Chapter 78

I lay awake long after the pack house had fallen silent, staring at the ceiling of my room as moonlight filtered through the curtains. The bed was soft, too soft, and the quiet pressed in on me from all sides. My mind, however, refused to rest.

Alpha Jaron’s voice replayed itself in my head. Calm, steady, sincere. His words about my work, my worth. The way he looked at me when he spoke, as if he truly saw me, not just as a doctor or a temporary solution to his injury.

My heart thudded faster against my ribs, traitorous and loud in the stillness.

No. No, no, no way.

I squeezed my eyes shut and turned onto my side, pressing a pillow against my chest as if that might muffle the feeling. “Don’t be ridiculous,” I whispered to myself. “There’s nothing there.”

"Dr. Ford, he already told you there’s no malice."

I repeated the words like a mantra. Alpha Jaron wasn’t manipulating me. He wasn’t playing games. He had been clear, respectful, honest.

And that was exactly the problem.

I hated how af