Chapter 1

Three years ago, after ending the mate bond with Alpha Reese Chapman, I completely sealed off my wolf and hid at the borders of the Shadow pack, working as an unknown healer.

My wolf, Anna, had been silent for three years. There wasn't a single sound from her in my mind, as if she were dead.

I never thought I would see Reese again tonight. He was still as powerful and cold as he had been three years ago. The air in the entire clinic grew heavy under the pressure of his dominating presence.

Reese, the one who once swore to protect me with his life, was tenderly cradling his current mate, having taken over the clinic's best VIP room for her.

I knew who the she-wolf was. Tiffany Duncan, the most gorgeous Beta of the Silverclaw pack.

Her wrist was only slightly scraped, yet she acted as weak as if her bones were broken.

During my shift, Reese sent his guards to summon me three times.

The first time, he coldly said, "The bedsheet has wolfbane residue on it. Change it."

I had checked it, and it was a brand new sheet. There was no way it had any wolfbane on it.

Still, I didn't argue. I sent an apprentice healer to deal with it.

Two hours later, he sent a nurse to relay another order. "The herbal smell is too strong. Change it again."

All the healers knew the VIP room used the finest lavender purification system, so there was no strong herbal smell at all.

Because of Reese's presence, my wolf began to stir. I suppressed the trembling in my wolf and continued assigning people to handle the order.

At two in the morning, Reese contacted me directly through the mind-link.

"The sheets are dirty. Come up and change them."

I refused calmly. "I'm sorry, Alpha Reese. The housekeeping staff responsible for linens has already clocked out for the night."

Amid the darkness, he let out a cold, cruel chuckle. In a tone that brooked no refusal, he murmured, "Then come up and change them yourself."

I ended the mind-link, my fingers gripping the edge of the counter so hard that my knuckles whitened.

Kelly Lane, a nurse nearby, leaned in and whispered, "Elara, is that the patient in the VIP room again?"

I nodded, my face pale.

Kelly covered her mouth, her eyes glinting with a gossipy spark. "That Alpha has asked to change the sheets three times now. He's so picky, but he really does dote on his mate. He wants only the best for her.

"But the housekeeping staff are off work. What did he say?"

I took a deep breath and told her truthfully, "He ordered me to go up and change them myself."

Kelly froze, and then her face twisted with indignation. "That Alpha is so rude! Healers are respected in any pack. Why is he treating you like a janitor?"

Before she finished speaking, the red emergency communication light on the front desk began to flash.

Kelly answered the call, and the next second, her face turned deathly pale. She respectfully said, "Hello, Captain Swanson."

A few brief instructions came through the line.

Kelly hung up and looked at me with concern. "Elara, the Captain of the Guard said that if you don't want the clinic to be shut down, you need to go up there right now."

…

15 minutes later, I stood outside the VIP room door, clutching a stack of linen sheets that smelled of sunshine.

I took a deep breath, then knocked on the door.

Reese opened the door. He was wearing a black silk shirt with the collar slightly open, revealing his solid muscles.

The moment he saw me, his gaze turned icy, and he stepped aside to let me in.

The sound of running water came from the bathroom. Obviously, Tiffany was taking a shower.

Reese led me to the hospital bed. The air was thick with a faint scent of pine and tobacco—his unique scent.

Three years had passed, and that scent hadn't changed at all. But it no longer comforted me. It only made my chest ache with a dull pain.

He walked over to the leather armchair in the corner of the room and sat down. Then, he picked up a cigar from the table beside him, lit it, and blew out a puff of smoke.

In silence, I walked to the bed and pulled back the covers. The sheets weren't dirty. There was only a faint watermark, one that was clearly poured there on purpose.

He was deliberately making things hard for me.

My chest felt like it had been struck by a hammer, and a dull ache spread through my heart.

Reese blew out a smoke ring, his tone lazy. "This clinic is too small, and Tiffany is sensitive to her environment. Even a little stain bothers her. She probably won't be able to sleep if we don't change them tonight.

"Hurry up, please. She's injured and needs rest."

I did my best to hold onto my professionalism and calm as a healer, replying, "Give me five minutes, Alpha Reese."

I quickly removed the "dirty" sheets and put on fresh ones.

Under my suppression, Anna fell silent again, not even conveying a hint of anger to me.

I gathered the used sheets and turned to leave.

"Elara," Reese called out.

I paused but didn't turn around.

Before I could react, he stood up, his tall figure looming over me instantly. He pressed me against the edge of the bed, blocking any escape.

The full force of his Alpha pressure exploded outward, making my knees go weak. I stumbled backward onto the freshly made bed.

The next second, he had me pinned beneath him, rendering me unable to move.

The water in the bathroom came in intermittent bursts, and Tiffany could walk out at any moment.

What exactly was he trying to do?