Chapter 17
"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched—they must be felt with the heart." – Helen Keller
Rose's POV
I was sitting in Dr. Danvers office, off to the side where I wouldn’t be in the way. He was talking to a she-wolf who came to figure out why the movement of her pup resting inside her stomach was slower than usual.
“Your baby has fully grown and has almost zero room, that's why you’re feeling less movement these days. But don't worry, he’s alright,” Dr. Danvers said with a kind smile.
“I was really worried,” Mrs. Carmichael, a she-wolf from our pack, said in an apologetic tone.
“You don't need to worry,” Dr. Danvers said and then he turned his gaze toward me and asked,
“Rose, can you pass me the patient’s chart?” Dr. Danvers asked, his voice calm and steady.
I handed it to him, my eyes glancing at the pregnant she-wolf sitting in front of us. Mrs. Carmichael was rubbing her swollen belly, her expression a mixture of joy and apprehension. She was due at the end of this month. Wouldn’t be long now.
“Based on your latest tests and the ultrasound, I’d say you have about three more weeks before we meet your little one.” Dr. Danvers gave a reassuring smile, his glasses glinting against the overhead white lights when he looked up at his patient after reviewing his notes.
Mrs. Carmichael let out a relieved sigh. “Thank you, Doctor. And thank you, Rose, for being here. It’s comforting knowing you’ll be on the pack’s medical team soon.”
I smiled warmly. “It’s my pleasure.”
I looked at the excited face of Mrs. Carmichael. What could be more satisfying than helping my pack? Everywhere else I felt out of place. But here, in this clinic, I felt like I belonged.
Since I was a physician's assistant in training, I was assisting Dr. Danver.
I had to train under a pack doctor and learn some practical knowledge under his expertise to get my certificate.
My goal was, in the future, to take his place and serve my pack as a doctor.
Of course that entailed three years of intense med-school in New York where I would learn how to be a pack doctor, and one year of intense residency training, but it would eventually be worth it.
Being here felt natural. The sterile scent of antiseptics, the faint hum of medical equipment, and the soft murmurs of patients were familiar.
Today was no different.
“So, you have to come again after two weeks for a routine checkup. You already know it's going to be a normal delivery. Are you taking your prenatal vitamins regularly?”
Before Mrs. Carmichael could respond, the clinic doors burst open.
“Doctor! The Alpha—he’s injured!” a pack warrior shouted, breathless.
My heart skipped a beat. I looked toward Dr. Danvers who immediately dropped the chart and strode towards the emergency room. I followed close behind, my heart pounding.
Alpha Aiden sat on the examination bed, his face set in a tight grimace. His right arm hung limply at his side at a grotesque angle, clearly dislocated.
“What happened?” Dr. Danvers asked, already moving to examine him.
Aiden scowled. “We were having a mock battle…and Tony won.”
His jaw ticked. Clearly, he was not pleased to share this information.
I blinked. “You—you lost to Tony and he dislocated your arm?”
Aiden shot me a glare, and then looked away. He was visibly in a bad mood. Tony was strong. He was the pack beta. And Aiden, it seemed, was a sore loser.
Dr. Danvers sighed. “Well, it’s just a dislocation. But it needs to be reset immediately.”
He turned to me. “Rose, help me stabilize his arm.”
I nodded and stepped forward, my hands carefully supporting Aiden’s injured limb. His skin was warm under my touch, his muscles tense beneath my fingers.
“This will hurt,” Dr. Danvers warned before swiftly maneuvering Aiden’s arm back into place.
I winced as I heard the popping of his shoulder back into place, the crunch of bones grating against bone.
Aiden gritted his teeth, but a sharp hiss escaped his lips. My fingers tightened slightly around his forearm. It was a good thing Dr. Danvers was doing this for Aiden. I never could have.
For a moment, our eyes met. He was watching me—not in irritation, not in cold indifference, but with curiosity. Like he had just noticed something about me that he hadn’t before.
When the arm was set, Dr. Danvers wrapped it securely. “You should rest for the rest of the day. No training, no heavy lifting. Go home and rest.”
Aiden scoffed. “That’s not happening. Tony and I need to spar again so I can kick his ass.”
Dr. Danvers pinched the bridge of his nose. “Alpha, you have extraordinary regenerative abilities. But even you need twenty-four hours to be back at full strength. Give your arm time to heal properly.”
“I am the pack alpha. I don’t have time to rest,” Aiden said, his voice leaving no room for argument.
Dr. Danvers sighed in exasperation and looked at me. “You try to make him understand how necessary rest is for him.” Then he left the room, leaving me alone with Aiden.
For a moment, there was only silence as I stood a few feet away from him. If only Dr. Danvers knew I was the last person Alpha Aiden would listen to.
“Sit.” It was a one word command from Alpha Aiden. He patted the spot beside him on the examination table.
I hesitated before finally taking a seat.
“I wasn't expecting you here.” His voice was uncharacteristically gentle. “And I didn't even know you were practicing with Dr. Danvers.”
“I’m training. Like an internship. And you know nothing about me, Alpha,” I sighed.
Aiden knew what I was hinting at. He had never taken any interest in me or my dreams. So, he had no idea what I was up to.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he queried, gaze on me as I stared down at my hands resting in my lap. “Dr. Danvers doesn’t just take on anyone. He only allows the brightest students to train under him.”
He was so close, his hot breath wafted over my cheek.
I finally looked up at him, my green eyes boring into his dark blue ones.
“You never asked,” I replied simply. “And always made your own assumptions.” I shrugged, trying to sound as indifferent as possible. But the truth was, I was the farthest thing from indifferent right now. “I guess…if you never asked, I decided you didn’t deserve to know the truth.”
I braced myself for his anger. Instead, a rueful laugh escaped his lips.
“You’ve got a point,” he chortled, running a hand through his hair. “Ah, Rose…why is it that everytime I look at you, you seem to surprise me with a new facet of your personality?” He stared at me as if I was a puzzle he couldn’t solve.
“Maybe because you’re so bent on ignoring me, you never see what’s right in front of you. It’s in my pack files that I’m interning here,” I retorted with an arched brow.
“You really want to be a doctor for the pack?” he asked, tilting his head slightly, his tone incredulous.
I nodded. “Yes. It’s what I’ve wanted since I moved here. I know I’m not a warrior or a fighter, but this is how I can serve my people. I can save lives, help our pack grow stronger.”
He studied me for a long moment. “I never thought of you like that.”
I blinked. “Like what?”
“Like someone with a purpose.” His tone wasn’t cruel, just thoughtful. “I never imagined you as someone with a drive outside of being luna. And I sure as hell never thought you were seriously interested in being the pack doctor.”
His words should have hurt, but instead, I saw the shift in his eyes—the realization that he had been wrong about me.
“Well,” I said softly, “maybe you never really looked.”
Aiden chuckled under his breath, bringing a hand up to rub his chin thoughtfully.. “Maybe I didn’t.”
There was something almost gentle in his gaze now, something I had never seen before.
After a few moments, he swung his legs over the bed, preparing to leave. “I should—”
Before he could finish, he lost his balance. Probably still woozy from the adrenaline rush.
I moved instinctively, grabbing him by the waist to steady him. His weight pressed against me, his breath ghosting against my neck. My breasts pushed up against his chest, sending a zing of awareness through my body. And then—
His lips brushed my cheek.
It was fleeting, accidental, but the contact sent a shiver down my spine. My breath caught, and I felt heat rise to my face.
Aiden froze too. His hands had found my waist in the moment of imbalance, and now they lingered there, as if he wasn’t sure whether to move away or stay.
I quickly stepped back, looking anywhere but at him. “Uh…you should be careful.” My voice came out softer than I intended.
When I finally dared to glance at him, he was staring at me. Not with his usual frustration or indifference, but with something new. Something unreadable.
His lips parted slightly, like he wanted to say something, but no words came.
I knew Aiden’s type—Lexia was bold, confident, unshaken by anything. But I wasn’t her. I was different, more reserved, more unsure. His hands on my waist made me wonder if he was disappointed at the way his fingers melted into my curves.
And for the first time, he probably noticed how woefully inadequate I was when it came to men.
Finally, he cleared his throat and took a small step back.His fingers tightened on my waist. “Thanks. For helping me.”
I nodded. “Of course.”
Finally, his fingers fell away and the mate sparks sizzling to life disappeared.
He hesitated before turning toward the door.
But as he walked away, I felt as if he was taking a piece of my heart with him.
It would be so easy to hate him if he remained the asshole he always had been.
But he wasn’t. He was willing to acknowledge when he was wrong.
And that reluctant acceptance that his initial assumptions about me had been mistaken were making me fall for this man.
I closed my eyes and leaned against the far wall once Aiden was gone.
“Shit,” I muttered under my breath, realizing I was helpless to fight this pull to him.