Breaking Point
Olivia’s POV:
I had no idea that the place Derek had sent me to was actually a healing center. My heart was pounding as I followed his psychic link to this place. As I burst through the door, the antiseptic smell of the emergency room hit me, and my instincts as a healer were already on high alert.
“Dr. Winters!” A young nurse recognized me. “They’re in Room 204.”
I nearly knocked over a medicine cart in my rush to reach the room. The sight that greeted me stopped me cold in the doorway.
Oliver lay unconscious on the hospital bed, his usually energetic face ghostly pale against the stark white sheets. His right leg was heavily bandaged, and multiple monitors created a symphony of beeps around him. An IV drip fed clear fluid into his arm.
“What happened?” I demanded, my eyes scanning the monitors automatically. Heart rate elevated but stable. Blood pressure slightly low. Oxygen levels good.
Derek stepped forward from where he’d been standing by the window. “He fell during rock climbing. The doctors say-”
“Rock climbing?” The words came out as a strangled whisper. “Tell me you didn’t take him rock climbing.”
Rachel, who I hadn’t noticed sitting in the corner, stood up. “It was a supervised activity. All the other pack children were there-”
“Rock climbing?” My voice rose sharply, cutting through her explanation. “Are you both completely insane? You know about his
old injury!”
The memory of that terrible day when Oliver was three flashed through my mind. Derek had taken him to an advanced training session meant for older wolf pups, ignoring my protests that Oliver was too young.
“He’s fine now,” Derek tried to placate me. “That was years ago-
No problem? I’ll close in on him.” That injury almost cost him his future ability to shapeshift! Did you know he almost lost his
wolf form forever?”
Rachel stepped between us, her face a mask of concern. “The doctors say he’ll need surgery. We should focus on that right now-”
“Why were you even there?” I rounded on her. “What gives you the right to make decisions about my son’s activities?”
“I care about Oliver,” she said, her voice trembling perfectly. “I’ve been watching him grow stronger every day. He’s not that
fragile little boy anymore-”
