Chapter 1

"Valerie, are you out of your mind?!"

Marcus snatched the file and slapped it hard on my lab bench.

"This is a direct order! You're the only one in the North who can handle this!"

I lowered my eyes. I slowly wiped the vial in my hand. "I said, I'm not taking it."

"Look at this!" Marcus flipped to the last page.

"High-grade mutant wolfsbane infection. Her organs are failing. The antidote window is less than twenty-four hours. That's a living, breathing pack member!"

I slammed the vial down.

"Valerie, you're the only one. Nobody else in the North can isolate this toxin and synthesize a cure."

Marcus leaned in. His voice dropped to a whisper.

"If you don't go, she dies in that isolation room."

I turned and looked at him coldly.

"Marcus. You've been with me for six years. When have I ever turned down a case that could break new ground in wolfsbane research?"

He froze. "Then why this one?"

I didn't answer.

Marcus panicked. He grabbed my arm.

"This is a special mandate from the High Council! If you refuse, they'll strip your research credentials. You could even face exile!"

I gently brushed his hand away. My voice was ice.

"Let them exile me. I don't care. Even if the Alpha King himself came, I still wouldn't go."

Marcus flushed red. His chest heaved. His heavy breathing reeked of anxiety.

He had been with me for six years. Right from when I started in this abandoned warehouse lab.

He had watched me pull 72-hour shifts at this bench until I collapsed. He’d seen me drag a dying rogue back from the brink. Only to squat in the hallway and puke my guts out after.

But he had never seen me like this. Stone-cold. Untouchable.

"Fine." Marcus finally gave up. He slammed the file on the table. "I trust your judgment."

He walked to the door and stopped. His voice sounded tight.

"But she's just a poor girl. She probably hasn't even had her first full moon shift. If you change your mind, we are ready to roll."

The door clicked shut. I was alone in the lab.

My eyes landed on Hector's photo in the file.

He looked even more imposing than ten years ago. That Alpha aura practically leaped off the page.

But his eyes were exactly the same.

Cold. Selfish. Arrogant.

When my pup was in the ER. When the air was leaving her lungs, bit by bit.

He was holding Chloe's daughter in a VIP healing room. Promising to protect her forever.

He said Chloe was the only person he ever wronged. So he would do everything to make it up to her and her kid.

I closed my eyes. I swept the file straight into the biohazard incinerator without blinking.

The intercom shrilled. It was the front desk.

"Dr. Valerie? A VIP used top-tier clearance. They forced a connection to your private line."

I paused for three seconds. I pressed the button. "Patch it through."

"Is this Dr. Valerie of the biochemical toxicology lab?"

The voice was deep and commanding. It carried that absolute authority of an Alpha.

Ten years. I still recognized it instantly.

"Speaking."

My voice was raspy and harsh.

After my daughter died, I cried for weeks.

Plus, nine years of harsh chemicals and silver dust had ruined my vocal cords. My original voice was gone.

He wouldn't recognize me.

"Good. This is Hector. You should know the mission details by now."

He paused. His tone dripped with charity and arrogance.

"Name your price. If I can do it, it's yours. Any Council resource you need, I will provide."

I took a deep breath. I pushed down my restless wolf and answered calmly.

"I'm not taking the job."