Chapter 25

Claire POV

Over the next few days I threw myself into my work, and my plans to move on with my life.

I’d taken the bag of unopened presents home, unsure what to do with them. The idea of getting rid of them was too painful, and too close to what Nathan had done with them, so in the end I tucked the bag into my closet and did my best not to think about it.

It wasn’t easy.

Nathan and I weren’t on the best of terms, and our relationship was strained to say the least, but I was still stunned by his heartlessness. Not just returning the presents, but never even opening them?

It was too much to try to deal with. I tried to set it aside.

I reminded myself that I was building a good life on my own. My work at the clinic was fulfilling, and I felt stronger and stronger every day.

Spending time with Beth, Oliver’s daughter, a few afternoons a week was also lovely. If it made me think of Andy, wondering if he was alright and if he missed me, I still did my best to enjoy taking care of a child again.

The truth was I missed my son every single day. But trying to see him would have been just too complicated at the moment. And added to that, I wasn’t even sure if he wanted to see me.

Part of me also missed Nathan, even though he’d hurt me deeply yet again. But if seeing my son would be complicated, trying to sort out my relationship with Nathan was far, far worse.

So I buried myself in work, focusing on the joy healing brought me.

But even there, complications arose.

It started two days after the incident with Sabrina and the Gammas, when she’d tried to have me arrested.

Patients still came to me for healing, or questions about their health, their diet or their medicines.

But they also came in with questions. Questions that made me increasingly uneasy.

“Are you really an Omega?” asked a teenager named Kyle.

He was a wiry, scrappy kid, who often got into fights with wolves much bigger than he was. This was far from the first time I’d seen him, as he often had injuries that needed tending.

I looked up from examining his severely twisted ankle, caught off guard.

“What?”

“I heard how Princess Sabrina came here with, like, a bunch of guards to try to arrest you. And she said you were an Omega. Is that true?”

Kyle was skinny and not particularly strong. I knew he got picked on a lot, and that’s why he got into fights. The hopeful look on his face wasn’t hard to interpret.

Because if an Omega could become a doctor, maybe Kyle’s life didn’t have to look so bleak. Maybe he wouldn’t always be picked on and looked down on.

After a brief hesitation, I answered him honestly. “Yes, Kyle. I am an Omega.”

I watched the smile bloom on his face. “That’s pretty awesome, Dr. Green. Like, if an Omega can become a doctor, I can become an enforcer!”

I couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm, though I remained uneasy inside.

If Kyle was asking questions, that meant plenty of other pack members were as well.

And I’d need to be very careful about how I answered those questions.

My Omega status could complicate things. Not everyone would want their doctor to be such a low ranking pack member, after all.

But the real danger was in fielding questions about who I was, and what I’d been doing before my healing abilities emerged.

I couldn’t reveal my relationship to the pack’s Alpha.

Or to his son.

I was going to have to be very careful.

My unease proved valid as the day went on.

Kyle was far from the only patient I saw that day who was curious about what had happened with the Gammas, and about my status.

My last patient of the day, Miss Alice, was an elderly woman who often came in for a checkup or to consult about her health, her diet and other wellness concerns.

I was usually very happy to see her. But I could tell as soon as I walked into the exam room that something was wrong.

When she saw me, Miss Alice’s expression stiffened, and she crossed her arms across her chest.

“I don’t want to see you, Dr. Green. I want a real doctor.”

More than a little hurt, I asked her, “What do you mean by a real doctor, Miss Alice? Have you been unsatisfied with the care I’ve given you in the past?”

She sniffed. “That was before I knew the truth about you. An Omega, caring for her betters? It isn’t right. And then come to find out you didn’t even go to medical school! I’d like to know exactly what you think you’re doing, pretending to be a doctor like this.”

This was what I’d been worrying about. Once the word spread that I wasn’t a “real” doctor, even though my healing abilities were growing stronger and stronger every day, would that affect the clinic?

I couldn’t stand it if I was the reason people stopped coming in for care.

Carefully, I explained to Miss Alice that I actually was qualified to take care of people.

“I became certified in health and nutrition years ago, Miss Alice. You can be assured that I know what I’m doing, even without my healing abilities.”

She narrowed her eyes. “If you were certified years ago, why did you only recently start practicing?”

I hesitated, unsure how to answer. I couldn’t tell her the truth, that I’d taken those courses in order to care for my son. Then she’d want to know about my mate.

If learning that their healer was an Omega had been upsetting to some, how much worse would it be to learn that Omega was actually mated to their Alpha?

No, I couldn’t let that get out.

“Well…as I’m sure you know, it’s difficult for an Omega to find work, especially in the medical field. Everyone thinks we’re criminals,” I added with a laugh.

Miss Alice didn’t even smile. Clearly she was one of the ones who thought exactly that about Omegas.

“But once my healing abilities emerged, it was obvious that I could do some real good here at the clinic. For patients like you.”

But plead as I might, Miss Alice would not be swayed. And in the end I had to go get another doctor to handle her appointment.

She was no longer interested in being one of my patients.

I left the clinic that day feeling more tired than usual, and deeply uneasy.

Not even Amelia’s excited text, that my paperwork to leave the pack had been approved and was being processed, could cheer me.

Before this, leaving the pack had felt like a sad but necessary step. I would miss my son, my friend and my work at the clinic desperately, of course, but starting my own life somewhere new had seemed like the thing to do.

Now I worried - would I be spending my whole life still hiding parts of who I was?

Would my Omega status truly be a curse I could never leave behind?

What if it was something I could never escape, no matter where I went?