Penelope POV
"Penelope!"
Eliora stands near the edge of the hospital car park. Her voice cuts through the thick, stagnant air of the Blue-Claw territory. She waves both arms. Her smile is wide, splitting her face, but her eyes scan the perimeter with the sharp, twitching tension of a rival Alpha.
"Eliora," I say.
The name feels heavy on my tongue. I step off the concrete kerb. My boots crunch against the loose gravel and bits of broken tarmac. The hospital walls loom behind me like a gray, suffocating tomb. For three years, those walls held my secrets. For three years, they held my shame.
Eliora rushes forward. Her heavy leather boots stomp against the ground. She throws her arms around my shoulders, pulling me into a hard, rib-crushing hug. She smells of ozone, pine needles, and the
