My day starts off well. Since I tacked a lot of work on Friday, there isn't too much to do. I only have one patient before lunch. I look so relaxed today that Stella, the clinic's technician, asked me if I was feeling well. Even Chaney was disturbed to find me pleasant all morning. Apparently, my natural state is a resting bitch face and I'm so foul that they suspect I eat children for breakfast.

All was well until I got a text from my mother telling me she's visiting. She's already on her way to The Ocean pack, and she only texts me when she's a day away so I'm forced to cancel plans and accommodate her.

When my resting bitch face returns, everyone in the office seems to sigh with relief.

I sit on my office and wait for my next patient to come in. It's another pregnant female. It seems like something's in the air. I'm half-tempted to buy an oxygen mask. Unlike what Chaney and the other staff members think, I like children and can confirm that I don't eat them for breakfast. That being said, I'm not ready to be a mother.

She walks in with her partner, and I jump into professional mode. She's a little older— thirty-three, and her baby bump is beginning to show. I'll have to refer her to the gynecologist.

"So, is there anything else I should add to your notes?" I ask at the end of the appointment.

"No. That will be all," she smiles brilliantly.

"Great. Here are the details of your referral." I print the sheet and hand it to her.

Her eyes scan the paper, and her smile melts off her face. "What the fuck is this?" she waves the sheet.

"Uh, paper?"

She slaps it on my desk, and my eyes skim over the information. Oh, I see. I accidentally handed her the referral sheet for Anja, the other pregnant girl that recently visited.

"My mistake. That's the information of another patient."

"Be more careful!" she snaps at me, and cups her baby bump as if hiding behind it. She's wrong if she thinks being pregnant gives her a pass to be a bitch, but I will not blow her disrespect out of proportion. I'll just let this go, because lunch is calling my name.

"Anja..." her partner says. "She's, uh..." he clears his throat. "She's keeping her pregnancy?"

How does he know about that? Anja is keeping her pregnancy a secret.

He must see something in my expression, because he adds, "I told her I would support her no matter what."

Well, toss me on the patient's bed and fuck me harder than Kaden did. I don't believe my ears. This guy knocked up both women! He's telling Anja into aborting her pregnancy, but clearly more invested in this other female.

No, Kenna. Don't get involved. You woke up today and chose peace over violence, my conscience says.

"I didn't choose peace. I chose pieces," I mumble.

"Excuse me?"

I shake my head. "Nothing. Anyway, I can't disclose the personal information of my patients. If you'd like to know about Anja, please ask her yourself."

"Well, you had no issues showing me her information sheet," the female says. She slaps her hand on my desk again. The desk I have a tendency to tap my pen against when I'm irritated with work. How dare she mistreat my desk? That's my thing.

"That was a mistake. I apologise. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"We will not be coming back here!" she declares.

Well, of course not. That's the point of the referral.

I rub my temples. Maybe I'll tap my desk with my head instead of a pen next time.

"Let's go, baby."

The two leave the office, and all is well in the world again.

I think about my discovery. If this guy knocked up both women and is lying to Anja to convince her to abort, then he's an asshole, but it's not like he committed a crime. I don't think there's anything I can do but remind Anja that she has a support system.

I think about my possibilities until my alarm goes off and I realize it's lunchtime. I take a break, finish work, and then rush home to clean up my cabin.

My mother, Grace, can see a speck of dirt a mile away. I'm more familiar with her nostrils than her eyes because she always has her nose in the air, scoffing at everyone below it. My childhood was full of criticism and backhanded compliments. She decided who I hung out with, what my hobbies were, and what I wore. My first act of rebellion was becoming a doctor and moving away from my old pack.

My father was always more laid back, but my mother's word ruled. She's a beautiful black woman. With my father being white, I have tanned skin. I inherited mother's tightly curly hair, brown eyes, and apparently, my bitchiness.

I've tried to distance myself and become independent after so many years of living as a puppet, but I have no interest in cutting ties. My upbringing could have been worse, I guess. I'm still grateful for being fed and protected.

After a few hours, the cabin is so clean I could eat off the floor. I hid all traces of my smut novels. Mother would leave the pack in a casket if she knew I read such colorful stories.

I text her goodnight, and sleep like a rock.

– • –

"You haven't been using the eye cream I sent you. I can tell. They look awful."

"Hello to you too, mom."

We embrace. It's early in the morning. I had to cancel a meeting since I'll start work late today, but my mother expected nothing less.

"Well," she fans herself. "Show me around, then. Let's see why you chose to move to this pack, of all places."

I give her a tour of the grounds, starting with the clinic. She doesn't look impressed by my cabin, and makes sure to remind me I would be much better off if I became the wife of the politician she wanted to arrange me with.

We pass a group of young men, some shirtless, and she pats my arm. "Are you seeing anyone, Kenna? You should be searching for your Chosen instead of lingering in that infected clinic all day."

"No."

"Why not? You should get close to a powerful man."

I got pretty close to Kaden. So close, in fact, that he's well-acquainted with my intestines. If my mother knew this, she would stop at nothing to get us together because she's a money-hungry pirana, and Kaden is loaded with more than thick, overly fertile semen. The man is a rich eligible bachelor, so he's a fantastic candidate to become her son-in-law.

I walk past the pack house, and of course, Kaden decides to grace my baggy eyes with his presence. My mother notices him instantly. Of course she does. He shines like a bar of gold.

"Kenna," she whispers, pinching the skin on my wrist. "Is that your alpha?"

"Yes." And he's walking toward us.

"Good day, doctor." He looks at my mother and smiles. "And hello to you too, ma'am."

My mother's breath hitches as if he just saved three kittens, ten elders, and twenty children from a burning orphanage while carrying them all on his back while being blindfolded and injured.

"Good morning, Alpha. This is my mother, Grace."

My mother looks so excited; the split image of me flipping through an unholy story.

Damn, I can't wait to finish chapter forty-three.

"Lovely to meet you, Alpha Kaden." My mother bats her eyelashes. She looks ready to risk it all for a shot at this man.

Get in line, mom.

"Likewise," he replies pleasantly.

"I hope Kenna has been working well."

Kaden's eyes find me. "Oh, yes. She's a good girl. Most of the time."

Is he hinting at our arrangement? Fuck. Our relationship is supposed to remain confidential. I won't hear the end of it if my mom finds out we're messing around. He's playing a dangerous game. I don't like this. He was supposed to relieve the stress in my life, not multiply it.

"We should go." I tug at my mother's hand, desperate to get away.

She stands her ground. "Don't be rude," she chastises and looks at Kaden apologetically. "Forgive her, Alpha. She's not very tight-lipped."

He chuckles and glances at my pelvis. My mother doesn't notice because she's glaring at me.

"Not tight lipped? Could have fooled me."

Bastard! He's reminiscing how tight my pussy was around him.

I glare at him and walk away. It's best if I put distance between us before I say or do something stupid.

"Don't make me chase you, Kenna," he commands loudly.

I should listen. Giving my back to a feral man like this is a challenge, but giving him my face will also be a challenge. It's better if I keep my sassy mouth far away.

Some pack members have tuned in. They're watching the exchange, expecting it to escalate. I'm half-tempted to shift and run, but Kaden wouldn't be able to hold himself back then.

I only make it a few feet away before my world is flipped upside-down. I hear the whoosh of wind in my ears and quickly realize that's simply the gasp of pack members and my mother.