The alert on Damien’s watch cut through the quiet like a blade.
Movement in the infirmary wing. Someone just entered your mother’s room.
I was already moving before the words finished flashing across the screen. The bond between us surged with adrenaline, Damien’s hand catching mine as we ran down the corridor. My heart slammed against my ribs, the silver wolf inside me rising sharp and focused, no longer the wild surge from the grove but something honed and ready.
We reached the infirmary doors in under a minute. Two guards lay unconscious on the floor, darts in their necks. The room beyond was dark except for the faint blue glow of the monitoring machines.
My mother’s bed was empty.
The sheets were rumpled, the IV line ripped out, a small trail of blood on the tile leading toward th
