ANNALISE
I slept like a baby after trashing the note received because who did they think they were? I lived like a rat on the streets until I made something of myself while my kind never cared of my existence until now. Everyone wants Annalise Keaton, I get easily into the white house, relate with powerful humans, I am respected across the world because as a Cardio god, you basically control the lives of many.
I dressed myself in a short and attractive black gown hugging my body in the right places and showcasing my ample busts while I braid my fiery hair in a corn row. The years had been kind to my body and I'm grateful for that.
I say my goodbye to the security as I drive out the penthouse to work but discover so many press at the gate, I finally escape the circus and drive in then wear my lab coat and immediately I step in the chief is on me.
"Good morning Annalise "
"Good morning chief"
"We have a VIP patient, the Alpha King, Carl Draco; I was told you were contacted but you gave no response "
I walk on "I've got rounds, surgery, my silence is an answer already. Get them someone else".
He holds me by the elbow and halts my movements "You don't understand, not only is he just the king, the man controls the economy of this nation, when he calls we answer. No questions asked".
I raised an eyebrow at him and as I'm about to retort a voice cuts through "She doesn't have a choice."
I turn, my eyes landing on a man who smells of power. Tall, shoulder-heavy, and dressed in a crisp black suit that does nothing to soften his authoritative demeanor, he impales me with chilly brown eyes, and I recognize him immediately—not by name, but by atmosphere.
A Beta.
My instincts scream what he is before I even have to think about it. The way he's standing, his presence, the sheer weight of his energy—it's unmistakable.
"I don't take orders from your kind," I say levelly, extracting my arm from the chief's grip and stepping back.
The Beta's head tilts slightly to one side as he studies me. "You will today," he says. "The King requires your expertise."
I laugh, crossing my arms. "The King can order all he wants. I don't take commands from him."
His jaw tightens. "No one else can help him."
"Not my problem," I snap, spinning on my heel.
I don't have a chance to take a step before he moves.
Fast.
Too fast for a human, not for someone like me.
His hand wraps around my wrist, firm but not painful. "Dr. Keaton, this is not a request."
The threat is unspoken, but it hangs in the air between us like a blade.
My wolf stirs, uncomfortable. She doesn't like being manhandled, but she doesn't like the scent rolling off of him either. It's thick with command, with dominance.
With desperation.
I glance at the chief, hoping he'll intervene, but he gives me only a tense, apologetic smile. He won't help me. He can't.
Damn it.
I sigh and roll my shoulders. "Alright," I say, my voice sharp. "But if I don't like what I hear, I'm gone. Got it?"
The Beta releases me right away, nodding once. "Got it."
He doesn't wait. He turns and walks towards the door, assuming that I'll be right behind him.
I hesitate only briefly before I do follow.
The drive is tense.
The Beta—who I learn is named Marcus—doesn't utter a word, and I'm not inclined to make chit-chat. The SUV is sleek and black, windows tinted so dark I seriously doubt anyone can see inside.
We speed through the city, cutting through traffic like royalty.
Of course.
Because that's exactly what he is.
Carl Draco.
The name means nothing to me except in headlines. Billionaire. Playboy. Wolf King. A man whose influence extends beyond our kind—humans also speak his name with so much reverence.
And now he's dying.
Marcus hasn't given me details, but I don't require them. Whatever ails Carl Draco is bad. Bad enough that they've come for me in person.
Bad enough that I am their last hope.
I lean back in my chair, exhaling slowly. I should be amused by their desperation.
Instead, I feel something else.
A pull.
A weight in my chest that grows the closer we get.
I ignore it.
The estate is enormous.
A massive mansion of stone and glass, nestled on acres of property. Guards walk the perimeter, some in human form, others shifted, their giant wolves pacing just beyond the gates.
The moment we step in, I feel it.
The power.
The pure, pulsing dominance that radiates from the heart of the estate.
It's suffocating.
It's overwhelming.
It's familiar.
No.
I swallow, my fists tightening.
Impossible.
Marcus leads me in wordlessly. Servants and warriors alike move out of our way as we pass, their eyes shining with something close to fear and deference.
I don't see them.
My heart is beating too fast.
Something is wrong.
The scent hits me first.
It's everywhere, thick in the air, wrapping around me like a vice.
Dark. Spiced. Wild.
My wolf Arithia, howls inside me, shredding my insides, desperate, frantic—
Mate.
The reality slams into me like a freight train.
No.
No, no, no.
I dig my nails into my palms, trying to make myself breathe, to think.
This can't be happening.
Not to me.
Not after all.
Marcus stops in front of massive double doors. He turns to me, his expression unreadable. "He's let no one touch him," he says to me. "He's been like this for three days."
I barely hear him.
My own heart is beating too loudly, roaring in my ears.
Marcus pushes the doors open.
And I see him.
Carl Draco.
The Wolf King.
My mate.
Lying in a massive bed, sweat-drenched and motionless, his breaths strained, his muscles tense. His power swirls around him, wild and uncontrolled, suffocating the room.
No one else has been able to approach.
But I already know.
I can.
Because I am his.
And he is mine.
Even though I don't want him to be.
Even though I never wanted this.
His fate is now in my hands. I'd worry about breaking the bond but right now there's no other choice, I'd need to operate on him, fix his heart and leave as soon as I possibly can.
And there is no turning back.
Not now.
Not ever.