He Never Marked Me

(Author's POV) "Take it off. Lie down." The low, cold voice cut through the air. Isolde's heart seized in her chest. She stood frozen in the middle of the exam room, staring at the man behind the desk. This was not the doctor she had booked. She had spent a small fortune to get an appointment here. The Nightshade Medical Center was the most private clinic in the neutral territory. It served both human patients and pack members, and it was known for one thing above all else: absolute discretion. She had specifically requested Dr. Serena Nightshade. Serena was one of the only Healers in the entire region who specialized in mate bond deprivation syndrome. And Isolde's symptoms were exactly that. The condition was humiliating enough to live with. Every few weeks, her body would fall into a state of overwhelming, desperate need. It disrupted her sleep, her focus, her ability to function at work. She had done everything she could to hide it. She had not told a single soul. And now, instead of the female Healer she had counted on, there was a man sitting behind that desk. Young. Tall. Dark hair, ice-blue eyes, and an expression so calm it was almost unsettling. Isolde swallowed hard. "Do I..." She kept her voice low. "Do I really have to take my pants off for the examination?" The man looked at her. "There's no way to examine you without removing them," he said. His tone was completely flat. Like he was reading from a manual. Her face went hot. His gaze was steady and focused, and something about the way he looked at her made her stomach drop. For one terrible second, her mind flashed an image she immediately wanted to erase - him pressing her down onto the exam table. She shook her head hard. *He's a doctor. He does this every day. Stop it.* Deep inside her, something stirred. Her wolf, Chloe, had been silent for so long that Isolde barely remembered what her presence felt like. But right now, there was the faintest sound - barely a sound at all. A soft, drowsy murmur, like something being gently nudged awake. Isolde didn't notice it. She pressed her lips together, swallowed her embarrassment, and reached for the waistband of her pants. She pulled them off and climbed onto the exam table. The paper cover crinkled under her. She stared at the ceiling. The man stood and began preparing his instruments. "Where is the discomfort?" he asked. His voice was even. Professional. Isolde's face burned. She opened her mouth. Nothing came out. He glanced at her. "Did you sustain internal injury from excessive s****l activity?" "No." She shook her head quickly. "I've never - I don't have any experience with that." His hands stopped moving. He looked up at her. For a long moment, he just stared. She could see the disbelief in his eyes. She was not imagining it. "I just..." She could barely get the words out. Her face was on fire. "That area is very uncomfortable. It's been very... difficult." He held her gaze for a second longer than necessary. Then something moved through the air. A scent - faint and clean, like pine after rain. It reached him before he could process it. Deep in his mind, Logan lifted his head. Orion shut it down immediately. Pushed it back. Buried it. He felt something burning in his chest. He pressed it flat. "What caused the discomfort?" he asked. His voice came out steady. Isolde couldn't answer that directly either. The truth was this: her mate, Garrett, had never touched her. Not once in over a year since their bond was established. He avoided her. He flinched away if she got too close. She had tried to manage the symptoms herself, but it was never enough. Her body kept reaching for something it was being denied. "Do you have a mate?" Orion asked. She nodded. Something unpleasant moved through him. He didn't examine it. "Lie back," he said. "Stay still." Isolde looked at the ceiling again. The embarrassment was becoming unbearable. Her own body felt like it was betraying her. "Can I see a female doctor instead?" she asked. Her voice was small. His tone dropped several degrees. "Do you have a problem with my qualifications?" She didn't answer. "Dr. Serena was called away for a pack emergency," he said. "Your symptoms fall under mate bond deprivation syndrome. That requires a doctor with both human medical training and Pack Healer certification. I am the only one in this clinic who holds both." He paused. "If you don't want the examination, you can leave. But the next available appointment is three weeks out." He was blunt. He was cold. He gave her no room to argue. But she needed to get better. "Please," she said quietly. "Please just help me." He didn't respond to that. He pulled on a pair of gloves. "Don't talk," he said. "Stay still." This was, in fact, Orion's first time conducting this type of examination. He was only here because Serena had been pulled away at the last minute and asked him to cover. He had agreed without thinking about what kind of patients she saw. He kept women at a distance. Always. Physical contact with strangers was something he did not do. And yet here he was. He focused. He was a doctor. He had the training. He could do this. Isolde closed her eyes. She thought about how wrong this was. Her own mate had never looked at her. Had never wanted to be near her. And now a stranger was the one - A soft, involuntary sound escaped her. She pressed her lips together immediately. But it was too late. Orion went completely still. "Did I hurt you?" His voice was low. Her eyes stung. She didn't know how to explain it. It wasn't pain. It was her body reacting to any contact at all, after being starved of it for so long. She shook her head. He turned his face away from her. He lightened his touch. He focused entirely on completing the examination, nothing more. When it was over, Isolde sat up slowly. The discomfort in her body felt worse, not better. "Is it serious?" Her voice trembled slightly. Orion pulled off his gloves. "It's a textbook case of mate bond deprivation syndrome," he said. "Your mate has consistently refused to complete the marking and engage in bonding behaviors. That suppresses your wolf's instincts over time. Chloe isn't receiving what the bond requires. Your body is compensating, and failing." Isolde looked down at her lap. She thought about Garrett. His rigid posture whenever she walked into a room. The way he would leave if she sat too close. His expression of barely concealed disgust. Orion typed something on his computer. "I'm prescribing a moonpetal tincture. It'll help regulate the symptoms." He printed a sheet and held it out to her. "You should also increase physical intimacy with your mate. The symptoms will improve with time." Isolde's face went scarlet. She got dressed. She took the prescription. She kept her eyes on the floor. "Thank you," she whispered. She walked out. *** The back door opened almost the moment Isolde left. Serena walked in, still pulling off her coat. She stopped when she saw Orion standing at the desk. Her eyes narrowed. "Why did you see my patient?" she demanded. "I was gone for two hours." "My scores were the top of our year," Orion said. He was already closing out the file on the computer. "She got a free consultation from the best. And this clinic belongs to me." Serena stared at him. "That's not the point." She crossed her arms. "You hate examining female patients. You never do it. You've turned them away before." She studied him. "So why did you do it this time?" Orion's gaze drifted toward the door Isolde had walked through. "I'm leaving," he said. "Wait." Serena stepped forward. "There's a new cardiologist at the clinic. She just joined last month. No mate. She's lovely. Do you want to meet her?" "Maybe another time," Orion said. He walked out the door.