Chapter 2

Despite my objections, Alaric wouldn't budge.

After all, the entire pack was waiting for this vaccine to fight off the virus the vampires had released.

On top of that, the hospital had other patients, and the queue for testing had already wasted valuable time.

The lab wouldn't be able to accept samples for retesting for at least nine more hours.

I sat in my office staring at those vials, and the horrors of my past life came flooding back.

The shrill alarms of the monitors. The agonized wails of the pups. The unhinged roaring echoing down the corridors.

The moment my parents learned of the final verdict, their hair turned white overnight. The families of the victims glared at me as though they wanted to tear me apart.

A violent shudder ran through me, and cold sweat drenched my body.

I still didn't dare put those syringes to use.

I pulled out my phone and called Mom.

"Mom."

The moment I spoke, the tears fell. I couldn't hold back the choking sobs.

Mom heard it immediately.

"Evelyn? Did something happen at the hospital?"

I was the only daughter in the family. My parents had spent decades in medicine and passed everything they knew down to me.

In my past life, everyone had been convinced I'd killed those children. Only they never stopped believing that I would never gamble with a child's life.

I forced myself to calm down, trying to make my voice sound normal.

"It's nothing, Mom. I just suddenly wanted to hear your voice."

Mom's voice was gentle as she soothed me.

"Then come home tonight. Your dad's making roast chicken. He'd love to set an extra plate."

I hung up quickly and pulled myself together.

The front desk suddenly called on the internal line, saying several parents were demanding answers.

Alaric was also getting pressure from the Pack Medical Council, urging the pediatric department to proceed with VRX-17 vaccinations immediately.

I splashed water on my face and put my gloves back on.

Aaron had just tested three syringes in front of me, and every result came back normal.

As long as I checked each one carefully, screening every single dose, the tragedy of my past life wouldn't happen again.

I reminded myself of that, picked up a syringe, and walked over to a group of the older children.

Every muscle locked with tension as I administered the injection.

In the observation area, the children showed no symptoms whatsoever.

I gave several more children their injections, and half an hour later, every one of them was healthy and lively.

Had it really been my fault in my past life?

I finally let out a breath of relief. Whatever the truth was, what mattered most right now was that the children were safe.

From there, I quickly cross-checked every dose of VRX-17 against the registration system.

Once I'd confirmed there were no issues, I completed a third of the vaccinations.

More and more children arrived, and the nurses joined in to help.

Before long, a nurse handed me a new syringe.

I rolled my shoulders and took it from her.

The moment I finished the injection, I heard a scream.

"Dr. Hart! The child suddenly developed a fever and seizures and is struggling to breathe!"

Cold sweat poured down my body.

So the infection had happened anyway?