Chapter 5
The Medical Wing smelled of antiseptic and lies.
It was a pristine, white-walled facility located in the basement of the Administration building. Usually, it was used for treating potion burns or broomstick crash injuries. Today, it had been transformed into a processing center.
A long line of bonded pairs snaked down the hallway. Shifters, Witches, Fae, all looking anxious, clutching clipboards.
"This is dehumanizing," Rhett growled.
He was vibrating with tension. His jaw was clenched so tight I thought his teeth might crack. He stood behind me, his chest pressed against my back, creating a physical barrier between me and the rest of the world.
"It's just a form, Rhett," Kai said soothingly, though his own smile was brittle. He was filling out his paperwork against the wall. "Name. Species. Bond Date. Musical Preference."
"It asks for Blood Type," Rhett snapped. "And 'Magical Frequency'. That's private medical data, Kai."
"We know," Lucien said quietly. He was standing slightly apart from us, his eyes scanning the room. He looked calm, but the shadows at his feet were writhing like agitated snakes. "The goal is compliance. We give them the data. We survive the day."
"We tampered with the blood, right?" I whispered, leaning back into Rhett's warmth.
"Ivy brewed a masking agent," Lucien confirmed, his voice barely audible.
"We all took a dose this morning. It blurs the specific frequency of your magic.
It won't hide your power level—you're too strong for that—but it will obscure the 'Null' compatibility markers and the Triad connection.
To Marrow, you'll look like a high-powered anomaly, but he shouldn't see us in your blood. "
"And the Triad bond?"
"It will scan as a 'High-Level Pack Bond'," Lucien said. "Rare, but not... singular. We hide the depth of the connection."
"Next!" a nurse called out.
The line shuffled forward.
I looked around at the other students. I saw fear in their eyes. A pair of bonded Witches were holding hands so tightly their knuckles were white. A Wolf and a Fae were whispering frantically in the corner.
Marrow wasn't just collecting data. He was harvesting fear.
"Rhett Blackmoor. Kai Thorne. Lucien Vale. Lina Arden."
The nurse—a stern woman with spectacles—read our names from a tablet. She looked up, her eyes widening slightly as she took in the four of us.
"The Triad," she noted. "Dean Marrow requested to oversee your processing personally. Room 1."
Rhett let out a low snarl.
"Easy," Kai murmured, placing a hand on Rhett's shoulder. A pulse of golden, empathic calm flowed from him. Rhett shuddered, exhaling slowly, but the murderous glint remained in his eyes.
"Let's go," I said, taking Rhett's hand. "Get it over with."
We walked into Room 1.
It was a large, sterile examination room. In the center stood Dean Marrow.
He wasn't wearing a lab coat. He was in another immaculate grey suit, looking entirely out of place amidst the syringes and vials.
"Ah," he smiled, turning as we entered. "The guests of honor. Please, come in. Or should I say... come in, Pack?"
"Dean," Lucien greeted coolly. "We were told this was a standard medical check."
"It is," Marrow assured him. "Standard. But given your unique... configuration... I wanted to ensure everything went smoothly. Triad bonds are notoriously volatile."
He gestured to four examination chairs arranged in a circle. "Sit, please."
We sat. I was wedged between Rhett and Kai, with Lucien directly across from me.
"The procedure is simple," Marrow said, walking around the circle. "A magical resonance scan to map your bond channels. And a blood sample to establish a baseline for your health records."
He stopped behind my chair.
The air in the room instantly grew cold. The vacuum. The void.
I felt the hairs on my arms stand up. Beside me, Rhett went rigid.
"Ms. Arden," Marrow said softly. "The center of the web. The... Pivot Point."
He placed a hand on my shoulder.
It wasn't a heavy touch. But it felt... wrong. Like he was siphoning the warmth right out of my skin. My wolf recoiled, hiding deep in the back of my mind, whimpering.
"Don't touch her," Rhett said.
It wasn't a shout. It was a promise of violence so deep and primal that the glass jars on the counter rattled.
Marrow didn't flinch. He just smiled, lifting his hand. "Protective. Good. That speaks to a strong bond integrity."
He nodded to the nurse. " proceed with the scan."
The nurse stepped forward with a device that looked like a complicated Geiger counter. She waved it over Rhett first. The machine beeped steadily. Beep. Beep. Beep.
"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."
"Just a moment," Marrow said. He brought the open vial to his nose. He inhaled deeply, his eyes fluttering shut.
The air in the room shifted.
The void expanded. I felt a sudden, sharp tug in my chest—a pulling sensation, like a thread being yanked from a sweater.
He wasn't smelling it.
He was tasting the magic in it.
Rhett roared.
The chair shattered. Rhett lunged, shifting mid-air, his human form exploding into massive black fur and muscle. A giant wolf, snarling and terrified, jaws snapping for Marrow's throat.
"Rhett, NO!" I screamed.
Kai tackled him.
Gold fur collided with black. Kai shifted instantly, slamming into Rhett, pinning him to the floor. They rolled, a tangle of teeth and claws, knocking over a tray of instruments.
"Control him!" Marrow shouted, stepping back, clutching the vial to his chest. He looked delighted.
"Rhett!" I jumped out of the chair, diving toward the wolves. "Rhett, stop! Look at me!"
Rhett was thrashing, his eyes wild, lost to the wolf. He snapped at Kai, drawing blood.
Lucien was there instantly. He didn't shift. He just stepped into Rhett's shadow. Darkness erupted from the floor, wrapping around the black wolf like chains, binding his legs, muzzling his snout.
"Submit," Lucien commanded. His voice wasn't loud, but it echoed with Alpha power.
Rhett froze. He whined, a high, pained sound. He looked at me—his eyes wide, terrified. He had sensed what Marrow did. He had felt the violation.
"It's okay," I whispered, falling to my knees in front of him. I put my hands on his massive, furry head. "I'm here. I'm okay. He didn't hurt me."
Rhett leaned into my touch, trembling violently.
Slowly, the wolf receded. The fur melted away. Rhett was human again, naked and shivering on the linoleum floor, curled into a ball.
"I felt him," Rhett gasped, clutching my hand. "Lina, I felt him... inside you. He pulled."
"I know," I soothe, brushing the hair from his sweaty forehead. "I know."
I looked up at Marrow.
He was standing by the counter, corking the vial. He looked unbothered. Even... energized.
"A passionate response," Marrow said, adjusting his tie. "Though clearly unstable. Perhaps we should schedule a follow-up assessment for Mr. Blackmoor."
He pocketed the vial. My blood.
"You're free to go," Marrow said. "Thank you for your contribution, Ms. Arden."
He walked out of the room.
We were left in the wreckage of the exam room. Rhett was weeping silently. Kai was bleeding from a bite on his shoulder. Lucien looked ready to murder the world.
"He ate it," Rhett whispered, horror in his voice. "He just... ate the magic right out of her blood."
"We know," Lucien said, pulling Rhett to his feet. "Come on. We need to leave. Now."
"We gave him exactly what he wanted," Kai said, wiping blood from his arm.
"No," I said, watching the door. "We gave him a sample masked with Ivy's potion. If he tries to consume that... he's going to get a nasty surprise."
"What kind of surprise?" Rhett asked weakly.
"Ivy said she added a 'micro-curse'," I admitted. "Something about... unceasing hiccups?"
It was a small victory. A petty one.
But as we helped Rhett out of the room, I knew it wasn't enough. Marrow had my blood. He knew I was a battery.
The game had begun. And the Queen of Hearts was already losing.