Cole's Redemption (Alpha Pack #5)(16)

“Funny.” She shot him a sour look.

“I thought so.” Pushing away from the wall, he stepped right up to her bunk, his expression growing serious. “To answer your question, Zan’s been ordered to stay away for now. We may have to do something he doesn’t like—say, restrain you—and the instinct to protect his mate could take over. This is an unstable time for both of you, especially given the way your bonding went down and the fact that your wolves are probably crawling out of your skins with the need to get to each other.”

That was true, unfortunately, and she flushed just thinking about how badly she wanted the black wolf. “Good point.”

“And because my mate is one of the doctors, I’m here specifically to protect her from you. If you even think of hurting her, or anyone else, I’ll turn you into a slug and get out my salt shaker.” The wicked gleam in his eyes told her the man wasn’t kidding.

Before she could reassure him that her problem was only with Nick, voices and footsteps approached from down the hallway. Kalen moved off to the side as two female doctors wearing lab coats and a male nurse wearing SpongeBob scrubs stepped inside. He didn’t go far, though. When the Sorcerer kissed a pretty woman with curly brunette hair and then hovered close, Selene saw why.

Kalen’s mate was hugely pregnant. She was radiant, too, and Selene felt a twinge of longing. Forcing her attention from the happy couple, she locked eyes with the other doctor. The woman had a short cap of dark hair, shorter than Selene’s own, and though she was petite, she had a bearing and coolness that suggested anyone who gave her a hassle would be sorry.

“I’m Dr. Melina Mallory,” she said, then indicated the other two. “That’s Dr. Mackenzie Grant and our nurse, Noah Brooks.”

“Hello. I’m—”

“We know who you are,” Dr. Mallory said curtly.

So much for pleasantries.

“We’re going to escort you to the infirmary, where we’ll give you a general physical and then visit with you a bit before we conduct our psychological evaluation.”

“To determine if you’ve got a crazy on your hands.”

“Well, you tried to kill a shifter five times your age and twice your size, so you’ll forgive our caution where your sanity is concerned.”

“Ooh, ouch. I guess this means we can’t be best friends.”

The doctor studied her for a good, long moment, as though she were observing some sort of insect. She didn’t have to say a thing to make Selene feel two feet tall. Then the woman smiled, and the expression on her small, elfin face wasn’t exactly friendly.

“Let’s go get started, shall we?”

The entourage led her out of the cell and down the corridor to a connecting one that took them to the infirmary. Once there, Dr. Mallory conducted most of the physical with Noah assisting. The cute blond nurse was wary of her, moving around her with a watchful eye, not that she could blame him.

She was in top shape, so she wasn’t surprised that she passed with flying colors. It was the rest she wasn’t particularly thrilled about. Noah disappeared, and the other two doctors ushered her into an office. Instead of talking at her across a desk, as she’d expected, they gestured her to a modest seating area with a sofa and a couple of comfortable-looking chairs.

Selene took one end of the sofa, while Dr. Mallory took the other end and Dr. Grant, a chair. She suspected they were doing this so she didn’t feel ganged up on—with the exception of Kalen looming in the corner behind the desk—but couldn’t fathom why they’d care.

“Why are both of you talking to me?” she asked. “Isn’t that unusual?”

“This is an unusual situation,” Dr. Grant told her, shifting to adjust her belly. “Dr. Mallory will be your physician, with me consulting. I’m going to be out on maternity leave soon, so I’d have to hand you over to her anyway.”

“Congratulations, by the way,” she said, surprised at the softness in her own voice.

“Thank you. Do you want children?”

“I’d like them someday. The gods willing.”

Melina smoothly segued into the interview. “Where did you grow up?”

“Clear Springs, Colorado. It’s a small town two hours north of Denver.”

“Any siblings?”

“No.”

“Other family?”

“My uncle, Damien. He’s my father’s brother.”

The women exchanged looks of surprise. Dr. Grant looked to her mate, and he shook his head and shrugged, indicating he hadn’t known, either. Apparently, her father had been quite secretive about all aspects of his past. No surprise there.

Dr. Mallory continued. “Are you close to your uncle?”

“Yes. He raised me after my father took off.”

The doctor’s brows drew together. “Define ‘took off.’”

“Seriously? He murdered my mother and disappeared. Left me to fend for myself and grow up with the scandal he left behind as my legacy. Is that defined enough?”

Dead silence. More exchanged glances before the doctor went on.

“How old were you when this happened?”

“Eleven.”

“Did you witness what your father did?”

She blinked at the doctor. “Excuse me?”