Chapter 3

Saph POV

         Pearl walks with me to the medical clinic. We aren’t speaking and the silence is starting to make me uncomfortable. I should probably apologize again for what I said to her. She’s only trying to help me. I can tell I’ve become a burden. None of my sisters, or any of our close friends, have said anything, but everyone watches me with pity in their eyes. Everyone tiptoes around me, scared to even mention Nathan’s name.

         “Do you have a lot of appointments today?” Pearl asks, finally breaking our silence. Thank you, Pearl.

         “Um, I think just a handful. A couple of check-ups with some children of the pack. I think a couple of warriors are getting their physicals done too. Nothing too stressful,” I reply as we continue through the downtown area of Running River.

         I do enjoy looking through the windows of the small shops. We walk by an empty storefront that was once a small furniture store owned by an older brother and sister in the pack. They were two of the oldest members of Running River after the plague. Neither of them found their fated mates, nor did they ever take chosen mates. The brother, Trenton, made the furniture, while his sister, Isadore, managed the store. About two months ago, Trenton passed away of natural causes and Isadore died in her sleep a week later. They were lovely people. I went to Trenton with a project to help me with, and he managed to finish it before he died. No one has shown any interest in renting their storefront yet.

         “Warriors need physicals now? Can’t you just look at them and tell them that they are healthy?” Pearl jokes and pulls me out of my thoughts. I turn to her and see the playfulness in her soft, brown eyes. One of Pearl’s best qualities is that she forgives easily. She doesn’t waste her energy holding grudges or waving guilt over your head.

         “Haha. You’d think. But Daya has this whole assessment for warriors who are interested in attending some competition she is designing for the Spring,” I explain, shrugging my shoulders.

         “Oh yea. I remember her talking about that, but I don’t quite understand what she has planned,” Pearl says quizzically.

         “Me either, to be honest. I basically just have to ensure they are physically healthy, even though werewolves hardly get sick once we get our wolves. She also wants me to do drug and alcohol tests on them- make sure none of them are using any banned substances,” I fill her in on what I know.

         “Hm. I’ll ask her about it tonight at dinner. You’re coming, right?” she asks, her tone filled with hope and excitement. I want to say no. I’m already exhausted and the idea of going to dinner after working all day makes me itch with dread.

        

“I guess so. I doubt Daya will take no for an answer again,” I admit, my eyes staring at the ground.

         “And you’ll get to see Calson! He’s getting so big, Saph. Oh, Goddess, he’s adorable,” Pearl gushes over our baby nephew. “And besides, he hasn’t seen his Godmother in weeks!” she nudges me, catching me off guard, causing me to almost stumble off the sidewalk into the road.

         “Hey! Take it easy,” I tease her, rubbing my shoulder. “I’m not as big and as strong as you, remember?” Pearl is the youngest of the five of us, but she’s the tallest at five foot eight. She’s only a couple of inches taller than me, but it’s fun to tease her.

         “Well, maybe if you got your skinny ass to training, Pearl wouldn’t be kicking your ass all over town.” I roll my eyes as the voice of our other sister joins the conversation.

         “Good morning, Amy.” I roll my eyes as I weave around her. She has a tray of coffees in her hand, so I can only assume Pearl mindlinked her to pick some up.

         “That snarky tone won’t get you your morning caffeine fix, dear sister,” she snaps at me in a mocking tone. She turns around and starts skipping away with the coffee in tow. I watch with wide eyes as my dark pick-me-up disappears into the distance.

         “Ugh. I’m sorry! Please, just hand me the coffee,” I give in, and Amy comes to a halt, giving me a smirk that says, ‘I win.’

         “Now, was that so hard?” Amy walks back to Pearl and me and presents the drink tray to us. Pearl and Amy are sporting matching grins on their faces as I snatch my drink and proceed to take large gulps of the scolding drink. I used to despise coffee. I still do, but tea doesn’t take care of my massive headache and constant exhaustion.

         My tongue and the roof of my mouth are burning, but this hangover isn’t going to cure itself. My werewolf healing will kick in soon. Hangovers take a little longer for my wolf to remedy.  

         “Well, I’m off to help Ms. Nolan at her bookstore. Will you be at Daya’s and Darius’ tonight, Saph?” Amy asks as she drinks her fruit smoothie.

         “Yea, I’ll be there.”

         “Great! See ya later, sistas!” Amy calls out as she speed walks towards the local bookstore. For someone so short, she always walks so fast.

         “I gotta run too. I need a shower. I’ll see you tonight, Saph,” Pearl gives me a quick side hug and walks towards the apartment she shares with her best friend Leslie, whose older brother just became our new Gamma.

         I walk into the brightly lit medical clinic and immediately regret that I forgot my sunglasses this morning. Fluorescent lights seem to make my head throb more than the actual sun. I take another big gulp of my coffee as I walk by the admission desk.

         “Good morning, Saph!” Lila, one of the newer administrative assistants, chirps. She is always so perky in the morning. It’s annoying. Nobody is that happy all the time.

         “Good morning, Lila,” I say plainly. A few months ago, I would  have chatted with her for a few minutes and asked her about her newly found mate who she met a couple of months ago. 

         She is from the Red Mountain Pack and moved here to be with her mate, Carlo, one of our pack warriors. Her Australian accent is adored by most people, but I can’t stand it. I quickly walk past her desk and head straight for my office, towards the back of the clinic. I drop my things and collapse into my chair. I rub my temples, willing the coffee to work faster and alleviate my headache. Guess this is what happens when I drink a bottle of vodka in one sitting.

         My cell phone dings, prompting my schedule reminder to pop up.

         Bentley Stratford- age 10- broken arm cast removal- 0900

        

“Time to start the day,” I mutter to myself. I finish my coffee and redo my hair into a neater bun, a few stray strands falling loosely around my face. I roll my shoulders back and make my way to my first appointment.

-   - - -

         “Thanks again, Saph! Tell Alpha-Luna Daya we can’t wait to hear more about this best warrior competition!” Ryan, one of our younger warriors, calls out to me as he’s leaving the clinic.

         “Will do! Have a good day!” I yell back with my practiced smile that doesn’t reach my eyes. As the door to the clinic closes, I slump against the front desk.

         “Busy day, huh?” Lila pipes up, her bright smile adorning her heart-shaped face. She is very pretty, with shiny, brown hair that she keeps pulled back in a sleek ponytail, and dark brown eyes. In another lifetime, we could have been friends. Now? I can’t stand her.

         “I guess so. It’s done now. Ryan was my last appointment. I’m going to finish updating my patient notes. If we get any non-emergent walk-ins, can you just reschedule them for tomorrow?” I ask as I pull my hair down, letting my dark, blonde locks fall over my face.

         “Oh, um. Of course, Saph. You do look tired. Maybe you should try to get to bed early tonight,” Lila suggests.

         “How about you mind your own business, Lila? Your job is to schedule my appointments and greet patients. I don’t need any life advice from you,” I scold her. I feel my wolf pressing to the surface, which means my light brown eyes are now alight with gold. Daya may be the eldest sister of the five of us, but we are all daughters of an Alpha, which means my aura is stronger than the average she-wolf. Judging by Lila’s ghostly expression, she can sense it.

         “O-of course, Saph. I meant no harm. D-don’t worry about any other appointments today. I’ll take care of any rescheduling,” she bleats, tears welling up in her dark eyes, and her hands shaking as she clutches her tablet to her chest.

         With nothing left to say, I press my lips together tightly, spin around, and head for my office. As I retreat, I hear Lila let out a soft gasp and sniffle. Shit. I’m sure this will get back to Daya somehow.

         I spend the next hour updating patient charts and checking my schedule for tomorrow. Another full day. I roll my eyes and let my head fall back over my chair. I hear the front door close, telling me Lila has left for the day. Good. The evening crew is coming in now. The clinic is pretty quiet in the evening.

         I go for a walk to stretch my legs and wander into one of the patient rooms on the other side of the clinic. I look around the empty room that no one has been in for months. I hear footsteps approaching the room and inhale a familiar scent that automatically puts me at ease.

         “Hi, Tobias,” I say with my back to him, a small grin tugging up at the corners of my lips.

         “Hey. I didn’t think anyone would be in here,” he says as he walks farther into the room, taking a seat in the blue chair beside the bed. He runs his hand over the white linens, looking at the empty bed with a sullen look.

         “Sorry, I was just stretching my legs. I have to go to Daya’s tonight for dinner. Guess I was just stalling,” I say as I walk over to the window and watch as the sun begins its descent for the day.

         “No need to apologize. It’s not like anyone’s prohibited from being in this room.” He says that, but he doesn’t mean it. No one has stayed in this room since Sage ran away. Tobias comes here often, and sits beside the bed, looking at it, wishing she would reappear. It breaks my heart to see him so broken.

         “You know I would not allow them to put anyone in this room, Tobias. This is her room,” I reassure him as I take a seat in a chair on the opposite side of the bed. He gives me a half-smile, as he gently runs his hand over the blanket and pillow.

         “So, why are you stalling going to dinner tonight?” he asks, flicking his blue eyes up at me, one of his eyebrows raised. I let out a sigh and recline into an empty chair across the room.

         “I just don’t want to deal with everyone again. They dote on me and treat me like I’m made of glass- always worrying about me, telling me how concerned they are. I’d rather go home and…”

         “Drink? Get lost in the bottom of a bottle again?” Tobias cuts me off as he sits up straighter in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. I roll my eyes at his words but don’t argue.

         Tobias and I have become close friends in the last couple of months. He is the only person who doesn’t sugarcoat things with me and will be honest with me. I guess we have both experienced a loss. Granted, Nathan is dead, and Sage is, well, she’s somewhere. That almost makes it worse for Tobias. I know Nathan is dead, I saw his dead body. I have his ashes. Tobias has no way of knowing if Sage is alive or dead. He has mentioned many times that he just knows she’s alive. I don’t bother arguing over it.

         “I can’t sleep without it. I just take a couple of sips to help me sleep,” I rationalize as I fidget with my pen, twirling it between my fingers.

         “Mmhm. So, if I go over to your cottage, I won’t find several empty bottles littering the place?” he asks, this time raising the other eyebrow. I shrug my shoulders and keep my eyes trained on the floor.

         “I’m not hurting anyone. I’m not drinking at work. I do my job well. Nobody is complaining.” I’ve gotten really good at giving this speech.

         “You sure about that? If I ask the staff about you, will they give glowing reviews?” he asks sarcastically, making me even more uncomfortable.

         “Just leave it alone, Tobias. Please?” I request, now turning my gaze up to his. My light brown eyes pleading for the interrogation to end.

         “We are only saying this because we care, Sapphire. We are here for you.”

         The deep, gravelly voice of Aurelian fills the room. Always the formal one of the two. Tobias and Aurelian are fascinating to me; a product of my curious nature, I suppose. Other pack members get weirded out by Tobias and Aurelian since they are the only case of a human having a werewolf spirit that can actually fully communicate. Our wolf spirits are present in the backs of our minds, but they never speak to us. We can get a sense of their wants and intentions because we can feel them and see them in our mind’s eye.

         “Thank you, Aurelian. I’m okay, really. You two don’t have to worry about me,” I say with as much false certainty as I can muster. He tilts his head and I watch as one of his eyes returns to light blue, the other remaining as Aurelian’s black. Again, this tends to freak out other pack members, but I know this means both are forward and they are thinking deeply.

         I check my phone and sit up in my chair, noticing the time. “I need to get going. I’m already late. Thanks for the company,” I say truthfully, turning to walk out of the room.

         “Hey, not so fast, Saph. Bring it in!” Tobias says as he stands to his full height and opens his arms wide. I roll my eyes at him but can’t help the smile it brings me. I walk into his warm embrace, and he gently wraps his arms around me. I relax into his chest and let out a heavy sigh, wrapping my arms around his waist.

         “We are always here for you, Sapphire,” Aurelian attempts to whisper with his deep voice. I feel my chest tighten at the sincerity in his tone. He lets me go as I pull away.

         “Same time tomorrow?” I quirk my eyebrow. A shitty attempt to lift the mood in the room.

         “You know I’ll be here,” Tobias nods, letting his eyes go back to the empty bed.

         I give him a wry smile as I make my way out of the room, starting my trek over to Daya’s.