The hospital room was sterile and cold, and the sharp scent of antiseptic hung in the air, making my nose twitch in discomfort. I had always hated the smell of hospitals. It was the unpleasant mix of chemicals, disinfectants, and something faintly metallic that reminded me of blood that I hated in particular.
It brought back memories I wished I could forget, like the time I fell off my bike as a child and scraped my knee badly. My mother had rushed me to the hospital, the same acrid odor filling my senses as I sat trembling in the waiting room. The scent had clung to my clothes, lingering long after the stitches were done. Now, lying on the examination table, with my hands resting on my slightly rounded belly, that same smell made my stomach churn.
Alpha Evon stood close by, his presenc
