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It was so intoxicating to feel her joy, to feel it compound my own. I hoped she could feel the same joy emanating from me. I was so excited to live the rest of my life with this woman. And I knew after all the trials of fire we’d already endured that we could make it through any challenge that came our way. Including the one today.
“Ready to do what we came here for?” I asked her.
“Yeah,” she said. “It’s time to see Travis through the end of this thing.”
I nodded and parted from her, still holding her hand as I looked over the dozens of faces for one familiar one. I finally found him, his face as pale as moonlight and as serious as death.
“Travis Green,” I said. “Let’s finally meet your wolf.”
Chapter 13
Marley
The group around us spread out a little after Cole’s proposal—his proposal!—at Sylvia’s request. I went to stand next to my brother and Lana as they got things set up. It was the simplest set-up so far for Travis’s injections: a simple folding chair, a small table with the serum in a tiny bottle, and a syringe. This final injection would be a highly concentrated dose, intentionally potent to shock the system and force a shift. To date, it had a ninety percent success rate, which was the best that could be hoped for in Travis’s situation.
But if for some reason it didn’t go well, even a hospital wouldn’t be able to help him.
Beside me, Lana’s worry and tension felt like a live wire. She wanted to be near Travis and hold his hand as he went through it, but Sylvia told her to stand back and give him room for anything nasty that might happen. A lot of people had been mistakenly mauled after a first shift just by being too close, and no one wanted that for Lana. Or for anyone else in the group, frankly.
Travis took off his shirt and sat down on the chair. Cole stood a little in front of me, his back to me as he looked at Travis. He hadn’t said anything about it, but I was almost certain that he was putting himself between me and Travis in case something went horribly wrong and Travis came right at me and Lana.
I brushed my fingertips over my ring, grateful for Cole’s determined, protective nature. Even if it caused problems sometimes, it was nice to feel so precious to someone.
Just past Travis and Cole, Sylvia approached the table and picked up the small bottle. She drew the serum into the syringe before pressing the plunger to get the air out of it.
Travis sat with his hands resting on his legs, both of them curled so tightly into fists that his knuckles were nearly transparent.
Lana reached for my sweater as Sylvia brushed an alcohol wipe over the fleshy part of Travis’s upper arm. I looked at my friend and squeezed her hand with just enough pressure to give her some calm and reassurance.
“Take deep breaths,” I said. “You’re going to be okay, and Travis is going to pull through this just fine. Just you wait.”
Everyone held their breath as Sylvia carefully injected Travis with the potent mixture.
His face was impassive for a few moments—his eyes closed, his lips set in a hard line. The only thing that changed was the rate at which his chest rose and fell. It became faster and faster until he was almost hyperventilating.
His expression contorted in pain, and sweat began to pour down his face and his body as the muscles in his arms started to spasm.
“Is he okay?” Lana whispered in a panic.
“He’ll be fine,” Cole reassured her, his tone firm but gentle. “This is normal. Just give him some time. It’s going to get worse before it gets better, but you need to stay right there. We don’t want anyone too close.”
Sylvia backed away from Travis, taking the small table with her to get it out of the way. The arm where Sylvia had administered the injection started to jut and spasm in a way that looked incredibly painful. I watched in horror as his muscles seemed to grow and bunch, like they were trying to change shape but had nowhere to go. His forearm started to thicken, looking almost cartoonish as the muscle started to form a bulge. The bulge in Travis’s arm grew larger and larger, the skin stretching thin and translucent, going purple with the bruising.
Lana’s hand tightened in mine, her nails digging into my palm. I tried to keep my own hand steady and offer her silent reassurance, but it was difficult as we watched the grotesque scene unfold.
“Shit,” Jack muttered beside me.
The veins in Travis’s arm were now visible, pulsing with blood as the transformation began. His entire body seemed to be filled with energy, his muscles flexing and straining against his skin.
Cole stood with his arms crossed, watching the changes intently. He looked like a statue, his face emotionless, but his eyes betrayed his concern. I could feel the helplessness aching in his chest like it was my own.
Travis’s skin began to tear, ripping open along the lines of his muscles in a bloody mess. Sweat poured off him in large quantities, and his screams of agony were deafening. The sound was unlike anything I had ever heard—a primal, animalistic cry that sent a terrified chill through me.
Despite the gruesome sight before us, everyone remained still, holding our collective breath. It felt wrong to look away. It would feel like an abandonment of Travis in this time of great need.
Lana’s breath hitched, her eyes wide with fear and amazement. She couldn’t take her gaze off Travis, who now resembled a hideous, disfigured monster covered in a sickening mixture of blood and bruises. His face was twisted in pain, his teeth bared in a snarl as his jaw cracked, sagged, then reformed in record time. It started to elongate and change.
As I watched Travis’s transformation, I found myself wondering if I could handle such a drastic change. Perhaps Cole was right. The transition could kill me. At this rate, I was starting to fear that it would kill Travis.
