The Endless Vigil

The sterile glare of the surgical wing offered no shelter as the agonizing wait stretched into endless hours.

Magnus, Valera, Thaddeus, Daria, and Nessa occupied the rigid plastic chairs of the waiting area. The tension in the space was an active, suffocating weight. Alpha Kaelen had quietly retreated to his quarters earlier—whether driven by misplaced guilt or the blunt realization that his pres