"You…" Madison snarled, her eyes darting like a trapped fox between the Alpha and the Healer.

"The bloodline’s kin should wait outside the sanctum. Is there any other business you have here? This is a High-Recovery ward. We cannot have unranked wanderers loitering in the scent-trail of the Alpha," Dr. Mercer added, his voice firm and final.

Madison ground her teeth, the sound like stone on stone. She threw a look of pure, unadulterated venom at Avery and stormed out, the clatter of her heels echoing through the stone corridor like a fading war drum.

Moments later, Hudson emerged from the scan-chamber. Avery moved toward him, her hands trembling.

"The...