Patient No More

EVA

I woke up, drenched in sweat from the nightmare, trying my best not to make a sound.

But I should’ve known better. Patrick always woke up when I did, and tonight was no different. The bond between mates never sleeps, after all.

He held me close, just like he always did, whispering soothing words into my ear. Sometimes, those words were enough.

But not tonight. Before I knew it, I was crying into his chest.

“Tell me what’s wrong, baby,” he begged. “You’ve been having these dreams for years.”

“I can’t,” I mumbled. “I can’t.”

“You say that every time, and I’ve let it go, watching you suffer in silence. But it’s getting worse, and now Luz is having the same dreams.”

Right on cue, a scream echoed from our daughter’s room. We rushed to her, stopping dead in our tracks at the sight before us.

Lucia was awake, crying, and her hair was stark white.

“What the fuck?” Patrick blurted out next to me.

I was too shocked to even scold him for swearing in front of our child. Why on earth were these nightmares affecting my daughter so much?

Feeling lost, I slowly approached her, sat down, and pulled her into a hug.

“It’s okay, honey,” I whispered. “It’s over now.”

As I stroked her hair, I watched it slowly return to its natural black color. At least that was temporary.

“It’s not over, Mommy,” she sobbed, looking up at me with tear-filled eyes.

She was right, of course.

I needed to talk to Max.

ESTELLA

I have a boyfriend.

I know, it’s a shocker, but it really shouldn’t be. I’ve been here for a year now.

Not that time has anything to do with it, but I guess I’m saying it was time for me to try having a relationship again.

My relationship with Matt, which was pretty much platonic, feels like a lifetime ago.

When I moved here, I made a promise to myself that I would experience everything a girl my age should.

I started with parties. I went to a lot of them, thanks to Gabrielle being a party animal. I quickly realized they weren’t for me.

Drunk young adults playing high school games? Not my scene. But don’t mind me. I’m still the oddball who prefers tea over shots.

I know the last time you checked, I was dying to drink like my peers, but once it was legal, it lost its appeal.

Turns out, I hate hard liquor, and hangovers feel like shit. So, I stick to low-alcohol drinks. That way, I can have fun and stay relatively sober.

After I decided parties weren’t for me… Well, most people my age party all the time and don’t do much else.

So, I let my inner nerd take over and toned it down, much to my roommate’s disappointment.

Gaby wanted to live life to the fullest after being restricted for eighteen years in her pack, so she went to all the wild parties.

She often came home drunk (I learned omegas have a lower alcohol tolerance) and a few times, she didn’t come home until the next day, looking disheveled and happily worn out.

Every now and then, she’d try to convince me to come along, but I rarely agreed.

That didn’t mean we weren’t friends anymore. We were the kind of friends who respect each other’s differences and boundaries, which was cool.

Plus, we still shared the same passion, and we still found time to work on our comic series. It’s coming along just like we dreamed it would.

When I wasn’t in class or working with Gaby, I explored the city, always discovering something new.

The neighborhood I lived in was one of the best, but a city is always more than what meets the eye.

To a tourist, a city like Paris is idyllic because they only see the best parts.

Don’t get me wrong. I still love Paris. But it’s not just shiny lights and vintage buildings. It’s so much more.

Now, about my boyfriend.

Surprisingly, I met Laurent at a party. You know, one of those rare times I went with Gabrielle.

If you’re expecting me to describe a shy guy who doesn’t like parties, you might be disappointed. Laurent is one of those guys who can fit in anywhere.

I think that’s what drew me to him. He asked me to dance, and we didn’t stop dancing all night.

He wasn’t a big drinker, which I liked, and he made me laugh, which I loved. The rest was pretty cliché.

Laurent asked for my number, and he called me the next day to ask me out.

My first date as an adult was pretty awesome, I must say.

We talked about everything under the sun, and he even made me promise to do the illustrations for his books.

I forgot to mention that Laurent is a literature student and wants to be a writer. He mostly writes children’s books and was thrilled when he saw my drawings.

At the end of our date, he kissed me. It was unexpected, and it made butterflies swarm in my stomach.

I never felt that with Matt, and I refuse to compare Laurent to Max. It wouldn’t be fair to him to lose before he even gets a chance.

MAX

I was surprised when Eva walked into my office in the pack’s hospital early in the morning. She rarely came here without a good reason.

She only came around when she was pregnant.

She walked in, gave me a nod, and took a seat across from my desk. Her face was serious, a little worried. I didn’t have to wait long to find out why.

“What’s your plan for Estella?” she asked, cutting straight to the chase.

There it was. Again.

It seemed like every conversation I had these days was about Estella. I knew they cared, but that didn’t give them the right to stick their noses in my business. Over and over again.

“I think that’s my business,” I answered, my tone flat.

“You’re not the only one involved,” she pointed out.

“Then it’s between me and her.”

“Is that how you talk to your luna?”

“Even my luna doesn’t get to dictate my life, Eva.”

“You don’t get it, Max.” She shook her head, a sad look on her face.

“No, I think you’re the one who doesn’t get it,” I shot back, standing up from my chair and moving to the window.

“I’m in a situation no one else has ever been in, and I’m trying to do what’s best for both Estella and me.”

“I know, but—”

“Don’t interrupt me,” I cut her off, my voice stern. “I never said I was handling everything perfectly with Estella.

“I know I’ve hurt her, so I don’t need everyone else reminding me or judging me for it.

“I already feel like shit. As for what I plan to do, nothing for now. I’m going to let her live her life because that’s what she deserves.”

“Her life is with you.”

“She needs to make that decision consciously, Eva.”

“But don’t you see she already has? She’s told you she loves you, and even if she hadn’t, anyone could see it.”

“I know she loves me.” I laughed, but it was a bitter sound. “And if I told her she’s my mate, I think she’d accept it without a second thought.”

“And what’s wrong with that?” Eva frowned. “You’re the last werewolf who should be worried about his mate rejecting him.”

She looked frustrated. She didn’t get it, and it was clear something was bothering her. Eva had been pushing for years to tell Estella the truth, but now she seemed almost desperate.

I knew she cared about my girl, but that didn’t explain her urgency. Her gift did, though.

“What did you see?” I asked bluntly.

“What do you mean?” She avoided my gaze.

“You know what I mean. What did you see about us?”

She stayed quiet, which only confirmed she’d had a vision about Estella and me.

“Eva,” I pressed.

“I can’t tell you,” she finally mumbled.

“Why?”

“Because I can’t, Max,” she yelled. “I wish I could. But my gift has a price. All I can say is that you and Estella already have a bond.”

“I know that.”

“No,” she said flatly. “You don’t. Meeting her so young and staying with her has created a bond between you, similar to the mating bond.

“Your connection is so deep, it’s like you’re already fully mated. What you do, what you feel, it affects each other.”

She stopped talking, but I knew she had more to say, so I kept quiet.

“Have you noticed she has some white in her hair?”

“Of course I have. But that’s not unusual for humans. It’s rare, but I’ve seen some kids in the hospital with the same condition, which is called—”

“I don’t care what it’s called,” she interrupted. “Estella doesn’t have a human condition. Remember when I told you years ago to cut back on your sleeping around?”

“Yes,” I answered slowly, trying to figure out where she was going with this.

“That’s why her hair is graying prematurely,” she said grimly. “And that’s all I can tell you.”

With that, she stood up and left, leaving me staring after her like an idiot.

If she thought that was going to help me make a decision, she was dead wrong. I was more confused than ever.

From where I’m standing, all I can bring Estella (and myself, for that matter) is pain. Nothing more.

I’ve already done it unconsciously by sleeping with other women. I caused her hair to start graying, for fuck’s sake, which was a hard pill to swallow.

If I reject her, we’ll both have to endure the agony of breaking our bonds, the one the Goddess gave us and the one we created ourselves.

I’m not kidding myself that after the rejection, I’ll still have Estella in my life in any way. I don’t even have her now, which I’ve realized, hurts too much.

If I tell her everything and go through with the mating, on top of forgetting most of her life as she knows it, she’ll have to turn as well.

Become like me.

Shift.

The process of shifting is often painful. Sometimes, some pups don’t survive their first shift.

It’s rare, and I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but it does happen.

I can’t stand the thought of her going through that. I still remember how it felt my first time shifting. It took me a whole month to shift into my wolf without feeling like I’d been hit by a train.

What if she can’t handle it? What if she hates me for making her go through it?

What if she hates me right now?

ESTELLA

“What’s on your mind, mon ange?” Laurent asked, giving my hand a gentle squeeze as we left the movie theater.

“Nothing.” I smiled at him. “I’m just still thinking about the movie.”

“The tragic love story got to you?” he teased.

“Are you seriously going to tease me when you got all choked up during the intense parts?” I shot back at him.

“Absolutely, and I’ll even make fun of myself if it makes you smile.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. That was the thing about Laurent—he had this knack for making me laugh, even over the smallest things. I always had a blast when we were together.

The trouble began when I was by myself.

The guilt of still having Max on my mind when Laurent wasn’t around was overwhelming. It’s hard to put into words.

But I was good at putting on a show when I was with my boyfriend. You know the saying, fake it till you make it? That’s exactly what I did.

It wasn’t all that hard, really, because I genuinely liked Laurent.

And I liked kissing him, which was a nice bonus. Plus, those butterflies seemed to have made a cozy nest in my stomach.

But that movie we watched? That was a mistake. The whole time, I couldn’t stop thinking about Max and our...what should I even call it? Relationship? Situation? Take your pick.

The best-case scenario right now is that I’ll fall head over heels for my boyfriend and give him my all for as long as we’re together.

The worst-case scenario? That I won’t be able to get my heart to let go of Max.

How many odds would you give each?