Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95748 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“Understood. I’ll be there in half an hour.”
“Excellent.” Jackson ended the call, glancing at Emily. She stared straight ahead, lost somewhere in her thoughts.
“Your dad’s tough,” he said, though it sounded hollow even to him. Letting the silence settle, he dialed Erik next. The call went to voicemail, so Jackson left a brief message before phoning Seth.
“Jackson,” Seth answered. “You hear?”
Anger roared through Jackson, and he shoved it down. “Yeah. Sounds bad.”
“I know. But I don’t think we should change our plans tonight.” Seth said.
Good. They were on the same page. “I agree. They won’t expect us in a storm like this. Let Erik know. We move forward.”
“Got it. Meet you at midnight.” Seth sounded as if he was already moving.
“Midnight,” Jackson confirmed, clicking off and pulling into his driveway. His gaze swept the property for threats before he exited the truck, circled to Emily’s side, and lifted her into his arms. Her breath hitched, but she didn’t resist as he carried her inside, holding her close.
“What are you doing?” she asked, sounding lost.
“I’m carrying you.” Jackson saw no reason not to state the obvious. “Sorry about dinner tonight.”
“Oh, that?” She shook her head. “That just felt bizarre.”
“Your father’s going to be okay.” He knew he had no right to promise that, but the words came anyway. The clock on the wall ticked the hour, and he had to get moving.
Emily’s fingers slid through his hair, grounding him in the moment. “As soon as it’s safe to travel, I need to get home.”
“I know.” His voice roughened slightly.
Her gaze dropped to his lips, the air between them heating despite the chill that clung to their clothes. “But we do have tonight,” she whispered.
“I have a job to do tonight, but I’ll awaken you when I return,” he replied, placing her gently on her feet near the fireplace. He quickly lit the fire, its warmth chasing away the cold in the main room.
She blinked at him, looking lost. “What are you planning to do tonight?”
Jackson held her gaze, the crackle of the flames filling the silence. “Make a statement.”
Emily paced near the fireplace, her steps restless against the rug. Out the window, she could see Thane making another pass around the cabin. She’d asked him to come in, but he’d refused, focused on his patrol. Her phone buzzed, breaking the quiet.
She pressed the speaker. “Nightsom.”
“Hi, Emily, it’s Dr. Gwen.”
Oh, crap. She’d forgotten about the doctor. “I’m so sorry I didn’t come by after dinner. It’s well past midnight. Please don’t tell me you’ve been waiting for me.”
“This is normal for me, but I actually lost track of time.”
Emily sat on the sofa and stared at the fire. “Did you find something?”
“Yes. My hunch was correct. I went over the test results two times just to make sure.”
Emily’s pulse quickened. “Tell me.”
“You have a genetic disease tied to inbreeding.”
What the heck? Like cattle? Hadn’t she seen something on television about that? “What does that mean?”
“It means your pack has a limited gene pool, which has caused a recessive mutation to show up in your family line. Both parents need to carry the gene for it to affect their children. But since Alphas usually only mate with other Alphas, the mutation is seriously strong in your lineage.”
“Oh,” Emily murmured. Her stomach twisted. Victor’s offer of mating seemed more repulsive than ever. The packs had stayed too isolated for too long, and it was clear that letting in new blood was essential, even if it meant fighting her father at every turn. They had no choice. She clutched the phone tighter. “So, this can stop?”
“Yes. Expanding the gene pool would prevent future cases.”
Emily ran through scenarios. “You’re telling me that if I mate somebody outside of my pack, my children should be all right?”
“Yes.”
Emily’s breath shuddered out of her. She knew enough about genetics to understand the dark truth. “But it’s still going to kill me.”
“Not necessarily,” Gwen replied, her tone cautious. “I have a theory that if you mate with an Alpha, such a connection could help suppress the progression of your illness.”
“But both my parents were Alphas,” Emily protested.
“From the same pack,” Gwen pointed out. “That’s the difference. They both carried the recessive mutation, which is why it manifested in you.”
Just great. This was headed somewhere she couldn’t face. “Dr. Gwen. Seriously?”
“Yes. If you mate with an Alpha from outside your gene pool, I think there’s a chance his DNA could introduce stronger, non-mutated alleles that may offset the effects of the mutation. Essentially, the dominant genetic traits from his chromosomes could override the faulty ones, which might help your cells function more efficiently. It could slow or even halt the progression of your illness.”
“Or I’d be mating someone just to die on them not too long after.”
Dr. Gwen fell silent for a moment. “Yes.”