Joe tried to relax.
He closed his eyes as the table slid through the machine, the steady mechanical hum vibrating through his bones. He wore nothing but the thin hospital gown Maddox had handed him. The fabric felt flimsy and exposed against his skin.
Maddox had explained the process twice. First scan without contrast. Then contrast injected through the IV for clearer imaging.
Joe tried not to fixate on that part.
Archer made that impossible.
The wolf had been growling nonstop since they left Abby in the hallway. Furious. Insulted. Offended that Joe had agreed to be separated from her. The sound echoed in Joe’s head, constant and abrasive.
You left her.
She’s fine, Joe replied. Brooks is with her.
You left her.
“Almost done,” Maddox’s voice came through the speakers near Joe’s hea
