50%


    “Face it, Head Healer,” I said, trying to maintain a level of respect, “My proposed treatment nbined with my unique healing abilities is the most feasible to lead to sess for Luna. Yours is more like a fanciful thinking.”


    The head healer had turned red, his face and neck the color of a tomato.


    “Alpha, are you really going to let this outsider healer, with no known background, treat Luna?” The head healer practically spat, trying to illustrate how ridiculous he found the idea, “She could be a foreign spy.”


    I scoffed.


    I looked at Julian. He looked back at me. Of course, he wouldn’t defend me.


    He wouldn’t choose me. When had he ever trulymitted to me in any capacity?


    “Alpha,” I said, using the professional tone I greeted all of my high-profile patients with, with slight sarcasm. “If you find my


    treatment n unsuitable, feel free to select Head Healer to perform the treatment instead. I’ll dly go.”


    I began busying myself with the pager in my pocket. I hoped I was conveying my intended appearance of carelessness.


    “Healer Amanda,” Julian said, and I looked up from my pager. “Your treatment n is by far the most likely to effectively treat


    Luna. Please, if you would reconsider, I would like you to treat her.”


    Despite all of my growth, despite everything I told myself about my feelings for Julian, my heart still broke a little at his words.


    Please? He’d never plead for anything on my behalf, back when we were married.


    No, back when we were married, secretly, and I performed all my wifely duties as well as caring for his household, he would never


    have paraded me to the hospital in order to seek help. He would never have shown any weakness in rtion to me, nor any


    helplessness.


    But for Olivia, I guess, he could be the kind of man I’d always known he could be.


    It didn’t matter. I had my own girl to look after. The money he offered me was substantial, enough for me to afford treatment for my daughter Alice.


    I would finish this job, and then I’d take Alice and leave Thorn Pack behind. I’d leave its hospital with its salty head healer and its


    government with its sadistic Alpha and take my child somece where we could live out the rest of our lives in peace.


    I’d only have to interact with Julian until then.


    “Okay,” I said, putting on my professional tone again. “I would be honored to treat Thon Pack’s Luna.’


    Julian’s face twitched, a hint of a smile ying on his face before he returned to his usual scowl.


    “First, though, I must ask that Luna receives her checkup from her regr doctor. Make sure that everything is normal and it’s safe for us to proceed, and then we can talk about the details and get started.” I hoped that my reluctance couldn’t be read by the


    12:34 PM Tue 26 Aug


    onlookers and the head healer.


    “We’ll do that immediately,” Julian agreed.


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    He helped Olivia up from her seat. She stood gracefully, ever the elegant beauty, and set off to another part of the hospital, where primary care healers held their offices.


    I turned and opened the door to my own office, ignoring Julian’s lingering nces. As far as either of us were concerned, I was Healer Amanda now. The only care and attention Healer Amanda spent on people like Alpha Julian and his Luna was in the context


    of work.


    I was a known professional, and would never be relegated to the position of human housewife.


    I was not in love with him.


    GET IT N…


    X


    12:34 PM Tue 26 Aug