Nineteen

A month passed by since the time of Whisper's story. The court hearing for transferring Whisper's documents got cancelled and couldn't be rescheduled right away, so Zane had to wait with impatience until a spot opened up. He released Luc and Nala, having come to the decision that if Whisper wanted to see her childhood friend, he'd come alone or not all, and with permission. Though, neither male or female in the couple liked this idea, it was finally agreed upon with Whisper's full approval. Wren apologized to Whisper for scaring her instead of getting her out of the situation, then gave her clothes as retribution since Whisper and Zane never made it to the store.

As for Whisper, she had grown incredibly closer to the Alpha since that day in the truck. He was able to let her be out more to mingle with the pack without worrying she'd run from him. Whenever she had a problem, she would either find him or Wren. Sometimes, she'd even go see Nico if Zane was in an important meeting. The Alpha always got reports from his Beta on Whisper's actions and whereabouts, always pleased with the results. If it weren't for Nico, Zane thought things would sometimes turn out worse for wear.

Sometimes, Wren and Whisper would go walking in the forest early in the morning or late afternoon, heading to the glen they both came to love. It had become their spot to hang out and tell each other secrets, but Zane felt he got more personal secrets from Whisper than Wren did. Whisper still didn't know the younger woman was her sister, but that didn't stop their relationship from looking like a sisterly-bond. Zane was trying to get Wren to break the news but the latter would do no such thing. She didn't give her reasons why, just said not yet or it isn't the right time. Zane rolled his eyes and shook his head, disagreeing with her completely.

If Whisper had any hallucinations or someone noticed she was acting like she was about to fall apart, Zane was called. He got her out of the sight of others and took her to someplace private where she screamed in his arms, punching and fighting as if her life depended on it. Zane just firmly caught her wrists and pulled her tight against him, hugging her in his embrace until she either fainted from exhaustion or came out of it calling his name. When she was ready to talk, Whisper would tell him of the scene and how it came to happen. Always, her hallucinations resulted in some sign of violence: whether it be harsh words, a fight of some kind, or a weapon seen or heard. Zane made a mental note of this and tried to see how he could fix it.

When Whisper had nightmares, the outcomes resulted in a different fashion than hallucinations. Instead of screaming and fighting back or even crying out for Zane, she'd lock herself in the bathroom and hide in the shower like the first time. Zane would give her a few minutes to take in her surroundings and calm down before picking the lock and going inside. At first, he went straight over and picked her up, which seemed to frighten her even more. So, he ended up sitting on the toilet, leaving the curtain between them closed and asked her a series of questions that had simple answers, like yes or no. This seemed to have better results because she eventually came to him and told him about the dream, expressing her fears of it coming true.

Though her nightmares and hallucinations were some of the worst Whisper said she's had, they were getting farther and farther apart from each other. It started out being every day or every other day, but then Zane noticed that with more time she spent there, the less sporadic they became. He also noticed that the nightmare usually followed close behind or came right before the hallucinations, as if they coincided with each other. It led him to believe that maybe someone was truly trying to mess with her mind and make her insane, either that or as Wren explained to him someone trying to make Zane tired of Whisper so he'd hand her back to the facility.

Zane could always see the fear in Whisper's eyes when she came out of a nightmare or hallucination, could always tell she was waiting for the final strike. When he just soothed her and made her lay her head down on his chest, she relaxed. When Zane said that everything was going to be alright, that she was safe and with him, true hope and joy filled her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his shirt. Zane was never lost on the fact that after either of her episodes, Whisper would cling to him for the rest of the day or throughout the night, more quieter than usual.

One day, Zane had just finished working on some documents when Nico knocked on his office door. The Alpha let him in and looked up. The Beta brought in a middle aged man with a soft smile curving his tan lips. "Zane, this is Dr. Truent. You sent for him a while back."

Recognition sparked in Zane's eyes as he understood who this was. "Nico, will you go get Whisper for me?"

Nico nodded and left. Truent bowed his head respectfully to Zane. "I apologize for being extremely late, but my pack, and our allying packs, are missing someone very special to us. It's been quite a search and my alpha could not give me time away until now."

"That is fine. I understand." Zane went around his desk and offered the good doctor a chair, then sat on the couch himself. "I need you to see Whisper. She's been having what one of my pack members call a panic attack. She calls them hallucinations and I'm not actually sure they aren't hurting her in some way."

Truent raised his brows in interest. "How long have they been going on?"

"She says since she was ten."

"Any reason they might be reoccurring? Past trauma? Injury? Anything?"

Before Zane could answer, Nico knocked softly and ushered Whisper inside. She looked nervously at the doctor before going over and sitting with Zane on the couch, her arms going about him. He looked down at her with a small smile. "Whisper, this is Dr. Truent. He's here to help us."

At the mention of doctor, she stilled and stared at Truent in unadulterated fear. Truent saw this and moved his chair back a few feet, giving her space. Yes, she definitely had some past trauma.

Zane pulled her onto his lap and rubbed her back. "He isn't going to hurt you. He's just going to ask some questions today. I'll be here the whole time."

Whisper shook her head quickly and tightened her grip on him. "No! No doctors!"

Zane sighed and continued to hold her like a child as he looked back to Truent. "It's a long story," he said awkwardly.

Truent held his hands up and shook his head. "I don't need to hear the full extent, and I certainly do not need to bring up any bad memories. All I ask is for the basic info for now. How old is she? Who is her family? And so on and so forth."

Zane nodded, stood up with Whisper in his arms, and went to his desk where he brought out a folder marked with Whisper's name on it, then handed it over to Truent. He sat back down on the couch while the doctor scanned the pages and checked on Whisper, making sure she was still able to hear him.

After several minutes, Truent shut the folder and looked at Zane with murderous eyes, though they were not directed at him intentionally. "Why doesn't Whisper go get some fresh air? I don't need to talk to her today."

Zane nodded and spoke softly to Whisper, who agreed to having Nico escort her home and stay there until Zane arrived. She got up and carefully walked to the door to find Nico just standing outside, waiting. She told him what she wanted and he smiled, holding his hand out. With a soft click, the door shut behind her and their footsteps faded into the distance.

Zane looked back at Truent and nodded once again. "That's not even half of it, nor is it the worst."

Truent sighed. "Honestly, I'm not surprised she's having these so called hallucinations. If what all of this says is true, she is likely to have a brain injury of some kind and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Now, I'm not fully diagnosing her with them, but it's the most logical thing I can think of."

"What about the nightmares?"

Dr. Truent scanned through the folder again before shaking his head. "I have no clue. Coincidence? Maybe. But mind control? Do you know if she has a chip?"

Zane furrowed his brows. "A chip?"

"Like a microscopic computer device that can be implanted into the body," the male explained.

The Alpha shook his head. "She never mentioned it."

Truent smiled. "She might not know it if it was inserted while being unconscious."

"Do you think it's possible?" Zane asked with a horrified expression.

"Unless you know another way of having this happen. It's possible, if she does have a chip, that hallucinations are being created from as well, but that's not as likely." He paused, thinking a moment. "The only way to know is to have her go into a hospital and—"

"No," Zane said immediately. "No hospital. It won't end well if she goes inside and sees everything."

Truent nodded, understanding. "Okay, then the only other thing I can think to try is a shot. This shot will also have a chip, but it dies and is released through natural release after a few days. It has a magnetic pull that will tell me if something else is there."

"We can try it, but not yet."

"Oh, no!" Truent said, appalled slightly. "Of course not yet! I like my patients willing to do what I suggest. I will not force them, which means they must trust me and fully understand I mean no harm. Once we find a balance, a mutual friendship of sorts, I will begin to suggest the options they have."

"Are you sure you'll be able to get her to trust you?" Zane asked skeptically. Whisper didn't trust a lot of people in the pack, and hardly spoke to most. Those she did come to trust took a while to be earned.

"That is something I wish I could say I was confident on, but I'm not. I'm a gentle person with the flexibility of most schedules. But if one does not find trust easily because of past experiences, it is almost impossible to earn without a miracle, especially if that someone is something the individual fears most."