Chapter200 Infiltration

Chapter200 Infiltration
Third Person POV
Grayson walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, his back to the enforcement captain.
"The Winston family has protected the Golden Moon Pack for generations." He stared out at the night. "Tear Emma away from him, and he won't last long. A wounded, amnesiac Alpha is just a man fighting to stay alive from a hospital bed."
--
The hospital. Early the next morning.
The top floor hallway looked normal at first glance. But the details were wrong.
Emma stepped out of the room to check Klaus's morning medication list at the nurses' station. She turned the corner and spotted an unfamiliar young nurse pushing a medication cart out of the elevator. The woman wore a proper uniform, her ID badge clipped neatly in place. Still, Emma's steps slowed.
She didn't recognize her. Emma had seen nearly every face on the critical care floor over the past few days. This one was a stranger.
The nurse noticed Emma watching and immediately dropped her gaze, pushing the cart toward the far end of the hallway.
Emma stood still, her frown deepening.
When she reached the nurses' station, she found the shift schedule had been swapped out. Two familiar faces from the night shift were gone. She recognized only one of the replacement names. The other two meant nothing to her.
"Emergency shift change last night?" Emma asked, studying the board.
The nurse behind the desk looked up and lowered her voice. "I heard there was a staffing shortage downstairs. The charge nurse switched it this morning."
Emma didn't respond. She flipped open Klaus's medication log and noticed that the pharmacy had added an extra sign-off requirement. The pain medication that previously needed only the attending physician and a nurse to sign off now had a new column labeled "Special Critical Care Drug Retrieval Register."
"Is this a new protocol?" Emma pointed to the added column.
The nurse nodded. "The pharmacy sent it down this morning. They said the hospital is doing stricter audits, so all critical care medications need an extra layer of documentation."
Emma set the chart down. Her expression went flat.
At that moment, the elevator at the end of the hallway opened again. Two men in maintenance uniforms stepped out carrying toolboxes. They told the guard that the top floor security cameras had experienced wiring issues overnight, and the hospital had sent them up to run checks.
Steven came around the corner from the other direction. He spotted the two unfamiliar faces immediately and stopped.
The maintenance workers noticed him looking and gave him a nod. Steven didn't return it.
He walked over to Emma. They both scanned the hallway without a word.
They understood. Grayson's people were already here, slipping in one by one.
Steven turned and pulled Andrew and the head guards into a corner of the hallway.
"Every medical staff member on this floor gets re-verified right now." Steven kept his voice low. "Anyone you don't recognize, anyone just transferred up here, send them downstairs."
"Everything the pharmacy sends up goes through Andrew and Emma first. If they don't clear it, it doesn't go near the room."
Andrew nodded.
Steven turned to the head guard and gestured toward the two maintenance workers down the hall.
"Those two don't move alone. Assign someone to shadow them the entire time. Every wire they touch, every camera they adjust, I want it logged."
He continued, "Starting today, everyone who comes near that room gets checked in. Food delivery, housekeeping, everyone."
Then he turned to Emma.
"Mrs. Winston, stay with the Alpha from here on out." His eyes were steady. "Try not to be alone in the hallway."
Emma gave a short nod and walked back to the room.
She pushed open the door. Klaus was sitting up in bed, waiting for her.
Emma set the tray on the nightstand.
"I'm going to clean you up," she said quietly.
Klaus released her wrist and shifted to the edge of the bed.
Emma leaned forward and reached for his buttons. Her fingers occasionally brushed his skin. His body temperature ran high, and his muscles tightened slightly under her hands.
He wasn't looking at his wounds. His gaze stayed fixed on her face the entire time.
Emma slid the shirt off his shoulders, exposing his upper body. His torso was wrapped in thick bandaging. Across his back stretched a large patch of burn scarring.
She soaked the cloth in warm water, wrung it out, and drew it slowly across his shoulders and collarbone.
Klaus's throat moved.
He watched Emma's face, close enough to catch the clean scent of her.
Then he leaned forward slightly, letting his weight shift against her.
Emma stepped back half a step, both hands bracing against his shoulders to keep her balance.
"Stay still," she told him.
Klaus stopped moving. After she finished his back, Emma moved around to face him and started on his chest.
They were very close.
His breath hit her forehead.
He looked down at her, watching the focused expression on her face, the steady movement of her hands.
When Emma finished and began to pull back, Klaus caught her hand first.
His palm was burning hot. His fingers closed tight, wrapping her hand completely inside his.
Emma looked up at him.
Klaus said nothing.
He held her hand and leaned back against the headboard, eyes closing. But his grip never loosened.
Emma didn't pull away. She stayed beside him, quiet.
--
The afternoon light faded a little in the room.
Klaus was still asleep. The IV bag above his bed was nearly empty.
Emma stood and leaned over to adjust the line, reaching to swap in a new bag.
She bent forward at an angle. The silver brooch she always kept close to her chest slipped partway out from her collar. Its edge caught the light from the window and threw off a faint gleam.
Klaus's eyes were closed. The flash hit his eyelids.
He opened his eyes. His gaze landed directly on the silver brooch.
Klaus went completely rigid. A violent pain shot through the back of his skull, as if something was trying to tear through bone.
His mind flickered with images, fast and fragmented.
Fire.
A woman's silhouette, her back turned.
The images had no logic. They broke into him without warning.
Emma noticed something was wrong immediately.
"What's the matter?"
Klaus stared at the brooch at Emma's collar. The veins at his temple stood out sharply. The pain made it impossible to think.
After a long moment, he lifted his eyes to hers.
"That brooch." His voice was rough. "I've seen it before."