"That was the doctor's blood," Morgana says, her voice smooth and composed, not a trace of remorse in her expression. "I asked him to cut himself, to bleed just enough until it would look real, enough blood to convince anyone. And when Eryx saw it... he instantly believed it." She gives a small, proud smile as though recounting a successful trick from a child's game.
Her mother's reaction is instant and sharp.
"Are you joking with me right now?!" she snaps, her eyes narrowing, disbelief cutting into her voice like a blade. Her hands grip the edge of the bed. "Now the doctor knows that too?! And you think the secret is safe with him?! The man you barely know?!"
"I paid him," Morgana replies quickly, as if that fact alone should dissolve the danger.
"Paid him?!" Her mother's voice rises, nearly shrill now. "You think money is enough?! We cannot afford anyone else knowing what's going on, Morgana, anyone, other than the ones who already know. Especially not someone from this pack!"
