Wolf's Call (Wolves Next Door #2) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,46

who wants to kill me for being Ian's mate," I mumbled.

"Mm, yeah, that's concerning. Just know that your mates and Ashley can protect you. I will too, if I'm around. I'm sure you have more friends in the community."

"She's been stalking me," I whispered. "Dr. Bridget - "

"Just Bridget," she assured me. "If I can call you Elena, then you can just call me Bridget."

I nodded to make it clear I could do that. "This woman is obsessed. I think the only thing I can do to make her stop is to leave."

"Or break up with your mates, which would destroy the one who's fated for you. If it's a fake breakup, we'll all know. We just live too close together for it not to get out. So, that's your real decision. Do you give up your own happiness to be safe, or do you trust the people around you? I'm rooting for the latter."

"What if I was a wolf?" I asked.

She paused to lick her lips. "Then in about three to six months, you'd be fine. Until then, you'd be no better than you are now. The reasons for your vulnerability might change, but it wouldn't help you any." Then she tilted her head, paused, and glanced back at the door before looking at me again. "Are you thinking about it?"

"If I can figure out how to take care of my daughter, I am." Then I scrunched up my face, expecting she'd tell me that was a horrible idea.

"Then I'll run with you if it happens," she promised. "I figure you and Ashley are the closest things I have to friends here. But let me get these results back, and we'll address this medically, how's that? You seem like the kind of person who likes facts more than old stories, am I right?"

"You are," I admitted.

She nodded. "We'll take care of you. Human or wolf, doesn't matter. Decide because it's something you want, not something you feel you're expected to do. And..." She rolled her chair back. "Go talk to your boyfriends before they break something in my house?"

With a laugh, I pushed off the bed and limped my way to the door, pausing just before I opened it. "Thanks, Bridget. For the talk and everything. It's... nice."

She grabbed a card from the top of the dresser and passed it over. "My number's on there. Call me if you have any questions. Medical, wolf, or anything else. Or just to chat. I honestly won't mind."

"Promise," I said as I opened the door. But all I could hear in the other room was arguing.

"You need to kick her out!" Ashley was saying, her voice just a little too intense. "She's losing it, Ian. She went after Elena as a lycan, and she was holding the midform with her anger! If those teenagers hadn't been there, I'm not sure how that would've gone down!"

"She has gone too far," Ian agreed. "But I can't just kick her out. Not for that. By our laws, she's done nothing wrong because she didn't actually hurt her."

"And you will not give her the chance to do it," Lane warned him. "I will tear Karen apart first."

"No," Ian agreed. "No, I think I'm going to have a very long talk with her father."

That was when I limped into the room. "She says you ruined her," I told him.

Lane immediately rushed over. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," I assured him. "Just decided to have Bridget do some routine checks since I was already interrupting her evening." Then I pointed at my knee. "Just a scrape, ok?"

He still hugged me, letting out a relieved sigh, but his words were for Ian. "You talk to Patrick Green. I'm taking her home, and if Karen comes after her again, I will kill her. Let him know that."

"Yeah," Ian breathed. "I'll also make it clear that I'm out of patience. I gave her space to have her fit, but she's pushed too far with this."

"Ian," I said, turning in Lane's embrace to see him. "Karen said that she's convinced she's ruined. Is that a thing?"

"No!" he insisted. "She just decided that she was going to be my mate and forgot that I get a say in this too." And he threw up his hands. "Fucking hate her. I never should've told them it was ok."

"You were being understanding," Ashley said. "You allowed them to live their lives. It's not your fault she's trying to use that against you."

"No, it's not," Ian agreed.