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Chapter Fifteen

D r. Maya Sorin

The antiseptic smell of the lab hits me as I step through the door—familiar, clinical, a reminder of the life I left behind.

For a moment, I almost expect to see my old notes scattered across the workstation, beakers half-filled with the compounds I was testing.

But the lab is immaculate, everything in its place, as if waiting for me.

“Maya!”

Jerry’s voice breaks the silence. He looks older than I remember, new lines etched around his eyes and mouth. His smile is wide but cautious, like he’s not sure how I’ll respond.

“Jerry.” My voice sounds flat even to my own ears. I place my bag on the counter. “It’s been a while.”

He steps forward, hesitates, then seems to decide against hugging me. Smart man. “It’s good to see you. You look...” He trails off, unable to find a compliment that wouldn’t sound like a lie.

“I look tired. I know.” I unzip my bag and pull out my laptop. “Let’s skip the small talk. I’m here to work on the antidote, not to catch up.”

“Of course.” His face falls slightly, but he recovers quickly. “The samples from the infected shifters are in the cold storage. We’ve documented all the symptoms and progression patterns.”

I nod, scanning the lab. “My assistant will be arriving tomorrow. I’ll need him to have full access.”

“Assistant?” Jerry looks surprised.

“His name is Mathew. He’s been invaluable at GenTherapeutics.” I spread my notes in front of me. “He doesn’t know what we’re really working on, but I need him here.”

Jerry shifts uncomfortably. “Does Griffin know about this assistant?”

A bitter laugh escapes me. “I don’t care if Griffin knows or not. I need Mathew to do this work properly, and I’m not negotiating on that point.”

“I understand.” He hesitates again, then says softly, “Maya, I’m so sorry about your mother. We all are. It was a terrible tragedy.”

Something cold and hard settles in my chest. “Yes. It was.”

“Griffin reopened the investigation, you know. When he returned from his meeting with you. He decided he wasn’t satisfied with the initial findings.”

This catches me off guard. “What do you mean?”

“He didn’t believe it was an accident.” Jerry’s eyes are gentle, sympathetic. “He has been quite thorough, interviewing everyone who was in the palace that night.”

I turn away, busying myself with unpacking equipment. “A bit late for that, isn’t it? My mother’s still dead.”

“Maya—”

“I’m not interested in Griffin’s performance of concern, Jerry.” My voice comes out sharper than I intended. “If he cared so much, he would have come back when he got the message about the fire. Or at least sent someone.”

“He claims he never received any message.”

I slam a beaker down harder than necessary. “And you believe him?”

“I was with him, Maya,” Jerry says quietly. “And we weren’t that far from the palace. If we had received any such message, we would have returned immediately. But we received none. The communication channel was open.”

I look away, refusing to let the crack in my shield show.

“He hasn’t been the same since you left. None of us have been.”

“I’m not the same, either.” I finally meet his gaze, letting him see the emptiness I know is visible in my eyes. “The Maya you knew is gone. I’m just here to finish my work, create the second antidote, and then I’m leaving again.”

Jerry looks like he wants to say more, but the determination in my tone is probably what stops him. He nods slowly. “What do you need from me to get started?”

“I need to see the most severe cases first. Who is closest to complete separation?”

“A young palace guard,” he says, watching me carefully. “He can barely feel his wolf anymore.”

“Fine. Get me his blood samples. Today, I’ll want to analyze them as well as get Mathew’s workspace prepared.”

“I’ll help however I can.” Jerry moves to the storage unit and takes out several vials. “These samples are labeled by stage of progression. The red markers indicate rapid deterioration.”

We work in silence for a while, falling into a rhythm that feels both familiar and strange. I can feel his concerned glances but ignore them, losing myself in the work. It’s the only place I find any peace anymore—in the cold, logical world of science, where emotions have no place.

Hours pass before the door to the laboratory opens again. I don’t look up, assuming it’s one of the lab assistants.

“Dr. Sorin.” Erik’s voice is surprisingly gentle. “Welcome back.”

His voice makes my muscles tense up. I carefully set down the pipette I’m holding before I crush it. “Erik.”

“How are you settling in?” He stays by the door, giving me space. Jerry exchanges a look with him and slips out of the room.

“Fine. The lab is adequate.” I still don’t look at him.

“We’ve prepared quarters for you in the east wing of the palace,” he says. “Griffin thought it would be safer than offering you another cottage.”

At this, I turn and stare at him. “Safer?”

Erik’s expression is grave. “Griffin now believes the fire was started intentionally and that you may have been the intended victim. Your mother was simply...there.”

A chill runs through me. I always thought it was a possibility. “What makes him think that?”

“The timing. The missing security footage. The fact that it happened during a major palace event when most of the guards were reassigned.” He shrugs. “Either way, he’s taking no chances with your safety this time.”

“How thoughtful,” I mutter, the sarcasm thick in my voice. “But I don’t care where I sleep. As long as I can do my work and leave, everything else is irrelevant.”

Erik studies me for a long moment. “Where have you been all this time, Maya?”

I assume he already knows the answer, but I say, “Seattle. Working for a biotech research company.” I turn back to my samples, trying to signal the end of the conversation.

But Erik doesn’t take the hint. “And have you been...seeing anyone?”

The question makes me laugh, a short, harsh sound with no humor in it. “No. The worst advice my mother ever gave me was to trust Griffin with my heart. I’m not making that mistake again with anyone else.”

“Maya—”

“I don’t want to talk about this.” I face him fully now, letting him see the coldness in my eyes.

“I don’t care about love or relationships or anything like that anymore.

I’m here because Leanna and her children could end up affected by this disease.

That’s it. So please, stay away from me.

I’m not here to reconnect or reminisce or whatever it is you think might happen.

I’m going to develop this antidote, and then I’m gone. ”

“He’s been miserable without you,” Erik says quietly. “Barely sleeping. Hardly eating. The kingdom functions, but the man is a shell.”

“I’m sure he found comfort in Aria’s arms,” I retort. “Speaking of which, her name is on the list as one of the affected. Is that the real reason he wanted me here? To save the woman he loves?”

“It’s not like that—”

“So, that’s exactly what it is,” I cut him off, a bitter smile twisting my lips. “How convenient that he only needed me back once she was in danger.”

“You don’t understand—”

“I understand perfectly.” I turn back to my work, hands steady despite the storm inside me. “Don’t worry. I’ll save her for him. And then I never want to see either of them again.”

“Maya, you have it all wrong.”

“Do I?” I look up, meeting his gaze. “I heard him, Erik. The night of the ceremony. ‘Maya will never be my mate.’ His exact words. He made his choice, and then my mother died, and I was alone. He didn’t even come back.”

“Because he—”

The lab door opens again, and this time it’s him.

Griffin. Standing in the doorway like a specter from my nightmares.

I notice for the first time that he looks the same as he once did, yet different—still impossibly handsome, still regal, but there’s a hardness to him now, a coldness that matches my own.

Our eyes meet, and for a moment, I feel it—that cursed pull, that magnetic draw that I’ve spent six months trying to drown in alcohol. I hate that my body still responds to him, that my heart still skips at the sight of him.

“Your Majesty,” I say, my voice dripping with formality. “How kind of you to grace us with your presence.”

Griffin’s jaw tightens. “Maya. I came to see if you have everything you need.”

“Everything except privacy, apparently.”

Erik clears his throat awkwardly. “I was just explaining to Maya that we’ve arranged a room for her in the east wing.”

“I see.” Griffin’s eyes never leave mine.

“I don’t care where I sleep, as long as I can work uninterrupted.” I turn back to my samples. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have forty-seven critical patients to save. Including your precious Aria.”

I feel rather than see Griffin go stiff. “Is that what you think? That I brought you here to save Aria?”

“Didn’t you?” I glance up, my expression deliberately bored.

“You’re right about one thing,” Griffin says, his voice low and controlled. “I do intend to save the woman I love. But it’s not Aria.”

Something in my chest fractures at his words, but I refuse to let it show. “Well, whoever she is, I’m sure she’s a lovely shifter woman who fits perfectly into your world.”

“Maya—”

“I’m not interested in your explanations, Griffin,” I cut him off coldly. “But if you’re so concerned about my cooperation, rest assured—I will develop the antidote.”

“If you want, I can personally ensure Aria never receives a drop of it.”

Shock pierces me. “You would let her die?”

The words hang in the air between us, scandalous and unexpected. I stare at Griffin, searching his face for any sign that he’s bluffing.

Erik stiffens. “You’re saying you would actually let Aria die, Griffin?” His voice is tight with disbelief.

Griffin’s eyes never leave mine. “If that’s what Maya wants.”

Something shifts in the atmosphere, a subtle change I can’t quite identify. The coldness in Griffin’s expression softens slightly, revealing a glimpse of the man I once thought I knew.