*~~Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Three~~*

{~~Avery Sterling~~}

After making the call to the lawyer, a sense of urgency settled into my bones. The day was far from over, and I needed to keep my focus sharp. As if on cue, Logan approached me, a somber expression etched across his face.

"I’ve got a case for you," he said, holding out a file. "I’ve been looking into this patient’s records, and I’m concerned. It looks like a possible case of Lycan Decay Syndrome, but it’s progressing much faster than usual."

His words sent a shiver down my spine. Lycan Decay Syndrome, or LDS, was rare, but when it did strike, it was a slow, agonizing process that left patients withering away over months, sometimes years. The idea that someone could be deteriorating rapidly from it was alarming. But not uncommon. But for the person to be at the hospital where we already have one patient of the same case? That was rare.

I took the file from him, flipping it open as he continued to explain. "The patient is a female, her mid-thirties. She came in comp