Chapter 5

Soren's POV

As soon as Bianca and I enter her new Special Healer office, she flings her arms around my neck and leans into me.

Her lips press against mine, capturing them in a one sided kiss.

When I hear footsteps outside her door, I gently push her away and rest my hands on her shoulders, looking down at her.

“...You shouldn’t have targeted Celia earlier. She was just a paid substitute lover. My relationship with her was supposed to be completely confidential — and our engagement involves the secrets of two packs,”I sigh and drop my hands from her shoulders.

I pinch the bridge of my nose and angle my body away from her. “It shouldn’t have been revealed so casually.”

Bianca steps back in front of me, taking my hands away from my face. She sighs and avoids my gaze. Insecurity is prominent across her face, strained pain tugging her lips downward.

“...But she was your lover! We were separated for so long, and during that time, you were with her!” Bianca looks away before pulling her eyes back to mine.

She drops my hands. “Now you’re defending her in front of me…Soren, do you really care about me?”

I sigh, unsure of how to respond to her. Bianca’s bottom lip pouts out, taunting me. She takes my hands once again and squeezes them. I turn to look at her, waiting for any other response she may have.

“You heard what they said — I’m not your fated mate! And only your mate can cure your illness. What if your mate appears and you abandon me?” Bianca’s eyes turn glossy.

She flings her arms around me and pushes her body into mine. My hands drop to her waist, firmly holding her in place. Bianca purses her lips and leans in to try and kiss me but I dodge her attempt.

“Don’t you miss me, Soren? I’ve arranged for that substitute to come here and deliver some documents. If you don’t love her, prove it to me here, or I will not married you—”

Her attitude is utterly willful. It gives me a headache, but I know I have to make a statement.

Footsteps grow closer from the hallway.

I turn my back to the door, bringing Bianca’s face close to mine and kissing her. After a few seconds, I pull away, cupping her cheek.

“…She’s just a substitute who can be bought with money. How could I ever love her?” I reassure her.

“Then you agree to announce our engagement to those outside of the hospital?” Bianca asks, the light returning to her face. I nod and slowly inhale through my nose.

Celia’s familiar scent makes me look to the door. It’s similar to Bianca’s scent yet is distinguishable from hers.

From outside the office door, I can hear a person scrambling followed by a drop of items. They rush down the hallway and their sound disappears, Celia’s scent lingering.

I shouldn’t care about her, but I still walked toward the door.

On the floor is a stack of papers. Celia’s scent stays inside my nose but she is nowhere to be found.

...She run.

Celia’s POV

The hallway blurs around me as I rush away from Bianca’s office. Soren’s words occupy my mind, leaving me nauseous and dizzy.

*

“She’s just a substitute who can be bought with money. How could I ever love her?”

*

I head for the exit doors of the hospital. The heavy doors slide open and I’m greeted by the day’s fresh breeze.

...Of course! It’s so obvious! How did I not come to this conclusion before?

Now that Soren’s true love, Bianca, has returned, he truly has tossed me to the side as if I’m trash. I’m just her replacement, nothing more, nothing less. I should have known better.

Our relationship was never equal.

— I am the fool for falling in love with Soren!

If anyone here is at fault, it is me. I am the one who foolishly tricked myself into thinking that there was something more between Soren and I.

Days pass from the time between Soren’s revelation to the present day. I have had many sleepless nights, unable to escape the dark haired wolf in my dream.

Every time I try a new way to escape, the wolf always catches me. In some other dreams, I am surrounded by a surplus of different colored wolves, their eyes trained on me as I try to escape their harsh and silent gazes.

Has my recent turmoil triggered something in me? ...Will my inner wolf awaken now that I am constantly struggling to make it through the passing days?

Lost in thought, I barely notice that other she-wolves have entered the break room. The tip of my ring finger drags across the table in a slow circle, my mind occupied by the images of wolves chasing after me.

“...Have you heard?” Their voices are loud enough for me to hear, drawing me out of my trance. “Bianca is returning to the hospital today.”

“Oh, yes! Isn’t she leading an important project?”

“I think so! Her Alpha King fiancé won’t be joining her either, it seems.”

I stand from my table and collect the scraps from my lunch. I toss them into the trash and exit, feeling their eyes and silence weigh down on my shoulders. I dip out from the break room and hugged the wall, avoiding others in the hallway.

My thoughts linger back to my dreams of wolves. Could my inner wolf finally be awakening? After all this time, is she finally ready to burst out and free me from the title of being wolf-less...?

A gasp escapes my lips. My foot gets caught on an empty gurney that is being wheeled to the E.R. for an incoming patient.

I tilt backwards as the healers rush by, stumbling before a pair of hands catch me. I’m dipped down but am caught before I can fall, the oxygen finally returning to my lungs.

I turn and look up at my hero. Ethan looks down at me, a small smile on my face his face.

His hands firmly grasp my waist and he stabilizes me.

“Are you okay?” He asks me in a quiet and gentle tone.

I nod, unable to form a coherent sentence from his sudden appearance.

“......What are you two doing?” A voice calls from the other end of the hallway.

In sync, Ethan and I turn our attention down the hallway, spotting Soren rushing towards us.

Ethan lifts me back up, helping me stabilize myself, as Soren enters our proximity. I stare at the Alpha King with widened eyes.

What is he doing here?! He isn’t supposed to be here! That’s what the other healers said…so why is he here? Oh, right, he’s probably here because of Bianca.

Why did I even get my hopes up?

Soren’s fingers curl around my wrist. He yanks me to his side and I stumble into his chest.

His scent floods my nose, tingling the inside of my skull.

The blurred image of the white wolf from my dream flashes inside my mind — She stares at me, slowly coming into focus as I slowly inhale more and more of Soren’s scent.

Soren looks at me, his expression dark and stormy. “…So this is the new sugar daddy you found for yourself? The hospital director’s youngest son?”

Ethan’s face flushes red as he stammers, “K-King, we… we’re not in that kind of relationship…”

“Enough.” Soren lowers his gaze, locking eyes with me. “I want to hear her explanation.”

I stare at Soren, suddenly dazed.

A flash of white fur flickers through my mind. A soft voice whispers—“Mate…”

Strangely, Suddenly, I feel Soren’s scent is… appealing.

It smells like… the black wolf from my dreams…?!