Chapter 6

Elena

The next morning, I wake to my phone buzzing relentlessly.

Seven missed calls from Dominic. Three from Luna Catherine. One from Marcus.

And a text from Sage: Check the pack gossip channels. You're going to want to see this.

I pull up the private Ashford Pack message board,the one all mated wolves have access to. The latest thread has 247 comments.

Subject: Alpha's Mate Denies Him Entry to Her Home

My stomach drops.

Did someone see Dominic at my building last night and post about it?

The comments are a mixture of concern and speculation.

Is Luna Elena okay?

Maybe they had a fight?

About time she stood up to him. He barely even looks at her at pack functions.

My cousin's friend said they've never seen them scent-mark each other. Not once in three years.

That's weird, right? Even my parents still scent-mark and they've been mated for forty years.

I close the app before I can read more.

My wolf is agitated, pacing in my mind. She doesn't understand why our mate is being discussed this way.

Why is the pack questioning our bond?

I'm in the kitchen making coffee when Vivian emerges from the guest room, Mira clinging to her hand. The little girl's fever is gone, but she looks tired.

"Good morning," Vivian says carefully. She's been walking on eggshells around me since our conversation last night.

"Morning. How's Mira?"

"Better, thanks to you." She hesitates. "Elena, about last night…"

"Auntie!" Mira interrupts, running to me. "Can we make pancakes? The Mickey Mouse ones?"

I kneel down to her level, smoothing her dark curls. "Not today, sweetheart. Auntie has to go to work."

"But you just got here!"

"I know. But people need me at the clinic."

It's not entirely true. I could call in, reschedule my patients. But staying in this penthouse with Vivian, pretending everything is fine, feels like swallowing glass.

My phone buzzes again. Dominic.

I silence it.

"Are you avoiding him?" Vivian asks quietly.

"I'm giving him space to think about what he really wants."

"Elena?"

"Vivian, please. I can't do this right now."

She nods, backing off.

I grab my medical bag and coat. I'm almost to the door when Mira calls out.

"Auntie Elena? Are you mad at Uncle Dom?"

I freeze.

I turn back, forcing a smile. "No, sweetheart. I'm not mad."

"Then why won't you talk to him?"

"Mira, that's enough," Vivian says, but I hold up a hand.

I crouch down again, meeting Mira's amber eyes. "Sometimes grown-ups need time to think about important things. That's all."

"Is Uncle Dom thinking about important things?"

"Yes."

"What kind of important things?"

Like who he really wants. Like whether he can finally admit the truth.

"Grown-up things," I say gently. "Nothing for you to worry about."

I kiss her forehead and leave before she can ask more questions.

The Cascade Wellness Clinic sits in a quiet neighborhood in Capitol Hill. I've worked here for five years, even after becoming Luna of the Ashford Pack.

Dominic never liked it. He thought Luna should focus on pack duties, not "playing doctor" as he once called it.

But this clinic is mine. The one place where I'm Dr. Elena Grey, not Mrs. Ashford, not the Alpha's Omega.

Just me.

My assistant, Jamie, a young Beta wolf with bright pink hair looks up when I walk in.

"Dr. Elena! I wasn't expecting you today. Isn't the Ashford Pack still in mourning?"

"The funeral was yesterday. I needed to get back to work."

Jamie's nose wrinkles. "Have you seen the pack boards? Everyone's talking about you and Alpha Ashford."

"I don't pay attention to gossip."

"Well, you should. Because some of the comments are saying…" She stops, reading my expression. "Never mind. Your first appointment is here. Mrs. Chen, the Omega with the difficult pregnancy."

I force myself to focus. Mrs. Chen needs me. Her pregnancy is high-risk, and she's been coming to me weekly for specialized care.

I spend the next three hours seeing patients. An elderly wolf with arthritis. A teenage girl experiencing her first heat. A mated pair trying to conceive.

Every case keeps reminding me of what I don't have.

A healthy bond. A partner who wants me. The possibility of pups.

By noon, I'm exhausted in a way that has nothing to do with work.

I'm updating patient files when Jamie knocks on my office door.

"Dr. Elena? There's someone here to see you. He doesn't have an appointment, but he says it's urgent."

"Who is it?"