Chapter 23: Mating Bond Research
Vivian Grey’s POV
The moment we stepped inside the room, a wave of relief washed over me, it actually looked like a proper medical office. Clean, clinical, and thankfully normal. There was only one chair, though, which felt oddly deliberate. Zaliver motioned for me to sit, then exchanged greetings with the man in the room. They shook hands, Zaliver even gave him a pat on the shoulder before leaning against the wall beside me, arms crossed and unreadable as always.
"Hello, Vivian. I’m Doctor Mickelson, but you can just call me Dr. Mick," he said with a friendly smile. "I’m not sure if you’ve been told why you’re here."
I noticed Zaliver subtly shake his head at him.
Dr. Mick nodded in understanding. "Alright then. When Zaliver contacted me, he said he wanted to run a few tests to study the bond between the two of you. Specifically, why he hasn’t marked you yet."
The mention of that struck a nerve. I shot the doctor a sharp glare. He visibly flinched and glanced at Zaliver, whose expression must have been terrifying, because Dr. Mick instantly apologized.
"Sorry! That came out wrong. What I meant was, this is the first case we’ve ever seen of a mating bond between a wolf and a wolf god," he rushed to explain, eyes lighting up with scientific wonder.
I took a deep breath, trying to process that. So that was what all this distance had been about. That was the answer I’d been silently begging for, the reason he never marked me. All the time I’d spent wondering if it was because he didn’t care, or worse, didn’t want me. I turned to face Zaliver. His eyes were locked on the doctor in a steely glare, but then he looked at me.
"Why didn’t you just tell me that?" I asked, the words coming out sharper than I intended. "Instead of dodging me?"
He only shrugged, then looked away. Typical. I wasn’t sure if I was annoyed or just tired of being left in the dark.
I turned back to Dr. Mick. "Alright, so what exactly are these tests? What do you need from me?"
He walked over to his desk and returned with a clipboard in hand. "Does that mean you’re agreeing to participate?" he asked, hopeful.
"At this point, do I really have another option?" I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "I’m curious too."
"Great. We’ll start with the basics, temperature, height, weight, allergy profile, and go from there."
"Are both of us doing this? Or just me?" I asked, half hoping Zaliver would be dragged into it too.
"Just you," Zaliver answered before the doctor could. "They ran these on me ages ago, but my body is—" He cut himself off. "It’s just you."
I frowned at him. There was something in the way he paused that made my instincts twitch, but he avoided my eyes. Whatever.
"Alright. Let’s get it over with."
He checked my eyes, ears, and did all the standard breath-in-breath-out stuff. But as soon as he asked me to stand by the wall to measure my height, dread crept up my spine. I knew what was coming next. The scale.
And Zaliver was still standing right there.
If you’ve never had your weight called out in front of someone, especially someone who looks like a carved god, it’s not an experience I’d recommend. The last time I felt this level of exposure was back in middle school gym class, when some kids would snicker when the numbers climbed too high for their liking.
What people don’t realize is that being a werewolf doesn’t mean being effortlessly fit. Our wolf traits don’t always carry over unless we call on them. Some of us get the lucky fast metabolism. I didn’t. My body processes food at a human pace unless I shift or summon my wolf’s strength. So no, I wasn’t fat. But I still carried a little softness from my younger years, something I was never really comfortable with.
"Step onto the scale," Dr. Mick said.
Reluctantly, I obeyed, trying not to think about Zaliver’s eyes boring into my back.
Please don’t say it out loud. Just write it. Write it and keep your mouth shut.
Dr. Mick scribbled on his clipboard. So far so good.
"You’re slightly above average for your height. Is that typical for you?"
I felt my cheeks burn. "Yes," I muttered, resisting the urge to punch him.
"What about your metabolism? Wolf or human range?"
"Human," I said quickly, barely above a whisper.
I didn’t dare glance at Zaliver. I felt like I was being dissected.
"Does this run in your family? Or just you?"
"Just me," I answered through gritted teeth. I decided then and there I officially disliked Dr. Mick.
I bit my lip and stared at the floor, wishing the whole thing would just end. I was already planning a mental diet. Less carbs. More runs. Maybe a juice cleanse.
"Are you considering dieting?" he asked.
Before I could answer, a low, dangerous growl rumbled behind me.
Dr. Mick froze. His clipboard slipped from his hands as he dropped to his knees in front of me, neck bared in immediate submission.
"She is perfect the way she is," Zaliver growled. The raw power behind his voice sent chills down my spine and apparently through the doctor too. "You will not shame her. Do not forget your place, pup. End this. Now."
Something swelled in my chest, warm and bright and completely unexpected.
I turned to look at him without meaning to. He wasn’t looking at me, his eyes were still fixed on Dr. Mick with the kind of cold authority that made grown wolves drop to their knees. But his jaw was set tight, and there was something in the rigid line of his shoulders that told me this hadn’t been easy for him to say. Not because he didn’t mean it. Because he did.
I hadn’t even realized how heavy that shame had been sitting on me until he ripped it away. Years of it. Gym class. Quiet comments. The mirror on mornings I didn’t want to face. And he’d flattened all of it with eight words, without being asked, without hesitating.
I looked away before he could catch me staring.
"I-I’m truly sorry, Vi, Luna, Vivian," Dr. Mick stammered, his voice trembling. "I meant no disrespect. Please forgive me."
I sighed. My wolf wanted to tell him no, just to watch Zaliver lose it again. But I just wanted to be done.
"Sure," I said flatly. Even I could hear the stiffness in my voice.
He drew a blood sample, mumbling another apology, and we finally left.
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