Without Reservations

was his short day so he’d be getting off at twelve-thirty. He glanced at the empty reception area and back at Cheryl. “Do we have any appointments?”
    She looked down at the open book in front of her. “No. We’re done unless someone else comes in.”
    “Okay. Go ahead and flip the closed sign and call Bob. Tell him I’ll be out on my way home.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    Chay left the reception area. He had a wolf to check on.
    Tina stepped out of the surgery room as he rounded the corner. “Hey Chay, Bitsy’s in recovery.”
    Chay gave her a high five. “Good deal, Tina. You can leave for the day. But first, will you go give Mrs. Preston a call and tell her that Bitsy is fine and she can pick her up tomorrow morning?”
    10 www.samhainpublishing.com

    Without Reservations
    Tina winked and jogged off toward the reception area. “You got it, Chay. See you tomorrow.”
    “Oh wait, Tina.”
    She spun around so quick her dark ponytail swung into her eyes.
    She blinked and brushed her hair back. “Yes?”
    “Don’t forget you have the five o’clock and midnight shift tonight to come check on the animals.”
    “Gotcha. You coming back up here tonight?”
    “Yeah, I’ll swing back by at three-thirty and eight, since we had three surgeries today, but Tommy is going to stay up here all night.”
    “Coolio. Later, Chay.”
    “Later, Tina.” He grinned at her retreating back and continued down the hall to exam room four.
    His teeth stung his gums and his canines extended. What the heck?
    The closer he got to the room the more bizarre his body reacted. He got a euphoric feeling, like butterflies in his stomach, but not quite. It wasn’t nerves. His cock filled with blood and his eyes blurred as he reached for the knob. He blinked, seeing in black and white—his wolf vision. He stood there for a few moments, ignoring the anxious, exultant feeling in his gut, and contemplated the strange reactions. He hadn’t lost control of his wolf instincts since he was a very young pup.
    Then it hit him. My mate is on the other side of this door.
    How was this possible? He’d never heard of a female werewolf. It was a genetic trait inherent to males. Women could carry and pass on the werewolf gene, but they did not become wolves. Could his mate have been turned as the result of an attack? Was that even possible? Werewolf attacks were very rare. He’d never heard of a female being changed, but just because he didn’t know about it, didn’t make it impossible.
    He closed his eyes, resting his head against the cool wood of the door.
    His heart pounded in anticipation. At thirty years of age, he was more than ready for this. He’d figure out how it was possible that she was a www.samhainpublishing.com 11
    J.L. Langley
    wolf after he met her. Right now, excitement bubbled up inside him. He’d finally found his mate.
    Taking several deep breaths, he willed his body under control. Not that it would bother his mate if she were awake, but if one of his staff came in, he’d terrify the crap out of them. After a few seconds of deep concentration, his teeth receded. When he opened his eyes, they were once again normal. His prick, however, was completely hard. Chay adjusted himself through his scrub bottoms, trying to make his erection less obvious, without much luck. Unwilling to wait any longer, he pushed open the door.
    The small white wolf was wrapped in a dark blue blanket, lying on the exam table, with her back toward the door. The clotted blood was obscenely garish on the pale fur. The coat not matted with blood had a golden cast to it and Chay would be willing to bet that pale fur turned into platinum blonde locks in human form.
    Somehow, he’d always known his mate would not be Native American, as his mother assured him she would be. He’d always been partial to blonde hair, even though his mom didn’t believe in mixing races. Mom was going to flip her lid when he brought his mate to meet them. Chay grinned. Oh well. She had absolutely no say in this. A wolf didn’t pick his mate, he was born to her. It was destiny or Gods will or whatever. It just was. Fortunately, his dad wasn’t a prejudiced man.
    The dark straps of a muzzle stood out against the light fur, drawing Chay’s gaze. He groaned at the indignity and stepped up to the exam table. Quickly, he unfastened the contraption and tossed it to the floor.
    He felt the carotid artery with his fingers, searching for a pulse. It was faster than it would be in