{~~Avery Sterling~~}I threw my bag over my shoulders, ready to head off to work. I let the nightmare fade into the back of my mind, I just can’t let myself be haunted. I hopped down the stairs, my stomach tightened at the prospect of eating so I’m going to skip food today. If I get enough water, I should be fine until lunch. Hopefully, at that time, I’ll feel hungry enough to eat something later. I had just gotten to the bottom when I heard Logan’s voice.“Another one? We’ll be there soon- she’s not going into labor, how is that even possible? The obstetrician said her contractions are- that just doesn’t make any sense. She didn’t show any negative signs, did she? A slit to the throat? Yes, I’m heading out now. They need to stabilize her and try to get her to go into labor.”He hung up just as I revealed myself. Logan looked tense.“Oh good, you’re ready. We’ll take my sports car.”His what? Some days I forget that his family is vastly wealthy thanks to the way he lives. His house is
{~~Avery Sterling~~}Gareth and Ryan spoke to the woman. Her story was quite a horror show. She was married, the same as the last victim who told me this is what her husband had done to her throat. The same thing happened to this woman. She said she couldn’t remember what her husband looked like, but the night before she couldn’t see. Her story was bizarre. Logan asked me to do some work so the most I know is that her relationship was competitive. She was taken away from her family by love, she got pregnant a week after that. Nine months later... she ended up in this situation.She said she saw the red flags but she couldn’t leave after making such a fuss about being in love. She’s a mess. Bruises on her skin, scratches under her eyes, and her fingernails were peeled off. I don’t even know how the baby came out okay.I ran my hands over my arms as I filed another patient’s bloodwork. Checking if it was clean. Just doing all I can to keep myself busy. I wonder if she’s okay. Who is doi
{~~Avery Sterling~~}I woke up to soft tapping against my face, logan was back into the clothes he had worn this morning. His scrubs are gone. How long was I out?“How are you feeling?”“Much better. I just.... I think seeing that woman, and thinking about the case has got me feeling off.” I told him, getting off the chair.“I can see why. Although I’ve seen cases like this alot. Ryan says to call him when you’re feeling better.”“You see cases like this?”He nodded, giving me my already packed bag. “When I first started this as a medic alpha, there was an old lady who hated teenage boys. Ryan was started out too and that was his first big case. If anyone can figure out who’s doing this, I know it’s him. We have our differences but I trust him with my life. We’re honest with each other.”“Like boyfriends,” I say without thinking. Logan actually chuckled, and my heartbeat was suddenly louder.“Not like that. Like brothers. My brothers are alright but I’m not as close to them as I shoul
/THE PAST/{~~Logan Grey~~}We’re getting married in a few months. I should be ecstatic, but instead, I’m full of worry, gripped by a fear that something is wrong. My instincts about these things are rarely ever wrong, so something isn’t right. I looked at Ava as she smiled at something on her phone. She looked so bright whenever she smiled like she was the sunshine itself. But there was something about her happiness at this moment that didn’t feel like the usual.She kept taking photos of her ring and laughing. I felt uneasy. My phone vibrated, and I shot a glance at it. I checked it, taking my eyes off her with unease. It was my brother, Ronan. He was coming into town to get his son tested. He was showing signs of a basic flu, but my panicky brother thinks it could be something more. He wanted to check if I’d still see my nephew. I reconfirmed and brought my gaze back to Ava, but she was gone.I got up immediately, feeling something clawing at my chest. What the fuck? Where is she?
{~~Logan Grey~~}I blinked from where I was standing in my room, my shirt halfway on my body. Wait a fucking minute, I never opened that fucking box. The memory just seemed to fly in randomly just now. I finished putting on my shirt and ran towards the closet. She packed all of her things, some of mine but she didn’t touch the travel bag. I never kept anything in it, so she assumed it was empty. The box was still there, fucking hell. At least I would get to know a little bit about what she was hiding, other than the fact that she was seeing another alpha.I think I lash out these days because I’m still angry at Ava. How she tossed years away just like that. It was so easy for her. I couldn’t get the box to open, there was no keyhole either. Which was odd. I threw it at the wall but it only created a dent.I groaned in frustration. Just great. I kept a box that I could not even open, just great. The door to my bedroom opened forcefully, and Avery’s panicked face was the first thing I s
{~~Avery Sterling~~}The problem with getting food from logan’s mother is that she will take the time to show me her displeasure. I think the whole family blocked out that dinner, and the next time I’m invited, I’m coming up with an excuse just not to be there. I refuse to be in that position again. I smiled awkwardly at her, she didn’t have to bring the food over but what else was I expecting?She leveled me with a disgusted stare. “What are you doing here?”“I live here.”“You live here? Why the hell do you live here?”She has either got to be one of the dumbest people on the planet- and I once knew a girl who thought water didn’t contain hydrogen- or she’s being rude. I hope it’s the latter.“We’re married, where else am I supposed to live?”“Unbelievable. How much do I have to give you to leave my son alone?”I sighed. “Can I just have the food? Logan is starving.”Her eyes got darker. “how much? Name your price. What’s in this for you? A car? A good recommendation?”“Can I please
{~~Avery Sterling~~}Another day, no problems. That is what I like. I just don't want to be bothered. Work started off easily, a rarity that I fully intended to take advantage of. The morning was quiet; we didn't have any new patients that urgently needed the medic alpha's attention, which meant I could afford to rest easy, at least for a while. Seizing the opportunity, I decided to delve into some research. My focus for the day was the enigmatic lycanthropy decay syndrome, a condition that has baffled medical professionals and researchers alike. This disease, shrouded in mystery and complexity, had always intrigued me.I spent hours online, meticulously combing through scientific papers and studies on the subject. My goal was to gather as much information as possible so that, when the time came, I could present valuable insights to Logan's team once he officially started it. This condition wasn't something I had the luxury of exploring during my university years. Back then, my time
{~~Logan Grey~~} I may be in a state where I don't even know if I'm working, or just existing. It's a strange limbo, where the lines between duty and mere survival blur, leaving me in a perpetual haze. The catalyst for this descent into emotional fog was the discovery of those letters—tangible evidence that Ava has been cheating on me before she left me. Each letter felt like a dagger, but I could only decipher one since the others were written in a language I didn't understand. Yet, even the single letter I could read was enough to shatter my heart all over again. I love that girl so much. Why the fuck would she do that to me? Was I really not giving her what she wanted? Was the relationship only good to me? Questions swirled in my mind, unrelenting and painful. Why do I even want her to come back? Really? It's a question that gnaws at my sanity. Why? Why am I not thinking of vengeance? Letting her come back and then brutally rejecting her. I blame her parents too. For helping her
{~~Avery Sterling~~}The waterfall is majestic and stunning. Logan suggested we go in naked since we’re the only ones here. I’ll admit, trusting a radically vegan hippie to plan my honeymoon was a bold and disturbing choice. Third year in college she lugged me off to the rain forest where we camped for six weeks so we could connect with the gods who brought us here.It was my worst summer vacation. Six long weeks. But I got so much work done that I felt like I came back even smarter. I love Agatha, but my goodness, her ideas of fun are always nature-like. The lack of wifi is going to kill me, but thank god I got another honeymoon present from Logan’s parents as an apology for the way they acted at the start of my marriage to their son.And that one is for two months on a cruise. We’ll be leaving for that after a week of getting eaten alive by mosquitoes.The water is cold, and the view is even better. I talk alot of crap about Agatha but the woman is far more connected to this world t
{~~Logan Grey~~}My honeymoon is not at all what I expected. It’s one of those situations where you step back and think, How did I not see this coming? But I guess that’s what happens when you go with the flow and don’t plan out every last detail, just trusting that things will fall into place. We decided not to bring Hope with us, even though part of me wanted her to be here. She’s spending the week with my parents—her grandparents—which feels like a huge milestone, not just for her, but for me too. Avery and I wanted this time to ourselves, to really celebrate our marriage without any distractions, to focus on us for a change.We’re an odd pair to most people, and I know some didn’t expect us to last, but we’ve made it work in ways that surprise even me sometimes. Over the last year, we’ve settled into this rhythm that’s become second nature. It’s a good rhythm, one that’s brought us closer, and made us stronger. It’s funny—when you think about it, but it feels like so much longer.
\One Year Later/{~~Avery Sterling~~}So, you know how little girls always dream about their wedding day? It’s supposed to be this big, magical event, where everything falls perfectly into place, and for some, it’s the pinnacle of their dreams, right? But not me. I never had those kinds of dreams. You know how my life was, how crappy my sister and parents treated me. There was never much room in my head for fantasies like that. Growing up, I couldn’t even imagine what marriage would feel like because I was too busy surviving and getting through the mess of my family. But, okay, maybe deep down, I had some dreams. Everyone does, right? I just never thought they’d come true.And marrying Logan Grey—that’s a whole different thing altogether. I mean, when we started planning the wedding, I was so overwhelmed. There were just so many details, and so many decisions, and with everything I’ve been through, I just didn’t have the energy to care about floral arrangements or seating charts. So, I
{~~Avery Sterling~~}The almost-car accident shakes me up more than I expected, but Logan is fine, and I’m fine. It all happened so fast, and yet I can still feel the pulse of my heartbeat in my throat when I think about it. That truck had come out of nowhere. The driver didn’t even slow down. Had I not tripped over that stone while I was looking for a signal on my phone and he’d come to check on me... logan would have died a painful death before my eyes.So of course I was a fucking mess. That driver is crazy. Did he not see the car? Why did the car even stop? What was wrong with the engine? I have like six million questions!He called Ryan to come get us. I was in his arms on the side of the road, watching as other cars drove around the wreckage. They don’t stop but look on surprised at the mess. Whoever that driver was I hope to god his truck breaks down and he’s fired. Because what the hell?He should have at least stopped. Panic fills me but so does anger. The panic wins though.
{~~Avery Sterling~~}Logan and I had left Hope in the hospital. The tiny bundle of life—so fragile, yet resilient—was resting safely in the nursery, surrounded by the quiet hum of machines and the gentle presence of nurses. We’d return tomorrow, once we were sure they’d had time to scan her brain and ensure she was truly safe for release. My heart ached to leave her, but it was necessary. Thank goodness she was a baby, still too young to understand fear in the way that we did. She wouldn’t know the anxiety, the sleepless nights, the never-ending worry. All she knew was warmth and the safety of sleep, cocooned in blankets too big for her tiny form.The snow had started falling again, soft and silent, covering the world in a layer of purity that felt both soothing and unsettling. Logan drove carefully through the winding streets, the heater on low, warming our chilled fingers. We didn’t speak much, but the silence wasn’t uncomfortable. It was the kind of silence that sat between two peo
{~~Avery Sterling~~}I’m back in this beautiful pack, surrounded by familiar faces, and yet it feels so foreign after everything we’ve been through. the rain stopped while I was away and now we have a new season. The landscape is stunning, especially now, with the first snowfall of the season transforming the dense forest and the lake into a quiet, white wonderland. The snow blankets the ground in thick, untouched layers, making the whole world seem calm and serene, but cold—bitingly cold. It's as if the snow carries the weight of my worries. The weather has shifted dramatically over the past few days, moving from endless, gloomy rain to this sudden onset of winter. So, congratulations on freezing my butt off, even with all the layers I'm bundled in.Logan and I had spent last night at the lake house, a place of solace for us, trying to reconnect after everything that’s been thrown at us. It was bittersweet, those quiet moments by the fire, the crackling logs filling the air with warm
{~~Logan Grey~~}Avery is coming home today. Avery is coming home today. I’ve been repeating that sentence in my head for the past 48 hours, counting down the seconds like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. The excitement, the anticipation—it’s all bubbling up inside me, and I can barely sit still. I glance at the clock on my phone for what feels like the hundredth time, knowing it hasn't moved much since the last time I looked but somehow hoping the hands of time have sped up. It's been far too long since I’ve seen her.The air in the terminal is thick with the usual airport chaos—people rushing by, announcements echoing through the speakers, kids whining in the background—but it all fades into the background noise. I’m laser-focused, my heart pounding in sync with the roaring engines of planes outside. She’s been gone for weeks, and though it wasn’t that long, it feels like an eternity. We’ve been working tirelessly on the cure—sleepless nights, constant research, trial and error.
{~~Avery Sterling~~}Agatha and I had been at it for hours, possibly days, though the passage of time had become something of a blur in the dim, candlelit room. The air was thick with the scent of dried herbs and burning incense, their heady aromas mixing in a way that both calmed and invigorated me. I had never spent so much time in the presence of a witch doctor before—not like this, not in such an intimate setting where every movement, every word, every breath was part of a delicate and complex dance of life and death.I’d seen witchcraft before. In university, we had a professor who dabbled in the ancient arts, using it to enhance her knowledge of medicinal plants and natural remedies. It’s why i wished I’d been chosen to be a doctor, it would be so nice to be able to do so much than what a nurse can. But even she had never worked with the sheer precision and raw power that Agatha wielded. It was... mesmerizing. I couldn’t help but be drawn in, watching her every move, the way her
{~~Logan Grey~~}Two days without Avery isn't an eternity, but it sure feels like a long time. I’m surviving, or at least I think I am. Tonight, I’m having dinner at my parents' place, and the whole family is here to celebrate the newborns. Felix’s child, Marley, and my daughter, Hope. It feels good to be around everyone, even if my mind keeps drifting to Avery. The house is buzzing with laughter and chatter. The babies are in their playpen, tapping at toys, oblivious to the joyful chaos around them. My parents are practically glowing as they fawn over their grandkids, doting on every little coo and babbling like they’re treasures.I sit back in a rocking chair, watching the scene play out before me. My brothers are in the kitchen, joking around while they cook, and their wives are on the couch, chatting and laughing. And Ronan’s children are lying on the floor coloring something. It’s one of those moments that feels picture-perfect, like a scene out of some old family movie. Even Rya