Wolf's Cross: Book 4 (Loki's Wolves) by Snark Melissa

Author:Snark, Melissa [Snark, Melissa]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Viking, Urban, Werewolf, Norse, Fantasy, Folklore
Publisher: Nordic Lights Press
Published: 2016-06-14T04:00:00+00:00

Sierra Pines, California, on the western shore of Echo Lake

The reception area of the obstetrician's office was long and narrow; adjoined stainless steel and threadbare, cushioned seating took up every free inch of wall space. Additionally, another row of chairs ran straight down the middle of the room so the walking space that remained formed a squished oval.

Perplexed, Victoria gripped the clipboard the receptionist had handed her. She panned her gaze, surveying the room which was empty except for her and one other exhausted-looking woman who had a screeching toddler in her arms. The boy was in the middle of a full-fledged melt down, shrieking at the top of his lungs and flailing his limbs. In all, she counted thirty chairs—a number that seemed disproportionately large for Sierra Pines' tiny population. The office would've been better served by the addition of a play area for the energetic older children of the pregnant patients.

"You can have a seat anywhere," Laverne, the brunette receptionist said in a voice that was stiff with ill-concealed superiority. She sat behind the rise of the front desk as though it were her personal fortress.

"Does Dr. Ellis know something the rest of us don't?" Victoria pinned the woman with an unflinching stare.

Ever the coward, Laverne averted her gaze.

Sighing, Victoria shrugged and chose a seat located in the corner furthest from the wailing child. A vague sense of guilt hung over her, but the boy's piercing scream was an assault on her sensitive wolf hearing. Was she a terrible person? Odds were good she'd find herself in that poor woman's shoes a year or so from now. It made her thankful that her daughter was still contented—and quiet—in utero.

The vantage point also satisfied her innate caution, though, permitting her to watch the entire room. Clicking the pen, the crossed her legs and perched the clipboard on her knee. For reasons unstated but not unsurmised, the receptionist insisted that Victoria fill out the damn application anew for every single appointment. Maybe the woman expected the answers to change overnight. The spaces for Father's Information would no longer be blank or Insurance Company and Plan Number would say something other than "Cash".

Her breath expelled as a thin hiss between her clenched teeth. She needed a job. She hadn't worked in a month; not since her baby bump had finally become too obvious to hide any longer. The prim owner of the dance studio where Victoria had worked part-time as a ballet instructor had ever so kindly suggested that the physical demands of the job were simply too much for a pregnant woman to handle. Translation: the upper-class mothers of their students wouldn't abide an unwed mother near their precious daughters.

The other pregnant woman and her sobbing child were finally called and led away. Victoria heaved a deep sigh of relief.

She hadn't been too broken up about the loss of the low-paying job which had served as a placeholder while she was struggling to get back on her feet. Just a few months ago, her life had been in shambles.

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