CHAPTER 3

Kira'S POV.

The door burst open. Erica jumped as he strode in, radiating authority and fury in equal measure. Behind him followed Amanda, her lips curved in that faint, cutting smile.

“You can’t be in here,” I started. “This is a sterile—”

“Don’t tell me where I can and can’t be in my territory,” Alec snapped. His eyes locked onto the man on the table. “This is him?”

“Yes,” I said evenly. “Found near our border. Barely alive.”

Amanda’s nose wrinkled. “And you brought him here? To our hospital?”

“I didn’t,” I said tightly. “The patrol did.”

Alec’s gaze snapped to mine, sharp as glass. “Tell me you didn’t treat him, Kira.”

My silence was answer enough.

His temper cracked. “What have you done?”

Amanda stepped forward, her teeth cleanched angrily. “You brought an enemy into our pack? Have you lost your mind?”

“I already told you, I didn’t bring him here,” I said, irritation hardening my voice. “But I wasn’t going to let him die.”

“You should have!” Amanda spat. “He’s Midnight Fang! You should’ve slit his throat the moment you saw that mark!”

My fists clenched. “I’m a doctor, Amanda. Not a murderer.”

Alec’s jaw tightened, veins standing out on his neck. “Do you even realize what you’ve done? You’ve endangered everyone in this pack!”

“I know,” I said quietly. “And I’ll take responsibility.”

“Responsibility?” he repeated, voice cutting. “This—this is exactly why I never saw you fit to be my Luna.”

The words struck like a blade. “Excuse me?”

“Is this how you’d have ruled beside me?” he demanded. “Defying orders, endangering lives, acting on impulse instead of reason?”

“If doing what’s right makes me defiant,” I said evenly, “then yes. I would’ve defied you.”

Amanda’s lips curled. “You call saving an enemy noble? You’re pathetic.”

“I call it human,” I shot back. “And you should watch your tone in my hospital, Amanda. I heal wounds—not cause them. But don’t test how far I’ll let you push me.”

Alec’s growl vibrated through the air. “That’s enough, Kira! She’s your Luna. Show respect.”

“Respect goes both ways, Alpha,” I shot back.

His face twisted. “Don’t play the victim. You brought danger into this pack and still dare to argue with me?”

The room went still. Even the nurses froze mid-motion.

Alec’s voice dropped lower, colder. “You’re lucky I don’t throw you out for this.”

“If that’s what you want, do it,” I said calmly. “But I won’t apologize for doing my job.”

Amanda scoffed. “See, Alec? Too stupid for her own good.”

Alec’s eyes darkened. “The patrol saw the mark. Midnight Fang. The same symbol carved into your parents’ bodies.”

The words hollowed me out. I couldn’t breathe. Flames. Screams. The smell of burning wood and blood.

“How could you?” Alec growled. “Where’s your loyalty?”

I met his eyes. “I beg your pardon?”

Amanda snorted. “You’re no Luna, Kira. Just a doctor who doesn’t know her place.”

“Amanda—” Alec began.

“No, let’s say it,” she pressed. “While the rest of us prepare for the ceremony tonight, she’s here risking lives for some filthy stranger.”

Alec’s jaw flexed. “You should’ve let him die.”

“Well, I didn’t,” I said. “If there’s even a chance he knows why he was near our border—”

“If he wakes,” Alec cut in harshly, “he could finish what his pack started.”

Maya’s voice whispered inside me again. “Breathe, Kira. Don’t meet rage with rage.”

I exhaled slowly. “He’s not our enemy while he’s unconscious.”

Alec’s dominance rolled over me, suffocating. “You don’t decide that. I do.”

“And I don’t tell you how to lead your warriors,” I countered, “but in that room, the call was mine to make. My choice.”

“And you think that choice won’t destroy us?” he roared.

“You’d rather I watched him die?”

“I’d rather you remembered your duty, Dr. Hale!”

“I know what that mark means,” I snapped. “But right now, he’s not a threat.”

Amanda laughed softly. “Not now. But when he wakes? Who’ll he kill first?”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “I wasn’t talking to you.”

“This is my pack now,” she hissed. “As the incoming Luna of this pack, I’ll speak if I please.”

Alec’s fury erupted. “You don’t understand what you’ve done, Kira! You’ve invited a viper under our roof!”

My chest ached, but my voice stayed calm. “Maybe. But I’d rather risk mercy than regret cruelty.”

His eyes blazed. “Your stubbornness will destroy us all.”

“Maybe,” I said softly. “But at least I’ll live with my choices. Can you say the same, Alpha?”

The silence that followed was deafening.

Alec’s jaw clenched. “If anything happens—if this decision costs us—I’ll make sure his blood is on your hands, Kira. Not mine.”

Then he turned and stormed out, boots striking the floor like thunder. Amanda lingered a moment longer, before following him out.

The door shut behind them, leaving only the soft beeping of machines…

and the man who shouldn’t exist—still breathing beneath my hands.

I left the hospital for a while after that, needing to clear my head. I didn’t return until nightfall.

The room was quieter when I stepped back inside. The faint smell of blood lingered, but the chaos of earlier had vanished. My mind hadn’t caught up—not after Alec’s words, Amanda’s, or the way they'd looked at me, as if I’d betrayed the pack simply by doing my job.

“You should’ve let him die.”

I shoved the thought aside.

Erica waited near the bedside when I entered. Her eyes flicked to mine, hesitant, wary. She didn’t ask where I’d been or if I was okay. I appreciated that.

“Vitals are stable,” she whispered, lowering her voice as if the stranger might hear. “But… Kira, it’s late.”

She wrung her hands, guilt written across her face. “I need to take my leave soon. The Alpha’s ordered everyone to attend the mating ceremony.” Her eyes darted toward me. “I feel awful… but—”

“It’s fine, Erica,” I said, forcing a small smile. “Go.”

She bit her lip, hesitant. “Are you sure?”

I nodded. “You’ve done more than enough. Go. I’ll handle things from here.”

“Not coming with me?” she asked.

“No. If anyone asks, tell them I’m tending to a patient—which is the truth.”

A nervous laugh escaped her. “You’re impossible sometimes.”

“I’ve been told,” I murmured.

Reluctantly, she gathered her things. Before leaving, she paused in the doorway. “You know… it’s strange. He doesn’t look lik

e one of them.”

“Looks can lie,” I said quietly.

When the door clicked shut, silence returned. The beeping of the monitors became the only sound.