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"He won’t think that, Carol He’s a pack leader His place is with his pack He’ll want to be there in case this hits his people His sister and his aunt are there Family takes priority You wait If one case of this sickness hits Green Valley, he’ll want to drag you back there pronto"

She finished with her patient and was about to reply that Ryan wouldn’t be that hen Nurse Charlotte came in for her work shift Jake accompanied her, but Ryan wasn’t with thehed heavily "Looks like we have an epide able to shift back to their hu Silver Town and the surrounding area So they’re taking up guns to get rid of the menace"

Jake shook his head "Five men have already been arrested and thrown in the sla a wolf lover, and Darien just smiled in a sinister way None have lawyers, so the court will appoint theave an evil set thelicense, and sixty days in jail for harassing wildlife on private property, carrying loaded weapons in a vehicle without a per else witnesses will attest to"

"Lupus garou witnesses," Carol said, half co

"Exactly Silver Town is olf run, and we plan to keep it that way"

Carol chewed on her bottom lip and rubbed her arms "Someone needs to take care of Doc Weber and watch him around the clock"

"I’ll do it," Charlotte said "You run along now My shift You’ve already worked yours and ht to have"

"Thanks, Charlotte Hopefully you’ll have a quiet night" Carol left the hospital with Jake, flanked by Mervin and Christian She expected Ryan to be waiting outside the operating room, but he wasn’t

"Where’s Ryan?"

"He and the sheriff had to question Marilee and Becky at the bed and breakfast," Jake said as he walked her to his truck "When I called Bertha to learn if the women’s pack members were sick, she said a et back at Darien Only now the ive them the cure This isn’t just a normal virus"

"It’s not just a mutation of some sort that affects our people?" Carol’s head spun with the raineered this?"

"Yeah, and then Miller gave it to thearou scientist to coue Becky and Marilee wanted to start their own businesses, and Connor was going to give the The only satisfaction any of us have is that Connor and some of his pack have co with it"

Ryan drove into the parking lot, parked next to Jake’s vehicle, and hurried out of his truck His jaas hard, his eyes dark The neasn’t good

"Did the scientist make a vaccine?" Carol asked both Jake and Ryan

"That’s e’re trying to learn" Ryan hauled her close and held her tight as if he’d been away for eons He brushed her cheek with his lips and then said to Jake, "We’re headed back to the house"

Jake had an odd look on his face and didn’t move toward his own truck to follow them

"Jake?" Carol said

He frowned at her "You saw e back"

He finally see," Carol said "Maybe I just see you shift, but like everyone keeps re me, I don’t see the end result That you shift back"

But Jake’s expression remained dark

She patted his arm "We’ll find a vaccine And a cure"

"And this da Carol into the truck "See you at Darien’s place"

"I’ll be right behind you," Jake said

As soon as they were on the road, Carol said to Ryan, "I wish I hadn’t told Jake what I’d seen"

Ryan shook his head and tugged her close "We’ll get this under control"