The question was a scalpel, precise and aimed at a wound he didn’t want to acknowledge. “I haven’t been in the labs for five years,” he admitted, the words tasting bitter. “My responsibilities shifted. And I trust Varix’s expertise.”
“One case,” she fired back, her tone crisp with scientific skepticism. “He’s drawing a sweeping biological conclusion from a single data point. If this was a systemic effect of human-shifter bonds, shouldn’t there be other cases? Other pairs to study?”
“There are no other pairs,” Korran growled, frustration lending an edge to his voice. “My parents are the only fated human-shifter pair in Northern Dominion’s recorded history.The only other fated pairs are shifter-to-shifter. There’s nothing to compare it to.”
“Then the entire premise needs to be re-evaluated from the ground up. I’m not here to validate an assumption, Prince Korran. I’m here to find a cause. Therefore, I will be conducting my own independent investigation.”
He glanced at her. She sat poised and determined, a warrior in a winter coat, and the sight of her unwavering certainty did something dangerous to his resolve. “When we get to the lab,” he said, the words feeling like a concession, “I’ll propose that to Varix. I’ll… accommodate your process. I understand you only have two weeks. So we’ll use them effectively.”
She gave a single, sharp nod, her gaze returning to the winter landscape.
Korran soon guided the SUV into the parking lot of the building that housed Northern Dominion’s medical and research facilities. He cut the engine but didn’t move. The silence returned, filled now with the echo of her challenge and the looming confrontation ahead. Convincing Varix to let an outsider—a human—poke through his work and question his conclusions and work independently in his space wouldn’t be easy. The healer was proud and territorial.
Korran was being pulled in two directions, stretched taut between duty and instinct. And woven through it all, a constant, maddening pull demanding he turn to the woman beside him and abandon every reason, every fear, for the taste of her.
And nothing was simple.
Tess was already pushing her door open, her boots crunching on the gravel before he could even unclip his seatbelt.
Damn it.
He was out of the SUV in a heartbeat, a low growl rumbling in his chest. She was halfway to the glass-fronted entrance of the research building, moving with the determined stride ofsomeone who refused to be coddled. The sight of her walking away from him—his mate, unprotected in a den of potential hostility—sent a primal surge of possessiveness through him that threatened to crack his royal composure. He caught up to her in three long strides, his hand coming up to grip the door handle just as she reached for it. His body caged hers against the frosted glass for a fraction of a second.
“Allow me,” he commanded, his voice a low vibration.
He pulled the door open, his gaze boring into her profile. A faint blush colored her cheek, but she didn’t look at him, just swept inside. He rushed in behind her and sidestepped her so he could lead the way to the central laboratory down the main corridor. She followed him without speaking but he could feel the tension radiating off her in waves.
When they finally entered the spacious, sterile laboratory, every head turned. Healer Varix detached himself from a cluster of senior staff near a lab bench. His movements were precise, his traditional layered robes immaculate, but his pale blue eyes were chips of ice. He gave a shallow bow, the gesture lacking any real deference.
“Good afternoon, Prince Korran. Councilor Malvek informed me of the… additional specialist.” Varix’s gaze slid past Korran to Tess, a flicker of disdain so quick Korran almost missed it. But his bear didn’t. It snarled internally.
“This is Dr. Tess Holt,” Korran stated, his voice filling the quiet room. He stepped slightly in front of Tess, a purely instinctive move that drew a sharp, almost imperceptible intake of breath from her. “The queen engaged her expertise. My father’s condition is critical, and time is a luxury we no longer possess. A fresh perspective is not just welcome, Healer Varix, it is necessary.”
Varix’s thin lips pressed into a tighter line. “With all due respect, Your Highness, my team and I have managed HisMajesty’s care for a decade. We have protocols and treatments. Introducing an unknown variable, especially one with no understanding of our biology…”
Korran’s patience, already stretched thinner than ice, snapped. He took a single step forward, his sheer size and dominance making Varix stiffen. He saw Tess’s expression from the corner of his eye—a controlled mask, but her green eyes held a flash of wounded pride that felt like a blow to his gut. His bear raged against its confines, demanding he make them see, make them kneel.
“You have managed his decline, Varix,” Korran corrected, his tone dropping to a dangerous level. “Not his recovery. Dr. Holt is here. She will review all data. She will conduct her own investigation. She will be provided with a dedicated workspace and whatever resources she requires. This is not a request.”
The silence that followed was absolute, charged with the tension of a challenged Alpha. Varix’s jaw worked, then he finally gave a curt nod. “As you command. Kael can assist her. He has… idle capacity.”
A younger bear shifter with disheveled light-brown hair and a keen, intelligent gaze stepped forward from behind a console. He looked more curious than hostile. “Dr. Holt. I’m Kael Vorr. I’d be glad to get you set up.”
Tess moved then, stepping around Korran with a grace that stole his breath. She faced Varix and the room at large, her chin lifted. “I understand this is an intrusion into established work. But the goal is the same for all of us: to find the truth behind the king’s illness. I’m here to collaborate, not to undermine. With access and cooperation, we can move faster.”
Her voice was calm, professional, and utterly compelling. Korran felt a fierce, unwanted swell of pride.
Varix merely waved a dismissive hand. “See to it, Kael. The rest of you, back to work.” He turned his back on them, a blatant insult.
Kael offered Tess a genuine, if slightly awkward, smile. “I’ve read some Earth-based biomedical papers. I’m eager to compare notes.”
“Thank you, Kael. So am I,” Tess replied, the tension in her shoulders easing just a fraction.
Seeing that momentary relief in her, Korran made a decision. He couldn’t leave her here right now, not with Varix’s hostility hanging in the air like a poison, not when his own need to stand guard over her was a tangible, screaming thing in his blood.
“Dr. Holt has had a long day of travel and acclimation,” Korran announced, his tone brooking no argument. “Kael, you will collect her from the estate tomorrow morning at eight o’clock. She can begin her work then, refreshed and prepared.”
Tess’s head whipped toward him, her green eyes sparking with annoyance. “I’m perfectly capable of starting now. I’m accustomed to long hours.”
