LOGINAdeline POV
I arrived at the cub school earlier than planned. The morning air still held the sharp chill of dawn, and the courtyard carried the hums of young wolves shuffling in clusters. I kept my hood low and my coat fastened, careful to maintain the same neutral aura I used this morning. Today, I wasn't here to meddle with anyone. I was just another visiting healer doing her rotation.
The pastries were still warm inside the insulated bag against my palm. They were ordin
Adeline POVI arrived at the cub school earlier than planned. The morning air still held the sharp chill of dawn, and the courtyard carried the hums of young wolves shuffling in clusters. I kept my hood low and my coat fastened, careful to maintain the same neutral aura I used this morning. Today, I wasn't here to meddle with anyone. I was just another visiting healer doing her rotation.The pastries were still warm inside the insulated bag against my palm. They were ordin
Adeline’s POVThirty million crystals.The number sat on my tablet screen like a wallpaper, bright and unapologetic. I had typed it twice, stared at it, deleted it, then typed it again. My assistant hovered at the edge of the desk, waiting for my final confirmation. The way she looked at me, it was like a junior surgeon waiting for a nod before making the first cut.
Vincent POVThe sound of Myra’s cry cut straight through my chest. The sight of the blood did worse.Her nose streamed red, and fresh blood bubbled from the corner of her mouth. She made a thin choking sound. I caught her before she fell forward, lifting her into my arms in one motion. Her small fingers clung to my collar, slick with tears.
Delilah POVI had decided to visit the manor. A soft presence could soothe the tension that has been around lately, and Vincent valued such attention around his daughter. The guards knew me and stepped aside without hesitation. The manor doors opened into warm light. Myra sat on the floor with her picture books spread around her. She did not look up immediately. She never rushed for me the way she did for him.
Adeline’s POVI was supposed to be running routine checks—at least, that was what I kept telling myself as I put on my mask and gloves over the bench.The only issue was that my stomach had that tight warning sign it gets when life is about to stop being simple. I loaded the last sample into the analyzer and keyed in the sequence. A soft beep answered me. The machine hummed
Adeline POVI knew something was wrong the moment I stepped out of the elevator. My lab corridor is always quiet, cold, sterile, humming with machines. But tonight, there was only silence. The silence was so heavy, the kind that tastes like smoke before you even smell it.My stomach tightened as I walked faster, keys already in my hand. The door was cracked open. I never leave it open. I pushed it gently, and the faint creak felt like a warning.The moment the lights flickered on, my breath caught in my chest. Everything, absolutely everything was ruined. The glass chambers were shattered like crushed ice while the metal trays bent at unnatural angles. Across the floor, there were papers scattered like fallen feathers and the medicine samples I had guarded for months burned out of existence.But what made my skin crawl wasn’t the destruction, it was the smell. A faint scent that clung to the walls and the machines and the air itself. I didn’t have to taste it to determine it tasted bi







