Page 63 of Alpha's Rejected Warrior
“Well, health-related ones,” I respond. “What do you know about him? Any conditions, or anything unusual?”
There’s another pause followed by the ruffling of clothing. The doctor walks back out in new robes, blood-stain free. “From what I recall of his last visit, Jayme presented as a perfectly healthy Lycan.”
“Perfectly healthy, huh?”
Dr. Olcan slides open a massive drawer beneath his desk, revealing rows of organized files. His fingers move through several folders before he pulls one out and flips through its contents. “Yes, there’s not very much to tell at all.”
“So. . .he doesn’t have any known medical conditions? Not even high blood pressure or diabetes?” I pause. “What about psychiatric issues?”
Dr. Olcan shakes his head. “What is this about, Ethan? Doyoubelieve he is ill?”
“I have no idea. But I’m trying to figure out if he’s being. . .controlled, somehow, by some outside force.”
Dr. Olcan raises an eyebrow. “Controlled? As in mentally?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s biologically unlikely.”
“The Commander said something similar, but how do you know?”
Dr. Olcan leans forward and fixes me with a clinical stare. “You see, magic surrounds us here, always. It’s like a mist in the very air we breathe. Some beings in Clarion — like fairies and the Shaman — are connected to this magic through their neural pathways.” He takes a seat in his desk chair. “But, since most Lycans simply do not have that connection, we cannot be manipulated through mind magic.”
That’s what Rhiannon said too, but wait—
“MostLycans?” I ask him. “You said most Lycans, so that means there are some that can be?”
“Well, theoretically speaking, a hybrid of a Lycan and a magical being, such as a Day Wolf, could connect to magic.” Leaning back in his chair, his elbows on the arm rests with his fingers steepled, Dr. Olcan continues, “Maybea Scarlet Wolf, but their connection to magic is unproven. If anyone here is most likely to be influenced by mind magic, it would be Luna Thea, since she is part Shaman and has used magic before.”
I nod. “She told me about that. She’s a Day Wolf.”
“That’s right. But even Day Wolves can be born disconnected from magic. Genetically, when you mix one creature with another, there’s no telling what gifts or curses they will inherit. And, since hybrids are fairly rare in general, there isn’t very much written about the use of mind magic among them and the different Lycan iterations.”
I frown a little. “Could Jayme be one of those Lycan iterations?”
He sorts through several more pages in his file, scanning the text as he continues. “No, as far as I can tell, he appears to be solely Lycan. Nobody has hinted that he could be a hybrid, nor has he displayed any hybrid characteristics. Scarlet Wolves, for example, show very particular identifying traits. If Jayme was a Scarlet Wolf, you would not have to ask.”
This information takes the wind out of my sails just a bit. “Could there be some kind of sickness that causes a Lycan to lose control of their wolf, maybe?”
“I’ve answered that already.” Dr. Olcan’s head tilts to one side and his expression softens, the corners of his mouth lifting in quiet reassurance. “You truly wish to help Jayme, don’t you?”
I shrug. “Yes, but I can’t say it’s purely out of the kindness of my own heart. Our lives are tied together at this point. If this summit falls apart, so do my chances of being spared from execution. Ultimately, though, if Jayme’s innocent, he shouldn’t suffer for something he can’t control.”
Dr. Olcan smirks in acknowledgement. “I see. Well, it’s possible for Lycans to lose control of their wolf, particularly when coming of age or during significant life changes. However, I haven’t encountered cases where it occurs sporadically and comes with complete memory loss like this. I’d need to do further research further to understand it better.”
“If you can do that, it would really help us out.”
He gives a warm, fatherly smile. “Anything for our pack, Truth Seer.”
“Thanks, Doc. I truly appreciate it.”
As I leave the infirmary, my mood deflates. What a big strike that lead turned out to be. Rhiannon isn’t going to be pleased. I hope she got further with the seers than I did with Dr. Olcan.
I head toward the training grounds, hoping to catch Rhiannon and find out if she’s talked to the seers, as well as share what little I’ve learned. The sounds of sparring drift across the sunbaked grounds.
As I round the corner, I don’t see her anywhere. Instead, four younger guards are clustered near the weapon racks, their conversation dying the moment they spot me. I recognize them from training sessions. They’re lower-ranking members whose names I’ve never bothered to learn.
The tallest one, a guy with a scar running from his ear to his jaw, breaks from the group. His expression could freeze water.
