Hopkins
1161 Words
Chapter Seven.
Lydia’s POV.
Two weeks. Fourteen days of telling myself I’d made the right choice. Fourteen nights of staring at my ceiling, wondering if he’d come looking for me. Fourteen mornings of relief when he didn’t.
I ran from that resort like my life depended on it. Booked the first flight to Virelle, the Pack’s capital, before the sun even rose, leaving a vague message for my Mom about feeling sick.
Now, I stood in the gleaming halls of Hopkins Medical Center, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat.
This was supposed to be my dream.
The white walls decorated with the silver crest of White Creek Pack, Virelle’s beautiful weather and the soft hum of healers moving through corridors. I had worked my entire life for this moment, to be a part of this.
And I refused to let him ruin it.
I hadn’t seen Xander since he made that offer inside the elevator. I’d heard rumors on the intern group chat that he was on leave but no one knew why, especially since the man was a workaholic.
But I didn’t care… with him gone, I was safe.
All new interns were herded into the surgical observation gallery. I found a spot in the back corner, away from everyone else.
A few interns glanced at me, one of them wrinkled her nose and turned away while another whispered something to her friend but I pretended not to notice.
I’d spent six years away from pack life that I’d almost forgotten what it felt like to walk into a room and be deemed unworthy because of my status as Omega.
To be judged by my rank before anyone even knew my name.
A senior healer with bright ginger hair clapped her hands to get our attention.
“Quiet down. You’re about to observe a live surgery. Pay attention. Learn. This is what is expected of you at Hopkins.” She said, sternly.
My eyes rested on the team of healers moving around in the operating room.
One of them caught my eye, the lead surgeon.
His entire face was covered but his hands moved with a precision that stole my breath away. He worked like the flesh beneath his fingers was clay and he was the sculptor.
Around me, interns whispered and giggled.
“I’ve never seen anyone move like that.” One of them pointed out in awe.
“Who is he? Do you know which healer rank he holds?”
“With that mask on, could be anyone.”
I tried to focus on the surgery. I really did. But my mind kept drifting back to him.
Xander.
Where was he right now? What was he doing?
I should be glad he was gone and that I’d never have to see those mismatched eyes again. But even as I thought about it, another part of me itched to see him again.
The memories slammed into me, hard. I was back in the elevator, his hand sliding under my dress. His fingers curling inside me. My head thrown back against his shoulder, my body trembling, that low growl in my ear—
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Stop it, Lydia. Focus! This is your first day.
But my body wasn’t listening. Heat pooled between my thighs, making my skin tingle. I felt my wolf stir weakly in my chest, her body crashing against mine violently.
I tried to shut Xander out of my mind, tried to focus on the procedure, on anything at all that didn’t include him or his fingers.
Then, the senior healer’s voice cut through the soft chatter in the room.
“What you’re witnessing today is a rare privilege. The healer you’re observing is none other than Dr. Xander White. One of the finest healers in all seven packs. He rarely allows an audience, so consider yourselves lucky.”
My blood ran cold at the mention of that name while the room erupted in excited whispers.
“Xander White? As in the Alpha’s son?!”
“No wonder he’s the best, just look at those hands.”
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t do anything but stare at the figure below.
Xander was back? He was here!
Around me, interns kept whispering, giggling and marveling at him while I struggled to look away.
I couldn’t keep still any longer. My legs were shaking and my heart was pounding.
My eyes traced the line of his shoulders beneath the gown. The curve of his back as he leaned over the patient. The way his fingers moved with that impossible confidence—the same confidence I’d felt inside me.
The surgery stretched on for what felt like hours.
When it was finally over, the patient was wheeled out and Xander stepped back, pulled off his gloves and reached for his mask.
Time stopped.
I tried to look away but I couldn’t.
He turned toward the observation glass as he slipped off the mask. His eyes landed on me directly. Like he’d known exactly where I’d be standing.
I held my breath for one frozen moment.
Then, without hesitation, I bolted out the door.
The gallery doors slammed shut behind me. I ran through the corridor, down the stairwell and burst into a quiet hallway near the administrative wing.
I pressed my back against the cold wall, gasping for air.
I just needed to get away from those eyes.
My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to explode.
Two weeks. I survived two weeks. I can survive this.
I repeated those words over and over again like it was a prayer.
Slowly, my breathing steadied. I smoothed the edges of my white coat, inhaled and exhaled deeply, straightened my spine before I stepped back into the main corridor.
The other interns were just filing out while chatting about the surgery. They didn’t even notice me slip back into their midst.
“Lydia.” An intense, familiar voice suddenly cut through the chatter, startling me.
My heart almost jumped out of my chest.
I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
The interns around me spun around, their eyes widened in disbelief for a moment before they began to whisper and glance at each other in confusion.
“Dr. White?”
“Is she the one he’s—“
“He’s looking at her.”
I turned, slowly to find him standing in the middle of the hallway, still in his surgical scrubs, his dark hair slightly damp at the temples.
He looked exhausted yet… breathtaking.
But it wasn’t his looks that made me freeze. It was his presence.
His wolf’s aura filled the corridor like smoke, pressing against every wolf in sight. Behind me, an intern gasped softly. Another took a step back.
No one said a word but every wolf there already sensed who he was.
“My office. Now.” He growled.
- Writer
