FAZER LOGINChapter 98BIANCA"Because Rivera asked us not to," Klaus said simply. "He wanted you to get settled, to build a life here, without the pressure of knowing you were under direct Alpha King protection. He thought it might make you feel obligated or restricted."That sounded like Rivera. Protecting me even from information that might make me feel indebted."I should be angry about this," I said, though I wasn't sure if I actually was. "Being kept in the dark about something this significant.""You probably should be," Klaus agreed. "But Dr. Morrison—Bianca—I hope you'll understand that Rivera's intentions were good. He wanted you to feel free here. Not beholden to anyone, not even me."I looked back through the doorway at Vera, unconscious and vulnerable on the medical bed we'd set up."The guards outside," I said slowly. "The equipment. The immediate response when Rivera called. That was all Alpha King resources, wasn't it?""Yes.""How long have you been helping him investigate Thorne
Chapter 97BIANCA I pushed past Rivera before he could stop me, my doctor's training overriding caution.The room was a disaster. Furniture overturned, lamp shattered, signs of a serious struggle. And in the center of the chaos, collapsed against the far wall, was Vera.Blood. So much blood.I was moving before conscious thought, dropping to my knees beside her, my hands already assessing injuries."Vera. Vera, can you hear me?"Her eyes fluttered open, unfocused and pain-glazed. "Bianca...""I'm here. I've got you." I was already pulling off my jacket, pressing it against the worst of the bleeding—a deep laceration across her abdomen. "Rivera, I need towels, anything clean. And call an ambulance—""No hospital." Vera's hand caught my wrist with surprising strength. "Can't—they'll find me—""Vera, you need surgery—""No hospital," she repeated, her voice fading. "Please. They'll kill me. They'll finish what they started."Rivera was already on his phone. "I need a medical team at my
Chapter 96BIANCAThe text came through at 6:47 PM, just as I was finishing up my last chart and contemplating whether to grab dinner at the hospital cafeteria or head straight home to help Louis with his promised pasta extravaganza.*Unknown Number: Need to see you. Urgent. Room 247, Riverside Motel. Come alone. -V*I stared at the screen, my heart rate immediately kicking up.Vera.The last time I'd met with Vera, I'd snuck out without telling Rivera where I was going. We'd argued about it afterward—a real fight that had ended with both of us acknowledging I couldn't keep running off to meet contacts without backup, and he couldn't keep trying to protect me from every potential threat.We'd found a compromise: honesty. Communication. Trust that we were building something together rather than operating as separate entities trying to manage the same problems.Which meant I needed to call Rivera before I did anything else.I pulled up his contact and hit dial, already standing and gath
Chapter 95BIANCA"Go see your patient," I said, waving him away before the emotion in his expression could transfer to me.He disappeared around the corner, and I stood in the corridor for a moment, thinking about a child running through a park chasing ghosts.I hoped they found peace. I hoped they found someone to help them navigate the impossible grief of losing a parent young. Children needed someone steady. Someone who showed up, who stayed, who made them feel like the world wasn't going to keep collapsing.I was doing that for Louis now.And maybe, back in her previous pack, Mia was doing that for Theo.I pushed the thought firmly away before it could take root and headed back toward my office to prepare for afternoon rounds.---The afternoon passed quickly—a curse-related skin condition that had been misdiagnosed for months, a teenage girl with magical exhaustion from overextending her abilities, a standard trauma case that required more surgical coordination than curse-break
Chapter 94BIANCAI turned back toward the car park and walked."Are you okay?" Louis asked, his hand patting my shoulder in a very deliberate comforting gesture he'd clearly learned from watching Rivera comfort me."I'm okay, sweetheart," I said. "I'm fine."And I was. I was fine.I was just going to keep telling myself that until it was true.I'd made a choice when I'd come to BloodMoon City. I'd left that life behind—Matthew's pack, that marriage, everything that had tried to destroy me. And yes, I'd left Theo behind too, which was a grief I carried every single day.But I couldn't go back. Going back meant walking into a situation where Matthew thought I was dead, where my supposed death was the only thing protecting me from pack law, where returning would unravel everything Rivera had built to keep me safe.And Theo had his father. Matthew was far from perfect, but he loved his son. Theo would be okay.He had to be okay.I pushed the thought down firmly, the way I'd been practici
Chapter 93BIANCAThe morning sun was warm on my face as I watched Louis make his way across the monkey bars at Greenbrook Garden Park, his small tongue poking out in fierce concentration."Louis, be careful," I called from my spot below him, my hands hovering near his waist in case he slipped. "You're going too fast.""I'm not going too fast," he insisted, his voice strained with effort as he swung from one bar to the next. "I'm going exactly the right amount of fast. This is professional monkey bar speed.""There is no such thing as professional monkey bar speed.""There absolutely is. I invented it."I pressed my lips together to hide my smile, keeping my eyes on his hands gripping the metal rungs. He'd gotten significantly stronger over the past two months, his arms more capable than when I'd first arrived. But the bars were slippery from the early morning dew, and the drop was higher than I was comfortable with."Two more bars," he announced, "and then I'll have conquered the who







