Chapter 3

The smell of dried herbs hit me as soon as I stepped into the pack clinic.

The air was warm, a mix of sage, mint, and something bitter that made the back of my throat tingle, wolfsbane.

The healer, Meryl, looked up from her worktable, her silver hair braided down her back.

She was one of the few people in the pack who never took sides, never got caught up in the gossip.

When I'd asked her the first time if she'd teach me, she didn't even hesitate.

"Sure," she'd said, wiping her hands on her apron.

"If you're willing to do the work, I'll show you everything I know."

So I stayed. For weeks.

Morning till evening, I was in that clinic sorting roots, grinding leaves, boiling tinctures until my clothes smelled like a walking apothecary.

Meryl showed me how to tell herbs apart by their texture, how to crush wolfsbane without getting poisoned, and how to mix antidotes so precise that even a drop too much could kill a wolf instead of saving them.

It gave me something to focus on, something that wasn't Jasper.

Still, every now and then, his voice brushed against my mind through the mate bond, like a faint whisper I could almost ignore. *Lydia…*

I blocked him out. I didn't know what to say to him anymore.

Didn't know if I wanted to.

Then one afternoon, I was sorting dried foxglove when I felt it, the shift in the air, the ripple of power at the edge of the territory.

Jasper was here.

Lily, my wolf, perked up at first.

Excitement surged through her, tail high, ears forward, until she caught his scent.

Then she froze, and a wave of disgust rolled through her so strong I almost doubled over.

*I smell Amelia!* she snarled inside my head, pacing. *She's all over him.*

"Lily, calm down," I whispered under my breath, trying to keep my hands from shaking as I packed herbs into jars. "Don't jump to conclusions..."

*No!* she snapped, her voice raw with hurt.

*She's been close to him. Too close.*

By the time Jasper walked into the clinic, my chest felt tight.

His eyes found mine instantly, that familiar pull sparking in the air between us.

But I didn't melt.

I set down the jar and asked bluntly, "Did you sleep with Amelia?"

His jaw tightened. "Of course not! You're my mate, Lydia. I'd never--"

I stared at him, searching for the truth in his eyes, but Lily's heartbreak was like a knife in my chest, making me doubt every word he said.

My wolf Lily turned away from him in my mind, curling up.

She weakly said, “They didn’t actually sleep together, but...”

Yeah, I know. But they had already been close enough.

He glanced around the clinic, changing the subject.

"You're learning medical skills now?"

I nodded once.

"You don't need to," he said, his tone somewhere between dismissive and possessive.

"I can give you money. Plenty of it. But--" He hesitated, then met my eyes. "On one condition."

I folded my arms. "What condition?"

"I need to make Amelia my Luna."

The words hit like a punch.

"I'm not breaking our bond," he rushed to add, as if that made it better.

"But I promised the pack. They need stability. She's… useful."

I laughed once, sharp and humorless. "You came all the way here just to tell me something you've already decided?"

Before he could answer, small footsteps pattered behind him.

"Daddy, are you done talking to her?" Liam's little voice chimed.

Liam peeked around Jasper's leg, his big brown eyes blinking up at me.

"We need to go back."

I looked at my pup and felt… nothing.

No warmth. No rush of joy. Just a hollow ache.

I turned back to my work without a word.

On the counter in front of me was a bowl of crushed roots and a vial of pale yellow liquid, an antidote for wolfsbane poisoning.

I'd been brewing it all morning, careful to balance every ingredient so it could draw the toxin out of a wolf's system without shutting down their heart.

Jasper's gaze dropped to it.

"Is that for wolfsbane?" he asked. "We might need it. My pack's preparing for war with the Ironclaw wolves. Their beta's known for poisoning blades."

Liam's eyes went wide.

"Whoa, is that the medicine that can cure wolfsbane? Can we take some? We should take at least two bottles. No, three! Amelia might need one."

Something in me snapped.

"No," I said calmly, pulling the vials toward me. "They're not for you."

Jasper frowned. "Lydia..."

I met his eyes, my voice low but firm.

"You made your choice, Jasper. Take your promises, take your Luna, and take your war somewhere else. You don't get to come here asking for my help while she's still on your scent."

For a moment, the clinic was silent except for the faint bubbling of a pot in the back. Then Jasper stepped back, his jaw clenched, and took Liam's hand.

"Let's go," he said without looking at me.