The Lost Alpha Prince (Book 15 of the Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 7

He should have left the beard. Of course he realized that after he'd shaved it off. He looked like he was twelve now, and found himself wondering again how old he really was. Was he even an adult? Oh well. It would grow back.

He ran a hand over his clean shaven jaw and sighed softly. Who are you?

John got into the shower next and groaned softly as he stood there under the warm water. It felt so good to just stand there and let that hot water beat down on his body. He stayed in much longer than was necessary, but he didn't care. He was just enjoying being clean. Besides that bowl of soup, it was the most enjoyable thing he'd experienced.

When a knock sounded at the door, he realized he'd probably been in too long and he flipped the water off. "Yeah?"

"Just making sure you're okay." Sarah called from the other side of the door.

"I'm fine," he responded and got out of the shower. He dried off and eyed the clothes she'd brought for him, trying them on and finally settling on the right sizes. Sweats and a t-shirt. He'd be comfortable, he supposed. But it felt awfully weird to wear clothes after not doing so for so long.

John walked back out of the bathroom and saw Sarah cleaning up his room. She looked up and then did a double take, her lips parting as she stared at him. He ran his hand over his smooth face. "Shoulda left the beard."

"It'll grow back. Do you want me to get you a barber?" she asked.

"Why not." He moved over and sat down in the chair. The last thing he wanted to do was lay down again. He'd had enough of being helpless on his back.

Sarah disappeared out of the room and John sat staring off into space. Now what? He had no idea. He had to figure something out though. Here he was, all anxious to get out of this place, but he had nowhere to go. He had no money, no nothing. Maybe he could find help somewhere, somehow. He'd love to know his own name and where he was from.

Sarah was back a bit later with a man who introduced himself as Chuck. "He'll give you a haircut, John."

John nodded his thanks to Sara.

Chuck moved the chair and motioned for John to sit down in it.

"I don't have any money," John told him.

"Sarah told me about your situation. Don't worry about it," Chuck said.

"Thank you."

Chuck nodded and John sat down. Chuck draped the cape over him and then began to look over his head. "You want me to give you the same cut you had before?"

He didn't know, but he supposed if it had worked for him before, he might as well get it again. "That's fine."

Chuck set to work and had his hair cut rather quickly. He cleaned John up and then stepped back and walked around him, then nodded. "You're all set."

"Thank you," John told him.

"No problem. Anytime." Chuck left the room, leaving him alone.

John walked into the bathroom and eyed himself quietly. The haircut made a difference too. He looked like a completely different person now. This was who he was. Whoever that was.

"John?"

The sound of Dr. Santos' voice made him cringe. If he never saw another doctor again, it would be too soon. He walked back out into the room to see the doctor and another man that he remembered as Tate. Both men stared at him and he realized it was because he looked different. He waited patiently for one of them to speak. He really didn't know what to say to either one of them.

"John, this is Tate. I don't know if you remember him?" Santos asked.

"I do. Thank you for rescuing me and bringing me here." Or at least he hoped he'd been rescued. He was still weary of this entire situation.

"Of course. You have no memory from before you were taken captive?" Tate asked him.

John frowned. "No." He looked up at the doctor as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "You think this thing in my head is making me forget?"

"I do."

"Can you remove it?" John asked him.

"I wouldn't dare. I'm not a neurosurgeon and I've never performed brain surgery. If you want it removed, I'd recommend finding a neurosurgeon. But it's going to be extremely delicate," Dr. Santos cautioned him.

John frowned at that. He wasn't sure he wanted to anyway. He was sure they'd be drawing his blood, and then cutting into his head. Maybe that wasn't a good idea.

Tate stepped forward. "John, do you hear a voice in your head at all?"

John raised an eyebrow at him. Did Tate think he was crazy? This was getting worse by the moment. "No?"

"You don't hear anyone ever talking to you?" Dr. Santos asked. "In your head?"

"No." He watched them exchange glances.

Tate looked rather grim. Dr. Santos frowned. It was almost like they were disappointed he didn't. Maybe they wanted to lock him up for being crazy? That didn't sit well with him. He'd been locked up enough. He was starting to really feel unsettled in this place.

".So, when can I get out of here?" he asked nonchalantly, or as nonchalantly as he could muster.

"Soon," the doctor said rather vaguely. "I'll be back to check on you later."

John watched them go and sighed softly. He felt like he needed to get out of there and sooner rather than later. There was no way he wanted to be locked up again. Ever. Once had been enough, and he wasn't allowing it to happen again. He'd fight first.

He sat for a moment, thinking. He had no idea where he was, or anything else. Leaving was going to be difficult for him. He had nowhere to go, no nothing. Leaving would be scary. But being locked up would be scarier. He could not handle that again. He would not let it happen.

He sighed softly, wishing his memories would come back, then slowly stood, his gaze darting to the bag of clothes Sara had brought him. Once she knew his size, she had disappeared and grabbed him some more clothes so he'd have a few things to change into. He had socks and shoes as well. He was ready to move out.

***

Tate ran a hand over his face as he listened to Dr. Santos. The man had informed him earlier, before they'd spoken to John, that he did indeed have werewolf genes. The question was, how did he not smell like a werewolf?

He'd seen the look on John's face when he'd asked him about the voice. He was most definitely not hearing the voice of his wolf, which made Tate wonder if the gene was recessive. But how was that possible? Was John an anomaly? Was he even aware that he had such genes, or had he been before he lost his memory?

"It does explain his quick healing. He's healed faster than any werewolf I know. He should have healed quickly, but not that quick," Dr. Santos said, scratching his head.

"Do you think whatever's in his head is cutting him off from his wolf?" Tate asked thoughtfully.

Dr. Santos lifted his brows and moved to study the scans of John's brain. "Maybe," he muttered. He shook his head. "This is about the strangest thing I've ever seen. I'm not overly familiar with the werewolf brain. It's not something I've studied a lot."

"Is there someone out there who is?" Tate asked him.

Santos was quiet for several long moments, and Tate let him think. Finally he turned to Tate. "I'm honestly not sure. I could probably find someone though, if John wants me to. I sort of get the impression that John has white coat syndrome."

Tate crossed his arms. "What's that?"

"Traditionally, it's when being around doctors makes your anxiety, and therefore your blood pressure go up. I've not taken John's, but every time I'm around him, his heartbeat accelerates," Dr. Santos explained.

"Given what he's been through, you can't blame him. Has he even told you what that madman did to him?"

"Not much, but he did say the man took his blood," Dr. Santos said, staring at the scans of John's brain.