The bond was reaching him. Even if his conscious mind couldn't respond yet.
That afternoon James burst through the door earlier than usual, radiating energy. "Classes ended early. Burst pipe in the science wing." He crossed the room in three strides and swept me into his arms. "I missed you."
"You saw me six hours ago."
"Six hours too long."
He kissed me—thorough and unhurried, the bond flaring bright between us. For a moment, everything was simple. Just us. Just this.
The door opened behind us.
I heard footsteps, the rustle of papers. A voice I didn't recognize, distracted and clinical: "I'm looking for the chart updates on the feral case, the nurses said—"
The voice stopped.
James and I broke apart. A man stood just inside the doorway—tall, dark-haired, wearing the medical jacket of Rae's staff. He was holding a clipboard, but he wasn't looking at it anymore. His eyes were fixed on me.
No. Not fixed.Locked.
His nostrils flared. Something shifted in his expression—confusion giving way to something rawer, something instinctive. His pupils dilated.
And then he growled.
Low. Rumbling. The sound of a wolf scenting something it wanted to claim.
"What the hell?" James stepped in front of me, his body shifting into a defensive posture.
The stranger didn't even look at him. His pale green eyes stayed on me, and the growl deepened—not aggressive, but possessive in a way that raised every hair on my arms.
Then a second growl answered.
From the bed.
My head snapped around.
The wolf's eyes were open.
Yellow. Wild. Fixed on the stranger with a fury I felt through the bond like a punch to the chest. His lips peeled back from his teeth, revealing canines that hadn't been bared in five days of unconsciousness. He was struggling to rise, legs scrambling against the blankets, the medical restraints straining.
"He's awake," I breathed. "James, he's awake—"
The wolf lunged.
The restraints caught him, barely. He thrashed against them, snarling, snapping at the air in the direction of the stranger. The monitors started screaming. Alarms blared.
I didn't think. I moved.
I threw myself onto the bed, my hands finding the wolf's fur, pressing against his neck, his shoulders, anywhere I could reach. "Easy! Easy, it's okay, you're safe—"
"Get away from him!" The stranger's voice cracked through the chaos. "He's feral, he'll kill you—"
I felt him move. Felt hands close around my arm, yanking me backward, pulling me off the bed and away from the thrashing wolf.
Skin against skin.
His fingers on my bare forearm.
The worlddetonated.
