I wake to the smell of antiseptic and the low hum of medical equipment. For a disorienting moment, I think I'm back at the Alpha King's compound, that the last few days were just a nightmare my exhausted brain conjured during a routine physical.
Then I feel it. The pull.
It's not painful, exactly. More like an invisible thread running from somewhere deep in my chest, tethering me to something I can't see. When I shift slightly in the bed, the sensation tightens, a gentle reminder that I'm connected to something beyond myself.
My eyes adjust to the dim lighting. Evening, maybe night. The medical suite's windows show darkness beyond, and a single lamp in the corner casts long shadows across the room.
"Easy." A familiar voice stops me from trying to sit up. "Margot said you need to take i
