Want Better?

Christie’s POV

I withdrew my stethoscope from Nima’s chest and adjusted her blanket. Her breathing was back to normal. The monitors showed a steady green line that I had fought for over the last few days. She was out of danger, and that meant my reason for being in this house was over.

"She’s stable," I said, not looking at Lyon. "Her body has fully integrated the stabilizer. She just needs rest and high-protein fluids now. My work here is done."

Lyon was leaning against the heavy oak wardrobe, his arms crossed. The morning light hitting his face made the shadows under his eyes look deeper. "She still looks pale."

"That’s normal after a systemic shock," I replied, finally turning to face him. "I’ve written down the dosage schedule for the next forty-eight hours. Anyone with basic medical training can handle it from here. I need to go home, Lyon."

He didn't move. The air in the room felt like it was thickening, making it hard to breathe. I could see the muscles in his jaw working as he stared at me. He looked like he wanted to say something, but the words were stuck.

"It’s too early," he said finally. his voice was low. "What if there’s a relapse? You should stay another few days. Just to be sure."

"There won't be a relapse. I know my work," I said, my voice firmer than I felt. "And I have a life waiting for me. A mother who thinks I’ve vanished and a lab that hasn't been supervised in three days. You promised you’d take me back once she was well."

Lyon stepped away from the wardrobe, closing the distance between us until I had to tilt my head back to see his face. He didn't touch me, but the heat coming off him was undeniable.

"I know what I promised," he growled. "But the city isn't exactly waiting for you with open arms, Christie. You said it yourself on the steps. You don't want to go back to that house."

"I don't. But I have to," I whispered. "I can't just hide in the woods in some stranger’s home and pretend my problems don't exist. That’s not how I built my life."

He looked like he was about to reach for me, to find some other excuse to keep me in this fortress, but he stopped himself. He let out a long, frustrated breath that sounded almost like a snarl.

"Fine," he said, the word clipping off sharply. "Pack your things. I’ll have the truck brought around."

I nodded and hurried to the guest room. My hands were shaking as I threw my few belongings into my bag. I felt a strange, hollow ache in my chest that had nothing to do with a patient. I told myself it was just the stress of the kidnapping finally wearing off.

Maybe I'm excited to be getting back to the town I'm familiar with. To the toxic people I'm family with?

To the mom who's accused me of being out whoring around?

When I walked down the grand staircase, Kendra was standing in the foyer. She didn't say a word, but the triumphant smirk on her face told me all I needed to know.

She was Lyon's chosen mate, and Lyon was more interested in saving his mother over anything else, so it made sense that a woman who had his mother saved would elicit some tenderness from him.

So that automatically made me an enemy.

“Quite understandable,” I mumbled under my breath.

Lyon was waiting by the front door. He took my bag without asking and led me out to the truck. The drive out of the pack lands was silent. Neither of us spoke as the thick forest began to give way to the paved roads and power lines of the world I knew.

As we hit the outskirts of the city, Lyon finally spoke.

"I know there's nothing you'd want more than a better lab," he said, his eyes fixed on the road. "I can have a new one built for you. State of the art. Private security. You wouldn't have to answer to anyone."

I looked at him, surprised by the offer. "I can't accept that, Lyon. I told you, I need to stand on my own feet. If I let you build my life for me, I’m just trading one cage for another."