A few minutes after Emma ordered her adoptive parents escorted out of the Alpha estate, the air in her chamber felt lighter. She had refused to grant them audience. With quiet authority, she had instructed her assigned pack guards to send them beyond the estate gates. She did not wish to see them—not today, not after everything that had shifted within her.
The heavy oak bedroom door creaked open once more. Emma slowly turned her head toward the entrance. Healer Ben stood at the doorway, offering a professional yet warm smile. She attempted to return the gesture, but her lips refused to cooperate. Her body was still tender from the intensity of her union with Alpha Brandon, and her emotions were even more fragile.
"May I come in?" Healer Ben asked gently, stepping just inside the threshold.
Emma nodded faintly. "Yes."
