by Emilia Rose
Rogues hadn’t sniffed around these parts for seven years, when they had tore Mom’s heart right out of her chest, when they had taken Dad from me, when they had ruined my life. And now, suddenly, they were back.
Light from Isabella’s room glowed through her curtains. I growled lowly. Nothing would take her away from me. I’d do anything to keep her safe. Anything.
No more regretting this decision. This was the right one. This would always be the right one. I just had to get her to see that she meant more to me than she thought she did.
Chapter 14
Isabella
Early Monday morning, Mom peeked into my room with a soft smile on her face. “Morning Sweetie, I’m heading to the hospital. Would you like to come with me today?”
I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to see him passing by. I didn’t want to hear his voice. I didn’t even want to think about him, but I couldn’t stop. Every single night this weekend, I sat by the window, staring at the Moonflowers glowing off of the curtains. I just wanted to peel them open to see the moon, to find some comfort in the forest, but I couldn’t get myself to do it.
Without the light from the moon, the Moonflowers didn’t glow as brightly. They were dull and their leaves felt brittle and I couldn’t stop thinking about that sinister look on his face when he told me I’d be a nurse for the rest of my life.
I gnawed on the inside of my lip and sunk deeper into my grey sheets, fiddling with the keychain. “No.”
She sat next to me on the bed, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and drawing me closer to her. “Maybe this is a blessing in disguise, Izzy,” she said. I shook my head, a stupid tear falling from my eye.
This wasn’t a blessing. The Moon Goddess wouldn’t even call it a blessing. She’d call it a mistake. To have one of the wolves born under the Wolf Moon become a nurse and not a warrior. It was wrong.
Pups who were born under the Wolf Moon in January were thought to be the best warriors in a pack. It was prophesied that these wolves had the strength that the original werewolf had been granted and even possessed powers close to that of the Moon Goddess.
“Your father and I work at the hospital… maybe Alpha Roman thought this was the best for us.”
“No,” I said through clenched teeth. “He just wanted to watch me suffer.”
She furrowed her brows together. “Now, why would he do that? He’s dedicated to this pack and has been since he was fifteen. He wants to keep everyone happy.”
No, he wanted to keep the Roman in his pants happy.
She sighed and rested her head on mine. “Come on, Izzy. Assignments start today.”
“I’m not going to the hospital, Mom. I don’t belong there. I should be training with the pack right now, not sitting in the hospital bored out of my mind.”
After pulling me into another hug, she stood. “Please think about it, Sweetie.” She smiled and tossed a pillow at me, her blue eyes as bright and lively as the moon. “Cheer up… can’t have you sad on your birthday! It’s just a few days away! Maybe you’ll find your mate.”
If she said that one more time, I would probably scream. All weekend she’d reminded me of my special day. But—truth was—I didn’t care about the fact that my birthday was days away and that I might find my mate.
When the front door shut softly behind Mom, I rolled onto my side. Though today was the first day of assignments, I literally couldn’t pull myself out of bed to go. It wasn’t just my inner-brat making me feel bad. I felt terrible, my insides were turning over and over, shriveling up, squeezing me tightly, making it hard to breathe. I dedicated my whole life for one moment, but he didn’t think I was good enough for it.
My wolf wouldn’t even let me think of his name. She had cried for most of the weekend, made me curl up in my bed and think about everything that I could’ve done to please him. Made him like me more. Stop being such a brat. Acted like I didn’t hate him with all my guts.
Fuck him. I did hate him with all my guts.
My wolf whimpered, the rejection from our alpha hitting hard.
No, we would not sulk any longer. We would run, run through the woods, feel the wind in our fur, inhale the sweet aroma of the forest. Then go to the hospital.
After changing out of my clothes, I ran out of the house and shifted into my wolf. With the dirt against my paws and the breeze blowing through my fur, I sprinted into the woods, going off any path that our pack had made within the forest.
This was what I needed. For the whole weekend, I refused to let my wolf run free; I punished her for Roman’s stupid decision. But I was done with that.
She had done nothing wrong. Together we had failed, not just her.
The blazing sun shined through the trees on us. I let out a small howl and jogged to the packhouse. From the trees, I watched the warriors finish their last run of the day. I had watched them since I was just a girl, but this time it was different. This time I had no hope of becoming one of them. I was empty.
All the wolves ran toward the clearing right behind the packhouse, even Vanessa, who was a hundred feet behind everyone else.
When they had all shifted, I frowned, not seeing him. Suddenly his minty scent drifted into my nostrils. He was close to me. I clenched my jaw and sprinted back through the woods. Paws hitting the ground. Branches scraping my legs. Leaves falling around me. I ran fast but not fast enough.
His scent followed me, and I knew he was hot on my tail. I pushed myself faster. He growled viciously, and his voice rang through my head, commanding me to stop. But I didn’t.
He clamped down on the back of my neck with his canines, latching right into my flesh. I squirmed in his grip, my skin tearing. Before I tore myself away, he sunk his teeth deeper in my muscle, into the one place that alphas could to make any wolf shift, until I unwillingly transformed back into my human.
When he shifted, he gazed down at me, green eyes hard. “Why aren’t you at the hospital? Your assignment started today.”
“Fuck off,” I said, grasping the back of my neck to stop the blood.
“Rethink your next words, pup.”
“I said, ‘Fuck off.’”
He snatched my throat in his hand and pushed me against a tree. “I order you to go to the hospital. Your assignment started today.”
“I don’t belong at the hospital.” I ripped myself out of his grip. “I belong out here.”
After snatching my neck again, he held me still. “You will go to the hospital and you will not complain to me again. Do you understand? That is an alpha’s order.”
Blood rolled down my neck—the bite hurting—but his scent and the feel of his fingers soothed my wolf.
They might’ve soothed her, but they didn’t sooth me. “You should know by now that I don’t listen to any orders you give me,” I said. “I never have and I never will, especially after what you’ve done.”
The thought of becoming a rogue crossed my mind for the briefest moment. Going solo? Living out in the woods? Killing rogues by myself to keep everyone in Roman’s pack safe? It was more than tempting.
“The other night you followed my orders, didn’t you?” He stepped closer to me, pushing me against the tree, his minty scent so damn strong. “And I gave you exactly what you needed.” His other hand traveled down my bare body and brushed against the front of my aching clit. “Be a good girl and do it again.”
I swore under my breath, trying to keep my mind clear. He knew exactly—exactly—what would get on my nerves.
“Stop, Roman,” I said. I pressed my knees together, feeling the wetness pool between them. Damn my fucking wolf for enjoying this torture. Damn her.
He rubbed me harder, and I almost let out a moan. Almost. His face was buried into the crook of my neck, his canines poking against my soft spot. My core pulsed violently, the pleasure building higher and higher.
Fuck. I squeezed my eyes shut. I didn’t like this. I didn’t like this. I didn’t like this.
But I did.
; It felt so fucking good to feel good after what happened on Friday. I didn’t want him to stop, but I would not give him any kind of satisfaction, would not let him get away with this. So, I grabbed his wrist and pulled it away from me. “I said, ‘Stop.’”
Roman paused, raised his brows in shock, and parted his lips. His eyes were a mix of gold and green and his canines lengthened even more as he struggled to stay human.
Sure, I had pushed him away before, but this was different.
I took a deep breath, seeing his large canines. If I wasn’t angry, I’d probably be turned on. “Don’t touch me ever again,” I said. “If you wanted me, you should’ve kept me around, but you pushed me away so I’m not dealing with this anymore.”
I mustered up the courage I had left and shifted back into my wolf, running further into the forest.
Within a few minutes, Roman would have wolves tracking my scent because I had left pack grounds without his permission and had blatantly refused to go to work. But I didn’t give a shit.
The sun burned brightly above me, making my fur warm. I didn’t know how far I had gone; I just ran until I heard branches snapping behind me.
After sprinting even faster through the woods for another ten minutes, I hoped that I had lost the wolves Roman had ordered to follow me. I stopped at a small stream and stuck my nose into the water to drink.
More tree branches snapped.
A large wolf with rich brown fur stood at the edge of the forest. I lifted my head and stared at him, wondering if he would approach me. There was a large scar that cut through his fur near his throat. I didn’t recognize his wolf or his scent.
He slowly stalked toward me, his head low like he would pounce at any moment. I growled, warning him to stay away, but he continued to advance. I lowered into a stance that resembled his, waiting for him to make a move so I could end his life.
Though he was bigger than me, I would kill him if I needed. All he had to do was leap toward me and I’d sink my canines into his neck and let the blood rain down on both of us.
After baring his teeth, he growled, the sound rumbling throughout the forest. Yet he made no move to attack. It was as if he was trying to frighten me.
Suddenly, he shifted into his human. My eyes widened, noticing the tattoo of a wolf on the back of his hand. The Lycan from practice the other day. What was he doing here? Did Roman send him to come find me and bring me back?
The man stared down at me, lips pressed into a line, and nodded. “Shift.” Voice full of authority and a presence that vied for obedience, he waited for me more patiently than Roman ever had.
I stood to my feet, shifting to my human, and covered my body with my arms.
He looked behind me. “Carrie,” he said. Another wolf walked out from behind a tree with clothing between her teeth. She placed them at his feet and bowed her head. After dismissing her, he grabbed the clothes and handed me a t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts that were oddly my exact size.
“What’s going on?” I asked, tugging on the clothes.
“I need to talk to you, Isabella.” He walked to the stream and motioned for me to follow. I furrowed my brow at him, unsure if I should trust him or not. Where did he even come from? And how did he know my name? “Are you coming?”
I pressed my lips together and followed him, trying to keep my distance. His authority over me far surpassed any wolf I had ever met, yet there was something about him that I couldn’t quite place.
“My name is Ryker,” he said. “I am the leader of the Lycans.”
“Okay…” I said, nodding my head slowly. What did this have to do with me? I couldn’t be a Lycan now that Roman had assigned me as a lousy nurse.
“You have tremendous skills. I believe that you will be a great addition to the Lycans.”
I stopped walking and gaped at him. “Me?”
When he smiled, my breath nearly caught in my throat. Despite the scar on his neck, his eyes were light and so refreshing. “Yes, you.” He chuckled and placed a hand on my back to guide me forward.
“I-I can’t,” I said. “I don’t meet the requirements.” Something else that Roman took away from me. “I’m not a warrior wolf.”
He tapped his fingers on the middle of my back, and it was soothing. “We are willing to overlook this. Based on your stats, you should’ve made the cut. You’re ranking just under Beta Cayden and if you had proper training, you’d rank higher than Alpha Roman. I’m not sure why you weren’t assigned as a warrior, but we think you’d do perfectly as one of us.”
I felt both intense anger and pride. Based on stats, I could rank higher than Cayden—the goddamn beta! I couldn’t believe it. It was crazy to think that was possible. On the other hand, I was furious that Roman assigned me as a nurse. I didn’t know why I doubted myself this morning; I didn’t know why he doubted me.
“Since you are not eighteen yet, we can’t extend a formal invitation to join us, but we want to invite you to our pack to have a tour and learn more information about this position. And, if you find that you enjoy who we are and how we operate, we will have you complete a test-mission on your eighteenth birthday. If all goes right, we’ll extend you an invitation to commit to us for a year. Does this sound like something that would interest you?”
“Yes! Yes!” I didn’t hesitate. This was my chance. “Oh, my gosh. I can’t believe this.” My heart was pounding against my chest. The Moon Goddess had answered my prayers. Maybe Roman assigning me as a nurse was fate. I was meant for greater things.
“Good.” He flashed me a breathtaking smile. “For now, I need you to keep this a secret between me and you. Go to your assignment at the hospital, stay off of your alpha’s radar. You are welcome to visit us in two nights from now. I will retrieve you from your pack at approximately 12AM. But if Alpha Roman finds out—”
“I know,” I said. He wouldn’t let me go. He wouldn’t even think about it. I knew exactly how he would react, so I would keep it a secret and lie to my alpha.
I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. He sure as hell didn’t mind disrespecting me on Friday.
Chapter 15
Isabella
“Isabella.” Dr. Jakkobs stood behind the hospital's front desk, lips parted in disbelief. He excused himself from his conversation with a nurse and walked toward me. “I didn’t think you’d show up.”
The hospital was a bleak white color and an eerie kind of silent, the kind that reminded me of the moments right before Roman’s father ran into the building with Luna Raya dead in his arms, desperate for someone to help him. I drew my fingers across the desk and frowned. I hadn’t been back since. Too many heartbreaking memories haunted these halls.
I gave Dr. Jakkobs a soft, trying smile. “Well, I’m here.”
If I had the option, I would already be at the Lycans. But, unfortunately, I was stuck in this prison that reeked of blood and bleach.
Just a couple days, that’s what I had repeated to myself on the way here this morning. A couple days. A couple fucking days of torture. Then I could leave Alpha Roman behind.
My wolf whimpered, but I shook her out of my thoughts. She wanted his attention, but so did I. We wanted—needed—it, but we couldn’t anymore. Maybe there would be someone else in the Lycans who caught our eye. Maybe he wouldn’t be such an asshole. Maybe he would actually respect me.
I followed Dr. Jakkobs through the empty hospital halls to his office. Mom and Dad were in a room examining Mr. Beck who had fallen over Derek’s fence the other day after congratulating him for becoming a warrior.
Jakkobs handed me a white doctor’s coat.
“Alpha Roman assigned me as a nurse,” I said.
“He did.” He helped me put the coat on anyway. “But I’m re-assigning you. You’ll work under me until you can take the exam to become a doctor. Let’s just keep this secret ours though. No need to get Roman on my ass for it.”
I grinned and pulled the coat tighter. “Dr. Jakkobs is a rebel.” I shook my head. I never would’ve g
uessed.
After catching me up on everything going on inside and outside the hospital, the practices, and the emergency procedures, he introduced me to a young woman named Rachel. She smiled at me from across a desk in the back, twirling a black pen around her chocolate brown hair. She was a warrior-turned-nurse after realizing that fighting wasn’t for her.
When we finished work, she asked me to get coffee at the Night Raider’s Café, but I declined. It wasn’t useful to start making friends when I was going to leave in a few days. And besides I had one night until I visited the Lycans.
I wanted to spend it some way special and give Alpha Roman a big fuck-you for not respecting me. That would be fun. Really fucking fun.
After tucking my coat into my backpack and promising Rachel that I’d go to coffee with her some other time, I walked back to the house. The dark forest was almost quieter than the hospital; shadows of trees loomed over me.
Hopefully, Roman would run his nightly route through these woods tonight. I hadn’t seen him since my run-in with Ryker yesterday, and the hoe part of me was actually upset. I definitely was not upset and—my wolf—she wasn’t upset either. Not. At. All.
We didn’t care that we couldn’t smell his minty scent drifting through our windows last night. We didn’t care that we didn’t see those golden eyes in the darkness. We didn’t care about him.
Mom and Dad were waiting at the front door to our house for me with huge smiles on their faces. “How’d you like your first day?” Dad asked.
“It was good.”
Mom lowered her voice and clapped her hands together. “We heard that you got a promotion,” she said. I opened my bag to show them the white doctor’s coat. She squealed. “A doctor just like her mama!”
Dad ruffled my hair like he used to when I was five. “What suddenly changed your mind about the hospital?”
I gulped and played with my fingers. “Nothing… I just thought that… I should pull my weight in this pack.”
