Chapter 4 The Doctor

FIONA/CIARA

The car ride to the hospital was silent.

Lucien drove with both hands on the wheel, his jaw tight. I sat in the passenger seat staring out the window at a city I didn't recognize. Buildings I'd never seen. Streets that meant nothing to me.

Richard and Rita were in the back seat. I could feel them watching me through the gap between the seats.

"Mummy?" Rita's small voice broke the silence.

I turned slightly. "Yes?"

"Are you sick?"

I didn't know how to answer that. Was I sick? I wasn't but I wasn't exactly normal either. The moon goddess never mentioned anything about entering someone else's body.

What was I supposed to do?

"I don't know, sweetheart," I finally said.

Lucien's hands tightened on the wheel.

We pulled into the hospital parking lot ten minutes later. The building was massive.

Lucien parked and came around to open my door. I got out slowly.

"This way," I followed him.

We walked through the automatic doors into a lobby. A nurse at the front desk looked up and her eyes went wide when she saw Lucien.

"Alpha Lucien," she said quickly. "Dr. Alaric is waiting for you in his office."

Alpha? I turned to Lucien but he was already following the nurse and I quickly joined.

We followed the nurse down a hallway. Richard and Rita walked close to Lucien, their small hands gripping his. They kept glancing back at me like I might disappear.

The nurse stopped at a door and knocked twice.

"Come in," a voice called from inside.

We entered.

The office was small and neat. Books lined the shelves. A desk sat near the window with papers stacked carefully on one side. A man in a white coat stood when he saw us. He was tall with dark hair and brown eyes.

"Alpha Lucien," he greeted warmly. Then his gaze shifted to me and something flickered in his expression. "Luna Ciara."

Luna?

"Thank you for seeing us on such short notice," Lucien greeted back.

"Of course." Dr. Alaric gestured to the chairs across from his desk. "Please sit."

Lucien sat. I lowered myself into the chair next to him. Richard and Rita stood close to their father.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Dr. Alaric asked.

Lucien leaned forward. "She woke up this morning and didn't recognize me or the children. She even asked me who I was."

Dr. Alaric's brows lifted. "Does she recognize herself?"

"I don't think so."

The doctor turned his attention to me. "Ciara, do you know where you are right now?"

"A hospital."

"Do you know what city we're in?"

I hesitated. "No."

"Do you remember anything from before you woke up this morning?"

I thought about the truth. About being buried alive. About the Moon Goddess, but I couldn't say any of that.

"No. Nothing."

He studied my face for a long moment. "This is concerning, but not unheard of."

"What do you think it is?" Lucien asked.

"It could be Transient Global Amnesia. A temporary condition where the brain loses access to recent memories. Usually it resolves within twenty-four hours."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then we'll run more tests. But let's not jump to worst case scenarios yet." Dr. Alaric stood. "Alpha Lucien, may I speak with your wife alone for a moment? Sometimes patients remember more without external pressure."

Lucien's jaw tightened. "Is that necessary?"

"It would help me make a proper assessment."

Silence stretched between them. Finally Lucien nodded and stood. He looked at me. "I'll be right outside."

"Come on, kids," he said to Richard and Rita.

They followed him out. The door closed with a soft click.

I sat alone with the doctor.

He waited until the footsteps faded down the hall. Then his expression changed, the professional warmth slipping away.

He walked around the desk and leaned against it, looking down at me with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"So, you couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

I frowned. "What?"

"You really want to play this game?" He crossed his arms. "Lucien isn't here. You don't have to pretend."

"I'm not pretending. I don't know what you're talking about."

He laughed softly. "You've always been dramatic, Ciara. But this is a bit much, don't you think?"

Something was very wrong here.

"I think there's been some kind of mistake."

"The only mistake is doing this the night after we..." He stopped himself and looked toward the door. Then back at me, his voice dropping lower. "You know we have to be careful."

My stomach turned. "Careful about what?"

"Our arrangement."

I pressed back in my chair. "I don't have an arrangement with you."

"Stop it." His smile faded, leaning closer. "I know you're upset about Lucien still not marking you. But we talked about this. Once he does, we can..."

I stood up fast. "Don't come near me."

He froze, staring at me. "What's wrong with you?"

"Stay away from me," I said again.

His expression shifted from confusion to panic. "Ciara, if you're angry about something, we can talk about it, but you can't act like this. You can't throw a tantrum. Not here and not with Lucien right outside. We can't let him know about this affair?"

Affair?

Understanding crashed over me.

Ciara had been sleeping with her doctor, behind her husband's back.

"I'm not Ciara."

The words came out before I could stop them.

He went very still. "What?"

I realized my mistake immediately. "I mean

...I don't remember being Ciara. I don't remember any of this."

He studied my face for a long moment. Then he swallowed hard. "You really don't remember?"

"No."

"Not our, not anything?"

"Nothing."

The panic in his eyes intensified. He ran a hand through his hair. "This is bad. This is really bad."

"What did you mean about Lucien not marking me?" I asked.

He looked at me like I'd lost my mind. "You're his wife. He should have marked you years ago. But he keeps putting it off."

"Why?"

"I don't know. You never told me."

I processed that slowly. A husband who wouldn't mark his wife. A wife having an affair with her doctor. Children caught in the middle.

What kind of life had Ciara been living?

"You can't tell Lucien about us," Dr. Alaric said suddenly. "Promise me you won't tell him."

"I don't even remember there being an us."

"But if your memory comes back..."

"If my memory comes back, I'll deal with it then." I moved toward the door. "I'm leaving."

He grabbed my wrist. "Wait."

I yanked my arm free. "Don't touch me."

"Please. I could lose everything if he finds out. My practice. My reputation. He's the Alpha. He could..."

"Then you should have thought about that before you slept with his wife."

I walked out before he could say anything else.

Lucien was waiting in the hallway. He stood immediately when he saw me.

"What did he say?"

I looked at him. At this man who was technically my husband but also a complete stranger.

"He said my memory might come back on its own," I lied. "Within twenty-four hours."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then I'll need more tests."

Lucien nodded slowly. "Okay. Let's go home."

Home? That felt strange, considering I'd never really had a home

We walked back through the hospital in silence when my phone suddenly buzzed.

I pulled it out.

A new message from an unknown number.

I opened it.

"IT'S DONE. FIONA IS GONE. NOW THERE'S NOTHING STANDING BETWEEN YOU AND LUCIEN'S MARK."

My blood went cold.

I stared at the message. Read it again. Then again.

Fiona is gone.

Fiona is gone?

But I was Fiona.

First Bale and Shiana, now this?

I looked up at Lucien walking ahead of me with his children and I realized with dread that his wife had somehow been involved in my murder.