The hum of the expensive engine was a steady, soothing vibration against my back, a stark contrast to the chaotic pounding of my own heart. Stormi was asleep in the backseat, her breathing finally deep and even, thanks to Chase’s aura suppressing her pain. But as the car hit a bump, she let out a sharp, high-pitched whimper that cut through me like a knife.

"Pull over," I said, my hand instinctively reaching back to find her leg.

Chase didn't argue. He didn't demand to know why, or tell me we didn't have time. The car slowed immediately, gravel crunching under the tires as he eased us onto the shoulder.

"Is she okay?" his deep voice rumbled from the driver's seat.

" The pain meds are wearing off," I said, unbuckling my seatbelt. I opened the door, and the cool, damp air of the Pacific Northwest hit my face. It smelled of wet asphalt, pine needles, and—faintly, to the left—running water. "I need to find some willow bark. I can smell a creek nearby."

Chase was at my side in an instant. "I'll help you."

I navigated the uneven terrain with my cane, but mostly I followed the scent of the water. My blindness had always been Caleb's greatest shame, but out here, in the wild, it was just another way of seeing. I ran my hands over the rough bark of the trees until I found the familiar, slightly bitter scent of white willow. Peeling a strip off with my pocket knife, I mashed it with a smooth stone I found by the water, mixing it with a little water from my canteen.

When I returned to the car and coaxed Stormi to drink the bitter liquid, Chase watched me in silence. I could feel the weight of his gaze—heavy, but not oppressive.

"You're not just a healer in name, are you?" he asked quietly as I settled back into the front seat. "Most pack doctors just rely on their wolf energy. You actually know the earth."

"My mother taught me," I said, wiping my hands on my skirt. "When you can't see the wound, you have to understand the body. And the earth provides, if you know how to ask."

Chase started the car again, merging back onto the highway. "Caleb is a fool," he muttered, the growl in his voice vibrating through the small space. "He threw away a queen to play house with a plastic doll."

"Why are you really helping us, Chase?" I asked, turning my face toward his voice. "It can't just be because you hate him."

"It's not just hate," Chase admitted, his tone turning grim. "I'm an Enforcer for the Council. I've been tracking Caleb's finances for six months. The Blood Moon Pack is broke, Ava. He's been funneling money to rogue factions in exchange for them leaving his borders alone. He's paying for peace because he's too weak to enforce it."

My breath hitched. "That's treason."

"It is," Chase confirmed. "And when I prove it, he'll hang. But until then, I'm getting you as far away from the blast zone as possible."

We arrived in Seattle territory just as the sun was beginning to warm the air. Chase drove us straight to the Silver Rain Pack house. The energy here was different—lighter, cleaner. It didn't taste like fear.

I was terrified to meet Alpha Marcus Grey, but when Chase introduced us, the Alpha didn't sneer at my cane. He took my hand firmly.

"Chase tells me you're a gifted herbalist," Marcus said, his voice sounding like a man who smiled often. "My warriors rely too much on quick healing and not enough on proper recovery. If you can set up a clinic that focuses on holistic care, you have a place here. No one will touch you or your daughter."

For the first time in my life, a man in power was offering me a contract, not a command. "I won't let you down, Alpha Grey," I whispered.

***

Three years later.

The bell above the door chimed, cutting through the quiet hum of the clinic. The air inside was thick with the calming scents of dried lavender, chamomile, and the sharp, antiseptic tang of tea tree oil.

"Mom! Uncle Chase is here!"

Stormi’s voice rang out from the back room, followed by the thundering of feet. At eight years old, she was a force of nature—loud, happy, and completely unafraid.

I smiled, capping the jar of salve I had been mixing. "Don't tackle him, Stormi. He's probably wearing a suit."

"Too late," Chase’s deep chuckle filled the room, sending a familiar shiver down my spine. I heard the *whoosh* of air as he swung her up into his arms. "Gotcha, you little rascal. Have you been practicing your shielding?"

"Yes!" Stormi giggled. "I can hide my scent from Mom for almost a whole minute!"

"Impressive," Chase said, setting her down. His footsteps approached the counter where I stood. The scent of him—rain, cedar, and that unique, electric Lycan power—washed over me, instantly making my inner wolf perk up. She had been awake for a year now, a white wolf who loved him as much as I was starting to fear I did.

"Coffee," he said softly, placing a warm paper cup near my hand. "Two sugars, one pump of hazelnut."

"You spoil me," I said, wrapping my fingers around the cup. I turned my face up to him, sensing he was leaning over the counter. He was close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his chest.

"I try," he murmured. The playful tone was gone, replaced by that heavy, intense gravity that had been growing between us for months. "How was the clinic today?"

"Busy," I said, my heart rate picking up. "Three rogues with silver burns, and a Delta with a sprained ankle. The Silver Rain wolves are finally starting to trust the 'blind witch' on the corner."

"They respect you, Ava," Chase corrected gently. His hand brushed mine on the counter, his thumb tracing the knuckles. It was a small touch, but it felt like a lightning strike. "Everyone respects you. You built this from nothing."

I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to lean into his touch. Three years of safety, of his constant, unwavering support. He had been the father Stormi deserved and the partner I never thought I’d have. But I hadn't let him mark me. I hadn't let myself believe it could be real.

"I had help," I whispered.

"You had a ride," Chase said, his voice dropping an octave, rough with suppressed emotion. "The rest? The magic? That's all you, Ava. It's always been you."

The pain didn't come in waves. It came like a tsunami, crashing into my bones all at once.

I screamed, dropping the mug of tea I’d been holding. It shattered on the floor, but the sound was distant, muffled by the roaring of blood in my ears. Outside the clinic window, the Supermoon hung heavy and low, a giant silver eye staring directly into my soul.

"Ava!" Chase was there in a heartbeat, his large hands gripping my shoulders to keep me from collapsing onto the broken ceramic. "What is it? Is it the baby? Is it a vision?"

"My back..." I gasped, arching my spine as a searing heat ripped through my vertebrae. "It feels like... fire. Chase, it hurts!"

This wasn't normal pain. I had birthed a child in silence to avoid waking Caleb. I had walked on broken toes. But this? This was my very DNA rewriting itself.

"Get back," I choked out, pushing him away. "I'm... I'm shifting."

"Now?" Chase’s voice was laced with panic. "Ava, you're twenty-five. It's impossible—"

The rest of his sentence was lost in a guttural roar that tore from my throat. It wasn't a human sound. My body contorted, bones snapping and reforming with sickening speed. Usually, a first shift takes hours of agony. Mine took seconds.

A blinding white light exploded from my chest, brighter than the moon outside. I felt myself expanding, growing larger than I should be. The pain vanished, replaced by a surge of power so ancient and pure it felt like drinking starlight.

I stood on four paws, shaking out a coat of fur. I wasn't just a wolf. I towered over the exam table. I could feel the energy radiating off me, humming in the air like a live wire. Chase stood frozen against the wall, his eyes wide, his mouth agape.

*Beautiful,* his voice echoed in my mind, though his lips didn't move. *My Goddess, Ava. You’re a White Wolf.*

The legends. The healers of the gods. I wasn't wolfless. I was just... waiting.

The power was too much to contain. I howled, a sound that vibrated the glass of the windows, and then, just as quickly, the energy receded. I collapsed back into human form, shivering on the cool linoleum floor.

"Ava," Chase whispered, rushing forward with a blanket. He wrapped it around my trembling shoulders, pulling me into his lap.

I blinked.

Then I blinked again.

The world wasn't a void of shadows and sounds anymore. It was... color. It was light.

I gasped, my hands flying to my face. I looked down. I saw pale fingers. I saw the grey wool of the blanket. I saw the red blood from a small cut on my knee.

Slowly, terrified that it would vanish if I moved too fast, I lifted my head.

A man was holding me. He had messy dark hair that fell over his forehead and a jawline that looked carved from granite. But it was his eyes—stormy grey, rimmed with gold, filled with so much love it stole the breath from my lungs.

"Chase?" I whispered, reaching out. My hand trembled as I touched his cheek. The visual matched the texture I had memorized in the dark. The small scar above his lip. The way his eyes crinkled at the corners.

"You can see me?" he asked, his voice cracking.

"I can see you," I sobbed, tears blurring my new vision. "You're... you're so handsome."

Chase let out a wet laugh, burying his face in my neck. "And you are everything."

The scent of him—rain, cedar, and pure male—hit me then, harder than ever before. But this time, it wasn't just comforting. It was demanding. My inner wolf, fully awake and prowling beneath my skin, clawed at my chest. She wanted him. She claimed him.

"Chase," I panted, a fever taking hold of me. The heat of the shift hadn't left; it had turned into something else. "The bond. It's... it's pulling."

He pulled back, his pupils blown wide, swallowing the grey iris. "Ava, are you sure? Once I do this... there is no going back. You are mine."

"I chose you," I said fiercely, gripping his shirt. "I choose you every day. Mark me, Chase. Please."

He didn't hesitate. He growled, a low, possessive sound, and tilted my head back. His teeth grazed the sensitive junction of my neck, right over my pulse. Then, he bit down.

The pleasure was electric, sparking through every nerve ending. I felt his soul slam into mine, weaving our essences together. But as his mark settled into my skin, I felt something else—a violent snap.

The old, withered thread connecting me to Caleb, the one I had rejected but he had refused to release, was being severed by Chase’s claim.

In that split second, as the bond died, I was sucked into a terrifying vision.

*I wasn't in the clinic. I was in the Alpha’s office at the Blood Moon pack. The air smelled of rotting meat and sickness. Caleb was there, huddled in the corner. He looked like a corpse—skin grey, eyes sunken and wild with red madness. He was clawing at his own arms.*

*"It hurts!" he screamed at the empty room. "Make it stop!"*

*Selah tried to touch him, but he backhanded her, sending her crashing into the desk. "Useless! You smell like nothing!"*

*He grabbed a phone, his hands shaking violently. "Find her," he rasped into the receiver. "I don't care what it costs. Hire the Rogue Trackers. Bring the Healer back to me, or I will kill you all."*

*He looked up, and for a second, his red eyes seemed to lock onto mine across the miles. "Mine," he mouthed.*

*SNAP.*

The vision shattered. I gasped, jolting back into my body, back into the safety of Chase’s arms. The clinic was quiet. The pain was gone. The connection to Caleb was dead, leaving only silence where the rot used to be.

But I knew the truth now. The rejection hadn't killed him yet. It had only made him desperate.

"Ava?" Chase stroked my hair, his mark cooling on my neck. "What is it? You went rigid."

I looked into his beautiful, clear eyes, seeing the man who would die to protect me. I tightened my grip on him.

"He's coming," I whispered, my voice steady with a new, Alpha-level strength. "Caleb is coming. But he won't find a blind victim this time."

I looked at my hand, flexing my fingers. "He's going to find a White Wolf."