Chapter Eighteen

“Fuck,” Julian growled under his breath, shoving back from the desk, pacing like a caged animal. Knotting alone wasn’t just humiliating—it was unheard of. It wasn’t supposed to happen outside of rut or a bonded mate.

And it sure as hell wasn’t supposed to happen because of a dream.

The knot won’t go down. Sweat beads his brow, his chest heaving as the minutes tick by. The pressure is relentless, sharp enough to make him grit his teeth. He knows it isn’t going to resolve on its own.

With a curse, he drags his hands through his hair and opens the mind link. “Jace”.

The Beta answers immediately, alert. “Alpha?”

Julian’s throat works, shame hot as acid. Bring Dr. Aldric to my office. Now. And keep it quiet.

There’s a pause on the other end. A long, telling pause. But then Jace’s voice comes steady, professional. “Understood”.

Julian shuts the link, jaw locking as he braces his palms on the desk, his breath ragged. He didn’t know which was worse—the fact that this was happening at all, or the truth behind why.

The door opened without ceremony, Jace stepping in first, Dr. Aldric close behind.

Julian stayed seated behind his desk, shoulders rigid, palms pressed flat against the wood. His gaze flicked up, sharp enough to cut, but the steel in it was undercut by the tension in his jaw.

“Alpha,” Dr. Aldric said carefully, closing the door behind him. “Is everything alright? I came immediately when Beta Jace explained you had requested my presence.”

Julian’s throat worked, his voice low, rough. “That’s… the problem. I…don’t even know how to explain this.”

For a long moment, the silence stretched taut. Then Julian shoved back his chair and rose to his feet. His hand gripped the edge of the desk like he might splinter the wood in two, his other tugging his shirt lower in a futile attempt at cover. Finally, with a growl of frustration, he lifted his shirt and let them see.

“Oh, shit,” Jace blurted, eyes going wide.

Dr. Aldric blinked once, twice, as if his brain refused to process what he was seeing. “That’s…not possible,” he murmured, voice dropping to a stunned whisper.

Because Julian stood there, cock hard, swollen, and locked tight in a full knot—without a female anywhere in sight.

Dr. Aldric cleared his throat, still staring as if sheer focus might explain it. “Alpha…how did this happen?”

Julian’s scowl deepened. “I was asleep. I woke up like this.”

The physician’s brows shot up. He glanced toward Jace, who only shook his head, equally dumbfounded.

“I’ve never heard of anything like this before,” Aldric admitted, the words heavy with unease.

Jace let out a low laugh, running a hand over his jaw. “How the fuck do you pop a knot in your sleep?”

Julian’s glare snapped to him. “How the hell should I know?” His voice cracked like a whip, sharp with frustration. He turned back to Aldric, eyes narrowing. “Can you make it go down or not?”

The older man hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “Perhaps Lady Elara might be more helpful in this situation…”

“No.” The word came fast, sharp, final.

Dr. Aldric shifted, still visibly unsettled. “There are…options. A sedative might calm your system enough to ease it. Or an injection directly into the affected tissue. It would be…painful, but the fastest method.”

Julian’s jaw tightened, his patience fraying. “Whatever. I don’t care. Just do whichever one fixes this the quickest.”

The physician dipped to his medical bag, unbuckling the worn leather straps with steady hands. He pulled free a capped syringe, a small vial of clear liquid, and alcohol swabs. The sterile scent filled the air as he snapped the cap free and drew the liquid up into the barrel, his motions precise, practiced.

Jace shifted uneasily off to the side, arms folded across his chest. “This is insane,” he muttered under his breath.

“Hold still, Alpha,” Aldric said firmly, swabbing the swollen flesh with a brisk swipe before positioning the needle.

Julian’s teeth bared as the sting tore through him, a vicious curse ripping from his throat as the doctor pressed the injection directly into the engorged knot. His hands clamped down on the edge of the desk, wood groaning under his grip.

The burn of the medicine spread fast, searing through him—but then, slowly, agonizingly, relief began to take hold. Within minutes, the rigid swell started to ease, the pressure loosening bit by bit until it finally began to subside.

Julian’s head dropped forward, sweat dampening his brow, his breath harsh and uneven.

Dr. Aldric gathered his things quickly, clearly eager to be dismissed. “I’ll check in tomorrow to ensure there are no lingering effects.” With a respectful bow of his head, he slipped out, leaving only Jace behind.

Julian exhaled heavily, tugging his jeans back into place before lowering himself onto the small leather sofa in the corner of his office. He leaned back, head tipping against the cushion, eyes shutting as the tension bled from his body in slow waves of relief.

Jace lingered near the desk, watching him closely. Few people knew Julian well enough to see past the mask, but he did. “So…you’re really telling me you popped a knot in your sleep?”

Julian let out a rough scoff, dragging a hand down his face. “I had a…naughty dream.” His voice was low, reluctant. “And it felt so real.”

Jace’s brows lifted, his tone edging toward disbelief. “If you were dreaming about Elara, why not just call her? Would’ve been a hell of a lot easier.”

Julian’s gaze snapped to his, something sharp flashing there before he looked away, jaw tightening. A beat of silence stretched, then he muttered, “It wasn’t Elara.”

The weight of the admission hung between them. When Julian finally glanced back, the look in his eyes told Jace everything he needed to know.

Julian stayed slouched against the sofa, one arm draped along the backrest, the other pressed hard against his temple as though that might ease the storm in his head.“The truth is…” His voice came low, “I haven’t been able to get her out of my head. Even my wolf—he’s smitten. He recoils at the very sight of Elara.” He gave a humorless laugh, sharp as glass. “It has to be because of the rut. I’ve never rutted any female before. My wolf’s…confused. That’s all.”

Jace crossed his arms, studying him with a gaze that saw far too much. “And what if he’s not?”

Julian’s head snapped toward him, eyes narrowing.

Jace didn’t flinch. “What if your wolf senses something in her that you’re not ready to admit yet?”

“Don’t.” The word cracked like a whip. Julian sat forward, elbows braced on his knees, voice clipped. “Don’t go there.” He knew exactly what Jace was hinting at, and it twisted like a blade in his chest.

He scrubbed both hands over his face, groaning low. “Even if that’s the case, what the hell am I supposed to do? Bring a wolfless omega home and announce her as Luna?” His jaw clenched hard enough to ache. “My father won’t have it. Neither will the pack.”

For a long moment, silence pressed in. Jace only watched him, the unspoken hanging thick in the air.

Jace finally broke the silence, his tone quieter but edged with curiosity. “Still…doesn’t it bother you? Why her former Alpha kept her existence buried?”

Julian’s head turned sharply, confusion flickering across his face. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Jace arched a brow. “Seriously? I know you read her file. I saw it wasn’t in your trash can anymore.”

Julian’s jaw ticked. “I skimmed some of it. Elara barged in before I could finish.”

Jace leaned back against the desk, arms crossed. “Then you should finish it. Because I did read it. And trust me, there are things in there you’ll want to see.”

Julian exhaled slowly, pushing up from the sofa. His strides carried him back to the desk, his hand already reaching for the top drawer. The folder lay waiting, right where he’d shoved it days earlier.

Julian pulled the folder free, flipping it open with a snap. The pages whispered as he turned them, his eyes catching on the bold stamp across the top of one sheet.

No Records Found.

His brows furrowed. “That’s impossible. Every wolf is required to be listed in the Lycan Registry.”

“Exactly,” Jace said, his voice low, deliberate. “But she isn’t.”

Julian’s gaze dragged back over the page, as if staring harder might force the truth to change. His wolf stirred uneasily beneath his skin, pressing against his ribs.

Jace leaned in a little closer, his tone edged with weight. “And for the record? That file on her with the picture—it wasn’t from her pack registry. I had to dig deeper, pull on connections I don’t like to use. The only documentation I turned up was from the pack orphanage she grew up in.”

Julian’s jaw clenched, fingers tightening on the edge of the folder. The silence stretched, heavy with implication.

Jace stayed quiet for a moment, letting Julian absorb it before he said, “That’s not all.”

Julian’s eyes flicked up, sharp.

“She told me that her former Alpha ordered DNA tests on her. Claimed it confirmed she was human.” Jace shook his head. “But we both know that’s bullshit. So I had Dr. Aldric run a full panel.” He tapped the file. “Flip to the last page.”

Julian did, eyes narrowing as they tracked the printed results.

Lycan: Positive

Human: Negative

Bear Shifter: Negative

Vampire: Negative

Witchblood: Negative

Lizardkin: Negative

Serpent Shifter: Negative

Demonkin: Negative

Other—Secondary Origin: Unknown

The last line sat stark on the page, black ink that seemed to burn into him the longer he stared.

Julian’s head lifted slowly, his eyes locking on Jace’s. “What the hell does that mean?”

—-

Meanwhile, Kaelani wore the same look of disbelief. The bathroom light was too harsh, too real, glaring off the mirror as she gripped the sink. Her nightgown clung to her in damp silk, plastered to her trembling body.

Her reflection stared back—wide-eyed, horrified.

Her hand rose for the third time, brushing over her collarbone before sliding higher, fingers grazing the curve of her neck. The skin there burned beneath her touch.

And when she leaned closer to the mirror, her stomach dropped even lower.

A mark. His mark. Not the pale scar she’d grown used to hiding. This was new. Raw. Red. Right where his teeth had sunk into her in the dream.

“No,” she whispered, her voice cracking.

She stumbled back from the mirror, shaking her head. “It was just a dream,” she whispered again. But the raw mark on her skin said otherwise.