Chapter 2

Nicole The hospital corridor seemed endless as I raced toward the intensive care unit, every step echoing like a countdown I couldn't stop. My chest still ached from the bond rejection, pain slicing with every breath, but I shoved it aside. My mother needed me. "Dr. Nicole!" Nurse Jenkins intercepted me at the ICU doors, her face grave. "Without the advanced cardiac bridging procedure tonight, your mom's chances are..." I pressed my palm against the viewing window, watching my mother's frail form beneath the hospital sheets. Monitors beeped ominously around her, each sound a reminder that time was bleeding out faster than I could catch it. "I need to make some calls," I whispered, pulling my phone from my pocket with trembling fingers. I dialed the number I'd sworn never to call again. The connection to my past, to the Pack that had rejected me for something beyond my control. Three rings later, a gruff voice answered. "Alpha Timothy peaking." My throat constricted."Dad," I said, the word feeling foreign on my tongue. "It's Nicole." Silence stretched between us like a chasm. Then, "What are you doing calling?" The chill in his tone froze something inside me. Still, I swallowed my pride, and whispered my request to him.. "Mom is critically ill, she needs a surgical bill, $200,000 or she won't make it through the night ......" "And this concerns the Starfall Pack how, exactly?" His tone was ice.”You two have nothing to do with me anymore” "I'll pay you back!" I whispered, my voice breaking."...I just won the Medical Achievement Award with a prize... but it's not available right now. I'll be working soon—I can definitely pay it all back! Please save her!" There was silence on the other end of the line, and I could almost hear the cold sound of his thinking as he weighed the pros and cons. "I'll be there in twenty minutes," he said before hanging up. Hope fluttered in my chest as I returned to my mother's hospital room. "Just hold on, Mom," I whispered. "I will save you, at all costs!." ... True to his word, my father arrived at the hospital twenty minutes later. But he wasn't alone. Tiana, my half-sister, trailed behind him, her designer heels clicking against the tile floor like the beat of a triumphant drum. I pressed down the discomfort in my heart and got up to meet them."Dad-" "Let's not waste time with pleasantries," Timothy cut me off, his gaze cool as he surveyed the hospital room. He hadn't even looked at my mother yet. "Just how long she has left to live, to put it bluntly?" I explained the situation in clinical terms, detailing the cardiac procedure and the timeline we were working with. My father nodded, his expression unreadable. Then Tiana stepped forward, lips curling."So, the half-wolf wonder finally comes crawling back to daddy?” Heat flushed my face, but I kept my eyes on him. "Dad, please. The procedure needs to happen tonight." Tiana's laugh was sharp. "Dad already said it—your mother is no longer part of the Starfall Pack. Neither are you, remember? You're just a cripple who can't shifting. Why should our Pack resources go toward someone like you all?" "Tiana," my father warned, but there was no real reproach in his tone. "What? I'm just stating facts," she continued, examining her manicured nails. The words sliced through me like claws. I turned to my father, searching for any flicker of compassion, any remnant of the man who had once carried me on his shoulders and promised to always protect me. "Is that true?" I asked quietly. “Then why are you here? Are you coming to see a joke?” Dad straightened his tie, finally glancing at my mother's unconscious form with clinical detachment. ""Don't worry, I can help you, but there are requirements," he said carefully. "You should make a trade with me." "Say it." "The Moonwatch Pack's medical resource sharing protocol," he said bluntly. "Your research gives you access to it. Transfer the rights to Starfall Pack, and I'll cover your mother's procedure." My blood ran cold. The protocol he was asking for contained sensitive data about Moonwatch Pack's medical innovations. It would potentially harm the Moonwatch Pack that had taken me in when my own had cast me out. "I can't do that," I said, my voice barely audible. "That would be betrayal." Dad's expression hardened. "Then our deal will have to be called off." "Wait," I reached for his arm as he turned to leave. "There must be something else. Please, Dad. She's dying." Tiana slapped my hand away, her perfectly manicured nails digging into my skin. "Don't touch him.worthless waste." I stumbled back, feeling the rejection pain flare anew in my chest, compounded by this fresh wound from my own family. "Come, Tiana," Timothy said, placing a protective hand on my half-sister's shoulder. "We're done here." Despair seized me. The monitors showed that her condition was deteriorating. “Dr. Nicole.” I looked up, hastily wiping away my tears. A new figure stood in the doorway—tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a perfectly tailored charcoal suit that exuded quiet power. The alpha of the Thornfang Pack,Damien Gatsby. His presence was magnetic, commanding the space with ease. My breath caught as his eyes swept the room, landing briefly on me before shifting to my mother. “Alpha Damien,” I said, surprised."What brings you here?” He walked to me with quiet confidence. “I came to visit my grandmother. Teresa is having her quarterly check-up.” He paused, gaze resting on me."And I overheard your conversation in the hallway.” I stiffened. How much had he heard? “I have a proposition for you, Dr. Nicole,” he said, his voice deep and controlled. "What kind of proposition?" I asked cautiously. "I need a Luna," he stated bluntly. "The Elders are pressuring me to secure a mate." His lips curved into a humorless smile. "I'm offering you a deal. A contract marriage. I need a Luna to appease the Elders and stabilize my Pack's political position. You need $200,000 for your mother's procedure, plus ongoing specialized care that only Thornfang Pack can provide." My heart raced as I processed his words. "You want me to be your...Luna?" "In name only," he clarified, his tone businesslike. I stared at him in disbelief. "Why me? Why choose a 'half-wolf' doctor from another Pack?" His penetrating gaze swept over my face, lingering briefly on my neck scar. "Your genetic research could help my Pack solve our declining pup survival rates. And—" his eyes narrowed slightly "—you don't seem like the type to harbor romantic illusions about being an Alpha's mate." The monitors beeped ominously, drawing my attention back to my mother. Her vitals were dropping steadily. "Time is running out, Dr. Nicole," Alpha Damien said quietly. "What will it be?" "If I agree," I said carefully, "what exactly would be expected of me?" "Public appearances as my Luna. Residence in my territory. No interference in my personal affairs." His tone was clipped and businesslike. "Dr. Nicole," a nurse called from the doorway. "We need a decision on the procedure now. Her wolf spirit is failing." The notification pierced my last line of defense. "... Deal." The word escaped from my lips like a sigh, draining all my strength. Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone. He spoke authoritatively. "Prepare the cardiac bridging equipment for immediate use. Patient Xavia Linden. Full protocol, highest priority." He ended the call and turned to me,“The formal contract will be sent to you by my lawyer. But consider our verbal agreement legally and bindingly enforced from this moment.” His expression still coldly professional. "The procedure will begin within the hour. Pack your essential belongings tonight. You'll move to my territory tomorrow morning." "Tomorrow?" I echoed, stunned by the speed of developments. "Yes," he confirmed, buttoning his suit jacket. "We need to establish our public relationship quickly. The Elders want to meet my future Luna as soon as possible." "I need to stay with my mother tonight," I said firmly, finding a small shred of resistance. Alpha Damien's eyes narrowed slightly, but he nodded. "Very well. My driver will collect you at nine tomorrow morning."