Destiny's Choice (18 page)

A man Dane’s size and height with long, night dark hair, hazel eyes, porcelain skin, and the face of an angel seemed to step from the shadows in the far corner of the room. He came to Roan’s side with a mischievous smile curving his cupids bow lips.

“Alpha.” The voice was whiskey smooth.

“Any problems?”

“No.” He shook his head. “These three couldn’t find their asses with both hands and GPS. Though
,
I do applaud their efforts to try and get a little dirt on you, Roan. But alas, they came up empty.” He sighed deeply with mock sadness.

“Indeed.” Roan snorted. “If you three would be so kind as to escort my…guests, to the clearing. We’ll follow along in a moment.”

“You got it,” Cole said cheerily as Tristan and Dane went with him to do as he bid.

“Don’t fucking touch me!” Boone snapped at them, but it was weak, his body
looked sluggish
after being forced to shift.

“Roan?” Dane glanced back with a question in his light eyes.

“Use any means necessary, Dane.”

Dane nodded then looked down at Boone. In seconds, the wolf was in the air.

“Gentlemen, meet a part of Omega Squad. The eyes and ears of generations of Alpha’s,” Roan told them. “Just don’t let their youthful appearance fool you. They’re almost as dangerous as Sasha and I. Please act accordingly.”

With that veiled threat heavy in the room, Cole, Tristan, and Dane escorted their charges out the door.

When Rivera heard the final footstep move away from the
house, Roan rushed to her as she gratefully collapsed in his arms.

During the course of the discussion, she began to feel worse despite having eaten. Now, she was shaking uncontrollably and sweating. It felt as if she were burning with fever.

“R…Roan…wh…what’s happening…to me?”
She could barely get the words out she was shaking so bad.

“Flynn!”

“I’m here, brother.” Flynn’s concerned light eyes swam in and out of her vision as he took her pulse.

“What’s wrong?” Roan’s voice sounded scared, their bond confirming it.

B
efore she could appease her True
Mate
, a strange lethargy
stole
over her, taking away the shakes and heat of her fever.

“Tired,”
s
he slurred, barely able to keep her eyes open as she slumped in Roan’s embrace.

“Stay with me, sweetheart
.
”
H
e shook her, trying to keep her awake. “Come on, Rivera. Let me see those beautiful eyes.”

“Yours…beautiful.” She smiled, but the heaviness was winning. She could feel it.
Feel it creeping up her body.
“My…beautiful. Mine.” She so wanted to touch his dear face. Her limbs felt like weights.

“Rivera?”

Her eyes closed, the
heaviness pulling her under.

“Rivera!”

Her True
Mate
’s panicked shout was the last
thing
she heard as the darkness took her.

Ch
apter Eight

“Rivera!” Roan shook her again, her head lolling on his shoulder. “No. No!”

“Roan, stop!”

His brother’s voice finally broke through Roan’s panic as he desperately tried to wake his True
Mate
.

“Flynn?”

“Easy, brother,” Flynn soothed as Sasha rushed back in with Flynn’s black bag. Roan had been so worried for
Rivera;
he hadn’t even noticed Sasha had left. “Let me check her over, alright?”

Roan nodd
ed, trusting his brother would d
o all he could to help Rivera. He gently sat in the chair, Rivera cradled tenderly yet securely, in his arms.

Taking out his stethoscope and arm cuff, Flynn took her blood pressure and pulse. He listened to her heart and lungs. Even checked her pupils. When he was finished, he let out a breath, an astonished expression on his face.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” His arms tightened instinctively around her.

“I can’t be a hundred percent sure until I run the blood tests. But from the little I’ve checked so far, it looks as if she’d in the Pre-Transformation coma.”

All Roan could do was stare at his brother.

“Are you sure, honey?”

Flynn gave his True
Mate
a sheepish grin. “Until I run the blood tests, no. But
,
her blood pressure and heart rate are almost identical to yours when you went into the coma.”

“
How is this possible, Flynn
?” Roan finally
found his voice, strained though it was. “She’s showed no signs until now. No cramps or fever. I don’t even think she’s had the Pre-Transition dreams. I mean, it’s only been two days since we met
.
S
urely she or Ian and Lillah, would have said something.”

“Who knows?” Flynn shrugged. “It could be due to her age, your bond, the Pack bond, even the trauma of her parent’s betrayal. Any or all of these events could have triggered this. Or, it could be none of them
.
Just simply her time.”

Roan gazed down upon her precious face, peaceful in repose. “Her First Transformation.”

“Again, I’ll need to run the blood tests. But seeing as she is half Lupus, well, I wouldn’t
think it would be as bad as Sasha’s was.”

“It’s still going to suck, Roan,” Sasha warned him. “Even if her body and wolf have been building up to this moment, the pain’s going to be bad.”

He nodded, letting out a whoosh of breath. “So
,
worse than a normal teen’s first shift but no where near as bad as yours was.”

“I want to run the tests and confirm first, Roan,” Flynn told him. “You know I won’t make any promises until then.”

“Yes, sorry. It’s just…I can’t lose her, brother.” For the first time in Roan’s life, he felt completely helpless. None of his abilities were useful in this situation. He was effectively, useless. “I can’t.”

“Hey, now,” Sasha snapped. “She’s in good hands here, nothings going to happen to her.” She reached out and took his hands, putting one over Rivera’s head and the other over her heart. She then put her hands over Roan’s. “Feel how strong she is? How strong her wolf is?”

Combining her abilities with Roan’s, he was able to feel what he could barely sense when he first met Rivera. Her wolf. It was one of the rare powers that Sasha had been gifted with
, to connect with one’s wolf on such a level. The females especially. For Roan, his connection was more about keeping the Pack together. Sasha’s was deeper.  It had come in handy on more than one occasion when a female had challenged her. Now even more so. Because Sasha was right. Rivera and her wolf were strong. Stronger than he had thought. And her wolf. Such primal power. Such a need to be free. Oh, yes, the woman and the wolf were perfect for him. The Fates had chosen well.

Without realizing he had closed them, Roan opened his eyes and grinned as Sasha took her hands away. “I don’t think her wolf is going to tuck tail and flee. She’s waited too long to have this chance. Failure won’t be an option.”

“I kind of got that impression after the long talk I had with Mikeal last night.” Flynn nodded with a grin of his own. “She’s a survivor, brother. That
comes with
a strength all on
its
own.”

Roan definitely felt more at ease and under control now. “Thank you, little sister.”

She shrugged. “It’s what I do.”

“And I’m grateful.”

“Enough mush.” She waved him off with pink cheeks. “Let’s get your True
Mate
more comfortable so Flynn can run his tests and we can take care of the trash in the clearing. You know how I hate clutter.”

He chuckl
ed as he rose with Rivera cradled
close in his arm
s. He paused before going
to the door
. “What about our being separated? I won’t be able to stay away for long.”

“No worries.” Flynn pat
ted
his shoulder. “With her in the coma, the symptoms take a little longer to go into effect. Still, you’ll have
.
” Flynn looked down at his watch. “
Maybe an
hour, hour and a half before the symptoms set in. I wouldn’t chance any longer than that.
Not if you want to stay conscious.”

“What about Rivera?” He really needed to take care of the plans he’d made, but not if it meant putting his True
Mate
danger. Her health and well being were paramount.

Flynn shook his head. “She’s too deep in the coma to feel any of the symptoms.
”

“Good.” He let out a relieved breath. “She’s been through enough without having to feel my absence,” he said
.
H
e carried Rivera out the room, up the stairs, and into his old bedroom.

Sasha pulled the comforter back so Roan could place his precious cargo between the sheets. Then
,
making sure she was tucked in, he looked to his brother.

“How soon can you get the tests back?”

“A few hours at the most.” Flynn had brought his black bag and was taking his supplies out as he spoke. “It helps that I have plenty of Sasha’s blood samples from various stages of her coma from beginning to end. Tha
t
’ll
be a great source for comparison. I’m also going to call Joel Tanner. He assisted me w
hen Sasha was brought in. With his specialized field being blood pathogens, he’s been a tremendous help.”

“And he’s such a sweetheart.” Sasha grinned.

Flynn chuckled as he laid out the rest of his supplies. “I don’t think I’d call a 6’6” Lupus a sweetheart. I mean, he shifts into the biggest wolf in the Pack.”

“And if it wasn’t for the fact that his skills as a doctor are on par with Flynn’s, I would have asked him to be part of my personal guard,”
Roan
replied.
I
n his minds
eye he
saw
the giant with strawberry blond hair, laughing topaz eyes, and
body with
enough muscle to beat up a tank. “Not that he would have
accepted. Like
Rivera, he’s never been big on titles or status. He’s just happy to help the Pack.”

“See, a sweetheart.”

“Well, sweetheart or not, if I didn’t know he preferred men, he wouldn’t be getting anywhere near Rivera.” As it was, his wolf didn’t see Joel as a threat due to his homosexuality.
S
ince she was very vulnerable at present, he and his wolf only wanted those they felt she would be safe with.
L
ike Flynn, Joel had the brains to back up his strength and power.

“Which was another reason I chose him,” Flynn agreed. “Besides, he’s between lovers at the moment so his mind should be all business.”

“Now Flynn, you know that isn’t fair,” Sasha scolded. “That last guy was a total ass and treated Joel like dirt.”

“Sorry.” Flynn sighed. “I consider Joel not only a colleague, but a close friend. He didn’t deserve what that guy did to him. Just pisses me off that he got the raw end of the deal
,
is all.”

“
The
house has plenty of room, Flynn
.
T
here’s no telling how long Rivera will be in the coma,
and
I’d feel a lot better having another doctor around that I can trust.”

“Yeah. Between the two of us, she’ll get the best care.” He nodded. “I don’t think it would hurt for him to get away for a while. The last time he called, he told me and Sasha he was thinking about leaving Chicago and moving to
the country. That he was
sick of the city.”

“That was nearly two weeks ago,” Sasha said “He sounded so depressed.”

“Alright, give him a call. Tell him the plan and get him out here ASAP
.
He’s also welcomed to stay as long as he needs. In the meantim
e, would you like to do some
downsizing, little sister?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” She giggled then went over to her True
Mate
, giving him a kiss. “We won’t be long, hon.”

“I want all the details.”

“Of course,” she said brightly.

Roan leaned down and kissed his own True
Mate
, brushing her honey gold hair off her forehead. “Be back soon, sweetheart.” Then with a nod to his brother, he and Sasha left.