He Said Mine So I Took Him Instead

CHAPTER 10

His fingers touched my neck slowly, carefully. Cold at first. He pressed lightly in different areas, checking, feeling for something. Most of it was just tender, sore from everything that had happened, but nothing unbearable.

Then suddenly—pain. Sharp and quick.

I jerked back instantly, wincing hard as my hand flew to my throat. He had pressed a spot near the front, close to my glands, and it felt like everything flared up at once.

A low growl came from Logan beside me, and I could feel the tension spike again. Doctor Luke didn’t react much, but I could tell even he was trying not to get distracted by Logan’s energy in the room.

“Hm…” Doctor Luke muttered, like he was thinking hard. Then he looked at me again. “Can you open your mouth as wide as you can for me, please?”

I nodded again and tilted my head back as he gently guided it.

He pulled out a small flashlight and shined it into my mouth, carefully scanning my throat while adjusting the angle of the light. I had no idea what exactly he was looking for, but whatever it was… it made him pause. His expression shifted slightly, like he didn’t like what he was seeing.

Then he clicked the light off and stepped back, letting me close my mouth again.

“What is it?” Logan asked right away, his voice tight.

My mom squeezed my hand gently, and I turned to look at her. Her face was full of worry again, like she couldn’t fully relax no matter what anyone said. She always did that… always worrying too much about me. And honestly, it wasn’t good for her either.

I was alive. That should’ve been enough.

Even if I couldn’t talk right now, even if my voice was gone for a bit… it wasn’t like I was dying. I just wished she wouldn’t stress so much, but then again… I knew I did the same thing with her. So maybe I didn’t have the right to complain.

Doctor Luke cleared his throat slightly before speaking.

“It looks like her vocal cords are mildly bruised and slightly damaged,” he explained. “After the… incident, she went through a lot of stress and dehydration, which likely caused her to collapse. That also slowed her recovery.”

He paused for a moment before continuing.

“It should only take a few days before we see improvement. Her voice will come back—this isn’t permanent. She just needs rest.”

The second he finished speaking, I saw both my mom and Logan visibly ease up, like they had been holding their breath this entire time.

And honestly… so was I.

At least I wasn’t going to be silent forever. That was enough for now.

But even as relief settled in, my mind didn’t slow down. Not even a little.

I had too many questions. Too many gaps.

What happened that night wasn’t fully clear, but I knew enough to feel unsettled. Words like “rogue” and “Luna” kept replaying in my head. And that word—mate—it didn’t sound like “friend.” Not even close.

And Logan… the way he talked, the way he acted… it made me question everything about what I was. About who I was supposed to be.

There were too many unanswered things. And I needed answers.

All of them.

Doctor Luke shifted the mood again, handing me a notepad and pen I hadn’t even noticed before.

“In the meantime, you should stay in bed, rest properly, and make sure you’re eating,” he said. “You can use this to communicate until your voice returns.”

I took the notepad slowly, still trying to process everything.

Yeah… resting sounded easy enough.

But my thoughts?

Not even close to resting.

“Thank you, Doctor,” my mom said, offering a small, grateful smile to the older man in the white coat.

“If you need anything, just call for me again—or have Alpha Logan reach me through the pack link,” he added as he prepared to leave.

The moment he said “pack link,” my brain basically hit pause. My eyes widened without me even meaning to. I had read stuff like that before in random werewolf books online—late-night scrolling kind of stories—but I always thought it was just fantasy. Like vampires sparkling in the sun level of fake.

Except… it wasn’t.

Logan. The pack. Everything. It was all real.

So that meant a pack link wasn’t just some dramatic word. It was probably some kind of mental connection thing… like talking in your head instead of using a phone. Which, honestly? Kind of cool. Kind of terrifying. Mostly confusing.

“Thank you, Doctor,” Logan said, pulling the man out of the room with a respectful tone, though the urgency in it made the doctor leave pretty quickly.

As soon as the door closed, my mom turned back to me with a soft expression. She reached up and gently cupped my cheek like I was still something fragile.

“It’s okay, Esme,” she said quietly. “You’ll get your voice back soon.”

Her words helped more than I expected. Just knowing she was here, steady and calm for me, made everything feel a little less overwhelming.

She pulled a chair closer to my bed and sat down again, not letting go of my hand. Logan stayed on the other side, taking her seat instead. He leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on the mattress, fingers laced together as he watched me like he was trying to read everything I wasn’t saying.

It was intense. A little too intense.

I grabbed the notepad again and started writing quickly.

“You should sleep. I’ll be okay here.”

I showed it to her, hoping she’d actually listen this time.

She shook her head immediately. “I’m fine. I already slept earlier. I’m not tired.” She even smiled like she thought that would convince me.

Nice try, Mom.

My eyes flicked down to her face again—those tired eyes, the shadows underneath them—and I knew she was lying. I didn’t even need to hear her say it.

I felt guilty instantly. She probably stayed here the whole time I was out. On that uncomfortable chair. Probably worrying the entire time.

I didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t make her more stubborn. So I just wrote again.

“I have questions.”

I held the notepad up so both of them could see. If she wasn’t going to rest, then I needed answers. There were too many things stuck in my head already.

But Logan spoke before she could.

“You should rest first. We’ll answer everything after,” he said firmly.

I shot him a look. Not full anger… just frustration. Because seriously? I was awake now, I was confused, and they wanted me to just sit here and chill like my brain wasn’t doing backflips?

I scribbled harder this time.

“I’m fine. Please. I’m so confused.”

I looked between them, trying to get them to understand without words.

For a moment, they just looked at each other. No speaking. Just that silent communication people do when they already decided something without you.

Then my mom sighed. Loud. Like she finally gave up resisting.

Logan shifted slightly, his focus sharpening as his eyes settled back on me. Something about his expression changed—softer, but still serious.

I could tell it right away.

They were going to answer me.

Finally.

I relaxed a little, flipping the page on the notepad like I was ready for war or something.

Logan gave a small, almost reassuring smile.

“Go ahead,” he said. “Ask whatever you want.”