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“Boring!” I yell out, my fist clenching. I need to hit things. Maybe I can convince Ethan to spar with me. If not, I’ll beat up a punching bag. “She’ll be a blue blooded version of you then. I want the fire, the brat who talks back to me, and runs away when she can see I'm about seconds away from snapping so I can chase her.”

“Ew,” Vivian says. “Please don’t talk about the sex games you play with my daughter. See, this is why you can’t be fucking and mating your step-daughter.”

“We aren’t married anymore,” I rumble. “You and I were never right for each other, because while I may be a jealous bastard, I have redeeming qualities. You’re just someone I want to kill and then bury so that even the wild animals won’t want to mess with you.”

“Nonsense,” Vivian giggles nervously. “You’re overwrought with emotion. This is another reason why you shouldn’t be with someone so young. Nina will drive you crazy. She needs to be with a pack who can show her a firm hand.”

Remembering the way I taught Nina all about punishment, I smirk.

“I think my brand of that works just fine,” I croon. “My problem is that I am without my scent match, and I am seconds away from going feral, Vivian. I will never, ever reject Nina. Ethan won’t ever do it either. Therefore, it seems as if you’re shit out of luck. Get her the fuck out of that joke of an institution.”

“It’s not a joke, Cooper!” she whines. “These institutions are doing great work for families with wayward children. Nina needs to have an attitude adjustment.”

“That’s not what you’re proposing and you know it!” I roar. Patience is not something I possess, but my fracturing soul isn’t fairing well during this conversation. “You are trying to turn her into another person, one who doesn’t have any other thoughts but the ones you put there. Nina will fight those doctors tooth and nail until there’s nothing left of her. Do you want to be responsible for killing your daughter?”

“She’ll be perfect,” Vivian sniffs, pretending to cry. “Why can't you let her go, you insufferable man! You don’t know what she or I need. You’re trying to ruin all of my plans.”

“I won’t only ruin them,” I promise,“I’ll burn everything you care about to the fucking ground. Nina deserves to live her life as far away from you as possible. I will not only find a way to remove her from that facility, I’ll also ensure you won’t ever have a legal leg to stand on as her mother and guardian. I will bond her, marry her, and put a baby in her.”

Wow. I wasn’t expecting the last part to come out, but it’s not a surprise to me that I have a heavy breeding kink. Everything I can do to tie Nina to me is something I need to happen.

“Cooper, you’re impossible to deal with,”Vivian screeches. “The very idea of Nina pregnant by you is enough to make me physically ill.”

“I’ll make sure not to send any Christmas cards with her belly swollen with child then,” I murmur. “Mark my words, Vivian, this is one fight you won’t be winning.”

Hanging up on her screams, I blow out a breath. I would love to indulge in the loss of control, but this is the most I’ll allow myself. Dropping my head back onto the headrest, I take some deep, cleansing breaths.

We will get her back.I repeat this over and over as I straighten my spine and begin the drive home. I know Ethan has irons in the fire to help Nina, I just need to hold on until one of them works out.

The issue is, if I’m feeling these effects after a month of being away from her, what’s happening to her?

Hold on, Princess. Please.

Thirteen

Riley

The security at Weeping Willow for a medical student on a clinical rotation is rigorous. Paperwork,an intense background check, and the insistence that they follow the employee standards of scrubbing up to their elbows in descenting soap and then spraying themselves with descenting spray before stepping onto the floor to see patients.

While I came in wearing business casual attire and comfortable shoes, I was brought into the employee locker room after having the descenting protocol explained and told to change into scrubs. I figured this was a possibility, which is why I covered any visible tattoos with makeup. I’m on a mission to blend into the scenery wherever possible, and shine like a model student when it’s not.

I’ve always been very careful about my hacking skills, and have never been caught by anyone who has pressed charges. Due to this, my criminal background is nonexistent and I look like a good citizen on paper. Hell, I can even look like I follow the letter of the law as well when necessary.

It took three months from when I began talkingwith my professor about beginning a clinical rotation at this institute before they took me on due to their security process. My skin crawls as I think about everything that Nina could have gone through during that time. I know her alphas are suffering as they drive themselves mad with the possibilities.

“Riley,” Dr. Kind greets me in his office once I’ve done everything asked of me to prepare for my first day. “I’m very excited you want to study our work and how we treat mental illness.”

I have to keep my face expressionless as I nod. I’m tapping into the part of myself who enjoys taking things apart and putting them back together. Except, instead of it being the body, it’s someone’s mind. I never thought there could be so much harm done to someone until I started to understand Weeping Willow’s non-official rhetoric about behavioral and mental health.

“I’m also very excited,” I murmur. “I didn’t think this day would ever come.”

“Yes, well, I know our process is different from many other hospitals,” he says. “It’s to protect the work we’re doing, because I will not allow any hiccups. Our patients are difficult, and our policies are law. If I ask you to do something, it is for the good of the patient. Our timelines for reintroducing some of our patients to the world are stringent.”

“Understood, Doctor,” I agree.

From my understanding, their policies skirt the boundaries of torture. I still haven’t seen beyond the veil of their words because they’re so tight-lipped, but I am a very good judge of character. Between what I’ve seen through my hacking into their records and my onboarding experience, employees are expected to not ask any questions.

They are tools and an extension of the doctors’ will.