Chapter 4 SECRETS AND SPARKS
"Absolutely not." Luna crossed her arms, glaring at the Alpha who had somehow made himself comfortable in her office, his Italian leather shoes propped on her reclaimed wood coffee table. "Sage Holistic Wellness has a perfectly comfortable waiting area upstairs. With WiFi and complimentary kombucha."
“I can't. Do you know what people would say if they saw me here?”
“Feel free to go home then.”
He didn't even look up from his phone as he scrolled through what looked like stock reports. "My wolves are dying. I want to stay close."
"This is a healing center, not a barracks..."
“Alpha! Alpha Kane!” A young Shadow Moon warrior burst in from the underground wing, panic etched into his features. “Beta Marcus is getting worse. He’s… he’s trying to bite everyone!”
Kane stood immediately, his silver eyes flashing. Even in his Tom Ford suit, he radiated predator.
Luna had to force herself not to step back from his imposing height. Three years hadn't changed the fact that his presence still made everyone in a room feel smaller.
“I’ll handle it,” Luna said firmly, already moving toward the secure underground wing, the secret space where supernaturals came for treatment.
“I’m coming with you,” Kane declared.
"You most certainly are not. You have no medical training."
"That's my beta. He needs his Alpha."
“And he’s my patient.” Luna’s voice rippled with authority. “More importantly, you’re an Alpha with deep pack bonds. Moon Fever spreads through spiritual connections. You go near them, and you’ll catch it too.”
Kane froze. “What?”
“The stronger the bond, the faster it spreads. As their Alpha, you’d be infected within minutes.”
Luna’s voice remained calm, clinical, but inside, she panicked. If Kane fell ill, she’d have to touch him repeatedly to stabilize him. He’d recognize her immediately. “You want to help your pack? Stay healthy. One infected Alpha could destroy three territories.”
The standoff lasted ten seconds. Twenty. Thirty.
Kane's jaw clenched. "Then what do you need me to do?”
Luna blinked, surprised. The Kane she remembered never backed down from anything. Never.
“Sort herbs. Prepare medicine. Keep the healthy wolves calm. From a distance.” She emphasized the last part. “I’ll handle the infected ones.”
Two hours later, Luna was exhausted, her healing light dimmed from overuse, and somehow Kane was still there. Worse, he was being... helpful.
“The yellow herbs go in the morning doses,” he said, carefully measuring powders into glass vials. “The blue ones for evening, right?”
"How did you..." Luna caught herself. "Yes. That's correct."
"You explained it earlier. To the apprentice." He glanced at her, and for a moment, his harsh features softened. "You're a good teacher. Patient."
Luna turned away, her heart doing something stupid in her chest. "Just focus on the sorting."
Now and then, his eyes drifted to her. There was something in his stare, a tug of memory he couldn’t quite reach.
She avoided his gaze, pretending to focus on her work. But when their hands brushed while passing a cloth, both froze. A spark shot through her fingers, straight to her heart.
Electric heat raced up her arm, her wolf surging forward with a howl of recognition. Kane gasped, jerking back, his eyes wide with shock. For a moment, she swore she saw recognition flash across his face.
Kane’s eyes widened. “Did you feel that?”
Aria's throat went dry. "Static. The Seattle rain, you know. Makes everything charged."
He didn’t believe her.
Before he could question her, the door slammed open.
"KANE PIERCE!" Victoria's shrill voice made both of them wince. "Six hours! You've been here SIX HOURS!"
"My pack needs me, Victoria." He didn't even turn to look at her.
"Your pack?" Victoria laughed, the sound sharp as breaking glass. "Your pack has access to the best medical facilities in the Pacific Northwest. Blackstone Pharmaceuticals has three Nobel laureates on staff. And you're here? At some..." she waved dismissively at the wellness center's sage bundles and healing crystals, "...alternative medicine shop?"
Kane glanced at her, silver eyes narrowing. “I’m not here for politics. I’m here for my people.”
Victoria's perfectly contoured face twisted. "Do you know what the board will say when they find out the CEO of Pierce Industries is sitting in some holistic wellness center playing with herbs? While we have a forty-million-dollar medical wing?"
"I imagine they'll say I'm investigating all treatment options for my employees."
"Employees?" Her voice pitched higher. "Is that what we're calling them now? Very progressive." She grabbed his arm, her gel manicure digging in. "We have dinner at the Fairmont with Riverside Industries tonight. The reservation was made three months ago."
"Then go without me."
Victoria's face flushed beneath her Charlotte Tilbury foundation. "Go without... Are you insane? How would that look?"
"Like you're capable of handling business yourself." Kane pulled his arm free. "Which you say constantly on Instagram."
Victoria’s gaze flicked past him, landing on Luna arranging herb trays. Her eyes narrowed, lips curling with instant suspicion. “Oh! So this is your little secret, isn’t it? Sleeping with some nobody healer while using your pack as a cover up?”
Luna froze, hands hovering over a tray, while Kane stiffened.
She set down her herb tray with deliberate calm, turning to face Victoria with a professional smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Mrs. Blackstone, I presume? Or is it still Miss?" Luna's voice was honey-sweet. "I understand your confusion. When someone spends six hours receiving actual medical treatment instead of getting Botox touch-ups, it might seem unusual to you."
Victoria's mouth dropped open. "Excuse me?" She stalked closer, her Tom Ford perfume cutting through the lavender and sage. "You think you can talk to me like that? Do you have any idea who I am?"
“And you’re absolutely right about Blackstone Pharmaceuticals,” Luna continued, ignoring her question. “Three Nobel laureates on staff is impressive. And yet, I'm the nobody keeping his pack alive while your forty-million-dollar facility sends thoughts and prayers. But please, tell me all about who you are. I'll wait."
Victoria's face twisted. "You little..."
"ENOUGH!" Kane's Alpha command rolled through the room like thunder.
Victoria stumbled, her eyes wide with shock. "You just, did you just use your Alpha voice on me? Your mate?"
"You're not my mate," Kane said coldly. "You're my Luna. There's a difference. Moreover, don’t get to come in here and think you call the shots. You’re a guest here. Start acting like one."
The silence that followed was deafening. Victoria's lips trembled with fury, but she said nothing. She spun on her designer heels and stormed out, probably already crafting her Instagram story about disrespect and betrayal.
"I apologize," Kane said finally. "She's..." He trailed off.
“The Luna you chose” Luna finished, her voice carrying a hint of judgment.
"Well, it’s not like I had a choice." Kane's laugh was bitter.
“What do you mean?”
"Nothing. Forget it." He turned away. "I should check on the other wolves."
Luna managed to avoid Kane for the rest of the day, but his presence saturated the wellness center like expensive cologne. Every corner she turned, she caught his scent. Every wolf she treated mentioned their Alpha's dedication, how the mighty CEO of Pierce Industries was personally helping with their care.
It wasn't fair. He was supposed to be the villain of her story. Not this... this helpful, considerate man who put others’ needs above his.
She found herself in the rooftop garden at midnight, the Seattle skyline glittering around her as she drew power from the moon plants she'd cultivated. The full moon bathed everything in silver, and for once, she let her true power show. Light danced across her skin, her hair floating as if underwater, the pure essence of the Moon Healer flowing through her.
"Beautiful," a rough voice said behind her.
Luna spun, her light dying instantly, but it was too late.
Kane stood in the garden entrance, his eyes wide with shock and something that looked like recognition.
“Your eyes,” he whispered, looking at her emerald green eyes. He lifted his hand and brushed against her black hair that had silver streaks in it.
“You remind me of someone.” he breathed, his voice breaking. “Aria?”