2.

CLEO

I parked at the hospital and walked up to my office. The Lunar werewolf pack ran the most prestigious maternity hospital in Chicago. I was their most sought-after maternity specialist. 

My personal assistant, Caroline, met me at the door with my schedule. "Dr. Clark, Luna Althea is dilating already. Also, your eleven o'clock appointment is confirmed.” 

I nodded. “Please inform Alpha Matt to have Luna Althea brought in.” 

She nodded. “Dr. Clark, there's also another letter from Henderson & Associates."

I stopped walking. "Caroline, I told you…” 

She nodded. "I know, Doctor, but this one has urgent written across the front."

I took the envelope without a word, and opened it.

Henderson & Associates Legal Correspondence.

Dear Ms. Clark,

This correspondence is marked urgent as Mr. Richard’s condition has deteriorated significantly. He has made a formal and personal request for your return to Blackfur Pack at your earliest…

I folded the letter and dropped it in the trash, then I sat back in my chair, pressing my fingers to my temples.

Blackfur Pack was the last place in the world I would step foot in. I sat frozen, staring blankly ahead, my thoughts scattered. 

Even the memory of what I had suffered in that place was like acid, destroying me piece by piece. 

Laurent Wright, Richard’s son, was most probably Alpha now. He had been enthralling, dangerous and completely arresting. 

Step–brother or not, he had been my fated mate, which was the cruelest joke the moon goddess had ever played on me. 

He had known he was engaged, and he had fed into the intensely forbidden attraction between us. I had been eighteen and desperate for someone to choose me and I had believed him. 

I only found out he was engaged when I was already two months pregnant with our own pup. The treachery had been overwhelming. 

That same night, I had left New York, the baby in my belly a constant memory of Laurent. 

No, I would never return to Blackfur, especially when I already had a thriving future here. 

All I needed was a viable bone marrow donor for Kyle. The chemotherapy for leukemia wasn't working anymore.

I pushed the thoughts of Laurent away and reached for the test results folder, saying a little prayer. Please, please let one be positive. 

The first one was negative, the second one was negative, so was the third and the forth. 

My stomach pulled taut, and wetness gathered at the corners of my eyes, a sick, rolling dread bringing a sob to my lips. 

The tears burned down my face, spilling before I could stop them. A choked cry tore out of my throat. 

Pressing my fist over my lips, I bent my head onto the desk, my shoulders shaking. 

I heard the door open, but I couldn't pull myself together. My heart was too anguished to try. Still, I forced my hands to my face and wiped the tears with the back of my palm before lifting my head. 

When I saw it was Gabrielle, my shoulders fell and I sagged back into the seat. Gabrielle was my best friend, and the only person in the world I allowed myself to be vulnerable with. 

She crossed the room and wrapped both arms around me, her chin dropping to the top of my head. 

After a few minutes, she turned my laptop towards herself and read the results. “All of them?” She asked, her voice shaking. 

I could hear the tears in her voice and it caused my own tears to rush faster. 

“Yes, every single one was negative. Gabrielle, what if I lose Kyle? He's all I have. I can't…" My voice broke and I couldn't finish the sentence.

She took my jaw and met my eyes firmly despite the tears in her own eyes. "We are not losing Kyle. We will keep trying until we get a match. We won't stop.” 

"What if there's no time to keep trying? He's becoming pale again. This morning, his hair was already falling off.” 

"We will find the time, I promise you, Cleo." She squeezed me harder.

I pressed my hands flat against the desk and breathed in and out until the shaking slowed. She held me, her hands around my back until I could catch my breath. 

Gabrielle was my only friend in Chicago. She had left Blackfur with me after I was thrown out of the pack by Richard. 

We had worked hard here, and won positions after graduation at the hospital together. She was the only one who knew about Kyle’s condition and about Laurent being his father. 

“Shhh, Cleo. It'll be okay. I'll stay up tonight and help you apply for more tests.” 

I nodded, wiping the salty tears off my face, swallowing to clear my dry throat. 

Suddenly, a knock came at the door, and Caroline burst in, looking frazzled, and urgent. “Dr. Clark, it's Luna Althea. Her water just broke. They need you right away.” 

I jumped off my seat, almost grateful for the distraction. I scrubbed in with Gabrielle who was also Luna Althea’s attending physician. Althea was already moaning in pain, eager to push. She delivered her baby three hours later.

The baby girl was pink-faced, and perfect. She was quickly cleaned and handed to Luna Althea to bond. The woman looked on the edge of falling asleep. 

After a few minutes, I had the baby taken away so Althea could rest..I stepped out into the corridor and nearly walked into Alpha Matt. He was pacing in the hallway, towering over his gamma. 

Alpha Matt was broad shouldered and iron-built, with a commanding presence that made every wolf in the room instinctively lower their eyes. 

His jaw was set hard, his arms crossed over his chest. He had the contained, coiled energy of an Alpha who was not accustomed to waiting and was barely enduring it. 

He stopped the moment he saw my face. "Althea? Please tell me my wife is safe.” 

"She's well. She's going to need about an hour before you can go in, but she's perfectly fine. You have a daughter." I said. 

Matt exhaled, his massive shoulders dropping. "Thank you, Cleo. Thank you."

"Thank you for giving me the chance. If not for you, I wouldn't be standing here." I met his eyes directly. "I won't forget that."

Alpha Matt was the Alpha of the Lunar pack. He took a chance with me that he didn't have to when I came here pregnant and heartbroken. 

I turned to walk away, but Caroline was running towards us from the end of the hallway, her face stripped of all color. If it was possible, she looked even more panicked than earlier. 

My skin prickled, and even before she spoke, my pulse spiked, certain of what she was about to say. 

“Dr. Clark, Kyle’s school called, they're taking him to the hospital now. Your son had a relapse. They need you there.” She said rapidly.