"Alpha Wolf," she muttered, noting it down. "High output. Storm affinity."
She moved to Kai.Beep. Beep. Beep.
"Alpha Wolf. Earth affinity. Empathic resonance."
She moved to Lucien.Beep... Beep...
The machine wavered. The sound was distorted.
"Alpha Wolf," she said, frowning. "Shadow affinity. Reading is... fluctuant."
"Shadows are hard to pin down," Lucien said smoothly.
Then she moved to me.
She waved the wand over my chest.
SCREEEEEEEEECH.
The machine let out a high-pitched wail that made everyone wince. The needle buried itself in the red zone.
"Projected Output: Critical," the nurse gasped, stepping back. "She's... she's off the charts."
Marrow’s eyes lit up. A hungry, predatory sharpness entered his gaze.
"Fascinating," he murmured. "A Wolf Shifter with the output of an Arch-Mage? That is... unusual, Ms. Arden."
"I have good genetics," I lied, my heart hammering against my ribs.
"Clearly," Marrow purred. "Blood sample. Now."
The nurse recovered, pulling out a syringe. She approached me.
Rhett started to rise. "No."
"Rhett," I said sharply. "Sit down."
"He wants your blood, Lina."
"It's a registry, Rhett. Sit."
Rhett glared at Marrow, but he sank back into the chair. Kai reached out, gripping Rhett’s arm, pouring calm into him like water on a fire.
I extended my arm. The nurse tied the tourniquet. I felt the prick of the needle.
I watched my blood fill the vial. Dark red. Vital.
The nurse capped it, labeled it, and handed it to Marrow.
He held the vial up to the light. He looked at it like it was a vintage wine.
"Beautiful," he whispered.
And then, he did something that made my blood run cold.
He uncorked the vial.
"Dean?" the nurse asked, confused. "That needs to go to the lab."
