On the eve of my promotion to Chief Healer, my Alpha, Leander, secretly submitted a medical deployment application to the Northern War Zone in my name. When I confronted him, he brushed it off. “Celeste used my computer yesterday and accidentally submitted it for you. It was just a little joke.” “Isn’t there a second confirmation? You could have rejected it.” Leander knew perfectly well that if I failed to respond within twenty-four hours, the application would be automatically confirmed. Once it went through, I would have to spend three years in the Northern War Zone, where whether I lived or died would be anyone’s guess. Not only had he kept it from me beforehand, but he had also called it a joke, as though I would be vicious for holding Celeste accountable. Seven years together, and in the end, they meant less than a pretty intern who had been hovering around him for three months. My heart went cold. I said nothing more and confirmed the deployment myself. I never expected him to regret it. … APPLICATION SUBMITTED. If not actively withdrawn within twenty-four hours, deployment to the Northern War Zone will be automatically confirmed for a three-year assignment. When I received the email from the Moonbound Healers Alliance about the Northern War Zone medical deployment, I froze for a second. Then anger surged through me. The documents I had asked Leander to submit yesterday were clearly for my promotion to Senior Healer. What came back instead was a deployment application. My phone buzzed. A colleague from the Alliance’s Human Resources Office had messaged me. Dr. Hart, did you submit the wrong form? High-risk territory deployment applications have a twenty-four-hour cooling-off period. You can still withdraw it. Leander and I had been together for seven years. As an Alpha, there was no way he did not know how dangerous the North was. He had almost died on the border himself. And now I was learning that he had filled out an application sending me there. Our Mate Bond ceremony was supposed to take place next year. I took a deep breath and called Leander with trembling hands. “I received a deployment confirmation for the Northern front. Why?” His careless voice came through the line. “Oh, that. Celeste came to my office yesterday to discuss the data and saw me organizing your materials. She said the Northern War Zone needed complex-trauma specialists like you the most, so she jokingly submitted the application for you.” He paused, his tone as light as if we were discussing what to have for lunch. “She just graduated from the Wolf Medical Academy. She’s passionate and impulsive. She was only joking with you. There is a twenty-four-hour cooling-off period, isn’t there? Just withdraw it.” Celeste. Again. She was the new trainee healer Leander had brought into the pack this year, and after I was promoted to Chief trauma Healer, she was the person most likely to take over my position on the project. Young. Pretty. And every time she looked at Leander, the worship in her eyes was impossible to miss. He knew that if the application was not actively withdrawn within twenty-four hours, it would automatically enter the review process. And once a Northern War Zone medical deployment was approved, it meant at least two years away. Yet he described it as a little joke. “If I hadn’t checked my email in time, that order would have gone into effect. Do you understand how serious this is?” My voice tightened. I could not understand why he had not told me earlier. Leander sighed into the receiver, the impatience in his voice obvious. “Elowen, when did you become so uptight?” “It was a joke. Celeste was going to remind you today anyway. Even if you had really missed the email, she would have told you tomorrow at the latest.” “If you want to report her, go ahead and report me too. I was the one who gave her access.” Then he hung up. I stood before the tall window of the Blackridge Pack Medical Center, looking out at the empty streets before dawn. For the first time, I felt as if I had never truly known the person beside me for the past seven years. Withdrawing the application would take only one email. But at that moment, I no longer wanted to withdraw it. I opened the border medical station database and began downloading epidemiological data, combat-trauma protocols for werewolf patients, and maps of local armed factions. A colleague knocked on the duty-room door. “Dr. Hart, someone is looking for you downstairs.” Celeste was standing in the medical center lobby with two coffees in her hands. When she saw me, she hurried over, her smile bright. “Dr. Hart.” She handed me one of the coffees. “I just spoke to Alpha Leander. He is taking the team to the Northern territories this weekend for a medical outreach program, and he invited me to be his assistant. Do you think it would be appropriate for me to go?” Her eyes were clear, her tone sincere, as though she truly wanted my opinion. It had been three months. Ever since this top student from Stanford Wolf Medical School had joined Leander’s project team, she had been doing the most provocative things with the most innocent expression. I took the coffee but did not drink it. “What do you think? You two have already made up your minds. What do you need my blessing for?” Celeste tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Alpha Leander said this medical outreach is important. But I was worried you might misunderstand. After all, you used to be the one who partnered with him…” “Then don’t go.” She froze. “Weren’t you asking for my opinion?” I set the coffee down on the reception desk. “That is my opinion. Don’t go.” Celeste’s expression shifted. Before she could speak, the elevator doors opened. Almost at the same moment, tears welled in her eyes. Leander frowned when he saw her. “Celeste, what happened? Did someone upset you?” “Alpha, no one upset me. I only came to ask Dr. Hart for her opinion… I was afraid she would be unhappy.” Celeste lowered her head, tears falling at exactly the right moment. “I just didn’t expect her to say she didn’t want me to go.” Leander patted her shoulder and comforted her. “It doesn’t matter whether she agrees or not. Since when do I need someone else’s approval to choose my assistant?” Then he turned to me, his eyes full of impatience. “Look how much Celeste cares about your feelings. And you? You’re still making things hard for her over the Northern application?” “She cares about my feelings? For three months, she has been bringing you breakfast and leaving caring notes right in front of me. She fights to sit beside you in meetings, posts ambiguous photos of the two of you on Instagram, and now she wants to act innocent? Who is she performing for?” “I am your partner. But everywhere she goes, she acts as though she is the one who belongs beside you. She has no sense of boundaries at all. She is trying to take my place right in front of me. Calling you ‘Alpha’ every other sentence–doesn’t it make you sick?” “She calls me Dr. Hart to my face, but behind my back she probably wishes I would disappear.” Celeste went pale. She even forgot to cry. Leander stared at me as if he were looking at a stranger. “Are you done? When did you become this cruel?” “Celeste is on my project team. It is my responsibility to mentor her. Why do you always have to make everything so ugly? It’s a normal professional relationship, and you’re twisting it into something dirty.” “Celeste is generous enough not to argue with you. Apologize to her, and this ends here.” I laughed from sheer anger. “Are you insane? You want me to apologize to the person who submitted a Northern deployment application for me? Impossible.” Leander pressed his lips into a thin line. “Elowen, if you insist on refusing to apologize, then the Mate Bond ceremony we planned for next year can be canceled too.” Looking at the man before me, I felt more and more as if he were a stranger. The way he protected Celeste made my anger seem like a joke. I lowered my eyes and said softly, “Fine. Then let’s do as you said. Cancel the ceremony. End whatever bond is left between us.” Shock flashed through Leander’s eyes. Celeste immediately looked as though she wanted to mediate. “Alpha, Dr. Hart must only be saying that because she is angry. Please don’t argue because of something so small involving me.” Leander came back to himself and gave a cold laugh. “Fine. Canceled, then. Don’t come crying to me in the middle of the night, begging to get back together.” He left with Celeste. Before they were gone, I heard him speak to her in a gentle voice. “Don’t worry. We have been together for so many years. She always comes around.” “I have spoiled her too much all these years. This time, she needs to learn a lesson.”
When I returned to the duty room, the computer screen was still glowing. Three hours remained on the withdrawal countdown. I began searching for the latest briefings from the Northern border medical stations. Last week, an ambulance had been ambushed and two healers had been killed. One treatment station, short on supplies, had been forced to choose which of the wounded could receive care. But it was also where the most advanced combat-trauma techniques for werewolf patients were being developed, and where the world’s best healers rotated through the front line. If I returned after two years, that experience alone would allow me to compete directly for a Senior Healer position. Maybe it was not so bad after all. In the past, to fit into the stable life Leander wanted, I had given up three chances to take high-risk territory deployments. Now, it seemed I no longer had to worry so much. I shut down the computer. A message from my best friend, Maeve, popped up. Elowen! I saw Leander and Celeste at pack social night! God, the two of them were practically pressed together during the game! She sent me a video. The lighting was dim, but I recognized Leander at once in the center of the crowd. Celeste sat beside him, her cheeks flushed. Someone shouted, “Leander, truth or dare? If it’s a dare… hug the nearest woman for thirty seconds!” Amid the laughter, Leander turned and naturally pulled Celeste into his arms. Whistles and cheers exploded around them. They looked so intimate that anyone would think they were the fated pair. My heart stung as if pierced by a silver needle. I replied to Maeve: I know. Leave them alone. Then I began organizing the documents I needed to take with me when I left. After all, there was not much time. I would depart in a month. Two weeks later, Leander’s beta delivered an invitation. “Tomorrow evening, Alpha is hosting a project wrap-up dinner at the Mooncrest Medical Exchange Center. He asks that you attend.” “I’m busy.” The beta looked surprised. “But you contributed a great deal to this project…” “I have plans.” He smiled. “You may bring a companion. Alpha specifically said he hopes you will be there.” Several colleagues looked over at us. I accepted the invitation. On the night of the banquet, Celeste stood at the entrance to the hall in a pink cocktail dress, holding a certificate for Outstanding Young Researcher. The moment she saw me, her eyes lit up and she hurried over. “Dr. Hart, you’re here. Today is the day I passed my probation. I was afraid it wouldn’t feel festive enough, so I begged Alpha to combine his project wrap-up dinner with my celebration.” Expressionless, I said, “Congratulations.” “Thank you, Dr. Hart.” Her smile was radiant. “We saved you a seat at the main table.” I found a seat in the corner. Leander came looking for me. His suit was impeccable, his face handsome, his expression cold. “Elowen, go to the main table. What are you doing hiding here?” “It’s quiet here. I like it.” Leander took a deep breath. “I have let you give me the silent treatment for two weeks. Are you not finished yet? Since when have you not sat beside me at a celebration banquet? All this over a deployment order that has already been withdrawn?” Several people looked toward us. I met his eyes and said nothing. I also did not tell him that I had never withdrawn the order. A familiar professor smoothed things over. “Dr. Hart, come sit with us. We have kept a seat for you.” There was indeed an empty chair beside Leander. Celeste walked over naturally and took it. Then she turned to Leander. “Alpha, this is perfect. We were just discussing next month’s Global Pack Medicine Summit. Now that I have become a full staff member, you said you would take me out to see more of the world.” She looked at me with clear eyes. “Dr. Hart should come too. The three of us can go together.” I lifted my glass of water. I remembered the night Leander and I returned from South Sudan last year. He had said he would definitely take me to the next global summit. “When the time comes, you need to take photos with those top experts,” he had said while helping me smooth my skirt. “Let the people who say you rely on me see that this is your own strength.” The way my heart had moved then was real. The way it had gone cold now was real too. “The two of you should go. I don’t have time lately.” The moment I finished speaking, Leander’s face darkened.
Halfway through the banquet, I went out to the terrace for air. Leander followed me and grabbed my wrist. His palm was callused from years of holding surgical blades. “Elowen, what exactly do you mean by this?” “Exactly what I said.” I pulled my hand free. Leander laughed in anger. “How long are you going to keep acting like this? Is this still about the Northern deployment order?” Clearly, from beginning to end, he had believed I was merely throwing a little tantrum. “I asked Celeste. She really did plan to remind you. Even if you hadn’t seen the email, she would have told you the next day at the latest. Stop being so petty.” I nodded. “Yes. You’re right. I should thank her.” “Don’t use that tone with me.” He released my wrist, his voice hard. “You are coming with me to the summit next month. We agreed on that.” Then he turned and left, the hem of his suit jacket cutting a sharp line through the air. At eight o’clock on the morning of the summit, I stood at my apartment window and looked down. Leander’s car was parked below, and Celeste leaned against it, occasionally glancing up toward my floor. I drew the curtains shut. My phone vibrated with a message from Leander. Come down. Do not make me say it again. I replied: Packing. Not going. Is the summit less important than packing? If you do not come this time, don’t regret it. After sending that message, he left with Celeste. That day, he posted three updates on Instagram. Every single one included Celeste. Brought a young researcher to her first world-class summit today. That spark in her eyes reminds me of the beginning. She got shy after a few legends in the field praised her work. Summit photo. New voices deserve to be seen. The future belongs to them. Comments from mutual friends appeared one after another. Is Alpha bringing a student or a mate? He is so attentive. Dr. Hart didn’t go? Did the strongest healing duo break up? Celeste really is talented. Alpha has an eye for people. Maeve sent me screenshots, furious. Celeste is absolutely doing this on purpose! You and Leander may not have gone public, but everyone in the circle knows you’ve been together for seven years. This is disgusting. Aren’t you going to do something? Was it disgusting? A little. But more than that, it was liberating. One intern had been enough to let me see clearly what seven years of love had been worth. The more I cherished him, the more he took it for granted. The withdrawal period for the Northern deployment order had passed. That was that. I began preparing my gear. High-risk territory aid was not easy. I needed ballistic armor, emergency healing kits, multiple vaccines, antimalarial drugs, and psychological training for battlefield post-traumatic stress disorder. But once my mind settled, it felt less like exile and more like a new beginning. Before I left, I asked Maeve to have dinner with me. Northern food would take some getting used to. I might as well start early. Maeve stared at me. “Leander and that intern are already acting like that, and you still have the mood to try new food?” “Why wouldn’t I?” I smiled. Work was work. Love was love. Whenever Leander and I had argued before, I had always been the one to make peace. But this time, he had crossed my bottom line. On the way back to my apartment, I even found myself humming. Maeve looked at me in disbelief. “Have you really let go? I saw Leander and Celeste’s Instagram. They’ve been interacting even more since they came back from the summit…” I did not answer. When we passed the old campus of the Wolf Medical Academy, I asked Maeve to go ahead and went alone into the ivy-covered laboratory building. The rooftop was where Leander and I had first met. Eight years ago, I had still been a wolf medical student. He was already the youngest regional director of the Moonbound Healers Alliance and the newly appointed Alpha of Blackridge Pack. That night, I had been harshly criticized by my mentor for a surgical error and had hidden there to smoke. He found me and led me to the railing. “Look down.” He pointed at the thousands of city lights below. “What is one mistake in the span of an entire life?” From a terrified wolf medical student, I later became the partner who worked most seamlessly with him. Before every dangerous mission, we often came here. Together, we discussed injuries, argued over treatment plans, and shared our breakthroughs. Leander liked leaning against the railing and looking out at the lights of the medical center in the distance. “Elowen, you’re improving so quickly that I almost feel threatened.” Back then, I had smiled at his profile. “Then you had better work hard. Don’t let me surpass you.” In our third year, in an interpack border zone, a breach appeared in the area under my responsibility and three team members were infected. Headquarters investigators accused me of negligence in front of an entire tent of people and wanted to send me back to the pack. Leander stood up and stepped in front of me. “I am the chief supervisor of this epidemic zone. I will take responsibility for every issue. Dr. Hart’s protective protocol carried my final signature. If anyone is to be disciplined, discipline me.” He bore all the pressure and voluntarily applied to extend his time stationed there as a remedy. After the investigators left, I stood in the tent that reeked of disinfectant and watched Leander’s profile as he organized medical reports. My trust in him and my love for him grew so full they almost overflowed. We got together after that night. Now, those memories had become sharpened silver blades, cutting deep.
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