The wolfless doctor

Chapter 7

"You need to tell me where you were last night."

Owen stood in my apartment doorway, his arms crossed, looking like thunder. It was seven in the morning and I'd barely gotten three hours of sleep after my midnight meeting with Serena.

"How did you even get my address?" I asked, clutching my coffee mug like a shield.

"I'm the chief of surgery, Mary. I have access to all employee records." His eyes scanned me from head to toe, checking for injuries. "You weren't home. Your car was gone. You didn't answer your phone."

"I didn't know I needed to report my whereabouts to you." The words came out sharper than I intended, but I was exhausted and confused and the vial of silver liquid was burning a hole in my nightstand drawer.

Owen's jaw tightened. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "When someone is experiencing a supernatural awakening and receiving mysterious text messages from unknown numbers, yes, they need to report their whereabouts. Especially when that someone is my mate."

My heart skipped at the word. Mate. He'd said it so casually, like it was just a fact.

"We're not mates," I said weakly. "You said yourself, you don't do interns."

"I said a lot of things." He moved closer and I backed up until I hit the kitchen counter. "Most of them were lies I told myself because I was trying to stay professional. Trying to do the right thing. But when I came here last night and you were gone, and I couldn't reach you, and I thought something might have happened to you, I realized I don't give a damn about professional boundaries. Not when it comes to your safety."

He was so close now I could feel the heat radiating from his body. His scent wrapped around me, making my knees weak.

"So I'll ask again," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "Where were you?"

I bit my lip. The text had said not to tell anyone, especially not Owen. But looking into his eyes, seeing the genuine worry there mixed with frustration and something that looked like fear, I couldn't lie to him.

"I met someone. At the old medical library." The words rushed out. "She said her name was Serena Whitlock. She told me my wolf has been bound since childhood by some kind of spell. She said someone is afraid of what I'll become and that's why they suppressed my wolf."

Owen's expression went from worried to furious in half a second. "Serena Whitlock? You met with Serena Whitlock alone in an abandoned building in the middle of the night?"

"You know her?"

"Everyone knows her. She's dangerous, Mary. Ancient. No one knows exactly how old she is or what her real agenda is. She's been involved in supernatural politics for decades, always playing both sides, always manipulating situations for her own benefit." He grabbed my shoulders, not rough but firm. "Promise me you won't meet with her again."

"She gave me information about my wolf. About why I can't shift."

"She gave you what she wanted you to hear. That's how people like Serena work. They tell you just enough truth to gain your trust, then use that trust to manipulate you into doing what they want."

I pulled away from him, frustrated. "So what am I supposed to do? Just keep performing miraculous surgeries and hope no one notices? Keep pretending everything is normal while my body does things I don't understand?"

"No. You're supposed to trust me." He ran his hand through his hair, clearly struggling to stay calm. "I have resources. Connections. I can help you figure this out safely. But you have to stop running off alone to meet mysterious strangers who text you in the middle of the night."

"She gave me something." The words came out before I could stop them. "A catalyst. She said it would speed up the awakening process. Break the binding faster."

Owen's face went pale. "Tell me you didn't take it."

"I didn't. Not yet. It's in my nightstand."

"Get it. Now."

I hesitated, then went to my bedroom and retrieved the vial. The silver liquid seemed to glow in the morning light. Owen took it from me carefully, holding it up to examine it.

"This is powerful magic," he said quietly. "Old magic. I can feel it from here." He looked at me, his expression serious. "Mary, if you take this without knowing exactly what's in it, it could kill you. Or worse, it could corrupt your wolf, twist the awakening into something dark."

"Serena said it would help me."

"And you believed her? After knowing her for all of five minutes?" He shook his head. "I'm taking this to someone who can analyze it properly. Find out what it really does. Until then, you don't take anything from anyone. Understand?"

I wanted to argue, but the fear in his eyes stopped me. He really thought I could die. That thought sent a chill through me.

"Okay," I said softly. "I won't take anything."

He exhaled, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. "Thank you." He set the vial on the counter and turned back to me. "I need you to understand something, Mary. What's happening to you, this awakening, it's not normal. Wolves don't develop surgical knowledge overnight. They don't perform procedures they've never learned. Something about your wolf is different. Special. And that means dangerous people will want to use you or eliminate you."

"Serena said the same thing. That someone bound my wolf because they feared what I'd become."

"She's probably right about that." He stepped closer again, and this time I didn't back away. "Which is why you need to be careful. Why you need to trust the right people."

"And you're the right people?"

"I'm your mate, Mary. Whether you're ready to accept that or not." His hand came up to cup my cheek, and I leaned into the touch without thinking. "That means your safety, your wellbeing, your happiness, they all matter to me more than anything else. I would die before I let someone hurt you."

My breath caught. The intensity in his eyes was overwhelming. "Owen, I don't know if I can do this. The mate bond thing. The relationship. Not with everything else happening. Not with you being my boss and me being an intern and the hospital rules."

"Then we'll figure it out." His thumb stroked across my cheekbone. "We'll take it slow. Professional at work. But outside the hospital, I need to know you're safe. I need to be able to protect you."

"I don't need protecting."

"Everyone needs protecting sometimes. Even strong, stubborn interns who save lives before breakfast." A small smile tugged at his lips. "Let me help you, Mary. Please."

I looked into his eyes and saw nothing but sincerity. No manipulation like Serena. No lies like Derek. Just genuine concern and something deeper. Something that made my wolf purr with satisfaction even though I barely understood what that meant.

"Okay," I whispered. "But I have conditions."

"Name them."

"You don't get to order me around. You don't get to make decisions for me. If something concerns my wolf, my body, my life, I get final say."

"Agreed."

"And you tell me the truth. About everything. About why you're really helping me. About what being mates actually means. About why you're so afraid something will happen to me."

He was quiet for a moment, his expression troubled. "Some of those truths are complicated."

"I don't care. I'm tired of everyone treating me like I'm too fragile to handle reality."

"You're the opposite of fragile, Mary. You're the strongest person I've met in a long time." He sighed. "Alright. Truth. Being mates means our wolves recognize each other as the perfect match. It means we're meant to be together, to complete each other. The bond can be resisted but never broken. The longer we're around each other, the stronger the pull becomes."

"Is that why I feel like I can't breathe when you're close? Why everything in me wants to touch you?"

"Yes. Your wolf is drawn to mine. And mine to yours." His eyes darkened. "It's taking everything I have not to kiss you right now."

Heat flooded through me. "Then why don't you?"

"Because once I start, I won't want to stop. And you deserve better than being rushed because of a biological pull. You deserve to be courted properly. To be sure this is what you want, not just what your wolf wants."

I stepped closer, eliminating the small gap between us. "What if I'm sure?"

His hands settled on my waist, burning through my thin sleep shirt. "Mary, don't tease me. I'm barely holding on as it is."

"I'm not teasing." I placed my hands on his chest, feeling his heart racing under my palms. "I know this is complicated. I know there are rules and risks and a million reasons why this is a terrible idea. But when I'm with you, everything feels right. Like I can handle whatever comes next as long as you're there."

"You can handle it either way," he said roughly. "You don't need me."

"Maybe not. But I want you anyway."

He groaned, and the sound sent shivers down my spine. "You're going to be the death of me."

Then his lips were on mine and the world exploded into sensation. His mouth was hot and demanding, claiming me with a hunger that matched my own. I gasped and he deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding against mine. My hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer, needing more.

He lifted me easily, setting me on the kitchen counter so I was level with him. His body pressed between my legs and I wrapped them around his waist instinctively. The kiss turned desperate, frantic, like we were both drowning and only each other could provide air.

His hands slid under my shirt, hot against my bare skin. I arched into his touch, a sound escaping my throat that I'd never made before. Everything felt heightened, more intense than it should be. Like I could feel not just my desire but his, tangled together through some invisible thread.

"Owen," I gasped when he moved his mouth to my neck, kissing and sucking at the sensitive skin there.

"Say it again," he growled against my throat.

"Owen."

His teeth grazed my pulse point and my whole body trembled. I could feel how much he wanted to bite, to mark me as his. The knowledge should have scared me but instead it sent liquid heat pooling in my belly.

My phone rang, shattering the moment. We both froze, breathing hard. Owen rested his forehead against mine, his eyes closed.

"Ignore it," I whispered.

But the phone kept ringing. Finally, Owen pulled back slightly, allowing me to grab it from the counter.

Juniper's name flashed on the screen.

"I should take this," I said reluctantly. "She never calls this early unless it's important."

Owen nodded and stepped back, putting distance between us. I could see how much effort it took. I answered the phone.

"Juni? What's wrong?"

"Mary, thank god. You need to get to the hospital right now." Juniper's voice was panicked. "There's been an accident. A bus full of tourists crashed on the highway. We have over thirty casualties coming in and they're calling all available staff. Dr. Stevens specifically asked for you."

My stomach dropped. "I'll be there in twenty minutes."

I hung up and looked at Owen. His expression had already shifted from desire to professional focus.

"Mass casualty event," I said.

"I heard. Let's go."