Chapter 10

Nicole It was getting late. Mom seemed concerned that I had to be at work early the next morning, so she pretended to yawn dramatically and stretched her arms. "Looks like I need to call it a night," she said, checking the clock with exaggerated movements. "You should head back too, Nicole. Don't want our star surgeon falling asleep during tomorrow's procedures." I smiled, recognizing her subtle consideration despite her own condition. Even now, she was putting my needs first. After saying our goodbyes, I drove back to Alpha Damien's estate, my mind still processing everything. The following days at Moonwatch Medical Center were brutal. I performed three back-to-back surgeries on Wednesday—one of which was a particularly challenging spinal reconstruction on a young werewolf who'd been injured in a territory dispute. Thursday wasn't any better, with an emergency procedure on an elderly human with multiple organ failures. When Friday afternoon finally arrived, I left the hospital early,