Cole's Redemption (Alpha Pack #5)(32)

Immediately, Raven pounced on the items, rooting through them with his nose. Sniffing, his body vibrating with excitement. A T-shirt, boots, camo pants, dog tags. But it was the plain hospital gown that proved to be the item he was looking for. They watched in amazement as he picked up the gown in his teeth, padded to a corner of the room, dropped the article, and then made his bed on it.

He settled with a sigh, his expression almost sad. Then he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

“Holy f**king shit,” Jax breathed. “His mate must’ve been close to him in the hospital, touched his gown. She might’ve been a doctor or nurse, or an aid worker.”

Zan’s throat threatened to close up at the pitiful sight before them. “All this time. All these years, he was going crazy for his mate. All it took was her scent to calm him down.”

“Maybe now he’ll sleep regularly,” Melina said, eyes moist. “If he stays calm, we might be able to reach him, eventually. Selene, I don’t know how to thank you for this.”

Pink colored her cheeks. “It was nothing. Like I said, I’ve seen a case like this before. I hope this one turns out to have a happier ending than that one did.”

Everyone echoed that sentiment. They slipped out into the corridor and went their separate ways. Zan took his mate’s hand as they walked.

“That was a nice piece of work. Maybe Raven will have some peace while they try to locate his mate.”

“I don’t know. It’s obvious he’s hurting inside. My wolf was very sensitive to his suffering.”

“I can’t imagine how horrible that would be, to be stuck like that. Going out of your mind, out of control, and not being able to verbalize what’s wrong.”

“It’s difficult to witness—that’s for sure.”

“What happened to that wolf you were telling us about, the one who was also stuck?”

Her voice saddened. “His mate was dead, and there was no hope for his recovery. He was euthanized by lethal injection.”

“That’s awful. Kind of makes you appreciate what you have, doesn’t it?”

She slid an arch look at him. “I suppose that was directed at me? It does put things a bit more in perspective.”

“So, in spite of how we met, you don’t regret mating with me?”

She grinned. “That remains to be seen. Don’t get cocky.”

He snorted a laugh, his spirits lifting. He led her through the rec room, ignoring Micah and Blue, who called out to him to come play air hockey.

“Idiots,” Aric snarked. “The man doesn’t want to play air hockey with you bozos when he has a new mate.”

Zan just shook his head and kept walking, the whistles and ribald remarks at his back causing him to puff up a little. He had a mate, and a beautiful one at that. Let them tease. The mated guys knew firsthand what an exciting time this was for him and his wolf, and the single ones wished they did. It was his turn.

Outside, his mate looked around. The stars were out, shining bright in the clear sky. The air was a bit crisp, making his wolf want to come out and play. Later, he told it.

“Where are we going?”

“I’ll show you.” He took her to the building that was almost finished, a short distance from the main compound. It was several floors of earth-toned brick and tall glass windows.

“Is this the new rehab center?”

“Yeah. Nice, isn’t it?”

“Very. But how does this new construction not attract attention from outsiders?”

“The whole Alpha Pack compound is cloaked with one of Kalen’s spells, for extra privacy. No human could see it even if they tried.”

“Ah, the spell. Right. That’s the reason I wasn’t able to get close to the main building when I was watching before. That was Kalen’s doing.”

He didn’t want to have another discussion about why she’d come. Instead, he gestured to the new structure. “Want to see inside?”

“I’d love to.”

Everyone had their own security code, so Zan keyed his into the pad by the main doors. They opened with an audible hum and pop, and he pulled the handle, letting them inside. Then he flipped on a light, which illuminated the grand foyer.

“Oh! This is gorgeous,” she enthused. Walking over to the reception desk, she ran her hand over the marble countertop. “This is quite a big place, bigger than I imagined. Is my father going to hire more staff to handle the load?”

“Yes, no question. There will be a receptionist or two, plus at least one more doctor, whom Mac and Melina will be in charge of hiring. Noah will get input on more nurses, and Nick and Mac will hire at least one dedicated counselor. Most of the staff will be paranormal beings.”

“How come?”

“Two reasons. One, it will make residents more comfortable to know there are functioning members of society who are paranormal, just like them. It will give them hope and set a good example. The second reason is more practical, which is we want as few humans as possible to know our world exists.”

“I see. That makes sense.”

“Let me show you the rest.”

He took her through the lower floor first, showing her the various exam rooms, counseling rooms, recreation areas, kitchen, and dining room. “The residents will be able to eat here and learn social interaction before being released to society,” he explained. “They’ll get a sense of normality, and that will build self-esteem.”