If she hadn't been at the clinic where humans could walk in on them, she would have phased into a wolf too just to make it easier to sleep on the floor. At least it was warm - really warm with the large wolf snuggled up against her. She'd never had another werewolf or anyone, actually, act so possessive. No, that wasn't quite it. Needy? Trusting? Some combination of the three? It did seem like the wolf saw her as his mother, but why would he? Had his brain been damaged more than they realized or were there pre-existing issues?

"Still alive?" Matthew asked from the doorway.

Aiyana pushed a large paw away from her neck. "Yes."

Matthew walked a little closer to loom over them. "He looks almost like a man the way he's cuddled up next to you."

"Tell me about it. It's like sleeping next to a furnace."

The furnace behind her nuzzled her ear and licked her cheek. She shot up into a sitting position and glared behind her as she scrubbed the slobber from her cheek. "Would you stop that! When was the last time you brushed your teeth?"

The wolf gave a little whimper as Matthew snorted. "Pretty sure that's a never."

Aiyana immediately felt guilty. The poor guy couldn't brush his teeth even if he wanted to. It was probably impossible to hold a toothbrush in wolf form. She'd have to try it. She ran her hand down his front leg. "I'm sorry. That wasn't a fair question."

The wolf yipped his forgiveness. He was so sweet.

"My shift is just about over," Matthew said, one eyebrow rising toward his hairline. "Do you want me to help you put him back in his cage?"

Was she being too obvious? Humans who doctored animals tended to treat the animals more like sentient beings than other humans, but there were limits. She and Doc had to be careful when there were werewolf patients around - luckily it didn't happen often. Most werewolf patients weren't injured as gravely as this one and could be taken directly to the infirmary at the pack house. "Who's coming in next?"

"Leah."

Leah wouldn't hesitate to tranq a large animal and she'd use the maximum dose she could. The wolf didn't need that. He'd only just come out of his coma.

"Is Doc scheduled to come in today?" Aiyana asked.

"No, but he probably will."

The front door chime sounded.

"That's probably him now. I don't think Leah has a key," Matthew commented.

Before she could even think about unwrapping herself from the comforter she'd brought or re-braiding her hair, five werewolves strolled into the back room, four men and one woman. Aiyana didn't need an introduction to know she was in the presence of two alphas. Reflexively, she bowed her head, then quickly looked back up, hoping Matthew hadn't noticed.

"Ah, Matthew. You're still here," Doc commented. Doc wasn't puny, but compared to the three men next to him, he looked small.

"Yes sir. I was waiting for Leah."

"You may leave. I'll cover for her until she gets here."

"Yes sir."

Matthew wasn't a coward - she'd seen him take on an irritable cow more than once, but she detected a faint whiff of fear. Maybe humans could tell when there were alphas present too. To his credit, he turned to her instead of immediately leaving. "Aiyana, do you want me to drive you home?"

"I'll do it Matthew," Doc said before she could answer. "It might take us a while to figure out this wolf situation."

It was only after she smiled and gave him a little nod that Matthew left her side to skirt past the large man by the door and disappear into the other room.

The wolf beside her rolled to his feet, sniffing the air. Doc moved out of the way as he made a bee-line for the woman where he sat down and leaned his head against her chest. She put her cheek down on his forehead and her arms around his neck. "Nathan, my sweet boy, what has happened to you?"

The sight of the other woman hugging the wolf brought tears to Aiyana's eyes. She looked older - perhaps his mother? The men remained still and quiet as they listened to Matthew collecting his things down the hall. Aiyana stood and began folding her comforter, keeping her eyes down so she wouldn't accidentally meet the eyes of the wolves watching her. As soon as the front door chime sounded, Doc disappeared into the other room. A moment later he came back, shutting the recovery door room behind him.

"He's gone. Aiyana, the wolf's name is Nathan or Nate Koche. This is Alpha Edward and Luna Salma, Nate's parents from the Yellowstone pack, and their guard, Liam, Nate's Uncle. His son disappeared at the same time as Nate and they think they were traveling together. Alpha Miguel contacted them late last night and they flew in this morning."

She bowed her head, showing her submission. The other wolf was Miguel Powers, the Alpha of the university pack. Alpha Miguel was perfect for the position. He had two children of his own - both already through college - and he was extremely nice. The pack lands had been in his family for over a hundred years and there was plenty of land for visiting college wolves to roam. Through fees and donations made by packs throughout the state, Alpha Miguel provided part-time guard jobs for many of the college students to make sure there were no trespassers or hunters when people were roaming about in wolf form.

"Why were you sleeping next to him?" Alpha Edward asked.

She tossed her folded comforter on top of her pillow. "It was the only way we could get him to stop howling last night."

"Are you his mate?"

That was a strange question to ask. "No."

"Nate was searching for his mate," he explained. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Nate let out a little growl and left his mother to sit down in front of Aiyana and press his head against her chest.

"I think Nate disagrees," his father said.

She ran her hand over the soft fur between the ears of the beautiful wolf in front of her with regret. "I wish I was."

"Are you mated?" the alpha female asked.

"No." Should she tell them her so-called mate rejected her?

"Do you know who your mate is?"

"Yes."

"Why aren't you together?"

It was an extremely personal question, but she supposed it didn't matter if they knew. "He chose someone else."

Aiyana was aware of Alpha Miguel shifting his sharp gaze to her but Salma Koche's sudden smile caught most of her attention. With her blond hair and chic clothes the alpha looked like she belonged in some fancy city, not a countrified college town. "Then there is no problem."

"Except that somewhere Nate's true mate is waiting. I can't do that to someone else."

Nate put his paws on her shoulder and attempted to hug her, nearly knocking her over. It was easier to put her arms around him than push him back. "I think we have bigger problems right now than whether we are mates or not. Did Doc tell you about his injuries?" She was only an undergrad. It was not her place to give diagnoses or prognoses to Nate's parents.

Doc took the hint. "As I told you on the phone, he was shot - buckshot. We think it was a local hunter although we don't know who. He was hit twice, once in the head and once in the thigh. A biker found him last Sunday in a ditch several miles north of here. The shot to the head nearly destroyed his were-gland and with it, his ability to phase and heal properly. He is getting better though. He was awake much of yesterday and was able to take a short walk around the yard. Unfortunately, the shot also damaged his occipital lobe, and his eyes are not responding to light."

"What does that mean? He's blind?" His mother's voice ended in a shriek. It had to be awful for a child to suddenly lose their sight.

"Hopefully, it's just temporary," Doc said quickly.

Liam stepped forward and put his hand on Nate's shoulder.

"Nate, what happened to your cousin? Where's Jeremy?"

Instead of responding, Nate nuzzled closer to her neck.

"Nate, look at me!"

"He can't look at you," Aiyana reminded him softly, then put her forehead against the huge one on her shoulder. "Do you remember where Jeremy is? If so, let him know."

Nate whined. She rubbed his shoulder.

"He might not be able to remember. I tried several times yesterday to get him to at least tell me the first letter of his name. He couldn't."

"He knew me," his mother said.

"It may be partial memory loss," Doc said.

"Do you remember me?" his father asked.

She expected the wolf to at least touch the alpha with his nose, but instead he turned his great head and released a low growl before laying his head back on her shoulder.

"He remembers me. Nate, where is your cousin?"

The wolf next to her ear made the smallest of noises. She rubbed her cheek against the side of his neck. "Do you remember anything? They said you were traveling together."

He shook his head.

"You are getting heavy. Why don't you sit down and try to answer their questions. I'm not going anywhere."

He licked her cheek, then plopped down on all fours and turned to face his father. Nate's mother frowned at her as Aiyana wiped her cheek off against her shoulder. She pretended she didn't see it and made herself busy getting Nate a dish of water.

"Nate, do you remember traveling here?" his father asked.

Aiyana looked over her shoulder in time to see Nate slowly shake his head.

"What about your cousin? Do you remember what happened to him?"

It was another no.

"Do you remember the last time you saw him?"

No.

"Do you remember anything?"

Aiyana set the water dish in front of him and he put his nose against her shoulder.

"You remember you were searching for your mate?" his mother asked. Nate nodded.

"And you think she's the one?"

Nate lowered his head and growled at his mother.

"You know she's the one?"

He yipped and stepped on the edge of the water dish, flipping water everywhere.

Aiyana grabbed the blanket still on the floor and started wiping down his chest and front legs.

"Sorry Nate. I should have warned you that was there."

He stuck his nose in her already messy hair and licked her, again. She was definitely going to need a shower before church.

"This is useless. We need to get out there and search for Jeremy," Liam said.

"I had wolves searching all night." Alpha Miguel said in his rich baritone. "We have to be careful in the daylight. There are a lot of trigger-happy idiots around here who will shoot at anything furry with three or more legs, and sometimes less. I suggest human, wolf pairs. We've got a few people on the police force I can pair you with if you want to be the noses since you are familiar with his scent. People will think you are police dogs."

"That would be be appreciated," the Alpha Edward said.

"Aiyana, can you stay with Nate?" Doc asked.

She looked up from where she was still wiping up water. "Um, no, actually, I need to get going."Nate turned his head in her direction and let out a howl. She tapped him on the nose. "Now don't start that again. You're a grown wolf."

He whined and put his paw toward her. She took it in both of hers. "I'll come back later. Doc, maybe you should take him to the farm for now. He'd probably enjoy being outside rather than cooped up in a cage."

"You put him in a cage!" his mother exclaimed.

"He was unconscious most of the time," Doc said, "and this is a fully equipped veterinary hospital unlike the setup on the farm, but it's also quite public so compromises are required to access what it has to offer."

"It doesn't appear to have bothered him much and he clearly didn't stay in there all the time," Edward said to his wife. "If anything, they've been spoiling him."

Nate lowered his head, so Aiyana put her forehead against his. "Not spoiling, just trying to keep him calm. I imagine you'd be a little anxious too if you lost your sight and part of your memory."

The air grew thick with displeasure. It wasn't a good idea to upset an alpha. "Sorry, I meant no offense," Aiyana said quickly. Nate licked the tip of her nose. She rubbed it off. At least he hadn't christened her whole face this time.

"I think a trip to the farm is a good idea," Doc said. "There are several wolves there who can care for him while we search. He can ride back with you. I'll drop Aiyana home."

Miguel nodded and immediately exited the room. The guard and the other alpha followed.

"Come on, Nathan," his mother urged. "The door is open."

He shook his head.

"Nathan!"

He whined and moved so that his side was pressed against Aiyana's.

"Nathan Koche, you are acting like a cub. Aiyana's going to think you have the brain capacity of a two-year-old instead of a degree in engineering. You will see her again, well, you know what I mean."

He made a kind of grunting sound and plopped his rear on the floor.

"It's all right Alpha Salma," Doc said. "He can ride with me, but he's going to have to ride in the cage in the back. There's not enough room in the cab."

"You hear that," his mother said. "You'll have to get into another cage and you won't even get to sit next to her."

Nate sunk down on the floor and put his head on his paws.

"Are you sure it's just his sight and his memory?" his mother asked with worry lacing her voice. "I haven't seen him act this was since he was a boy."

"He was shot in the head. There are many things that could have been affected," Doc said. "I've seen wolves recover from worse, but it might take a while in his case."