"In theory, it should work like it did for Thorton Elrod," Nicole said. She sped-walked out of the room and back to the bench they were working at previously.

The tubes and vials present now weren’t as random and meaningless as they had appeared to me beforehand. Instead, every single one of them carried an ingredient or formula that could change the way of the world.

"Of course, there are some variables in your scenarios," she said. "After all, you and Kyle have been given the poison for a significant amount of time― in Thorton Elrod’s case, the time frame between the poison being administered before he was given the serum was as good as zero."

"Should we wait, then?" I asked, my eyebrows knitted together as I watched Nicole buzz through the workstation, grabbing different combinations of components and mixing them together.

"I’ve made some adjustments, but if we are to be safe, it’s best to spend time testing the serums before administering them," Nicole said. She produced two syringes that were identical, holding them out for us to see.

"No need for that," Kyle said. He grabbed the syringe and immediately darted out of the laboratory, leaving us no time to respond.

"Wait, Kyle!" Nicole yelled after him, but it was too late. He had already disappeared past the corner, soaring up the stairs as though he had turbo blasters taped to his feet.

"Damn," Damon said, whistling under his breath. "He must be pretty desperate."

"Understandably so, but we aren’t sure yet if this altered serum is ready for him!" Nicole said, exasperated. "What if this makes things worse for him? Just because it worked for Thorton Elrod doesn’t mean that it will work for him too! What if―"

Nicole’s words were swiftly cut off by a reverberating scream that seemed to have the power to shake the walls. All of us turned our heads to the doorway before we exchanged a look. It took no more than a second before we sped off, racing up the stairs and out of the lab.

The light outside was warm against our skin, and the breath of fresh air carried by the wind was refreshing to behold. We didn’t, unfortunately, have the time to stop and admire the scenery― Kyle was writhing on the ground, dirt, grass, and snow kicked up as his limbs were splayed in every direction.

He twitched and spasmed before he hunched into a tight ball, hugging himself tightly with groans of pain emitting from his throat. Every step closer to him seemed as though he felt it through a kick. Kyle cried out in tune to our footsteps, to a point whereby I was rooted to the spot in horror, afraid to move.

"Kyle!" Nicole cried out, dashing forward to his side. Her hands hovered over him as her eyebrows furrowed. She quickly scanned his body, only looking at his face when she couldn’t spot any visible injuries. "Kyle, can you hear me? Kyle?"

"Nicole, get back!" Damon yelled, swiping his hands in a frantic attempt to get Nicole’s attention, but to no avail.

She had kicked into work mode, her teeth gritted in determination as she began to examine Kyle, who cried out even at the smallest of touches. His face had turned ghastly pale in a matter of minutes, and even his cries seemed to be weaker, his voice turning fainter.

Then, out of nowhere, a sharp growl ripped from Kyle’s throat, his eyes bursting open as the veins on his neck deepened in color.

I wasted no time. Darting forward, I grabbed Nicole by the back of her collar and yanked her backward, causing her to collapse into a heap by our side a safe distance away. Right as she returned to our side, Kyle’s form started to contort. His breaths turned ragged as pain shot through his eyes, making him double over with a cry that echoed through the forest.

His fingers began to transform until the nails sharpened into deadly claws. Beneath his skin, his bones began to rearrange themselves, while coarse brown fur began to sprout off his back, his shirt ripping apart with the transformation.

When Kyle finally turned around to face us, he was on all fours, the glint of light in his brown eyes now primal and animalistic, without a single hint of the man he was just moments prior.

"He... shifted," Nicole said, her voice light as she stared at Kyle in awe.

"It worked like before," Damon observed. He seemed less impressed and more cautious, subtly moving forward so that he now blocked us from Kyle’s direct view. "But is he in control, or his wolf?"

’Kyle?’ I called out, tapping into the pack link as I had learned to do so before. Silence greeted me, with no one else on the other end of the line, but I held out hope. ’Kyle, you there?’

The wolf blinked as recognition flitted across his eyes. He reeled back slightly, his paws threading against the ground a couple of times as he lightly stomped on the spot as though unsure of how to react. It took a second more than I would’ve hoped, but eventually, I heard a hesitant yet familiar voice in my head.

’Harper?’

"It worked!" I yelled out, grabbing Damon before shaking him violently. His shoulders immediately tensed up as I rocked him back and forth, before proceeding to do the same to Nicole. "The serum worked!"

Nicole looked nearly as confused as Damon, but out of nowhere, she sharply turned her head to face Kyle. I assumed that he had used the pack link to reach her as well, and she knew for a fact that this time, Kyle was in full control.

"Oh my Goddess..." she breathed out, her voice shaky as light danced across her eyes.

As if to prove our point, in a symphony of crackles and groans, Kyle shifted back to his human form, crouching on the ground as naked as a babe. He adjusted himself so that his crown jewels were out of plain sight, but we could all see the radiant glow on his face as he stared up at us, jubilant.

"Your serum worked, Nicole," he croaked out, his voice hoarse. I thought I even saw some tears sparkling in his eyes. His voice cracked as he choked on his tears, saying, "Thank you."

"Do you know what this means, Damon?" I turned back, excitedly grabbing my mate. "Your wolf. You can get your wolf back!"