Chapter 26: Sadie: Signs Of Life

SADIE

"The lab results should be back soon," Dr. Ngozi says.

I nod, rubbing the spot on my right arm where the phlebotomist drew my blood. It still aches a little.

Years of monthly injections should’ve made needles easier by now, but my body still reacts to every one like it’s the first.

"So what exactly is wrong with her?" Trey asks from across the room.

He’s manspreading in one of the chairs by the wall, an arm draped across the back, looking far too authoritative.

Since we arrived, he’s been firing off questions, explaining what happened and demanding to know how long everything will take.

I’d assumed he was particularly bossy with me. Apparently, I’m not that special. His doctor friend seems to be getting an even worse version of him.

Dr. Ngozi smiles faintly as she types something into the computer, then glances at me. "Your boyfriend is very demanding."

I turn to Trey, waiting for him to correct her, but he remains sprawled in his chair. When several seconds pass and he still says nothing, I realize he has no intention of doing it.

"He’s not my boyfriend. We’re just..." I hesitate, because suddenly I’m not entirely sure what we are. "Friends."

Dr. Ngozi swivels around to face him. "You brought a friend to see me? Now, that’s surprising."

I can’t see her expression anymore, but I can hear the amusement in her voice.

"What’s surprising about it?" he asks.

She turns back around. "Because I didn’t know you had female friends." Her eyes meet mine. "Or that any woman could tolerate you long enough to become one."

I press my lips together, fighting a laugh. I’m not sure Trey and I have reached the level of friendship where I’m allowed to join his friends in making fun of him.

Dr. Ngozi obviously passed that point a long time ago.

She looks four or five years older than us, noticeably beautiful, and completely at ease with him. There’s an easy familiarity between them that makes me wonder how long they’ve known each other.

Have they ever hooked up?

The thought needles at me as my gaze drifts to Trey.

"So," Dr. Ngozi says, drawing me back to the conversation. "Sadie. Not a girlfriend, but a friend."

I open my mouth, but whatever response I’m supposed to give her doesn’t come. Especially not with that knowing smile on her face and the heat already creeping into mine.

"Yes," I finally say.

Her smile lingers before her attention returns to the computer. "All right. Let me make sure I have this straight. You saw dark veins beneath your skin that seemed to glow, your eyes turned green, and you experienced a sudden increase in strength?"

"Yeah."

"And this all started after you took his suppressant?"

"Pretty much. They didn’t all happen at the same time."

She studies the screen for another moment. "Have you ever shifted before?"

"No."

She exhales slowly, leaning back in her chair. "Then typically, symptoms like these would make me think of a delayed first shift."

A delayed first shift.

It sounds much nicer when a doctor says it. Out there, people aren’t so careful. By my age, you’re not late, you’re defective. Something went wrong somewhere.

My wolf made herself known once, faintly, when I turned sixteen. Then she went quiet, and I’ve spent every year since wondering what it would actually feel like to meet her. To run on four legs instead of just imagining it.

So when hope rises now, I don’t bother stopping it.

"Does that mean I might be able to shift?" I ask.

Dr. Ngozi nods. "Possibly, yes. Your wolf responding at all is a good sign. But delayed shifts take time. Once she starts surfacing, it can still be months before she’s strong enough for a full shift. In some cases, close to two years."

Two years.

Some of my excitement deflates.

"Trey’s suppressant probably accelerated things," she adds. "It’s formulated for an Alpha, so the dose was strong enough to provoke a response from a wolf that’s been dormant for years."

I look down at my bandaged hand. "So I just have to wait?"

"I wouldn’t advise it." Her expression turns serious. "Delayed wolves can be unpredictable once they become active. You haven’t fully merged with yours, so when she comes through, her strength and instincts can take over before you know how to control them."

My fingers still against the bandage. "That’s what happened this morning, wasn’t it?"

"Yes. And those episodes can become more intense over time. In extreme cases, they can even be fatal. The sooner you complete the shift, the safer it is."

Well, there goes the excitement I had thirty seconds ago.

I sit straighter. "Can I do anything to speed up the shift?"

"Adrenaline." She taps her pen against the table. "Wolves are highly responsive to it. Anything that gets your heart racing or pushes your body outside its usual comfort zone can help. Intense exercise. A fight-or-flight response. Even unfamiliar environments."

She pauses. "New experiences are especially effective."

"Like what?"

"Anything you haven’t done before. It doesn’t necessarily have to be dangerous. The point is to give your body and your wolf something unfamiliar to react to."

I sink back slightly, trying to sort through everything she’s just told me.

My wolf might finally surface.

The thought still sends a little thrill through me, but it’s tangled up with everything else now. Losing control. Unpredictable episodes. Months of waiting and trying to coax out something that has spent years hiding inside me.

I glance toward Trey. He’s watching me closely from across the room, his earlier impatience gone.

Having him here is more comforting than I expected.

My focus returns to Dr. Ngozi.

"Is there anything else I should expect?" I ask. "Just so I’m prepared."

"Um...there is one other possibility." Dr. Ngozi turns back to her laptop, clicking through something. "You may notice an increase in sexual desire as your wolf becomes more active. Heat can also become more frequent in omegas during a delayed shift, and your scent will be much stronger when it happens."

She pauses, glancing over her shoulder at Trey. "Especially to unmated males in your vicinity."