Chapter 6- Fate

Sage’s Pov

I stood over Cassius’s leg, the overhead lights bright and immense as my gloved hands steady moved to begin the operation.

The wound was ugly. Torn muscle, fractured bone, and deep punctures where the bear trap had bitten into him like a hungry jaw. Yet even as I cleaned away the blood, I noticed something that made my breath hitch.

The tissue was already regenerating. Slowly, yes, but undeniably.

I frowned slightly as I worked, my fingers gentle but precise. “Your healing speed,” I said, keeping my voice even. “It’s… fast, even for an Alpha.”

Cassius lay flat on the bed, his hands gripping the metal rails on either side. His jaw was clenched so tightly I could see the muscles jumping beneath his skin.

“My wolf doesn’t like being restrained,” he replied through his teeth. “He heals faster when he’s angry.”

“That’s not how biology works,” I muttered, though a part of me, my healer’s instinct, was impressed by what I saw.

I flushed the wound thoroughly, removing debris and damaged tissue. Cassius sucked in a sharp breath but didn’t make a sound.

“You’re doing well,” I said automatically.

“Don’t praise me yet,” he replied. “You haven’t started cutting.”

I glanced up at him. “You asked for this, remember?”

His lips twitched faintly. “I know.”

I picked up the scalpel and made the first incision.

His entire body went rigid. The room went quiet, every nurse holding their breath as blood welled up again. Cassius let out a low sound, half growl, but he didn’t cry out.

After a moment, he spoke. “Sage,” he said, his voice strained. “Do you understand my significance to you?”

My hand stilled.

“What?” I asked, genuinely confused. “What are you talking about?”

He inhaled slowly, then exhaled just as carefully, as if each breath was something he had to earn. “My wolf,” he said. “He’s been restless since the moment I saw you in the forest. He hasn’t shut up since.”

I frowned. “That’s… unfortunate timing.”

Cassius huffed, then winced as I resumed cutting. “He’s hell-bent on insisting you’re my mate.”

The scalpel slipped and I almost dropped it.

I froze. “What?” I said sharply.

Cassius turned his head slightly to look at me. Sweat beaded along his temples, but his eyes were serious.

“I’m not trying to force anything,” he said quickly. “I swear. I know what it sounds like. I just thought you should know.”

My heart was pounding so loudly I was sure everyone could hear it.

Inside me, Anna exploded. “I TOLD YOU. HE WANTS YOU TOOO!”

“ANNA!” I snapped mentally. “Now is not the time.”

“It is absolutely the time,” she shot back. “Look at him. Even bleeding, he’s magnificent.”

I swallowed hard and forced my attention back to the surgery.

Cassius continued, his voice rougher now. “Once you patch me up, if you think my wolf and I are both crazy, you can reject me. We can go our separate ways. I’ll accept it.”

The words should have been reassuring. They weren’t.

A strange, sharp pain bloomed in my chest. Oddly the idea of rejecting him didn’t sit well with me.

The idea hit far too hard for something that shouldn’t matter. We barely knew each other. I had no intention of becoming anyone’s mate, anyone’s Luna.

And yet.

My hands trembled.

I hated it.

I hated how my wolf went quiet, listening. I hated how something deep inside me recoiled at the thought of walking away from him.

Cassius waited for my response.

Finally, I said, “Who said I’d reject you?”

His head snapped toward me.

“Really?” he asked, disbelief breaking through his controlled tone.

I didn’t answer.

Instead, I pricked his thigh lightly with the tip of the scalpel.

Cassius hissed and grabbed the edge of the bed. “Was that necessary?”

“Yes,” I said coolly. “You’re distracting me.”

Despite himself, he laughed weakly.

I leaned closer, my voice lower now. “To be clear, I’m not interested in being anyone’s Luna. I’ve already walked that path. It ended in divorce.”

His expression barely shifted. “I know,” he said softly. “And I still believe you’re meant to be mine. My future Luna.”

I shook my head. “You can’t be certain of that.”

He pushed himself up slightly despite the obvious pain, his movement sharp enough to draw gasps from the nurses.

“Sage,” he said, locking eyes with me. “I see you.”

My breath caught.

“I see your loneliness. Your pain. I see how you’ve tried to heal from it,” he continued. “But fate isn’t something to be healed. It’s something to learn from. Something to accept.”

Before I could respond, he reached out.

His hand closed gently around my fractured right hand.

I gasped.

Energy flowed from his hand into me. It was warm and powerful. Anna howled, channeling the power rushed to my hand, flooding the broken bones, weaving through fractures I hadn’t been able to mend no matter how hard I tried.

I watched in stunned silence as my hand healed.

I stared at it, flexing my fingers slowly. There was absolutely no pain. Cassius smiled faintly and slumped back onto the bed.

“Take care of me, doc,” he said. “My leg hurts like hell.”

I laughed, actually laughed, for the first time in days.

Talking to him eased something tight inside me. His arrogance, his confidence, the way he trusted me without question, it was infuriating.

And somehow… incredibly sexy.

Cassius’s POV

Pain screamed through my body, but I barely noticed.

All I could think about was her. My mate.

Sage worked with fierce focus, her hands steady, her eyes sharp. She reset my bones without hesitation, and I endured it without complaint.

The room filled with murmurs as her magic flared.

My leg, nearly shattered just hours ago, knit itself together beneath her touch.

The doctor who had mocked her earlier rushed forward, inspecting the wound with narrowed eyes. He poked, prodded, scanned at the scar left behind.

“Bah! Beginner’s luck,” he sneered. “I wouldn’t try this again if I were you.”

“That’s enough,” I said coldly. “You will show her respect.”

The doctor scoffed. “I don’t argue or show respect to lowly Omegas.”

That was it, I was going to teach him a lesson. Before I could move, Sage raised her arm.

And a spell cracked through the air.

Smack. It sounded as though the wind itself had slapped the doctor across the cheek.

“Apologize,” Sage said calmly. “You recently said I was underqualified to handle the operation and now I did it successfully, you still insult me and my work. I wonder who the real fraud is now.”

“You dare?” The doctor stiffened. His hand rising to his face  “Diagnostic errors are inevitable. You have no right to judge me.” He turned, dismissive. “I don’t have time for this.”

The doctor turned to leave, but then he murmured “Filthy omega.”

That was it. I was going to teach him a lesson, I moved, but Sage was faster.

She waved her hand, conjuring another spell. The doctor’s knees buckled, and he collapsed to the floor, unable to move.

Sage stepped forward, her presence commanding.

“Your medical skills are indeed lacking,” she said. “And your ethics are worse. So I suggest you kneel before Alpha Cassius’s new doctor.”

The room went silent.

She turned back to me then, eyes sharp. “I’m sure your leg feels fine, but I sincerely advise that you take your medication on time and also please try not to move around a lot, I wouldn’t want to operate on you again.”

I struggled not to smile. I had never admired anyone more. Her courage most of all was outstanding.