Chapter 5

Chiara’s POV

I stood at the door of my best friend Caterina’s place, talking with the lawyer outside.

"King Luciano De Luca refused to sign the paperwork. As we suspected, he doesn’t seem to intend to make this an easy proceeding," the lawyer said.

"I suppose not," I agreed with a sigh. I knew Luciano could be proud and stubborn, but I’d secretly hoped he’d give me this divorce without much fuss. The man clearly didn’t care for me. Why draw it out?

"Instead, he wished for me to give you this." The lawyer procured a letter from his briefcase and passed it over to me.

Inside the house, Caterina came into the foyer and began putting on her shoes. "Not ready yet? We’ll be leaving soon. Everyone will be waiting for us."

She was wearing a white coat. We were about to head to the hospital.

After leaving the mansion I shared with Luciano, the first place I came to was here, Caterina’s house. She had been so kind, eagerly welcoming me, helping me find a lawyer, and pushing forward with the divorce at record speed.

"What's that?" Caterina asked, gesturing briefly to the letter.

"It's from Luciano."

Caterina groaned. "Get rid of it."

Inside, Luna recoiled at the idea. "Read it."

"I suggest you read it," the lawyer added. When Caterina conceded, I tore open the envelope and pulled out a single sheet of paper. Only a few lines were scrawled, and I immediately recognized Luciano’s messy handwriting.

To Chiara,

I don’t know where you got the money for the lawyer, but you need to remember you remain Luna.

If you obtained this money through any illegal or immoral means, you should rescind this ridiculous divorce, return the money where it came from, and come home at once.

Do not do anything that would bring shame upon me, you, or our pack.

Luciano is usually very serious; his handwriting is always neat and beautiful. But this letter was messy, and I noticed he didn’t even bother signing it…

He really didn’t care about me at all.

"I’d like to make a reply," I said, restraining the disappointment in my heart.

The lawyer pulled a legal pad and pen from his briefcase and handed them to me. Hastily, I wrote my own note:

To the great Alpha King Luciano De Luca,

Please don’t concern yourself with my financial issues.

We will not meet again until after you sign the divorce agreement.

As Luciano didn’t sign his letter, neither did I. I passed mine to the lawyer. He lingered.

"And the check? Your next payment is due."

"Right. Of course." I hurried back into the guestroom that had become mine and returned with the check I’d already filled out for the lawyer.

It listed an astonishing amount—a sum far exceeding the price of the Queen’s Pearl Necklace at the charity gala.

It was the biggest check I’d ever written, and it would empty most of my savings.

"Thank you," the lawyer said, casually tucking the check into the inside of his suit coat.

We said our brief goodbyes and, as the lawyer left, I closed the door behind him.

"No backing out of your new job now," Caterina said lightly, teasing. "Not after writing a check like that. You are going to need this paycheck."

Caterina turned toward the closet and returned with a white doctor’s coat. She handed it to me.

Pulling on the coat, I closed my eyes and reached out to my wolf.

"It's time," I whispered into my mind.

"Let the fun begin. It’s been too long!" Luna responded, filling me with a pleasant warmth.

At once, my scent shifted, growing duller. Opening my eyes, I could see that my hair color had grown darker, black as night, so different from my usual lighter brown.

That black was the color of Luna’s fur. This was the disguise I had to adopt when appearing as a doctor.

After tying up my hair, Caterina handed me the finishing touch to my disguise—a white domino mask that hid my eyes, cheekbones, and the shape of my nose.

"There you are," Caterina said, smiling. She pulled me in for a quick hug. "Welcome back, my genius Healer."

"Thank you," I said, "but you know I’m only going to do this again until I can earn back my savings."

Caterina shook her head. "Resign whenever you want. I’m just happy to see you like this again."

"In disguise?" I asked.

"Confident," Caterina corrected. "You are like your old self again."

Leaving the house, we piled into Caterina’s car. The nearer we came to the hospital, the more people started to look, noticing me in the passenger seat.

"Is that Doctor B?!" I heard someone gasp from the sidewalk while we were at a red light.

As werewolves did not get sick, they could not catch colds or suffer stomach pain. For them to need a Healer, their ailment had to either be a life crisis or some kind of physiological obstacle.

As the existence of Healers was very rare, an excellent Healer had a very high social status. That made Doctor B exceedingly well-known and liked, even after a three-year absence.

When Caterina pulled the car into the hospital parking lot, many luxury cars had already lined up at the entrance. Only nobles drove expensive cars like that. Many of them were the ones who had mocked me at the charity gala.

"Cat’s out of the bag. All these nobles could only be here for you!" Caterina said after parking the car.

"You ready for this, our genius Healer, Doctor B—my sweetheart Chiara?"

"It will be fine!" I answered.

Exiting the car, we hurried to the main entrance, briskly walking by nobles who attempted to draw me toward their cars. So many people wanted to meet me, but to do so, they had to wait in line.

After arriving in the hospital staff room, I took a moment to breathe. I had known it would be like this, so I wasn’t surprised. But all the attention was still a lot to deal with.

"I have a list of commission offers for you," Caterina said. "You can take your pick." She handed me a clipboard with a sheet of paper.

On it were names of many nobles who had looked down on me as Chiara. The amount beside their name indicated what they were willing to pay to see me.

The highest offer was from Luciano De Luca… the price was about ten Queen’s Necklaces.

I immediately pointed at the case and said to Caterina, "Please refuse Alpha King Luciano De Luca’s case for me. Thank you."

"Refuse it? May I ask why?"

Caterina and I both turned at the sound of a familiar male voice behind us.

Luciano De Luca was standing in the doorway of the staff room. Silvia Romano was behind him. When she spotted me, she gave me a warm smile, as if she were trying to win me over to her side.

"Doctor B!" Silvia said brightly. "I’ve heard so much about you. How lovely to meet you!"

Caterina immediately stepped in front of me. Her face stern, she crossed her arms. Though she was slightly shorter than me, she still tried valiantly to block us from their view.

Luciano peered at me curiously over Caterina’s shoulder. His eyes narrowed as he studied me, and I swallowed thickly, feeling like a bug under a microscope.

Then, he spoke, still staring at me, his voice uncertain and incredulous,

"..Chiara?!"