Chapter 34: Unfinished Business**

The doctor’s office was surprisingly quiet.

Raine had expected something more… clinical. More sterile. But Dr. Elias Rowan’s private practice wasn’t cold or uninviting. It was sleek, modern—walls lined with shelves of neatly arranged medical books, large monitors displaying advanced biological scans, and equipment she had never seen before.

It was a sharp contrast to the traditional, outdated medical facilities she had known in the Evernight Pack.

Dr. Rowan was already waiting for them, dressed in his usual black attire, eyes sharp as he gestured for her to sit on the examination table.

“You’ve been healing well,” he noted, scanning the screen in front of him. “Better than I expected, actually.”

Xavier leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching the process with unreadable golden eyes. “Is that a problem?”

Rowan didn’t look up. “Not a problem. An anomaly.”

Raine tensed slightly at that word.

Anomaly.

That’s what she had always been, wasn’t it? First an Omega that never shifted. Now… something else.

Rowan finally turned to her, his expression calm. “Your body is still adapting. Whatever power is inside you—it’s not dormant. It’s waiting.”

Raine frowned. “Waiting for what?”

“That’s what we need to find out.”

His tone was matter-of-fact, but Raine didn’t miss the way Xavier’s posture shifted slightly. Tense. Alert.

She swallowed.

This wasn’t an overnight fix.

But that was okay.

She had spent years believing she was nothing—one more day, one more week, wouldn’t kill her.

She met Rowan’s gaze. “What do I do in the meantime?”

“For now?” He tilted his head. “Get stronger. Train. And don’t get killed before we figure this out.”

Ivy snorted. “Yeah, real helpful, doc.”

Rowan only smirked before looking back at Xavier. “We’ll need more tests soon. Bring her back when she’s ready.”

Xavier gave a slight nod, his way of agreeing. Then he pushed off the wall. “We’re done here.”

Raine exhaled.

No instant revelations. No unlocked power.

Just more waiting.

But at least this time, she wasn’t waiting alone.

\---

\### **Unwanted Company**

Shopping was Ivy’s idea.

“I swear to the moon, if we don’t do something normal after that creepy science visit, I’ll lose my mind,” she had announced.

And somehow, that was how Raine found herself in one of the most expensive boutiques in the city, surrounded by racks of designer clothes and salespeople who looked like they wanted to cry at the sight of Reed casually leaning against a display shelf.

“I don’t see the point of this,” Raine admitted as Ivy shoved a dress at her.

“The point is you don’t look like the same scared girl anymore.” Ivy smirked. “Might as well dress the part.”

Raine sighed but didn’t argue.

She wasn’t the same girl.

And when she caught a glimpse of herself in the boutique’s mirror, she barely recognized the reflection.

Gone was the underfed, hollow-eyed Omega.

Her skin was clearer, her hair shinier, her posture stronger. There was something in her eyes now—a sharpness, a quiet confidence that hadn’t been there before.

She didn’t just look different.

She *felt* different.

But of course, peace didn’t last.

Because the moment she stepped out of the fitting room, she felt it.

That heavy, suffocating presence.

And then she heard the voice.

“Well, well.”

That voice.

That *mocking*, syrupy-sweet voice.

Celeste.

Raine turned, her heartbeat steady as her gaze met the blonde she-wolf standing just a few feet away.

She looked exactly the same—golden curls, perfect makeup, that smug expression Raine had once feared.

But Raine wasn’t that girl anymore.

And judging by the way Celeste’s smirk faltered, she knew it too.

But Celeste wasn’t alone.

Because standing beside her, towering over her like a living shadow, was Kieran.

His dark eyes locked onto Raine the moment he saw her.

And something flickered in them.

Not the usual condescension. Not the casual disinterest he had always treated her with.

This was something else.

Something dangerous.

Raine’s lips curled into a slow, sharp smirk.

“Celeste,” she drawled. “Tell your mom I said hello.”

Celeste’s eyes widened slightly, her jaw tightening.

Reed, who had been watching the exchange like it was the best entertainment of the week, whistled under his breath. “Damn.”

Ivy grinned. “Oh, I *like* this version of you.”

Celeste recovered quickly, forcing a laugh. “You’re still the same pathetic girl trying too hard to act tough.”

“Pathetic?” Ivy snorted. “Sweetheart, she’s standing here looking like a goddess while you’re still sniffing around trying to get her attention.”

Celeste flushed. “I—”

But Raine didn’t care about her anymore.

Because Kieran was still staring.

His gaze traced every inch of her, slow and deliberate, as if he were trying to understand something.

Like he was seeing her for the first time.

Finally, he spoke. “You’ve changed.”

Raine tilted her head. “And you haven’t.”

His jaw clenched.

Celeste, realizing she was losing control of the situation, grabbed his arm. “Come on, Kieran. We don’t have time for—”

“Why are you with them?” Kieran cut her off, eyes darkening as he looked past Raine to where Xavier and Reed stood.

Raine didn’t hesitate. “Because they’re my pack.”

Something *snapped* in Kieran’s expression.

His fingers twitched, as if resisting the urge to reach for her.

“Your *pack*?” His voice was lower now, rougher. “You belong with *me*.”

Raine laughed. Actually *laughed*.

Kieran flinched.

“You rejected me, remember?” she said, tilting her head. “In front of the entire pack? Humiliated me? Tossed me aside like I was nothing?”

He exhaled sharply. “I—”

“And now you’re acting like I should still be waiting for you?” Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t think so.”

The air in the boutique was tense, heavy.

Then Xavier moved.

Not much. Just a shift, a silent step closer.

But it was enough.

Kieran’s wolf *snapped* at the challenge, his muscles coiling as his gaze flicked to Xavier.

“Careful,” Xavier murmured, his golden eyes gleaming with amusement. “I don’t take kindly to men looking at what’s mine.”

Raine stiffened slightly at the words, but she didn’t correct him.

Because right now, she *wanted* Kieran to think twice.

Kieran’s breathing was rough, his entire frame tense as if he was barely restraining himself.

For the first time, Raine saw it.

Jealousy.

Possessiveness.

Regret.

Good.

She leaned in slightly, voice soft, lethal.

“You made your choice, *Alpha*,” she whispered. “Now live with it.”

Then she turned, ignoring the way Kieran’s gaze burned into her back, and walked out of the boutique with her *real* pack by her side.

And she didn’t look back.

\---