Chapter 76

Aisha's POV The days that followed moved faster than I'd expected. Word of the Tigerkin incident spread like wildfire through the hospital's corridors, but not in the gossipy, hostile tone I'd braced myself for. Instead, people watched me with cautious curiosity—some with tentative smiles, others with wary respect. I didn't mind. I wasn't here to make friends. But one person, it seemed, had other plans. Dr. Thomas Ray met me the next morning at the entrance with two steaming mugs of herbal tea and a clipboard in his hand. "You drink mint and ginger, right?" he asked, without waiting for an answer. "It's good for digestion—and tension." I took the cup. "It's also good for winning over suspicious werewolves." He grinned. "Then I hope I'm succeeding." Thomas led me through the lower levels of the hospital first—the labs, the enchanted supply rooms, and the older wings of the structure that hadn't been used since before the war. Here, the air still carried the scent of sulfur and sterilizi