Six Years Later

Time, which once felt unbearably slow, now seemed to have passed in a blink.

From a nervous resident whose hands trembled holding a scalpel, I now stood as Dr. Sera Blackthorne, Consultant General Surgeon a fully licensed and recognized specialist.

The title that once felt like an impossible dream was now engraved in brass on my office door.

Dr. Sera Blackthorne.

Consultant in General Surgery

I smiled. I made it.

And more than that, I wasn't alone anymore. Kael Alaric, the Alpha of Stormfang Pack and now my lawful husband had walked beside me through every sleepless night, every exam, every grueling rotation. Our bond had grown stronger than ever. I was his Luna.

Now, after six years, we had returned to my hometown. Kael accepted a position at one of the largest private hospitals in the city a modern facility equipped with the most advanced medical technology in Europe. As for me, I chose to return to the place where my pain had begun, the hospital where I had once left my white coat behind in tears.

I stood in the lobby of that very building, watching as heads began to turn. Familiar faces, familiar whispers.

"Isn't that Dr. Sera?"

"Oh my God, she came back."

"I heard she trained under Professor Kael Alaric himself."

I smiled faintly. Let them talk. I was used to whispers, and they no longer had power over me.

My first day began with an emergency case a patient with severe abdominal trauma. The surgical team was in chaos, unsure who would take the lead.

"I'll take this case," I said calmly as I entered the theatre.

All eyes turned toward me. Some skeptical, some startled. But when I slipped on my sterile gloves and took the scalpel, all hesitation vanished. My movements were confident, precise, methodical. The room fell silent, replaced only by the steady rhythm of my voice giving orders.

The operation was a success. The patient survived. When I stepped away from the table, one of the junior doctors whispered, "She's brilliant even better than Dr. Lucian."

That name, Lucian.

I knew, sooner or later, our paths would cross again and sure enough, as I stepped into the corridor, there he was tall, still in his immaculate white coat, with the same cold presence that had once drawn me in, Dr. Lucian.

He stopped dead in his tracks, his blue eyes widening.

"Sera?"

I stood straight, my tone neutral. "Dr. Lucian."

Without another word, I walked past him and into my office. Moments later, a knock sounded at the door. I was reviewing a post-op report when it opened without waiting for a reply. Lucian entered.

I didn't stand. I simply folded my hands on the desk and looked at him with the calmness of a surgeon who'd seen far worse.

"You came in without permission," I said coolly. "What do you want?"

He took a step forward, his jaw tightening. "Sera, why did you come back here? You know this hospital is under my supervision."

A sharp laugh escaped me. "Your supervision? This is a public teaching hospital, not your personal domain. You're a consultant here, and so am I. One of the senior surgeons resigned unexpectedly, and the board requested me to fill in. I came here for work, not for you."

He was silent.

I continued, my tone sharper now. "I have every right to be here just like you. So don't think you can drive me away because your ego can't handle it."

"You don't understand," he muttered. "Your presence could stir unnecessary attention."

"Attention for who, Lucian? For me, or for you?" I tilted my head slightly. "Are you afraid people will compare us? Or are you afraid they'll realise I've become more than just the Luna you once rejected?"

His eyes flickered, the icy mask faltering for a moment. Regret faint, but unmistakable.

I rose from my chair, standing close enough to meet his gaze head-on.

"Listen carefully. I didn't come here to ruin your life or your precious reputation. I came here for my career, for myself to prove that I can stand where you stand, and even higher."

I grabbed a patient file and walked past him toward the door. Just before leaving, I glanced over my shoulder.

"If you have a problem with me being here, that's your problem, not mine."

But before I could step out, his hand caught my arm firm, familiar, unwanted.

"Let go, Lucian."

"Answer me, Sera. Are you married?"

"That's none of your business."

His jaw tightened. "It is my business. You are..."

"I'm nothing to you!" I cut him off sharply. "You were the one who rejected our bond. You have a wife, a child. Don't you dare try to claim me again."

Lucian froze, his grip loosening as if struck by the weight of his own past. I pulled my arm free, glaring at him.

"Even if I do have someone now, it's no longer your right to know. You lost that privilege the night you rejected me."

"I just want to know," he said quietly.

I laughed a bitter, cold laugh and turned away.

"You don't need to know. You made your choice, Lucian. Now live with it, and let me live mine."

I walked out of the room without looking back. Yes, Lucian. I do have someone now. An Alpha stronger than you a man who stood by me when no one else did and one day, when you finally discover who he is, it won't just haunt you.

It will break you.