After Six Years The Alpha Begs For My Return Chapter 37
I saw the faint color rising at the tips of his ears and didn’t call him on it.
That night at ten, the evaluation files for the three volunteer donors and two signed consent forms were entered into the transplant center’s independent system, awaiting final review by the medical ethics board and the wolf-treatment committee.
The hospital held a video consultation overnight, going through the surgical plan from beginning to end. My mother’s silent wolf meant her post-op recovery would be slower and more vulnerable to complications. In the end, the team selected the donor with the lowest risk profile and scheduled the surgery for next Wednesday morning.
The attending physician explained the plan to my mother line by line. After listening, she signed the transplant consent form herself.
I signed a separate stack of papers. As her medical proxy, the risk disclosures and emergency intervention authorizations all required my name.
The moment the pen touched the paper, my hand trembled.
Reese reached over and covered the back of my hand with his. His palm was dry and warm, the pressure light but steady as an anchor.
“Take your time,” he said. “I’m here.”
I drew a deep breath and wrote my name, stroke by stroke.
Over the next week, my mother’s pre-op indicators stabilized. The team revised the surgical plan three times, preparing for every possible contingency.
I practically lived at the hospital, talking with my mother during the day and catnapping in the bedside chair at night. My wolf stayed on guard, but the old pack memories of White Ash River no longer pulled at me.