A Healer's Severance, An Alpha's Regret

Thank the Goddess—Lily had barely ingested any of the wolfsbane. Most of it she'd spat out while crying. But she was still terrified, irritable, and weak.

Rowan lowered his stethoscope, his shoulders slumping in relief.

"Goddess... What happened? I thought today was Lily's First Moon Ceremony."

When I didn't answer, he didn't press. He picked up a small pink box from his desk and handed it to me.

"I had an important hunting ritual today—I couldn't make it."

His voice was warm. "This is a gift for Lily."

While I stayed in the observation room with my daughter, Porter’s voice pushed into my thoughts through our mind-link. How is the baby? My parents said you were making a big deal over nothing, running to the healer for something so small.

I didn't reply. I just blocked him.

At one in the morning, I walked into our home, holding Lily.

Blair was standing in the middle of my living room, draped in my most precious silk ceremonial robe. She let out a theatrical gasp when she saw me.

"You're back! I didn't bring a change of clothes, so Porter let me borrow yours. You don't mind, do you?"

"Where's Porter?"

I pretended not to see the way she deliberately let the robe's shoulder strap slide down.

Blair pouted, then picked up my moonlight crystal cleansing cloth and casually wiped her feet with it, parading around the house as if she owned the place.

"He's in the study, on a crystal call with his dad. You look exhausted, Victoria. Give me the baby. I can help you take care of her from now on."

I sidestepped her outstretched hands. "That won't be necessary."

Porter came out of the study just in time to see me recoil from her. His face darkened.

"What did the healer say?"

I placed Lily on the sofa and gently checked her tiny hands and feet.

"She's in shock. An acute stress reaction. They said to keep a close eye on her."

Porter was visibly relieved.

"See? I told you she'd be fine. You had to make a scene—"

I ignored him, looking around the room. "Where's Mrs. Gable?"

She was the human nanny I had hired to care for Lily.

Porter hesitated. "I let her go."

"Blair loves pups. I figured she could help out around here—one of our own is better than paying a stranger."

Blair wrapped the robe tighter around herself and sauntered over, her hips swaying.

"Don't worry, Victoria. I've always been great with pups. The two of you can focus on your work and leave everything to me."

Seeing my stony expression, she let out a small, manipulative laugh.

"Oh, right, right—today was my fault. Let me make it up to you!"

She grabbed the half-empty bottle of moon wine from the coffee table, pretending she was going to chug it as an apology.

Porter snatched it from her. "Come on, you can't handle your liquor."

He scolded, but the fond smile playing on his lips betrayed the words.

Watching their little drama unfold, I picked up my daughter and headed for the door.

It took Porter a moment to react, but he moved to block my path.

"Where are you going in the middle of the night? Can you stop being so dramatic?"

"Dramatic?" I laughed, the sound brittle.

"Your 'friend' is wearing my ceremonial robe, using my cleansing cloth as a doormat, and is about to get drunk while pretending she can look after my daughter."

"Porter, who's the one being dramatic here?"

Blair tossed her hair. "Wow, so possessive? I was just trying to be helpful. Porter, your mate clearly has it out for me. Maybe I should just go."

"Enough!" Porter ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Victoria, she was told off, and she apologized. Can we please just let this go?"

He glanced at the baby in my arms, and his voice softened. "Don't make Lily suffer because of this."

I said nothing. Lily did still have a slight fever. The night air was cold. I couldn't drag her out into it.

"I want Mrs. Gable here by morning."

"Fine, fine! Whatever you want."

I carried Lily into the guest room, where Mrs. Gable's baby supplies were still scattered about.

Porter and Blair stayed in the living room, talking and laughing until well past midnight. Not once did he come to check on us, even when Lily woke up crying.

As dawn approached, I dragged my exhausted body out of bed for the fourth time to check Lily's temperature.

Just then, I heard a giggle from the master bedroom. "Gods, you looked so goofy back then!"

They were huddled together, heads close, holding a pot of ink mixed with withering root and scribbling on something.

It was my family's healing journal, the one I had bound by hand.

Porter had once pointed to the first page, whispering in my ear, "When she's older, we'll tell our pup the story of how her Mom and Dad came together."

Now, on that very same page, in the record of our bonding ceremony, my face was scribbled over with black ink. They had drawn two large X's over my eyes.

And across Lily's first blessing rune, scrawled in jagged black letters, were the words: "Unwanted half-breed."

"What are you two doing?"

Blair jumped, startled. The ink pen left a jagged black line across the rune.

"Oh! You're awake? I thought this journal was cute, so… I got a little creative."

Seeing my expression, she shrugged. "Sorry? Here, I'll wipe it off."

She smeared her palm across the page, turning the beautiful record into a black, ruined mess.

"Give it back!"

I lunged for it. She jerked back, and the sharp edge of the journal's cover sliced a thin cut across her cheek.

"Victoria, what the fuck are you doing?!"

With a low growl, Porter surged forward and shoved me hard.

I staggered back, my spine slamming into the decorative silver inlays on the wall. A searing pain, like venom, burned through my skin, the metal slicing it open.

He didn't even look at me. He knelt to help Blair, pulling her into his arms, his voice tight with concern.

"Blair, are you okay?"

Blair touched her cheek and winced theatrically. "Damn, Victoria, you're strong…"

Porter swept her up into his arms. She let out a small shriek, then buried her face in the curve of his neck.

"I'm taking Blair to the healer. Victoria—you've gone too far this time."

After he left, I felt a dampness on my back. I reached back and my hand came away covered in blood. The silver inlay had left a long, deep gash across my skin.

The blood wouldn't stop, but I felt nothing. Just a hollow, dull ache.

I called Mrs. Gable. "I'm going to the healer. I need you here in five minutes."