Page 9 of What a Wolf Wants

Still, it was a shame she couldn’t have gotten to know him before this. Then he would have realized her house wasn’t a drug house, and they wouldn’t have had that unfortunate first meeting.

Chapter 3

At the ranch, Leidolf gave Ethan hell in the recovery room once he learned Ethan had driven there himself.

“Why in the hell did you drive down here to see the doctor? Cassie and I would have brought you here after we left Charlene’s house. Or the doctor would have met up with you in Portland. Or we would have sent an ambulance to get you.” Leidolf looked so sternly at Ethan that he wanted to smile.

Ethan only nodded, woozy. He didn’t like imposing on anyone, and he really hadn’t felt that bad at the time—probably because of the adrenaline pumping through his blood.

Doc wanted him to stay the rest of the morning at the clinic, but Ethan said, “I’ll be fine once I have more sleep.”

Leidolf wasn’t about to allow Ethan to drive himself home. He put out the call for help.

Brad Reddington and Josh Wilding arrived at the clinic then. Brad was a good friend and also a subleader and had quickly volunteered to drive Ethan’s car back to Portland. Josh, one of Ethan’s best friends, was part owner of the nearby reindeer ranch and a retired homicide detective who had worked with Ethan on several cases. Josh took Ethan home in his car. When they arrived at his home, Ethan was exhausted, feeling the pain from the bullet wound and the wolf’s bite.

“Hell, man, I didn’t figure you would be shot on your lastPortland assignment,” Josh said, getting Ethan settled in his bed like he was his big brother.

“Yeah, I rushed him, but Kroner unjammed his gun at the last moment.” Ethan didn’t regret his decision. He felt he saved other members from his team getting shot, and as a wolf, Ethan would heal up much faster.

“At least you got one of the people who was responsible for your parents’ murders,” Brad said, bringing him a glass of water and setting it on the bedside table.

“Yeah. It would have been nice to get the whole gang, but I’m still going after them.”

“Well, if you need any of our help, just let us know,” Josh said. Then he chuckled. “We take it that the she-wolf whose house you raided bit you.”

Brad smiled. “I figured it must have been a love bite.”

Ethan shook his head. “I don’t think making friends with me was on her mind at the time.”

“You’re not going to let that stop you, are you?” Josh asked.

Nope. “I have every intention of making it up to her one way or another.”

They both laughed.

“I look forward to seeing you do it,” Brad said.

“Yeah, the same with me,” Josh said.

Ethan hoped he could pull it off. Both Josh and Brad were happily mated. Most of his friends were, and Ethan had done his fair share of giving them a hard time when they were courting their mates. Not that he was courting Charlene, but any interest he might show in a female wolf was a chance forthem to give him a hard time back.

“Do you need anything else besides sleep?” Brad asked.

“No, guys, thanks so much for bringing me home.”

Brad shook his head. “Leidolf was sure pissed that you had driven to the ranch to see the doctor on your own like that.”

Josh agreed. “Yeah, we all agree. It would have been nothing for any of us to come get you to see the doctor.”

“Next time, I’ll keep it in mind.”

“You’d better,” Brad said. “We’re all here for each other. Get some rest, Ethan.”

“Sleep well,” Josh said. “We’ll check on you later.”

“Thanks, guys. See you later.”

Then they left him to sleep for the rest of the morning. Sleep wouldn’t come though as Ethan kept thinking about the night’s events—catching Charlene in the shower and taking Kroner and Benny down. Then Ethan got a call. At this hour? It was Tori. “Yeah, Tori? You know that I have finally gone to bed after seeing Doc, don’t you?”