Dr Jasper POV

Perfect. Just perfect. I have toiled for years. So much of my life wasted and for what? To get so close only to then have it all slip away?

I will not let the Lakes take this from me. Not when I'm so close to getting what I want. . He lost his life for it. We lost the love of our pack. Our families. Our loyalty to our kind was forsaken. We gambled it all, for our future. I have to wonder now if it was all worth it, does the risk outweigh the reward? Does the reward equal all the personal cost? I don't know. But I will.

I have to move up the time frame. Alpha Argos is sending for the girls in the morning, and I am literally out of any spare time I once had up my sleeve. I need to head for the lab and get started. I just about make it out of my office door when I hear Argent calling my name from down the hallway.

He sounds pissed off. Great.

I don't need this now.

"Dr. Jasper, a minute, please." His tone is flat; it's not a request. He uses that Alpha tone so I have no choice but to agree. It's not as firm as his father's because he's not yet Alpha, but it's there under the surface.

He waits for me to answer. He is always polite, always well spoken. Argos would accept nothing less. It's irritating. He is the spitting image of his father, both in looks and attitude. They are both overconfident, too. But they pull it off. Authority suits them. It irks me no end.

I turn around and face him. He stands well above me, and he could easily harm me if he wanted to. But his father has taught him better than that. For all that they lack, they have a certain decorum in all the aspects of their public façade. They are always courteous and respectful. Using a physical presence only when absolutely necessary. They are extremely arrogant, too. Fucking Alphas.

I sigh. Five minutes. I'll give him five minutes only. He'd better be polite to me. Pompous little shit.

He snarled, "Dr Jasper, I would like to know why the fuck you have been telling Aida she is not a wolf all this time."

So much for polite. I put on my poker face. She has obviously told him why she's here. Well, what she has been told, anyway.

I straighten up and give it to him, the edited truth.

"Because she's not ready for the truth. Like I said, she has had a very troubled past. She has violent mood swings. Outbursts that cause harm to herself and others. She has no control over it. She has murdered people, Argent. You may not want to hear this, but it's the truth."

He shakes his head. He isn't buying it. The Mate connection is strong in more ways that just emotional and physical. It is one of the strongest bonds a wolf can have. Maybe even the most powerful. It certainly was for me.

The mate bond allows a glimpse into the other persons soul. A connection deeper than love. And it's instant. I know he can see through my lies.

But nevertheless, it makes no difference now. She believes it, she knows nothing else, and it has worked thus far. That's all that matters.

I can tell he won't drop this any time soon. I need to ditch him, now.

I continue to talk about Aida. Maybe if he thinks she is too damaged, he will seek advice from his father before acting, giving me some time to get this done.

Easing away from him. I keep my voice calm and even. "When I was called to the scene of her worst crime, she was catatonic. We brought her here then for her safety. But it's not the first time I've met her. I have been treating her for her entire life."

He merely stares at me, mouth open, eyes wide.

I continue, "She is not a regular , Argent. She is incomplete. Her mother was the same. Even as a child, she was unwell. Violent. Distant. Disconnected from the pack. So, we had no choice."

He looks scared. I lower my eyes. This part he definitely will not like.

"My father was working on an experimental treatment back then, one that could suppress wolf traits. We had used it before to punish wolves who had committed crimes against the pack but never to completely alter the change process. Or on someone so young. She was the first. And she was the breakthrough for many more highly successful treatments. She was a help, really. And we helped her." I tread lightly. I need to with this young pup peacocking around me like this.

Argent doesn't say a word. He simply stares and stares. He begins to shake. His hands are balled into fists, and the knuckles are completely white.

Finally, he looks straight at me. His face is a picture of rage.

"You knew her as a child? And you didn't help her? You used her. You stole her life from her. For what? To use her as a fucking science experiment? A lab rat? I thought you were a doctor. Aren't you supposed to heal? Didn't you take an oath of some sort?" His voice is at breaking point, half wolf, half man.

He takes a deep breath and moves closer to me. I can still see his rage brewing beneath the surface, his wolf begging to be released and punish me for hurting his mate.

Argent is just barely keeping it under control.

"You make me sick, Jasper. You lied to her for all this time, you didn't help her, and worst of all, you separated her from her wolf. You kept part of her soul from her. You know how much that would have harmed her. You kept her from who she is supposed to be. Who she was born to be!"

He picks me up by my lab coat collar like I weigh absolutely nothing, then slams me against the wall, and I hear a growl escape his throat. It's so deep it reverberates against the wall next to us.

I swallow hard. This is going to hurt. My wolf whimpers in agreement.

"You will reverse this, doctor, or I will tear your head clean off." He drops me, and I slide down the wall. I feel my back start to bleed as it scratches along the ledge of the railing. "My father will hear of this. I have no doubt you will hear from him soon. In the meantime, I suggest you get to work on fixing whatever it is you have done to Aida."

Argent takes a step away from me and starts back down the hall. He's going to see his father first. I have time. I won this round.

I try not to smile.

"And Doctor," he says, pausing, his eyes shifting to the deep grey of his wolf when he turns to face me. "Consider your physician days with the pack and the institution over."

With that, he stalks off down the hallway and around the corner. I hear his heavy determined steps echoing along the empty corridor.

Fuck. Maybe I shouldn't have told him the truth. Well, some of the truth. He might start to meddle, but at least I bought some time.

I don't have time to think about this now. I need to prep the girls for tonight.

I step back into my office and page the nurse in charge of Aidalyn's section. "Sarah, send Aida to treatment lab two immediately, please."

"Yes, Doctor."

I know Argent will return soon to get her. There's no doubt his father will inform him about Amalie when he gets home, along with his demand to have both girls released.

Too bad it will all come too late.