Intuition

The legend was as haunting as it was incomplete.

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An Alpha’s power is a gift from the moon goddess.

The son will inherit the strengths of his father, alongside his own.

To maintain the balance of nature, these gifts cannot be allowed to amass forever.

To end the line, the power will consume both the son and the mother.

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The words on the ripped page were staring the couple in the face. They were both speechless at the information in front of them. A familiar pain entered her chest but, yet again, it didn’t belong to her. She looked at Flint suspiciously.

“You knew.” Eve stated.

“Not- Not all of this.” He exhaled heavily.

“This is what Noah told you that made you feel so scared when you were out there. He told you I’m going to die.” She breathed in disbelief.

“No.” Flint took her shoulders and turned her to face him. “No. You’re going to be fine. Noah said the SilverCrest elders could help. He’s getting the answers.”

“You should have told me.” Eve stood and rubbed her face.

“Told you what? That Noah said some cryptic shit before agreeing to help us? What good would that have done?” He rose to his feet.

“What good did lying do, except distracting me from looking for answers myself?!” A growl unexpectedly came from her chest.

“Eve...” Flint said her name worriedly.

“No!” As the Luna shouted, a wave of nausea crashed over her.

Her heart was thundering in her chest. Her face and hands felt numb and yet, still somehow tingly. She looked at Flint with blurry vision as she quickly became too dizzy to stand. She reached out to grab her mate’s shirt only to feel his arms encircle her.

“Flint?” She breathed weakly.

“Eve!” He watched the color drain from her face as she went limp in his embrace.

Flint lifted her and laid her on the couch. He opened his phone and dialed the number for headquarters.

“Lyla, StarLight main line. How can I help you?” The secretary greeted him.

“This is Alpha Flint Dolan. Authorization A-omega-one. Patch me through to Elkin Adler and text me all of his phone numbers.” He commanded in a stern voice. “Now.”

Without even speaking to him, Lyla went silent. A moment later, the line began ringing again. It did this for several of the longest seconds of Flint’s life. He was crouched beside Eve, listening to her rapid heartbeat.

“Elkin.” The old doctor answered.

“This is Alpha Flint Dolan.” He paused.

“Okay. What do you need from me?” Elkin replied quickly.

“Come to the estate. Now.” Flint ordered.

“Alpha-”

“I wasn’t asking.” He barked into the phone.

Flint could feel Elkin resign to follow his instructions. As soon as he noted it, he hung up without another word. He turned his eyes back to his unconscious mate. Her breath was shallow, deepening his fears. Flint reached out for her wolf with his own, but all he could feel was power.

“Eve.” He tried to stir her awake without sounding as frantic as he felt. “Eve. Come on, baby.”

Several minutes passed and just as Flint unlocked his phone screen to call Elkin again, the doorbell rang.

“Come in!” Flint shouted.

The familiar wolf appeared in the entry way a moment later. His hair was just as silver as Flint remembered though he had accumulated more wrinkled around his brown eyes.

“What happened?” He asked as he rushed to Eve’s side.

“She passed out.” Flint explained. “She’s pregnant. The Alpha power-”

“She’s struggling with it more than Selena did.” Elkin cut him off and checked Eve’s pulse.

The doctor immediately began digging through the bag he’d brought.

“What are you going to do?” Flint asked as he stroked Eve’s hair and examined Elkin’s every move.

“I’m giving her something.” The old wolf produced a syringe and a vial.

“What the hell is that?” He asked as soon as he saw the strange purplish brown color of the solution.

“It’s a monkshood concoction.” He filled the syringe before lowering the tip to Eve’s arm.

“Wait.” Flint grabbed his wrist. “I’ve heard that name before.”

“It’s wolfsbane.” Elkin explained. “It’ll dampen the power but not for long.”

The Alpha released him and he injected the mixture into Eve’s vein. They held their breath as both were listening to her heartbeat. It took several seconds but eventually, the thundering sound slowed.

“Ah!” Eve screamed as she sat up suddenly.

Flint immediately sat behind her and pulled her against his chest. Elkin again touched her wrist, checking her pulse.

“I-I fainted.” She stated.

“Yes. You did. I thought we agreed you weren’t going to do that anymore.” Her mate sighed onto the crown of her head.

“I’ll work on that.” She turned to him with a small, sarcastic smile.

“Luna, how are you feeling?” The doctor probed.

Eve turned to him as if she had just noticed his presence.

“Tired but very strong. Who are you?” Eve asked.

“Elkin Adler, MD.” As he spoke, the patient looked at Flint with confusion.

“Doctor Mills can’t help us with this. I called him. He was Mom’s doctor when she had me.” Flint explained.

“I remember.” Eve nodded slowly.

“Luna?” Elkin drew her attention. “Look here.”

He had her follow his finger with her eyes while shining a flashlight at her. After a few more simple tests, he sat on the coffee table.

“Well?” Flint probed.

“Well, the power is growing. The medicine I gave her is a poison, but not to Lycans. It separates our human mind from our wolf’s.” Elkin explained.

Eve furrowed her brows. She felt around in her mind but it was strangely empty. It was nearly like the animal part of her brain was shrouded in a thick fog. Even the hardest of concentration couldn’t break through the haze.

Little thing? Flint’s wolf tried to reach her.

No response. To him, it seemed like his mate’s inner beast was sleeping.

“When will she come back?” Eve asked worriedly.

“It varies. You’re wolf is very strong. And with the Alpha power... It’ll fade faster. I give it an hour.” Elkin answered.

“Can she take this when the power overwhelms her? Like a treatment?” Flint probed.

“No. If she ingests too much, even over time, it could create a distance between the wolf and the human. It could be permanent.” He shook his head.

“Permanent?” Eve’s voice was small.

“Not from one dose. But if you were to take, say twenty doses over the period of a year...” Elkin’s explanation trailed away.

“Is there anything that won’t do that? Something to help her manage the power?” Flint asked as he ran his hand through his hair, pushing it back.

“Nothing I know of.” He shook his head. “I’m going to leave you with one monkshood tablet. It’s to be taken in the instance of a serious emergency, and only then.”

“I want you to take Eve on as a patient of yours. Full time.” Flint stated.

Elkin examined him with slightly narrowed eyes. He had never trusted Flint. Not as an Alpha or as a person in general. He had seen the extent of the damage Flint could inflict on those he loved. It made him weary of the things he could do to everyone else.

“I know what you’re thinking and how you feel about me. I’m okay with that. But this isn’t for me.” Flint stated.

Not being able to feel the mindlink of the pack was more than disconcerting for Eve. Even more so was the lack of her mate’s aura, it used to fill her. Now, she felt dazed when she tried to find it.

“Luna?” Elkin’s voice drew her attention.

“Hmm?” She slowly turned to face him.

“How do you feel?” He asked again.

“I don’t like it. She’s quiet... And so is my head.” Eve answered thoughtfully.

Elkin touched her wrist and examined her face. Something he saw there made him take a deep breath before he stood.

“I’ll take her case. Luna Eve needs to come see me every two weeks. I’ll see her at my office in town.” The doctor stated.

“Thank you.” Flint spoke in a calm tone.

“I’m not doing it for you.” Elkin packed up his supplies.