Seraphina POV
I didn't sleep that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt his hand around my wrist. Felt that impossible pull in my chest where my broken bond scar burned.
At 8:55 AM, I stood outside Alaric's door again, medical bag in hand, heart hammering against my ribs.
"Just get through this," I whispered. "One more check-up and you can request reassignment."
I knocked twice and entered without waiting for an answer. Professional. Detached. That's what I needed to be.
Alaric was already awake, sitting on the edge of his bed. He'd showered. His dark hair was still damp, and he wore a clean shirt that stretched across his shoulders.
His eyes tracked me the moment I walked in. Brown today, but gold flickered at the edges.
"You're early," he said.
"I'm on time." I set my bag on the table and pulled out supplies, keeping my movements brisk. "How are you feeling?"
"Better." He didn't look away from me. "Much better than I should be."
I ignored the implication and reached for my stethoscope. "I need to check your vitals."
"Of course." He stood and moved closer.
Too close. He was standing too close.
I took a step back. He noticed and something that looked almost like a smile crossed his face.
"You're nervous," he said.
"I'm professional." I gestured to the chair beside the bed. "Sit, please."
He sat, but slowly. Like a predator settling into position. Waiting.
I pressed the stethoscope to his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Strong. Steady. Perfect. I tried to ignore how warm his skin felt through the thin fabric.
"Deep breath," I instructed.
He complied, and I felt his chest expand. I pulled back quickly and moved to check his ribs.
"Lift your shirt."
The bruises from yesterday were already faded to yellow and green. The wounds themselves looked weeks old instead of a day.
"This is impossible," I muttered without thinking.
"That's what I said." His voice was quiet. Controlled. "Want to explain it?"
"Some people heal faster than others." I pressed gently on his ribs, forcing myself to focus on the medical assessment. "Does this hurt?"
"No."
I pressed harder. "This?"
"No."
I stepped back and made notes on my chart, buying myself time. He was fully healed. There was no medical reason for me to keep coming back.
Which meant I could request reassignment today.
Relief flooded through me.
"You're cleared," I said, still writing. "I'll inform Head Healer Thorne that you don't need continued monitoring."
"No."
I looked up. "Excuse me?"
"I said no." He reached for his shirt but didn't put it back on. Just held it. "I want you to continue treatment."
"There's nothing to treat. You're healed."
"I have residual pain." His expression didn't change. "Deep tissue damage takes time."
"You just said nothing hurt when I pressed on your ribs."
"I lied." He tilted his head. "I thought that's what we were doing today. Lying."
My stomach dropped. "I don't know what you mean."
"Don't you?" He stood, and I had to crane my neck to maintain eye contact. "Sit down, Seraphina. We need to talk."
"I'm your healer, not your friend. We don't need to talk about anything except your medical condition."
"Fine. Then let's talk about my medical condition." He gestured to the chair. "Sit. Please."
The please did it again. Made it harder to refuse.
I sat on the edge of the chair, spine straight, medical bag clutched in my lap like a shield.
Alaric sat back on the bed, elbows on his knees, watching me with those unsettling eyes.
"I did some research last night," he said.
My throat went dry. "Research on what?"
"Accelerated healing. Bond sensitivity. Scent abnormalities." He counted off on his fingers. "Want to know what I found?"
"Not particularly."
"There are only three things that can cause the kind of healing you did yesterday." He held up one finger. "Ancient magic, which is banned and nearly extinct." Another finger. "Bond magic from a mated pair." A third finger. "Or an Omega's healing ability enhanced by proximity to their mate."
The world narrowed to a pinpoint. I couldn't breathe.
"I'm not an Omega," I said. The lie tasted like ash.
"Then explain the scar on your chest."
I'd known this was coming. I'd prepared for this.
"It's from a failed bonding." The words came out steady despite the panic clawing at my throat. "I was seeing a Beta during my first year. We tried to bond. It didn't take. These things happen."
"Beta bonds don't leave scars like that." He leaned forward, studying my face. "I caught a glimpse yesterday when your shirt shifted. That's a permanent mark. Beta bonds that fail just fade away."
"You're wrong."
"Am I?" He stood and moved closer. I pressed back in the chair. "Show me then. Prove it's just a failed Beta bond."
"I don't have to prove anything to you."
"No, you don't." He crouched in front of my chair, bringing his eyes level with mine. "But we both know what I saw. And we both know what you're hiding."
I forced myself to hold his gaze. "You saw a scar from a relationship that didn't work out. That's all."
"You're a good liar." He said it almost admiringly. "Your heartbeat barely changed that time. You've practiced this story."
"It's not a story. It's the truth."
"Then why won't you show me the scar? If it's really just a failed Beta bond, there's nothing to hide."
"Because it's personal," I said. "And none of your business."
"Fair enough." He stood and moved to the window, giving me space. But I could see the tension in his shoulders. "Can I ask you something else?"
"Can I stop you?"
"Probably not." He turned back to me. "Does it hurt? When I'm near you?"
The question caught me off guard. "What?"
"Yesterday, when I touched your wrist. You cried out like I'd burned you." His expression was unreadable. "Does being near me cause you pain?"
I thought about lying again. But something in his face stopped me. He looked almost worried.
"Sometimes," I admitted quietly. "But not the way you think."
"Then how?"
"It's not your fault."
"But it happens when I'm near you."
"It happens regardless." I picked up my bag. "I really need to go."
"One more question." He stayed by the window. "The Beta you were bonded to. The one you say didn't work out. What happened to him?"
My throat closed. I couldn't speak around the sudden grief that choked me.
"He's gone," I finally managed. "And I don't want to talk about it."
Something shifted in Alaric's expression. Understanding. And something that looked like anger.
"Someone hurt you," he said. It wasn't a question.
"Life hurt me." I moved toward the door. "But I survived. Now I just want to finish my training and move on."
"Is that why you hide?" He followed me across the room. "Why you keep everyone at arm's length?"
"I'm not hiding. I'm protecting myself." I reached for the door handle. "There's a difference."
"Seraphina." His hand landed on the door above my head, not touching me but blocking my exit. "Whatever happened to you, whoever hurt you, you don't have to keep running."
"I'm not running. I'm being smart." I looked up at him. "Not everyone gets a second chance. Some of us just get scars."
His jaw tightened. For a moment, I thought he might argue. Instead, he stepped back.
I opened the door, relief flooding through me.
"Seraphina."
I paused but didn't turn around.
"I'm requesting you as my permanent healer." His voice was calm. Steady. Absolute. "You start tomorrow. Dawn."
I spun around. "No. You can't do that."
"I can. And I did." He crossed his arms. "Already sent the request to Thorne this morning. She approved it ten minutes ago."
"I'll refuse."
"You can try." He tilted his head. "But she'll just order you to comply. You know how she is."
He had me trapped and he knew it.
"Why are you doing this?" The question came out desperate. "What do you want from me?"
"Answers." He moved closer, and I backed into the doorframe. "I want to know why my wolf recognizes you. Why touching you feels like coming home. Why every instinct I have says you're mine to protect."
"I'm not yours. I'm not anyone's."
"Then prove it." His eyes were gold again. Completely gold. "Spend time with me. Let me get to know you. If there's really nothing between us, you have nothing to worry about."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then I'll start asking questions." He leaned in close enough that I could smell cedar and night air. "Loud questions. Public questions. About Beta bonds that leave permanent scars. About healers with impossible abilities. About second-year students who smell wrong."
My blood turned to ice. "You wouldn't."
"I don't want to." His voice dropped lower. "But I will. Because something is happening between us, and I need to understand it before it destroys me."
I stared at him, trapped between the door and his overwhelming presence. His eyes searched mine, looking for something I couldn't give him.
"Tomorrow," he said softly. "Dawn. Don't be late."
I yanked the door open and fled into the hallway. My hands shook as I walked away, my medical bag banging against my leg.
Behind me, I heard his voice one last time. So quiet I almost missed it.
"Run all you want, little Omega. My wolf has already decided. And he doesn't give up what's his."
I froze mid-step.
He knew.
He'd just called me Omega.
Out loud.
Where anyone could have heard.
I turned back slowly, fear and fury mixing in my chest.
But his door was already closed.
And I was left standing in an empty hallway, my entire world crumbling around me.