KENNA

He pulls back, needing to see my expression. I look tired, while he looks solemn.

"We'll address the transfer shortly. First, you need to tell me what's bothering you."

"I—"

"Tell me. We're not doing the typical back-and-forth bullshit."

Fine, then. The faster we cover all bases, the faster I can go home.

"The girl that committed suicide, Anja, confessed to me she was considering abortion because her so-called-mate was pushing for it. I think her missing suicide note disappeared suspiciously, and you should investigate the man she was seeing— Milton. The note must have mentioned him, so he made it disappear to keep their relationship a secret."

He doesn't miss a beat. He nods and squeezes my hip. "I will investigate. Let me handle it. As for your transfer, I'll need three months to find a replacement for you."

"Three months?" I retort.

"Yes."

"That's so long!"

He doesn't look bothered by my outrage, as if he had been expecting it. He must have thought this out, because he has his claws so deep into me that he doesn't want to let me go. Although he's approving my transfer, it's clear he's going to give me hell first.

"Alright, Kaden." I smile grimly. "Three months working at the clinic until you find a doctor to replace me. During that time, there's no need for us to see each other."

He crosses his arms over his chest and changes the topic.

"I've looked into your schedule and I see that you've been working extra hours, so I'm ensuring you're paid a generous bonus for that time."

I hope he doesn't think that I'll become more docile because he's throwing money at me. Sure, I appreciate that he's recognizing how hard I'm working, but it won't change my mind about leaving.

"Thank you. I should go. I hope to hear from you in a month or so regarding the investigation."

He locks his jaw, keeping words behind. I leave him, headed home. It has been such a draining day that I consider shifting and going for a run. Instead, I catch up with Chaney. She chooses to live in the pack house. I've never hung out in her apartment much, but I wouldn't want to talk about Kaden within such thin walls.

I track her down and lead her into the woods.

"Why are you so silent?" she asks as she follows. "Is this the part where you kill me and bury my remains in the woods?"

"Honestly, Chaney, it has been a tempting thought." I chuckle. "No, I just have to confess something and I figured it's best to tell you in the woods where few can hear your scream of joy."

"Scream of joy? What, are you going to give me an orgasm?"

I stick my tongue out. "I'm sot interested in what you might be selling, lady."

"So, what is it? Did you fuck the alpha or something?"

I trip over thin air, falling on my hands and knees.

"Oh my goddess, Kenna. You did NOT!"

I stand, dust my hands off, and give her a guilty grin. "Technically, I didn't. He was the one fucking me."

She laughs. "Well, your pairing makes sense, I guess. You're a doctor, so you can put yourself back together after the alpha breaks your back."

"You're so lewd," I scold.

"You're the one screwing your boss."

"It was only like once, and it was a mistake. We've made a mess of things with irrational jealousy and a fight of wills. I think its best if I move on."

It takes her a minute to process my words. The laughter in her expression becomes concern.

"You're leaving?"

Hearing the words from her makes it settle in. Yeah, I'm actually leaving the clinic, my cabin, my patients, the woods I've explored, and Chaney. It's a discomforting realization.

"Isn't avoiding Kaden enough?" she suggests. It warms me to see that she's going into problem-solving mode to keep me.

I smile bitterly. "No. This pack is too small for Kaden and I."

"Only you would say bad-ass shit like that." She throws an arm over my shoulder. "Are you sure you have to leave? Is it that bad?"

"Yeah. It's toxic. We're getting caught in our feelings."

"When? And will you come back?"

I shrug. "I don't know, Chaney. I'm just taking it one step at a time. I would really appreciate it if you—"

"If you suggest that I'm going to turn your relationship into a rumor, I'll be actually insulted."

"Thank you. For everything."

"Hey, I wasn't the one scrambling your guts. You should thank the alpha."

Within the next month, things relatively go back to normal. I stress over work, avoid Kaden, and hang out with Chaney more than usual. Anja's funeral happened soon after her death, but I didn't go. It didn't seem right.

I've been having trouble with sleep because of my guilt, so I started seeing a therapist. Four sessions later, I'm beginning to wrap my head around the idea that I wasn't responsible for Anja's death. The journey has been opening a lot of self-discovery for me. I've accepted that I'm so entwined with my job that I'm poisoning myself while healing patients. I'm leaving no space for healthy friendships and relationships to bloom because I exhaust myself during the day and try to disappear at night.

I need to do better. I will do better.

I've been hoping to hear about the investigation on Milton, but Kaden never reached out to me. It looks like the letter hasn't been found. If Milton took it, then he likely destroyed it long ago.

"Are you guys going to the festival next week?" Chaney asks, pulling me from my thoughts.

We're walking home with Stacia, a clinic technician.

"The alpha is going to join the men's football game." She wiggles her eyebrows, and I give her a warning look because Stacia doesn't know my dirty secret.

"Mmm, I wish I could join, too. I wouldn't mind getting tackled by a sweaty, shirtless, panting alpha." Stacia jokes.

I shove a stick of gum into my mouth to avoid responding. When I arrive at my cabin, I lay on the grass outside and bask in the sun.

I don't realize I fell asleep until I twitch awake. With a yawn, I open my eyes and blink at what I find before me. There's a shirt hanging from a stick, forming a triangle. It's shielding my face from the sun.

The shirt has an unmistakable scent. Kaden.

I sit up, removing the stick and shirt. When I touch my cheek, I find it soft; unharmed from the sun's rays. I look around, looking for him, but he's nowhere to be seen.

– • –

The festival came and went. Kaden was the star of the show, running around shirtless during the football game, making panties far and wide as wet as his sweaty skin. There were so many pheromones in the air that I wouldn't be surprised if half the pack got pregnant.

I won't lie— I stole a few glances at him. If the ball came my way, I would've probably let it hit me in the face so Kaden would come to the rescue and cradle me in his buffed arms.

Today, a storm is coming. I'm excited. It has been a while since a heavy rain set in. I missed the distinct scent that fogged my lungs but refreshed them all at once, erasing past sighs and laments.

I want to soak my fur in the rain, run with my tongue out to catch droplets, shake my fur dry only to wet it again.

I set out when the clouds are heavy with the promise of rain. I'm deep in the woods when it starts raining, and it's so thick that I can barely see what's ahead of me. l love it.

Mud splashes under my paws, and I easily lose track of time.

The rain continues well into the night. I'm deeper in the woods than I've ever been, so in touch with nature that I forget about my troubles. This is the best therapy I could ask for.

I get lost at one point, but quickly find my way back to the path. I've been out for hours, so I figure it's time to head back.

The scent of werewolves hits me. It's two of my pack members. What are they doing so far in the woods?

I pause and listen closely to their conversation.

"Seriously, I don't get the fuss over a missing pack bitch. We didn't even gather these many people for the search party of the kid that went missing a few years back, so what's different now?"

A missing pack bitch?

"Maybe because she's a doctor. Hey, do you smell that?"

The pack thinks I'm missing?

I walk into the path of the two pack members who were talking shit about me, and I memorize their faces. The next time they come to the clinic, they'll leave it with more pain that they came with.

They hold flashlights and are naked, likely from shifting back.

"We found her!" They yell.

Technically, I was never gone.

I find myself surrounded by flashlights and two dozen werewolves either shifted or in their human form. They're all intrigued by me. I wish I could shift back to address the misunderstanding, but I'm not interested in flashing them.

Their gazes leave me when they face pounding footsteps. Even as I'm surrounded by the wet, musky coats of my pack members, I can make out Kaden's scent. Maybe I've become more familiar with it because I've been sleeping with his shirt on my nightstand.

"Turn around!" he barks.

The pack faces away from me. Hell, my wolf is so intimidated that I find myself turning away, too.

"Not you, Kenna." He grunts. "Shift back."

When I hesitate, he whispers, "a little too late to be shy around me."

I shift back before he says anything else and is heard by the pack. Instantly, I jump against him to cover my nudity, flattening my breasts against his bare chest.

"K—" I stop myself from using his name.

"Alpha, why I was declared missing?"

His hands rest over the small of my back, securing me.

"Because you disappeared for five hours." His voice is hard; it's rattled and huskier than ever, as if he had been yelling for a long time.

"What in the moon are you doing so deep in the wilderness alone during a storm?" he presses, squeezing me tighter against him.

"I—" I bite my lip, embarrassed to admit that I got distracted like a child and lost track of time

Kaden tugs my bottom lip free with his thumb.

"You worried me," he admits for all the pack to hear.

Goddess, this is embarrassing. I really want to go missing now.

"A search party was unnecessary," I quickly change the topic. "I was just exploring the woods."

"Most people would stay indoors during a storm." The more he speaks, the deeper his frown becomes. No amount of rain will wash away his displeasure.

I thought we had already recognized that I'm a little different, so I don't know why he's so shocked by my pneumonia-searching-adventure.

"Please disband the search party." I request, feeling awkward. We look like a cult in the middle of the woods— naked and surrounded by people looking away from us.

"Go home, everyone. Thank you for reporting. Walk away without turning."

With that, the search party disbands. Everyone leaves as commanded, knowing that they would be the next ones to go missing if they didn't heed the alpha's command.

"What the fuck am I going to do with you?" he asks.

I pull back a few inches, feeling cold for the first time the entire night.