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Elsie, blinded by her own arrogance and fury, reached out and grabbed Alaric’s arm, her fingers curling around his bare skin with enough force to halt his steps.

Which was of course a big mistake.

Alaric’s body went rigid, his muscles locking up as the energy inside of him reacted instinctively to the unwanted touch. Even his once rowdy pack members all held their breath having sensed the ominous charge that sent static tingling along their skin.

Alaric Storm wore his gloves, not because he lacked control over his abilities, but because lightning was inherently wild, unpredictable, and devastatingly powerful.

He had learned how to wield it, yes, but emotions were an entirely different thing. When heightened, his powers responded, even breaking free from the restraint of his gloves that served as a dampener.

And right now, Alaric’s emotions were anything but calm as electricity licked up his arms, surging to the surface.

Elsie’s body jerked as the electricity shot through her veins and she screamed in pain.

She convulsed as several thousand joules of voltage surged through her nervous system.

Her hands jerked violently away from Alaric, her eyes wide in shock with her breath choking in her throat.

Though the whole thing barely lasted a few seconds, to her, it might as well have been an eternity of agony.

Alaric yanked himself back with wide, horrified eyes. "No, no, no—fuck!" he cursed, running his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Shit," Griffin growled under his breath, already moving before anyone else. No matter how much of a bitch Elsie was, she was still unconscious and twitching on the floor.

He crouched down and lifted her into his arms effortlessly, groaning slightly as residual shocks crawled up his limbs. Though he winced, he gritted his teeth and pushed forward, ignoring the pain.

"Quick. Make way! She needs help," Griffin barked, already storming toward the door.

Alaric, frozen, could only watch, guilt burning into his chest like acid. This was his fault. He did this.

"Alaric!" Griffin’s voice snapped him back to reality. "What the fuck are you waiting for?! Let’s go!"

Alaric didn’t waste another second following after Griffin. The both of them moved down the corridors, passing through students who stared in shock at the sight of the unconscious Elsie.

They made a beeline for the infirmary, straight into Adele’s ward.

The second they arrived, Adele who had been tending to another injured student whipped around at the sudden commotion. Her brows furrowed in immediate suspicion as she took in the sight of Griffin carrying a limp Elsie.

They have got to be kidding her.

"What the hell happened?" she demanded, already moving toward them.

Alaric clenched his fists, his shoulders taut with tension. "I... zapped her."

Adele gave him a look. The kind of look that screamed, Are you fucking kidding me right now? So you’re going about shocking people now?

Griffin, sensing the incoming lambasting, interjected quickly, "Unintentionally. She grabbed him first."

Adele rubbed at her temples as if she were personally burdened by their stupidity. "That’s still not an excuse," she muttered, before shooting a glare at Alaric. "You know your powers are tied to your emotions. You could have done better."

Alaric didn’t argue. He just swallowed the guilt, his hands curling into fists.

Adele shook her head and stepped closer to assess Elsie’s condition. "And Elsie of all people?"

Griffin said firmly, "Elsie did this to herself."

Adele rolled her eyes. "Yeah, tell that to fucking Elijah when he punishes his ass for it. I thought you both were smarter than this but it turns out I was wrong."

Alaric told her, "Could you just help her. I’ll take whatever punishment Elijah seems fit to give me. Elsie might be a bitch but she won’t be dying in my arms. My father would kill me for this."

But Adele sighed. "Look, I’d love to help, but I’m out of juice."

Both Alaric and Griffin’s heads snapped toward her. "What?"

"I burned through most of my energy healing up the Fangball players. This is why you don’t electrocute people on a game day." She gestured at the beds occupied by injured students.

Griffin’s gulped. "Well, shit."

Fangball was a brutal game which meant there were lots of injuries at the end. Although werewolves had accelerated healing, depending on the injury, it could take time. Moreover, Adele’s role was to provide immediate relief. Hence, it was no wonder Adele had drained herself.

Adele said, "I could look at her, but we both know the hospital has better facilities."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop at once. Alaric’s expression darkened instantly as a low, warning growl rumbled from his chest at the mere suggestion.

Adele wasn’t fazed and she met his gaze. "You already know she has medical ties there," she pointed out. "Moreover, all those experiments, isn’t it for their sakes. She’s Elijah’s favorite, they wouldn’t try anything stupid with her. Get her out of here."

She turned her back to them, moving toward another patient, leaving no room for argument.

Alaric and Griffin locked eyes, a silent communication passing between them.

"She’s not wrong though, Elsie’s their vip." Griffin admitted after a long pause.

Alaric exhaled sharply through his nose. "Of course, she’d be." His tone was bitter.

But then, they had no choice.

With Elsie still unconscious in Griffin’s arms, they stormed into the hospital wing, their presence drawing immediate attention. The nurses on duty rushed forward, guiding them swiftly to a private emergency room.

They followed the standard procedures,

attaching electrocardiogram electrodes to Elsie’s chest to monitor her heart rhythm. Then an IV line was inserted into her vein, pushing fluids to stabilize her vitals and other procedures none of them could care about at that moment.

But throughout the whole process, Alaric and Griffin didn’t move an itch from their spot. They stood at either side of her bed with vigilance. It was to the point that any nurse that came close to administer medication found themselves on the receiving end of a barely restrained snarl.

But to her credit, the lead nurse didn’t back down. She straightened, meeting Alaric’s gaze squarely. "She needs ananti-arrhythmic agent. Her heart needs to stabilize."

Griffin intimidated her with his body but after a long beat, he gave a short, reluctant nod.

Elsie was a werewolf and it wasn’t long before she stabilized. Although she was still unconscious, relief flooded the two alphas, especially Alaric. She was going to be fine.

But neither of them left. Not until Elsie woke up and they knew she was far. So they stayed, watching over her.

Then, the door opened.

The moment the newcomer stepped into the room, both Alaric and Griffin bristled.

Their hackles raised, their muscles coiled with instinctive aggression.

The man in a white coat entered, his hands tucked casually in his pockets.

"Well, well," The man drawled, his voice smooth like silk over steel. "If it isn’t my two favorite alphas."

A low, deadly growl rumbled from Alaric’s throat.

Griffin’s eyes flashed dangerously, his entire body tensing like a beast ready to strike.

They knew this man.

Patrick.

Elijah’s personal mad scientist.