Chapter 8

• “Do you know what you were taking?”
• I sigh as I shake my head.
• “Are you able to find phone numbers of doctors at different hospitals?”
• This time it’s the alpha looking at me with a cocked head. I can’t help but return the curious look while waiting for his response.
• “I should have enough connections to dig up a doctor. Do you have a name?”
• “Carter. Dr. Alexander Carter at Red General. He’ll likely recommend a different combination as the biggest trouble I seem to have is eating while on them.”
• “Thank you.”
• He gives me a smile and a nod.
• “Will you tell me why you’re on this medication?”
• He asks slowly the one question I don’t want to answer. I shake my head slowly.
• “I’m sorry Alpha, I can’t. I don’t expect you to understand but I can’t. I just can’t.”
• “I didn’t think you would. Trust is an easy thing to lose but hard to gain. Hopefully, in time, you’ll be able to see me for who I am and change your mind. My door is always open.”
• I nod my head in silent thanks waiting for the next thing to come.
• “It’s getting late so how about we get you out here to the table of food. Take all you want as you have a larger apartment sized fridge in here you can store food and drinks in. We have bags of ice in the dining hall by the main pack house. You can grab one at dinner tomorrow and bring it back. We also have disposable cups, plates and plastic utensils you can bring back too. Cleaning supplies are in the walk-in closet next to the stairs. Personal necessities are in the one on the opposite side. Don’t hesitate to grab what you need. If there is something specific that you need let me or one of the trainers know and we’ll try to get it for you. Damian and Dominic will be here at seven to lead everyone over to the dining hall for breakfast. They will do this every day this week then you’ll be on your own. The expectation is that you are showered and ready to start training when you get there although when this place gets full, I do have some prospects who choose to switch to evening showers over morning. I’ll come get you at breakfast so get your food, take your time eating, when you’re done you’re going to meet with me in my office. I’m going to have my lead doctor in the medical wing join us with the phone call to Dr. Carter. I’m putting you back on your meds while you're here. There’s no reason for you to suffer like this.”
• I nod quietly again yet against my better judgment I ask the question I think I know the answer to.
• “What happens to prospects that have a major mental health issue, like PTSD?”
• “It depends a lot on how stable the individual is and why they have it. A lot of wolves have PTSD from battles where they witnessed pack mates killed or they were severely injured. It can have a lasting effect but with therapy and proper medication the council will allow them to return.”
• “Oh.”
• “Not the answer you thought?”
• I shake my head as I follow them out the door to where the food is set out. No one is down here yet which is a relief for me.
• “Are you good on your own now?”
• I look at the alpha before nodding my head.
• “Thank you, Alpha.”
• “For what?”
• “For your kindness.”
• He gives me a smile before placing his hand on my shoulder. For the first time that night I manage to keep myself from pulling away or jumping out of my skin.
• “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Cole. We will talk more in the morning.”
• I quickly finish my third trip out to the table as the rest of the pack has started coming downstairs to eat. I can already hear several of them complaining about the special treatment I seem to be getting over recognizing that they brought this on to themselves.
• I was grateful that I had discovered a small table with a chair just inside the door to my room as this is where I ended up putting all the food and drinks that I picked up from the table. I walked with Alpha and his son down the hall to the closet so I was able to get all the laundry supplies I needed before grabbing dinner.
• I feel guilty as I look at the plates of food and a dozen or so drinks sitting on the table. I know I won’t eat all this food tonight. Between my father actively denying me access to food and him keeping me in a constant state of pain and panic I’ve gotten used to eating very little.
• I sit at the table and turn on the television, picking lightly at the food in front of me as I surf through the channels. I have always found it interesting to encounter packs that have started to embrace human inventions like the television, internet, and cell phones. I guess with a lot of the larger packs now having major hospitals on their land with wolves that aren’t members working there the use of cell phones became a necessity since not all the wolves have a link with the pack. I set my sights on the human’s strong man contest. I’ve always found it interesting how human men had the desire to prove their strength by donning a harness like a dog and pulling a bus several yards with only the help of a rope to pull on.
• I finally give up grazing on the food I brought into my room shortly after I started. My anxiety is still extremely high and I’m finding it difficult to eat. I’m not used to a pack’s alpha getting so invested and hands on with the prospects so early.
• I take the cling wrap I found in the closet and carefully remove the lettuce, tomato and onion so the bread doesn’t get soggy before wrapping each one and placing it in the fridge. I wipe the table down with the paper towels and multipurpose cleaner that were also in the closet before heading to the washer and placing my clothes in the dryer. I started taking care of my own needs when I was fifteen, so keeping my own space clean is second nature to me now.
• I explore the room a little more and discover a walk-in closet with hangers already inside. I grab a handful of those and place them on the table to use once my clothes are dry. The tv is on top of a long dresser situated against the wall across from the foot of the bed, that’s where I head next.
• I open each drawer taking in the approximate size to best plan my use of space. I step over to the bathroom next. The floor is a beige colored stone tile creating a nice contrast to the black carpeting in the rest of the room. There’s a combination tub and shower against the far wall, a large vanity with a large single sink and a large cabinet with a mirror on the wall. I open the cabinet to find that it’s already stocked with a few personal items. It’s only when I go to throw them away that I discover that every item is unopened. I’m impressed that they thought to stock it like this as I put the items back.
• Beside the vanity appears to be a tall slender cabinet only about a foot wide with a long door on bottom and a shorter door on top. When I open the bottom door I find a single shelf stacked with towels while below the shelf, on the floor is a small vacuum, a bucket and a mop. The only thing missing is the soap. Opening the top cabinet reveals washcloths and hand towels. Once again, everything appears to be new. Not liking the idea of my towels being in with cleaning supplies, I rearrange the upper cabinet to accommodate all of the bathroom linens.
• Pushing the shower curtain back I find unopened shampoo, conditioner and a bar of soap with a rolled bathmat sitting in the corner. It seems like they have thought of everything in this pack. I don’t even feel like I need to unpack the stuff I brought with me. I do anyway as I don’t believe in being wasteful.
• I unload my two backpacks of my personal items, finding a logical place for each before folding my packs and putting them in the closet. I sigh heavily with the realization that my bag had been gone through and what little asthma medication I had left was removed before my bags made it to the bus.
• As soon as the dryer is done I take my clothes to the table where I fold everything neatly and hang my shirts before putting everything away. I gently take my shirt off and toss it in the washer before climbing into the full-size bed. It’s been an exhausting day of traveling and despite my constant pain from the beating I got Saturday night, it doesn’t take long for me to drift to sleep.