Two Star Healers And A Forgotten Fated Mate Chapter 02

Two Star Healers And A Forgotten Fated Mate Chapter 02

My parents could tell I was heartbroken the second I sat down at the dinner table, and they chattered nonstop to distract me.

They’d told the kitchen staff to make rosemary chicken thighs and creamy mushroom soup—my favorite meals after back-to-back night shifts.

Tonight, none of it tasted like anything at all.

I set my silverware down, breathing deep. “Mom, Dad… I don’t want to work as a pack nurse anymore.”

Their eyes blew wide open. “You poured years of blood, sweat and tears to get into Argent Healer Academy. I thought this career was everything you wanted for yourself.”

“Is work getting too tough for you, honey? Don’t throw away a dream you chased for years.”

I shook my head silently.

Medicine had always been Cameron’s dream, never mine.

It was just a regular senior night study hall when he’d held his hand out to me. “Push a little harder, Penelope. We’ll stay side by side forever after this.”

I’d thrown myself headfirst into training just for that single line he’d spoken.

After that, I was stuck memorizing endless complicated herb names, practicing precise wound sutures, pulling all-nighters at the clinic, and obsessing over sterile protocol to avoid risking patient lives.

Tasks that came naturally to Cameron and Amelia took ten times more effort from me.

Even then, Cameron would only pinch my cheek. “Study Amelia’s lead. Stop rushing through your work so carelessly.”

I was supposed to be his fated mate, yet he never acknowledged any of my effort, never looked at me as his equal.

The next noon, I finished writing my resignation letter and sat in the hospital cafeteria for lunch.

Amelia set her tray down right across from mine. She split her tomato basil omelet down the middle and slid half onto my plate like it was second nature.

“You were crying last night, weren’t you?”

I lifted my head, confused.

Amelia’s brows shot up in surprise. “Cameron and I stayed at the inn next to the hospital after working late last night. He said he forgot to text you, figured you’d throw a fit over it.”

I’d slept back at the Pack House last night.

I had no clue whether Cameron had gone back to our shared apartment or not.

Right now, it didn’t matter either way.

I sliced slowly through the roasted squash on my plate, answering flatly. “Oh, I see.”

Amelia tilted her head, staring at me in shock. “You’re not upset at all?”

Her face brightened instantly, and she waved a hand toward the bench behind us.

“Looks like someone lost our bet—you owe me that tub of Greek yogurt we wagered on earlier.”

Cameron stepped out from behind my seat, dropping a container of yogurt into Amelia’s palm before sliding onto the bench next to me. His forehead creased in a frown.

“Penelope’s matured a ton. She would’ve locked herself away moping for days over something like this once upon a time.”

“Hey, don’t talk about her like that,” Amelia laughed, shoving his arm lightly. “Penelope’s never been that dramatic.”

The two of them immediately started bickering about who knew me better.

I sat trapped between them, everything around me fading into white noise.

My hands trembled uncontrollably, a sharp wave of nausea rolling through my stomach.

My fated mate and my lifelong best friend had placed a bet on my breakdowns, trading my tears for a cheap container of Greek yogurt.

I turned my head slowly to face Cameron, my tone unshakable. “We’re done.”

Dead silence crashed over the cafeteria table. Cameron stared at me, stunned. “You—”

Before he could finish speaking, Amelia leaned forward cautiously.

“Penelope, are you mad at me? We only stayed late to hash out treatment plans last night, I didn’t mean to keep Cameron from you.”

Cameron’s frown deepened, and the shock melted off his face, replaced by cold irritation.

“Amelia, you’ve already pushed yourself to the brink. You don’t owe her any explanations. Compared to you, she’s always been so selfish and moody.”

Amelia tried to cut in, but Cameron grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the table.

I sat alone, the only person left.

I dumped every bite of food into the trash can, then headed straight to the head nurse’s office.

When I handed over my resignation letter, she didn’t try to talk me out of it. She only said the earliest the paperwork could process was one month.