Page 211 of His Hungry Wolf
For the first time, Dr. Tom’s stone face cracked. Regret washed over him.
“No matter what else I am, I’m also a doctor. There are things I can’t disclose to anyone no matter…”
“That’s bullshit!” Nero injected. “I was a kid crying to you about all the crap that was going on and not once did you even suggest that this could be a possibility.”
“That’s not true. I hinted. I told you that sometimes things aren’t what they seem.”
“And that was supposed to mean something to a ten-year-old? That was just a bunch of adult garbage to me. How was I supposed to know that you were telling me that I had a brother and that my mother wasn’t nuts? No. You’re a fuckin’ asshole.”
Dr. Tom regained his composure.
“Fine. I’m a fucking asshole. If that’s all, you can all have a good night.”
“Wait,” I said stopping him from going. “Look, I don’t know you. And, I definitely don’t understand how any of this stuff works. But, I do understand family.
“For 22 years I’ve been without one. At least, one that cared about me. And if you take 20 minutes of your time, you might be able to cure me of that. Whatever else you are, you’re saying you’re a doctor, right? Then, help me.”
Dr. Tom’s eyes bounced between the four of us yet he didn’t budge.
“Just do it, Tom,” Glen said moved.
“There are things going on, Glen.”
Glen put his hand on his husband’s shoulder and spoke to him kindly. “Just do it.”
The doctor melted looking into his love’s sympathetic eyes.
“Fine. Follow me to my office. But, I don’t know where I can get a genetic test done.”
“I can arrange it. My father has a genetics lab and…”
“Right. Because you’re Quin Toro and your father has a genetics lab studying wolf shifters!”
Dr. Tom stopped and whipped around to stare at Quin. “Your father’s studying shifters, isn’t he? That’s why you’re here. That’s why you want Nero’s blood?”
“What? No. No! We want a blood sample to find out if Cage and Nero are brothers. Why would you think that?”
“Because you’re Quin Toro, and…”
“…And I can’t be trusted?” Tears immediately filled Quin’s eyes. “So, the human world doesn’t trust me because I’m a wolf shifter freak. And, now you won’t trust me because my father is human? Really?” Quin turned to me with pain in his eyes. “Really?”
I hadn’t understood. But, I was starting to get what it was like being him. He had grown up with everyone looking at him suspiciously. And, hadn’t his wolf killed his mother? Wouldn’t that make him suspicious of himself? No wonder he had said that he was looking for a cure for shifting. I couldn’t imagine living a life like his.
“Look, it’s my job to keep this community safe,” Dr. Tom told him. “I can’t give you their blood if there’s even a chance that you’ll use it to harm them.”
“I’m not. I just want to help them,” he insisted.
“I trust him, Dr. Tom,” I told him feeling it deep inside. “You can too. He’s never done anything to betray my trust. He’s only ever been good and moral. He’s only ever helped people. If there were ever anyone you could trust, it would be him.
“I don’t know why you didn’t tell Nero that he might have had a brother. I’m sure you had your reasons. But this is your chance to make up for it. And you can’t do that without Quin’s help. You can trust him. We all can.”
Dr. Tom stared at me and then looked at everyone standing around him before settling on Nero.
“Do you want this, Nero?”
“I need to know if he’s my brother. You owe me that.”
Dr. Tom’s eyes dipped before he quickly gathered himself. “Let me get you what you need,” he told Quin.