CHAPTER 51 ALPHA KNOX’S POV

“You don’t need me, Knox. You just need someone to stand next to you and play the part. Someone who’ll follow your lead and not ask questions. That’s all you’ve ever needed.”

“Do you even care that I was injured?” I demanded, remembering how quickly Melissa had attended to me, trying to hide her concern when she had seen me injured.

Susie’s eyes flicked to mine, sharp as daggers, but there was something else there—something guarded. She crossed her arms tighter across her chest, refusing to answer for a long, tense moment.

"Of course, I care,” she said, her voice quieter now, but still edged with irritation. "But let's not make this about you, Knox. You’re the Alpha. You’ve been injured before, and you’ll get hurt again. That’s just part of it. You don’t need me hovering around like some nursemaid.”

I stared at her, disbelief surging through me. "It wasn’t about needing a damn nursemaid. I needed my wife, Susie. I was in that hospital for a week—seven days—and you didn’t come once. No