Arminda POV:
The smell of antiseptic was sharp in my nose. I sat on the edge of the examination table in the pack hospital, watching the doctor finish stitching the burn on my forearm.
"The silver content was low," Dr. Evans muttered, shaking his head. "But because your immunity is so compromised from... recent exertions... it burned deep. It will scar, Arminda."
"It's fine," I said, my voice hollow. "Scars fade."
"Not silver scars," he said softly. "Not for our kind."
I pulled my sleeve down, wincing as the fabric brushed the raw skin. I didn't tell him that the scars on my heart were far deeper.
I walked out of the hospital into the bright morning sun. The pack grounds were busy. Warriors were training on the lawn, and pups were chasing butterflies. It looked idyllic. It looked like a home I was about to lose.
I rounded the corner toward the administrative building and stopped dead.
Coleton stood by the fountain, his back to me. Charly was there, too. She was leaning against him, her head on his shoulder, feigning weakness.
I could see the air shimmering around Coleton. He was projecting his Alpha Aura-a wave of calming, dominant energy used to soothe distressed pack members. He was using his precious energy to comfort a woman who was faking a headache.
Charly saw me. Her eyes narrowed, and a smirk played on her lips.
Mind-Link: Look at you. Limping like a wounded dog. You really thought he would choose a broken Omega over me? I am a high-ranking Beta. I can give him strong heirs. You can't even shift.
Her voice in my head was like scraping nails on a chalkboard.
I didn't respond. I simply turned and walked into the admin building.
Ten minutes later, I signed the papers.
"Voluntary separation," the clerk said, stamping the document. "You have forty-eight hours to vacate the territory before your status officially changes to Rogue. Once you are Rogue, you have no protection."
"I know," I said.
I went back to the Alpha's mansion-my home for the last six months-to pack. I didn't have much. Just a few clothes and some medical books. I gathered everything that held my scent: my hairbrush, my pillowcases, the sweater I wore when I read to Coleton while he was in a coma.
I threw them all into the incinerator chute. I would leave no trace.
Just as I zipped my bag, the door flew open.
"Where do you think you are going?"
Coleton stood in the doorway, looking irritated. He was wearing a business suit.
"I'm packing," I said, not looking at him.
"Stop it," he ordered. "I have a meeting at the company headquarters in an hour. My back is stiff. I need you to come and perform the meridian therapy."
I stared at him. "You want me to massage you? After last night?"
"You are the pack Healer," he said coldly. "That is your job. Unless you want me to revoke your access to the hospital supplies?"
He knew exactly how to hurt me. He knew I cared about the patients.
"Fine," I said.
I followed him to the sleek black SUV. I sat in the front, as I always used to.
"Backseat," Coleton said.
I froze. "What?"
"Charly is coming. She gets carsick in the back."
I swallowed the lump in my throat and climbed into the back. Charly hopped into the front seat, shooting me a triumphant grin in the rearview mirror.
At the company office, Coleton sat behind his massive oak desk while I worked my fingers into the muscles of his shoulders. I could feel the tension there. I could also feel the magnetic pull of the Mate Bond, urging me to nuzzle him, to comfort him. I fought it with everything I had.
"Oh, look what I brought!" Charly chirped. She was lounging on the sofa, scrolling through her phone. She pulled a fancy box out of her purse. "Artisan dark chocolate truffles. They are imported."
She walked over and held one out to Coleton. "Open up, handsome."
My eyes widened.
"No!" I snapped. "Coleton, don't eat that."
Coleton paused, the chocolate inches from his lips. "Why?"
"It's dark chocolate," I said urgently. "The theobromine concentration is too high. For a wolf, especially one recently recovered from nerve damage, it's toxic. It will cause seizures."
Charly pouted, her lower lip trembling. "But... I bought them specially for you. The shopkeeper said they were the best. Is she saying I'm trying to poison you?"
Coleton looked at Charly's teary eyes, then at me.
"You are being paranoid, Arminda," he said. "It's just candy."
"It's poison to our biology!" I insisted. "Wolf 101!"
"I am an Alpha," Coleton growled. "My metabolism can handle a little chocolate. Stop trying to make Charly look bad."
He took the truffle from Charly's hand and popped it into his mouth. He chewed, maintaining eye contact with me, a challenge in his gaze.
"Delicious," he said to Charly.
Five minutes later, he doubled over.
"Urgh..." Coleton gripped the edge of the desk, his face turning pale. Sweat beaded on his forehead instantly. "My stomach..."
"Coleton?" Charly gasped. "What's wrong?"
He groaned, clutching his abdomen. His body was trying to reject the toxin, but his system was still fragile.
I sighed. I didn't want to help him. I wanted to let him suffer for his stupidity. But my oath as a healer-and the stupid, lingering love of a mate-wouldn't let me.
I reached into my bag and pulled out a vial of herbal extract I always carried. Milk thistle and activated charcoal.
"Drink this," I said, slamming it onto the desk.
Coleton reached for it with a shaking hand, drinking it down greedily. He slumped back in his chair, breathing heavily.
"You chose to eat poison to spare her feelings," I said quietly, looking down at him. "You value her vanity more than your own life."
Coleton looked up at me, his eyes hazy with pain but still defiant. "Get out."
I zipped up my bag. "With pleasure."
