Kellen's Tempting Mate (15 page)

“Where do I sign?” She held her hand out.

Dr. Niffen laughed. “You’re a very smart young lady. Once you sign, I’ll sign and we’ll begin the process. Actually, it’s pretty quick since we’ve already begun.”

She scrawled her signature on several pieces of paper, filled out the tax documents, and sat back with a happy sigh. “I can’t wait to begin working here.”

The phone rang, interrupting her. Dr. Niffen held up her hand. Laikyn couldn’t help but hear the other end of the conversation, and when the receiver was replaced she was prepared for the meeting to end.

“I apologize, but I have a patient that I need to see. If you were already on staff, I’d take you with me. Next time,” Dr. Niffen assured.

Laikyn and Dr. Niffen stood at the same time, walking back the way they’d come. She took the time to look at the other offices they passed. The ones with the open doors were almost as nice as Dr. Niffen’s.

“We’ll see you in a few days, Dr. O’Neil. Lila, be a dear and send these down to Human Resources.”

Lila stood, the brunette almost as tall as Laikyn. “Absolutely. Welcome to the team, Dr. O’Neil.”

“Thank you. Lila?” Laikyn held her hand out.

The cool fingers were firm as they gripped hers. “Yes. Lila Grant.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Laikyn could sense the woman had looked at Kellen, but hadn’t tried to poach, which moved her up a notch.

“You’ll love it here. All the doctors in the practice are very pleasant to work for, and I love our patients.” Sincerity rang in her tone.

Yeah, she’d made a great choice.

“I can’t wait to get started. Have a great day, Lila.” Turning to Dr. Niffen, Laikyn held her hand out. “Whenever you have a firm date, just give me a call. My schedule is open.”

“We’ll see you in a couple days. Until then, enjoy your time off.” Dr. Niffen looked over to where Kellen unfolded himself from a lounge chair.

He walked forward with his usual confident swagger. “This is my...” she trailed off, not wanting to say mate.

“Hello, my name is Kellen. I’m Laikyn’s fiancé. It’s very nice to meet you. Her car is in the shop, and I had some things to get done in town. I thought we’d kill two birds with one stone.” He held his hand out to the doctor, and Laikyn swore the woman looked ready to swoon.

Introductions were made, and in typical Kellen style, he had the older woman eating out of the palm of his hand. Tattooed badass men clearly didn’t faze Dr. Niffen.

“We’ll be on our way so you can get to your meeting. It was a pleasure meeting you, Joy.” Kellen kissed her boss’s cheek. The fact the other woman had told him to call her by her first name had made Lila raise her eyebrows. Obviously not something that was done on the daily.

In the elevator she waited until the doors closed before turning to him. “You realize you are a menace to all women?”

He crossed his arms over his chest, a smirk on his face. “How you figure?”

“Joy? She told you to call her Joy after two minutes.” She couldn’t help but smile.

Kellen unfolded his arms, reaching for Laikyn. “The only woman I care about is you. I’m glad she felt comfortable with me. Sometimes I can scare people.”

She snorted. “Sometimes?”

He nuzzled her neck. “Only when the need arises.”

“Hmm, I think there is a whole other need arising now.” She pushed her pelvis in close to his. The ping of the elevator had her stilling in his embrace. “I better watch myself when I’m in my place of work,” she said pulling away before the doors swooshed open.

“For now, I’ll let you.” The words had a thrill shooting through her.

Several people piled in, keeping her from voicing anything out loud. A little girl tugged on her mother’s hand, bringing the harried woman’s attention to her. Laikyn and Kellen could hear her whispered words as she asked why her daddy was so sick, and if he was going to survive. The mother picked the little girl up and cuddled her close. Laikyn met the somber brown eyed gaze of the child over her mother’s shoulder. Clutched in her tiny fist was a stuffed wolf with sparkling blue eyes.

“I like your stuffed animal,” Laikyn murmured to the little girl.

“My daddy gave it to me. He said wolves were the fiercest of all and they protected their own.” She sniffed, dropping the toy.

Laikyn bent, the scent that hit her was that of a shifter. Wolf to be exact. She pretended to drop her purse, knowing Kellen would help her out. With so many bodies in the elevator, she and Kellen hadn’t thought, or at least she hadn’t thought to scent their surroundings. Kellen’s blue eyes narrowed on the toy in her hand, then glanced at the woman and child.

“Sorry, I dropped my purse getting this.” She stood after making sure Kellen had inhaled the scents on the stuffed wolf.

“Thank you,” the young mom murmured.

On the ground floor the duo headed toward the cafeteria. “I don’t recognize the scent, but he’s at least part wolf. I smelled human, but that could be the mother. Shit!” Kellen ran his hand over his head, looking around. “You are gonna ask me to try, aren’t you?”

“If he’s a shifter, or part but never shifted, whatever is wrong with him...” she stopped herself.

As a doctor she wanted to fix everyone. Not knowing anything about the man whose child smelled like wolf, made both the woman, and shifter in Laikyn want to fix them.

“Mon Chaton, it’s not that easy. If he’s in bad shape, the wolf’s bite could kill him. Or,” he held up his hand. “The shifter we smelled on the toy could very well be the mother, and not him.” Kellen said too low for anyone but her to hear.

Her brain was aware what he said was a possibility, but in her heart she couldn’t squash the part of her that needed to find out, one way or the other.

Kellen growled. “You’re set on finding out more. Aren’t you?”

Her head moved up and down.

“Fine, but we do this my way, or I will toss you over my shoulder, and I don’t give a flying fuck what it looks like. Feel me?”

“I fucking love you.”

The blue of his eyes flashed to that of his wolf. “Damn, you are so making up for this. I hope you don’t have any plans after this, cause the only ones are going to be me, you, my cock, and your pussy. Whatever I decide, wherever I decide, I will take you. I’m not asking, baby. Just letting you know.”

The air around them thickened. Without a doubt he could smell how his words turned her on, but Laikyn thought, in Kellen’s words, she gave no fucks. After they tracked down the little girl and mama, and found out a little more, she was surrendering her body to that of her mate. Her alpha.

Dang it, she hated walking around with wet panties.

Kellen’s husky laugh had her reaching for his hand.

––––––––

L
aikyn scanned the cafeteria, looking for two people in the large crowd was almost impossible. How were they to find their query amongst all the humans, especially one little girl with ponytails and her mother. A sense of loss threatened to bring her to tears, until Kellen tapped her nose.

“Take a deep breath,” he instructed.

Near the doors leading to the outside courtyard was the little girl and her mom. Their heads were bent close together with two trays of food in front of them.

“Should we get some food and go sit with them?” Nervousness made her palms sweat.

Kellen’s body heat soothed her. “No. Let’s get this over with. Just go over, and introduce yourself. I’ll stand back so I don’t scare them.”

Her eyes darted up to the man beside her. “You’re going to let me go over there alone?”

His husky laugh had several people turning toward them. “Not on your life, baby. I’ll be real close, just not too close. Come on.” He steered her around a couple.

The closer they got, the heavier the scent of shifter became. Laikyn squeezed Kellen’s fingers, hoping he’d understand.

“
The child is part wolf.”
He spoke through their link.

Her own sense of smell wasn’t the same as his. More than likely him being the alpha gave him super sniffing ability as well. She sent him an image of Scooby Doo, getting a quick flash of her over his lap. “
Stop that, or everyone will smell me, human or not,” she admonished.

“Then don’t compare me to a damn dog.”

“Woof,”
she joked, then stopped as they reached the table. In that moment the knowledge that Kellen had diverted her attention registered. She was one lucky gal indeed.

His hand slipped from hers as she took the remaining steps toward the pair. One pair of amber eyes blinked up at Laikyn with so much knowledge, she swore the little girl’s wolf was letting her know she was there.

“Hi. My name is Dr. Laikyn O’Neil. May I speak with you?” She pulled her gaze from the child to the mother. Green eyes stared at her in alarm.

“Is my husband okay? We just left him.” She asked in a shaky voice.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t have news about your husband. I actually wanted to ask you some questions. May I sit down?” Laikyn smiled, hoping to ease them.

The mother waved at the chairs across from them.

“Mommy, she’s like me and daddy,” the little girl announced.

“What do you mean, Dakota?” Alarmed, the mother pulled the young girl onto her lap, staring at Laikyn like she’d grown two heads.

“
I guess that answers one of our questions.”
Laikyn didn’t look at Kellen as she spoke to him through their mate bond.

“Dakota. What a lovely name for a little girl.” Laikyn focused on the human mother. “What’s your name, miss?”

“Mommy, don’t be scared. Her wolf is much stronger than mine, and mine is not scared.”

The mother’s hand trembled, making Laikyn’s protective instincts kick in. “We are not here to harm you. I am new to the hospital and happened to smell shifter in the elevator. My mate and I followed you down here to find out more. Where is your,” Laikyn looked to the child before continuing, “father?”

“Oh, god. What is going on? I thought he was the only one. We thought...I mean,” she whispered roughly. “Jared and I met in college at NDSU. I always knew he was different, but not
that
different. His senses were sharper, and he could run, jump and do things much better than most others. He could have went on to the NFL, but we got pregnant with this little nugget, and as the saying goes. The rest was history.” She took a ragged breath. “We are on vacation, hiking the Black Hills. It’ll be fun, he said.” She gave a hollow laugh. “There was a bear trap we didn’t see. I got on my cell phone right away. Within hours he was flown here, but he’s not getting better. We don’t understand.” Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“What is your name,” Kellen growled.

Dakota stared at Laikyn’s mate, her eyes going wide. “Oh wow. You are even bigger than my daddy.”

Kellen squatted down to eye level. “My name is Kellen Styles. I’m what you would call the alpha. Leader of the pack if you will. What is your name, ma’am?” His blue eyes turned toward Dakota’s mother.

Laikyn watched the young woman squirm. “Irene Carpenter, and this is our daughter Dakota. Do you know what is wrong with Jared? Can you help us since you’re the alpha or whatever?”

He shrugged massive shoulders. “Take me to him, and I’ll see what is going on. I make no promises, but between myself, Laikyn and my pack, there is a chance.”

Irene stood with Dakota in her arms. “Let’s go.”

Her mate shook his head. “After you.”

“Mommy, my wolf is cringing. I think we are supposed to listen to him.” Dakota’s voice cut through the tension.

“Sweetheart, if they fix your daddy, I’ll bow down, curtsy or whatever you say. Right now, I want your daddy fixed.” Irene kissed Dakota’s forehead, then hefted her up higher on her hip.

“Here, let me take her,” Kellen reached for Dakota.

Irene’s mouth opened, but the little girl practically leaped into Kellen’s arms.

Laikyn shook her head. “He has a way with the female population. Of course, I will only allow the ones under the age of maybe eight or nine now to get away with that.” Laikyn pointed her thumb at Dakota now sitting on Kellen’s shoulders, and laughed as she joined Irene in her fast clip toward the bank of elevators.

“He is a handsome devil. My Jared is, too. Although he is the opposite of your...mate. Are you two not married?” Irene pressed the button for the fifth floor, her hesitation on the words made Laikyn aware of the fact the woman, and Jared were either completely unaware of his heritage, or the wolf was running. From what or who, was yet to be known.

“We call ourselves mates, but I will expect him to put a ring on it too. A huge one. He will be getting his tattooed on, so all the women know he is taken.” Laikyn looked over her shoulder, meeting the heat in her mate’s blue eyes.

“Mon Chaton, you can have anything you want. I’ll have your name tattooed around anything you desire.” He winked.

Goddess, she loved his dirty mind.

The doors opened to their floor, and then they didn’t need Irene to tell them where Jared was. The scent of a shifter in pain hit Laikyn hard. As a doctor she picked up the pace, leaving Irene behind along with Kellen and Dakota. The door to the room was closed, but she pushed it open without thinking.

A snarl greeted her from the bed. The large man sat up, a feral look in his eye. “Who are you?”

Kellen pushed past her, a growl rumbling out. “That is my mate, boy.”

Laikyn’s hand found the fisted one of Kellen’s. “He’s in so much pain.”

“I can see that.” Never taking his eyes off of Jared, Kellen walked closer. “I know what you are, and you obviously know what we are. What you don’t know is that we are friends, and are here to help.”

“Daddy, these are my friends. My wolf is at ease around them. Well, not at first around Alpha, but now it is,” Dakota said, trying to break free from her mother. “Mommy, let me go. I told you, it’s okay. They are gonna fix daddy.” Her little voice wobbled.

Jared held his hand out to his family. “Come here,” he growled.

“My name is Dr. Laikyn O’Neil. Let me look at your injury.” She gestured at the foot of the bed.

All the strength seemed to evaporate from the man in the bed.