Chapter 1: Night Shift

“Liv, can you grab more gauze before you take a break?”

“Sure thing.”

Olivia pulled her hair back into a ponytail as she moved away from the patient’s bed. Her hair, dark as midnight, fell around her shoulders.

The most recent patient, a drunk who’d put up quite a fight, had left her looking like she’d been through a war zone.

She ran her fingers through her hair, pulling it back up into a tight ponytail. Working the night shift in the ER didn’t leave much time for breaks.

But she was reaching her limit. She needed a moment to herself. Tonight was proving to be a challenge.

She was in heat.

Her skin felt clammy, her nerves were frayed, and everything seemed to set her off. She despised the vulnerability it brought out in her, the neediness.

The scent of blood.

The overly flirtatious drunk men…

It was all getting to her. At least they were all ~human~.

She rubbed her forehead, trying to alleviate the headache that was forming.

Clear thinking was becoming a struggle.

She needed to get the gauze, then some fresh air. ~She could handle this~. She could make it through the night. Then she’d go home and deal with the urges that had been tormenting her all night. Alone.

That’s how she usually managed during these times. It was safer that way.

There was only ~one~ person she ever turned to for comfort—otherwise, she dealt with it on her own.

Will was her friend, and he was taken. Their one time together was a mistake she wouldn’t repeat.

She wasn’t like most werewolves, seeking out others of their kind. Olivia wasn’t born a werewolf. She ~became~ one.

Thankfully, her interactions with other werewolves were few and far between. Will had told her that werewolves usually stayed on the outskirts of the city.

Sometimes, she’d catch a whiff of one on the street. Her body would instantly tense up, and she knew what she had to do: run.

She always followed that instinct. Tonight was a bit riskier, though.

But—she’d never encountered a werewolf this deep in the city, and she was certain none of her coworkers were werewolves.

~She was safe. The night was almost over.~

Olivia refocused on her task, unlocking the blue metal cabinet with the key attached to her ID badge.

She grabbed as many packs of gauze as she could carry, pressing them against her chest.

After locking the cabinet, she turned around, her back against the door of the patient observation room. That’s when she sensed it.

~An alpha.~

She’d never encountered one before, but—~her body recognized it~.

As soon as the scent hit her, she froze. She could see the hospital staff, the patients, the visitors passing by, but she felt like she was in a different world.

She stood there, clutching the gauze, unable to move.

His scent was all she could smell. It clouded her mind, her body reacting as she bit her lower lip.

She crossed her legs, feeling the dampness seeping through her underwear.

No. It couldn’t be.

Her heart pounded in her chest. She would have known if he’d been there earlier… Had he been there all along?

She’d been busy…taking care of patients in the ER, fetching supplies.

Could she have missed it?

She always tried to prioritize her human side over her instincts.

But that musky scent was calling to her.

This was why she never worked during her heat—it made her prone to reckless decisions. Like this one. Will was the only one who’d been around her during her heat.

Her self-control had been lacking, to say the least.

He’d warned her. He’d told her to ~stay home~.

But her best friend had asked for a favor, and she couldn’t say no. She owed her so much. How could she refuse this one request?

Besides, werewolves rarely showed up in the emergency room. What could possibly happen in twelve hours?

~This, Olivia. This is what could happen~.

She tried to swallow, her mouth dry as she licked her lips, craving moisture—any moisture other than the one soaking her underwear.

She could feel it trickling down her thighs, staining her underwear.

He was in the room next to her; she could sense it. The smell of blood and his scent were all she could focus on. Her heart pounded in her chest, her nostrils flaring.

He was getting closer. Too close.

And then…

Everything happened so quickly—too quickly for her to process it.

Before she could even draw her next breath, she was thrust against the door, the force of the impact causing it to slam shut.

She blinked, and suddenly there were hands on her—everywhere. Large, strong hands that started at her stomach and moved upwards until they were cupping her breasts through the thin fabric of her uniform.

She held her breath, tilting her head back and opening her eyes. There he was. His large frame dwarfed her smaller one, his height making him seem like a giant. He had her cornered.

His blue eyes darkened as they met hers.

His gaze seemed to ignite her skin, and even the air she was breathing felt ~hot~. She was inhaling, but it felt like she was suffocating.

It was like dying and being reborn at the same time.

His hands slammed against the door behind her, his arms forming a cage around her, trapping her.

Her lower lip trembled as she opened her mouth, wanting to say something but unable to find the words.

She had lost control during her first heat—no one had prepared her for what to expect, for the overwhelming sensations. She’d given her virginity to another stray, a friend.

Her limited understanding of her own kind had made her grateful for her packless status, but it also meant she was often in the dark. Since then, she’d learned to control herself, to create a safe space.

Sometimes, the need became too intense—unbearable—and she’d surrender to it.

It was a need to be satisfied.

A fleeting desire.

This?

Her body was ablaze.

The only thing that could quench her thirst was ~him~. More of his ~touch~.

The idea of begging crossed her mind.

~What the hell is wrong with me? Oh God~.

She should have been scared, considering the ~brutal~ attack that had turned her into a ~wolf~. But as he stood so close, she found herself reaching out to touch his stomach, feeling the hard muscles beneath her fingers.

She felt his nose against her throat, leaving her breathless.

Her shoulder-length black hair brushed against her skin as his lips moved along her neck, and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

His scent was earthy and musky—like a campfire on a cold night—and it made her insides tighten.

She bit her lip, waiting for his next move. The anticipation in her stomach grew as his mouth found her ear.

A nibble, his sharp teeth grazing her earlobe before tugging at it.

His warm breath tickled her as he panted.

His rough fingers brushed away a strand of her hair that was sticking to her sweaty skin. They buried themselves in her hair.

He hadn’t said a word to her, and yet her legs were shaking.

His scent was overpowering, and there was a strange pressure in her chest that came from his need to dominate.

She had heard about alphas, but she had never imagined what it would be like to be near one.

~It shouldn’t be like this…~ She’d been told many things, but…

No one had told her it would be so overwhelming, that a single touch could make her wet.

His skin was smooth under her fingers—though she couldn’t remember when she had grabbed his broad shoulders.

Finally, he spoke, his voice like silk against her skin. “Do you belong to someone?”

His words were a whispered secret.

~Belong to someone~? His question echoed in her mind, and despite the heat pooling in her lower belly, she found her voice. “M-myself.”

Her answer would have been powerful if not for the tremor in her voice. But the fact that she had managed to speak at all was a victory in itself.

He laughed—a deep, rich sound that sent a shiver through her body. That alone was enough to make her clench her thighs together.

There was always pressure to ~find a pack, follow an alpha~

She had never chosen that path—not after what had happened to her. She had created her own pack with two friends. They were loners, misfits, but they didn’t have an alpha to lead them. They took care of themselves. It was better that way.

No one to hurt you, no one to lose control.

It had led to a few surprises. Like this one. She didn’t want an alpha; she certainly didn’t want to sleep with one.

Alphas took what they wanted, without caring about the destruction they left in their wake.

They were selfish beasts. That wasn’t for her.

But despite her determination, her nails dug into his skin, her thighs pressing together, begging for relief.

“I’ll take that as a no.”

His teeth brushed against her neck, causing her to tilt her head back. “You’d be healthier if you had an Alpha,” he said.

“I don’t need one. I can handle myself.” ~Stand your ground~.

His laughter echoed through her, leaving a lingering ~desire~. “I know what you need, Omega.”

~He doesn’t know anything.~ But she didn’t voice her thoughts. Instead, she found herself leaning into him, the word ~danger~ flashing in her mind.

“I need to leave.”

~Bandages~. That was her mission.

Now that her mind was clearing, she realized she had lost them in the chaos. They were definitely not in the room.

~Get it together, Olivia. It’s just an alpha. You’ve dealt with this before.~

He seemed unfazed by her hesitation, his thumb gently pulling down her lower lip. “Then go,” he dared. “You don’t need anyone, right?”

Exactly. That’s what she would do.

Except her body didn’t cooperate.

Her legs refused to move.

She couldn’t break their intense eye contact.

Olivia was frozen.

“You don’t seem in a hurry to leave,” he teased, his warm breath tickling her cheek. “I think you know you need an Alpha’s help.”

~Listen to him~.

She could hear it. The small voice inside her, the one she often ignored. It was her inner wolf, the one she had denied for years. The one that urged her to follow a path that wasn’t hers.

She was human first.

Olivia didn’t care that the moon influenced her, that animal instincts guided her. She had lived sixteen years as a human. She couldn’t just discard that.

She had only been a wolf for six years—it didn’t compare. No. She wasn’t doing this—whatever this was. She didn’t know this man. She didn’t know his name—he was a stranger.

“I’m going to kiss you.”

It wasn’t a question—it was a statement.

A warning, perhaps?

She didn’t move, she couldn’t. His voice was authoritative, his words resonating within her as if they were law. Was this the infamous alpha control?

The one she had heard so much about? He wasn’t her alpha. She hadn’t pledged herself to him; she hadn’t promised to obey and protect. She didn’t even know his damn name.