Cole's Redemption (Alpha Pack #5)(31)

“Oh, ye of little faith,” she quipped. “Don’t forget, my clan is different from what you guys are used to.”

“So?”

“Did it ever occur to you that I may have seen something like this before?”

His heart sped up, and hope bloomed. “You can really help him?”

“I should clarify I don’t know if I can physically help him, but I might know what’s wrong with him. Give me a chance to meet him. If I’m right, the doctors will at least have a new avenue to pursue.”

“All right. Let’s talk to Mac and Melina, see what we can do.” Seriously? He didn’t want her anywhere near Raven, the poor lunatic. But if she really could give them a clue what was wrong with their fallen friend, he had to let her try.

Finishing their meal, they headed for Kira’s table, since she was in charge of rehab and the soon-to-be-opened building, Sanctuary. Selene quickly gave her the rundown of their conversation about Raven, and Kira got excited.

“Come on,” she said, jumping to her feet, meal forgotten. “Let’s go talk to Melina about this.”

Jax wasn’t about to let his mate go anywhere near Raven without him, either, so the four of them walked quickly to the infirmary. But the doc wasn’t easy to convince.

“No. I can’t take a chance with our own Pack getting near him, much less a newcomer.”

“Just a few moments?” Selene entreated. “The story Zan told me very much resembles something that happened to one of my own clan members a few years ago. If I’m right, it’ll give you a direction to help with his healing.”

The tiny doc was skeptical. “We’ve been studying him for six years and—”

“Without success. So, what will it hurt?”

“He’s dangerous.”

“Is he restrained?”

“Yes, but—”

“Five minutes. Please?”

“Dammit.” When Melina blew out a breath, they knew Selene had won. “Fine. Five minutes, though I don’t know what can be accomplished in that time.”

Rising, Melina moved from behind her desk and led them out of the infirmary. Down the corridor to Block R, the most barren place in the building. Zan was glad the new Sanctuary would be far more welcoming than this place. A better environment for the residents.

As soon as they went through the solid double doors to the block, the howling assaulted their ears. The mournful racket was soul-wrenching, and Zan hated it every time he came down here to speak to Raven, who never seemed to hear him. They reached the correct cell, and Melina typed a code into the box beside the door. It slid open, and she went in first.

Zan and the others followed her, keeping a respectful distance. The howling stopped, but the large black wolf in front of them began a low, ominous growl that rumbled in his chest like thunder.

“Hey there, beautiful,” Selene crooned, crouching. Making herself as nonthreatening as possible as the wolf continued to growl, head down. “Aren’t you a big, beautiful boy? Are you lonely in here? Of course you are. What if I told you that I understand? That we’ll do everything in our power to find her?”

At that, for the first time in Zan’s memory, Raven stopped growling. Completely. He looked at Selene, right in the eye.

And incredibly, he gave a soft whine.

“Holy shit,” Zan whispered. “That’s it.”

“What? What’s going on?” Melina demanded, her gaze bouncing between Zan, Selene, and Raven.

Still crouching, not taking her gaze off Raven, she said, “When a born wolf scents his mate, if he doesn’t claim her within a certain amount of time, he’ll sicken and die. I’m assuming it’s the same for turned shifters?”

“Yes, as far as we’ve been able to discern,” Melina said slowly. “And?”

“I’ve seen this before, with a member of our clan.” She stood, backed away from Raven carefully, and then faced the doctor. “Have you ever wondered what happens when the shifter can’t claim his mate but doesn’t die?”

Understanding dawned. Zan’s stunned expression mirrored everyone else’s. “Oh, God.”

“Here’s what I think happened—in the hospital, Raven scented his mate. Possibly even met her. But he was bedridden, recovering from his attack. As a new shifter, he had no control over his body’s reactions. He couldn’t claim her, but for whatever reason, he didn’t die.”

“Why didn’t he?”

“I have no idea, but I’ve seen it happen sometimes.”

“And his wolf took over, went crazy,” Zan finished in a near whisper.

“Exactly. Until we locate this female, he’s going to remain in this state.” She looked at Melina. “Does he have any belongings? Clothing he wore before entering the hospital? Something that might have her scent on it?”

“Some of his stuff is still in one of the lockers in the infirmary!” Kira cried. “I’ll get the bag.” She rushed off.

Zan, Selene, Melina, and Jax stood watching Raven, who was becoming agitated again. Starting to pace, pulling on the strong chain around his neck that allowed him some movement, but kept him from reaching his visitors and ripping them apart. After a few minutes, Kira returned with a plastic bag, the type hospitals use to store a patient’s things. Moving as close to the wolf as she dared, Kira upended the bag, spilling out the contents.