Nicole
The scent of antiseptic and coffee clung to my lab coat as I hurried through the glass doors of Moonwatch Medical Center, clutching my research paper to my chest.
After three years of relentless research, sleepless nights, and countless cups of coffee, my study on "Werewolf Genetic Stability Factors" had not only been accepted but had won the Pack's prestigious Medical Achievement Award.
And with it came the prize money,one hundred thousand dollars. Money that would finally allow my mother ,Xavia ,access to the specialized cardiac treatment she desperately needed.
"Dr. Nicole!" The receptionist, Amy, called out as I passed. "Congratulations! The whole Pack is buzzing about your research."
I offered her a genuine smile, my first in weeks. "Thanks, Amy. It still doesn't feel real."
"You deserve it. Oh—Dr. Dodie was looking for you earlier. Something about celebratory drinks?"
Dodie, the Moonwatch Pack's lead physician, was known for handling the most complicated obstetric cases with calm precision.
We'd been best friends since our university days, surviving heartbreaks, failed exams, and a few supernatural close calls together.
She and Bella are my closest friends, but unfortunately their relationship isn't harmonious.
Doddy always says Bella is a hypocrite.
I desperately want to dispel her misconceptions about her.
Though the social status gap between us was vast—Bella possessed unimaginable wealth and resources—but she never looked down on me.
If not for her, I wouldn't have met my partner. Thinking of my partner, I can't help but chuckle softly.
Francisco was the Alpha heir of the Ashclaw Pack.
He pursued me for three years in college,and he's never cared about my wolf's flaws.
Although I was kicked out of my father's pack, he still accepted me and supported my research career.
Now we've been together for two years now, and the relationship is stable.
"I'll catch her tomorrow. Tonight's for family," I replied, already imagining Francisco's face when I told him the news.
Amid colleagues 'teasing banter, I hurried out of the hospital toward our shared apartment.
On the way, I received a bank deduction notification—— My account had been debited for $150,000.
This was our joint account with Francisco—what was he doing? A wave of unease washed over me.
Though everything seemed to be progressing smoothly, I shook off the turmoil, took a deep breath, and opened the apartment door expecting my partner's embrace and explanation.
But what followed completely shattered me.
The smell hit me first—cloying perfume, sweat, and something raw.
The living room was a mess. A pair of men's dress shoes. A pair of unfamiliar high heels. A lacy bra draped over the back of the couch.
I froze, heart beginning to race. From down the hall, muffled voices and rhythmic thumping drifted toward me.
“Oh god, you're such a bad boy,” a woman gasped breathlessly.
“You little fox,” the man growled."You're going to drive me crazy.”
I stood rooted to the spot, unable to breathe. My body moved on its own, silently carrying me toward the bedroom door.
Then I heard it—the woman's voice, breathy and teasing.
I'm familiar with it.
“Tell me, darling… do you like me better or Nicole?”
The man's voice, irritated and impatient, answered:
“Of course I like you. Nicole's a boring nun. You're the fun one.”
My chest tightened.
I stared at the door, stunned, until reality finally snapped into place like a blade through my chest.
I turned, walked to the kitchen, filled a bowl with cold water, and returned to the bedroom like a ghost.
Then, with calm precision, I kicked the door open and flung the water straight at the tangled pair of naked bodies on the bed.
The woman shrieked.
Francisco let out a strangled yell, scrambling to cover himself.
“Nicole?!” he gasped, grabbing a soaked blanket to cover his lower half.
I didn't speak. My gaze shifted to the woman—Bella.Her smug smile curling as she lazily traced the moonstone pendant that hung from her neck.
The same limited-edition pendant I'd seen in the jewelry store window last week.
The one Francisco had begged me for $150,000 to buy—for a business client he needed to impress.
And it showed up on the neck of my best friend Bella.
“Well,” Bella drawled sweetly,"isn't this awkward timing?”
Francisco stood, attempting to put his shirt on."Nicole, let me explain—this isn't what it looks like.”
I stared at him, silent, until my fingers clenched around the folder in my hand—crumpling my mother's cardiac report.
Bella's voice dripped with poison. "Does this necklace look nice? I just mentioned I liked the design, and Francisco bought it for me. It's so funny how your partner works hard to make me happy."
The betrayal cut deeper than any physical wound could.
"You stole all the money from our joint account to please my best friend and even have sex with her? Did you know that money could save my mother's life!"
Francisco's voice followed, low and cold,“Be practical, Nicole. Your mother's condition is a bottomless pit. That prize money secures our future. You need to stop being so emotional.”
"Practical?" My voice emerged as a dangerous whisper. "You stole medical funds meant for a life-saving procedure.
According to Werewolf Law, Section 23—misappropriation of life-sustaining medical resources equates to attempted murder of a Pack member."
I yanked off the earrings he'd given me—another lie, I realized now—and hurled them at his chest.
"This money wasn't yours to take!" My voice rose with each word. "It was designated for my mother's treatment! The Council will hear about this!"
I tore the joint account agreement from my bag and ripped it to shreds, letting the pieces fall between us.
Something primal and ancient rose within me. The formal rejection words came unbidden to my lips,"I, Nicole Snyder, hereby reject you, Francisco Lacey, Alpha of the Ashclaw Pack, as my mate!"
The moment the words left my mouth, searing pain lanced through my chest.
It felt like a thousand knives piercing my heart simultaneously. My lungs seized, refusing to draw breath. My knees threatened to buckle, but pride kept me upright. I would not show weakness—not to them.
Francisco's face flickered with something— Pain? It vanished almost instantly.
"I, Francisco Lacey, Alpha of the Ashclaw Pack, accept your rejection."
Bella's smug expression as she draped herself against him told me everything.
They deserved each other—two manipulative, selfish creatures playing with others' lives.
"You won't get away with this," I managed through gritted teeth, backing toward the door. "I'll make you pay the price."
I stumbled from the apartment, each step sending fresh waves of rejection pain through my body. The bond-breaking was physical as well as emotional, my wolf keening in agony within me.
Outside, I collapsed against the wall, struggling to breathe through the pain.
Suddenly, My phone rang in my hand—the Moonwatch Medical Center's emergency line.
"Dr. Nicole?" The urgent voice of Nurse Jenkins cut through my fog. "Your mother has suffered severe wolf spirit backlash. Her condition is critical. We need to perform an inter-Pack cardiac bridging procedure immediately. The deposit required is $200,000, payable tonight only, or we can't connect her to the Thornfang Pack's life support system."
The phone nearly slipped from my trembling fingers as darkness edged into my vision.
Two hundred thousand dollars. Double what I'd won. Money I no longer had access to.
My mother was dying, and the man I'd trusted had taken away my only means of saving her.
