Twas certain she wouldn’t have any bad intentions so I called her in. Dr. Inessa entered promptly wearing the same serious expression and white lab coat I’d seen her in a few hours ago.
She looked over at me and I tried not to fidget under her intense stare ~ or think about how ragged I must’ve looked. I was transported to another country, drugged, and spanked all in the same outfit. My hair and my wrinkled dress certainly weren’t holding up that well.
“What do you need?” I asked her, eyeing the box of medical supplies in her hand. “His Majesty asked me to look over you again,” she said, “He said you might need some…lotion to ease the pain.”
Oh, God. Did Griffin really send her here because of my bruised a*s? Was humiliating me in front of other people also part of the punishment?
From the way she hesitated to say “lotion,” I could tell she was just as uncomfortable with the situation as I was – but she did hide it better. She certainly didn’t go red in the face like I did.
“No, no, that’s okay,” I stammered, “I’ll be fine. I don’t need lotion.” My aching a*s wanted to scream in protest but there was no way I was going to lift up my skirt and let another person see my reddened a*s – healer or not.
Dr. Inessa raised her eyebrow, not convinced I was “fine” by my fidgeting or the way I sat without putting any real weight on my backside.
“Well, how about I leave it for you?” she said, pulling a tiny white bottle out of her supply box, “Just in case you change your mind later.”
“Thank you.”
Inessa turned to leave, and I’m not sure what possessed me to call out to her, but I did. “Dr. Inessa? Can I ask you something?”
She stopped in her tracks and looked back at me. She didn’t speak, just waited for me to talk.
“Have you ever felt like you’re at a crossroads?” I asked. “Like you’re torn between something you’ve wanted most of your life and something that feels like you can’t escape from?” Much quieter, I added, “And maybe you don’t always want to escape from it.”
Although I’d given no real details about what I meant, Dr. Inessa seemed to read between the lines flawlessly. She raised another eyebrow – Iwas beginning to realize that was her signature move – and pursed her l*ps. “Yes, Kopoaesa. At my age, I’ve faced many hard decisions in my life…including ones that aren’t so dissimilar to the ones you’re facing right now.” “Really?”
“Yes,” she nodded, and then a small smile graced her l*ps, “I know your human senses don’t pick it up, but I am not…like others here. I am like you.’
She didn’t say the word, but my brain filled in the blanks anyway. Human. Dr. Inessa was human.
If she’s living in the werewolf world, then she must have a mate.
“I found my mate when I was twenty,” Dr. Inessa said, “Well, he found me. I used to be a nurse in the human world, and he came into my hospital one day. Followed my scent and everything. He told me that he was a werewolf, that I was his mate, and that we were destined to be together. Naturally…I tried to admit him into the psychiatric unit.”
I couldn’t stifle my laugh. Although werewolves had never been a surprise to me, it was nice to hear from someone who’d also had the mate bond thrust upon them.
“But eventually,” Dr. Inessa continued, “He won me over. He was working as one of the King’s guards, so I became a healer at the palace.”
“Didn’t it bother you? That you had to give up your entire human life for him? I’m sure you had hopes and dreams before your mate. Human things you wanted to do with your life.”
Dr. Inessa smiled fondly like she was picturing a memory I couldn’t see. “Of course I did. I wanted to become a combat nurse eventually and treat soldiers…you can only imagine how quickly my mate shot that idea down. I was upset initially. I thought I had to give up my dreams and my life to be with him, but I later learned that wasn’t the case.”
“Tt wasn’t?”
“No,” she shook her head, “I wasn’t losing my hopes or dreams to be with a werewolf, but I was gaining new ones. I was carving out a new path for myself – one that involved a man deeply dedicated to me. Being a combat nurse was never my destiny or my fate, I only thought it was. But really, my mate, being a part of the werewolf, becoming a healer…that was my true path. I just had to change my perspective.” (?
Dr. Inessa’s words echoed through my brain. Was she right? Were the things I wanted – going to college, traveling, living like a human – just part of a path I wasn’t meant for?
“It does you no good to hold onto the past, Your Majesty,” Dr. Inessa said, “You can fight against fate, you can try to run from it. But its claws are already in you. It’s just a matter of how long until you adapt and accept what’s been meant for you all along.”
I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I hardly noticed when Dr. Inessa sl*pped out the door.
Although I certainly wasn’t ready to wear a crown or fall into Griffin’s b*d, I couldn’t deny how much sense her words had meant. I’d already spent a lot of time fighting Griffin and everything he stood for.
Maybe it was time to see what acceptance and a little adapting could do for me.
“Happiness can only exist in acceptance.” George Orwell
Later that evening, when Griffin returned to our rooms, I decided to put my new attitude into work. I’d already tried running away and fighting fate. For the time being, it was time to see where actual acceptance might get me.
So, when Griffin entered the room, I didn’t turn away or try to argue with him like I might’ve done a couple of days ago.
Instead, I turned to him and actually smiled. The gesture still felt forced and I could see Griffin raise his eyebrows almost immediately ~ he clearly hadn’t been expecting me to look happy to see him.
“Hello, little fox,” he said, bounding across the room and taking me into his arms. “I missed you.” His embrace was warm and firm, and rather than pull away, I let myself sink into his arms and hug him back.
“Yeah, me too,” I told him. It wasn’t a complete lie. Other than Dr. Inessa, Griffin had been primary human interaction for the past day. Even if he’d spent a good portion of that time “punishing me,” his presence was better than nothing.
In response, Griffin only stiffened under my touch. Was he expecting me to reject his touch?
“What’s wrong?” I asked as Griffin stiffly pulled away from me, staring at me with narrowed eyes.
“What are you trying to pull?” he asked, his voice low and barely above a growl.
“What do you mean?”
“That smile when I walked into the room,” he said, “Telling me you miss me too, hugging me back…what sort of game are you trying to play with me?”
I couldn’t even be offended that he was so suspicious of me. After all, I had literally run away from him and constantly questioned the mate bond. If I was him, ‘d certainly be suspicious about my intentions.
“I’m not trying to pull anything,” I replied. My eyes bore into his and I tried to communicate every ounce of sincerity I felt. “I can see why you might think that, but seriously, there’s no ploy here. I’ve had pretty much the entire day to think about this. Us. The mate bond. Whatever you want to call it.”
Griffin raised his eyebrows, but I could’ve sworn I saw something flash in his eyes. Hope? I
“and?” he questioned. “Well, here’s the thing,” I started. Suddenly, it was all I could do not to look away from him. I felt shy and vulnerable in a way that I’d rarely felt before. It was the heart pounding, sweaty-palm feeling of possible rejection.
Just days ago, I would’ve done everything I could to break this bond, and now I’m worried that he may try to laugh in my face if I tell him I want to give this a try.
“I know I’ve been pretty against this whole thing,” I said, “And while I’m definitely not thrilled about how things have gone down, I can recognize that I probably didn’t handle my part too well.”
More Kickass Werewolf Reads
Dive into our collection of free werewolf romance novels—where fierce Alphas, daring heroines, and heart-stopping twists await. Every story burns with forbidden desire, loyalty, and destiny. Don’t wait—here’s a world where love bites hard and nothing is stronger than the call of the mate.
Leave a Reply