Chapter 3: Desperate Measures
Fiona’s POV
Everything was dark.
Not the peaceful kind of dark, the kind that wraps you up and lets you sleep. This was the kind that felt like drowning. Heavy. Suffocating. Endless.
I could hear voices. Chloe’s voice was the loudest, full of fear and urgency, but I couldn’t make out the words. I wanted to answer her. I tried to move. I couldn’t. My body felt like stone.
Then came the scent-Disinfectant, herbal scent. An unfamiliar male werewolf.
Chloe must’ve called someone. Smart girl.
The darkness slowly peeled back. I was drifting upward, toward the surface.
By the time my eyes fluttered open, I saw Chloe kneeling beside me, her face etched with worry, and a man crouched over me-mid-thirties. silver-rimmed glasses slipping down his nose, a stethoscope looped around his neck. A human doctor. No… not quite. His scent carried the faintest trace of wolf. Not a warrior. A medic.
“Fiona?” Chloe’s voice cracked as she touched my arm. “Hey, you’re okay. You collapsed, but you’re safe. Dr. Harper’s here.”
I blinked up at them, trying to focus, but my brain felt like it had been run through a meat grinder. “What… happened?”
“You fainted. Chloe said gently. “Shock, stress, exhaustion-you name it.”
Dr. Harper gave me a tight-lipped smile. “Your vitals are stable now, but you’re severely depleted. Whatever you’re going through, it’s pushing your body to its limit. We need to monitor you more closely. And… I’ll need to speak to your mate.”
At that word-mate-my heart twisted.
Chloe hesitated, her eyes darting toward me. “Alpha Dorian’s… he’s gone,” she said tightly. “He left her.”
Dr. Harper’s eyebrows rose, just slightly. “I see.” His tone shifted. “Well, then, I need someone close to her-someone who understands what she’s going through. She shouldn’t be doing this alone. The emotional strain is affecting not just her health, but the pup’s.”
Pup.
That word still sounded foreign in my ears, even though it was growing inside me. Half mine. Half his.
When Dr. Harper finished his examination, he looked down at me with the kind of concern. “There are several tests I’d like to run. They’re important-for both of you. But they’ll cost. When you’re ready, come to the clinic, and we’ll begin. Until then, rest. Don’t push yourself. Miss.”
With that, he gathered his things and left. Chloe watched him go, chewing her lip, probably already worrying about the money, the stress, the spiraling mess I was dragging her into.
I sat up slowly, my head still throbbing. But something inside me had snapped back into place. Maybe it was desperation. Maybe it was instinct. Maybe it was just plain old stupidity. But I knew what I had to do.
“This is it,” I said quietly. “I have to go to Dorian. Tell him what the doctor said. Maybe… maybe if he knows how serious this is, he’ll come back.”
Chloe spun toward me like I’d slapped her. “Are you kidding me?”
I flinched.
She threw her hands in the air, pacing the kitchen. “Fiona, Alpha Dorian left you. He’s with Cecilia. You don’t get to just waltz into his life and expect a fucking miracle.”
“I just “My voice cracked. “I need to try, Chloe. The doctor said the father needs to be involved. I can’t just sit here doing nothing.”
Chloe’s eyes narrowed, her hands on her hips. “Try what? Getting ripped to shreds all over again? Fiona, have you seen yourself lately? You’re a wreck. You’re not eating. You’re not sleeping. Your wolf is hiding. And now you want to go back to the alpha who humiliated you?”
My throat burned. “I know it sounds crazy, but if there’s even a chance he’ll come back-if he sees how serious this is-
“NO!” she snapped. “He’s not going to swoop in and save you, Fiona. He already made his choice. He picked her. And what about your pup. huh? You really want to drag your unborn baby back into that toxic mess?”
“I’m not doing this for me.” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “I’m doing this for the pup. If Dorian’s involved, we might get the resources for the tests. I just… I need him to know.”
Chloe stared at me, her jaw clenched tight. “So what if he slams the door in your face? What if he laughs in your face with Cecilia on his arm? Are you ready for that?”
“No,” I admitted. “But I have to try anyway. He deserves to know what’s at stake. And maybe, just maybe, he’ll realize what he’s walking away from.”
Chloe was breathing hard, pacing the room like a wolf locked in a cage. Her anger crackled in the air, hotter than a silver brand.
“You’re going to lose yourself trying to fight for someone who’s already made his choice,” she snapped, her voice rising like a growl. “What happens when he turns you away? You’ll be right back where you started-only more broken than before! Use your damn head, Fiona. Stop acting like some desperate bitch. There are plenty of dicks out there, for Moon’s sake! Forget about him, girl!”
Her words stung, even though I knew they came from a place of love. That was the thing about Chloc-she didn’t sugarcoat a damn thing. And normally, I’d thank her for that. But not today.
1 swallowed the lump in my throat. My hands were clenched at my sides, my wolf stirring uneasily beneath my skin. “I don’t know what else to do. I said quietly, trying to hold myself together. “If I don’t try… I’ll never forgive myself. I need to know I did everything I could-for our pup.”
She stopped pacing. Her shoulders dropped, and for a second, all the fire left her eyes. “Fiona…” Her voice was softer now, tinged with something that hurt even worse than anger-pity. “You’re not thinking clearly. You’re spiraling. This isn’t just about Dorian anymore. It’s about your pup. About your health. You look like hell. You smell like sorrow and missed meals.”
I flinched. My wolf did too.
She stepped closer, her hands braced on the desk. “You’re a mess. And the last thing you need is to go chasing a male who threw you away like last season’s omega.”
“I can’t just give up.” I whispered, my voice breaking.
“Why the hell not?” she snapped again, but this time her tone wasn’t fiery-it was broken. “Let him go, Fiona. You owe him nothing. He left you. Chose Cecilia. He didn’t even look back. And now you want to crawl back to him like some fairytale’s broken heroine? Get real.”
“I can’t let him think there are no consequences,” I said, wiping at my face uselessly. “He needs to know what he did. He needs to face this.”
Chloe stared at me. Then she blew out a breath, long and loud, trying to calm herself. “Okay, fine. If you’re set on doing this, at least promise me something.”
I nodded, my jaw tight.
“Promise me you won’t expect him to come running. Promise me you won’t fall apart if he slams the door in your face. And promise me that if you come crawling back here in tears. I get to say ‘I told you so.’ Out loud. With snacks.”
Despite everything. I let out a shaky laugh. “I promise.”
Tears were still falling, but there was a flicker of something inside me-hope or delusion, I couldn’t say. “I just need to know that I tried. I need to look my pup in the eye someday and say I did everything I could.”
Chloe sighed, rubbing her temple like she had a headache the size of a mountain troll. “Alright. But be ready. This could end badly. Don’t let that stubborn hope of yours blind you to reality.”
“I know.” My voice was barely above a whisper. “But I have to do this.”
A surge of adrenaline pushed through my veins. Maybe it was stupid. Maybe it was reckless. But it felt right. “I’m gonna put on some makeup.”1 said suddenly, wiping my cheeks dry. “I need to look like I’m not dying inside.”
I turned and bolted for the stairs, my bare feet thudding against the hardwood. Halfway up, I tripped on a step and caught myself with the railing.
“Careful!” Chloe shouted after me, her voice sharp with concern. “You’re pregnant, you idiot!”
1fgnored her and kept going, my heart pounding. I knew exactly what I was doing, even if no one else did.
Back in my room, I stood in front of the mirror, staring at the girl looking back at me. Hollow eyes. Pale skin. I didn’t recognize her.
But I still had a little fire left in me.
I brushed my hair, applied the foundation to hide the exhaustion, and dusted on the blush like war paint. Red lips.
Downstairs, Chloe was pacing again, talking to someone on the phone. I caught snippets.
“Emily, it’s Chloc… Yes, it’s bad… She’s really lost it this time. Can you come over?”
I heard her sigh, then her voice dropped into a mutter. “She’s really gone. This woman is acting like she’s in some twisted Luna fairytale.”
Maybe I was. But it was my fairytale-and I had to see it through to the end.
Even if it ended in ashes.
