Page 37 of Wishes in the Moonlight (Rocky Mountain Wolves #4)
~Amanda~
“This has been very helpful,” I told Kalo, my fingers grazing over the necklace I still held in my hand. Even with the genie right in front of me, the urge to touch it was strong. An ancient magic, without doubt. “You’re free to go for now, and I’ll call you back when I need you.”
His head dipped in acknowledgement but he didn’t immediately rise from his seat. “There is one other thing. The shield that you put in place around the territory will remain until either you ask me to remove it or until you wish the magic undone. However, I do have some… leeway.”
Troy leaned forward curiously and I did the same, trying to read the genie’s meaning in his golden eyes.
He’d been forthcoming with us, and my gut instinct told me everything he’d said was true.
He wanted freedom, even if it meant death.
For that, he needed me. He had no reason to double-cross us. “What kind of leeway?”
“I could create a temporary opening in the shield for my own use. If something else were to slip through at the same time, it wouldn’t affect your wish in any way.”
Troy caught on to the implication quicker than I did. “You mean we could move reinforcements in?”
Kalo’s lips curled in approval. “Precisely. If they were gathered outside your territory at a specific time and place and I happened to create an opening, it wouldn’t break any magical laws.”
Very interesting, Cinder murmured in my head. If he can bend the rules for that, maybe he can do something to help Troy too.
Perhaps. I knew I needed to think about it, but every time I imagined that moment, the sharp gasp of pain, the warmth of his blood seeping through my fingers, the way his eyes had gone unfocused, it felt like a knot tightening around my heart.
Could I really watch it happen again? Could I risk losing him for good?
“Amanda?” Troy’s head cocked to the side as he said my name, making it clear I’d missed something.
“Sorry. What was that?”
“I said that Savannah could ask the Crimsontooth wolves to meet us at the border along the beach. It should be far away from the attacking packs camped in the forest.”
“Agreed. That’s the best entry point. I’ll have her make the call and we can take Kalo there to let them in.”
“ I can take Kalo there,” Troy corrected. “You need to stay where it’s safe.”
I wanted to argue that apparently, I wasn’t even safe in my own office so I might as well make myself useful, but he had a point. With at least one would-be assassin still out there, I didn’t want anyone else putting themselves in danger’s way on my behalf.
So, I didn’t argue, agreeing to my mate’s suggestion instead. “If you’re feeling up to it, I’ll leave you to coordinate that with Savannah.”
Surprise flickered in his light brown eyes. He’d expected me to put up a fight, but when he realized I was entrusting him with this important task instead, his chest puffed with pride. “I feel absolutely fine. I’ll go and find her now.”
He barely spared a glance for Kalo as he sprang out of bed and headed to the door, intent on his mission.
That half-smile lingered on Kalo’s lips as he watched him go. “Werewolves really do have extraordinary healing ability. Hard to believe he was practically dead just a few hours ago.”
That was exactly what I wanted to focus on now that Troy was gone. “This ‘leeway’ you have with your magic… is there a way to use it to help Troy when the bullet returns?”
Any hopes my wolf might have planted in that regard immediately withered when I saw the regret that flashed across Kalo’s face. “When the wish is undone, my magic will be gone,” he reminded me. “If I’m still alive, which isn’t guaranteed, I won’t be able to do anything.”
Damn it. That would have been too simple, I supposed. “Alright. I’ll call you when we’re ready to bring the others in.”
This time, Kalo rose from his seat, bowed to me, and disappeared right before my eyes.
That was kind of unnerving.
With Savannah and Troy occupied and no news from Jasper about the former Beta’s whereabouts, I reached out by mind-link to the doctor who had treated Troy earlier. I need to speak with you as soon as you can spare the time.
On my way, Alpha , he immediately replied.
Less than ten minutes later, the guard once again knocked on the door, admitting the doctor. I had returned to my temporary desk, and he took a seat in the same armchair that Kalo had previously sat in, leaning forward in anticipation.
“What do you need, Alpha?”
As succinctly as possible, and leaving out any talk of genies and wishes, I explained how magic had removed the bullet from Troy’s chest, but that the effect was only temporary.
All too soon, we were going to be facing a scenario where the bullet would return to its previous position, except now we wouldn’t even have the external wound guiding the way.
When I’d completed my overview of the situation, I got to my reason for asking him there: “If we have Troy in an operating room, ready to go, will you be able to remove the bullet again before it kills him?”
The doctor leaned back in his chair, blowing out a long breath. “We’d have a good shot at it, certainly.” He winced as the words came out of his mouth. “No pun intended.”
My mother always said doctors had to have a dark sense of humour to survive in their chosen profession, so I didn’t take any offense. “What are the odds of survival?”
The doctor hesitated before answering, and that alone sent my heart skittering. Finally, he exhaled. “It’s hard to say without knowing exactly where the bullet will land, but I’d put it at fifty-fifty.”
Fifty-fifty. A coin flip that might go either way. The pounding of my heart grew heavier. “Is there any way to improve those odds?”
Again, his face scrunched with discomfort at having to deliver an answer he knew I wouldn’t like.
“If we knew exactly where the bullet would be, then yes, but I don’t have any way of knowing it.
Based on his rate of healing, scans are unlikely to show anything.
Even if we opened him up right now, I don’t think we’d see any scarring. ”
Something about the way he said ‘ his rate of healing’ stuck out to me, as if it were different in some way to the norm. “What’s special about Troy’s healing?”
“It’s extraordinarily quick. I asked if he had any ranked wolf blood, but he didn’t think so. I haven’t seen anyone in the pack heal that fast besides your father.”
Interesting , Cinder chimed in again. He doesn’t know who his father is. Maybe he does have ranked blood.
Anything was possible. The last day had taught me that much, if nothing else.
“I was actually going to ask him if I could run a DNA check against a new wolf genetic database,” the doctor continued. “It might show if he has a connection to any of the dominant bloodlines in the area. It could be useful for him to know, but I need his permission.”
It could be useful indeed, but after the conversation we had the night before about his family, I suspected Troy might not be on board. He clearly didn’t have much respect for whoever his father might be, especially given his mother’s disappearance, and I couldn’t blame him for that.
However, if there were even the slightest chance that knowing more about his family’s medical history could help keep him alive over the next few days, it needed to be explored.
“Go ahead and run the test. I’ll authorize it.”
The doctor bowed his head. “Certainly, Alpha. And with your permission, I’ll call together some of my colleagues with the most experience in open-heart surgery, to get their perspective on the bullet extraction operation.”
“Please do. I’ll check in with you tomorrow. Thank you.”
He got to his feet, bowing once again, and no sooner had the door closed behind him than another voice echoed in my head, this one belonging to Jasper.
I’ve got Beta Chad. Bringing him to the cells now.
My pulse spiked, adrenaline kicking in. Finally, something was going our way. Excellent. I’ll meet you there.