Chapter 12 Lycian’s Move
Elowen‘s POV
I called Dr. Martinez back immediately.
My hands shook so bad I could barely hold the phone. Cade stood next to me, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off him. Wolf body temperature ran higher than human.
“Dr. Martinez’s office.”
“This is Elowen Hale. I got a message about my aunt’s insurance.”
“One moment please.”
Hold music. Soft jazz that made me want to scream.
Cade’s phone buzzed. He looked at it and frowned. “I need to take this. Will you be okay?”a
I nodded. Didn’t trust my voice.
He stepped away but didn’t go far. I could still see him talking into his phone. His expression got darker with every word.
“Ms. Hale?” Dr. Martinez came on the line. “Thank you for calling back.”
“What’s wrong with my aunt’s insurance?”
“I’m afraid there’s been a hold placed on her coverage. The insurance company is reviewing her pre-existing conditions.”
“She doesn’t have pre-existing conditions. The cancer is new.”
“According to their records, there were several doctor visits in the past year that might indicate…”
“She had the flu. And a sprained ankle. Neither of those is cancer.”
“I understand. But the insurance company has flagged them for review. Until that’s resolved, we can’t proceed with her next treatment.”
My knees felt weak. “How long will the review take?”
“They said four to six weeks.”
“She doesn’t have four to six weeks. Her next treatment is scheduled for Friday.”
“I know. I’m sorry. But without insurance approval…”
“How much would it cost to pay out of pocket?”
Silence. Then, “Around fifteen thousand for this round of treatment.”
Fifteen thousand. I had two hundred and thirty-seven dollars in my bank account.
“Is there any way to speed up the review?” My voice cracked.
“You can file an appeal. But that usually takes just as long.”
“So she just doesn’t get treatment.”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Hale. My hands are tied.”
I wanted to throw the phone. Wanted to scream. Wanted to hunt down Marcus Blackthorn and make him hurt the way he was hurting my aunt.
Instead, I said, “Thank you for calling,” and hung up.
Cade was still on his phone. But he was looking at me now. Concern was written all over his face.
I walked past him. Down the quad. Toward nothing in particular. Just needed to move. Needed to do something with the rage burning in my chest.
Footsteps behind me. Quick. Heavy.
“Elowen, wait.”
Not Cade’s voice. Lycian’s.
I didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop. If I stopped, I’d fall apart.
He caught up easily. Fell into step beside me. “Cade called me. Told me what happened.”
“Great. So now everyone knows how completely screwed I am.”
“You’re not screwed.”
“My aunt can’t get treatment because some powerful wolf is throwing a tantrum. How is that not screwed?”
“Because I’m not going to let that happen.”
I finally stopped walking. Turned to face him. “You can’t fix this.”
“Yes, I can.”
“How? You going to magically make the insurance company reverse their decision?”
“No. I’m going to pay for the treatment.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Elowen…”
“I said no. I’m not taking your money.”
“Why not?”
“Because then I’ll owe you. And owing people like you is how people like me get destroyed.”
His jaw tightened. “I’m not trying to destroy you.”
“Maybe not. But your world is.” I gestured around us. At the campus. The students walking past in their designer clothes. “This whole place is designed to remind people like me that we don’t belong. That we’re only here because someone decided to be generous. And the second we step out of line, that generosity disappears.”
“That’s not how I see you.”
“That’s how everyone else sees me. Including your father, Marcus, Madison and every other wolf who thinks I’m some kind of threat.”
“You are a threat. Just not the way they think.” He stepped closer. “You threaten their control. Their perfectly planned world where everything happens according to tradition and power.”
“I’m a scholarship student who spilled champagne. I’m not threatening anything.”
“You’re my mate. That threatens everything.”
The words hung between us. Heavy. Real.
Around us, students were starting to notice. To whisper. To point.
“We should go somewhere private,” Lycian said quietly.
“Where?”
“My place. It’s not far.”
I should say no. Should keep this public. Safe.
But I was so tired of being watched. Being judged.
“Fine.”
His penthouse was a ten-minute walk from campus. Sleek building with a doorman who nodded at Lycian like they knew each other.
The elevator ride was silent. Awkward. I could feel the tension radiating off him.
His apartment was on the top floor. Huge windows. Modern furniture. The kind of place that belonged in a magazine.
“Nice place,” I said. It came out bitter.
“It’s my father’s building. He owns most of this block.”
“Of course he does.”
Lycian went to the kitchen. Pulled out two bottles of water. Handed me one.
I took it but didn’t drink. Just held it. Let the cold seep into my palms.
“I called my father this morning,” Lycian said. “Before the Marcus situation. Told him about you.”
My stomach dropped. “What did you say?”
“That I’d met someone. I wanted to pursue it. That I needed him to protect your scholarship.”
“And?”
“He agreed. Said he’d make some calls.” Lycian’s expression darkened. “But Marcus moved faster.”
“So your father couldn’t stop him.”
“Not yet. But he’s working on it.”
“Working on it doesn’t help my aunt.”
“Which is why I’m going to pay for her treatment.”
“I already said no.”
“And I’m ignoring that.” He set down his water. “Elowen, I have more money than I could spend in ten lifetimes. My trust fund generates more interest in a month than most people make in a year. Fifteen thousand dollars is nothing to me. Less than nothing.”
“It’s everything to me.”
“I know. Which is why it matters that I help.”
I wanted to argue. Wanted to keep my pride intact.
But pride didn’t cure cancer.
“If I let you do this,” I said slowly. “If I let you pay for her treatment. What do you want in return?”
“Nothing.”
“Lycian.”
“I’m serious. Nothing. No strings. No conditions.” He moved closer. “But I do want to ask you something.”
“What?”
“Let me claim you. Publicly. In front of the pack.”
The bottle almost slipped from my hand. “What?”
“A public claiming. It’s a wolf thing. Announce to everyone that you’re under my protection. That attacking you means attacking me.”
“That’s insane.”
“It’s the only way to stop Marcus. To stop all of them.” His eyes were intense. Silver with flecks of gold. “If I claim you, no one can touch you. Not your scholarship. Not your job. Not your aunt’s insurance. Nothing.”
“And what does claiming mean exactly?”
“It means you’re mine. And I’m yours. In every way that matters to wolves.”
Heat flooded my face. “Every way?”
“Not like that. Not unless you want it to be.” His voice went soft. “The claiming is a mark. A scent. Something that tells other wolves to back off. It doesn’t have to mean more than that unless we decide it does.”
“But everyone will think we’re together.”
“We are together. Aren’t we?”
Were we? We’d had one conversation about trying. One agreement to dinner.
But looking at him now. The way he looked at me. Like I was the only thing that mattered.
Maybe we were.
“If I agree to this,” I said. “If I let you claim me. What happens when you change your mind? When the bond fades or you realize I’m not worth all this trouble?”
“That won’t happen.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.” He reached out. Touched my cheek. That electric spark raced through me. “The mate bond doesn’t fade, Elowen. It only gets stronger.”
I closed my eyes. Leaned into his touch without meaning to.
This was crazy. All of it was crazy.
But my aunt needed treatment. And I needed protection. And this wolf standing in front of me was offering both.
“Okay,” I whispered.
“Okay?”
“Claim me. Do whatever you have to do.” I opened my eyes. “But my aunt’s treatment comes first. Before the claiming. Before anything else.”
“Already done. I called Dr. Martinez while you were walking. The payment went through ten minutes ago.”
My breath caught. “You already paid?”
“I told you. I’m not going to let her suffer because of Marcus’s games.”
Tears burned behind my eyes. I blinked them back. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because you’re mine. And I take care of what’s mine.”
Before I could respond, his phone rang.
He looked at the screen and his expression went cold. “It’s my father.”
“Answer it.”
He did. Put it on speaker.
“Lycian.” Thaddeus Valor’s voice filled the room. “We have a problem.”