Page 307 of Immune

“Turning,” I supply.

“Yes. Turning,” he confirms with a sharp nod. My stomach twists uncomfortably, but he continues. “You don’t present that way, though.”

“Because we don’t even know if I’m carrying it.”

“No,” he agrees. “We don’t know. But your father’s notes suggest exposure wasn’t always accidental.”

The lights above buzz loudly. I hate that I can even hear them, especially over the ringing in my ears.

Maine goes completely pale. “What does that mean?”

Mercer’s mouth tightens. “I don’t know yet.”

“Then don’t make it sound like you do,” my brother snaps back.

Honestly, that’s fair.

That’s very fair.

Mercer nods. “You’re right.”

That actually surprises me more than it probably should have.

He turns back to me before continuing. “I think something about you is interacting with NOVAC’s viral architecture. Maybe because of inherited exposure. Maybe because of something your father did. Maybe because your biology responded in a way no one could have ever predicted. I don’t know which is the truth just yet.”

“That’s comforting,” I mutter under my breath.

“I know.”

“Your bedside manner could do with some work,” I point out.

“So I’ve been told,” he tells me, nodding like he agrees.

That earns him a point.

Almost.

Then he goes ahead and ruins it by continuing. “If the virus is present, it may be reacting to certain conditions. Threat states. Heat chemistry. Pack bond hormones. Possibly even Alpha proximity. Your scent instability might not have been a symptom of weak blockers or stress alone. It could be your body responding to internal viral pressure.”

“That sounded rude.”

“It… wasn’t meant to.”

“Tell that to my dramatic body. It’s deeply offended right now.”

Maine laughs once, a terrible little sound. Then he covers his mouth with a disbelieving shake of his head. Like he can’t wrap his mind around everything Mercer is saying.

The doc keeps going. “What happened in the hallway, the Purge Event, seems to have been a triggered response. Davis touched you. Ewan was injured. You were cornered and threatened with a forced claim. Your body interpreted it as a survival event and activated accordingly.”

“Activated,” I repeat blandly. The word tastes like NOVAC. Subject activated, asset responsive, viable outcome. Future use.

Kaito’s chair creaks, because he can feel it. The old language slipping under the door like a thin sheet of paper.

Mercer feels it too, because his entire face changes and he quickly says, “That was a poor choice of wording.”

“Mhm,” I answer.

He nods. “I’m sorry.”