Chapter 40

Sabrina POV

I rode back to my father’s rented suite in the backseat of his town car, forced to listen to him recount the events at the clinic to his Beta, Garrett.

It was all I could do not to roll my eyes in disgust every time he mentioned his precious “Dr. Green.”

That woman was going to pay, I vowed.

No matter what I had to do, I was going to get that worthless Omega out of my life. Permanently.

Garrett dropped us off and left to park the car. I escorted my father up into his suite, and settled him in his room. It didn’t take long - he truly was exhausted after his frenzied transformation, and then the healing session afterward.

Once I was sure he was settled and asleep, I went back out to the entryway. I’d taken his suit jacket as we walked in, hanging it there so I could search its pockets later.

Now I found what I was looking for: the hairs he’d convinced Claire to give him, tucked into a small plastic bag and labelled with her name in my father’s wide handwriting.

And another small bag, with more hairs inside.

And this one was labeled with my father’s name.

For a moment all I could do was stare at what I held in my hair.

He…he thought Claire was related to him?

Unbelievable.

The crazy old man truly had lost his mind.

As if Claire could somehow be related to him, the Royal Alpha, of all people.

And yet…While I scoffed at the idea, a part of me cringed with worry.

What if, somehow, she was? Or, even if she wasn’t, what if the rumor that she was started to spread?

The very idea that the Royal Alpha had another direct relative could threaten my claim to the throne.

My hand tightened around the bags of hair.

There was no way I was going to let that happen.

Tucking the bag of my father’s hand back in his jacket pocket, I shoved the one with Claire’s into my own pocket. Then I walked back out to the main living area, calling for Beta Garrett.

“I’m going back to the clinic to finish my shift,” I told him. “Father is settled in his room, but I need you to keep an eye on him. We don’t want a repeat of what happened at the clinic.”

“Of course not, Princess. I’ll take care of him.”

“See that you do,” I said.

Then, as he walked by me, I quickly plucked at a loose hair on his shirt.

And back in the entryway, I replaced Claire’s hair with his before tucking the small bag back into my father’s jacket.

Now those silly tests my father insisted on ordering would show exactly what I wanted them to: that Claire was nothing but an Omega after all.

Royal Alpha POV

I woke up later in the day, feeling well rested and much better.

Apart from this morning’s strange bout of frenzy, which hadn’t happened in months, I was convinced that my sessions with Dr. Green were helping my condition.

A part of me wondered if that talented young woman might even be able to one day cure my frenzy - which would be a miraculous discovery not just for myself, but for wolves everywhere.

Tucking that little hope away, I called for my Beta as I left my room and went into the entryway to retrieve the bags of hair samples.

“Garrett,” I said, meeting him in the living room. “I want you to send these out for genetic testing.”

Garrett looked down at the bags, reading the labels. His eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Alpha, are you looking for what I think you are?”

I smiled and nodded. “Yes. I believe Dr. Green is somehow of Royal descent. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Especially after what we learned today.”

Thinking back, I replayed the moment Dr. Green shifted into her wolf form. Even in my frenzied and shifted state, seeing a silver wolf so much like my wife Kara’s had been a shock.

And had all but confirmed what I’d started to suspect about young Dr. Green.

That she was somehow a long lost member of the Royal family.

Garrett inclined his head, thinking. “Yes, I can the possible connection. Between her healing abilities and now the fact that she has a silver wolf - wondering if she’s Royal makes sense.

“But…those are all characteristics of your wife’s family. Why do you want to send your own hair in?”

A reasonable question. “Let’s just call it a hunch,” I said, not willing to try to explain the connection I felt to the young woman.

That even from the moment I met her she felt familiar. She felt like…family.

“Have those sent out today,” I ordered. “And put a rush on it. Pay whatever it costs. I want those results as soon as possible.”

The results were in my hands by the middle of the next morning.

I sat in my office with the envelope in my hands, Beta Garrett seated on the other side of the desk.

My hands trembled with excitement as I pulled out the file and opened it to the first page.

But what I read was extremely disappointing.

And my heart sank.

“What is it, Alpha? Does the report answer your questions about Dr. Green?”

“Yes,” I said. “Unfortunately it does.”

And then I showed him:

After careful testing, results indicate the subject is of no relation to the late Royal Luna’s family. Further testing also shows no relation to the Royal Alpha as well.

Garrett looked up from the page. “I’m sorry, Alpha. I know you were hoping for different results than this.”

I sighed, saddened. Taking back the page, I tucked it into the folder and tossed the report onto the side of my desk.

“I was,” I said. “I really was.”

Third POV

Disappointed, the Royal Alpha left the report where he’d tossed it onto his desk. And there it stayed, with only the first page read.

He didn’t bother to look through it any further, after a glance told him that the rest of the pages held only technical data. It was just a breakdown of the genetic markers of each subject, and what those markers indicated about each subject.

Subject One showed markers that indicated power, speed and superior strength. All of those were common Royal genetic characteristics. Those were the Royal Alpha’s results, and those made sense.

Subject Two showed markers that indicated strength, endurance and strong pack allegiance. All common Beta markers, which would have been confusing to the Royal Alpha, had he read them.

After all, Claire wasn’t a Beta. If she had been it would have been obvious as soon as he met her. Betas were always strongly loyal members of a pack, devoted to maintaining the order and structure of the pack’s hierarchy and command.

Claire cared very much about the pack, but her focus, her calling and her abilities were all centered on the physical and mental well being of the individual members. Not the order and organization of the pack as a whole.

If he had read the entire report, this would have puzzled the Royal Alpha very much.

In fact, the results he read about Subject Two only would have made sense if he noted the top of that page of the report.

Where the gender of the subject was clearly listed.

And Subject Two was listed as “male.”