The Alpha's Runaway Daughter

Chapter 6

The moment Eric and I arrived at the medical centre, we were separated.

No explanation.

No reassurance.

One second, his hand was in mine. The next, a member of the medical staff was leading him down one corridor while another directed me toward a different one.

My stomach twisted.

After everything that had happened, being separated from the one person I trusted was almost unbearable.

I turned to look for Eric, but he had already disappeared from sight.

Then I noticed Alpha Lake.

He was standing several metres away, speaking quietly with a small group of doctors and nurses.

I couldn’t hear a word they were saying.

But I could see their faces.

The sneers.

The whispers.

The occasional snicker.

My jaw tightened.

Of course.

Apparently, confidentiality meant nothing in Lightning Ridge.

Eric had specifically asked Alpha Lake to keep everything we’d told him private. Yet here he was, standing in the middle of a group of medical professionals, apparently giving them enough information to turn our trauma into the latest piece of pack gossip.

So much for his word.

From where I stood, Alpha Lake seemed to have two settings.

Power trip…

…and running his mouth.

Eventually, the little gathering broke apart.

Several of the medical staff headed toward the corridor where Eric had been taken, while two nurses started walking toward me.

Alpha Lake remained exactly where he was.

Watching.

I folded my arms across my chest.

As the nurses approached, I looked directly at them.

“I want someone else to do the physical.”

Both women stopped.

They exchanged a startled glance before looking toward Alpha Lake.

“Alpha?” one of them called uncertainly.

His head turned.

“What’s the problem?”

I didn’t bother lowering my voice.

“I would like my physical performed by a doctor you haven’t already created a bias with by running your big fat mouth.”

The nurses gasped.

Alpha Lake’s eyebrows shot upward.

“You think I’ve instructed these medical professionals not to do their jobs properly?”

“I do.”

I nodded firmly.

His expression changed.

Not anger.

Something else.

Intrigue.

“Why would I do that?”

He started walking toward me.

I refused to step back.

“Because you clearly think you know everything,” I said. “You made it pretty obvious in your office that you think Eric and I are lying about what happened in our old pack.”

His jaw tightened.

“You don’t know me well enough to make that assumption.”

“And you don’t know us well enough to make yours.”

Silence.

The nurses suddenly seemed very interested in the floor.

I continued.

“Being an Alpha doesn’t mean you’re automatically the smartest person in the room. It doesn’t mean you’re always right. And it certainly doesn’t mean everyone else is lying simply because their story makes you uncomfortable.”

His eyes narrowed.

Then his voice dropped.

“Now you listen here, girly girl.”

There it was.

The tone.

The authority.

The reminder that he was an Alpha and I was supposed to fall into line.

“You’re here in my pack seeking refuge, remember?” he continued. “If you want my help and protection, I suggest you start showing me a little respect.”

His blue eyes locked onto mine.

The pressure came instantly.

His Alpha command pushed against me, heavy and unmistakable.

Most wolves would have dropped their gaze.

Most would have obeyed before they even realised they’d been commanded.

But I wasn’t most wolves.

I was the daughter of an Alpha.

And I had spent my entire life surrounded by dominance.

I held his stare.

For several long seconds, neither of us moved.

Something flickered across his face.

Surprise.

He hadn’t expected me to resist.

Neither had I expected to be able to.

Finally, Alpha Lake broke the silence.

“You should go have your physical.”

His voice was suddenly colder.

“The hospital staff don’t have all day to wait around until you decide you’re ready.”

I glared at him.

Then I turned my back on him.

If he wanted to play the intimidating Alpha, he could do it with someone else.

I walked toward the nurse who had been watching our exchange with wide eyes.

She didn’t say a word.

She simply turned and began walking down the corridor.

I followed.

Not because Alpha Lake had ordered me to.

Because I needed this over with.

The examination room was small and clinical.

The nurse closed the door behind us and began collecting medical equipment, placing everything carefully onto a metal tray.

I stood there awkwardly.

The silence stretched.

Every tiny sound seemed amplified.

The rustle of packaging.

The clink of metal.

The ticking of a clock somewhere on the wall.

My eyes kept drifting toward the door.

Where is Eric?

I had no idea how long I had been standing there when the door suddenly opened.

I flinched.

A woman stepped inside carrying a manila folder.

She looked at me first.

Then at the nurse.

“Thank you, May. You can leave us now.”

May’s head snapped around.

“But Doctor, you might need my help.”

“I won’t.”

The doctor’s voice was calm but firm.

“I think the patient would feel considerably more comfortable without an audience.”

She gestured toward the door.

May hesitated.

Her eyes moved between us.

“The Alpha won’t be happy about this,” she muttered.

Then she walked out.

The door clicked shut behind her.

I released a breath.

I hadn’t even realised I’d been holding it.

“Thank you,” I said quietly.

The doctor smiled.

“May can be a little difficult.”

A little?

I almost laughed.

“She has a particular dislike of anyone who isn’t from this pack,” the doctor continued. “And, as you probably gathered from her parting comment, she also considers herself the Alpha’s unofficial informant.”

My eyebrows lifted.

“She’ll be running straight to him to tell him I dismissed her.”

I shrugged.

“I don’t really want to know about pack politics.”

The woman smiled.

“Probably wise.”

She placed the folder on the counter.

“My name is Doctor Anya Lake.”

She paused.

“And I’m also the Luna of this pack.”

I stared at her.

“You’re the Luna?”

She nodded.

“Wow.”

The word escaped before I could stop it.

I looked her over.

She was warm. Calm. Kind.

Then I thought of her husband.

My expression twisted.

“I mean… you seem really nice.”

She waited.

“And he…”

I hesitated.

“Well…”

Her smile widened.

“Go on.”

I sighed.

“Luna, to be completely honest, he’s a real dick.”

For one heartbeat, there was silence.

Then she burst out laughing.

A genuine, uncontrollable laugh.

“He is, isn’t he?”

I stared at her.

She wiped at the corner of her eye.

“Oh, believe me. I know exactly what he is.”

She shook her head.

“I live with him.”

That did it.

I laughed too.

And for the first time since arriving in Lightning Ridge, I felt some of the weight pressing against my chest ease.

For those few seconds, I wasn’t the rogue everyone was whispering about.

I wasn’t the girl who had escaped a nightmare.

I wasn’t the daughter of a monster.

I was simply Cleo.

Standing in a room with another woman who understood that sometimes the only thing you could do with an impossible man was laugh at him.

When our laughter finally faded, Luna Anya picked up her folder.

Her expression became professional again.

“Okay. Your husband—”

“Not my husband.”

She smiled.

“Your… travelling companion has requested that you both undergo physical examinations.”

I nodded.

“So, we’re going to get this over with as quickly and comfortably as possible.”

She gestured toward my clothes.

“I’ll need you to undress.”

My body immediately tensed.

I didn’t move.

The doctor’s expression softened.

“You’re safe in here.”

Those three words nearly broke me.

Safe.

I wasn’t sure I remembered what that felt like.

Slowly, I began removing my clothes.

Every movement made me feel more exposed.

More vulnerable.

My eyes kept returning to the door.

“Could you please lock it?”

“Of course.”

Anya walked over and locked it without hesitation.

The small click of the lock settling into place sent a strange wave of relief through me.

I finished undressing and stood beside the examination bed, trying desperately not to feel as exposed as I did.

I wanted to cover myself with the sheet.

I wanted Eric.

I wanted to go home.

Then I remembered I no longer had a home.

Luna Anya seemed to understand my discomfort without me having to explain.

“I know this isn’t pleasant,” she said gently. “Being examined like this can make anyone feel vulnerable.”

She gave me a small smile.

“And trust me, if I could make the process more glamorous, I would.”

Despite myself, my lips twitched.

“Unfortunately, medical examinations aren’t exactly known for their entertainment value.”

That earned another small smile.

“But they are necessary,” she continued. “Especially when someone joins a new pack. We need to make sure there aren’t any illnesses or untreated conditions that could put the pack at risk.”

I nodded.

That part made sense.

A pack lived together.

Worked together.

Hunted together.

An illness could spread quickly.

“Okay,” she said. “We’re going to begin.”

She looked directly into my eyes.

“If anything makes you uncomfortable, you tell me. If you need me to stop, I stop. Understand?”

I nodded.

“Good.”

Luna Anya began the examination.

And as she worked, something strange happened.

For the first time since I’d escaped Blue Thunder, someone was touching my life without trying to take something from me.

No demands.

No threats.

No cruelty.

Just care.

But somewhere beyond the locked door, Alpha Lake was waiting.

And I couldn’t shake the feeling that this examination wasn’t simply about making sure I was healthy.

Something about this pack felt wrong.

Something was hiding beneath the surface.

And I had the unsettling feeling that I had only just stepped into the darkness.