A Ridge Mountain Pack 3: The Ultimate Sacrifice

MELANIE

I’m into my second week at the clinic with George. He’s been schooling me on things I hadn’t even thought about, like the potential of someone ingesting poisonous plants.

He suggested that there might be instances where someone could intentionally administer these toxins, and I needed to be able to identify the symptoms of poisoning.

The lengths people will go to hurt others is shocking to me. Maybe that’s why I chose to be a doctor—to help, not harm.

I was perched on a stool, observing George extract a piece of silver lodged in a young wolf’s leg. The wolf had been on patrol and encountered a hunter. The hunter’s shot only hit his hind leg, thankfully.

His team was able to neutralize the hunter before he could inflict more damage. George mentioned a recent uptick in hunters in the area. They were doing their best to keep them off pack territory, but it was proving to be a challenge.

Suddenly, the clinic door burst open, startling me so much I nearly toppled off my stool. A man rushed in, cradling a young boy in his arms, a makeshift tourniquet tied around his leg.

“Help my son! He’s been bitten by a rattlesnake!” he cried out.

I gestured for him to lay the boy on another exam table while I scrambled to find the anti-venom.

“George, is there anything else I should do besides administer the anti-venom?” I called out, my hands trembling as I rummaged through the cabinet.

“Melanie, stay calm. Get the anti-venom, start an I.V., keep the tourniquet on until the anti-venom is in his system. Be ready with extra doses, both intramuscularly and in his I.V. You’ve got this,” George instructed me calmly.

He was still focused on removing the silver from the warrior’s leg, careful not to let it enter his bloodstream.

“Do you know what you’re doing?” The man questioned me, holding his son tightly. His gaze was filled with doubt.

“Yes, I do. I’m in my final week of medical school. Dr. Sky has trained me well for situations like this. You trust him, don’t you?” I asked, preparing the anti-venom.

The man glanced at Dr. Sky, then back at me. “I trust him,” he confirmed.

“Good,” I replied, turning my attention back to his son. “I’m going to start an I.V. and give you some medication. Try to stay awake, even if you feel sleepy. Can you do that?”

The boy nodded, a tear trickling down his cheek. “Good. What’s your name?” I asked.

“Theo,” he whimpered.

“All right, Theo. I’m Melanie, and I’m going to take really good care of you. Now, can you tell me a story?” I asked.

Theo looked at his father, who gave him a nod of approval. “Okay, Miss. What story do you want me to tell?” he asked.

“Tell me about your family and friends. How old are you? Do you like school? Do you want to be a warrior, like Marcus over there?” I pointed to the wolf who was having the silver removed.

Theo glanced at Marcus, his eyes wide.

I was trying to distract him from the pain. The anti-venom stung as it entered the I.V., and the injections were far from pleasant.

Theo began to share about his family, his older brothers, and his younger sister. His dad was a warrior, his mom worked at a bank. He was ten years old, in the fourth grade, and he wanted to be a scientist.

By the time he finished his story, the I.V. was in place and the first dose of anti-venom had been administered.

“Well, Theo, that’s the worst of it over. How are you feeling?” I asked, stepping back to remove my gloves and wash my hands.

“You’re done?” he exclaimed.

“Yes, for now. You’ll need to stay overnight in the clinic. We may need to give you more doses and we need to monitor your vital signs. The first few hours are crucial.”

I turned to Theo’s father. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Gabe. And thank you for this,” he said, gripping Theo’s hand tightly.

“You’re welcome, Gabe. I’ll be staying in the clinic tonight to look after Theo. You or your mate can stay too, if you’d like. It’s entirely up to you,” I offered, giving him a small smile as I prepared the next dose of anti-venom.

“Thank you, Doctor. I’ll stay for now, and I’m sure my wife will come later after she’s fed the other kids. Is it okay if we switch out?” he asked.

“Absolutely. Now, let’s move Theo to a room on the other side of the clinic. A nurse will be here shortly with a gurney,” I said, and we began to prepare Theo for the move.

A few hours later, Dr. Sky pulled me aside. “You did a great job with Theo, Melanie. You have a real talent for working with children.”

“Thank you, I love kids,” I replied, smiling at him before glancing back at Theo’s room.

“Should I stay in the room or on a cot outside?” Dr. Sky shrugged. “Whichever you prefer. You can see and hear all the monitors from out here, and the window makes it easy to see into the room, even in the dark. Why don’t you go up to your room, shower, and get some dinner? I’ll wait here until you get back before I leave for the night.”

He patted my shoulder and sent me on my way.

***

A few days later, I decided to visit one of the parks in San Antonio that Frederick had pointed out during our drive. George let me borrow his car, a sleek black Porsche 911 with red leather seats, on the condition that I’d be back before dark.

The car was stunning—and fast. I was thrilled to drive it, especially with the long stretches of road between here and San Antonio.

As I was about to get in the car, I overheard Frederick teasing George, “Wow, you’re trusting her with your baby. You must have a soft spot for her.”

George chuckled, “She’s earned it. She’s been working hard, and she saved Theo’s life. She deserves a little fun. Besides, you’re my baby, not the car.”

Frederick laughed as he guided George back inside, waving goodbye to me.

I zoomed into San Antonio, the car windows wide open, my hair dancing in the wind. The scent of the hot, sandy desert was a bit overpowering, but I didn’t mind. I was looking forward to sprawling on a blanket in a picturesque park, surrounded by my study materials.

The park was a sight to behold. A gentle breeze was rustling the leaves, and the place was teeming with life. Children were engaged in playful banter, and people were out and about, walking their dogs.

As I laid out my blanket, a charming little German Shepard scampered up to me. I say little because compared to our wolves, they are indeed small. The poor thing, as soon as he got a whiff of my scent, he froze and started whimpering.

His owner came rushing over.

“I’m so sorry miss, he got off his leash. Did he hurt you?” he asked, his eyes scanning me for any signs of injury.

“No, he didn’t even get that close. Don’t worry about it.”

I settled down on my blanket, flashing a smile at the dog, which he seemed to interpret as a threat. He whimpered some more and retreated as his owner tried to leash him again.

“He’s acting so strange. Maybe he ate something off the ground here.” The owner gestured vaguely. “Have a nice day.”

He walked off, the dog sneaking glances at me over his shoulder.

Silly dog. I delved into my books, spread out my notes, and pulled out a bottle of water from my bag. I must have been engrossed in my studies for hours.

When I looked up, I noticed the day was fading. The park was thinning out. I guessed people were heading home for dinner.

As I started to pack up, a sudden chill ran down my spine and my wolf, Sadie, began to growl in my head. I whipped my head around, trying to figure out why I was suddenly on edge. Everything seemed normal.

I didn’t spot anything unusual. I shrugged it off.

As I stood up and bent down to gather my blanket, the wind changed direction. I caught the unmistakable scent of a wolf and Sadie started growling in my head again. I pushed her back, trying to concentrate, my eyes scanning the surroundings.

There was a small cluster of trees nearby, and the scent seemed to be emanating from there. I turned sharply, peering into the trees, invoking my wolf sight. I noticed a slight movement, a shadow lurking in the darkest part of the woods.

My hackles were raised again. Something was off. I quickly collected my things and headed toward the parking lot, stealing glances at the woods every few seconds.

My senses were on high alert, I was prepared for anything.

I quickened my pace, almost breaking into a run. I could defend myself if needed, but I was in a public place swarming with humans. As I reached the sidewalk and then the parking lot, I cast one last glance toward the trees.

There was definitely someone there. The shadow seemed to belong to a very large man, or in this case, a wolf. The scent was familiar, yet oddly unsettling.

It was stored in my memory, I had smelled it before, but not recently. As I opened the car door and was about to step in, the wolf emerged from the shadows and I gasped. My heart pounded as I jumped in and started the car as quickly as I could.

I shifted into drive and sped out of the parking lot. It couldn’t be! He can’t be here. How did he even find me?

I pushed the Porsche to its limits and raced back to the pack as quickly as I could. I kept checking the rearview mirror to ensure I wasn’t being followed. Once I was through the pack gates, I finally exhaled the breath I was holding.

My hands were shaking as I climbed out of the car and dashed into the clinic. I was in the throes of a full-blown panic attack and Dr. Sky was right there, witnessing it. Tears streamed down my face, my breathing became erratic.

The last thing I heard before everything went dark was George calling for help, and the sound of someone running. Then everything faded to black.