Lady and the Wolf [Book One, Lady and the Wolf Series] -Published-

Chapter Two: Saved

Drake checked the little girls pulse, timing the rhythm with his Armani watch. She was sweating and running a high fever, among other complications. Her hand, which had a deep gash in it, was starting to swell with infection and her legs were covered in claw marks. She had been out there for two days in the blistering cold, with nothing but rain pelting down and wind prickling her tiny body. She didn't have much time left. It almost broke his heart.

As the ambulance turned up, Drake ordered the paramedics to make the little girl top priority and told them he'd be at the hospital shortly to give her treatment. The two men nodded as they wheeled the child into the awaiting ambulance, wrapping her in an emergency blanket and giving her an oxygen mask.

Van stayed to the side, idly watching his brother work on the child before sending her off.

"It's not like you to be this worried over a child, and a human child, no less," Drake said as he casually stood beside his older brother.

Van grunted as his eyes narrowed in the direction those medics had taken her. "Unlikely; I just didn't want any more problems concerning humans."

"You do realize that getting her medical treatment means this is going to be all over the news, right?" Drake remarked, looking concerned.

Van shook his head. "Would you have preferred I put her out of her misery myself?" God knows he had tried.

Drake chuckled nervously as he took off his medical gloves. "Her name's Aira Blight. It was written on the tag inside of her night shirt."

Van's nose crinkled up in disdain. "And that name mean's something to me because...?" he muttered. He had saved her, he didn't need to know her damn name.

"The family killed. Their names were on the registry at the forest entrance ranger station. They're all dead. She's the only one that got away and I'm not even sure if all that fighting is going to be worth it," Drake frowned as he said this, a sympathetic glint in his eye as he stared in the direction the ambulance had sped off in. "She might die tonight from all that exposure."

Van frowned. "Well, save her Doctor."

And with that, he made his way back to his Escalade, too proud to explain himself to his baffled brother.

*******

Emma Volkov marched down the halls of the Los Angeles children's hospital. Nurses halted what they were doing and nodded to the wife of Drake Volkov, the hospital's surgical director. She briefly nodded her greetings to the staff, but never stopped.

Drake had called her earlier and told her to meet him at work. Being the wife of her boss's brother, she had no qualms of leaving her desk without notice. She was the only human who knew of Van's secret – the alpha wolf needed her help when it came to special situations inside his business.

As she was beeped through the door of the intensive care unit, Emma was shocked to find none other than her cold brother-in-law sitting in the waiting room, casually mingling amongst worried parents of other children and family members. Whatever she was called here so urgently for, Emma knew she should brace herself for quite a shock.

"Van? Why are you here? What's going on?" Emma asked, slightly puffed out after her mini jog from the hospital's parking lot.

Van never even acknowledged the woman. His only answer was a swift flick of his chin towards the window to the left. Emma was confused at first, but gathered her senses and waltzed over to the window. Her only child, Aiden, was tucked away safe in bed by this time of night, a woman from Drake's pack having come to take care of him while Emma rushed to the hospital after her husband's bewildering call.