"I don't remember giving you my name, Chloe." the Captain said quietly. His voice was rough and masculine and even given the tension in the room, in made Chloe's body give a slight thrill to hear her name.
"I can read a uniform. I definitely don't remember giving you mine," she returned with just a bit of defiance. He didn't scare her.
"I can use a school directory." Captain Wolfe focused on Chloe, the heat of his golden eyes burning straight into her soul.
"And I'm Dr. Quentin Turner," Dr. Turner announced, his voice pleasant but his eyes never leaving Captain Wolfe. "Now that we've all been introduced, perhaps you would be willing to step out into the hallway with me for a moment?"
Captain Wolfe's eyes flickered for a moment. Then he relaxed his shoulders and stepped out into the hallway, making sure not to turn his back to the other man. Dr. Turner gently patted Chloe's back as he walked past her and followed Captain Wolfe out the door, closing it carefully behind him.
Chloe sat staring at the door in a daze. That was exactly the last thing she had expected to happen today. She could hear the men's voices as they stepped into the adjacent study room. She tried her best not to listen, but it was difficult and she finally just gave up and sat with her ear against the wall.
Chapter 11
Jackson stepped into a study room labeled with a big number four, wondering exactly what he had just gotten himself into. The doctor closed the door behind him, and Jackson struggled to keep his emotions under control. Now that Chloe's scent was in another room, his head was beginning to clear and the implications of the man standing next to him were starting to emerge.
He wasn't the only one. There were others like him. He wasn't alone. Jackson wasn't sure if he should be happy or terrified. The implications of having multiple shifting monsters running around the world was a bit terrifying.
The older man sat carefully on the edge of the table. He appeared calm, but Jackson wanted to be ready for anything.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the older man asked, his voice low and quiet.
"My name is Captain Jackson Wolfe." Jackson's throat suddenly went dry. "You're like me... I've never met anyone like me."
"What do you mean, you've never met anyone like me?" the other man asked, his face confused.
"Your eyes. Your scent. We're the same," Jackson replied. He felt a bit of desperation climb up into his chest. If the other man dismissed his claims, he would know he was crazy. It was only the military training that was keeping Jackson from losing his cool.
Dr. Turner frowned. "You mean you don't know what you are? That's impossible. Your parents should have..."
"My parents abandoned me when I was born," Jackson said, cutting him off. "I was adopted when I was an infant. If they knew something, they never told me."
"Well, that changes things." Dr. Turner rubbed his forehead with his hand, as though the motion would help him think. "You went through the change alone then?"
That was a loaded question for Jackson. He stiffened slightly and simply answered, "Yes." There was too much to explain, especially to a stranger.
Dr. Turner's head tipped slightly as he appraised the young soldier. Then he nodded. "You were a late bloomer, then? It didn't happen during puberty, but rather a traumatic event triggered it?"
"How did you know that?" Jackson almost growled before he caught himself. There was no way the other man could have known about Afghanistan. It must have happened to others if Dr. Turner mentioned it that way.
"The way you hold yourself. You haven't been a wolf long." Dr. Turner stood up from the table. "You'll have to introduce yourself to the pack. We have a lot we need to teach you so you don't hurt anyone."
"I've already hurt people," Jackson said quietly, his eyes shying away from Turner's brown ones. He didn't want to share too much with this stranger.
Dr. Turner put a hand on his shoulder, a friendly smile crossing his face. "It happens. The trauma induced changes are the hardest. There's no shame in it."
Jackson shrugged Dr. Turner's hand off his shoulder at first and just stood there. This man
was a stranger. Why should Jackson trust him? After a moment, he raised his eyes to meet Dr. Turner's. There was nothing but warm acceptance. There was a moment where he felt like there could be no deceit between them. "You'd teach me how to control it?" he asked tentatively.
The small smile grew to encompass his whole face. "Of course. You may be a lone wolf, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have an understanding of basic society. You might even want to join the pack. The full moon's coming up in a few days. We'll introduce you then."
Relief at finally belonging again flooded through Jackson. He didn't dare to hope too much, but he felt glad. Maybe he wouldn't be alone anymore. He wouldn't have to fight this struggle by himself. "Do I need to do anything special?"
"Like what? Bake a pie?" Turner laughed at his own joke. "No. Just come as you are and I'll walk you through it."
Jackson let out a sigh of relief. A weight he didn't know he had been carrying seemed to be lifted from his shoulders. He wanted to trust this Dr. Turner so badly, and he could feel his guard melting away.
"Now. We have other matters to attend to." Turner motioned his head toward the other room, to where Chloe was listening on the other side of the wall. "She stole the files then?"