Forbidden Pack Doctor

Lines Are Drawn

The weight of two worlds pressed down on me as I stood in the quiet medical room. My hands trembled while I reviewed Liam’s scans again. Saving my son meant hurting the man I loved. Walking away meant letting a child die.

I could not do that.

I grabbed my phone and called Lucas. “I will do the surgery. Tomorrow night. But this is for Liam only. Understand?”

Lucas sounded relieved on the other end. “Thank you Aria. You do not know what this means. I will bring him to the neutral location you picked.”

I hung up and found Asher waiting outside. He looked tired from his own injuries but his eyes were soft when he saw me.

“You decided?” he asked.

I nodded. “I have to Asher. He is just a little boy. I cannot turn my back on him.”

Asher pulled me into a gentle hug. “I know. I hate it but I know. Just be careful. Lucas is using this to get close to you again.”

“I can handle Lucas,” I said. “But I need you to trust me.”

He kissed my forehead. “I do. Just come back to me when it is over.”

The next morning Lucas brought Liam to the hidden clinic on neutral ground. I met them in the exam room. The boy looked even smaller than before.

“Hey Liam,” I said softly. “Ready to feel better?”

He gave me a weak smile. “Will you stay with me?”

My heart squeezed. “I will be right there the whole time.”

Lucas watched us with soft eyes. “You are so good with him. Always were.”

I ignored the comment and focused on Liam. “I need to explain what is going to happen okay? The surgery is long. You will sleep through most of it. When you wake up things should be better.”

Liam nodded. “I trust you.”

Those simple words hit hard. I spent the next hour checking him over and talking through every step. Lucas stayed close asking questions.

“What are the biggest risks?” he asked quietly.

“His heart stopping during the repair. Or his wolf blood causing too much scar tissue afterward. But I have techniques for both.”

Lucas stepped closer. “I know I do not deserve your help. But seeing you here like this reminds me of the woman I fell in love with. Strong. Caring. I was a fool to lose you.”

I kept my eyes on the charts. “Stop Lucas. This is not the time.”

He did not stop. “I think about that anniversary night every day. I should have chosen you. I should have been the man you needed. I can be better now. For you and for him.”

I turned to face him. “You had five years to be better. You do not get to say this now.”

Later that afternoon while I prepared equipment Lucas found me alone in the side room. He closed the door behind him.

“Aria please talk to me,” he said. “Really talk.”

I crossed my arms. “What do you want from me Lucas?”

He stepped closer. “A chance. I know I hurt you. But we have a son together. We could be a family again. I would treat you right this time.”

Anger that had been building for five years boiled over. “A family? You left me alone on our anniversary Lucas. I sat in that restaurant like an i***t while you ran to another woman. I waited for hours. Do you have any idea how that felt?”

His face fell. “I know I was wrong.”

I kept going. “I went home and cried for days. You chose her over me. Your own mate. I felt worthless. Invisible. I left with nothing because staying would have killed me.”

Lucas reached for me. “I was grieving my brother. I lost my way. But I never stopped loving you.”

“Love?” I laughed bitterly. “You do not know what love is.”

All the pain rushed out at once. I slapped him hard across the face. The sound echoed in the small room. His head snapped to the side.

“That is for every night I cried alone,” I said. My voice shook with rage. “That is for making me feel like I was not enough. For abandoning me when I needed you most. I built a new life without you Lucas. A better one. Do not think you can just walk back in and fix it with pretty words.”

Lucas touched his reddening cheek. “I deserved that. I deserve worse. But I am here now fighting for our son. Fighting for us.”

I stepped back. “There is no us. I am marrying Asher. He treats me like I matter every single day.”

Before he could reply the door opened. One of Lucas’s men called him away for a moment. I let out a shaky breath and tried to calm down.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of preparations. Lucas kept finding reasons to talk to me. Each time he brought up old memories. Our first date. The night we mated. How happy we were once.

“You remember that trip to the mountains?” he asked during a break. “We shifted and ran under the full moon. You laughed the whole time.”

I packed instruments without looking at him. “I remember. I also remember how quickly that happiness disappeared when real life hit.”

He leaned against the wall. “I can make it right. I have changed Aria. Losing you taught me what is important.”

I finally looked at him. “You only care now because I am useful. Because I can save your son. If he was healthy you never would have come looking for me.”

Lucas shook his head. “That is not true. I thought about you every day. I was just too proud to admit I messed up.”

I turned away. “Save it. The surgery is tomorrow. Focus on Liam.”

That evening I returned to the Iron Fangs compound to rest before the big operation. Asher met me at the door. He looked worried but pulled me into his arms anyway.

“How did it go?” he asked.

“Hard,” I admitted. “Lucas keeps pushing. Reminding me of the past. I slapped him today. Told him exactly how he broke me.”

Asher held me tighter. “Good. He needed to hear it. But are you okay?”

I nodded against his chest. “I am. I just want this surgery over. I want our life back.”

He kissed me softly. “You will have it. I promise. After tomorrow we plan our wedding. No more ex mates. No more drama.”

We talked for a long time about the future. Simple things. Where we would live. What our life could look like. His words gave me strength.

Later that night as I prepared my surgical tools one last time a small note slipped under the door of my room. I picked it up with shaking hands.

The handwriting was rough. “The boy isn’t the only one who will die on your table.”

I dropped the note like it burned me. Someone wanted me to fail. Someone did not want Liam to live. Or maybe they wanted me gone too.

My heart raced as I stared at the warning. The surgery tomorrow had just become even more dangerous. Lines were drawn between my past and my future. And now an unknown enemy wanted blood.

I looked at the engagement ring on my finger. Asher’s promise. Liam’s innocent face. Lucas’s desperate eyes.

Tomorrow everything would change.