Chapter 5:

Elena Cruz

Elena’s stomach dipped the moment she saw him. Dr. Alex stood by his car at the pickup zone, eyes scanning the courtyard until they landed on her.

For a second, everything else blurred. The chatter, the footsteps, the groups heading home all of it faded.

A smile pulled at her lips before she could stop it. Then she caught herself. Her face went hot. What the hell was she doing, smiling at him like that?

Harper nudged her arm hard enough to snap her back to reality.

“Oh my God, is that Dr. Hale? “The “Dr. Hale?” Lila practically screamed, covering her mouth. “There’s no way. That’s really him.”

Harper grabbed Elena’s hand without realizing. “Dr. Hale is basically the town’s favorite hot rich guy. Age doesn’t even matter.”

Elena blinked. “You guys know him?”

They looked at her like she’d just asked if the sky was real.

“Everyone knows him,” Lila said. “He’s extremely hot. Like, unfairly hot. And rich. His family owns the hospital he runs and like five other medical centers.”

Harper added, still staring, “He doesn’t even act flashy about it either. It’s always the quiet wealthy ones that kill you.”

Elena’s phone buzzed. A message from Dr. Alex: “ I’m here”

Her stomach flipped. She looked at the message, then at him standing calmly beside the car, then at the two girls frozen in disbelief.

She didn’t know how to say it without sounding ridiculous. But the words came out anyway.

“He’s my ride home.”

Everything stopped.

Lila’s eyes went huge. Harper’s jaw dropped.

“What do you mean? You know him? Wait, is that your dad?”

“No, he’s not my dad,” Elena said quickly. “He’s just a friend of my father’s. I’m staying at his place for a while. Until everything gets sorted.”

Harper stared. “Sorted? Elena, that’s not a small detail. You “live “with him?”

Lila grabbed both her arms. “YOU LIVE WITH DR. HALE?”

Elena nearly stepped back from the intensity. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“It absolutely is,” Lila said. “People would donate organs to be in your position, well I would”

Elena snorted. “Please don’t say that too loud.”

Before they could ask more questions, Dr. Alex started walking toward them. His gaze flicked briefly to Harper and Lila, but settled on Elena like she was the only person he’d come for.

Her pulse jumped.

“You ready?” he asked.

“Yeah.” Elena gave the girls a small wave. “See you both tomorrow.”

Harper screamed, “Text us when you get home! We need updates!”

Elena laughed and walked toward him, trying not to look like her insides were doing flips. Students stared as she passed. At him. At her. Back at him.

By the time she reached the car, she felt like she’d crossed a stage.

He opened the passenger door without a word. Effortless. Elena climbed in quickly, hyperaware of how many eyes were still on them.

When he got in and started the engine, he glanced at her once. “Traffic wasn’t bad.”

“School was fine,” she replied, even though he hadn’t asked yet.

A hint of amusement flickered across his face. “I was going to ask that.”

“Oh.”

The car pulled out slowly. Elena could still hear faint whispers from students as they left.

Dr. Alex kept his attention on the road. “First day can be overwhelming. You handled it?”

“Yeah. Made a couple of friends.”

“That’s good.”

His tone stayed even, but something about the way he said it made her chest feel warm.

The silence settled between them. Not awkward. Just quiet.

Then Elena couldn’t take it anymore.

“Why won’t anyone tell me what’s going on?”

Dr. Alex glanced at her briefly, then back at the road. “What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. My dad drags me out of bed in the middle of the night, dumps me in your car with zero explanation, and then disappears. My mom won’t answer my calls. Nobody will tell me where my family is or what happened or why I’m here instead of in my dorm room I planned on staying “

“Elena…”

“I already had a dorm room,” she continued, her voice rising. “I’d registered. Paid the deposit. I was three days away from moving in. And now I’m living with a stranger because of some vague threat nobody will explain.”

Dr. Alex’s hands tightened on the wheel. “Your father thought you’d be safer with me.”

“Safer from what?”

“I don’t know the details.”

“Bullshit.”

His jaw tightened but he didn’t respond.

“It’s not like that.”

“Then what is it like? Because from where I’m sitting, I got dragged out of my life with no explanation, shoved into your house, and told to just trust people who won’t even tell me the truth.”

Dr. Alex pulled into the driveway and killed the engine. He sat there for a moment, staring straight ahead.

“Your father asked me to keep you safe while he handles things back home. That’s all I know. The rest is between you and him.”

“He won’t tell me anything either!”

“Then maybe he has his reasons.”

“That’s not good enough!”

Dr. Alex turned to look at her. For the first time since she’d met him, his expression cracked. Not into anger. Into exhaustion. Like this conversation was costing him more than she realized.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I know this isn’t fair. But I can’t give you answers I don’t have.”

Elena stared at him, searching his face for any sign he was lying. She didn’t find one. She grabbed her bag and got out of the car without another word.

She reached her room and dropped her bag on the floor.

Her phone rang.

Mom.

Elena answered immediately. “Mom?”

“Elena, sweetheart. I’m so sorry I haven’t been able to call sooner.”

“Where are you? Are you okay? Is everyone okay?”

“We’re fine. We’re all fine. I promise.”

Elena sank onto the edge of her bed. “What happened? Dad won’t tell me anything.”

Her mom was quiet for a moment. “There was a planned attack. On pack children and you were a major target. Your father got intel just in time.”

Elena’s stomach dropped. “What kind of attack?”

“We don’t know all the details yet. Your father couldn’t take any chances, so he moved everyone. Me and the kids are somewhere safe. You’re with Alexander.”

“For how long?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart. Until things settle down. Until we know it’s safe to come home.”

Elena pressed her hand against her forehead. “Are Mateo and Sofia scared?”

“They’re handling it. Mateo thinks it’s an adventure. Sofia is being… Sofia. You know how she is.”

Despite everything, Elena smiled. “Yeah. I know.”

“We’re in a beautiful island town. The kids love it here. Mateo spends all day on the beach collecting shells. Sofia complains about the heat but I caught her smiling yesterday.”

“I’m glad they’re okay.”

“We’ll be fine,” her mom said gently. “And so will you. Alexander is a good man. Your father trusts him completely.”

They talked for a few more minutes before her mom had to go. Elena hung up and stared at her phone.

Her family was safe. That was what mattered. But one question still nagged at her. If it was just about being close to school, why hadn’t her dad let her stay in the dorm she’d already paid for?

What wasn’t he telling her?

Elena lay back on her bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to ignore the feeling that there was more to this than anyone was​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ willing to tell her