Pheromonal: One Night With the Alpha-Chapter 121: Much Better Now

"Your heart rate remains steady even without him here." The doctor’s stethoscope feels cold against my skin. She’s a new face, someone I haven’t seen before. "That’s remarkable progress considering where you started. I read your notes."

"I’m perfectly fine without him here." The memory of Logan’s stunned face when I kicked him out for this exam brings a smile to my lips. It isn’t that I mind him being here; I just wanted to prove to the doctors that I’m not about to melt down just because someone blocks my view of the man.

Whatever mental struggle I was going through seems to have passed, for the most part, and I want my freedom. Or, well, pseudo-freedom.

"Good." She makes a note on her tablet. "Your independence will speed up your recovery. The less dependent you are on external stabilizers, the better your chances of maintaining control."

The glass walls of my isolation chamber no longer feel like they’re closing in. Sure, I still hate them, but at least now I can breathe without counting each inhale. Knowing I have a little power in my situation helps a lot. Maybe it’s false bravado or something, but I’ll take it.

"When can I leave this fishbowl?"

"Let’s check your readings first." She taps her screen. "Blood pressure normal. Temperature..." Her brows lift. "Still running hot, but within acceptable parameters for your condition."

"My condition being that I’m a walking magical powder keg?"

"Your description works too."

I like this doctor. She has a sense of humor, and honestly doesn’t seem like she belongs with this weird association.

Movement beyond the glass catches my eye. Chancellor Vale stands with his hands clasped behind his back, watching our interaction with his now-familiar calculating expression.

The doctor follows my gaze. "Chancellor." She dips her head in acknowledgment. "I was just finishing up Ms. d’Armand’s examination."

"And your assessment?" His voice carries through the speaker system. Yes, there’s a speaker system. Didn’t find that out until the doctor had spoken with me through it about ten minutes ago. No idea why it exists when I can hear people talking outside of the glass just fine, as long as they’re speaking up a little. Seems like a waste of money.

But Logan did say these people are a political organization. I’m not very up to date on politics, but I do know one thing: Politicians love spending money.

So it makes sense that they’d waste it on an unnecessary intercom system.

"Remarkable improvement. Her magical signature has stabilized, and her emotional responses are much more controlled." She gestures to her readings. "No spikes."

"Yes, I see." Vale steps closer to the glass. "Doctor, please send me your complete report. Ms. d’Armand, it seems we need to accelerate your transfer to the Academy."

Hope flutters in my chest. "Does that mean I can leave this room?"

"Soon." Vale’s lips curve into what might be a smile. "Very soon."

The doctor packs up her equipment. "I’ll have my findings to you within the hour, Chancellor. Ms. d’Armand, continue as you have been. Your progress is exemplary."

I watch them leave, trying not to feel as excited as I am.

For the first time since this whole mess started, I feel like I might actually have a handle on things. No explosions, no panic attacks, no weird serums. Still have a strange dragon nearby, but he’s apparently tracking down a cell phone for me to use—even if I’m sure all communication will be spied on.

And Logan...

I press the intercom button. "You can come back in now, Your Highness. I promise not to bite."

Logan slouches through the door with his shoulders hunched, bottom lip jutting out a millimeter or two. The expression looks ridiculous on a grown man, especially one who’s supposed to be some sort of royal werewolf.

"What’s with the face? Did someone steal your favorite chew toy?"

He ignores my jibe. "I preferred it when you couldn’t function without me in the room. Now you’re kicking me out on a whim."

My heart skips at his admission. The sulky tone combined with that little confession is far too endearing for my own good. I clear my throat and focus on the more pressing matters at hand. Much safer than going farther down roads that open my heart up to this man even further.

"Vale was just here." Which he must already know, since he would have seen him. "Says they’re speeding up my enrollment at Thornhaven." Which, again, he probably already knows, since he was out there somewhere. Wolf hearing and all that.

The pout vanishes, replaced by a sharp intensity that reminds me more of the Logan I first met. "Are you actually okay with that?"

"No." I grimace. "I wish I had any choice in where to go. But after what happened..." The names of those five people flash through my head like a mantra. Five lives snuffed out because I couldn’t control whatever this power is inside me. I had no idea it would happen, but that doesn’t make me feel any better. "I need to make sure no more innocent people die around me. At least at Thornhaven, they already know what I am."

Logan runs a hand through his hair with a sigh. "I don’t like you getting mixed up with the Conclave."

I blink at him. "You’re the one who brought me to them."

"You would have ended up on their radar anyway." His voice drops to a mutter. "You already were."

Logan’s words are no surprise. His stance shifts—a subtle change most wouldn’t notice, but after spending so much time watching him, I catch the tension in his shoulders.

"If you dislike the Conclave so much, why work with them?"

His eyes dart to the corner of the room, a quick flicker I might have missed if I hadn’t been studying his face. "I like them just fine."

The words sound hollow, rehearsed. Like when a retail worker says they’re having a wonderful day while looking ready to murder the next customer who complains about expired coupons.