Chapter 5
1442 Words
Anika:
Six years later:
“Mummy, how much longer? Are we close?”
Isabel’s little voice floats up from the back seat.
I glance back and smile, seeing her big brown eyes peek out from behind her tablet.
“Almost there, baby.”
“Okay!!”
She squeals and immediately dives back into her game.
With a smile still on my lips, I turn my face toward the open window just as a cool breeze sweeps through, brushing my skin like a ghost from the past.
Six years.
It’s been six long years since I left this place. Moon Shadow Pack.
After escaping Hunter, I had nowhere else to go, except for the place where I knew I wouldn’t be welcome-my father’s pack.
Instead of visiting my parents in the pack house first, I went to my grandmother’s ,hoping she’d be the one to see past everything.
But what I found there broke me all over again.
She told me my parents were murdered in cold blood weeks after I left.
So, with a baby growing inside me and a heart barely holding together,I decided to leave and go abroad to finish what I’d once started.
My studies in werewolf medicine.
A few months later, I gave birth to the most beautiful little girl I’d ever seen.
I named her Isabel.
And now, six years later… here I am.
Dr. Torres. The most powerful and sought-after werewolf doctor across the kingdoms.
“Ma’am, we’re here,” the driver says, pulling me out of my thoughts.
In the backseat, Isabel’s already unbuckling herself, her eyes wide with excitement.
“Yayyy! I can’t wait to see Grandma!”
A smile pulls at my lips before I even realize it. I swing the door open and step out, just in time to catch Isabel as she practically flies into my arms, giggling.
And then the front door creaks open.
“Grandma!!”
Isabel swiftly runs and launches herself straight into Jenny’s arms.
They’ve been video calling the whole time we were overseas. Every single day, if she wasn’t asking about her dad, she was asking when she’d finally get to meet Grandma in person.
And now… here we are.
“Mummy, come over!!” She turns and waves me over, motioning for me to join them. I walk over quickly before wrapping my arms around both of them.
We stay like that for a while, tangled in a three-way hug full of warmth and relief, before Jenny’s neighbor—Leah, who’s about five years younger than me—comes over to help us carry our things inside.
We spend the next few hours unpacking, catching up, and settling in.
“You know,” Jenny says, glancing over with a soft smile, “I’m so proud of you, Anika. Super proud.”
I grin. “It’s all because of you, Grandma. Thank you for not turning your back on me. For not… casting me out. I honestly half-expected you to.”
She throws her head back and lets out a low laugh before suddenly straightening up like something just popped into her mind.
“Oh! That reminds me,” she says, setting her spoon down. “The Alpha of the pack is visiting us tomorrow. He says it’s an honor to have the most respected werewolf doctor in the kingdoms here, and he wants to meet you personally!”
“Ugh, that’s flattering!”
“Do you know he also built a hospital in your honor? A big one. He wants you to be the pack’s doctor and oversee everything.”
“He did?” My eyes widen in surprise.
“Yes! He’s such a generous Alpha. After you left, he came in and completely transformed the pack. Then he merged it with his own, and now it’s one of the biggest in the region.” She pauses, then adds with a shake of her head, “It’s just a shame he still hasn’t found his mate. Can you believe he’s thirty-four?”
“Ouch,” I set a bowl aside and glance over. “Actually, I’ve got an appointment tomorrow with the Alpha of the Moonstone Pack. There’s a deadly virus going around that’s been killing off their members. I want to see what I can do before it spreads further.”
Jenny’s smile falters.
“Moonstone Pack? Isn’t that Hunter’s-”
“Oh, no. “It’s not Hunter’s pack.” I say quickly, cutting her off with a calm smile. The name tastes bitter in my mouth, but I push through it.
“Hunter’s pack is the Arcik pack. Besides, their Beta who’s a male, has been the one reaching out to me. So you don’t have to worry, okay?”
She studies me for a moment, like she wants to say more. But then she just nods, and I go back to stirring the pot like nothing ever happened.
Even though deep down, I know I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure Hunter never lays eyes on me or Isabel.
“Just… keep Isabel safe, okay? I don’t want her—”
“Mummy, is dinner ready? I’m starving!”
Isabel bursts into the kitchen with a dramatic pout, her little feet pattering against the tiled floor.
I immediately crouch down and ruffle her hair.
“Almost, baby. Want some ice cream while you wait?”
“Yes, yes! My favorite, please-vanilla!” she squeals, twirling like a little dancer.
Then her big brown eyes lock with mine, and for a second, my breath catches.
So much like Hunter’s.
I blink the thought away and hurry to the freezer. I scoop out a small bowl of vanilla and hand it to her with a smile.
She beams, gives me a kiss on the cheek, then skips out of the kitchen, humming that same little song she’s been obsessed with for weeks.
***
The next morning, I’m in the backseat of a car headed for the Moonstone Pack.
The drive doesn’t take long before reaching the pack’s gate. However, with each mile closer to the packhouse, something inside me begins to twist.
Why the hell does this place feel so familiar?
Probably just nerves, I tell myself. Most packhouses are built the same way, anyway.
The car finally pulls up to the front of the packhouse and I step out.
Before I can fully gather my thoughts, a tall and broad-shouldered man steps out and jogs toward me. He looks young, maybe late twenties, and definitely handsome in that confident, Beta-kind-of-way.
“Dr. Torres, Welcome!”
I offer a polite smile. “Thank you.”
“Please, follow me. The Alpha’s in his chambers. His son is gravely ill. The virus has spread fast... it’s deep in his system now,” the Beta says. “It’s a good thing you got here now. Thank you.”
There’s a bright kind of relief on his face, like he’s genuinely hopeful now that I’m here. I offer a small smile in return and nod.
“Right this way,” he gestures, leading me through the massive doors of the packhouse.
With every step we take down the long corridor, that same bad feeling settles again.
I force the thought away.
I’m Dr. Torres.
There’s no illness I can’t treat. No sickness I haven’t seen. I won’t let this one win either.
“We’re here,” the Beta says as we stop in front of a door. He doesn’t knock. He just pushes it open.
My feet move slowly towards his bedside and my heart clenches.
A young boy lies on the bed, barely conscious while his chest rises and falls in shallow and broken gasps.
He can’t be more than six or seven.
His hair has turned a sickly green. His hands are twisted unnaturally and veins are blackened beneath the skin.
“Pl...please help me,” the boy croaks with a weak voice. “I... I don’t want to die... please…”
He coughs violently.
I crouch beside him and give him the gentlest smile I can manage, even though my own chest feels like it might split open.
“You’re not going to die, sweetheart. Not on my wat-”
“Beta Kyle, is Dr. Torres here already?” The door swings open and a voice cuts me off.
That voice.
That damn familiar voice.
The one that makes my heart lurch in my chest.
I turn slowly, and when my eyes land on the man standing in the doorway, everything inside me stops.
Hunter.
No.
His eyes are wide with disbelief while his mouth hangs slightly open.
“Y...you’re Dr. Torres?”
- Writer
