Two Star Healers And A Forgotten Fated Mate Chapter 01

Two Star Healers And A Forgotten Fated Mate Chapter 01

I bent down to retie my shoelace while we were out shopping.

When I stood back up, my fated mate and my best friend were already far ahead.

The spot that had always belonged to me slowly faded away.

They walked side by side down Norhaven Pack’s main shopping strip, chatting about topics I could never join in on. It was as if there had never been a third person walking between them at all.

Back in school, Cameron Olson and Amelia Simmons were the twin shining stars of Argent Healer Academy.

Once we started working, Cameron and Amelia became the youngest wolf healers on staff at Norhaven Pack Hospital.

No matter how hard I pushed myself, I only ever lingered in their shadows, stuck as a regular pack nurse.

Cameron would always cup my head in his palm. “It’s cute how clumsy you are, Penelope.”

Then he’d turn right back to Amelia, and the two of them would move in perfect sync through one high-risk surgery after another.

Staring at their retreating backs, a bone-deep exhaustion washed over me.

I didn’t want to keep chasing after them anymore.

…

They rounded the corner, and their figures vanished completely.

Not once did either of them glance back to check if I’d followed.

I stood motionless for a long moment, then turned and walked the other way.

I got back to Pack Hospital, and a coworker leaned over to nudge my elbow.

“I thought you two had the whole afternoon off for a date? That didn’t last long.”

“Yeah, it’s over.” I changed out of my street clothes and sank down at my station.

The hospital schedule never let up. Over the course of a full year, Cameron and I had gone on fewer than ten official dates together.

He’d finally gotten a rare day off today, so I’d begged a coworker to swap shifts with me. All I’d wanted was a simple walk down the street, our hands linked. It would’ve been enough.

But when Cameron showed up, Amelia was right there beside him. Every single one of my plans fell apart before we even left the parking lot.

Before we headed out, I’d fixed them both with a sharp stare. “No case talk. No surgery talk. No Healer Hall at all.”

They each pinched my cheeks, nodding rapidly. “Alright, alright, we hear you.”

Halfway through our meal, though, someone brought up a case of wolfsbane poisoning that’d triggered heart failure.

I was left ignored, stabbing at the mashed potatoes on my plate. I didn’t even register when they’d paid the bill and left the diner.

The hospital landline blared all of a sudden, snapping me out of my daze. My coworker picked it up.

A rogue attack had broken out in the North District Pack; multiple injured pack members were being rushed into the ER.

I reached for my phone to text Cameron a warning, but his message popped up first.

[We’ve got incoming patients. Amelia and I are heading back to the hospital right now.]

I locked my screen, and my inner wolf whimpered in my head.

“Doesn’t he even notice we’re all by ourselves?”

A bitter laugh bubbled up my throat, plain and simple.

“It’s plain as day he never bothers to care where I wander off to.”

I finished assisting with the last emergency trauma case, and Cameron stumbled down the hallway toward me, worn thin with exhaustion.

I kept my gaze straight ahead, no longer darting over to ask if he was tired or hungry like I always used to.

The second we passed each other, his fingers wrapped tight around my wrist and tugged me to a stop.

He buried his face into the crook of my neck, the way he always did after shifts. “What’s this? Don’t you recognize your fated mate?”

After every workday, he’d cling to me like this. My scent calmed his wolf and stripped away all his job stress.

I should’ve pushed him off, but my inner wolf pressed soft against my chest.

“Just hold on a little longer. Let him stay close for a minute.”

I’d spent three years pining for him before I finally got to stand at Cameron’s side.

The day we’d officially become mates, several pack members had placed bets on how long our mate bond would hold.

We were fated to each other by the Moon Goddess, but the gap between us was impossible to ignore.

Cameron was Norhaven Pack’s most talented wolf healer, handpicked to take over as chief healer once the current head retired.

When I was younger, I couldn’t hide my wolf ears during shift training, and my instructor had screamed at me, calling me a useless fool.

I’d stood there, eyes burning with unshed tears, too scared to make a sound—until Amelia stepped in front of me, shielding me from his rage.

I knew I’d never been the sharpest wolf around. I constantly relied on my fated mate and my best friend to tolerate me and validate my worth.

So even after I’d sworn I’d walk away, the second he leaned into me, my wolf melted all over again. Every ounce of bitter resentment I’d bottled up melted away under the comfort of his familiar scent.

We settled onto the empty stairwell landing, the only quiet spot in the whole hospital. The silence stretched on for minutes before Cameron spoke.

“Penelope, could you stop pulling these childish disappearing acts?”

I froze, slowly turning to stare at him blankly. “What?”

His eyes stayed shut, his tone flat as if he were commenting on the weather.

“You left without a single word this whole afternoon and scared Amelia half to death.”

“We hardly get one full day off together, and the least you could do is be considerate of her—she shouldn’t have to stress over where you ran off to.”

I stood completely frozen, a hollow, icy void splitting open right in my ribcage.

Worried? Not one single call, not a quick text to ask if I was safe.

Were they genuinely frightened for me, or just mad I’d spoiled their rare free day?

“See? I barely say two words to you and you’re already crying.”

Cameron’s face twisted with exasperation, looking at me like I was a reckless, clueless pup.

I dropped my head, tears dripping onto the front of my uniform and leaving dark wet splotches on the fabric.

“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” My voice barely carried above a whisper.

He sighed, patting the top of my hair. “Head on home then. I’ve still got treatment plans to go over with Amelia.”

He turned and left, leaving me alone on the stairs.

It was always the same cycle. Whenever he chose Amelia over me, he’d lecture me first to shift all the blame onto my emotions.

My inner wolf curled in on herself, small and hurt.

My phone rang out of nowhere. It was my dad.

“Penelope, you said you’d bring Cameron over for dinner tonight. Haven’t you finished your shift yet?”

I drew in a shaky breath, forcing my tone calm.

“He’s not coming, Dad.”