Chapter 5

Emerald

Days and weeks flew by so quickly, as if time had passed in the blink of an eye. It felt like just yesterday that I had started working in the homestead clinic, and now I found myself in the center hospital. The place was bustling with people, some in white coats and others in patient attire.

Yesterday, I had moved into the doctor's dormitory, and today marked the beginning of my duties. I was eager to reunite with my friends who had been assigned here.

"Miraculously, you're not late," Mathilda commented as she met me at the entrance, followed by some of our mutual friends.

"Finally, Em. I'm sorry I haven't had time to visit the homestead. We're always fully booked here," Zane uttered, hugging me.

"Don't believe him, Em. He's busy flirting with the hot nurses. Perks of being mateless," Jay added with a mischievous grin.

"I'm not like that, I'm a one-woman kind of man. I'm not like you, Jay," Zane justified himself, eliciting laughter from the rest of us. The womanizer that he was, he hadn't changed a bit.

We shared a few stories and laughs when my eyes shifted to something that made my heart ache. Several months had passed since the rejection, but the pain was still as severe as it was the first time. To make matters worse, he was with that girl.

"Em, let's go."

I glanced in their direction one last time before following Mathilda and our friends. I could only hope that I wouldn't have to see him during my stay in the center. It was the least he could do for the pain he had inflicted on me.

"You saw him?" Mathilda asked immediately as we entered the doctor's office.

I nodded.

"Who did Em see? Do you see something we don't?" Margarita chimed in, the feisty one in the group. We were a group of five, three girls and two boys. As far as I knew, only Zane and I were mateless.

"Don't tell me you can see a ghost?"

I sighed. My personal relationship was meant to be private, but I couldn't bring myself to lie to my friends. I felt they deserved to know the truth.

"Matthew...," I took a short paused, "...he's actually my mate," I confessed. "But don't react; he rejected me."

Margarita's brow furrowed. "Isn't Natasha his mate? How did that happen?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, either. It's probably a mistake."

"That's weird. Natasha is pregnant."

The pain in my chest doubled. He had already gotten her pregnant? That had happened quickly. I smiled painfully, attempting to steer the conversation in a different direction. I didn't want to cry.

"Let them be. What's done is done. Maybe we weren't meant to be."

Zane and Jay agreed, while Margarita and Mathilda shook their heads. "You deserve better, Em. Besides, having a mate isn't everything. Look at me, happy and mateless," Zane tried to cheer me up.

"Oh, shut up, Zane. What if you also rejected your mate just to keep flirting with the single, hot nurses here?" Mathilda interjected.

Our conversation was interrupted when two nurses entered the room, appearing breathless as if they had been running.

"Doc Z, we have an emergency in Room 301," the pale nurse spoke.

Zane quickly excused himself from our group and rushed out, accompanied by the nurses.

"Stay here, Em. We're just going to do a short round. After we're back, we'll give you a tour," Margarita reassured me.

The doctor's office wasn't as large as I had expected; it could only accommodate around 10 doctors. I presumed that the doctors were divided into different areas. This room appeared to be where my friends were assigned, and there might be another room.

I took my seat at the desk with my name on it and a few files beside it. I sat down and checked the contents of the table. There weren't any crucial documents, just some rules and regulations.

Maybe it was about half an hour or so when Mathilda arrived, and eventually, Margarita and Jay followed.

"Zane's patient is in critical condition. I haven't heard about a rogue attack these past few days. How did he get hurt by them?" Mathilda asked.

I listened to their conversation, not fully understanding the details, but I gathered that rogues must be involved.

"I heard it was the same rogue that was released a year ago?" Jay added.

"What's going on?" I wondered.

"Zane's patient encountered a rogue last night, and he claimed it was the rogue released a year ago. The same rogue who nearly assaulted Natasha," Margarita explained.

"Natasha? Matthew's woman?" I clarified.

"Yes," they all nodded. "The patient was poisoned. If he isn't treated immediately, he'll die."

"Only one rogue did it?"

Rogues had never truly changed. They had tarnished our kind's reputation long ago. They were the reason humans considered us monsters. Their selfish actions continued to harm us, and they had yet to redeem themselves.

"Maybe," Mathilda replied, unsure.

It was past 2 in the afternoon when Mathilda finished giving me a tour of the hospital. The hospital consisted of four buildings, each housing various departments. All of them were 12 stories high.

"Tomorrow you'll receive your assignment, which floor and shift. Hopefully, not the night shift," Mathilda said, expressing her wish.

"Oh, I love the night shift," I joked.

Mathilda glared at me. "Most male doctors are assigned at night. It's not good."

I pouted and clung to her arm. "Why? Don't you like it? I might find a new partner."

She looked up as if contemplating. "Well, if that's a way to heal your broken heart, I'll support you. But I'm warning you, using other men to numb the pain you're feeling isn't a good idea."

I chuckled. "Don't worry, Mathilda. I was just teasing you. You're right; it's not something I'd actually consider. You know, you're really serious at funny times and funny at serious times."

Mathilda heaved a sigh, perhaps a bit exasperated with me, but I couldn't help but laugh. She was like a mother figure to me in some ways.

Later that night, after all of us had finished our shifts, we decided to have a night out at the nearest club. It had been a while since we'd all been able to hang out, and we were delighted that we were all together.

"Is your mate okay with you going out with us, Jay? Last time you two had a fight because you joined us," Margarita asked while pouring tequila into her glass.

Jay replied, "We've talked about things and sorted out some rules. She can go out with her friends, and I can too. It's just a matter of communication."

Communication, big word. They seems to have a healthy relationship, while I was here, suffering from that painful rejection. If only it were that simple to move on and forget about everything.

Not to mention my wolf's absence in the past few weeks. She was probably healing herself, a pain both of us had suffered because of our foolish mate.

"I've been here for a month already, but I haven't met any of your mates," I sulked.

Mathilda's mate wasn't in Red Moon pack, as she had told me. I wondered where her mate was, but she never gave me more details.

"You'll meet my mate one day, if he's not too busy with business," Margarita said, rolling her eyes.

"My mate is far from here. Maybe if there's a certain event, she'll come here, and you'll meet her," Jay noted.

Mathilda remained silent, while Zane simply raised a toast – after all, he was mateless and had nothing to expect in that regard. We spent our time drinking and catching up, talking about the journeys each of us had endured before becoming doctors.

I was supposed to be 27 before becoming a licensed doctor, if not for the medicine I had invented and the successful surgeries I had performed. While everyone else had gone through pre-med courses, I had taken a shortcut.

Each of us decided to hit the dance floor, joining the wild crowd. I wasn't easily affected by alcohol, but with a couple of shots, it somehow began to affect my system. Diamond wasn't around to help me balance my alcohol intake, too.

Amidst the chaotic crowd, I lost sight of my friends. Every face became a blur, and despite being a werewolf, my heightened senses of smell and sight felt useless at the moment.

My head throbbed, and just before I almost fell from dizziness, someone caught me. A hand gripped my waist, helping to support my weight. I was drawn into a hug, and as I inhaled the familiar scent, it stirred a trace of awakening in me.

Tears instantly welled up, and my heart pounded as I softly uttered, "Why are you making me suffer so much?"