Chapter 7 CHAPTER SEVEN

JULIET

I didn't know how to respond.

My heart pounded in my chest like a freight train as my husband watched me closely, searching for any slip-ups that would confirm his suspicions. I kept my expression carefully blank, refusing to give him any more ammunition to start a fight.

"I don't understand," I said, sitting up slightly and leaning against the headboard. "What does Zane have to do with this?"

Frank's eyes darkened. "Don't play dumb with me, Juliet. You've been acting strangely ever since Zane returned, and now you won’t even let me touch you."

I blinked several times, trying to make sense of what he was implying. The idea that he genuinely believed I was refusing to sleep with him because Zane had come back was so absurd that a disbelieving laugh escaped before I could stop it.

Frank's expression turned icy as he asked me in a quiet voice, "Do you think this is funny?"

"Yes, I do," I snapped, my own anger rising. "Because if you’re not trying to insult me, then this has to be some kind of joke, Frank."

"I can't believe you are trying to dismiss my feelings—"

"I'm not trying to do anything!" I yelled, my voice overpowering his. "Just because I do not want to have sex with you doesn't mean I want Zane. This makes no sense!"

Frank fell silent, staring at me with a startled expression. The number of times I raised my voice in an argument could be counted on one hand, and the fact that I had even managed to silence him was worse.

I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to rein in my emotions.

“I don’t have any feelings for Zane,” I said, my voice softening, almost hesitant. “I was only twenty-one when I learned he was my mate. We barely knew each other before everything fell apart. That's all there is to it.”

In the heavy silence that followed, the atmosphere felt strangely peaceful, almost soothing. I could hear the rhythmic rise and fall of our breaths and the steady beat of our hearts, which comforted me. Living in a large pack where dominant wolves vastly outnumbered submissive ones meant I had grown accustomed to keeping my thoughts to myself. Most of the time, my voice was the first thing I sacrificed to keep the peace. I did not know what had come over me tonight, but I was glad I had finally spoken my mind.

Even if it had been to my husband.

After several seconds, I began to feel guilty about lashing out at Frank. As an alpha wolf, touch was very important for him, and I had denied him that privilege because of my personal reasons. He didn't deserve my outburst tonight, especially not over Zane.

So, I drew closer and reached for him.

"Frank-"

My fingers barely brushed his arm before he moved away, standing up from bed. He took his laptop in one hand and grabbed his fur robe with the other, walking straight to the door.

My heart tightened at the sight.

"Where are you going?" I asked before he could touch the doorknob. "It's late, Frank. Why don't you go to bed first, and then we can talk about this tomorrow?"

"If that's what you're telling me," he said quietly, his hand resting on the doorknob, "Then I'll take your word for it."

"Frank-"

The bedroom door closed behind Frank, leaving me alone with a silence that felt almost suffocating. I stared at the empty doorway long after he had disappeared, my chest aching with regret. I shouldn't have raised my voice at him.

A weary sigh escaped my lips.

Slowly, I sank back against the pillows and pulled the blanket over myself. Every instinct urged me to run after him and apologize, but I knew my husband far too well.

Frank needed time. Whenever he became emotional, he preferred to retreat into himself rather than talk things through. Chasing after him now would only make the argument between us worse.

Tomorrow.

I would apologize first thing in the morning before leaving for the clinic.

Closing my eyes, I listened to the rain tapping gently against the balcony doors. The steady rhythm slowly quieted my restless mind until my breathing evened out and exhaustion finally pulled me into sleep. At first, everything was peaceful. Then the screams began.

My eyes flew open.

Smoke poured through the windows of the clinic, turning the familiar room into a choking haze. Shelves crashed onto the floor as frightened mothers clutched their children and cried for help. Blood stained the white tiles beneath my feet while tiny voices sobbed all around me.

"Healer!"

"Please save my daughter!"

"My son is dying!"

I spun around helplessly. Children lay on every bed, their small bodies covered in deep claw marks. Some reached trembling hands toward me while others had fallen frighteningly still.

"I'll help you!" I cried, rushing toward the nearest child.

The moment I touched his chest, silver light poured from my palms, but nothing happened. My healing gift was gone.

"No..."

Panic gripped my heart as I tried again. But there was still nothing happening. The little boy looked up at me with frightened eyes before his hand slipped from mine. Behind me, another scream echoed through the clinic. I turned just in time to see a massive rogue wolf crash through the entrance. Its crimson eyes glowed with savage hunger as it lunged onto one of the hospital beds.

"No!" I shrieked, running forward.

Another rogue burst through the shattered windows. Within seconds, the clinic became a slaughterhouse. Blood splattered across the walls, and medical trays crashed onto the floor. Tiny cries for help echoed from every direction. I tried to reach them, but every step felt impossibly slow, as though invisible chains had wrapped themselves around my legs.

One little girl stretched her hand toward me through tears. "Juliet..."

A rogue's jaws closed around her shoulder before I could reach her.

My scream tore itself from my throat.

I bolted upright in bed, gasping so violently that my lungs burned. Cold sweat clung to my skin while my heartbeat thundered painfully against my ribs. It took several long moments before the familiar outlines of my bedroom came into focus. The curtains still swayed in the night breeze, and rain continued to fall beyond the balcony. The clinic was not burning.

It had only been a dream.

Yet the fear refused to leave me. My wolf paced frantically inside me, whining with a desperation I had never felt before. Every cell in my body screamed that something was terribly wrong. So, I threw the blankets aside and climbed out of bed without another thought.

If there was even the slightest chance that another attack was coming, I could not afford to ignore it.

There was only one person strong enough to stop it.

Grabbing my robe, I hurried out of the room and into the silent hallway, my feet carrying me toward the pack boundary where the Kaelvor warriors had made camp.

I only prayed I was not already too late.