Chapter 77 Surveillance and Secrets
[Nyx]
The fluorescent lights of the hospital corridor cast harsh shadows as I stood outside Lilith's room, my mind racing through the implications of what we'd just witnessed. The medical team had stabilized her—for now—but the underlying threat remained. Someone had tried to kill my sister, and I was certain I knew who.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Symone.
She answered on the second ring, her voice light and teasing. "Well, well, what's up, bestie? Miss me already—"
"Lilith's room. I need guards. Now." My voice came out flat, cold.
The shift was instantaneous. All the playfulness vanished from Symone's voice, replaced by clipped military precision. "How many?"
"Three Gammas. Rotating shifts. Twenty-four-seven."
"Copy that. Two minutes." A pause, then quieter, sharper: "What am I watching for?"
"I'll brief you when you get here."
"Understood. En route." The line went dead.
I leaned against the wall, forcing myself to breathe steadily. The adrenaline from watching Lilith's heart stop was still coursing through me, making my hands shake slightly. I clenched them into fists.
Sure enough, footsteps echoed down the corridor—quick, purposeful, military-precise. Symone appeared, leading three Gamma warriors in civilian clothes. Despite their casual appearance, their eyes swept the environment with practiced alertness, already identifying exits and potential threats.
"Ms. Verdant." Symone stopped in front of me, her expression all business now. No trace of the friend who'd been joking thirty seconds ago. This was the warrior, waiting for orders.
"Need you to rotate shifts watching Lilith." I said aloud, then through the pack bond added: Someone may try to harm her. Stay vigilant.
Symone's expression shifted almost imperceptibly, her pupils contracting as she received the mental warning. She nodded once. "Understood, Ms. Verdant. We'll maintain position."
She turned to the three warriors, assigning positions with military efficiency. One by the door, another at the corridor junction, the third near the nurse's station. Professional, discreet, but absolutely effective.
Through our bond, I continued: If anyone attempts to enter the room, verify identity and notify me first. Anyone.
Symone's mental voice came back sharp and focused: You're watching for someone specific?
I hesitated for only a second before responding through the pack link: Watch Selene carefully.
Symone's eyes became even sharper. Understood. Her voice through the mind-link carried a cold determination. Though she didn't know the specifics, the name was enough.
I glanced through the window into Lilith's room. Damon sat holding her pale hand, his broad shoulders hunched with exhaustion and worry. My chest tightened—I should have protected you better, little sister.
---
With the guards in position, I turned toward the monitoring room. My heart rate accelerated—Lysander should have finished reviewing the footage by now, and I desperately needed to know what he'd found.
Through the pack bond, I contacted him: Guards are in place. How's your end?
In the monitoring room. Lysander's voice through our mental link carried suppressed fury, You need to see this immediately. I found... extremely critical evidence.
I quickened my pace. The corridor was quiet, only the distant beeping of medical equipment and occasional footsteps breaking the silence.
The monitoring room door was slightly ajar, blue light seeping through the gap.
I pushed it open.
Lysander sat before multiple screens. The security guard stood nearby, holding coffee, looking somewhat drowsy—clearly this night shift was wearing on him.
Lysander looked up as I entered, his amber eyes flashing with complex emotions.
"You're here." His voice was calm, but I could feel the rage he was suppressing through our bond.
---
I walked to Lysander's side. He pulled up footage on the main screen.
"Start with Selene's room." Lysander kept his voice low, "Beginning at three PM today."
The guard nearby continued organizing files, occasionally glancing at the screens but not paying special attention—to him, this was just routine footage retrieval.
The screen showed Selene's hospital room—304. The timestamp read: 3:00 PM.
Selene lay in bed, looking weak and quiet.
Then, at 3:10 PM—she suddenly sat up, her movements agile and completely unlike someone who'd just survived an avalanche.
My fingers unconsciously clenched.
Selene quickly got out of bed, retrieved a small box from the cabinet, opened it to check—inside was a syringe.
She carefully placed the syringe in her pocket, adjusted her clothes and hair, then headed for the door.
"What is she planning..." I whispered to Lysander, leaning slightly closer.
Keep watching. Lysander responded.
He switched to hallway surveillance.
At 3:12 PM, Selene emerged from room 304. She wore casual clothes, hair loose, her face showing weakness and concern—she looked exactly like a worried patient checking on family.
She walked briskly down the corridor toward room 310—Lilith's room.
"Where was Damon?" I kept my voice low.
Lysander quickly switched to another angle. The screen showed Damon leaving Lilith's room at 3:10 PM, following a doctor toward a conference room.
"He went to discuss treatment options." Lysander said, "Selene was waiting for this exact moment."
The footage returned to the hallway. Selene paused at Lilith's door, looked left and right to confirm the corridor was empty, then pushed the door open.
My breathing became rapid.
Lysander switched to the camera inside Lilith's room.
The footage showed Selene walking quickly to Lilith's bedside. She pulled the syringe from her pocket, her movements practiced as she found Lilith's IV line and inserted the needle into the injection port.
"She's injecting something into Lilith." My voice was almost trembling.
On screen, Selene slowly pushed the plunger, emptying the entire contents into the IV line. Then she withdrew the needle, tucked the empty syringe back in her pocket, and quickly left the room.
The entire process took less than two minutes.
Lysander switched back to hallway surveillance. Selene hurried back to room 304, checking behind her before entering to ensure no one had noticed.
Back in her room, she replaced the syringe in the box, tucked it deep in the cabinet, then climbed back into bed, closed her eyes, and resumed the appearance of a weak patient.
From departure to return, the entire process took less than ten minutes.