Chapter 4

The hospital cafeteria buzzed with the usual morning chaos—nurses grabbing coffee before shifts, doctors huddled over patient charts, visitors seeking refuge from the sterile hallways upstairs. I stood in line, mechanically reaching for my usual black coffee, when a familiar scent cut through the antiseptic hospital air.

Cedar, rainwater, and something distinctly wild.

My hand froze mid-air.

"The blueberry muffins look good today," Damon's deep voice came from directly behind me, as casual as if we met here every morning.

I turned slowly, finding him dressed in dark jeans and a simple gray henley that did nothing to diminish his…