3

I stared for a beat too long, I knew it but I couldn’t help it. Neither of us moved, seemingly frozen there in our trance.

“I’m sorry,” she said shaking her head a bit and blushing. “I didn’t mean to stare. Or to startle you, I didn’t realize you would be..”

“Sleeping under the receptionist desk? Isn’t that usually where you find the Doctor?”

She smiled again and this time it was genuine and it was followed by a perfect melody as her laughter filled the room.

“Yes, yes of course. That’s why I checked here first, obvious spot.”

I rolled out from under the desk and stood up, dusting off my shirt as I turned to face my mate, my heart beating out of my chest at the reality she was here.

“I’m Novaleigh,” she extends her hand out to me and I immediately take it, happiness overflowing as I feel the sparks shoot up my arm. Delta is howling in my mind but despite the euphoria, I notice something that he doesn’t seem to.

“I’m Remington, but everyone calls me Remi.”

“Doctor Remi,” she says with a nod.

“Yes, yeah thats me.”

Our hands are still together in front of us and our gazes lock again, this time I’m sure I am right. She doesn’t feel the mate bond. And my nose was right, she doesn’t smell like a wolf.

-She is a wolf, I can feel hers. But she isn’t awake- Delta tells me frustrated.

-She is at least 23, she would have a wolf by now if she was going to- I counter.

-I can feel her, jackass.-

I shut him off and focus back on my mate in front of me.

“I’m sorry, I just feel like… I’ve met you somewhere before…”

She is looking intently into my eyes and beyond them. I hold her stare, but say nothing. Hoping she will see it herself. Unfortunately, as fate would have it…

“Doctor Remington, this is Noveleigh, she is the other nurse interviewing today. If you need anything else from me, I’m headed over to make an in home call,, I should be back later.”

“Thank you Clarice,” for pointing out the obvious, I say to myself.

“House call?” Novaleigh says as her nose scrunches up in disapproval.

“That’s one thin you can call it.” I say under my breathe and much to my delight I get to hear her laugh again.

“I’m sorry, I really shouldn’t judge. I just, I’m not a fan of mixing professional with personal like that. I hope she is at least off the clock.”

She slaps her hand over her mouth in horror that she said that and its my turn to laugh.

“Oh I cannot believe I just said that, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine, believe me. And unfortunately, she is salary.”

I gesture to the chairs still there from Cora’s interview and she accepts, her face still a gorgeous crimson.

“Ok, can we start over a bit? None of this has gone quite like I imagined, starting with finding you under a desk sleeping and ending with me insulting your current nurse.”

“I wasn’t sleeping, for the record, and don’t worry about anything else that’s happened. I definitely understand, it hasn’t gone like I’d planned either, but that doesn’t mean I regret it. So, from here, lets talk work.”

This interview was more conversational than the one with Cora because despite my efforts, we could not stay on topic. It was like catching up with an old friend and her affinity for tangents made her even more attractive to me. I followed each one as she jumped from train to train leading me down trails to stories and fun facts about her. Among them, were professional tidbits and personal ones. Things I needed to know for work and others that I just was desperate to know for myself.

She was 24, almost 25. That was something I very vaguely managed to ascertain but desperately needed to know. She had been a nurse a few years. Quick finish of nursing school as she was homeschooled and started college early. She was whip smart and clever. Her sense of humor was to die for. And she had absolutely zero idea she was being interviewed for a pack hospital with werewolves. I wanted to offer her the job, she was more than qualified and for obvious reasons, I didn’t want her to walk away. But I had a few questions for G-pop.

“Novaleigh, could you give me just a few minutes? I will be right back, I just need to make a quick call.”

“Of course!” she smiles and I step out the door to the side and whip out the phone, dialing G-pop.

“Rem!” he hollers as he answers.

“G! How goes it?”

“It goes well man, its really well. How goes the interviews, those were today right? Do I know how to pick em or what, eh?”

“Yeah that’s why I’m calling. Cora was perfect, she starts next week. And Novaleigh is great, but I’m wondering why you recommended her to work in a pack hospital…”

“Mmm so you noticed.” he laughs at the other end and I’m not in the mood.

“G. What the fuck is going on.”

“Well, now calm down, Remi. I’ll explain. Her father is an old, old friend. From back in the day when I was a loner, but not a settled one.”

“From your rogue days.” my heart race increases.

“that is an indelicate way to put it, but yes. Anyway, sweet Nova doesn’t know about us. But she is about to.”

“Why? How?”

“Now aren’t we impatient. Well, because her father and mother ran into a bit of a hard time. I’m not going to tell you the details, thats for both of you to learn on your own. But when she turns 25, her wolf will come out. Its time for her to come back into our folds, and her father asked for me to find a way to get her into a pack. When I heard about this job, I figured it was the best option.”

“Wait, you said both of us to learn? What does any of this have to do with me?”

“I don’t know, what does it have to do with you? I gotta go. Look, hire her. She won’t disappoint. And her birthday is soon and her father is going to break the news before that. You won’t have to do it. We will talk soon.”

With that the line went dead.

“What the actual fuck..” I mutter to myself as I shove my phone in my pocket.

I turn and walk back into the building, my brain moving a mile a minute. She was a wolf. She was a rogue. But she didn’t know. And apparently she was about to find out. And she was my mate. And some part of why she doesn’t know about being a wolf, has to do with me. My heart rate increased drastically with each step and each question. My eyes were on the floor and then I just stopped walking as I reached that last question. Did something of this have to do with my family… or me?

Soft sparks danced over my forearms and my head jerked up to meet those celestial orbs.

“Are you alright? Did something happen?” Her face was scrunched up in worry and one of her hands was on my arm, her thumb rubbing it. She may not know what a mate is, or that I’m hers, but something inside her did. Something inside her knew that she could calm me in that way. It was this moment that she seemed to notice she may have overstepped and snatched her hand back.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to- I’m just, sorry. Are you ok?”

“uh, yeah. I just got some news over the phone, but it’ll be alright. Thank you for asking.”

She didn’t believe me. I could see it. But she let it go.

“So, should we continue?”

“That won’t be necessary, Novaleigh.” Goddess I could say her name all day long.

“The job is yours. I think you’d be perfect.” And are perfect.

“Really?!”

“Yeah, you can start next week officially when the new wing opens, but you are welcome to come in and help and get acquainted starting tomorrow. I’ll pay you starting whatever day you first come in.”

“Wow, I cannot thank you enough. I really appreciate it, and I’ll most likely be in tomorrow. Thank you Remi,” she says to me with that broad smiles stretching across her face again.

“You’re welcome Novaleigh.”

“See you tomorrow,” she calls from the door as she disappears through it along with my heart.

I run my hands over my face and take a few deep breathes, filling my lungs with her delicious scent. That should be enough to tide me over for the night.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. If anything it made the night worse. At4:30 am I finally said ‘fuck it’ and got up to start the day. I went for a run and then showered before heading to the clinic to get a head start before Clarice got there. I might get a good 2 hours of working in peace in.

I fumble for my keys in my pocket to open the front door. My office was the only part of the building under construction still as I moved it to the new wing and was adding a few new features and ensuring it was in fact sound proof as well so I couldn’t slip in there today. I finally found them when high beams lit up the side of the building and I turned confused.

The high beams pulled into the first spot next to the door and then they switched off. I was in defensive mode as I ran through all the possibilities of who could possibly be coming up to the clinic at 5am. But as soon as I saw that light brown hair in a pony tail bounce out of the drivers door I felt myself both relax and tense for a different reason. She came around the front of the car and she looked wide awake as she waved excitedly.

“Good morning! Wow, talk about good timing. I wasn’t sure what time you all got here, but I am a bit of an early riser so I figured I’d come by and check.”

“Good morning to you too, we actually don’t usually start till 730 but I uh, was up.” I knew how lame that sounded but I had literally no idea what else to say.

“Oh well perfect then, I couldn’t either. Could you use a hand here?”

“Sure.” I turned to open the door and held it open for her.

“Thank you, a gentleman and a scholar.”

She slipped inside and I groaned at the idea of hours alone with her here not able to touch her.

“So why couldn’t you sleep?” I ask as we walk over and take our coats off and put them behind the receptionist desk but I immediately regret it. “Sorry if I overstepped, you don’t have to answer.”

“No that’s alright, I have just had a lot on my mind. I got into a major fight with my dad two nights ago. And then I did something really stupid. And then we fought more. And I just.. have you ever been really excited about something but also cripplingly terrified?”

I let out a dry laugh. “Yes, I most definitely know that feeling.”

“Yes! Ok good! Well, that’s how I feel about this job. And this entire new adventure. Like, when Pop recommended I put in a resume for it, he sold it to me as this new home and new life. It’s as if he knew that I desperately needed that. But the entire process has been terrifying.”

“New life, new home is a terrifying notion.” I agree. “But the excitement is there, so that fear is actually more anticipation, than hesitation.”

She thought about that for a moment before responding.

“I like that. That is a better way of seeing it. And the beginning is always the best part right?”

“I don’t know, as much as I love the beginning, I’m the most excited for the middle and the end.”

Every single time our eyes lock its like our souls are touching. Its sappy and its slightly cringe but that is exactly how it feels.

She clears her throat and I smile as I watch the pink rise up her neck to her cheeks.

“So, what can I do, Remi? Doctor Remi I mean. I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m suddenly struggling to be professional.”

“I don’t mind Remi, it’s alright.”

“Its just, it really doesn’t feel like I know you. I just can’t place it.”

“Hmm, maybe from childhood?” I’m baiting her at this point, but I can’t resist. I have to know if she remembers me.

“I don’t know, we moved around a lot, are you from here?”

“Yeah.”

She studies me another few minutes and I give her time, I’ll give her all damn day if its what it takes for her to remember. My brain flashes back to what she said though. She had a major fight with her father. Did he tell her? Surely she would have asked, or something if he had. And that was before the interview. G said she didn’t know a the interview. So what was the fight about?

* buzz buzz *

I pull out my phone, her eyes still locked on me and I check the caller ID.

What the hell is going on this morning.