Chapter 3 Little Doctor

For some stupid reason, the goddess paired me with little Emily, and when I threw myself on the bed exhausted, the weight of everything fell on me.

After it all ended, my parents covered me and took me to my room, looking at me with pity. I know no one ever expected this - not even me. I always thought Lindsay would be my mate, and now, I see my little perfect world crumbling right before my eyes.

Tears filled my eyes as I felt disgusted with myself and everything that was happening. I couldn't stop thinking about how wrong this was and screamed inside my head, "What's the goddess's problem?"

I'm afraid of myself and Hades. Afraid of the absurd actions he might take if he sees her being scolded by her parents or hurt by other kids her age. Because the fact is, Emy will keep running around and fighting with Toby.

I need to end this, but for it to be over, I need to wait until she turns eighteen. I need her to find out, and then I'll reject her. Yes, that's it!

With that idea in mind, I finally fell asleep.

When I woke up the next day, my head ached. I got up and took a long, hot shower, gathering the courage to drag myself out of my room. I was so tired.

"Ezra, we're waiting for you in my office," my father's voice sounded in my head.

He wasn't being my father, I could feel it. He was giving me an order as my Alpha, and I, as his pack member, had to obey him.

When I opened the hallway door, Emy's sweet scent hit my nose. She was swinging her legs and devouring a pack of cookies while laughing at some joke my dad had made. She was an adorable child.

"Good morning," I said, grumpily.

Everyone turned their faces to me as I calmly sat in one of the armchairs, sliding down to relax afterward.

"We need to talk," my father said, looking at Lucia.

"Emy, why don't you go play outside?" Aunt Lucia asked gently.

"You promised you'd let me take care of Uncle Ezra's wounds," her voice was shrill as she pouted.

"I know, and you can do that... but later!" she said, gently setting the girl on her feet.

"No," she stomped her foot. "I don't like untreated wounds. They hurt," she said, turning to me. "Tell them, please. I need to practice being a nurse."

And damn. How could I say no to her? It was Emy; she could kill me if she wanted, and I'd still smile at her.

"Alright," I sighed, patting the chair next to me and extending my hand. "Be quick, okay?"

She squealed as she ran to her father's side and grabbed the pink suitcase covered in stickers.

"Wow," she murmured. "Uncle Ezra, did you clean this?"

"No," was all I managed to reply before looking at my father and swallowing hard.

He sighed and looked at the others, seeming to enter a conversation via Mind Link. My heart raced, and sparks seemed to travel all over my body, making my toes tingle.

She didn't say anything, appearing very focused, and I decided to study her a bit. Her cheeks were cute, her eyes almond-shaped, and she had Lucia's eyebrows. She had dark hair like her eyes, which were beautiful, by the way.

Emy was as skittish as an angry cat, even though her angelic appearance could fool anyone. She was cute and sweet, just like a child should be.

When she finished, decorating my wound with a pink band-aid full of hearts, I laughed, looking at it. "Thank you, Emy."

"You're welcome," she smiled, packing everything up. Now, all eyes were on us again. "When I grow up and find my mate, will you let us both be pack doctors?"

"I'm not sure," I said, frowning.

"Oh, Uncle Ezra... Dad and Mom said that mates love each other so much they can't be apart, and I don't want to leave you alone," she stomped her foot.

"Well, what if he doesn't like hospitals?" I asked.

"Then he can't be my mate. I'm going to be a doctor," she lifted her chin, and I laughed.

"Okay, okay," Lucia intervened. "It's time to go, let's go."

She grabbed her suitcase and left, grumbling, "I'm going to find new patients and prove I can be a great doctor."

When she left, I felt like I could breathe again, like my senses had returned to my body, and I settled back in the chair, now looking at my father.

"I haven't had breakfast yet," I pointed out.

"We'll be quick," he murmured. "We still have to choose a lead representative to replace Derek in the war. His wife just gave birth, and he asked to come back."

I shrugged. We were caught up in a territorial war. Another Alpha wanted our lands, so we had a large number of warriors being sent there. Derek was a natural leader, and when he volunteered to lead, my father became more confident, and well, things seemed to be going well so far.

I was very excited about all the details until yesterday's events, but now, I just wanted to crawl into my bed and never come out.

"Well, I think we can be sure that Emy will probably reject me," I said, letting out a nervous laugh.