The Last Spirit Wolf (Elena Norwood)

Vera-

"So," Dr. Owens says, "are you going to tell me why you're really here or do I have to guess?"

"It's a good thing we have time," I say.

It's also a good thing that we have a private office to ourselves.

I proceed to tell him *everything*.

The coup on Alistair, Noah becoming King, the Council trying to force him to take a wife, the rogue invasions throughout the entire territory, Noah's true parentage and scary Alpha aura. I also tell him about me, of course; my lineage, my abilities, my wolf, everything I have discovered on the Witch Mother, my training. I even tell him how hard it's been to try to establish a clinic like the one we have at the pack house because lycans are so traditional and stupid.

After I'm done, I'm quite frankly out of breath.

It's the second time I tell this story in two days and even I find some parts of it hard to believe.

Dr. Owens stares at me for a long time, giving nothing away.

Several minutes pass, and he's still digesting the information as he asks me,

"So, I assume you are here because of Noah's parentage considering he's a Goldmoon?"

"Yes, we have to prove that he's in fact King Alexander's son. His lineage is not only respected by the lycans, it is regarded as the only bloodline fit to rule. If we can't prove he's a legitimate heir, the entire plan could crumble."

"I see," he says, deep in thought once again, staring at the wall.

Finally, after a few more minutes, he speaks again.

"The only archive room I have heard of is in the cellar. They converted part of the dungeons into libraries and storage; I think it might be a good place to begin your search. But Vera, I have to warn you, from what I've gathered in my time here, the Goldmoons despise the lycans. They still blame them for Ellie Goldmoon's disappearance and presumed death. And from what you told me, if she is indeed Noah's mom and she is diseased, they can never know that."

"But her husband was terrible, that's why she ran away. Ellie and Alexander were fated mates, Noah was born out of love."

"I believe you, my child, but you have no evidence."

I purse my lips.

I understand what Dr. Owens is saying, and I agree. I can't make wild allegations without any proof, especially because Ellie's marriage, from what I understand, was arranged by her family. If I were to claim that her husband abused her and caused her to run away... "Well, the best time to go down there is at night. There aren't any guards, but the entrance to the cellar is not hidden whatsoever. You have to go when the pack house is deserted. In the meantime, would you help me organize those books you brought me? They're for training the new staff."

"Oh! Sure. Is that what it is?"

I pick up the bag from the floor where I had left it earlier.

When I open it up, I notice it's all the guides and protocols from our clinic. No wonder it was so heavy.

"Most of these I will leave here only as a reference, since most of the departments we have back at our clinic won't be opened here until much later. For now, we are focusing on a first care department. Any challenging case will be differed to Dark Moon for the time being."

I nod, agreeing that it's the best way to properly establish a clinic anywhere. If I could send my lycan cases to Dark Moon, I could focus on scaling the project down, leaving one emergency care wing for the time being while we build up to other departments. Time passes by quickly working with Dr. Owens. Despite the many months of not working together, we slip back into our old working habits in no time. We spent years perfecting this dynamic, and it works well.

While he sorts through his papers to categorize them by importance, I sort through them alphabetically. Then, we both create a system in the computer that is easy to understand and sorts the information based on key words. This makes it easy to understand and accessible to anyone trying to use it, especially people who are new to this field.

There's a lot of research that goes into being a doctor, and this system not only makes it accessible to anyone, it already sorts the information by relevance.

After several hours and many, many papers, we are almost done with our work.

He checks his watch.

"Oh, Goddess. Look at the time."

I turn my head up to the clock on the wall and it reads seven P.M.

"Already?" I ask, but it's always like this. We always lose track of time when we work together.

*Vera, are you still at the clinic? We need to get ready for dinner.*

*Ready for dinner?

"They're throwing us a welcome dinner, as if that makes up for putting me in this room.*

I can feel her rolling her eyes at this.

*I'll be right there.*

"Alpha Sofia?" Dr. Owens asks, noticing my glassy eyes.

"Yeah, she says they're throwing us a welcome dinner."

In that moment, Dr. Owens's eyes glaze over too.

"I see," he says, "well, we better get ready, then. This should be interesting."

We step out of his office and out of the clinic, each headed in a different direction once we reach the courtyard.

"I'll let our Alpha know where the cellar is so she can relay the information," he begins.

"Or..." I interrupt him and mind-link him, *you could just let me know through here.* I say.

He looks at me with a smile.

*Even better,* he says and gives me a quick hug, *I'll see you soon.*

*See you soon,* I say, walking towards the opposite direction to him to reach my room.

When I get there, all the guys that came with us are already dressed.

"Oh, Vera," one of them says, "Alpha Sofia was waiting for you in her room."

"Thank you," I say, noticing just how elegantly they're all dressed.

When I'm at her door, I mind link her,

*Can I come in?*

*Of course! She responds.

When I walk in, her room is a mess.

So, this is why she wanted a bigger room; she wanted one in which all of her dresses would fit extended on the floor, I note sarcastically.

"I thought we decided on the black one," I say.

"Well, you know me, I can never have too many options," she says from the bathroom.

When she walks out, she's wearing the black dress we indeed had settled on, and she looks phenomenal. The dress is satin so it flatters her figure immensely. It's a tight bodice that hugs her curves and then flows to the floor, ending in a small tail. And she was right, her boobs look amazing. "Are you trying to give that man a heart attack?" I ask, pointing to her cleavage.

"Is it too much? I don't think it's too much. I mean, I don't own any dresses that will hide these, anyway. Besides, my other option is this," she lifts up a dress from her bed that has an open back *and* a slit to show her legs, "if I wanted to give him a heart attack, this is what I'd wear."

We both laugh and she continues to look at herself in the mirror, deciding on what to do with her hair.

"I think you should keep it down, it looks lovely."

She smiles.

"Thanks, I actually think I'll do that."

She turns to me,

"So, now, what are you going to wear?"

She squints her eyes, trying to picture me in one of the dresses she brought.

Of course, she's not actually asking me. It's a rhetorical question. She's always picked my dresses and style for these things; she actually enjoys doing it so I never opposed. Besides, if it were up to me, I'd show up in jeans and a t-shirt. "Ah, I have just the one."

She goes to her bag, pulling out another satin dress, only this one is forest green with a turtle neck.

I strip and put it on, already feeling like it's too much, even if it's less elegant that Sofia's.

"Do I really have to?" I complain.

"We are here for you, remember? You will *not* leave me alone with them during this dinner."

I purse my lips, saying nothing else because she's right. This is the least I can do.

I finish putting the dress on, feeling the smooth silk against my skin.

It's actually very nice.

It does have a turtle neck, no doubt to hide Noah's mark, but it also has no sleeves, so it gives me a nice silhouette. It also hugs my curves nicely, ending in a slit on my right leg. "Wow," I say, pulling my emerald necklace from under the turtle neck, "this is a beautiful dress, Sof."

"I know," she says, joining me in the mirror and admiring the dress, too. "Normally I would pull your hair up because it's so long but, all things considered," she eyes my mark. "Yeah, it's fine," I smile at her.

"Thank the Goddess your hair is thick, it really hides what the dress can't cover of your mark."

We both continue getting ready, putting on minimal make up.

"Ready?" she asks, "the guys are waiting outside."

"Yes," I say, taking one last look at myself in the mirror, feeling a little sad thinking the only thing I'm missing is my mate by my side.

We exit Sofia's room and the guys are indeed outside, waiting for us. As we make our way to the dining hall, Sofia walks first, followed by Thomas, and then myself. When we get there, there is a seating arrangement already in place. I am seated next to Dr. Owens, who is already seated at the table looking very elegant. Next to Dr. Owens is Thomas's seat, and next to Thomas is Sofia's seat.

"Alpha Sofia," someone calls her before we take our seats, "it is such an honor to finally have you here again."

It's Elliot, looking his very best in his suit and sleeked back blonde hair.

He comes close to her, grabbing her hands and kissing both of her cheeks.

This would have melted teenage Sofia, but not adult, mated Sofia.

"Alpha Elliot," she replies sweetly, politely, "on the contrary, thank you for having us."

"Nonsense. Of course, you remember my father," Elliot points to his side where his father comes forward to shake Sofia's hand.

"How could I not? I was young, but my father always spoke so fondly of you," she replies, shaking his hand.

"It's a great pleasure to hear that, your father was one of the best men I have ever known, and an even better wolf," he says. "Thank you," Sofia says, sincerely.

"And my mother, of course," Elliot continues, an elegant woman coming forward, taking Sofia's hands delicately in hers. "Of course," Sofia says, smiling warmly at her.

"Sofia, you've grown so much. I'm so proud of the young woman you've become."

Elliot's mother mimics Elliot's actions and kisses Sofia on her cheeks.

The pleasantries continue for a few more minutes as Elliot introduces his family and Sofia introduces us.

When Elliot introduces his grandparents, however, something catches my eye. Visit Job n i b .co m to read the complete chapters for free. They have stayed seated far away, so I can't be sure of what I'm looking at, but his grandmother is wearing a pearl pendant around her neck that seems very familiar.

I stay focused on it, slightly squinting to perhaps get a better look at it as we all sit down, trying to pin point just why it looks so familiar.

Vaguely, I hear Sofia teasing Elliot about not giving her the Alpha guest room, trying to figure out who is currently occupying the room. But then, I feel it.

The hairs on my nape rise as a chill travels through my entire body, leaving me cold and with a racing heart.

That smell.

That aura.

That "presence".

Slowly, I turn my head to the entrance of the dining hall as I begin to sweat, sensing his arrival.

"Ah, here he is." Elliot says, his guest walking through the door, "I'm sure you, Sofia, as well as your entire pack, will also come to appreciate our guest and his ideas."

I gulp, my eyes glued to him in horror as he makes his way to the table.

It's him.