Elena’s POV. The sharp ping of a breaking news alert cut through the silence of my private office. I didn’t look up from my laptop immediately. I finished typing my notes on the patient file, adjusted my doctor’s coat, and only then reached for my phone. The headline on the screen read: MOON PACK ALPHA CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARY WITH HIS LUNA. Below the bold lettering was a high-resolution photo. Raymond stood in formal attire, his face as staggeringly handsome as I remembered. One arm was wrapped around the w***t of Biana, who glowed in a pale silk gown. In his other arm, he held a young boy with black, unruly hair. They looked… happy. I stared at Raymond’s eyes again. Five years ago, those same eyes—a warm, rich espresso—had looked down at me in the dim light of a ruined pack house. I could still hear his voice, thick with emotion, echoing in my mind: “I will protect you for the rest of my life, Elena.” I loved him. So, so much. But I had also known that an Omega like me staying at his side would result in civil unrest. To protect him, I was forced to reject the bond and flee as far as I could. I started building the new, stronger version of myself, buried in human medical schools until I was no longer the frightened girl who had to rely on a pack to survive. I poured every second of my life into my training, overworking, skipping ahead, and pushing through my residency in record time until I finally held my medical license in my hands. Now, it was clear to me that unlike my own, Raymond’s love was temporary. He had moved on without me. A dull ache flared in my heart, but I refused to allow it to break what I had worked so hard to build for myself. I minimized the notification, placed the phone face-down on the desk, and took a slow breath. A loud, wild knock rattled my door. Nurse Sarah pushed it open without waiting, her breathing frantic. “Dr. Elena, emergency in Bay Three! It’s a pediatric severe allergic reaction. Airway is closing fast!” I was out of my chair in a second. “Did you prep the epinephrine?” “Ready in the room,” Sarah replied, leading the way down the illuminated hallway of the neutral territory’s central clinic. “Any history of asthma, noted allergies, or a possibility of a foreign object ingestion?” I asked as we rounded the corner. “Nothing. They just arrived off the main highway,” Sarah reported. I pushed through the double doors of Bay Three. A small boy lay on the examination table, his skin flushed and covered in hives, his l**s turning a faint blue as he struggled to breathe. Beside the bed, a woman paced back and forth, her high heels clicking loudly against the tile floor. She wore a tailored beige suit and diamond earrings that caught the harsh overhead lights. “What is taking so long?” the woman snapped, turning around. “If anything happens to him, I will burn this entire facility to the ground!” I froze for a fraction of a second. It was none other than Raymond’s wife, Biana. The moment her gaze landed on my face her breath hitched and her posture tensed. Five years ago, before I fled, Biana had been the high-ranking Beta heiress waiting in the wings, calculating her way into Raymond’s life. Back then, she had tried to drive a wedge between us, stirring up rumors to rile the pack up against our union. I used to think she was merely chasing attention. But now, the truth was blindingly clear: she wanted Raymond—and, more importantly, the power, fame, and wealth that came with his crown. I could see the panic flashing behind her eyes. The sudden, paranoid fear that her secured position as Luna was being threatened by the ghost of Raymond’s past. My gaze dropped to the child on the bed. The realization hit me like a kick to the gut. This boy was Raymond’s son. I pushed the personal shock down, burying it deep beneath years of rigorous medical discipline as I hurried to the bed. “Get me an epinephrine auto-injector, pediatric dose, and prep a line for IV steroids,” I ordered Sarah in an even tone, reaching out to check the child’s airway before looking over at Biana. “Ma’am, please step back, and tell me what he ate in the last thirty minutes.” Biana’s shock curdled into defensive, venomous rage. Her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. “You?” Biana spat, her voice shrill and laced with classist disgust. “I asked for the Chief of Medicine, not a low-level, discarded Omega! Don’t you dare t***h him with your filthy claws!” “Ma’am, your personal grievances do not matter right now,” I replied, keeping my voice strictly professional. “I need to identify the allergen to prevent further airway closure. Did he consume peanuts, shellfish, or raw dairy?” “I don’t have to answer to you!” Biana shrieked, stepping between me and the bed to block my access. She was terrified to have me anywhere near her family, using her status to mask her raw insecurity. Deep down, she knew the dirty tactics she’d used to secure her position as Luna, and she assumed I was capable of the exact same malice. Clearly, she couldn’t comprehend that I was nothing like her. “You’re stalling on purpose because you don’t know what you’re doing!” she rattled on, her tone shrill. “You’re trying to ruin my family! I demand another doctor at once!” I ignored her hysterics, reaching past her to pull my stethoscope from my n**k and placing it on the boy’s chest. Wheezing was severe in both lungs. He was seconds away from full respiratory arrest. “Sarah, give me the injection, now,” I commanded. Before Sarah could hand the syringe over, the clinic door burst open. I knew he was there before I even turned around. A thick, suffocating weight pressed down on the room, heavy with the unmistakable power of an Alpha. Raymond wore a suit, his broad shoulders filling the doorway. His strong jawline was set, and his dark eyes swept the room, instantly locking onto the scene unfolding in front of him. “Do they know what’s wrong yet?” Raymond asked. “Raymond!” Biana cried out. Seeing her husband enter the room triggered her loss of control. She was panicking that Raymond would look at me and that he would remember. It sent her into an unhinged frenzy. “This doctor is refusing to treat him! She’s standing here interrogating me while our boy suffocates! She’s doing it on purpose!” Raymond’s attention shifted from Biana to me. He went dead still. The intensity in his gaze sharpened as recognition hit him, pulling his brows into a taut frown. I looked away. I needed to focus. The child’s oxygen levels were dropping. “Hold him steady, Sarah,” I instructed, taking the epinephrine injector. Driven by pure desperation to assert her authority as Luna over the ‘weak Omega’ from Raymond’s past, Biana lost her mind. “I said don’t t***h my son!” Biana screamed, swooping forward and s******g her hand with vicious rage. CRACK. Biana struck me across the face. My head snapped to the side, the skin on my cheeks burning hot. Sarah gasped behind me. I didn’t dare to even look at Raymond. Instead of reacting in that moment, knowing a child’s life hung in the balance, I took a deep breath, straightened myself while ignoring the fire in my veins, and uncapped the needle. Without a word, I pressed the injector firmly into the boy’s outer t***h, holding it down for three seconds. The child whimpered as the dr*g took effect, his airway opening up almost instantly. The erratic rise and fall of his chest slowed into a steady rhythm. I removed the needle, tossed it into the biohazard bin, and checked the heart monitor. The numbers were stabilizing. “Administer the IV fluids and keep him on oxygen for the next hour,” I told Sarah. “Yes, Dr. Elena,” Sarah whispered, quickly moving to carry out the orders. I wiped my hands with an alcohol pad and turned around. Biana was still trembling with rage, her fingers twitching at her side as she realized her strike hadn’t humiliated me the way she wanted. “You insolent bltch! You laid hands on my son without my e******t consent! You will be stripped of your license by nightfall!” I stepped toward Biana. I didn’t feel like the timid Omega who had run away all those years ago. No. That version of myself was long gone. With my posture straight and my shoulders squared, I met Biana’s scowl without a trace of fear. SLAP! The sound echoed off the clinic walls. Biana’s head snapped back, her body stumbling against the side of the medical cart. She clutched her red cheek, her mouth agape in absolute disbelief. “I have a duty to heal,” I said, my tone dropping into a razor-sharp tone. “But I don’t have an obligation to be your punching bag. I am not just some weak Omega.” Biana gasped, looking toward Raymond for help. “Raymond! Didn’t you see that?! Do something!” I stripped off my rubber gloves, threw them in the trash, and turned toward the exit, refusing to give either of them another second of my time. I barely made it two steps toward the doorway. A tall, muscular form shifted into my path, blocking the exit entirely. It was Raymond, now standing inches from me, his massive frame towering over mine. His dark gaze burned down at me, ridden with an emotion I didn’t want to acknowledge. His voice was low, deep, as he commanded. “Wait.”

Raymond’s POV. “Wait.” The word tore from my throat before my overthinking brain could fight against it. Elena’s body tensed beneath her white medical coat. She didn’t respond immediately, and I could tell she’d prefer not to. But it wasn’t as if she had the luxury to evade me now, did she? Five years. For five endless, suffocating years, I had searched every corner of the territory for a glimmer of her, only to finally find her standing less than two feet away from me in a brightly lit, sterile clinic room by a s****e of luck. My wolf surged against my ribs, thrashing violently, demanding that I reach out, grab her by the w***t, and haul her against my chest until her scent erased the stink of every compromise I had made since she left. I forced my hands to stay flat against my sides, my knuckles turning white. She lifted her chin slowly, her eyes locking onto mine with an icy calm that sent a sharp pang straight through my chest. Where was the timid, soft-spoken Omega who used to hide behind my back when the pack elders raised their voices? The girl I used to hold until dawn, promising her the world while my father’s empire crumbled around us? She had grown claws, it seemed. I was not a violent man. However, when Biana had struck her moments ago, my instinct had been to snap Biana’s wrist. My aura had flared, viscerally and lethal, ready to destroy anyone who dared lay a hand on my mate. But before I could do anything, Elena had handled it herself. It had taken everything in me not to smile. My wolf had let out a low, satisfied purr, utterly captivated. She wasn’t a fragile girl who needed my protection anymore. She was a commanding, brilliant woman who took what she wanted and refused to bow. What did you go through in the human world to become this hard, my beautiful Elena? The thought brought a bitter taste of regret to my mouth. I should have done more to prevent her from leaving. I had missed too much time with her. Too. Dam. Much. “Is there a medical issue in regards to the patient, Alpha Raymond?” Elena’s voice was flat, stripped of all emotion. Professional. Detached. Like I was a stranger. “Raymond!” Biana shrieked, clutching her reddened cheek, her expression ridden with fury as she scrambled toward me. “Are you just going to stand there? She assaulted your Luna! She could have killed our son!” I didn’t even look at Biana. I kept my gaze locked on Elena, tracking the slight, almost imperceptible twitch of her jaw. “Our son?” I repeated, my voice dropping an octave. Biana froze, catching the subtle warning in my tone, though her face quickly shifted back into a tearful mask. She knew the truth. Everyone in my inner circle knew the truth, even if the public didn’t. Biana’s marriage to me was a piece of paper signed purely in desperation—a temporary treaty to keep the Moon Pack from plunging into civil war after my father’s death. The child in the bed belonged to her true mate, a secret warrior from an allied border pack, hidden away to protect their political standing. Biana got the title of Luna, her child got my protection, and I got the stability required to solidify my power over the region. It was a loveless agreement. A complete sham. And every single day since, my throne had felt like a prison because the only woman who belonged beside me had left. Elena had broken our bond and disappeared into the night. She had left behind a note, claiming that her life in the pack simply wasn’t enough for her. To this day, those words felt wrong. Never once had she shown a single sign of being unhappy, and I had always wondered if there was more to the story. But seeing her now as a fully trained medical professional, maybe she hadn’t been lying after all. Still, I knew what we shared was real. She had ripped my heart out of my chest and fled with it. I hated her for leaving. I was furious at the five lost years. But looking at her now—independent, strong, and so unbelievably stunning—I knew one thing with certainty: I was never letting her slip away again. I knew if I tried using physical force, my Alpha command or dragged her back in chains, she would hate me forever. No. I couldn’t cage her with iron. I had to build a cage so soft, so luxurious, and so legally airtight that she wouldn’t even realize she was captured until she was back in my bed. “The child is stable,” Elena stated, breaking the silence, her eyes dropping to her wristwatch. “His airway is clear, and his vitals are normal. If you’ll excuse me, I have other patients.” She made a move to step around me toward the door. I didn’t grab her, even though it was all I wanted to do. More than anything. Instead, I shifted half an inch to the left, blocking her path with my frame, letting the warmth of my body h***r just inches from hers. Her breath hitched slightly—the only sign that my proximity still affected her. “You aren’t going anywhere just yet, Dr. Elena,” I countered, my voice laced with a gentle, unyielding authority. “We have a great deal to discuss.” She scoffed, letting a dry, bitter laugh escape her l**s. “What? Are you going to demand I apologize to your Luna?” She lifted her chin, her tone firm. “Because I won’t.” Before I could say anything else, she brushed right past my shoulder and walked out the door, leaving me standing in the doorway.

Elena’s POV. By eight o’clock that evening, I was sitting in a dimly lit, velvet-boothed lounge downtown, downing my second glass of wine. My close friends and fellow clinic staff, Clara and Maya, sat across from me, eyeing me with wide, curious eyes. “So…” Clara leaned in over the table, her voice dropping to a low tone. “Word travels fast. Everyone’s talking about the Moon Pack Alpha and his Luna barging into Bay Three today. Is it true you slapped her?” I had hoped we’d talk about anything else, but I should have known my friends would probe. They didn’t know half of it. They didn’t know Raymond had followed me all the way to my apartment after my shift. I had almost ran out into the street to scream at him to get out of my life. What did he want from me? The worst of it was that as much as I’d claimed my old feelings were long gone, seeing him again had proven otherwise. And I hated the traitorous flutter in my chest more than anything every time he was around. “She hit me first,” I murmured, staring into the crimson liquid in my glass. “I merely returned the favor.” “And Alpha Raymond?” Maya pressed, eyebrows raised. “I saw him watching you the whole time he was there. Do you two know each other or something?” “Sort of, I suppose.” I took a slow sip, keeping my expression blank. “We aren’t close. Just… acquaintances.” “Not close?” A deep, smooth voice purred from directly above us. I froze. My heartbeat flared, as I slowly lifted my head to take a peek upward. You can’t be serious, I thought immediately. Was he still following me? Raymond was leaning over the glossy, steel railing of the VIP balcony perched right above our table, a crystal glass of whiskey loosely held in his long fingers. Beside him stood the Host Alpha of this territory, curious of the exchange. Raymond’s warm gaze locked onto mine, a lazy, wicked smirk playing on his l**s. “Not close?” he repeated. “That’s not what you said when you were in my bed, sweetheart.” The table went dead silent. Clara’s jaw dropped, and Maya nearly choked on her cocktail. The Host Alpha let out an awkward, hearty laugh, trying to smooth over the sudden drop in air pressure. “Ah, Dr. Elena! I didn’t realize you were down here. Come up and join us for a drink!” My face burned with a sudden flush of embarrassment and fury. “Thank you, Alpha, but I was about to leave for the restroom,” I bit out, sliding out of the booth without looking back up at Raymond’s triumphant grin. I ran toward the restroom as fast as my heels would allow me to without planting face-first onto the floor, my entire body shaking. I washed my hands once I was inside, splashing cold water on my face to stop the racing of my pulse. Just acquaintances. Why did I have to say that? Then again, how do I even explain the truth to my friends to begin with? And why did he have to make such an inappropriate comment? I dried my hands, pushed open the door, and slipped out into the quiet, dimly lit hallway. I contemplated making a beeline for the exit, but I barely made two steps when a shadow shifted. Before I could even register the movement, Raymond walked directly into my path, cutting off my exit. “Raymond, really?” I snapped, jrking back. “Can you move? You’re in my way.” He responded by shifting into my personal space, raising his arms to plant his palms flat against the wall on either side of my head. He caged me in with his body, trapping me without touching me. The rich, intoxicating scent of pine and rain—his Alpha scent—flooded my senses, making my knees dangerously weak. I hated how vulnerable I felt at that moment. “You lied to your friends, Elena,” he whispered, dipping his head until his l**s brushed the shell of my ear, sending a rush of goosebumps across my skin. “Since when are we mere acquaintances?” I closed my eyes for a fraction of a heartbeat, fighting the magnetic pull my wolf had to his. No, this is wrong. “We are nothing,” I gritted out, raising my gaze to glare at him as my back was pressed flat against the wall. Raymond lifted one hand from the wall and traced his knuckles down the line of my jawline, his t***h feather-light and agonizingly tender. “Lie to them all you want. But don’t lie to me. Do you have any idea how much I missed you?” I suddenly struggled to speak, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. “I looked for you everywhere,” he murmured, his thumb brushing over my lower l*p. His stare darkened, heavy with an obsession that made my throat go dry. “Your rejection broke my heart, Elena. But seeing you today made me certain there is more to the story than with what you left behind in that letter.” He sighed. “Did you really think I would let you go so easily?” He leaned in slowly. His l**s were centimeters from mine, his heat wrapping around me, threatening to erase five years of separation in a single beat. He’s married, I reminded myself. That—and that I needed to remember why I left in the first place. What was the point of everything I went through to get here if I was going to give into a moment of overwhelming feelings? “Raymond? Where did you go?” Biana’s shrill voice echoed from the far end of the hallway near the main lounge. Relief washed over me as the spell broke. I used the split-second distraction to duck beneath his arm and slide out from him. I didn’t look back as I hurried down the long, narrow space, my chest heaving, and my pulse roaring in my ears. *** The next morning, I arrived at the clinic, immediately noticing something was off the second I walked in. Staff members huddled together, staring at their phones, while sneaking glances at me and whispering to each other. The moment I would attempt to approach, they would either scatter in different directions or fall quiet. “Dr. Elena,” Sarah exclaimed as she appeared beside me, pulling me into a side alcove. “It’s bad. Luna Biana posted photos online this morning. Someone took them in the hallway of the lounge last night!” My blood ran cold as she drew out her cellphone to show me. Photos of Raymond pinning me against the wall, his face inches from mine, looking like a high-definition scandal. Biana had splashed them across every local media outlet, framing me as an ambitious, homewrecking Omega who had used her position at the clinic to seduce the Moon Pack Alpha. Before I could process it, two pack guards escorted me to the Host Alpha’s executive office. I shouldn’t even be surprised to find none other than Biana inside, pacing the floor, her eyes red-rimmed and venomous. The Host Alpha, William, sat behind his desk, appearing thoroughly exhausted. “This is unacceptable!” Biana shrieked the moment she saw me walking in. “She seduced my husband! She is a disgrace to the medical field and a threat to my marriage! I demand a public confrontation, and her medical license stripped at once!” “I didn’t seduce anyone,” I bit out, keeping myself collected despite the fury raging inside me. “Alpha Raymond cornered me.” “Lie all you want, you dirty Omega!” Biana spat. The oak doors of the office swung open. Raymond entered, imposing and devastatingly attractive in his tailored suit. He didn’t seem the least bit bothered by the scene Biana was making, or the nonsense she had been spewing to the public. He didn’t look angry or upset. In fact, as his gaze swept over the room and landed on me, he looked questionably pleased with himself. “Raymond!” Biana turned to him, putting on a tragic display. “Tell Alpha William! Tell him how this woman harassed you last night!” Raymond didn’t even acknowledge her. He walked straight past Biana, stopping right in front of me. His attention was locked onto me with an unshakeable, terrifying possessiveness. “There is no scandal,” Raymond stated. “And Dr. Elena’s license remains untouched.” “What are you talking about?!” Biana gasped, her mouth dropping wide with disbelief. Raymond again ignored her, looking directly into my eyes as he delivered the blow. “Elena is returning with me to the Moon Pack. She is going to be my Second Luna.” The air left my lungs. The room seemed to tilt beneath my feet. “E–excuse me? What do you mean?” I choked out. “You can’t just decide that for me!” I took a step back. “I never agreed to this!” Before I could lose my temper entirely, Alpha William stood up quickly. “Dr. Elena… follow me into my private office. Right now.”

Elena’s POV. Alpha William closed the door to his inner office, shutting out Biana’s hysterical ranting. He sank into his leather chair, rubbing his temples before looking up at me with a tired, sympathetic sigh. “Elena, sit down.” “I am not sitting,” I replied, shaking with fury. My mind was racing, screaming at the sheer absurdity of it all. Second Luna? Was he out of his mind? Who did Raymond think he was, tossing my life around like he owned me? “What is the point of this anyway? I am a licensed physician, not some political concubine! I refuse!” “You don’t have a choice.” Alpha William sighed as he pulled a thick, leather-bound document from his desk and pushed it toward me. “Look at section four of the Inter-Pack Medical Accord.” I snatched the document, scanning the dense paper until a specific highlighted clause caught my eye: In times of medical necessity or territory transfer, an Alpha holding chief jurisdiction may invoke the Emergency Transfer Protocol to acquire any certified pack doctor residing within neutral boundaries. My stomach dropped as the realization hit me. He did this on purpose. He had trapped me. Legally, immovably, trapped me. Was this his retaliation for me leaving with just a letter? I couldn’t think he would still be brooding over the past, especially when he had clearly moved on with another woman. He had a child, for goodness sake! “Raymond invoked it twenty minutes before he walked into the clinic,” Alpha William explained. “Legally, as the Alpha of the Moon Pack, he has requisitioned you as their new Chief Healer. Furthermore, Biana’s public smear campaign is already ruining your standing here. The clinic board is panicking. If you stay in this territory, your license will be suspended pending an investigation into the scandal. Transferring under the treaty is the only legal protection you have right now.” I gripped the edge of the mahogany desk, the truth hitting me excruciatingly hard. Raymond didn’t seem the least bit bothered over the fact that Biana posted those photos. He hadn’t fought the scandal because he clearly had wanted it. He had played Biana’s jealousy and used an obscure, ancient legal treaty to corner me. He wasn’t joking when he said he wasn’t going to let me go so easily. How dare he weaponize my hard work just to exact revenge? He had to be doing this out of pure, arrogant spite because his Alpha ego had taken a hit when an Omega dared to walk away from him. Well—I had news for him! *** That night, I didn’t sleep. By 2:00 AM, I had thrown my essentials into a leather backpack. I was done playing his game. If he thought five years of separation made me weak enough to accept this nonsense, he was dead wrong. I would head south to the human rogue territories this time, off the pack registries entirely. It meant giving up my career at the clinic, but it was better than becoming Raymond’s mistress. I couldn’t endure the psychological warfare of being his second Luna, nor would I subject myself to the ruthless bullying of the pack hierarchy all over again. I shrugged on my coat, grabbed my backpack, and unlocked the front door of my apartment. As I pulled the door open, I froze. Raymond was leaning against the hallway wall opposite my apartment, one leg crossed over the other. He wore a soft black wool sweater and dark jeans, looking way too relaxed. In his right hand, he held a paper cup from the local 24-hour café down the street. The steam rose from the lid, carrying the distinct, sweet scent of hazelnut coffee—my favorite. For a second, the familiar pull of his presence was overwhelming. But as he straightened up, the devastatingly handsome smile on his face didn’t quite reach the dark, stormy depths of his eyes. Beneath his composed posture was a rigid tension. Faint, but there was a lingering edge of resentment that cut right through his mischievous facade. Could it be that he was still furious because I, the Omega who were beneath him, had left? “You always did hate packing,” Raymond spoke softly, his voice rich and steady. How could he be this calm around me despite everything? He was so composed that I paused, wondering for a split second if I had imagined his resentment altogether. He held out the coffee to me. I shook my head, but despite my refusal, he gently pried open my fingers and pushed the cup into my hand. His skin lingered against mine for a beat too long, making my heart erupt in an erratic flutter. I suked in a deep breath. “Raymond…” He finally let me go, lifting the backpack from my other hand. His jaw flexed, a shadow of pain crossing his features. His gaze narrowed on the bag. “Hmmm, heavy.” His eyes flicked back to meet mine, his head coking to the side. “Seems you packed enough to flee the country.” I swallowed, not about to admit what I had planned to do. “A girl needs her things.” “Well, it’s a good thing I don’t have to carry you out over my shoulder for you to pursue your new duties.” I could tell he knew I had been ready to run from him a second time, despite my evasiveness. He dipped his head to the stairs, before he started walking toward it. “Let me help you. The car is waiting outside.” I stared after him, my throat tight. How was I going to get myself out of this situation? An hour later the dark sleek SUV glided past the wrought-iron gates of the Moon Pack territory just as the sun began to paint the sky in pale shades of orange and pink. I braced myself for hostile glares from the pack members who had once looked down on me as a low-ranking Omega. Instead, as the car pulled up to the main estate, a group of familiar faces gathered near the steps. “Elena!” Clara’s older sister, Martha—who used to work with me in the old pack kitchen—rushed forward with a bright, genuine smile. “Welcome home, child! We heard you were coming back as our Chief Healer. Nothing here has been the same without you!” More familiar pack members showed up, offering warm greetings, taking my coat, and treating me not like a prisoner or a scandal-ridden mistress, or—like the inferior Omega they used to look down to—but like royalty returning to her court. I stood there numbly, my mind spinning. Was this Raymond’s doing, too? Had he somehow orchestrated this grand homecoming to make me feel guilty for ever running away? When I was finally able to pull away from everyone, Raymond led me up the grand staircase, down the familiar high-arched corridor of the executive wing, and stopped in front of the massive double doors at the end of the hall. At first I thought he had taken me to my own room, until I realized I was standing in front of the master suite. As in Raymond’s bedroom. He pushed the doors open, revealing a breathtaking, sunlit room styled in deep blues and charcoal gray, featuring a plush king-sized bed and panoramic windows overlooking a lush pine forest and the city beyond it. My shock instantly morphed into cold fury. “Why am I in your room?” I demanded, turning on my heel to face him. “I am the Chief Healer, Raymond! Not your mistress, and certainly not your Second Luna! Assign me quarters in the medical wing!” Raymond calmly pulled the doors shut behind him, locking out the rest of the world. He then closed the distance between us with slow, deliberate steps. I held my ground, refusing to step back, even as his intense gaze locked onto mine. In the quiet isolation of the room, the anger I suspected he had been suppressing all morning finally broke to the surface. Raymond stopped inches from me. He reached up, his fingers cool and gentle as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. His thumb lingered for a second against the warm skin of my cheekbone. “The treaty says you are our Chief Healer,” Raymond whispered, his voice dangerously soft, laced with a possessive heat that made my breath hitch. “But my wolf says you belong in my bed.” My heart slammed against my ribs. He had to be out of his mind. He had moved on—he had Biana, a child, a pack. What right did he have to drag me into his bed now? And why? “Raymond—” “Our binding ceremony is in one month, Elena,” he cut in, his eyes searching mine with an obsessive, unwavering intensity. “Get comfortable.” Before I could process the words, he leaned down and pressed a soft, lingering k**s to my forehead. Without another word, Raymond turned, unlocked the door, and stepped out into the hallway, leaving me standing alone in the center of his massive bedroom—furious, confused, and utterly drowned in his soft, inescapable trap.

Elena’s POV. That evening, a soft knock at the master suite door interrupted my conflicted thoughts. I opened it to find a young maid looking up at me with a polite smile. “Dr. Elena, dinner is served in the main dining hall.” My immediate instinct was to say no. I didn’t want to be around people right now. While the pack members I had encountered so far were surprisingly kind and welcoming, I didn’t have the heart to look them in the eye while secretly wishing I was anywhere else in the world. “I don’t think I will—” I paused, glancing back at the massive king-sized bed. I realized I couldn’t stay in this room a second longer. Being surrounded by Raymond’s overwhelming yet evocative, pine-and-rain scent and his personal belongings was bringing back a smothering wave of old memories. I peered back at the maid, offering a stiff smile. “You know what? I am hungry.” I smoothed down my clothes and followed the maid downstairs. When I entered the grand dining room, I expected a full house. Instead, the long, polished mahogany table was completely empty—except for Biana, who sat near the head of the table, cutting into a plate of gourmet pasta while a butler poured her a glass of red wine. Biana’s eyes flicked up, then narrowed into venomous slits the moment she saw me. “Oh, would you look at what the cat dragged in,” Biana sneered, tossing her silk napkin onto the table. “A stray Omega who thinks a stolen medical badge makes her royalty all of the sudden. You don’t belong in this room, Elena. You’re nothing more than a temporary mistake Raymond will throw out once he’s bored of—” She cut off abruptly. Her eyes went wide. She let out a sharp, wet gasp, her hand flying to her throat. I stopped in my tracks. Biana tried to swallow, but her face rapidly flushed from pink to a dark, dangerous violet. She knocked over her wine glass, sending red liquid cascading across the white tablecloth as she clawed frantically at her own n**k. She was choking. The butler panicked, dropping the wine bottle. “Luna Biana! Lord Moon, someone, help!” Two house guards rushed into the room, awkwardly grabbing her shoulders and attempting to pat her back, but their clumsy efforts only made her thrash harder. Her l**s were turning blue. I could tell her airway was blocked. The woman with dignity in me screamed to let her face the consequences of her own arrogance, but my oath as a physician won out. I couldn’t simply turn my back on a person suffocating. “Move!” I barked, shooting up from my seat and hurrying over to her side of the room. The guards scrambled backward as I approached, giving me space so I could step up behind Biana. I wrapped my arms beneath her ribcage, formed a tight fist, and delivered a swift, upward thrvst directly into her abdomen. Nothing. I reset my grip and drove upward a second time with maximum force. HUCK! A large piece of stuffed ravioli flew from her mouth and landed on the carpet. Biana collapsed onto her hands and knees, drawing in a ragged, desperate lungful of air, her chest heaving violently. Before I could even take a step back, Raymond walked into the room. The moment Biana caught sight of him, her expression flipped from terrified to dramatic agony. She violently shoved my legs away, throwing herself flat on the carpet, weeping hysterically. “Raymond! Help me!” Biana wailed. “She attacked me! She tried to strangle me to death right in front of the staff!” Raymond assessed the scene before him: the spilled wine, the panicked staff, Biana sobbing on the floor, and me, standing tall with annoyance written across my face and my arms crossed over my chest. He moved instantly, kneeling beside Biana and pulling her up by her shoulders. But as he comforted her, his intense gaze remained locked onto mine. “Biana was choking on her food,” I stated, my voice steady, cold, and entirely devoid of fear. “I performed an abdominal thrvst to clear her airway before she suffocated to death. You’re welcome.” Knowing Biana’s vindictive nature and likely fearing her retaliation, the staff fled the room one by one, sliding out the side doors until only the three of us remained. Meanwhile, Raymond checked Biana’s pulse, his expression unreadable. Then, his eyes drifted to the carpet, landing on the chewed piece of ravioli resting near the table leg. “I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding, Biana,” Raymond stated, his voice smooth and maddeningly calm. So calm I wished I knew what he was thinking at that moment. “You were distressed and couldn’t breathe.” Biana gasped, her fake tears instantly drying into sheer outrage. “A misunderstanding?! Raymond, she put her hands on me again! She—” I didn’t stay to hear the rest of her tantrum. I hadn’t even had the chance to t***h my plate, but my appetite was now gone. Furious, and utterly unwilling to tolerate another second of Biana’s dramatic nonsense, I turned on my heel and marched out of the dining hall. The next morning, I woke up in Raymond’s massive bed after a fitful, restless night. To my overwhelming relief, he hadn’t come back to the suite at all. I refused to spend another day moping like a prisoner. I got out of bed, took a hot shower, and put on my medical attire. I pulled my hair back into a tight, professional bun, painted my l**s with a neutral shade, and resolved to establish absolute dominance over my new domain: the Moon Pack Central Hospital. When I pulled open the suite doors, two high-ranking pack guards in uniform immediately straightened up, stepping into my path. “Dr. Elena,” the lead guard greeted formally. “Alpha Raymond instructed us to e****t you throughout the day.” I paused, looking the guard up and down with a dry, razor-sharp glare. “Let me get one thing straight,” I bit out, already annoyed again. “I am the Chief Healer of this pack. If you stand outside my office, fine. But if either of you attempts to follow me into an operating room, I will give you a scalp incision without anesthesia. Do we understand each other?” The guards blinked, visibly taken aback by my bite. They stepped back half a pace and nodded stiffly. “Yes, Ma’am.”

Elena’s POV. As we walked down the grand estate’s service corridor toward the transport vehicles, the hushed voices of two housemaids echoed from a nearby cleaning supplies closet. They hadn’t seen me approaching. “—up all night, I swear!” one maid whispered loudly. “Luna Biana threw a fit after dinner, screaming that the new doctor tried to poison her. Then she faked a fainting spell!” “I heard her accuse the Doctor of strangling her. Now, which is it? Think Luna Biana is making it up, you know, because of the whole Second Luna situation?” the other asked eagerly. “Did Alpha Raymond stay with Luna Biana?” “Are you kidding? He spent the whole night locked in his executive office downstairs reviewing pack treaties just to get away from her tantrums. He didn’t even go back to his own bedroom. Poor Alpha Raymond is likely stressed he’d have to deal with her!” I slowed my pace slightly, the realization settling dreadfully in my chest. So, I was the reason for their marital strife. Raymond dragging me back here purely for the sake of his ego—or some twisted need for revenge—had brought disorder into his home. I almost scoffed at the poetic justice of it all. He was suffering the consequences of his own selfish choices, stuck dealing with a melodramatic wife while exiled to his office for the night. I didn’t feel an ounce of sympathy for Biana, nor did I feel sorry for Raymond. They were both exhausting, and frankly, they deserved each other. Yet, a stubborn, unwanted ache stirred in my chest. Every time Raymond was near me, my pulse betrayed me, pulling at threads of feelings I’d tried for five years to bury. I hated the hold he still had over me. I needed a distraction, something to keep my mind off the unbearable magnetic pull of my ex-mate. Work was my only salvation. When I walked through the glass doors of the Moon Pack Central Hospital, there was already tension in the air. Whispers rippled through the lobby as nurses and interns snuck glances at the newly appointed ‘Second Luna.’ I ignored them all and headed straight into the chief conference room for my morning rounds, already knowing my way around. Raymond had sent over a hospital map, my schedule, and a folder of orientation materials earlier. I’d memorized every detail down to the floor plan, ensuring I wouldn’t have to ask a single soul for help. At the head of the table in the conference room sat Dr. Vance. He was the former Head Physician, a pompous, middle-aged man known in the media to be one of Biana’s staunch political allies. “Ah, Dr. Elena,” Vance exclaimed, his tone laced with condescension as I took a seat. “We were just discussing patient management. Given that your degree comes from a… human institution, I’ve assigned you to handle routine intake files today. We wouldn’t want you overwhelmed by complex shifter physiology.” A few junior doctors smirked into their charts. I didn’t get angry at the obvious attempt to undermine me. Instead, I pulled the high-ranking elder’s medical file from the center of the table and opened it. “Elder Thomas,” I read aloud, stepping up to the digital whiteboard displaying the elder’s scans. “Sixty-two years old. Presenting with chronic wolf-form lethargy, joint inflammation, and elevated internal aura spikes. Dr. Vance, you’ve had him on high-dose wolfsbane suppressants for three months, correct?” Vance puffed out his chest. “Standard protocol for autoimmune aura rejection.” “It’s a misdiagnosis,” I stated plainly, capping my marker with a sharp click. Vance’s face turned bright red. “Excuse me?!” “If you had paid attention to his human bloodwork alongside his shifter bio-metrics,” I carried on, walking up to him and tapping the screen, “you would have realized he isn’t rejecting his wolf. He is suffering from severe silver-line toxicity caused by a degraded joint implant installed ten years ago. Your ‘standard protocol’ of wolfsbane is slowly poisoning his liver.” The room went dead silent. The junior doctors stared at the screen in shock as the data aligned perfectly with my diagnosis. Vance opened his mouth to argue, but no sound came out. “Flush his system, cancel the suppressants, and prep him for surgical removal of the implant this afternoon,” I ordered the head nurse, who immediately scrambled to write down my notes. I turned back to Vance, giving him a cool, unimpressed look. “Any other routine intake files you need me to correct, Dr. Vance?” Nobody said a word. In ten minutes, I had stripped the former Head Physician of his arrogance and proven to every staff member in the room that I wasn’t a trophy, a mistress, or a political bargaining chip. By late afternoon, I was finishing my notes in my new office when someone knocked on the door. An official pack herald entered, carrying a large, velvet-wrapped garment box. Behind him stood two guards holding a polished wooden casing. I pushed out of my chair, frowning. “What is this about?” “Dr. Elena,” the herald greeted with a polite bow. “It is a delivery from Alpha Raymond for tonight’s Welcoming Banquet.” “What Welcoming Banquet? For what?” I asked. The herald simply shrugged, bowed once again and retreated through the door. I opened the box. Resting inside was an exquisite, custom-tailored designer gown made of deep royal blue silk, shimmering subtly under the lights. Pinned to the fabric was a thick ivory card with Raymond’s sharp, commanding handwriting: Wear the dress. You belong at the head table beside me tonight. I stared at the dress, my jaw clenching as a hot wave of anger rushed through me. A Welcoming Banquet. Despite asking, in my gut I already knew what this was about. He wasn’t just throwing a dinner; he was throwing a public spectacle to showcase me to the entire pack council. Wearing his custom dress and sitting at his right hand was his way of officially branding me as his Second Luna in front of every lord and elder in the territory. He was parading me around like his shiny new trophy, expecting me to play along quietly like a submissive puppet. Furious and deeply insulted, my hands trembled over the silk. If Raymond thought he could use public pressure and a designer gown to corner me, he had another thing coming. I wasn’t going to hide, nor was I going to play the role of his dutiful concubine. I traced the edge of the handwritten note, a slow, cold smile spreading across my l**s as a new plan began to take form. I would attend his banquet, but I certainly wouldn’t be playing by his rules. “Fine, Raymond,” I murmured softly to the empty room, a dangerous spark flashing in my eyes. “You want to send a message to the pack? Very well. I will make sure my message is crystal clear.”

Raymond’s POV. The ballroom was a grand sight, but amidst all the luxury, I felt only the restless pulse of my wolf. It was begging me to go to Elena. As Alpha, however, I had duties to fulfill before I could comply with my wolf’s demands. I stood near the elevated platform, a glass of aged whiskey resting loosely in my grip as I navigated conversations with pack lords and elders. “Alpha Raymond,” Elder Vance, the cousin to the incompetent Dr. Vance, nodded respectfully. “The trade agreements with the northern borders are secured, thanks to your swift oversight.” “Good to hear,” I replied evenly. “We require stability this quarter.” On the surface, I was the picture of unshakable Alpha dominance. But beneath the tailored black suit and the charm, my thoughts kept slipping elsewhere. To when my head of security had pulled me aside ten minutes ago to deliver a report: She rejected the royal blue gown. A low, dark surge of satisfaction had thrummed through me at the news. Royal blue was the traditional hue reserved for a Luna—a visual mark that would have publicly branded her as mine the second she walked through those doors. By snubbing the dress, she was making her stance loud and clear. She wasn’t going to play my puppet. God, I loved her fire. My wolf roared in agreement, captivated by her bite. But beneath the intoxicating thrill of her rebellion, a quiet, agonizing ache settled in my chest. Why are you fighting me so fiercely, Elena? All those years ago, when she had vanished and left behind an infuriatingly formal letter claiming she couldn’t handle the pack life any longer. That the weight of being an Omega mated to an Alpha was too much. But as I had reread those faded lines a thousand times over the last five years, one brutal detail always stood out: she had never once written that she stopped loving me. She had cited pack duties, social pressure, and political friction. Never once mentioned what was in her heart. I suppressed a sharp, familiar stab of hurt by swallowing a sip of whiskey. I had built an empire, secured my territory, and tied myself to a sham marriage just to have a world where no one could ever force her out again. I would uncover the truth of why she ran. And this time, I would make her stay. A sudden shift in the room’s ambient noise broke my trance. The low hum of chatter died down, replaced by a wave of sharp gasps and whispers near the grand arched doorway. I turned. My breath caught in my throat. Elena stood at the top of the marble staircase, wearing a breathtaking, blood-crimson floor-length dress that clung to her curves in all the right places, complete with a daring t***h-high slit and an off-the-shoulder neckline. She wasn’t dressed as a submissive Omega or a second-tier Luna. She was dressed as a queen about to claim a battlefield. Beside the platform, Biana’s face contorted into a mask of disgust. I knew she was about to stir the pot even before she opened her mouth. She took three sharp steps forward, raising her voice so the nearby elders and high council members would hear. “Oh, would you look at that,” Biana sneered, her voice carrying across the ballroom. “Dressed like a common companion. I suppose we shouldn’t expect respectful behavior from an uninvited guest.” Several elders murmured, shifting uncomfortably. Before Biana could draw another breath in an attempt to humiliate her, I moved. I walked straight up to Elena, stopping right in front of her. Her eyes flashed with defiance, her shoulders rigid, preparing herself for a fight. Instead, I offered her the most devastatingly handsome smile I could muster. I reached out, gently taking her gloved hand in mine, feeling the subtle tremor of her pulse. “You look breathtaking, Elena,” I murmured, loud enough for the surrounding lords to hear. Without waiting for her permission—and ignoring the furious gasp from Biana behind us—I placed her hand over the crook of my arm and escorted her directly past the whispering crowd, leading her to the central head table. “Raymond,” she hissed under her breath. “What are you doing?” “Escorting the most important woman in this room to her seat,” I replied, pulling out the carved mahogany chair directly to the right of the Alpha throne. Before she could protest, a loud clearing of a throat echoed through the audio system. Elder Thomas—one of the most respected, iron-willed patriarchs on the High Council—stood up at the main table, holding his crystal glass high. His face, usually pale and drawn from years of chronic illness, looked remarkably vibrant. “If I may have everyone’s attention,” Elder Thomas called out, his voice commanding silence across the hall. The crowd turned instantly. “Tonight, we gather to celebrate the prosperity of the Moon Pack. But I must call attention to a matter of life and death that occurred within these very walls earlier today.” Beside me, I felt Elena go still. “For months, my health has waned under the care of Dr. Vance,” Elder Thomas continued, casting a sharp, icy glare toward the disgraced former Head Physician standing near the back walls. “I was told my body was failing. But today, our new arrival took one look at my charts, identified a catastrophic misdiagnosis, and saved my life before the sun could set.” Murmurs rippled through the council members. Vance turned beet red, shrinking back into the shadows. “To Doctor Elena!” Elder Thomas declared, raising his glass higher. “A healer of unmatched brilliance and unwavering integrity!” “To Doctor Elena!” the room echoed in a thunderous toast. I smiled, taking the microphone from the podium beside the table. My voice resonated through the vast chamber. “Elder Thomas speaks the truth,” I announced, my gaze sweeping over the council lords before settling directly on Elena’s stunned face. “Effective immediately, Doctor Elena assumes full authority as the Chief Healer of the Moon Pack Medical System. Her directives are thorough, her authority unchallengeable.” With a single sentence, I had just stripped Dr. Vance of his political leverage and elevated Elena to a position of unshakable status within my pack. This would teach anyone not to ever oppose or attempt to shame my mate again.

Raymond’s POV. An hour later, as the banquet transitioned into music and dancing, Elena slipped away toward the tall glass doors leading to the grand terrace. I gave her a three-minute head start before following her out into the night. She stood near a stone balustrade, looking out over the sprawling, moonlit forests of the pack territory. The breeze caught the hem of her crimson dress, making it billow subtly around her ankles. “If you came out here to gloat, spare me,” she bit out, not turning around as I approached. I stopped right behind her. “I don’t gloat, Elena. I merely execute plans.” She spun around, her eyes flashing with heat. “You paraded me around like a trophy! You used Elder Thomas’s toast to lock me deeper into your pack’s affairs, and you’re using me to play pathetic mind games with your wife! I want no part in whatever petty nonsense is going on between you and Biana.” Her words stung, but I didn’t let the smile fade from my l**s. Instead, I closed the distance between us, crowding her back until the back of her t****s pressed against the cold stone balustrade. “Do you really think this is about Biana?” I asked, my voice dropping to a low, dangerous growl. Elena held her breath, refusing to shrink back even as I closed the remaining distance between us. “I don’t care about Biana,” I murmured, leaning down so my l**s were inches from her ear. “I don’t care about the council’s opinion, and I certainly don’t care about the optics of a banquet. Everything I’ve done tonight was solely to put power in your hands. So no one in this pack can ever look down on you again.” I paused, then added, “Isn’t that why you left in the first place? Because of how everyone treated you back then?” There was a small pause, before she responded, her posture stiffening. “I don’t need your protection, Raymond,” she snapped, placing both hands against my chest to push me away. “I am not the weak girl who left five years ago.” “I know,” I whispered. Instead of giving her space, I reached out. My fingers brushed against the soft skin of her b**e forearm, tracing a slow, intoxicating path upward, over the curve of her shoulder, to her neckline. She shuddered beneath my t***h, a tiny, betraying gasp escaping her l**s as my thumb came up to gently cup her jawline. Her skin was burning hot against my cool fingers. Her heart was hammering against her ribs. “Fight me as hard as you like, Elena,” I murmured, my thumb tracing the swell of her bottom l*p. “Wear red. Snub my gowns. Yell at me in front of my elders. But do not pretend you can escape me. Because I am never letting you go again.” Elena swallowed hard, her eyes searching mine, no doubt desperate to find a sharp comeback to dismantle me. “You’re a married man, Alpha Raymond,” she murmured, her voice trembling slightly despite her best efforts. “You have a Luna. A family.” I leaned in closer, my l**s lightly brushing the shell of her ear as I declared the obvious. “Biana is not my wife in any way that matters, Elena,” I breathed, feeling the violent freeze in her posture. “And that paper contract you call a marriage? It’s far closer to its expiration date than you think.” I pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. Elena stared at me, panting slightly, her defenses shattered by the revelation as the moonlight caught the sudden, wild uncertainty in her gaze. I gave her one last, gentle squeeze on her jaw, stepped back into the shadows of the terrace, and left her alone with the truth. *** Elena’s POV. The air outside was cold on my skin, but inside, I was burning. Raymond’s words reverberated through my mind, over and over again. It’s far closer to its expiration date than you think. I gripped on to the balustrade, my knuckles turning white as I stared out into the dark treeline of the estate. My skin still tingled where his fingers had touched me, a lingering ghost of warmth that made my heart hammer violently against my ribs. No, I thought angrily, shaking my head to clear the haze. It’s a game. He is playing me to get revenge. He was using his charm to distort the reality of his marriage, to coax me into lowering my guard. If I let myself believe for a single second that his union with Biana was merely an expiring contract, I would walk right into a trap, becoming nothing more than a mistress kept in the shadows. I would sink lower than the weak Omega I was years ago. I refused to allow that to happen. I was here to do my job, exercise my skills, and survive. I wouldn’t let his s*******e promises drag me under. "He's very persuasive, isn't he?" a high-pitched, grating voice purred from the shadows. My blood ran cold. I spun around, my back slamming against the balustrade as Biana slipped out from behind the velvet curtains of the terrace doors, a glass of champagne resting in her hand and a murderous smile playing on her l**s. "Enjoy your little victory tonight, Omega," Biana sneered, her eyes glittering with malicious intent. "Because by tomorrow morning, I'm going to make sure you have nothing left to save."