Chapter 5

Aria's POV

I stood at the door of my best friend Cathy’s place, talking with the lawyer outside.

“King Lucian refused to sign the paperwork. As we suspected, he doesn’t seem to intend to make this an easy proceeding,” the lawyer said.

“I suppose not,” I agreed with a sigh.

I knew Lucian could be proud and stubborn, but I’d been secretly hoping he’d give me this divorce without much fuss. The man clearly didn’t care for me. Why draw this out?

“Instead, he wished for me to give you this.” The lawyer procured a letter from his briefcase and passed it over to Aria.

Inside the house, Cathy came into the foyer and began putting on her shoes. “Not ready yet? We’ll be leaving soon. Everyone will be waiting for us.”

She was wearing a white coat. We were about to head to the hospital.

After leaving the mansion I shared with Lucian, the first place I came to was here, Cathy’s house. Cathy had been so kind, eagerly welcoming me. Since, she’d helped me find a lawyer and push forward with the divorce at record speed.

“What’s that?” Cathy said, gesturing briefly to the letter.

“It’s from Lucian.”

Cathy groaned. “Get rid of it.”

Inside, Luna recoiled at the idea. “Read it.”

“I suggest you read it,” the lawyer added too.

When Cathy conceded, I tore open the envelope and pulled out a single sheet of paper. Only a few lines were scrawled on it, and I immediately recognized Lucian’s messy handwriting.

*

[ — To Aria,

I don’t know where you got the money for the lawyer, but you need to remember you remain Luna.

If you obtained this money through any illegal or immoral means, you should rescind this ridiculous divorce, return the money where it came from, and come home at once.

Do not do anything that would bring shame upon me, you, or our pack.]

*

Lucian is a very serious one, his handwritngs always neat and beautiful. But the handwriting on this letter is a bit messy. And I noticed that he did not even bother signing it...

He really didn't care about me at all.

“I’d like to make a reply,” I restrained the disappointment in my heart and said to the lawyer.

He pulled a legal pad and a pen from his briefcase, and then passed both over to me. Hastily, I wrote my own note.

*

[To the great Alpha King Lucian,

Please don’t concern yourself with my financial issues.

We will not meet again until after you sign the divorce agreement.]

*

As Lucian didn’t sign his letter, neither did I sign mine. I passed the letter to the lawyer.

The lawyer lingered. “And the check? Your next payment is due.”

“Right. Of course.” I hurried back into the guestroom that had become mine, and returned with the check I’d already filled out for the lawyer.

It listed an astonishing amount—a sum far exceeding the price of the queen's pearlnecklace at charity gala.

It was the biggest check I’d ever written, and would empty most of my savings.

“Thank you,” the lawyer said and casually tucked the check into the inside of his suit coat.

We said our brief goodbyes and, as the lawyer left, I closed the door behind him.

“No backing out of your new job now,” Cathy said lightly, teasing. “Not after writing a check like that. You are going to need this paycheck.”

Cathy turned toward the closet and returned with a white doctor’s coat. She handed it to me.

Pulling on the coat, I closed my eyes and reached out to my wolf.

“It’s time,” I whispered into my mind.

“Let the fun begin. It’s been too long!” Luna responded, filling me with a pleasant warmth.

At once, my scent shifted, growing duller. Opening my eyes, I could see that my hair color had grown darker, black as night, so different from the usual, lighter brown.

That black—was the color of Luna's fur. This was the disguise I had to adopt when appearing as a doctor.

After tying up my hair, Cathy handed me the finishing touch to my disguise – a white domino mask that hid my eyes, cheekbones, and the shape of my nose.

“There you are,” Cathy said, smiling. “She pulled me in for a quick hug. “Welcome back, my genius Healer.”

“Thank you,” I said, “But you know I’m only going to do this again until I can earn back my savings.”

Cathy shook her head. “Resign whenever you want. I’m just happy to see you like this again.”

“In disguise?” I asked.

“Confident,” Cathy corrected. “You are like your old self again.”

Leaving the house, we piled into Cathy’s car. The nearer we came to the hospital, the more people started to look, noticing me in the passenger seat.

“Is that Dr. A?!” I heard someone gasp from the sidewalk while we were at a red light.

As werewolves did not get sick, they could not catch colds or suffer stomach pain. For them to need a Healer, their ailment had to either be a life crisis or some kind of physiological obstacle.

As the existence of Healers was very rare, an excellent Healer had a very high social status. That made Dr. A exceedingly well known and liked, even after a three year absence.

When Cathy pulled the car into the parking lot for the hospital, many luxury cars had already lined up at the hospital entrance. Only nobles drove expensive cars like that.

Many of them were the ones who had mocked me at the charity gala.

“Cat’s out of the bag, All these nobles could only be here for you!” After parking the car and turning off the engine, Cathy looked at me.

“You ready for this, our genius Healer, Dr.A — my sweetheart Aria？”

“It will be fine! ” I answered.

Exiting the car, we hurried to the main entrance, briskly walking by the nobles that attempted to draw me toward their cars. So many people wanted to meet me, but to do so, they needed to wait in line.

After arriving into the hospital staff room, I took a moment to breathe. I had known it would be like this, so I wasn’t surprised. But all the attention was still a lot to deal with.

“I have a list of commission offers for you,” Cathy said. “You can take your pick.” She handed me a clipboard with a sheet of paper.

On it were names of many nobles who looked down on me as Aria. The dollar amount beside their name indicated what they were willing to pay to see me.

The highest amount offered was from Lucian... The price is about 10 "queen's necklace".

I immediately pointed at the case and said to Cathy, “Please refuse Alpha King Lucian’s case for me. Thank you.”

“Refuse it? May I ask why?”

Cathy and I both turned at the sound of the familiar male voice behind us.

Lucian was there, standing in the doorway of the staff room. Sheila was behind him. When she spotted me, she gave me a warm smile, as if she was trying to win me over to her side.

“Dr. A!” Sheila said brightly. “I’ve heard so much about you. How lovely to meet you!”

Cathy immediately stepped in front of me. Her face stern, she crossed her arms. Though she was slightly shorter than me, she still tried valiantly to block me from their view.

Lucian peered at me curiously over Cathy’s shoulder. His eyes narrowed as he studied me, and I swallowed thickly, feeling like a bug under a microscope.

Then, he spoke, still stared at me and his voice uncertain and incredulous,

“…Aria?!”