The teams are moving and packing everything up for tonight. Ragnar and Ivar have to go back to the castle for some last–minute things. My grandmother went with them. Dr Polucci called me for my first official check, so I came to pick it up for good luck.
“I know it’s not a lot,” she says, sliding it over to me. “But, we will be getting bonuses once everything that happened during the explosions settles down. We were first on scene and took control of everything without hesitation. I want to thank you for that. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“I feel the same way. If you hadn’t been there, I think I would have been running around like a headless chicken,” we both laugh.
“Let me finish closing up,” she says and turns back to get her purse and keys.
“Sophia?” I look back toward the parking lot to see Lieza Mackentyre coming towards me.
For a moment, my heart stops. Then I notice the folder under her arm and realize she’s dressed professionally. I smile because it’s been a long time since I last saw her, and she looks amazing.
“Lieza,” I greet her, walking down the steps. She’s changed so much. She’s about five feet eleven inches now. Her pretty girl features are now sharp, and her once short hair is pulled back into a stylish, messy bun. She smells like Cinnabons still and something new. Something darker. Is she mated now as well? “I barely recognized you.”
“You look exactly the same,” she says, looking me over with distaste. I’m taken aback by her response.
“Who’s this?” Dr Polucci asks me as she comes over to us.
“What can I help you with, Lieza?” I ask, trying to shake the comment off.
“Oh, um. Can you point me to where I can find Dr Aimee Polucci’s office?”
“This is Dr Polucci,” I introduce her. “Aimee, this is Lieza Mackentyre. She’s a beta female from Artume.”
“Alpha female now,” she corrects me with an eye roll. “It’s an honor to meet you Dr Polucci. My name is Lieza Mackentyre. I am the leading medical specialist at House Romano. I have an appointment with you at-”
“All appointments for today were cancelled.” Aimee puts her hand up, stopping her. “I sent out an email to apologize. I’m sorry you came all this way for nothing. Why don’t you give your credentials to Lady Sophia, and I will get to them eventually.”
“Lady Sophia?” she scoffs and looks over at me. “You work here?”
“Yes, she’s my partner,” Aimee lies expertly. “Is there a problem, Soph?” she asks, looking between us. “You know this wolf?”
“Not really. I’ll gladly take a look at your resume, Alpha Mackentyre.” I hold my hand out for the folder. She takes it out of her binder and holds it out to me. “Are you looking to start your residency?”
“Yes, and I hear that this is one of the best locations for that. Your practice is well known to the low–income
community,” she says tightly.
:
Her resume looks exactly the way mine would if I had stuck to the curriculum at Artume University. She was given the job I held, and she even lives in the same apartment building I used to. I smile, looking at the recommendation letters from the alpha of the city and those who cast me out when Santiago wanted to shrink my reach.
“Great,” I say and tuck it into my carrier bag.
“There’s no reason for you not to give me this job,” she says. We both look up at her. “It wasn’t my fault that he didn’t want you or that you were born an omega. I’ve done nothing to you, Sophia. Don’t ruin my chances because you’re bitter about what happened. The fact that you haven’t changed in three years is proof of how right he was not to choose you as his Luna.
“The pack is thriving with Poppy at his side. This doesn’t have to be a competition between us. We used to be friends. You know how hard I work and how much my family needs this. You used to be my bestfriend. Don’t be like this.”
“Wow,” Dr Polucci scoffs. “That was bold.”
“It’s fine,” I smile and motion for her car. “We should go. I have a date tonight, and the last thing I want to think about is all this.”
“She drank a little too much of that haterade,” she scoffs.
“It’s fine,” I sigh, trying my best not to let it get the best of me. I can’t believe what I’m hearing from her of all people.
“You made the right choice, Sophia,” she places her hand on my shoulder as we get to her car. I have defensive training. Mr Polucci would probably hate me if I got his precious hurt. “I can’t imagine you being tied down to that fuck nut by a life. You belong with us now.”
She gets in her car, and I wait for her to drive away before I walk over to Ragnar’s car. Since he had driven me to the meeting today, I don’t have my car. He said it was fine if I used it as long as I didn’t scratch it. Lieza is still standing by the entrance, glaring at me.
“You’re not giving me the job, are you?” she calls out.
“No, I’m not. I could have. But as usual, you panicked and opened your big useless mouth. It never occurred to me that you’d let Poppy speak for you. I always held you in much higher regard. It turns out I was wrong, and you could be bought.”
“The only reason you’re here is that your grandmother owns half this town,” she shouts. “You’ve always been a selfish, entitled bitch. You’ve never worked for anything a single day in your life. It was just paid for.”
“Okay,” I nod. “You’re still not getting the job. Not here or anywhere in Blackstone. My grandmother will make sure of that. Feel free to tell your friends. They’re not welcome here. Get the fuck out of here before the guards escort you out. There’s a new no wolf policy, and well,” I motion her up and down. “Your big ass is hard
to miss.”
“You’re a wolf,” she snides.
community,” she says tightly.
Her resume looks exactly the way mine would if I had stuck to the curriculum at Artume University. She was given the job I held, and she even lives in the same apartment building I used to. I smile, looking at the recommendation letters from the alpha of the city and those who cast me out when Santiago wanted to shrink my reach.
“Great,” I say and tuck it into my carrier bag.
“There’s no reason for you not to give me this job,” she says. We both look up at her. “It wasn’t my fault that he didn’t want you or that you were born an omega. I’ve done nothing to you, Sophia. Don’t ruin my chances because you’re bitter about what happened. The fact that you haven’t changed in three years is proof of how right he was not to choose you as his Luna.
“The pack is thriving with Poppy at his side. This doesn’t have to be a competition between us. We used to be friends. You know how hard I work and how much my family needs this. You used to be my bestfriend. Don’t be like this.”
“Wow,” Dr Polucci scoffs. “That was bold.”
“It’s fine,” I smile and motion for her car. “We should go. I have a date tonight, and the last thing I want to think about is all this.”
“She drank a little too much of that haterade,” she scoffs.
“It’s fine,” I sigh, trying my best not to let it get the best of me. I can’t believe what I’m hearing from her of all people.
“You made the right choice, Sophia,” she places her hand on my shoulder as we get to her car. I have defensive training. Mr Polucci would probably hate me if I got his precious hurt. “I can’t imagine you being tied down to that fuck nut by a life. You belong with us now.”
She gets in her car, and I wait for her to drive away before I walk over to Ragnar’s car. Since he had driven me to the meeting today, I don’t have my car. He said it was fine if I used it as long as I didn’t scratch it. Lieza is still standing by the entrance, glaring at me.
“You’re not giving me the job, are you?” she calls out.
“No, I’m not. I could have. But as usual, you panicked and opened your big useless mouth. It never occurred to me that you’d let Poppy speak for you. I always held you in much higher regard. It turns out I was wrong, and you could be bought.”
“The only reason you’re here is that your grandmother owns half this town,” she shouts. “You’ve always been a selfish, entitled bitch. You’ve never worked for anything a single day in your life. It was just paid for.”
“Okay,” I nod. “You’re still not getting the job. Not here or anywhere in Blackstone. My grandmother will make sure of that. Feel free to tell your friends. They’re not welcome here. Get the fuck out of here before the guards escort you out. There’s a new no wolf policy, and well,” I motion her up and down. “Your big ass is hard
to miss.”
“You’re a wolf,” she snides.
“Am I though?” I laugh. “Is that not why your alpha chose your commoner cousin to be his Luna? You know that one that’s making the city great again?” I get in the car and drive up to her. I toss the folder back at her. “Sorry, we don’t accept students from Artume University. Their studies are too outdated for private practice. I think you should consider staying in your lane.”
The two of us lock eyes as I raise the glass. When the tint hides her shocked expression, I rev the car and head back to base. The anger I feel is a given now. Anytime I think about my life in Artume City, I can’t help but want to rampage. But this one hurt.
Lieza was the last person I expected to say something like that to me, and she didn’t hesitate. I contemplated calling her millions of times. All of them. Especially after I met Kennedy, Avian, and Sasha. I wondered if they ever thought of me or missed me as much as I miss them.
It was stupid of me to think that they would continue to be my friends after what happened. It was just as naive as thinking that Santiago had been the perfect mate up until he married Poppy. Over the past three years, I ripped apart every single memory and found that I had been wrong all along. Every single one of his advances was calculated to keep me blind. None of it was real. A tap on the glass makes me look up.
“You okay? You’ve been in there for a while. We brought food,” Ivar opens the door and crouches down in front of me.
“Lieza was outside of the clinic when Aimee and I were headed out,” I say.
He stands up and holds his hands out to me. I take them and let him help me out of the car. I don’t know how Ragnar gets in and out of this thing. It’s so low to the ground. I had to make a huge adjustment to reach the pedals, but I don’t know how he fits in here. This car is as ridiculous as he is.
“Does she miss you, too?” he asks gently as if he already knows the answer.
“No, she doesn’t. She called me selfish and entitled.”
“I mean,” he shrugs playfully. “It comes with the immortal description. If we weren’t. We’d be just like everyone else. Dogs,” he grimaces. “You don’t want to be one of those things. There’s literally not a single thing that makes them special. You’re our new favorite water Pokémon, Soph. You’re not allowed to be sad.”
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
