All Chapters of The Alpha’s Second Life: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

"Who’s the guy with him?"The question cut through the thick hum of the ballroom, traveling faster than the server with the champagne tray. Joshua didn't miss a beat. He adjusted the cuff of his silver threaded jacket, the metallic weave catching the overhead light with a surgical sharpness. This wasn't the attire of a healer. It was a statement of intent. He looked like an Alpha of a higher court, standing tall beside Jax, whose hand remained firm and heavy against the small of Joshua’s back."Keep walking, Jax," Joshua murmured, his lips barely moving. "Don't look at the stairs yet. Let them choke on it first.""They're staring like I’m a piece of meat," Jax rumbled, his voice a low vibration that Joshua felt in his own ribs. Jax leaned down, his nose grazing Joshua’s temple in a way that looked intimate but felt like a shield. "Richard is burning a hole through my skull.""Let him burn. He’s the one who wanted the guest of honor."At the top of the grand staircase, Richard Harringt

"You want me to move in? Here?"Joshua didn’t look up from his tablet. He kept his eyes on the fluid intake charts, his fingers tapping the glass with a sharp, rhythmic click. The air in the hospital wing was stagnant, smelling of old wood and the metallic tang of Richard’s presence. Richard stood by the window, his massive frame blocking the morning light, his silhouette a jagged cut against the glass."For my father’s safety," Richard rasped. He turned, his boots scuffing the floor. "The drive from your clinic is twenty minutes. Twenty minutes is the difference between a heartbeat and a corpse. I’m not taking that risk anymore."Joshua finally raised his head. He adjusted his glasses, the light reflecting off the lenses to hide his eyes. "You aren’t worried about your father, Richard. You’re worried about the leash. You want me under your roof where you can track my scent through the vents.""What the f**k did you just say?" Richard’s jaw creaked as he ground his teeth. He took two

"Is it the fever, Richard? God, it burns. It’s like my blood is turning to lead."Bianca Moore lay draped across the silk chaise longue in the master suite, her skin glistening with a suspicious, oily sheen. She tossed her head back, her throat arching as she let out a low, practiced moan. A red flush crept up her neck, staining her collarbones. Richard stood at the edge of the rug, his heavy boots biting into the expensive wool. He didn't move toward her. His jaw stayed locked, his nostrils flaring as he sifted through the air."The Board is waiting, Bianca," Richard said. His voice was a low, jagged vibration. He checked his watch. "The meeting starts in ten minutes. Joshua is presenting the final toxicology report.""Joshua, Joshua, Joshua," Bianca spat, her voice cracking with a staged frailty. She clutched a lace handkerchief to her damp forehead. "I’m your mate, Richard. I’m the one suffering from a Lunar Fever while you’re off playing doctor with a... a human consultant. My wol

"Where the hell do you think you're going at two in the morning, Joshua?"Richard’s voice scraped against the damp limestone of the garage walls. He didn't step into the light. He stayed back in the grease-stained shadows. His chest worked like a bellows. Every breath he took dragged in the scent of cooling engines and the faint, lingering trail of Joshua’s clinical soap.Joshua didn't jump. He didn't even fumbled with his car keys. He just shoved the silver case into the passenger seat of the black SUV and kept his back turned. "I have a life outside this morgue, Richard. Move your truck. You're blocking the exit.""A life?" Richard took a step forward. The light caught the jagged scar on his chin. "You’ve been twitching since the High Court Alpha landed. Now you’re sneaking out like a thief. Who is he?""Who is who?" Joshua finally turned. He leaned against the car door, arms crossed. The harsh overhead fluorescent light made his skin look like paper. "You’ve been sniffing my laundr

Check the door, Richard. I’m busy counting sedatives, and your breathing is messing up my tally."Joshua didn't turn around. He kept his back to the heavy steel door of the hospital pharmacy, his fingers clicking against plastic pill bottles. The room smelled of rubbing alcohol and the dry, chalky scent of crushed aspirin. He shoved a tray of vials into the refrigerator, the motor humming a steady, low drone that usually drowned out the world. Usually."I'm not here for a prescription, Josh."Richard didn't move from the entrance. He filled the doorway, a wall of muscle and leather that made the small, fluorescent-lit room feel like a cage. He reached back, his hand clicking the deadbolt into place. The sound echoed off the white-tiled walls. A final, metallic snap."The board meeting is in twenty minutes," Joshua said. He adjusted his glasses, his amber eyes fixed on the inventory sheet. "If you’re looking for Bianca’s files, they’re with legal. If you’re looking for me, you found me