Chapter 2

AIDEN

I called the former team doctor before I even bothered going to the exam room. The man picked up too fast, which meant he was still scared of me. Good.

"Aiden," he said. "Everything alright?"

"No," I said. "And it stays not alright unless you do exactly what you promised."

He paused. He knew exactly what I meant.

"You kept the originals, didn't you?" I asked. "My real bloodwork."

"I told you I deleted-"

"If it leaks," I cut in, "I will know. And I will deal with you myself."

"I won't say anything."

I heard him swallowing loudly. "You'd better not," I said. I sent more money to him. "Stay quiet, permanently."

I hung up and stood there for a moment longer than necessary, phone still in my hand. I hated relying on humans like him. They are greedy and unreliable. But fear and money worked well enough, and for now, that was all I needed.

My wolf stirred uneasily under my skin. He didn't like this either. He hated lies, hated hiding, hated that I had to keep pretending I was something I wasn't. But survival came first. It always had.

I headed towards the exam room. That should have been the stressful part of my morning. But it wasn't.

She was already inside when I stepped into the exam room.

Her back was turned, hands busy with equipment, movements precise and efficient. She moved like someone who knew exactly where everything belonged.

Then she turned toward me.

Everything stopped.

My wolf slammed into my senses so hard I had to breathe twice just to stay grounded. My pulse jumped, my skin heated, and the world narrowed down to one single point standing in front of me.

Mate.

The word wasn't spoken. It didn't need to be. Something ancient snapped into place inside me, and my wolf surged forward like he'd been waiting his entire life for this exact moment.

She blinked once, eyes steady on me, like she didn't feel the shift that had just rocked my entire existence.

"You must be the new doc," I heard myself say. My voice sounded normal. That was impressive considering my wolf was trying to shove me forward. "Apologies for being late. I was in a training session and honestly I forgot."

Lies. I had forgotten nothing. I had avoided. But she didn't know that.

She straightened a little.

"Dr. Claire Bennett," she said. "Good that you are finally here."

Finally.

My wolf liked that word way too much. It growled softly, possessive and pleased, like she had said something meant only for us. I stepped closer before I could stop myself and reached out my hand.

"Aiden Frost, team captain."

Her hand was small and warm in mine. The moment our skin touched, my wolf roared so loud it felt like my pulse was shaking. My grip tightened instinctively before I forced myself to loosen it.

She pulled her hand back fast.

Cute.

I leaned in slightly, unable to stop myself.

"Nervous?"

She said "No," but her heart spiked. I heard it. My wolf definitely heard it. He practically purred at the sound.

I smirked.

"Good. I like doctors who are confident."

Her expression didn't change, but she shifted her weight like she was grounding herself. She had no idea how much I noticed.

The last player left, the door shut behind him, leaving only the two of us in the room. The air felt different immediately.

"So, Doc," I said, letting my voice drop just a little. "What's first?"

"Your weight," she said. "Step on the scale first please."

"Sure."

I stepped on, her eyes flicking to the numbers. She stayed professional, focused, like I wasn't standing there trying not to unravel. My wolf liked her even more for that.

She walked around me. "For the next part I'll need you to remove your shirt for the physical exam."

"Sure."

I pulled it off without hesitation. There was no point pretending to be shy. Her eyes dropped for half a second. Blink and anyone else would've missed it. I didn't.

My wolf looked pleased with himself.

She likes us.

She snapped back to professional mode very fast, which honestly made her even more interesting

"Please sit down."

I did.

The moment I moved, something brushed against my awareness. Not a sound. Not a thought spoken aloud.

Good boy.

The words weren't mine.

My attention snapped to her face.

She was already working, fingers steady as she checked my heart rate. Professional. Focused. But the thought lingered, clear enough that my mouth curved before I could stop it.

"Good boy?" I repeated, testing the words.

Her reaction was instant.

Heat climbed her neck. "Just… sit still. I didn't say that," she replied.

Interesting.

"No," I said. "You didn't."

She froze for half a second before continuing, hands resuming their work. "Don't read into it."

I watched her carefully as her pulse steadied again.

My smile deepened. "Too late."

My wolf stirred, alert now.

"She felt that," he said. "She doesn't know how, but she did."

"Stay still," I told myself.

"Let her touch us," my wolf said.

"Pull her closer."

"Claim her."

"No," I answered silently. "Not here. Not yet."

I let her continue the exam, every touch sending tension through my body, my attention never fully leaving her expression.

"You're in excellent physical condition," she said. "Only the blood test left."

There it was. Blood.

I saw the tray. The tubes. The needle. My wolf snapped from arousal to pure alarm. If she took my real blood, the lab would expose everything. No cover stories. No fake reports. No escape.

I had to get out.

"Actually," I said, standing too fast, "I just remembered something I needed to do."

She turned toward me. "You can do that after the exam. It won't take longer than five minutes."

"I'll be right back," I said.

Her eyes narrowed just a little, sharp and observant, but she didn't try to stop me. That almost made it worse.

I walked out before my wolf forced my feet in the opposite direction.

The hallway felt cooler, safer, easier to breathe in. I leaned briefly against the wall, forcing my heart rate down.

My wolf paced inside my head, furious and restless.

"She touched us," he said sharply. "You felt it. You felt her."

"Not now," I muttered under my breath, pushing forward.

"Go back," he insisted. "Finish the exam later. Go back now."

I clenched my jaw and kept walking.

Sam nearly crashed into me, waving a sheet of paper.

"Captain, the coach said everyone needs to read this."

"What is it?"

"New rule."

I took the paper, read it, and felt everything inside me sink.

Any player who does not complete their medical exam will not be cleared for pre-season participation and will be put on the bench until further notice.

Perfect. The universe had decided to stack every possible problem on me in one morning.

My wolf snarled again, sharp and unyielding.

"We cannot give blood," he said. "You know that."

"We cannot be exposed."

"And we cannot leave our mate."

I stared at the paper in my hands.

And now I couldn't even play unless I finished that exam.

The problem wasn't just complicated anymore. It was dangerous. Every option led to exposure, punishment, or losing her before I even had a chance to understand what she was to me.

This was going to get messy and fast.

And for the first time since I left the Pack, I had no idea how to fix it.