“Now you’re starting to understand my frustration.” Kael pulled up a chair beside her. “I’ve been trying to fill in the gaps for months, but Varix controls access to most of the historical data.”
Tess felt her temper flare—not at Kael, but at the systematic obstruction she was already encountering. “How am I supposed to help the king if I don’t have complete information about his medical history?”
“That’s exactly what I asked Varix yesterday.” Kael’s voice carried a hint of defiance. “His response was that outsidersdon’t need to understand every detail of our methods to provide their... perspective.”
“Perspective?” Tess’s voice rose slightly, drawing glances from nearby researchers. She lowered it to a sharp whisper. “I’m not here to provide perspective. I’m here to solve a medical mystery that’s been stumping your team for a decade.”
“I know that. You know that.” Kael leaned closer, his expression intense. “But I’m starting to think not everyone wants this mystery solved.”
The implications of his words hit her like ice water. Tess stared at the incomplete files on the datapad, her analytical mind already racing through possibilities she didn’t want to consider.
“Fine.” She set the device down with deliberate care. “If Varix wants to play gatekeeper with historical data, we’ll start fresh. I’ll conduct my own examination of the king, run my own tests, and build my own baseline. He can’t obstruct what he doesn’t control.”
Kael’s face lit up with something that looked like relief. “You’d do that? Even if it means essentially starting from scratch?”
“Starting from scratch might be exactly what this case needs.” Tess pulled out her notebook, flipping to a clean page. “Sometimes the biggest breakthrough comes from questioning everything you think you know.”
“Varix isn’t going to like this approach.”
“Then Varix shouldn’t have given me incomplete data.” Tess looked up at Kael, seeing an ally where she’d expected to find just an assistant. “The question is, are you willing to help me find the truth, even if it means ruffling some feathers?”
Kael’s grin was answer enough. “Dr. Holt, I thought you’d never ask.”
EIGHT
KORRAN
The council chamber’s oppressive atmosphere pressed against Korran like a physical weight, the familiar scents of polished wood and cold stone doing nothing to calm the restless energy coiling through his massive frame. He sat at the head of the ancient oak table, his broad shoulders rigid beneath his formal jacket, while Malvek’s voice droned on with the relentless persistence of winter wind against stone.
“The king’s deterioration has accelerated noticeably over the past month,” Malvek stated, his steel-grey eyes fixed on Korran with predatory intensity. “Which makes the question of succession—and your mating—more pressing than ever.”
Korran’s jaw tightened. His bear stirred restlessly, sensing the political trap being laid with surgical precision. “I’ve already made my position clear, Malvek. My focus remains on the investigation that could save my father’s life, not on personal arrangements.”
“Personal arrangements?” Malvek’s tone carried a dangerous edge, though his expression remained perfectly controlled. “Prince Korran, securing the royal line is hardly a personal matter. It’s a duty to the Northern Dominion.”
The words hit their intended mark. Korran’s fingers curled against the table’s surface, his knuckles whitening as he fought the urge to let his claws extend. Every instinct told him to end this conversation, to protect what was his—but Tess wasn’t his, couldn’t be his, and that truth burned through his chest like acid.
“Seraya and the council have been patient,” Malvek continued, his voice carrying the weight of implied threat. “But patience has limits, especially when the future of our territory hangs in the balance.”
Seraya.
The name should have stirred something in him—respect, attraction, even basic political interest. Instead, all he could think about was rose water and rain, green eyes that challenged him without fear, and the way Tess had looked in that crimson gown. The memory hit him like a freight train: silk clinging to curves that made his mouth go dry, her dark hair spilling over bare shoulders, and the heat in her gaze when their eyes met. His bear roared with violent approval.
Mine. Claim her. Mark her. Make her understand.
“And surely, this human scientist doesn’t need to waste her time here with a full investigation,” Malvek’s voice cut through his dangerous thoughts like a blade. “We already know that Varix’s treatments are the only thing keeping the king stable.”
Something in Malvek’s tone made Korran’s predatory instincts sharpen. The older man’s words were carefully neutral, but there was an undercurrent of... what? Satisfaction? Anticipation?
“Dr. Holt is thorough,” Korran said carefully, his deep voice carrying an edge that made several council members straighten. “She won’t draw conclusions without proper investigation.”
“Very well.” Malvek’s smile was thin as winter ice. “Though I imagine working with our methods and trying to understandshifter biology must be... challenging for someone from Earth. Perhaps she would benefit from closer supervision from Varix?”
“Actually,” Korran heard himself say, “I’ve been considering taking a more direct role in the investigation.”
The silence that followed was sharp enough to cut. Every council member’s attention focused on him with laser intensity, but it was Malvek’s reaction that mattered. The older man’s eyes narrowed.
“More direct how?”
