Chapter 2
“Stop crying already. Let me get the medicine.“”
Esmond’s voice was gruff, but his fingers brushed my head with a gentleness that was painfully familiar. He got up to fetch the first aid kit, muttering to himself as he went.
“Look at you–such a big girl but still crying like a pup. What would you even do without me, huh?”
I stared blankly at the angry red burn on my wrist, his words cutting deeper than he realized.
“Yes, I’d been spoiled for a full seven years. What would I do without him?” I echoed
silently.
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I whispered to myself, “But, Alpha Esmond, I don’t want you anymore. I don’t want this fake love.”
That night, sleep was impossible. My dreams were a battlefield of his face, Carly’s smirk.
I woke drenched in sweat.
Before dawn broke, Esmond yanked me out of bed like a child late for training.
“What the hell, Esmond!” I groaned, trying to shove him off, but he just chuckled, leaning in close.
“Morning, Sleeping Beauty.”
He planted a quick kiss on my lips before I could react. It took every ounce of my
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Chapter 2
+ 5 Points
willpower not to slap him right there. Instead, I wiped my mouth furiously, glaring at him.
“Really? You couldn’t let me sleep in for once?”
“You had a fever last night,” he said, completely unfazed by my scowl. “We’re going to the Red Moon Pack hospital. Get dressed.”
I wanted to argue that I felt fine, but his tone left no room for negotiation. So, I grumbled my way into some clothes and followed him.
The hospital smelled like antiseptic and wolfsbane–a combination guaranteed to ruin anyone’s mood. But things got worse when we ran into *her*.
Omega Carly.
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She was hobbling awkwardly down the hallway, clutching the wall for support.
My wolf bristled immediately. “Does she always have to show up like a bad plot twist?”
Esmond’s entire demeanor changed in an instant. The warmth in his eyes turned to panic as he rushed over, leaving me behind.
“Carly, what happened?” he asked, concern dripping from his voice.
Carly, ever the actress, gave him a soft smile before glancing my way. “Oh, just a little sprain. What a coincidence running into you two here”
Esmond stiffened, like a pup caught sneaking treats.
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He glanced back at me, his voice suddenly cold. “Yeah, My sister Nancy had a fever, so I brought her in for a checkup.”
There it was. “Nancy, my little sister.” His favorite lie.
From the moment Alpha Esmond decided not to go public with our relationship, he introduced me as his friend’s little sister, someone he was helping to look after.
Only his closest friends knew of our true relationship.
I bit my lip, saying nothing as Carly nodded. “She’s staying at your place, right? Of course, you have to look after her.”
She gestured vaguely toward another clinic. “I need to head over there.”
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The words weren’t even out of her mouth before Esmond scooped her up in his arms, his attention fully on her.
“I’ll take you. Nancy, wait here.”
And just like that, he was gone.
My wolf snarled. “You’re not his damn sister. You’re supposed to be his mate.”
I leaned against the wall, too drained to argue, even with myself. Watching Esmond with Carly was like being clawed apart piece by piece.
Dragging myself to my own clinic, I was greeted with bad news. My fever was blazing at 47.3°C, the burn was infected, and my recent emotional stress had tipped me to Severe moon fever.
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Habit kicked in, and I reached out to Esmond through our telepathic link. But I stopped myself just before the connection formed.
“No. Not this time.”
I laughed bitterly, the sound hollow in the sterile hallway. Habit was a cruel master, but I was done being its slave.
Clutching my prescription, I made my way to the IV room alone, my wolf silent but watchful.
“We’ll heal,” she said quietly. “But not with him.”
