Harper
The silence in the exam room had weight.
Vane hadn't moved. Aton hadn't moved. They stood five feet apart, years of something I couldn't name packed into the space between them.
"You two know each other?" I asked quietly.
Vane's eyes didn't leave Aton.
"He's my Beta."
The word landed and everything behind it clicked. Beta. Pack hierarchy. Not just someone who knew his real name. Someone who'd followed him.
Aton turned to me with the easy smile still in place. "Nice to meet you, Miss Ellis."
I glanced at Vane, then back at Aton, then back at Vane. "Is there anyone else in this camp who's secretly someone important, or can I stop being surprised now?"
Aton's smile widened a fraction.
Vane's voice dropped a notch, aimed at Aton. "How bad is it out there."
Aton's gaze flicked
