Free Queen of Wolves by Melissa Morgan Page B

healing, as well as a blood
transfusion and repaired the damage to her shoulder. Her ribs are broken and
her ankle is badly sprained.
    She has a nasty bump
on her head, but unless it swells more, her brain scans are clear. There should
be no lasting damage, so long as she can shift within the next twenty four
hours.”
    Cole nodded. Shifting
after bone injuries was incredibly painful, but it was the only way to ensure
the beast was not permanently lame from injury. The sooner a person could
shift, the less likely an injury would last. “Is she chained?”
    “Of course.” Marissa
said.
    “Double the chains.”
He ordered. “We don’t know what she will shift into if she flips out on us. I
don’t want my people hurt.” He said, sighing. “Please, come find me, when she
wakes up.”
    “Of course Alpha.”
Marissa stood, and turned to leave. “Did she ever tell you why she asked for
sanctuary?” She asked, curious.
    “No, and it doesn’t
matter why until she wakes up. She has my word.” He sighed.
    “Please keep me
informed, and tell no one else about her abnormalities unless you absolutely
have to. Swear your nurses and staff to secrecy.”
     
    “Already done, Alpha
Sheridan.” She smiled brightly, and was gone.
    He sat back in his
chair and rubbed the spot between his eyes. Prone to migraines, he closed his
eyes briefly and groaned. “I don’t have time for this crap.” He grumbled,
standing. He walked over to the cabinet under the window, and pulled out a
bottle of Scotch.
    He poured himself a
shot and downed it, the burning fire rolling down his throat and settling in
his stomach. Sighing he went to his desk and pressed the intercom. His voiced
boomed throughout every room of the den and out into the courtyard.
    “Attention Black Moon
Clan. I’m sure word has spread by now, but I’m making it formal. Alpha has
granted sanctuary to the stranger, Zara Tuari, currently in the infirmary.
Should someone come to harm her while on our lands, you are to protect her as
you would your own until further notice.
    Furthermore, the
doctor is entrusted to her care, and her orders are to be followed, without
question or protest. Do NOT flood the infirmary hoping to get a glance at the
woman. You all have jobs to do, so go about your business as usual. All members
of my hunting party to the library now, please.”
    He walked across the
hall to the library and shooed the remaining Omegas out. While it was a
communal area for reading, study and computer work, the war room was in the
back. He walked straight to it and entered the palm print and voice code. The
heavy door slid open and he keyed the panel on the inside wall to hold the door
open until the rest got there.
    He walked to the head
of the table and sat in the large leather chair. One by one, the rest of his
hunting party filed in and took their assigned seats. His second, Cassius sat
at the opposite end of the table from him. The others along the sides.
Jeremiah, Teague, Dalton, Brent, Matteo, Owen, Logan, Spence, Zacharias, Riley,
Ukiah, and Grayson. He stood and greeted each one of them in turn.
    “Well, does anyone
have anything they would like to say for themselves?” He asked. They all stared
at him. “How in the hell did she get that far onto our land before she was
scented out?”
    They all glanced at
each other uncomfortably. A few shifted in their seats. Cassius spoke first.
“We were all doing our jobs, Alpha. No one knows how she got passed us.”
     
    “If you were doing
your jobs, she would not have gotten passed you.” He returned simply. “So…who
scented her first?”
    “I did, Alpha.” Matteo
spoke up. “I was on the west side, circling the inner perimeter. I saw her
tracks headed inland and alerted the others.”
    “She had already
gotten across the river before she was known?” Alpha asked, surprised.
    “Apparently.” Matteo
shrugged. “We caught her anyway.”
    “Barely.” Cassius
pointed out.
    “She should not have
gotten