Chapter 6

　　Leo

　　Valerian was already pulling out his phone. I blinked hard and shook off the odd sensation, grabbing his arm before he could make the call. "Call the pack doctor."

　　Valerian frowned at me. "Not the cops? Or an ambulance?"

　　I couldn't really explain it, but I didn't want her taken away from me. The authorities would haul her to a hospital, and every instinct in me screamed to stay close. Besides, the pack doc was a legitimate doctor, he'd be just as capable as any EMT.

　　"No," I said firmly. "Call the doc."

　　Valerian glanced down at the woman lying in blood and shrugged. "Alright, man. Your call, Leo."

　　He started talking to the doc, explaining what we'd found, just as Rowan and Atlas rushed back in from the kitchen. Rowan slowed to a stop, looked down, then up at me, one eyebrow lifting in silent question. Not sure what he meant, I followed his gaze, and realized I was holding the woman's hand. When did that happen? And why the hell was I doing it?

　　"We couldn't get them," Atlas said, bent over and breathing hard. "They had a car parked out back. Jumped in and peeled out. We chased them on foot, but…" He shrugged. Shifters were fast, but no match for a car.

　　"I only really saw one of them clearly," Rowan added. "He looked familiar. I'm pretty sure they were from Javi's pack."

　　That only made things worse. "Why the hell would Javi's guys want to hurt a human?" I asked. "A woman, of all people?"

　　No one had an answer. They all shook their heads, just as confused as I was. Valerian ended the call and looked back at us. "Doc's on his way. He lives about ten minutes from here. At this hour? He'll probably floor it and be here in five."

　　He wasn't wrong. A few minutes later, we heard tires screech in the parking lot. Doc jogged into the bar, took one look at the woman, and sucked in a sharp breath. "Jesus. Is she alive?"

　　"For now," I said quietly, stepping aside so he could do his job.

　　Doc examined her carefully, checking her blood pressure, looking for broken bones, shining a light in her eyes. I stood back with the others, though I stayed closer than anyone else. I couldn't seem to stop myself.

　　After a moment, Doc peeled off his gloves and exhaled. "Alright. The good news is she's not dying tonight."

　　Relief rushed out of me in a long breath. Doc straightened and headed toward the door. "We need to move her to the clinic. She'll need a lot of stitches, and she's lost quite a bit of blood. I've got O-negative at the clinic, enough to stabilize her." He looked at Valerian. "Give me a hand. I don't have a gurney, but there's a backboard in my van. That'll work."

　　They returned with a long board, nearly seven feet, with grips along both sides. I'd seen things like it before, usually on TV. Doc also brought an inflatable neck brace. I stayed with him, helping secure it around her neck before we lifted her onto the board. He said he didn't think her spine was injured, but he wasn't taking any chances until he could examine her properly back at the clinic.

　　I rode in the back of the van with her, letting the others trail behind us in the SUV. I studied her face, so smeared with blood it was nearly impossible to make out her features. I caught myself silently hoping she'd survive. Praying, even. That wasn't something I normally did, which only made it stranger. Why did I care this much about her? It was unsettling, to say the least. When Doc pulled into the clinic, I finally released the breath I'd been holding.

　　I didn't leave her side for a second. We brought her inside and into an exam room. Doc hung a bag of blood on an IV stand and inserted the needle into her arm. As the blood began to flow into her, he started stitching her wounds. The others were still there, but I barely noticed them at all.

　　Atlas bumped my arm lightly. "What's going on with you, man?"

　　"Huh?" I muttered.

　　Rowan nodded toward the woman. "You've been hovering over her like some kind of grim reaper, dude."

　　When I thought about it, I knew I'd been acting off ever since I first caught the scent of her blood. It was like something in my mind had flipped. "I don't know how to explain it. Something feels wrong, or different. My wolf feels it too. I just need to know she's going to be okay."

　　Rowan frowned hard. "Leo… you're talking like you just found your fated mate or something."

　　I looked down and realized I was holding her hand again. Even Doc shot me a wary glance. What Rowan was suggesting couldn't be right. She was human. A shifter couldn't have a human as a fated mate. It didn't work like that.

　　I drew in another breath, really smelling the air this time, and noticed something else beneath the blood. Something unfamiliar. Something that wasn't completely human. Just a trace, but it was there.

　　Unease mixed with curiosity inside me. I didn't say another word. I just stood there, watching Doc work, wondering exactly who, and what, this mysterious woman really was.