Chapter 47

Mira

I left Dominic in his office, waiting for guards to come and apprehend Lila.

She was so distraught at what happened, screaming to us that she didn’t know that was going to happen. She insisted that she would never hurt Dominic, that she only wanted him to love her.

It was when she started hurling insults in my direction that Dominic insisted that I leave the office.

I made my way back to the hospital, wondering if I could even focus given that I had just stopped a murder attempt against my fiancé.

Something wasn’t sitting right with me, and I was glad for the fresh air on the walk that gave me time to think. Lila was certainly capable of creating something so deadly. She may have been absent-minded in the operating room, but my experience with her last potion told me not to overlook Lila’s potential.

If she wanted to poison Dominic, it wouldn’t be hard for her to do.

But the question remained: why?

She has seemed genuine in her feelings for him from the start, and since Dominic and I have gotten closer she only seems more desperate to flirt with him and assert some claim to him. There is no greater enemy than a romantic rival.

But even Lila would have to understand the severity of tampering with the Alpha’s Mate, and I never thought she would be stupid enough to do something so drastic. In spite of her emotional state, Lila was intelligent and determined, but not scheming and ambitious.

This plot did not seem to have her signature on it. She must have been working with someone else, someone who would benefit from taking out Dominic.

I made it back to the hospital, apologizing to staff members for running out so quickly. Another doctor was able to see a patient for me, and other appointments were pushed back until I was back.

Cinda’s eyes bulged when she saw me.

“Thank goodness you’re back,” she said to me, handing me a chart. “We bumped her up in line because she refused to come back later in the day. She seems to think she is the only patent we have to see today.”

I knew who she was talking about without looking at the file in front of me.

I found Tessa in the examination room, sitting at the desk, concentrating with her whole face as she stared at a login screen.

“What are you doing?” I asked her from the doorway.

“Oh, you’re here,” she said. “I was just trying to guess your password, see if I can snoop around on your patients.”

“Tessa,” I sighed, “that is so unethical and also illegal. Please come sit on the exam table.”

“Whatever,” she said as she made her way over.

“How are you feeling? Notice anything new?” I switched into doctor mode, washing my hands and putting on a pair of gloves.

“Not really, some nausea in the mornings, but I’m not really a puker so hopefully I can avoid all that,” she said flippantly.

I rolled my eyes. Some mothers think they are exempt from morning sickness, made of stronger stuff than other women. Most are not.

I went through the routine vitals check, asking her questions about her habits, keeping things professional and unemotional. Tessa started out with some sass towards me, but we eventually slipped into the rhythm of doctor and patient.

The ultrasound showed good signs, and we were able to enjoy silence that was only slightly awkward.

It was strange to think that someday soon we would technically be sisters. Even stranger remember that she was the reason for that change in our relationship.

“I hate to admit it, but you’re really good at this,” she said reluctantly as we were wrapping up.

“At what?” I said, slightly raising my eyebrow.

“This, being a doctor,” she answered. “I can just…tell you really care about your patients.”

“I do,” I said proudly. “Medicine has been my whole life.”

“I wish I cared about anything as much as you care about this, even if it is a pretty nerdy.”

“Not everyone finds their passion young,” I said, trying to sound wise. “I always felt like a freak for being so obsessed with anatomy instead of focusing on forming social attachments. I envy your ability to handle a crowd.”

“If only I could just plan social events, but that isn’t fit for the daughter of the Luna” Tess continued. “And now it seems I’m just going to become a mother and that will be all that I am worth in the Pack.”

“Being a mother is a superpower,” I said, catching her eyes. “And life is a journey with many chapters. You are just lucky enough to be in the chapter of motherhood at a different time that you may have thought, but that doesn’t make you any less worthy of other things.”

“Thanks, Mira,” she said, with only a slight hesitation. “And, Ward told me all that you did the other night to help him and his family. Thank you for being there for them.”

“I just tried to do what was right, to help the Pack that had raised me,” I said nonchalantly.

“Most people would cut ties with an old Pack if they had upgraded to a new one,” Tessa said, raising her brows at me. “You’re setting a new example, especially for women who might get married off a young age.”

“I see no reason why we can’t move among many Packs. I think it keeps us safer and makes us better.”

“You might be right about that,” Tessa said.

We held the moment between us, and I could almost hear the ice cracking in the chasm that separated us. Maybe we could get along as sisters-in-law more than I had thought.

“Well,” I said, wrapping things up, “if you don’t have any questions or concerns at this time, I’d say you’re good to go. Everything’s looking great so far.”

“Amazing! Pregnancy seems so easy,” she said, gathering up her things.

I suppressed a chuckle as I walked to the computer to input information from her files. Tessa had pulled out her phone and was checking messages she had missed during the appointment.

Somehow, the quiet room got even quieter. I looked up to see Tessa glaring at me.

“I just got a text from Lucian, it’s about Lila,” she barked at me.

“Tessa—“

“What the hell did you do to my friend?"