Chapter 0004

Morana

I felt something shifting in the atmosphere of the room the moment he muttered something under his breath. I gazed at him and noticed the shift in his mood. The subtle change in the air left me feeling on edge.

His expression, once cold and distant, twisted into a mixture of sadness and anger. His eyebrows were pulled together, and a scowl married his face. The scar on his left eyebrow sliced through the arc, giving his otherwise flawless face a rugged edge. His eyes were clouding over with a distant rage that sent shivers down my spine, anger pouring from him in waves. He radiated power—vast and dangerous.

It was unsettling.

The aura around him was mysterious, dominating, and lethal. The strength pressed against me like an invincible wall, pushing me to surrender to him. Never in my life had I felt something like this before, not even from the alpha. The dangerous energy was emitting from him like a hurricane and suffocating me.

My body began to shiver under the raw power.

Who is he?

This power?

What is this power?

I gazed at him despite the rising tension in the air and refused to surrender with every ounce of courage left in me. His beautiful hazel eyes were radiating brown sun warmed with inner gold. They held a haunting allure, drawing me in instantly. Beautiful and lethal. Only a fool wouldn’t be terrified of the beast I sensed lurking beneath his skin.

I dropped my gaze.

“Do you... remember anything?” I hesitated, breaking the silence and trying to lighten the atmosphere. Those golden-brown eyes locked onto mine, piercing through me. The weight of his gaze made me want to look away, but I held on.

I don’t know whether to ask him or wait since he just woke up after, but I need to know what happened. He said he didn’t remember anything and fell unconscious right after. I just hope he remembers something other than his name.

Which weapon was used to attack?

That will tell me why it took so long for him to heal. He didn’t answer and stayed quiet. I noticed his eyes once again grew distant, his jaw clenching as his face turned hard.

Despite his gruff demeanor and cold exterior, there was an undeniable magnetism to his presence—a raw, untamed energy that pulsed beneath the surface of his stoic facade. He was undeniably attractive, with a rugged charm that spoke of a life lived on the edge of danger and death.

“Please don’t strain yourself if you don’t remember,” I said, pulling him back from the daze. “You got me worried," I said, and immediately his eyes met mine. "When you didn’t wake up, I thought I was going to lose my very first patient.”

I placed the empty bowl on the bedside table and dragged the glass of juice I prepared for him before turning to him. “I’d hate to lose my first patient.” I joked while handing it to him.

I noticed the corner of his lips slightly moving upwards as he took the glass. A smile appeared on my lips as I felt him relaxing a bit. My eyes watched him press the tip of the glass to his pink lips and gulp the contents of it. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed, which drew my attention like a moth to the flame.

“What’s your name?” He asked as he placed the empty glass on the table.

“Morana Ambrose,” I replied, pulling my eyes away from his handsome face. “Before you think that I’m a doctor, I’m not; I am still a student pursuing to become the pack doctor.”

“Morana,” he repeated. His voice was deep, rich, and velvety as he tested my name on his lips. His deep voice seemed to envelop me, wrapping me in a cocoon of sound that held me captive. It was as if he were testing the sound of my name on his lips, savoring the way it felt and the way it echoed in the air between us.

“Why pack, doctor?” He leaned back against the headboard of the bed. His question brought back memories of my parents's tragic deaths. The pain of losing them is still fresh to this day, as are the horrors of the Rouge attack, which tore our pack apart. It was their loss that ignited the fire within me, pushing me to choose this path.

The wounds are still raw, and those memories were too painful to revisit. I couldn’t bear to expose my vulnerabilities to a stranger. "I have always been fascinated by herbs and healing, along with a strong desire to help others," I responded carefully, my voice steady despite the turmoil raging within me.

"I want to be able to help my pack and make a difference in the lives of those around me, to ease their pain and provide comfort whenever possible. Becoming the pack doctor seemed like the best way to do that."

His eyes stared into mine, searching for something I couldn’t name. I noticed a hint of gratitude and something else in his eyes. Before I could tell what that was, he masked it quickly.

“Where are you from?” I asked. He looked away, his eyebrows slightly pulled together, and a frown formed on his face. I noticed him fisting his hands and a nerve popping on the side of his neck.

Fuck, that’s hot.

I desperately tried to pull my gaze away, which was fixed on the nerve on his neck. It seemed like he was struggling.

“Are you alright?” I asked, concerned.

“I...I don’t remember." He admitted it, his voice filled with uncertainty.

I frowned, confused. “What do you mean?”

He sighed, and his gaze met mine. “I don’t remember anything,” he confessed quietly. “My memories... they are all clouded. I can’t seem to remember much of anything about myself.”

As the weight of his words lingered in the air, I felt as if he was hiding something. I felt his words hinting at a story hidden beneath the surface, a secret waiting to be uncovered. Before I could ask anything, a sudden noise broke the silence, startling both of us. His eyes quickly turned towards the door, and his expression turned hard and serious.

Rowan walked into the room with a calm expression on his face. I smiled at him, and his eyes moved, Adrian.

“So you still can’t recall anything at all?” Rowan pressed hard, his tone filled with suspicion.

Adrian shook his head.

“Strange… Doesn’t your wolf remember anything?” Rowan asked. “In most cases, wolves do help.”

“I don’t have a wolf,” Adrian replied.

“What?” I asked, confused.

Adrian gazed at me and said, “I’m wolfless.”

A heavy silence fell in the room, and my brother eyed Adrian with a mixture of distrust and curiosity.

“Let me make something clear, I don’t trust you, Adrian,” Rowan said, his tone harsh. “I don’t know who you are, where you are from, or what you are involved in, but if you’re hiding something, I’ll make sure you regret it.” He continued, his voice dripping with venom. “If I catch wind of any danger coming in my sister's way because of you, you will regret ever stepping foot in this house.”

I noticed Adrian clenching his jaw, but he stayed silent. His gaze remained fixed on my brother, as though he were looking for any sign of weakness in his demeanor.

“I understand,” Adrian responded. “I mean no harm.”

Rowan was about to say something more, but I cut him in. “Brother, you remember my birthday is coming, right? You promised that you wouldn’t miss my birthday this time. What did you get for my birthday?”

Hearing my question, his lips curled into a teasing smirk and his eyes filled with amusement as he replied, “Seems like you’re too eager to find a mate, Morana,” he teased.

I shot a playful glare his way, my cheeks flushing in embarrassment at his teasing. “It’s not what I meant,” I snapped, my voice filled with annoyance. “I just want to give him the time he needs to recover.”

Rowan chuckled, looking at my flushed face, which annoyed me more.

“Oh, please, don’t start with that again. Besides, I’ve already made it clear that I will not accept anyone without your approval,” I said.

He grinned at my response and my annoyance. Adrian quietly watched us, his gaze flickering from me to Rowan, and I noticed something in them. Something similar to the pain of losing and sadness, but before I could read into it, he masked it up with his coldness.

What was that I saw in his eyes?

“I’ll stay until her birthday, then I’ll leave.” He spoke all of a sudden, grabbing our attention.

“What?”