C3

Zaria

"What is your name?"

Kael Adebayo smashes the silence between us before I can even pull my scent back under control, his deep baritone carrying the heavy, terrifying gravity of a prime dark alpha.

I drop my eyes instantly, my skin burning with the realization that I am standing there staring at him like a stunned omega who just scented her destined match. "Zaria Okoye," I manage to get out, my voice tight as I slide my professional medical seal across the dark wood table. "This is my lineage credential."

"Dr. Okoye, you may begin the treatment," Kael commands softly, his massive, scarred fingers brushing against the paper without his golden eyes ever leaving my face.

I set my leather satchel on the floor, my fingers trembling slightly as I pull out the silver acupuncture needles. I never planned to survive by treating alpha neural paths; four years ago, when the twin alpha heirs were growing inside me, I had completely abandoned my rank in the Okoye Bloodline to prepare for a quiet life in the den. But after the Mensah Clan threw me out, a master pack healer took me in, recognizing my raw instinct for channeling wolf energy through silver points. It is not my first time dealing with damaged wolves, but Kael's presence is suffocating, especially with his lead enforcer, Tade Mensah, hovering over my shoulder like he expects me to drive a silver blade straight into his alpha's spine.

I release a long, shuddering breath as the final needle settles into the heavy muscle of his thigh, the dominant aroma of cedar and burning leather fading slightly as his system absorbs the strike. "The silver must remain active for thirty minutes," I whisper, wiping a bead of sweat from my temple while packing away my kit. "Your wolf's muscles are locked tight, Master Kael. The tissue is still rejecting the trauma from the border ambush two years ago, but if we do this twice a day for a full cycle, the energy pathways should begin to clear."

"Clear?" Tade gasps, stepping forward with his hand dropping directly onto the hilt of his tactical dagger. "Are you telling us Master Kael will run with the pack again?"

"Why else would you summon a specialized healer to the Shadow Den?" I ask, turning my head to lock eyes with the enforcer.

Tade's expression completely shatters into raw, unadulterated relief, his eyes darting toward Kael before he looks back at me with fierce intensity. "If you restore our alpha's legs, the Adebayo Dominion will grant you whatever territory you demand."

I leave Kael's chamber before the thick, dark scent of his awakening wolf can overwhelm my senses, finding Selene Mensah waiting for me at the landing of the stone staircase.

"Have you eaten from the pack hunt yet?" Selene asks, guiding me down toward the massive iron gates of the estate. "The kitchens are active."

"Nia is guarding the pups at my apartment," I say, my chest tightening with immediate motherly anxiety. "I need to get back to my territory before the midday shift."

"The border roads are clear today, so the transport will be quick," Selene says, opening the heavy front doors for me.

We step into the wide cobblestone courtyard, but my paws freeze against the stone as two figures walk through the iron archway. It is my ex-mate, Kofi Mensah, his arm wrapped tightly around his new high-ranking mate, Amara Mensah. He is carrying her dragon-skin bag with a submissive grin, looking every bit the doting male he never was with me. The sight makes my inner wolf bray with bitter laughter, the old stinging rage returning because I let him keep our shared hunting grounds when the pack law judges severed our bond; I was too physically broken from labor to fight his enforcers for the land deeds.

Kofi had hidden every single medical document proving our artificial clinic insemination, telling the entire High Alpha Council that I had mated with a rogue pack behind his back. The lie ruined my name so completely that my own bloodline cast me into the outer waste.

The second Kofi's eyes land on me, his scent turns rancid with sudden panic. "What the hell are you doing on Adebayo land, Zaria?" he barks, his eyes flashing an ugly yellow as he steps in front of his new mate. "Are you tracking me because you heard I took a true alpha daughter?"

"Welcome back to the estate, Lady Amara, Lord Kofi," Selene says quickly, stepping between us to keep the peace.

Amara glances at me, her eyes tracking the worn fabric of my cloak before landing on my face with cold, aristocratic boredom. "Is this the new omega servant Uncle Kael brought in to scrub the lower dens?"

"This is Dr. Okoye," Selene corrects immediately, her tone hardening. "She is the personal alpha healer managing Master Kael's recovery."

"Healer?" Kofi spits, his jaw clenching as he glares at me. "Since when do you know anything about neural channels, Zaria? Selene, you shouldn't let just any stray wolf near the master. If she damages Uncle Kael's wolf further, her bloodline won't survive the execution."

"Kofi, stop," Amara murmurs, smoothing her silk dress as she gives me a patronizing look. "The poor girl is just trying to earn scraps from the high table. Don't be so harsh."

"You are too soft, Amara," Kofi sneers, his chest puffing out as he tries to project authority over me. "There are frauds everywhere in the modern wolf world. Look at her—she doesn't have the status to handle an alpha's energy."

I let out a low, mocking chuckle, the sound cutting through his posturing like a silver bullet.

"What are you laughing at?" Kofi snarls, taking a predatory step toward me.

"Nothing, Lord Mensah," I say, my voice dripping with venom as I look past him straight into Amara's eyes. "I am just reminding Lady Amara that she should look very closely at the wolves she lets into her bed. Some males are nothing but barren liars who will drain your purse, steal your territory, and ruin your life the moment a better offer comes along."