Their words piqued my curiosity. I had heard of Ezekiel Ashborne, of course—every Wolf Healer had. His reputation was legendary, but I had never seen him in person. The thought of meeting someone so revered, someone who seemed to effortlessly command respect and awe, was strangely alluring. It was a sharp contrast to the misery I felt in my personal life.
Hours stretched into days. Then, unexpectedly, Dane, my Alpha, appeared outside the clinic one evening. It had been an exhausting shift, and I was trudging toward the exit when I saw his familiar car parked across the place.
“Why are you here?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, fatigue weighing down my words.
He opened the car door and smiled at me. “Did you forget that today is our mateship anniversary?”
“Oh,” I mumbled, caught off guard. “Sorry. I’ve been really busy and it slipped my mind.”
“Celeste, you used to care about this more than anything. How could you forget?” His eyes searched mine, a mixture of disbelief and hurt.