Everly's POV
My phone buzzed so hard it nearly jumped off the exam table.
I snatched it up; my hands still covered in puppy fur from checking on the golden retriever one last time. The screen glowed with angry red letters.
EMERGENCY ALERT: SEVERE BLIZZARD WARNING. ALL RESIDENTS SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. ROADS CLOSING IN 30 MINUTES. "Perfect," I mumbled, shoving the phone into my pocket. "Just perfect."
Through the clinic window, the snow was already dropping thick and fast. The streetlights outside fought to cut through the white curtain. I could barely see the coffee shop across the way anymore.
I should have left hours ago. But Mrs. Patterson's cat needed stitches, and then the puppy came in shaking and scared, and before I knew it, darkness had fallen, and the storm had come.
Story of my life. Always too focused on helping others to take care of myself.
My phone buzzed again. This time it was Maya.
MAYA: Please tell me you left already???
ME: Leaving now. Promise.
MAYA: Drive safe! And Merry Christmas Eve!
I stared at those last two words. Merry Christmas Eve. Like, there was anything merry about this night. About this holiday.
I grabbed my keys and coat, checking each animal one more time. The puppy was sleeping peacefully. The cats were purring. Everyone was safe and warm.
Everyone but me.
The cold hit like a slap when I stepped outside. Wind tore at my coat, and snow instantly soaked into my hair. My truck sat alone in the parking lot, already buried under several inches of white. "Come on, come on," I whispered, brushing snow off the window with numb fingers. The engine groaned when I turned the key. Once. Twice. On the third try, it finally caught.
The heater blasted cold air. Great. Just great.
I pulled onto Main Street carefully, my wipers working overtime. The whole town looked empty. Every smart person was already home, probably sitting by a fire, drinking hot chocolate, doing all those cozy Christmas things normal people did.
I gripped the steering wheel tighter and focused on the road.
The mountain road going to my apartment was the dangerous part. Narrow and winding, with steep drops on one side and thick forest on the other. No guardrails. No lamps. Just darkness and snow and my failing headlights.
The wind pushed against my truck, making it turn. My heart jumped into my throat. I slowed down even more, barely crawling along now. "You can do this," I told myself. "Just get home. Lock the door. Ignore Christmas. Like every year."
But this year felt different somehow. Heavier. Like something was waiting in the darkness.
I shook off the thought. Too many late nights were making me nervous.
That's when my headlights caught something.
A dark form on the side of the road.
I hit the brakes, and my truck slid slightly before stopping. My heart hammered. Through the snow, I could barely make out what I was seeing.
An animal. A big animal. "No, no, no," I breathed. "Please be a log. Please be a branch."
But I already knew it wasn't.
Every rational part of my brain screamed at me to keep driving. The storm was getting worse. The roads would close soon. I needed to get home.
But my hands were already going for the emergency kit in the back seat.
I stepped out into the storm, and the wind nearly knocked me over. Snow stung my face like tiny pins. I couldn't see more than a few feet ahead.
My flashlight beam cut through the white, and I moved forward slowly, my boots crunching in the thick snow.
The shape became clearer.
My breath caught.
It was a cat.
The biggest wolf I had ever seen in my life.
He lay on his side, his silver-gray fur stark against the white snow. Dark blood stained the ground around him. His huge chest barely moved.
I dropped to my knees beside him, my medical training taking over. My hands found the cut on his side—deep, ragged, oozing blood that looked wrong. Too dark. Too thick.
Poisoned, maybe?
The wolf's eyes opened slightly, and my heart stopped.
Bright, bright blue eyes. Not yellow like normal dogs. Not brown. Blue like a summer sky, like ice and lightning and something old.
They locked onto mine, and I felt it.
A jolt of warmth spread through my entire body. A link, like an invisible thread pulling tight between us. Recognition, even though I'd never seen this animal before in my life. "What are you?" I whispered.
His eyes held mine, clever and aware in a way that made my skin prickle.
He was dying. I could see it in how shallow his breathing had become, in how his eyes fought to stay open. "I've got you," I said, not caring how crazy I sounded. "I'm not leaving you here."
Getting him into my truck should have been impossible. He had to weigh over two hundred pounds, all muscle and fur and dead weight. But somehow, driven by desperation and adrenaline, I managed to drag and push him into the back seat.
He didn't fight me. Didn't snap or scream. Just watched me with those impossible blue eyes, as he trusted me totally.
I got back into the driver's seat, my hands shaking. My clothes were soaked. My fingers were numb. But none of that mattered.
I turned the truck around and drove back to the clinic faster than I should have, my heart racing with every second. In the rearview mirror, I could see the wolf lying still, his breathing getting slower. "Stay with me," I begged. "Please. Just stay with me."
At the clinic, I cleared my biggest treatment table and somehow got him onto it. Blood immediately pooled on the metal surface. I grabbed supplies with trembling hands: IV fluids, medicines, surgical tools, everything I had. "Okay," I said, more to myself than to him. "Okay. I can do this."
I started the IV line, my training steadying my hands. The wolf's eyes never left my face, even as I cleaned the wound, even as I worked to stop the blood.
The poison in his system was like nothing I'd ever seen. Dark and oily, spreading through his veins like live shadows. No cure I knew would work on this.
But I tried everything anyway.
Hours passed. The storm raged outside. The clock on the wall ticked past midnight. Christmas Eve became Christmas Day, and I didn't notice.
All I could focus on was this wolf. This beautiful, impossible creature who looked at me like I was his only chance.
Every time I touched him, I felt that warmth again. Stronger each time. Like my hands weren't just fixing his body, but something deeper. Something I didn't understand.
By three in the morning, his breathing finally settled. The poison had stopped spreading. He was stable. Alive.
I fell into the chair beside the table, exhausted beyond words. My whole body ached. My eyes burned. "You're going to make it," I whispered, reaching out to touch his fur. So soft despite the blood and dirt. "I don't know what you are, but you're going to make it."
His tail twitched slightly, and I could have sworn he understood every word.
I pulled a blanket over him and rested my head on my arms. Just for a minute. Just to rest my eyes.
Sleep pulled me under like a wave.
When I woke up, pale morning light streamed through the windows. My neck ached from the odd position. I blinked, confused for a moment about where I was.
Then I remembered.
The wolf.
I sat up quickly and looked at the treatment table.
Empty.
The IV line hung loose. The blanket lay crumpled on the floor. But no wolf. "No," I gasped, jumping to my feet. "No, no, no"
How could he have left? The doors were locked. The windows were closed. He was too hurt to move.
Unless he'd died. Unless he'd crawled away somewhere to
A sound came from behind me.
A voice. Deep and male. "Hello, Everly."
I spun around and screamed.
A man stood in the doorway. Tall and broad-shouldered, with dark hair and sharp features. He wore only a blanket wrapped around his waist, his powerful chest bare.
And his eyes are bright, bright blue.
The same eyes. "Who are you?" I demanded, backing away. "How did you get in here? Where's the wolf?"
He stepped forward, and I saw it. A fresh cut on his side. Exactly where the wolf's wound had been.
My legs went weak. "My name is Kael," he said softly. "And I am the wolf."
The world tilted. "That's impossible." "Yet here I stand." He moved closer, and I could feel that warmth coming from him. That link. "You saved my life, Dr. Reed. You saved your mate." "My what?"
His smile was gentle but protective. "Your fated mate. The bond ignited the moment you touched me. You felt it too." "No." I shook my head furiously. "No, this isn't real. People don't turn into dogs. Mates aren't that "Real?" He was right in front of me now. "You're a scientist. You believe in proof. The proof is standing before you." "Get out." My voice came out as a whisper. "Please. Just get out." "I can't do that." His face turned serious. "The ones who poisoned me, they know you healed me. They'll come for you. To break our tie. To kill you." "You're insane." "I'm an Alpha King. And you're my queen." He reached out and touched my cheek, and that warmth burst through me like fire. "Come with me. Let me protect you. Let me show you the truth."
I jerked away from his touch, my back hitting the wall. "I don't know you," I said. "I'm not going anywhere with you."
His jaw tightened. "Then they'll find you here. And they won't be as kind as I am."
Outside, a wolf howled.
Then another.
Then three more.
Kael's eyes flashed silver. "Too late. They're already here."