Yes. She is stuck in wolf form though and being sedated. If her human form can't become strong enough to take back over in the next few days, the doctor thinks she won't surface again. Time is of the essence."
Leo stepped back into the doorway. "Of course. We just need to grab our shoes."
I held up my hand to stop him. "Only the Luna is permitted to visit."
"You surely can't think I would let her go without me? Lily is my daughter too."
"Listen I'm not here to argue with you. I need to get back. Trinity can come with me or drive herself, but they were very clear that at this time only Luna can visit. Your pack members will all return unharmed tomorrow. Both the Alpha and Adam are very appreciative and send their thanks."
"Not appreciative enough to let me see my own daughter." The words let me rolled off his tongue coated with venom. My patience was waiving, and the exhaustion of the day was fully settled into my bones.
"That's a conversation to have with the alpha. I am just a messenger, and I will be on my way. "
I turned to leave but Trinity's fingers wrapped around my wrist. "Wait! I'm coming!"
"Trinity you can't go alone."
She turned her head to glare at him. "Watch me."
We walked down the steps and I helped her into my car. At this point a few other houses had their lights on with men walking towards their house. I quickly backed out of the driveway. If we didn't hurry, there would be too many wolves for us to get off the property.
Trinity clicked her seatbelt on then pulled her bare feet into the seat. She sat her chin on her knees closing her eyes.
"We'll be there soon. Try and relax while you can."
"Is she going to be okay?"
"I honestly don't know."