I stood in front of Saint Liora Medical Institute, the country's leading academic hospital and one of the most prestigious surgical training centers in the nation.

After days of travel, I had finally arrived. Here, no one knew me as the rejected Luna. No one knew the tragic story of Sera Blackthorne. Here, I was simply Sera ,a surgical resident about to start over.

The automatic doors opened as I stepped inside. In the lobby, a neatly dressed young woman approached.

"Dr. Blackthorne?"

I nodded.

"Professor Kael has been expecting you. He's waiting in the conference room on the third floor. Please, follow me."

We walked down a corridor far larger and busier than the one in my old hospital. When the office door opened, a tall man in a white coat stood there. His gaze was sharp, his posture firm, his dark hair neatly combed. He studied me from head to toe, as if assessing whether I was worthy of standing in his presence.

"Dr. Sera Blackthorne?" he asked.

"Yes, that's me."

He glanced at the file in his hand. "You've been away from medicine for five years, and now you want to jump straight into a surgical residency at one of the busiest hospitals in the country. Are you sure you can keep up?"

"I'm not just sure, Professor Kael. I'm here not only to learn, but to prove that I still deserve to stand at the operating table."

One of his eyebrows lifted. A faint smile touched his lips not a kind one, but one that showed intrigue.

"Confidence. I like that. Many come here with perfect grades, but few come with that kind of determination. Follow me. You start today."

"Thank you, Professor," I said.

We walked through the hospital's bustling halls. I saw young doctors in blue scrubs rushing from room to room, nurses pushing patient trolleys, and the rhythmic hum of monitors and footsteps echoing around us. It was a world in motion, alive, intense and I loved it.

Kael stopped in front of the observation room. He turned toward me.

"You'll start as an observer this week. Next week, we'll test your skills in the operating room. But remember no one here cares who you were before. Everyone starts from zero. No exceptions."

"That's exactly what I want, Professor," I said firmly.

His gaze sharpened. He studied me for a moment longer before saying, "Don't disappoint me."

My days quickly filled with the brutal rhythm of residency. At dawn, I was already in light-blue scrubs, shadowing surgeries, taking notes on every detail, and practicing procedures in the simulation lab. My hands trembled at first, but soon, the familiar rhythm returned. Each time the scalpel touched the synthetic skin on the practice table, I felt myself coming back to life.

Kael was always there not just as a professor, but as a mentor who watched everything I did. His eyes were sharp when I made a mistake, yet there was warmth when I succeeded. I heard whispers about him: Professor Kael Alaric, Alpha of the Stormfang Pack a powerful and respected leader, both feared and admired in this city.

"Don't expect me to treat you differently just because you're a woman," he said one afternoon after surgery.

"I never asked for special treatment, Professor," I replied.

"That's exactly why I keep my eyes on you, Sera."

At first, I thought it was just a mentor's teasing remark. But over time, I felt something shift. His gaze lingered too long. He stood too close. Sometimes, when he leaned in to correct my hand position, his breath brushed my ear, and my heart skipped a beat.

One night, after a long shift, I sat in the residents' lounge, exhausted but unable to take my eyes off the news flashing on my phone.

"Dr. Lucian Grey Receives the Award for the Most Successful Surgical Record in Howlshade."

The photo showed Lucian standing tall in his white coat, a medal around his neck with Amanda beside him, holding their baby. His smile was wide, his expression triumphant, as if mocking the wound that still bled inside me. My hand shook as I held the phone. It felt like the universe was reminding me once again that I was the one who lost.

How did he end up with everything?

A beautiful wife.

A child.

A shining career and flawless reputation.

And me? I was just Sera the rejected Luna, the woman who walked out of a hospital in tears, now trying to rebuild her life from nothing. I dropped my phone onto the table and buried my face in my hands.

"This isn't fair."

The memories came flooding back, Lucian's cold stare, Amanda's smirk, the cry of that newborn. The pain was still raw, and now it was being rubbed with salt by headlines and photographs.

Then came a knock on the door.

"Sera, I know you're still awake."

Kael's voice. I quickly wiped my tears even though my voice trembled.

"Come in, Professor."

The door opened, and Kael stepped inside, wearing his long black coat. His eyes immediately found mine red and swollen.

"You saw the news," he said simply.

"Yes. I did. I hate to admit it, but I feel like I'm still losing."

"Losing?" he repeated quietly. "You've only just started again after five years away. He has time, a name, and reputation. But you have something far greater the determination to rebuild yourself."

"But he looks happy, Kael. With Amanda. With their child. While I..."

Kael lifted my chin gently with his fingers, forcing me to meet his eyes.

"Listen to me. Life isn't about who looks happy in a photo or on the news. It's about who's still standing at the end. And I promise you this, Sera, you will never fall again. You will surpass him."

"I will," I whispered. "I'll surpass him. Not as his ex-Luna, but as a surgeon far greater than he'll ever be."

Kael's eyes darkened, something unspoken flickering in them. Then, before I could react, he leaned forward and kissed me.

It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was deep, consuming a kiss that stole the air from my lungs and left my mind spinning. I didn't know when admiration had turned into something else, but his presence had always carried that dangerous magnetism.

The kiss grew stronger, pulling me down with him until we both stumbled onto the edge of the bed. My heart raced uncontrollably. But then I stopped.

"Professor, this is wrong," I whispered, breathless.

He looked at me, eyes burning with emotion.

"I love you, Sera. And I want you to be my Luna."