Bound To The Alpha She Left

Chapter 10

Elena’s POV.

I had no idea who would target innocent patients like this, but searching for answers would have to wait.

Before the phone receiver had even clicked back into its cradle, I slammed the emergency button on my desk, triggering an emergency alarm across the hospital speakers.

“Attention all medical personnel,” I declared. “Freeze all incoming supply shipments immediately. Quarantine every untested IV bag and saline batch in your wards. Lock them all in containment for safety screening.”

Within seconds, the entire office floor exploded into action. Nurses scrambled in all directions, alarms screeched down the corridor, and young resident healers gathered at my door ready to assist me.

“You three,” I pointed at the junior healers from my morning surgery, “get down to the main pharmacy. Set up a testing line in central lab two. Nothing touches a patient until it passes inspection.”

“Understood, Doctor Elena!” they replied in unison, rushing off to execute the order.

Through it all, Raymond lingered by the window, his phone pressed to his ear. He ordered a lockdown around the supply depot, closing the border checkpoints and sending his elite enforcers to secure the delivery truck and have someone inspect it.

When Raymond ended his call, his eyes met mine across the room. There was no doubt or condescension in his dark gaze; only trust. A frustrating flutter stirred inside my belly—a quiet, instinctual surge of respect from my wolf that made my skin prickle. He was letting me run the medical response, backing up my decisions with his gentle presence.

Focus, Elena, I told myself, forcing my eyes away. The pack is under attack.

Down in the subterranean lab, the air smelled harshly of rubbing alcohol and cleaning chemicals.

I leaned over the microscope, staring at the sample of the poison. Beside me, the head lab technician wiped sweat from his forehead, pulling up the test results on a wide glass screen.

“It’s a synthetic chemical compound,” I muttered, studying the jagged structure. “It’s designed to trigger rapid, severe shock. It bypasses standard bacterial checks and destroys organ tissue within hours of entering the bloodstream.”

“A poison this advanced isn’t something you buy on the street, Doctor,” the technician said, glancing nervously toward the door where two of Raymond’s Enforcers stood guard. “Creating something like this takes high-level equipment and top-tier security access.”

“Or high-end black market connections,” I murmured, my eyes fixed on the screen.

The double doors swung open, and Raymond walked in.

“Whoever brought this in used a top-level pack clearance code to skip border inspection,” Raymond announced, striding over to the monitor. “And the moment the truck crossed into our territory, they wiped the security logs and erased their name from the system. It’s a ghost trail.”

My hands curled into tight fists, my nails digging hard into my palms. Anger burned hot in my throat.

This wasn’t a mistake. Someone at the very top of the pack hierarchy had deliberately manipulated border security to smuggle poison into this hospital.

“I just don’t understand,” I frowned, looking up at Raymond. “They were willing to sacrifice innocent lives. Why? And more importantly, who? Who would do such an awful thing?”

“Well, whoever it was, they made a huge mistake,” Raymond said pointedly, stepping up beside me. His hand hovered near the small of my back, radiating a comforting heat without directly touching me. “They didn’t account for you.”

By the time we had taken care of everything, including auditing the pharmacy vaults, and getting fresh, verified supplies out to every ward, the sun was long gone. Twelve grueling hours of non-stop crisis control had completely drained me.

When the car dropped us off at the main estate, my legs felt like lead. My lab coat was wrinkled, my hair was falling out of its clip, and my head was pounding. All I wanted was to collapse into a warm bed and sleep.

I pushed open the doors of the master suite, expecting pitch darkness. Instead, soft lamplight warmed the room, and the comforting smell of rich, cooked food drifted through the air.

Raymond stood near the bathroom archway, his black shirt unbuttoned at the collar and his sleeves rolled up. Through the open door, I could hear the gentle hum of running water as the enormous marble tub filled with steaming, scented water. On a small table by the balcony sat a covered plate of hot food.

I froze between the threshold. “What is this?”

“You’ve been on your feet since five this morning,” Raymond replied, setting a plush white towel over a chair. “You need to wash, eat, and sleep.”

He moved toward me, reaching out to help me off with my heavy coat.

Instinctively, I bristled, taking a sharp step back and pulling the coat tight around myself. “Stop it, Raymond.”

His brows lifted slightly. “Stop what?”

“This!” I gestured blindly toward the bath, the food, and him. “This smothering act. The chivalrous host routine. I am not a fragile flower you need to pamper, and I’m not going to be bought off with a hot meal and a bath!”

Raymond closed the distance between us with slow, deliberate grace, his heated brown eyes locked on mine.

Before I could do anything, he reached forward and took my right hand, lifting it between us. His thumb traced the small, red pressure marks left on my palm from where I had clenched my fist all night.

“Taking care of you isn’t some ploy, Elena,” he whispered, his thumb brushing the sensitive skin of my wrist, sending an intense shiver straight up my arm. “It’s my duty as your Alpha. And my right as your mate.”

“You don’t have that right,” I choked out, trying to pull my hand back, even as my body betrayed me by leaning into his warmth. “You lost that right long ago! You’re bound to another woman. You have a Luna. A child. Yet you bring me here, put me in your sleeping space, and expect me to play the role of your Second Luna—some convenient plaything while you keep up appearances!”

The words I had been suffocating on for days finally burst out, raw and bitter.

Raymond didn’t let go after my hurl of insults. Instead, he took another step closer, his hand sliding up my arm to cup the side of my face. His palm was warm, rough, and intoxicatingly familiar. “Look at me, Elena,” he murmured. “Do you want to know the real truth?”