The Pack's Doctor novel Chapter 69

Chapter 69: Unprotected.

Yasmin.

There was only one place for Quirin and I to go. Back to our pack.

There's no one there now, my son is the Alpha of nothing thanks to his greedy father, but that's okay. We'll find a way. I'll find a way to bring my son back to the position he was born for. The only reason I accepted Quinton as my chosen mate was so that my son could be an Alpha.

Quinton was fine as a mate, he never forced himself on me, but there was never any love there. It was always an understanding. I give him what he wants and he takes care of me for the rest of my life.

I held up my end of the bargain, but he's completely fallen short on his.

He can't take care of me if he's dead. And now, I'm weak and I have to protect my young son.

It takes us nearly a day to get back to the pack at the slow pace we have to go because my wolf is silent. I can only walk so far before I need to stop and rest. Quirin is quiet and since there's nothing that I can say to make losing his father better, I stay quiet too.

I breathe a sigh of relief when we get to the pack lands. They aren't protected any longer, there's no one here to watch the borders, but it still feels safer than being out in the woods with me weakened and my son too young and immature to fight off any warriors that may come along.

We walk through the pack lands, the smell of death and bodies beginning to rot is everywhere. When we walk into the packhouse, it's eerily quiet. Usually, the packhouse is bustling with energy and activity, but there's no one here. At least, there are no dead bodies in here.

"Let's get something to eat, Quirin," I say.

"I'm not hungry."

"You need to eat."

"I'm not hungry!" he growls. He'd been helping me to walk, but he releases me and rushes upstairs. The sound of his door slamming echoes in the empty packhouse.

I hobble into the kitchen. I never learned how to cook, having been born into a Beta family, so I look around and see what there is that's easy to make. I find some hard-boiled eggs and some bread. I look around and not seeing a toaster, I just pull off chunks of the bread, making a plate for Quirin while I eat. I'll need to figure out how to make food, or we'll have to find another pack to join.

The thought makes me ill. We can't join Alpha Warren's pack. Quirin will never accept it and he and Quinton were enemies anyway. Alpha Thomas is dead and I heard that Alpha Brady had attacked Alpha Warren, but retreated. Maybe his pack is an option. I don't think he's found a mate. Maybe he would take me as his mate. I'm still young enough that I could bear him a son. He needs an heir for his pack. It would keep me and Quirin safe until he was old enough and then he could potentially fight Brady and take over his pack.

I need to come up with a plan, we need to burn the bodies before scavengers begin hunting for them, but before I do that, I need to rest. I need to get my strength back so I can figure out what to do and I can protect my son. The one good thing about Quinton is that he loved our son with everything in him. I wasn't surprised that he was willing to give his life for Quirin. I knew he loved him that much.

I knock on Quirin's door, but when there isn't an answer, I leave the plate by his door.

"There's food here when you're ready," I tell him.

Then I go back to my room. It smells like Quinton. I stand inside my room breathing in his scent. It now smells like false security to me. He will die and I have nothing and no one to help me protect my son. I wonder if we could live here, off the radar. Eventually, the electricity will be shut off and the water too, unless I can find a stash of money or the bank books. But if they aren't in mine or Quirin's name, we're screwed. Hopefully, Quinton was smart enough to leave everything to his son.

I lay down, thinking that this will be the first thing I do when I wake up.

Well, that and check on Quirin. Then, based on what I find, I'll come up with a plan. Maybe there's enough money that we can put up security fences or something.

It's the last thought I have before I fall asleep.

When I wake, the room is dark. I look at the clock and see that it's the middle of the night. I've been asleep for hours. I reach out to Sasha, my wolf, but she's still too weak to respond.

I get up, wanting to check on Quirin. When I step into the hallway, it's dark. The hairs on my arms go up with the complete silence surrounding me. I never thought of this packhouse as feeling creepy, but it does. I almost feel like an intruder in my own home.

The plate in front of Quirin's room is gone. That's a good sign. I quietly open his door and look inside. His bed is unmade. I step in, looking around.

"Quirin?"

I flip on the lights and see a note on the bed. I feel like my heart stops beating as I rush to the bed and pick it up.

'Mother, I have to go after him. I at least have to try to save him. I'll be back soon.

Quirin'

Oh no! Fear and dread rush through me. Quirin has his wolf. He'd have been able to run much more quickly than I'll be able to get to Alpha Warren's pack. If they catch him.

I turn, racing down the stairs then stop, hearing a clanging in the kitchen.

I race in, hoping to catch him before he leaves, only to see a stranger in my kitchen.

"Who the hell are you?" I ask him.

He turns and smiles at me, a sickening smile.

"Who are you?" he asks me instead.

"IT'm Luna Yasmin. This is my pack. You are an intruder here!" I say, standing my ground.

The man arrogantly looks around. He's definitely an Alpha. He's built like one, and he acts like one. What the hell is a strange Alpha doing here?

"Luna of nothing, it appears. You have dead warriors outside, no omegas inside, empty safe rooms ...Where's your mate? Where's Alpha Quinton?" he asks.

I lift my chin. "He's out fighting a war. How is it that you're here, Alpha, with no warriors of your own."

"Ahhh, an interesting question," he says looking around. "Much like you, I don't have a pack left either. I'm guessing this is Alpha Warren's work?"

When I don't say anything, he returns his focus to me. "So, I'm an Alpha without a pack or a mate, and you're a Luna without a pack or a mate.

How convenient."