Chapter 2 BITTER MEMORIES

LISA'S POV

The medical wing smelled like antiseptic and death. I found my father in the last room, machines beeping around him. The mighty Alpha Marcus looked small in the hospital bed, his skin pale and thin.

His eyes opened when I approached. "Lisa." His voice was barely a whisper.

"Dad." I sat beside him, unsure whether to take his hand. We'd never been the touching type, even before everything fell apart.

"You look like your mother," he said, studying my face. Mom had died when I was fifteen, taken by rogues during a border attack.

"Why did you call me back?" I asked, getting straight to the point. "You let them send me away. You agreed I wasn't strong enough to be Ryan's mate."

His face crumpled with pain that had nothing to do with his illness. "I was wrong. The elders were wrong. Ryan was wrong."

"Don't," I said sharply. "Don't mention him."

"He never took another mate," my father said. "Even with Sophia, there's no mate bond. It's just politics."

"I don't care."

"You do." His hand found mine, cold and fragile. "Your wolf still calls to his. I can sense it."

I pulled my hand away. "My wolf is wrong. That bond should have broken when he rejected it."

"He never rejected it," my father said quietly.

The words hung in the air between us. I stared at him, my mind spinning. "What do you mean? The elders said—"

"The elders separated you. They said you weren't strong enough to be a Beta's mate, that your wolf was too weak. But Ryan never spoke the rejection. Neither did you."

My wolf stirred with hope, and I crushed it immediately. "It doesn't matter. He's engaged now."

"Engagements can be broken."

"Dad, stop." I stood up, needing distance. "I'm not here to claim Ryan. I'm here because you're dying."

He coughed, a wet, painful sound. "I'm dying because the pack is dying. We need strong leadership. You're stronger than you know, Lisa. You always were."

"The elders didn't think so."

"The elders were scared," he said. "Your wolf might not be the biggest or the fastest, but she has something else. Something rare."

Before I could ask what he meant, the door burst open. Nathan rushed in, his face flushed.

"Lisa, you need to come quickly," he panted. "There's been an attack on the northern border. Rogues."

My father tried to sit up. "How many?"

"At least twenty," Nathan said. "Ryan's leading the defense, but they're outnumbered."

Without thinking, I ran. My wolf pushed forward, lending me speed. The northern border was fifteen minutes away in human form, but I shifted mid-run, my clothes shredding. My silver wolf form was smaller than most, but I was fast.

The scene was chaos when I arrived. Wolves fighting everywhere, blood staining the ground. I saw Ryan's large black wolf surrounded by four rogues, fighting viciously but losing ground.

My wolf didn't hesitate. She launched herself at the nearest rogue, teeth finding his throat. He went down hard. The second rogue turned toward me, but I was already moving, using my speed to dodge his attack and strike from the side.

Ryan's wolf looked at me in shock, giving a rogue an opening. The enemy wolf lunged for Ryan's exposed throat.

"No!" I shifted human just long enough to scream, then back to wolf, intercepting the attack. The rogue's teeth sank into my shoulder instead of Ryan's neck. Pain exploded through me, but I held on, giving Ryan time to finish him.

More pack wolves arrived, turning the tide. The remaining rogues fled. I collapsed, shifting back to human form, blood streaming from my shoulder.

"Lisa!" Ryan was human again, kneeling beside me, his hands pressing against my wound. "Why did you do that?"

"Instinct," I gasped through the pain.

He pulled off his shirt, pressing it against my shoulder. "You could have died."

"So could you."

His green eyes bore into mine. "I had it handled."

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

Sophia's voice cut through the moment. "Ryan! Are you hurt?" She ran toward us, still in human form. She must have stayed at the pack house during the fight.

Ryan didn't look away from me. "I'm fine."

Sophia saw me then, naked except for Ryan's shirt pressed against my wound, him kneeling beside me shirtless. Her face went cold.

"I see," she said quietly. Then louder, "The pack doctor is on his way."

Nathan appeared with a blanket, wrapping it around me. "That was incredible, Lisa. I've never seen anyone move that fast."

"It was reckless," Ryan said, but his hand was gentle as he maintained pressure on my wound.

"It was brave," Nathan countered.

The pack doctor arrived, and Ryan reluctantly moved aside. As the doctor worked, I heard Sophia's voice, low and angry.

"She's been back one day, Ryan. One day."

"She saved my life," he replied.

"She's trying to take you from me."

"No one can take what was never given, Sophia."

The silence that followed was deafening. I closed my eyes, pretending I hadn't heard. But my wolf was practically purring.

The doctor finished bandaging my shoulder. "You'll heal quickly, but you need rest."

Ryan stepped forward. "I'll take her back."

"I'll take her," Nathan said quickly. "You should check the border defenses."

The brothers stared at each other, some silent communication passing between them. Finally, Ryan nodded and walked away, Sophia trailing after him.

Nathan helped me stand. "So," he said conversationally, "still think there's nothing between you and my brother?"