Right as the name flew from my lips, Nicole and Kaine came soaring through the crowd, Damon leisurely trailing along behind them while whistling a song under his breath, the picture of serenity. He even had his hands tucked into his pockets, a ghost of a smile stretching his lips as he watched Nicole and Kaine corner Kyle.

Our eyes met from across the field, and he smiled, sauntering over before placing a kiss on my cheek. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"What on earth is going on?" Blaise asked, surprised. "Kyle’s wolf... The treatment worked?"

"See for yourself," Damon answered, shrugging as he nodded in Kyle’s direction.

I looked over just in time to see Nicole lean down and jab something into Kyle’s neck. She administered the syringe’s contents faster than Kyle could react, and within seconds, the large brown wolf was swaying left and right before eventually collapsing onto the ground.

Fur turned into skin, claws morphed into nails, and before long, Kyle’s naked body rested on the dirt, surrounded by curious pack members who were eager to see what was going on.

"Show’s over!" Nicole yelled as Kaine whipped out a blanket, tossing it over Kyle’s body so that he would be shielded from the privy eyes. "Nothing to see here!"

"On the contrary, there’s everything to see here!" Blaise said, storming over immediately, just in time to see Kaine throw a tablecloth over Kyle’s body to keep him warm from the winter cold. "What is going on here?"

"The treatment worked," Nicole said plainly. "But it worked a little too well."

Blaise raised an eyebrow. "A little too well?" he echoed. "What does that even mean?"

"In his wolf, it seems like Kyle has no control of the form," Nicole explained. "Having lost it once, his wolf no longer belongs to Fangborne and is considered a rogue. He doesn’t seem to be able to recognize anyone or anything either while in this state."

"Then what will happen to him now that he’s shifted back?" Blaise asked worriedly, looking at Kyle’s unconscious figure. Other than the subtle rise and fall of his chest, there was nothing else that would indicate that he was still alive.

"We’re unsure," Kaine answered in his mate’s stead.

"There’s nothing we can do but wait and observe," Nicole continued. "Kyle was briefed on the possible risks before we administered the test. Whether or not he can pull through this will depend on him as well."

"Let’s move him back to the infirmary," Blaise said with a sigh, running his hand down his face. Exhaustion bled across his face as he shook his head. "We’ll talk there."

***

Kyle woke up with a startle, jolting up in the bed, his back rod straight. We were all gathered in the infirmary, with Nicole running over the details of the latest test sample when he finally awoke, the sound of the bed’s legs clinking drawing our attention.

"Thank the Goddess," Nicole muttered under her breath as she dropped the notes she was showing us, scurrying over to Kyle with her equipment. She shone a light in his eye, checked his vitals, and practically inspected every inch of his face before she finally let out a breath of relief. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Kyle replied honestly, his voice scratchy as he spoke. "But strangely, well-rested. I feel like I’ve slept for years."

"I bet," Damon replied with a snort, earning a confused frown from Kyle.

"Was I out for long?" he asked.

"What do you remember?" Nicole questioned, taking hold of the clipboard that Kaine silently held out to her. She clicked her pen, its tip poised right above the paper as she waited for Kyle to speak.

"I remember you briefing me about the serum," Kyle recalled, scratching the back of his neck. "The injection site burned when you administered it, but it didn’t last very long before I blacked out. Next thing I know, I jerked awake."

"This isn’t going to be an issue, is it?" Blaise asked, making a face. His tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip before looking back and forth between Kyle and Nicole. "Will he randomly shift without warning and go berserk?"

"Most likely not," Nicole said, jotting down whatever Kyle had just said. "I might have to adjust the proportions and try again, but at least he wasn’t completely aggressive while shifted. This might work with a bit of tinkering."

"It worked, then?" Kyle asked. Light sparkled in his eyes as he inched a little forward, eagerly looking at all of us. "I shifted?"

"You did," I said with a nod.

"But you had no control," Damon finished. "And until you do, this is still a failure."

"But a step in the right direction!" I added, trying to remain positive.

Kyle wasn’t the only one waiting for Nicole to succeed in making a serum― this had been in the works since Darach had lost his wolf, and now, there were three patients who were waiting for the cure. Even though Kyle wasn’t able to control his wolf, at least it managed to reconnect what was once severed.

This could be reversed. They could all get their wolves back.

"Darach will be more than happy to hear this," I murmured, immediately reaching for my phone.

"I wouldn’t tell him yet if I were you," Damon said with a shrug. "Don’t get his hopes up. The cure isn’t successful yet."

My fingers paused. The rush of emotions that bled through my body wasn’t my own. I could feel Damon’s hopefulness and cautiousness mixed together― he was no doubt the most elated about the cure possibly working. His words, however, didn’t seem like they were meant for Darach, but rather, a reminder for himself.

"It’s a step in the right direction regardless," Blaise said, quickly dissipating the tension that was starting to build. "Perhaps when the next results come back. He will be the first outside of Fangborne to know."

"If the results come back," Damon emphasized.

Nicole and Kaine exchanged looks, while Blaise and I stared at Damon. Sensing our eyes on him, Damon merely sighed. He ran a hand through his hair, tousling the messy strands before tucking his hands into his pockets.

"I’m going to check on the festivities," he said before he all but escaped the room, disappearing in a flash.