Chapter 38
THIRTY-EIGHT
HOLLY
When we get the news that Ryder has been arrested, I already know what will come next. The moment he posted bail and got access to a phone, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who he’d call first.
When I walk into the clinic and spot Greta hovering near the nurse’s station with a pinched expression on her face, obviously waiting for me, I’m not surprised.
“Dr. Chang,” she says, voice carefully neutral. “Dr. Mercer would like to see you in his office. Immediately.”
I nod, not bothering to even set down my bag. “Of course.”
My heart pounds against my ribs as I walk down the hallway, but I keep my spine straight, my steps measured.
Dr. Mercer sits behind his desk, his expression grave as I enter. A manila folder lies open in front of him, and he doesn’t look up immediately. Making me wait. Establishing dominance. Classic alpha power play.
“You wanted to see me?” I prompt, refusing to fidget under his scrutiny.
He finally meets my eyes. “Please, sit down.”
I take the chair across from him, folding my hands in my lap to keep them from trembling. Not from fear—from anger. I know exactly what’s coming, but that doesn’t mean I can avoid an emotional reaction to the unfairness of it all.
“I’ve received a rather disturbing complaint,” Mercer begins, tapping the folder with one finger. “About you.”
“I see.”
“According to this, you’ve been practicing medicine under false pretenses. Claiming to be a beta when you are, in fact, an omega.”
There it is. The accusation lands hard, even though I’ve been bracing for it. I take a breath, steadying myself.
“Is it true?” he asks, though his tone suggests he won’t be interested in anything I have to say.
I consider lying. Consider the years of work, the sacrifices, the dreams that hang in the balance. But I’m tired of hiding.
“Yes,” I say simply. “I am an omega.”
Mercer’s expression hardens. “You do understand the seriousness of this situation? You falsified medical documentation. You lied on your application. You’ve been treating patients while concealing your designation.”
“My designation has no bearing on my ability to practice medicine,” I reply, keeping my voice level. “My academic record and clinical performance speak for themselves.”
“That’s not for you to decide.” He closes the folder with finality. “I’ve been required to forward this complaint to the licensing board. And until their investigation is complete, I have no choice but to place you on administrative leave.”
Despite expecting it, the words still sting. “So I won’t be able to complete my rotation?”
“Likely not.” He at least has the decency to look somewhat regretful. “I’m sorry, Dr. Chang. I actually think you’re quite talented. But rules are rules.”
Rules created by idiot alphas who refuse to live in the twenty-first century, but I keep that observation to myself.
“I understand,” I say instead, rising from my chair. “I’ll clean out my locker.”
“Dr. Chang,” Mercer calls as I reach the door.
I pause, looking back at him. The look of sympathy on his face is surprising, considering the circumstances.
“I hear that we have you to thank not only for correctly diagnosing the children we’ve been seeing, but also for discovering the source of the heavy metal contamination.
For what it’s worth, I hope the board is lenient.
It would be a shame to lose a physician with your potential. ”
I nod once, not trusting myself to speak, and exit his office.
I’m halfway down the hallway when Greta appears at my side, her eyes wide with concern.
“Is it true?” she whispers. “Are they really firing you?”
“Administrative leave,” I correct automatically, though the distinction hardly matters.
“But why? You’re the best resident we’ve had in years.”
I hesitate, then decide there’s no point in secrecy anymore. “Because I’m an omega.”
Her mouth forms a perfect O of surprise. “But how? You smell like a beta—”
“It doesn’t matter,” I sigh, not wanting to delve into the details. “But someone filed a complaint, so…that’s that.”
“That’s not fair,” she says fiercely. “You’re a good doctor.”
“Thank you.” I swallow against the lump in my throat, blinking back tears.
I am a good doctor.
A good, omega doctor.
If the licensing board isn’t smart enough to figure that out, then that says more about them then it does about me.
When I pull into the driveway, I notice an unfamiliar rental car parked behind Noah’s SUV. A sleek black Audi with out-of-state plates. My stomach clenches with unease.
I enter through the kitchen door, setting the box of my belongings from my locker at the clinic on the counter.
Voices drift from the living room, one distinctly female, and I feel a twinge of unease.
This isn’t my house, so I don’t have the right to restrict visitors, but I’m really not in the mood to make small talk with one of the women from town right now.
I take a deep breath, straighten my shoulders, and walk into the living room.
The conversation stops abruptly. Noah and Kai sit on the couch, looking uncomfortable. Grayson stands by the window, his posture tense. And there, perched on the edge of an armchair as if afraid to fully commit to sitting in it, is my mother.
Mei Chang looks exactly as she always does—impeccably dressed in a tailored pantsuit, not a hair out of place, her expression carefully controlled. Only someone who knows her well would notice the tightness around her eyes, the slight downturn of her mouth that indicates displeasure.
“Mom,” I say, the word coming out more like a question than a greeting. “What are you doing here?”
“Holly.” She rises, smoothing invisible wrinkles from her slacks. “Finally.”
My gaze shifts to Noah, hurt and confusion bubbling up. “Did you call her?”
Before he can answer, my mother interjects.
“No one had to call me, Holly.” Her tone is clipped, efficient.
“I have an alert set for any online mention of your name. I saw the medical board complaint as soon as it was filed. Imagine my surprise when I caught the first plane out, drove all the way out to your cabin, only to be told by that lovely caretaker woman that you hadn’t been there in weeks.
She very helpfully gave me directions to this house. ”
The question underlying her clipped tone isn’t one I want to answer. There isn’t any explanation for why I’m living with three alphas that she is going to accept.
“That doesn’t explain why you’re here,” I say, crossing my arms defensively.
“I’m here to bring you home,” she replies as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “
The casual way she says it—as if I’m not a grown woman capable of handling my own affairs—ignites a spark of anger in my chest.
“I don’t want to leave,” I state firmly.
My mother’s expression doesn’t change, but her posture stiffens slightly. “You can’t practice medicine until this board case is resolved. There isn’t anything left for you here.”
I gesture to the men around me. “They’re here.”
Mei releases an impatient sigh. “There are plenty of men in New York, Holly. We can introduce you to someone nice.”
She means someone beta, even if she is polite enough not to come out and say it.
“Not when I’m already bonded.”
For a moment, my mother stands frozen, as if the very air around her has solidified. Her eyes widen almost imperceptibly as the word “bonded” processes in her brain. Then, like a dam breaking, her composure shatters.
“Bonded?” Her voice rises sharply. “What do you mean bonded?” Her gaze darts between the three men accusingly before settling back on me. When none of us immediately answers, her face darkens with understanding. “Which one of you did this?”
She whirls toward Noah, jabbing a finger at his chest. “You! You’re supposed to be a doctor—a professional! You took advantage of my daughter when she was vulnerable!”
“That’s enough!” I step between her and my alphas. “If anyone was taken advantage of here, it’s them.”
My mother blinks, momentarily thrown off her tirade. “What?”
“I was in heat, Mom. They took care of me. They respected my boundaries. They gave me a place to stay when I couldn’t even go back to my own cabin.
” I take a deep breath, knowing I need to own my part in this.
“Noah didn’t bond me against my will. I’m the one who gave him a claiming bite without his consent. ”
The admission hangs in the air between us. My mother looks at me like she’s seeing a stranger.
“You did it?” Her voice is barely above a whisper now, shock replacing anger.
“I did.” I lift my chin, refusing to feel ashamed. “And then I chose to stay. I chose them. All three of them. And they chose me back.”
My mother opens her mouth, closes it, then sinks back into the armchair, her perfect posture crumpling under the weight of my words.
“After all the effort,” my mother says in a hollow voice, staring at her hands folded in her lap.
“All the expense. The herbs. The doctor visits. The lies.” Her voice breaks slightly on the last word.
“And you’re still going to end up like all the other omegas.
A housewife with no independence, no control over your own life. ”
Tears well in her eyes as she looks up at me. “Why, Holly? How can you give up everything you’ve worked for? Everything I sacrificed to give you?”
I move toward her slowly, kneeling on the floor beside her chair and taking her trembling hands in mine. They feel small and fragile, these hands that once seemed so powerful and commanding when I was a child.
“Mom, I’m not giving up anything. I’m going to fight for what I have as hard as I can,” I say softly. “But no career is worth denying who I really am.”
She shakes her head, disbelief etched across her features. “You don’t understand. I know how the world treats us. I wanted you to have the life that I couldn’t.”
“I know you did,” I whisper, squeezing her hands. “But times are changing. And hiding who I am was slowly killing me.”
“Actually,” Kai interjects, stepping forward from where he’s been hovering near the doorway, “Holly might not have to give up anything at all.”
My mother looks up sharply, suspicion replacing sorrow. “What do you mean?”
Kai sits on the arm of the couch, his usual bouncy energy tempered with unexpected seriousness.
“I have a friend from college who actually stayed pre-law and now practices as an employment lawyer. Her firm has been looking for a test case to challenge the legal basis for designation discrimination in the workplace.” He gives me a small smile.
“I told her a little bit about your case and she wants to represent you to the licensing board, Hollipop.”
I stare at him, confused. “How could you have possibly made that happen so quickly? The complaint was just filed yesterday.”
A sheepish expression crosses his face. “I actually called weeks ago. Just in case.”
“Weeks ago?” I repeat, momentarily stunned by his foresight.
He gives a shrug that is obviously meant to seem casual, but his gaze is intent. “As soon as I found out you had to hide your designation, I figured it was only a matter of time before someone found out. Whether it was months or years from now, I wanted to be able to protect your career.”
Noah rises from the couch and moves to sit on the coffee table directly across from my mother.
“Mrs. Chang,” he says, his voice gentle but firm, “I want you to know that all we want is to make Holly happy. None of us wants to see her chained by her designation. We want her to have everything she’s worked for—and more. ”
My mother studies him critically, her years of experience sizing people up evident in her penetrating gaze. After a long moment, she looks at Grayson, who has remained a silent presence by the window.
“And you?” she asks him directly. “Anything to add?”
Grayson doesn’t talk to people he doesn’t know, so I’m not expecting much. But he surprises me by meeting my mother’s gaze without hesitation.
“You should stay with us here,” he says simply. “For a few days, at least. Get to know us. See the town.”
The room falls silent as my mother considers this unexpected invitation. I hold my breath, certain she’s going to refuse and demand I pack my bags immediately.
Instead, she straightens her shoulders, some of her customary composure returning. “This lawyer friend of yours,” she says, turning to Kai. “I’d like to speak with them myself. I have some case law suggestions that might be helpful.”
Kai blinks in surprise, then his face splits into a wide grin. “Of course! Follow me to my office, and I’ll get you a business card.”
Their voices fade down the hallway, and I collapse onto the couch, emotionally drained. Noah gathers me in his arms, lifting me off the floor until we’re settled together on the couch.
“Your mother is... formidable.”
I laugh softly. “That’s one word for her.”
“She reminds me of you,” he observes.
“God, I hope not.”
“Like a dog with a bone when you decide you want something.”
I slap him lightly on the chest. “Oh, stop.”
Grayson’s arm slips around my waist from the other side as he settles beside us. “Not sure which one of you is more terrifying.”
“I can’t believe she worried that we would try to control you,” Noah jokes, squeezing my knee. “If anything, I should be the one worried. I mean, you did take a chunk out of my shoulder without asking permission first.”
I cover my face with my hands, genuinely mortified. “Oh my god, please stop talking.”
Noah laughs, reaching for my wrists and gently pulling my hands away from my face so he can look me in the eye. His expression softens, becoming more serious.
“You know, I’m still waiting for you to ask me to return the favor,” he says quietly.
I blink at him, momentarily confused. “Really?”
“Any time, any place,” he confirms, his thumb brushing over my pulse point.
Behind me, Grayson leans in, his breath tickling the back of my neck as he nibbles at the sensitive skin there. A shiver runs down my spine at the contact.
“Just don’t leave the rest of us out next time,” he murmurs, his voice a low rumble that I feel more than hear.
A wave of warmth moves through my body that has nothing to do with embarrassment. They want to claim me too—to complete our bonds during my next heat.
“Like my next heat?” I ask, my voice coming out breathier than intended.
Noah leans closer, his eyes darkening as he glances at my lips. “It’s a date,” he whispers before closing the distance between us.
His kiss is gentle but full of promise, and I melt into it, momentarily forgetting about my mother just down the hall with Kai. When we break apart, I’m slightly dazed, my thoughts scattered by the intensity of his gaze.
Grayson’s arm tightens around my waist, a silent reminder of his presence, of his claim on me as well. I lean back against his solid chest, feeling completely surrounded and protected by my alphas.