MasukAlpha Jaron’s wheelchair cut through the training yard with a low scrape, the kind that warned everyone to move before he even said a word. Warriors straightened. Conversations died instantly. And then his cold, storm-colored eyes locked on me, no, on the space where Daniel had hugged me moments ago.His voice struck first, sharp and cutting.“So this is what you do in my pack?” Jaron’s tone dropped into a low growl, steeped in dominance. “Cling to my beta like some desperate little flirt?”My spine snapped straight. “Excuse me?”He didn’t blink. Didn’t waver. His jaw flexed hard enough that the muscles stood out like stone beneath his skin.“You heard me,” he said, voice dark and commanding. “I come out here to oversee training and I find you—” his eyes flicked down my body and back up, cold and judgmental “—pressing yourself on him.”My blood boiled instantly. “I was not flirting.”“Looked like flirting to me,” he countered, voice deep and merciless. “A healer clinging to a man like
KHALIA'S POVMorning light seeped through the curtains in soft, muted gold, warming the corners of the room as it brushed gently against my skin. My entire body felt heavy and sore, my hands most of all.The hours I spent treating the pack last night left a deep ache in my bones, the kind of exhaustion sleep could not fully mend. I forced my stiff limbs to move and pushed myself upright, feeling fatigue settle in my chest like a second heartbeat.I stretched carefully, rolling my shoulders before heading to the shower.The moment the warm water hit my skin, a slow sigh escaped me. It felt like a quiet embrace, gentle enough to ease the tightness in my muscles and strong enough to wash away the lingering scent of herbs, blood, and healing salves.I let the water run over me longer than necessary, closing my eyes as memories of last night’s chaos flickered behind them. Warriors lined up with burns, broken bones, torn skin, exhaustion on their faces and worry in their eyes. And I treated
Every warrior in the healing wing froze. Hands stopped mid-motion. Conversations died mid-breath. Even the sound of dripping antiseptic seemed to pause as all attention turned to me.Dr. Ford looked over her shoulder, strands of her hair catching the faint light. She didn’t rush. She didn’t flinch. She didn’t even straighten immediately. She simply finished tying the final knot in Damon’s bandage, adjusted the wrap with careful fingers, and then rose to her full height.She stepped closer.Calm. Measured. Fearless.Just like earlier.“Alpha Jaron,” she said, voice steady as stone warmed by sunlight. “I apologize if I insisted on threatening your pack. I only want the best for them. I care for them.”The gall of her. The audacity. The confidence.The wing watched, breaths held. They expected me to snap, to seize control, to remind her and them who ruled here.Instead, something inside me coiled tight, irritation blending with something sharper. Something I wouldn’t name.I pushed the w
ALPHA JARON'S POVThe wheels of my chair hummed over the stone path as I moved toward the garden. I needed air, space to think, anything to quiet the echo of her voice in my head.“Speak harshly to me and I will leave.”A threat. A line drawn. And I, Alpha of this pack, had stopped myself. Damn her.The garden was quiet, the wind rustling the leaves, the scent of herbs thick in the air. I was halfway down the path when whispers drifted toward me, soft but cutting.“She didn’t even fear him,” one voice said.“She actually told him off,” another added.“First time I’ve seen Alpha Jaron yield,” a third murmured.“Was it something else?”My hands tightened on the wheels. They were talking about me, about her. And they were right. I had stopped. I had let her speak. I had let her stay.Worse, I wanted her to stay. I didn’t know why, and that made it worse.A rough, bitter laugh cut through the air.“Ah, so the Alpha isn’t invincible after all,” someone said.I spun the chair toward the sou
His jaw tightened, the muscles in his neck flexing as if I had struck him physically. “How dare you say that about my father,” he growled, the raw authority of his voice vibrating across the training ground.Every warrior froze mid-motion, eyes darting between us, sensing the storm rising.“I’m just telling what I observe,” I replied, meeting his gaze without flinching. “You are just like him!""And why can you say that, huh? You don’t even know him!”His face twisted, a dangerous mix of fury and disbelief, and I felt the weight of every eye on us, waiting to see if I’d break, if the Alpha would crush me under his wrath. But I refused.“It doesn’t matter anymore,” I continued, letting my voice carry over the tense air.“What matters is that you can’t do to your pack what your father did to you. Everyone has a weakness. All of us have a weakness, and we should accept it. We should accept the fact that sometimes we need help.” My words sharpened, deliberately. “Even you, Alpha”The grow
“Your… personal issue,” he said abruptly. His voice was neutral, but his eyes sharpened. “Did you fix it?”The question caught me off guard, not because he asked, but because he remembered.“Yes, Alpha” I replied honestly. “Thank you for asking. That day off really helped me.”It was true. The time away had steadied me, given me room to breathe, to put pieces back where they belonged.He studied my face as if weighing the truth of it. Then he nodded once, curt and final.“Good,” he said. “You can leave now.”There it was again. That dominant edge. Not cruel, not dismissive, just absolute. An Alpha who expected obedience because the world had always demanded it of him first.“Alright,” I said quietly.I turned and headed toward the door, my steps measured, professional. My heart, however, was anything but steady. Every session with him left me feeling like I had walked through a storm and somehow come out holding more than I arrived with.As I reached the stairs, a familiar voice calle







