Page 41

“Our world would have suffered,” Dr. Carpenter said firmly, people giving him shocked looks. “You are agifteddoctor, and I’ve talked with Dr. James about your research and more. I’m thrilled you’re blowing the lid off of this at ASH. This was why ASH was built.” Sadness was in his eyes. “Glad you were born to such good people, Ha-joon. Truly.”

I smiled at him, his earlier crap forgotten even by my wolf. “Me too, sir.” I focused on the rest of the room. “Now, how many of you have figured out something important?”

“A bad first shift can be a sign of a strong shifter or possible Alpha that most wouldn’t have expected,” Gerald Woods of all people replied.

I met his gaze head-on. “Yes, I’ve found it to be about 50/50. Either it’s some form of neglect, malnutrition—being unprepared for what was coming.Orit’s an indicator that the shifter will be more powerful than a preteen’s body can handle.”

“Trauma. You’re forgetting trauma,” he corrected.

“No, I put that in a different category,” I clarified. “But good to bring up, thank you. I’m speaking on non-trauma-related cases that I’ve seen.” I gestured back to the screen. “Of the four you saw, one was trauma, two were the issues I listed, but that first one was an incredibly powerful female hawk that didn’t understand not to hurt herpersonwhen she was finally free.

“But because her first shift was difficult and shifters are more sexist than we like to admit—no one can convince meotherwise—she wasshamed. And we all know how easily that snowballs. We’re doctors. We see it all the time. A child is told they’re stupid and worthless and they stop trying. They fail again and again without support.

“Yes, there are the rare ones who push through and prove them all wrong, but that is the exception to the norm, not the outcome most lie to themselves that was supposed to happen. It’s lazy parenting and leadership. Even if the child excels, they fail in so many other areas because they were not molded well. It takes a pack to raise a pup.”

I realized how personal I was getting there and cleared my throat, moving on and continuing with the Q&A.

A witch asked something over the line, but it was clear she was struggling with the information and how to process it. Some of what I discussed was well-defined to shifters, but—I wouldn’t understand magic to a level she did either.

I warned them that this was not to be shared outside of the room or even ASH because too many would think I was a threat to Alphas in America, especially Atlanta. And that was the last thing I wanted.

The amused looks too many gave me like I was full of myself or just full of shit made me want to sigh… Until I let them feelmostof my Alpha aura.

And I didn’t even let it all out. I hid maybe forty percent? Maybe more. It wasn’t like a speedometer after all.

“There was more, right?” Dr. James asked me after the lecture. He laughed when I gave him my most innocent face.

Dr. Carpenter clapped me on the back. “Well done. Probably the best lecture a new attending here has ever given. Fascinating insights and especially for those of us who aren’t shifters. We’ve already changed the crisis protocols. You being here has kept our people safe which is great.”

Oh, and he sent his apology to my wolf later even if I’d told him not to.

A whole fucking cow.

Yeah, seriously. The git sent me a whole butchered cow from a local organic farmer. I had the invoice paid for in my email and I just had to schedule a time to pick it up.

At least he apologized well.

The next weird was Dr. Greer sending me links to Instagram models with some serious thirst traps… Who were all men. I kept responding with confused emojis or playful GIFs basically asking herWTF?

Finally, she sent me one back with a “hint, hint, idiot.”

I didn’t understand. I called Mum instead and told her about the cow, asking if they had anything coming up where they could use some cuts for prime rib or whatever.

She mostly wanted the bones for broth. Apparently, there had been some issues in the UK with… I didn’t understand it all, but getting the right bones to make soups and bases had been harder to track down at the moment.

Which was how I got on the phone with the farm and asked if I could add to my order and buy a ton of the bones since they had options to buy butchered meat as well. They were glad for me to take them off their hands and Mum promised to handle them well and for the pack.

It left me feeling warm and fuzzy. I’d wanted to be a doctor to help people and that wasn’t always limited to medicine.

Ifinallyput it together when Dr. Greer messaged me after work asking if I got any good inspiration or if I wanted advice on which shots to send.

“Oh, I am a slow duffer,” I mumbled as the pieces fell into place. “She’s trying to help us.”

Then I had to admit that I had no idea where to start to take a thirst trap or even pictures like that. I wasn’t someone who even took selfies.

Her advice was simple—don’t take selfies, take pictures for Ellie.

I could do that, right?