Page 11

Ha-joon

The day was too long—too crazy. I hadn’t been involved in anything like this in over a decade and I forgot how exhausting the constant rushes of adrenaline were when dealing with a catastrophe.

It was racing through my body after getting that shifter back who crashed out when they’d come through the portal. I was blocking all the blood and trying to refocus so I could get back to my job. I took in a deep breath and caught a scent that was familiar… And made my wolf growl.

Huh?

I followed it around the corner and realized it was a man. It didn’t click for another several moments and then it hit me hard that it was the man I’d smelled on Ms. Reed in the elevator. This was her lover.

Not your business, Ha-joon.

I went to turn away and leave it alone. I really did, but he didn’t think anyone was behind him as he leaned in to talk to the nurse next to him.

And his hand moved to her ass… Something she liked from the way she leaned into him as well.

Was this asshole for real? He was not only being a cliché cad doctor but had the balls to cheat on Ellie Reed of all people?

I saw the name on his scrubs in the reflection of the mirror and wanted to groan. This was Dr. Tommy Fitz? The hospital slut that I’d already heard so much about?

I didn’t make the decision to say anything.

I didn’t even—everything was pumping in me and I just acted.

I was just there behind them and my mouth moving, my brain trying to catch up.

“I need to speak with you a moment, Dr. Fitz, since you have time.” It amused me when both of them jumped, but the way they separated at being caught disgusted me.

“Sure thing, Dr…” he said as he turned me. “The new guy.”

“Dr. Ha-joon Clark from London,” I filled in for him, seeing in his eyes that he knew exactly who I was. Petty git.

We both noted the interested look the nurse gave me and he wasn’t happy, so that explained his attitude. Seriously, what a git. He thought I was moving in on his hunting ground?

Yeah, I wasn’t that type of asshole doctor.

He led me to the nearest stairwell where we would have a bit of privacy, checking up to make sure there wasn’t anyone on the other landings. “What can I do for you, Dr. Clark?”

“You can pull your head from your ass and keep your hands off other people’s asses before Ms. Reed rearranges your organs,” I answered. “Do you have a death wish cheating on her or is this some sort of insanity because of the day?”

He blinked at me as if I’d grown another head and couldn’t get his mouth to work for a couple of minutes at least. “Look, I don’t know what Ellie told you, but we’re not—”

“She didn’t tell me anything. I scented you on her the other night.”

Something dark immediately filled his eyes and he changed on a dime to hostile and amused. “Oh really, so you saw her Saturday night after me? Now I get what this is.”

“No, you don’t and I’m—”

“Look, hotshot, Ellie and I have an understanding and it doesn’t involve you.

” He smirked when I froze. “Yeah, she knows. And clearly, you don’t remotely know her well enough to stick your nose into her business.

” He eyed me over and snorted. “I’m seriously fucking floored at your balls though.

I’m with her and you’re not going to push me out. ”

I wasn’t actually trying to do that, so I wasn’t going to respond to just his anger, but the rest of what he said pissed me off.

“My balls? You have a woman like that in your bed and you dare to have the reputation of a hospital slut? Are you kidding me?” I growled and got in his face when he opened his mouth.

“Actually, your balls and dick are tiny to be so pathetic.”

“Pathetic?” he sputtered.

“Yeah, you’re a cliché, git,” I seethed. “Chasing nurses and PAs all around here is cliché. Fucking conquests and moving on. I’ve been here only a handful of days and I’ve heard all about you already.”

He snorted at me, something dark in his eyes.

Fitz leaned in and narrowed his eyes at me.

“Not all about me or you would know Ellie’s been in my bed for years .

” He smirked at my reaction. “Yeah, hotshot. So you’re just in passing, but Ellie’s mine and always has been.

We’ve got history and a foundation that will be around long after you’re—”

“Cliché,” I practically spat. “You act like some of those old money assholes who have fiancées waiting for them after they sow their oats and…” Horror filled me as something else filled Fitz’s eyes.

That I’d hit the nail on the head.

This piece of shit was holding onto Ellie until he was ready to commit and then planned to settle down with her. He saw her as mating material and wanted to keep her close for when he was done with his bedhopping.

“Disgusting. You’re fucking disgusting,” I snarled and shoved past him before I lost my temper and let the adrenaline rushing me again win.

“Maybe, but she definitely likes all of the disgusting things I do to her in bed, and you won’t ever figure her out like I have, hotshot,” he called after me.

I was shaking with rage when I went to the attending’s lounge to change my scrubs since blood was all over them.

I quickly cleaned up and threw new ones on before getting back to my position.

I replayed the scene in my head over and over again and realized something big now that I’d taken a step back and calmed down.

Fitz thought I’d been with Ellie. That was what pissed him off. He didn’t think I wanted her… He thought I’d had her . That I’d smelled him on her because we’d been together. Right, she’d been in her condo’s elevator. Why else would I have been there in his mind besides to see her?

She’s going to kill you and then fire you. In that order, you git.

Except she didn’t and her reaction shocked me even more. She really did put up with Fitz’s bullshit. She was seriously waiting around for that asshole to want to settle down and get mated instead of knowing she deserved more.

Over and over again I played that through my mind. Chugging coffee and doing everything I could to stay awake, and the moment I was back to waiting for more patients to arrive, that was all in my head.

“I have to take this,” I told someone after glancing at my phone. “I’ll be quick.”

“I can take over and rest out here, Dr. Clark,” Dr. Carpenter said as he plopped down in a chair. “Whatever soldier is in charge out here—I’m just closing my eyes. Let me know when others arrive.”

“Yes, sir,” someone called over.

I jogged off to the side and swiped to take Mum’s call. “I’m fine. I should have texted with updates.”

“Good, we worried,” she replied. “We didn’t even know if you were on site when they said ASH was involved.”

“No, no, Mum, sorry,” I sighed. “I would have immediately told you I was fine if I knew the news wasn’t more specific. None of the hospital personnel went there . Only our military. Ellie didn’t allow it.”

She was quiet a moment. “Ellie?”

I winced. “I’m too damn tired to be professional, Mum. I’ve barely eaten and not slept. I’ve been holding the need to wee for an hour.”

She chuckled but probably saw through my deflection. “That is a very special woman with too much on her plate, my youngest. She is a broken woman who had to put herself back together and become the woman she is now all on her own.”

The way she said that irked me. “What do you know, Mum?”

“More than I will tell you as I promised Ms. Reed that I would not.”

She was clearly giving me a hint, but I was too tired to put it together or do much of anything. “I’ll be careful, Mum, but we’re all a bit broken. I’m not downplaying whatever she’s been through but—”

“Do not be dismissive, Ha-joon Clark. You are not a woman in this world and certainly not hundreds of years ago when she got free of her family and made her own way. You have no idea the way vampires used to be back then and their…” She let out a long breath.

“You have no idea what that woman has suffered. I can only guess a few things and my heart breaks for her.”

Clearly, I needed a history lesson to get a clue. “I hear you, Mum. I won’t be dismissive and I’m never dismissive with you. I’m exhausted. Down to my toes exhausted and I have to get back to it. We still have new patients coming in as they’re clearing rubble.”

“Then I will let you go. Update us you are safe and haven’t become a patient next.”

“I will,” I promised and hung up.

It was a couple more hours before I could catch a nap, and I wasn’t sure how everything was handled, but those few hours of sleep were not enough even if appreciated.

I jumped back in because a flood of new patients came in.

It was the ones they’d been able to find and get out of the rubble once searches were safe to resume in the morning their time.

By the time people were being dug out, it was morning our time.

We weren’t short-staffed, but doctors were dropping so often from exhaustion that I even had to jump in on a few trauma surgeries. I only assisted, but at least I was of help to Dr. James and Dr. Carpenter when both looked like they were on their last legs.

I was not surprised to find out that my mum had shown up with warlock healers who revived most of the trauma docs and checked them out. It honestly had nothing to do with me being a doctor there. She would have wanted to do the same in any situation. Her heart was that generous.

She simply could push her way in because I did work at ASH now.

“If you tell us how, our pack and others in London will have a blood drive,” Mum promised Ms. Reed as I came out of surgery. “Your president already spoke with ours and we will lend our support. It’s not just feeding our allies, but there should always be reserves for emergencies.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Clark. That would be a huge help,” Ms. Reed accepted.

I mentally winced, but Mum handled it smoothly like always.

“I do not mean to be picky, but when I came as Ha-joon’s mother, I was Mrs. Clark. I’m here as the London Alpha’s Mate, Ms. Reed.”