Chapter 5

"I think I'm going crazy."

The words tumbled out before I could stop them. I sat on the cold stairwell steps, Dr. Owen beside me, and everything I'd been holding inside came pouring out.

"That surgery yesterday. The one with Mr. Morrison. I've never done anything like that before. I've barely even observed one. But when I was in that operating room, it was like someone else took over. I knew exactly what to do. Every step, every movement. It was perfect and terrifying and I have no idea how I did it."

Dr. Owen listened without interrupting, his amber eyes fixed on my face.

"And just now with that boy." My voice cracked. "A cricothyrotomy. I learned about it in class but I've never performed one. Never even practiced on a dummy. But my hands just knew. My body moved like it had done it a thousand times before." I looked at him, desperate. "What's wrong with me?"

He was quiet for a long moment. Then he reached out and gently wiped a tear from my cheek with his thumb. The touch sent electricity through my skin.

"Nothing is wrong with you, Mary," he said quietly. "I think something is awakening in you."

"What do you mean?"

"Your wolf." He studied my face carefully. "You said you're twenty two and haven't shifted yet. That's unusual but not unheard of. Sometimes wolves emerge late, especially in omegas whose abilities are being suppressed."

"Suppressed? By what?"

"Trauma. Fear. Strong emotions." He paused. "Or sometimes by someone else."

I blinked. "Someone else? You mean like a spell or something?"

"It's possible. But that's not what's important right now." He shifted closer, and his scent surrounded me. Pine and earth and something uniquely him. "What's important is that your wolf is trying to emerge. And when that happens, dormant abilities can surface. Enhanced instincts. Knowledge you didn't know you had. It's like your wolf has been learning even while you couldn't access her."

"That's insane."

"Is it?" His lips curved slightly. "You performed a perfect Bentall procedure and an emergency cricothyrotomy in the same day. Both procedures that take years of practice to master. Tell me what's more insane: that your wolf is awakening with knowledge, or that you're just suddenly a surgical prodigy?"

I laughed weakly. "When you put it that way."

"Your wolf has been there your whole life, Mary. Watching. Learning. Just because she hasn't been able to manifest doesn't mean she hasn't been paying attention." He paused. "The question is, why now? What changed?"

Derek's face flashed through my mind. The betrayal. The heartbreak. "I don't know. Maybe the stress?"

"Maybe." But he looked like he didn't quite believe it.

We sat in silence for a moment. I was acutely aware of how close he was. How his shoulder almost touched mine. How I could see the gold flecks in his eyes, the strong line of his jaw.

"Dr. Owen," I started.

"Owen," he corrected softly. "When we're alone, you can call me Owen."

My heart skipped. "Owen. Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"In your office earlier, you said I made your wolf restless. What did you mean?"

His eyes darkened. He looked away, jaw tightening. "I shouldn't have said that. It was inappropriate."

"But you did say it." I don't know where the courage came from, but I reached out and touched his hand. "Please. I need to understand what's happening. Between us. This pull I feel. Is it just me? Am I imagining it?"

He looked down at where my hand rested on his. Slowly, he turned his palm up and laced his fingers through mine. The touch sent heat racing up my arm.

"You're not imagining it," he said roughly. "From the moment you walked into that board meeting, my wolf has been clawing at me. Demanding I claim you. Mark you. Make you mine." He met my eyes and the intensity there stole my breath. "But I can't, Mary. You're an intern. I'm the chief of surgery. There are rules. Ethics. I could lose everything."

"I could transfer to a different program," I whispered.

"No." His grip on my hand tightened. "You're too talented. This hospital is lucky to have you. I won't let you leave because of me."

"Then what do we do?"

"We stay professional. We ignore this." But even as he said it, his thumb stroked across my knuckles, betraying his words. "We focus on your training and your wolf's awakening."

"And if I can't ignore it?" My voice came out breathless.

He leaned closer. So close I could feel his breath on my face. "Then we're both in trouble."

The stairwell door above us banged open. We jumped apart like we'd been burned. Juniper appeared on the landing, slightly out of breath.

"There you are! I've been looking everywhere." She paused, taking in the scene. Me and Owen sitting close together, my face flushed, his hair slightly mussed like he'd been running his hands through it. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No," we both said at the same time.

Juniper's eyebrows rose. "Right. Well, Dr. Stevens wants to see you, Mary. Something about documenting the procedures you performed today."

I stood up quickly, smoothing my scrubs. Owen stood too, putting professional distance between us.

"Thank you for the talk, Dr. Owen," I said formally.

"Of course, Miss Hart." His eyes said everything his words couldn't. "Remember what I said. About your wolf."

I nodded and followed Juniper up the stairs. At the top, I couldn't help but glance back. Owen stood at the bottom, watching me with an expression of hunger and frustration.

"Girl," Juniper hissed as we walked down the hallway. "What the hell was that?"

"Nothing. We were just talking."

"Just talking? He looked at you like you were the last meal on earth and he was starving."

My face heated. "Juni, please."

"And you touched his hand! I saw that. There was definite hand touching happening."

"Can we not do this right now?" I begged. "I need to focus. Dr. Stevens wants to see me and I already feel like my life is spiraling out of control."

Juniper sobered. "Hey, are you okay? Really?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "Everything is so confusing. The surgery thing. Derek. Owen. I feel like I'm standing on the edge of a cliff and one wrong move will send me falling."

"Then it's a good thing you have me to pull you back." She squeezed my arm. "Whatever is happening, we'll figure it out together. Okay?"

"Okay."

We reached Dr. Stevens' office. Juniper gave me an encouraging smile before heading back to her rounds. I knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Dr. Stevens sat behind his desk, several files spread out in front of him. He looked up when I entered, his expression unreadable.

"Miss Hart. Please, sit."

I sank into the chair, my stomach twisting with nerves.

"I've been reviewing your performance today," he began. "Both the surgery on Mr. Morrison and the emergency procedure with the young boy. I've also spoken with Dr. Owen."

Oh no. Was I in trouble? Was he going to kick me out of the program?

"I have to say, in my twenty years of medicine, I've never seen anything quite like it." He leaned back in his chair. "Your technique was flawless. Your decision making was sound. You saved two lives today, Miss Hart. Two lives that would have been lost without your intervention."

"Thank you, sir, but I'm just an intern."

"Yes, you are. Which makes this all the more remarkable." He paused. "It also makes it highly irregular. The board is concerned about liability. About proper protocols. There are questions about how an intern with minimal surgical experience could perform procedures that take years to master."

My heart sank. "Are you saying I'm in trouble?"

"No." He smiled slightly. "I'm saying the board wants to fast track you into the surgical program. They want you working directly under Dr. Owen, learning from the best. If you can perform at this level now, imagine what you could do with proper training."

I sat there, stunned. "I don't understand."

"You have a gift, Miss Hart. A rare talent. We'd be fools not to nurture it." He pushed a paper across the desk. "This is a formal offer to join the advanced surgical track. It means longer hours, more responsibility, and intensive training. But it also means you'd be on the path to becoming a surgeon much faster than the traditional route."

I looked down at the paper, my mind spinning. This was everything I'd ever wanted. A real chance to become a surgeon. To save lives. To matter.

But it also meant working directly with Owen. Spending more time with him. Fighting this attraction that already felt impossible to resist.

"I need to think about it," I heard myself say.

Dr. Stevens nodded. "Of course. Take the weekend. Let me know Monday morning."

I stood to leave, the paper clutched in my hand.

"Miss Hart," Dr. Stevens called as I reached the door. "Whatever is happening with you, whatever this is, don't be afraid of it. Embrace it. The medical world needs more people who can do what you do."

I walked out in a daze. The hallway seemed too bright, too loud. Other staff members passed by, some giving me curious looks. Word had clearly spread about what happened.

My phone buzzed. I pulled it out and saw a text from an unknown number.

"Congratulations on your big day. But you should know: gifts like yours don't come without a price. Someone wants to meet you. Tonight. Come to the old medical library at midnight. Come alone. Don't tell anyone. Especially not Dr. Owen."

My blood ran cold. Who was this? How did they get my number?

I looked up and down the hallway, suddenly feeling watched. But there was no one suspicious. Just nurses and doctors going about their day.

Another text came through.

"If you want answers about your wolf and your abilities, you'll come. If you want to know the truth about why you really can't shift, you'll come. Midnight. Don't be late."