Naomi arrived at Redridge Pack shortly after eight in the morning.
The journey had taken a little over an hour, and by the time the vehicle passed through the main entrance, Naomi was already going through the details of the assignment in her head.
Redridge was different from Blackclaw.
The roads were busier, the administrative buildings were larger, and the medical facility was considerably bigger than the healer’s quarters she was used to working in. Several vehicles were parked outside the building, and a few pack members were already waiting near the entrance.
The representative who had come to Blackclaw the previous day was waiting for her.
"Madam Naomi?"
"Yes."
"Welcome to Redridge Pack."
"Thank you."
He led her inside and introduced her to the medical staff.
Their senior healer, Dr Miriam, was already at the facility when Naomi arrived. She was leaving for the medical conference that afternoon, so she walked Naomi through the patients under observation and the duties she would cover in her absence.
"We have two healers remaining here," Miriam explained as they walked through the facility. "You’ll mainly assist with injuries, general consultations, and emergency cases. If anything serious comes in, you’ll work with the other healers."
Naomi nodded. "Understood."
"You’ll also have access to the patient records."
"Good."
Miriam smiled. "I hope the five days won’t be too overwhelming."
"I don’t think they will."
Miriam laughed softly. "That’s the confidence I was hoping to hear." Naomi smiled.
Within the next hour, she was already seeing patients.
Her first patient was a young warrior who had injured his shoulder during training.
Naomi examined the movement of his arm, asked him several questions and checked for swelling before giving him instructions on how to rest the joint.
Her second patient was an older woman who had been experiencing headaches and weakness for several days.
By the time Naomi finished examining her, another patient was waiting. The work felt familiar, but there was something different about doing it here.
No one knew her as Alpha Kaidan’s contract wife. No one introduced her by her marriage, and no one cared about the complicated relationship she had with the Alpha of another pack.
Here, she was simply Madam Naomi, the temporary healer from Blackclaw.
By midday, Naomi had already treated several patients.
One of the Redridge healers,Daniel waited for her to finish the prescription she was writing.
"You’ve only been here a few hours."
Naomi looked up. "Yes?"
"You’ve already seen more patients than I expected."
Naomi smiled. "They’re the reason I’m here."
Daniel laughed. "I can see why they recommended you."
Naomi glanced at him. "Who recommended me?"
"Several people from Blackclaw. We’ve heard about your work."
Naomi returned her attention to the patient file.
"I just do my job."
"That may be true, but not every healer works the way you do."
Naomi didn’t respond to the compliment. She closed the file and reached for the next one. The rest of the afternoon passed quickly.
She worked through the cases brought to the facility, assisted with an injured warrior who needed several stitches, and helped another healer stabilise a patient who had suffered a serious fall.
By the time she finally sat down for a short break, Naomi realised she had barely thought about anything outside the medical facility.
She hadn’t thought about what Alpha Kaidan was doing; she hadn’t wondered whether he would notice she was gone. She had worked.
And for the first time in a long time, that felt normal.
Back at Blackclaw, Alpha Kaidan had already tried calling Naomi twice that morning. The first call had failed to connect. He had tried again a few minutes later, but the result was the same.
Alpha Kaidan sat behind his desk when John entered.
"Sir."
Alpha Kaidan dropped his phone on the desk. "Any updates from Redridge?"
"They confirmed Madam Naomi arrived safely this morning."
"She arrived?"
"Yes, Sir. Their representative sent confirmation."
Alpha Kaidan leaned back.
He had expected Naomi to go, but hearing she was already there made it real.
"She started work?"
"Yes, Sir."
"How is she doing?"
"The message said she settled in immediately. Their medical team has already put her to work."
Alpha Kaidan nodded slowly. John placed another document on the desk.
"They’ll send a fuller report after her first day."
Alpha Kaidan glanced at the document but didn’t pick it up. "Fine."
John remained where he was. Alpha Kaidan noticed.
"Anything else?"
"Nothing, Sir."
"Then why are you still standing there?"
John hesitated. "I was just wondering if you’ve tried calling Madam Naomi."
Alpha Kaidan’s expression hardened slightly. "I don’t need to call her."
John raised an eyebrow. "Sir."
Alpha Kaidan ignored him and picked up his phone.
He looked at Naomi’s number for several seconds before pressing the call button.
The line rang briefly before cutting off. Alpha Kaidan tried again. The same thing happened; he stared at the screen.
"Still not connecting?" John’s question came quietly.
Alpha Kaidan looked up. "You seem very interested in this."
"I’m only asking."
Alpha Kaidan tried the number again. Nothing.
He lowered the phone. "She probably has poor reception." "That could be the reason."
Alpha Kaidan placed the phone beside the documents.
John watched him for a moment. "Sir?"
"What?"
"What if you’re actually in love with Madam Naomi?"
Alpha Kaidan’s expression immediately changed.
"No."
John didn’t look convinced. Alpha Kaidan leaned back in his chair. "She is my wife. That doesn’t mean I’m in love with her."
John remained silent. Alpha Kaidan continued before John could say anything.
"I was concerned because she left Blackclaw without telling me. That’s all."
John gave him a small look. "You were concerned enough to call her several times."
"I wanted to know if she arrived safely."
"You already knew she had arrived safely."
Alpha Kaidan looked at him.
John shrugged. "You asked me for confirmation."
Alpha Kaidan said nothing. John took a step toward the desk.
"Sir, I’m not trying to interfere. I’m just saying that maybe you’ve been looking at this from the wrong direction."
"What direction is that?"
"Maybe you’re not upset because she left."
Alpha Kaidan frowned. "Then what?"
"Maybe you’re upset because she didn’t need you to make the decision."
The room went quiet.
Alpha Kaidan looked away. He didn’t like the answer because it sounded too close to the truth.
Alpha Kaidan finally looked back at John. "You’re reading too much into it."
"Maybe."
"Naomi is a healer. She was offered work. She accepted it."
"Yes, Sir."
"There is nothing unusual about that."
"No, Sir."
Alpha Kaidan picked up the document again.
John watched him for another moment before giving a small nod. "All right."
He started toward the door.
"John."
"Yes, Sir?"
"If Redridge sends any further updates, bring them to me."
John smiled faintly. "Of course, Sir."
He left the office. Alpha Kaidan remained behind his desk.
For several minutes, he tried to concentrate on the documents in front of him. It didn’t work.
His eyes moved across the same paragraph twice without registering the words. He picked up his phone again. Naomi’s number was still on the screen.
He considered calling one more time then he stopped himself.
There was no reason to. She was working; she was safe and she had never asked him to check on her.
Alpha Kaidan placed the phone back on the desk.
At Redridge, Naomi was finishing her final patient of the day when Daniel approached her. "You’re still working?"
Naomi looked at the clock. "I didn’t realise it was this late."
"You’ve been here since morning."
"So have you."
Daniel laughed. "I’m used to it."
Naomi closed the patient’s file.
"I’ll finish the remaining records before I leave."
"You can do that tomorrow."
"I’d rather finish them today."
Daniel nodded. "All right."
Naomi returned to the desk. The medical facility had become quieter as evening approached. Most of the patients had left, and the remaining staff were completing their reports.
Naomi worked through each file carefully.
She was tired, but it was a good kind of tired.
She had spent the entire day doing something she was good at, something she had worked hard to become.
When she finally closed the last file, she leaned back in her chair and looked around the room.
Tomorrow would be another busy day.
There would be more patients, more injuries and more decisions to make.
She gathered her things and stood.
For the next five days, this was where she would be.
And Naomi was perfectly comfortable with that.