Chapter 11 - Kenzie

I called out Grayson's name, but even for a wolf's hearing, it was too quiet for him to hear. I just couldn't make myself say it louder. And as the door to the room shut, I burst into tears.

"Dammit!" I pounded on the bed next to me as the hot tears streamed down my face.

I'd spent an entire evening in peace, the pain I'd felt was utterly gone, and it was damn euphoric. The moment I'd woken up, however, the ache had set back in. It was less than before, which was honestly concerning, but it was there.

And the pain that emanated from my soul was worse.

Nothing and everything had changed. I was still exactly where I was with Grayson, but now it just ached all the more. I couldn't deny how much I'd enjoyed last night, not just the sex but the being close to him, the feeling him want me close.

I had been intoxicating, and I'd been so sure he was going to bite me. But of course, he didn't. Grayson hadn't even done that when we were seeing each other.

My body throbbed in various places. The heat had come out of nowhere, and I was still reeling from how it had wracked my body. My pussy was sore as hell from all the sex, but it was this dull, pleasant ache that belonged to me. Even more, it still felt like my hormones were all over the place, and I'd never dealt with a heat hangover this bad before.

"Ugh!"

I threw up my hands, practically jumping out of bed and heading straight to the shower. My wolf whined internally, calling out for Grayson even though that wasn't going to happen. I just wanted to be pissed at him. It had been so much easier when I could just be angry.

But Gray had been soft when I needed him to be, and he'd made absolutely sure that I was okay with last night. The asshole had been a total gentleman, and I wanted to hate him for it.

I couldn't.

My entire body felt like I'd been hit by a truck as I walked to the bathroom. My legs were wobbly, but I was determined to freshen up and rinse off the memories of last night. It was wishful thinking, of course. I'd always remember what had happened, but a girl could dream.

As I turned on the water and stepped under the spray, a lingering thought bubbled up to the surface. I still wasn't sure why my heat had cropped up like that. It wasn't time, and I'd been around Grayson before and that hadn't happened. What was different about now?

Moreover, how is the mate bond doing anything between us when Grayson had already rejected it? Wasn't that supposed to be impossible? I mean, hell, the guy had been very clear, and the bond had been severed .

Why had just naming me as his mate seemed to reignite it like there was still hope after being rejected?

It seemed like a mean trick of the universe, and I wasn't here for it.

You need to talk to someone. Another healer.

I'd learned what I could, and I was no slouch when it came to medicine. Still, even I knew there were gaps in my knowledge because getting your hands on wolf history, including medical, was damn near impossible.

But Kaiden was Alpha now. If my brother had some pull around here, so did I, and I was going to use that to make the local healer and that scientist talk to me. They clearly had access to records that the other packs didn't. They'd heard about the potential for a wolf-human hybrid, after all.

And if they could help Kaiden and Kit, they could help me.

As I finished up in the shower, I got dressed for the day, choosing a simple pair of black leggings from the plethora of them I'd brought with me and a long tunic shirt that would cover my ass. The deep, jewel-toned blue looked good against my skin, and I needed a bit of that right now.

Freshened up, I stepped out into the hallway. They were mostly empty, and I had a feeling that almost everyone was dealing with the next trial for Alpha. Hopefully, that would not include the medical-minded wolves I needed to talk to.

It took me a minute to find someone who knew enough to direct me to their lab since the people lingering about appeared to be from the Williams Pack.

Approaching the door, I knocked lightly on the thick wood, intrigued by the fact that the old Alpha had made this place into a veritable military bunker.

After a moment, the door opened, and Forrest, the healer, greeted me with a slight nod and a smile.

"Hello, is there something I can help you with?"

I nodded. "Yes, actually. Is Willow here?"

I stepped inside, and sure enough, the woman was across the room, standing over a table and peering into a microscope.

"Oh, great. You're both here. I need some help with something."

Both Forrest and Willow regarded me, and Forrest cocked his head, clearing his throat as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Okay," he dragged out, "we're fine with helping. But you kind of barged in here. We are working on other stuff, you know."

Rolling my eyes, I met his stare as I mirrored his arm cross. "Look, I'm Kaiden's sister, so you'd be doing a solid for your Alpha if you helped me."

Softer. Be softer with him.

The faint voice echoed in my head like my wolf, but it was different. Smaller and higher pitched. I blinked rapidly, trying to shoo her away anyway. I was going to be however I wanted. I didn't need to be a fucking people pleaser anymore. If being with Grayson had taught me anything, it was that.

MacKenzie.

The voice chastised me, and despite my conviction, I sighed, crumbling under the weight of unanswered questions brewing in my head.

"Ugh, I'm sorry. Look," I shook my head, hearing myself using that same damn phrase again, "my heat came much earlier than it should have, and I'm concerned. It could have really screwed me over last night. Is there any way you could…I don't know run some tests?"

Forrest seemed to relax, dropping his crossed arms and walking toward me. As he came to stand just a step or two away, he put a hand on my shoulder, and I could feel the comforting waves echoing off him.

Like an Alpha. But he wasn't.

"Sure. That we can help with." He walked me over to a chair near one of the long tables in the room. "An unexpected heat is odd. Has that ever happened to you before?"

I shook my head. "No. And…I'm wondering if it has anything to do with being around Grayson. I'm his, umm…"

"Mate?" Forrest offered.

"Yes. But…" I sighed, hanging my head. "We'd both rejected that claim prior to the naming ceremony, and I don't understand why it would be coming forward again. The bond had been severed. Between that and suddenly going into heat, I don't know what's going on with me, and I don't like it."

Whatever Willow had been doing stopped interesting her as soon as I'd said that last bit. She perked up and walked over to where I sat down, furrowing her brow at me.

"Your rejected bond seems active again?"

"Yes. I can… feel it. After the heat and… ‘stuff,' it didn't hurt so bad. It's there now, but it's not as strong."

Willow and Forrest looked at me intensely, and I hated it. It was way too much like being a bug pinned to a mat. Clearing my throat, I broke eye contact with them, squirming in my chair.

"That is interesting. Well," Forrest patted me on the shoulder, "we'll do some tests. We'll need to take a few samples of your blood if that's okay. And we can do some digging into the records to see if there is any precedence of this in our history. That's been the most helpful as of late."

I nodded, understanding that he was referring to Kit's pregnancy and how that even worked since she's a human.

"Okay. Yeah, go for it."

Forrest offered a kind smile, and I dimly remembered what it was like to do the same to my patients. I hadn't seen anyone in a long while. Dealing with the pain from the rejection had been too much, and it occurred to me suddenly that I desperately missed it. Being a healer was who I was, and I hadn't been in touch with it in months.

"Umm, I've also been using some herbs to dull the rejection ache, but I don't know if that has anything to do with it."

Willow shook her head. "The ones that are usually recommended?"

I nodded.

"Then no, it shouldn't. Those herbs don't interfere with heat except to delay it all the more. If you've been taking the rejection cocktail, you shouldn't have been able to go into heat at all."

My mouth fell open. Not only had I been taking it, I'd been taking it a lot. I'd taken a pill right when the heat was starting, and it did nothing to stop it.

"How is that…"

The words trailed away, and Willow nodded at me. "Yeah, it's a weird one. We'll figure it out, though. I just need some of your blood. I hope you're not squeamish about needles."

I chuckled lightly. "I'm a healer, too, so no. I'm fine."

Forrest nodded as he walked up from getting something from across the room. With a grin, he set down a metal tray of blood collection tools on the table next to me.

"Oh, great. I won't have to dumb it down for you."

Shaking my head again, I let out a long sigh, laying my head back against the chair. "Nope."

"We should probably just need the two vials, but if you're okay with giving four, that will ensure we have plenty to test."

"Yes, that's fine."

Forrest and Willow each took a place at either of my arms, going about the blood draw on both sides. It was a bit hilarious, and I felt a little yucky afterward, but I knew that I just needed to eat.

Stay here. Stay for the tests.

That little voice hit me again, and I was struck by how… sweet it sounded. What on earth was my wolf up to? I wasn't going to be any nicer to her just because she decided to use a soothing tone with me.

Still, my own curiosity got the better of me, and I wanted to stay to see what the test said anyway.

"Can I stay and wait for the test results?" I looked between Willow and Forrest, and they both looked a little concerned.

"You're aware that these can take an hour or so, right?" Forrest offered.

"I am. I just…I'm curious. I won't get in your way. I'll just busy myself with the history books."

I tried to put that pathetic, puppy-dog look in my eyes like I did when I was a kid. It worked on Jet all the time, and it was really my only play right now. But that little voice in my mind was still nagging at me to stay, and I didn't like that my wolf was trying this dumb trick to get her way.

Clearly, something was going on with my body, and I wanted to be here to get the answers as soon as they were available.

"Sure. Just don't get in the way, yeah?" Willow said, and I shot her a look before schooling my expression and nodding.

"Of course not."

Once I had little bandages on my arms from the blood draw, I did exactly what I said I would. I got out of the deep medical exam chair and walked over to the collection of books that were lined up on the short shelves in the room. I picked one out and started reading.

Thankfully, I actually like reading.

It was about an hour and a half later—one hour and forty-two minutes, to be exact—when Forrest walked over to the table where I was reading and took a seat. He smiled when I looked up at him, and I waited for him to say something. Anything.

"Well, did you find something?"

"We did. A lot, actually. And I think I know a few things that might interest you."

"Well," I waited yet again, "go on."

Willow walked over and sat down next to him, holding her own stack of test results.

This dance of keeping me on the edge was going to drive me insane. "Okay, come on. Out with it already."

"Well, Kenzie—" Forrest regarded me. "Can I call you Kenzie?"

I sighed, putting my hand in my book and looking up at Forrest more than a little over this drawn-out explanation.

"Yes, that's fine."

"Great. Well, Kenzie, I think you might be a bit surprised by what we found. In fact, this might be a first in wolf history."

My stomach dropped, and I wasn't sure what to expect, but everything inside me was screaming that it wasn't good.