“The prognosis isn’t good,” Dr. Napier announced, pressing a gauze pad laced with a healing ointment against Tristan’s wolf bite. “I’ve never seen anything like this before?”

Upon hearing the news, I pressed a hand to my forehead in an attempt to subdue a raging headache and paced the room. Devin, who was also in the room, placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Are you going to be okay?” Devin asked me as the doctor tended to Tristan.

“It’s not me I’m worried about,” I told him.

“Well, I am worried about you,” he replied.

More than twenty-four hours had passed since Tristan’s wound opened back up. At the point where we realized that nothing I tried would reverse the effects of the bite, so we called in the Arnou family doctor and sent word to Devin.

“The samples you took…you said the results were conflicting. How so?” Tristan asked.

“The bite was delivered by an entirely new species of wolves, so the test my colleagues and I administered are inconclusive,” Dr. Napier replied. “We can confirm that the bite from a Converted is poisonous to any shifter outside of their bloodline. It’s the equivalent of a human getting bit by a dog with rabies and getting sick from it. Only this is ten times worse. It’s like a venom.”

”With no anti-venom, ” Tristan added. ”The same bite that changes a human to a Converted wolf is the same bite that proves to be poisonous to us. I can't with good conscience send my men out not knowing if they'll return with a bite festering at their sides. I don't like losing men. We train daily so that we don't lose men. They come back with bullets and we treat them. But this is worse. I ignore the pain because I have responsibilities, but this is enough to put a wolf down.”

“I can give you something much stronger for the pain,” Dr. Napier offered. “But it will put you out. In bed is where you need to be anyway.”

“I can deal with the pain. It's my wolves that I'm worried about,” Tristan replied.

Dr. Napier handed Tristan a clean white t-shirt. “Hexel told me you sent orders for all your wolves to keep away from the Converted…to stop tracking them.”

“I did,” Tristan replied. “Dinsel, Brian went out to the Compound this morning. Has he updated you at all?”

Dinsel, who was standing quietly by the door, stepped forward. “Our crews are furious and anxious to be rid of the threat. To stop tracking them would be going against the oath we took,” he offered. “Many have made an alternate choice.”

“Alternate choice?” Devin questioned. “What other choice is there but to follow your orders?

“I can give them a dozen orders telling them to stand down, but some will still find that the punishment that comes with disobeying such an order doesn’t outweigh a death threat to their Alpha and the inherent risks posed to their families if the attacks continue,” Tristan exclaimed.

Dinsel nodded. “Our wolves are only following instinct. When the Alpha is down, their guards are up times twenty.”

Dr. Napier placed some gauze pads and a jar of ointment on the table. “The best thing for you to do is get some rest while we figure this out. That means getting help with the pain. You can’t make sound decisions if you’re in agony every breathing second.”

“I can help with Tristan’s pain,” I said, avoiding eye contact with Tristan. He’d made me promise earlier that I wouldn’t drain my energy again.

“Elisa, if something happened to you in the process of healing me over and over again, I couldn’t live with myself,” Tristan said.

“And I couldn’t live with myself if something were to happen to you,” I replied.

“If you don’t mind me asking, have you tried to heal him without magic?” Dr. Napier asked.

“Yes,” I answered.

“I meant intimacy. Energy produced from sex aids in the healing process. I know the ceremony isn’t scheduled until later this year, but it could work ten times faster than any spell.”

“Yes, Doctor.” I blushed. “We haven’t sustained from sex. We've tried it all. Our mate bond healed the rest of the injuries that very first night, but the only thing that works for that particular wound are my spells, but only for a few hours or so. The spell that created the Converted is powerful and ancient, infused with specific elements that I have yet to uncover. We have a spell just like it in the Caedmon journals, but it hasn’t been used since our creation. It takes a great deal of sacrifice.”

Dr. Napier smiled. “It seems you know more than I do about ancient spells. Probably ancient medicine too.”

I sighed. “I wish I knew more. I can do more, but…”

Tristan reached out and took my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Dr. Napier closed his bag. “I’ll need to get this new sample to my assistant. We’ll be working on a more effective treatment plan should someone else get bitten. In the meantime, change the bandage and apply the ointment every hour. I’ll see what else I can do medically, but this is beyond my area of expertise. I don’t deal in witch hexes. And in a sense, this is nothing but a hex. Some of the elders might be able to help, but like Elisa said, this is a brand-new species which means a brand new strain of venom. From my observations, the infection worsens when you're most active. If your conditions worsen again, give me a call. We can go with my last resort which is to put you in a medically induced coma to stop the venom from spreading.”

“No,” Tristan said. “I have a pack to protect and businesses to run. I will not lie down and play dead.”

“Yes, Alpha, but my job is to keep you alive as long as possible. If it comes to that, I'll have no other choice.” Dr. Napier replied. Before turning to leave the room, he asked, ”May I help with anything else?”

“That will be all, Doctor.”

When Dr. Napier was gone, I joined Tristan on the sofa. Devin and Dinsel also stayed in the room.

“It’s your call, Tristan,” Devin said.

Between yesterday and this morning, I'd learned that Tristan and Devin had a discussion about what both packs would do. Because of the severity of the of the threat and the unknown effects of the venom, neither of them wanted to run into a war blind, which was probably what the perpetrator wanted. If the Converted wolves could change humans into shifters with just one bite, there was no telling how many of them there were now or how organized they’d gotten during their existence.

“If we could get our hands on an anti-venom or proven treatment plan, I’d be going all in. I’d hunt them all down one by one until their existence is wiped off the face of the earth,” Tristan replied.

“It could be a while before Dr. Napier finds a medical cure. By that time, your condition could worsen and the Converted might retreat into their dens or hiding places, wherever that may be,” I told them. ”I have to at least attempt this spell.”

“The woman who came to the museum…how are you certain she’s an Osborne?” Devin asked.

“Why would she lie about that? Plus, I have blood evidence that she is,” I stated.

“And how are you certain she’s not a traitor. For decades, the Osbornes have had one simple mission during their measly existence—to destroy our kind and weaken us to the point where we’re rolling around like obedient mutts at their feet,” Tristan said. “That’s not me. I don’t bow down. The closest they’ll ever get to that are the mutants they’ve created.”

I nodded. “That’s what this is all about. They can’t control us any more than they can control their own powers. As for Aris, she’s an Osborne by blood, not by choice. Do I need to remind you how she came to be?”

“No, you do not, sister,” Devin replied.

“When Devin and I tracked down the main family a few years ago, we were lead to a desolate farm out in Texas. Except for a few stray hags that the family left behind, the place was abandoned,” Tristan said. “That’s what the Osbornes do. They corrupt shit, they run, they scatter, and they hide. And now here we are with evidence that this Jack Osborne holds women against their will for the purpose of planting his seed to keep their magic intact.”

“And like our bloodline—both Caedmon and Arnou—there is no end to the Osbornes. Break their circle and they regroup again,” I said.

“Break their necks and we won’t have to worry about them anymore now, do we?” Tristan suggested.

His anger was escalating. I could see it in his demeanor and I could feel the tension in the room as aggravation rolled off him in waves.

“Elisa, how sure are you that you can pull this spell off without succumbing to over-exertion?” Devin asked.

“I have what I need. The blood of one of Jack Osborne’s daughters. It’s only enough to do one tracking spell. Once I do the spell, we’ll have to hunt him down immediately. A witch as powerful as that one would know if someone were trying to track him. He’ll do exactly what he did years ago—pack up his stuff and leave before anyone could ever get to him.”

“Seems like a good option. His capture could also lead to a cure or anti-venom for Tristan’s bite,” Devin said. “In the meantime, there must be something you can do for his pain using ancient Caedmon medicine. Roman left behind a—”

“She’s passed out three times already, Devin,” Tristan interjected. “The third time, she did it without my knowledge. Look me in the eye and tell me you think that’s any good for your sister.”

Devin trained his eyes on me and frowned. “I didn’t know about the third time,” he said.

“She did it while I was asleep,” Tristan added.

“What does it matter how many times? It happens. It’s not the first time I’ve passed out and certainly won’t be the last. If you two think I’m going to sit on my gifts, you’re wrong,” I told them.

Devin exhaled and shook his head.

“She’s not ours to just use for her powers over and over again. Do you not remember our history? They say I’m the Alpha that disregards the things that happened in the past because I am disgruntled.” Tristan shook his head. “But that’s not true. I’ve studied our history. Have you forgotten that the witches once retaliated against the shifters centuries ago because we abused their magic?”

I swallowed down a wave of anxiety rising in my throat. Tristan spoke the truth.

Even Devin stood speechless for a little while, and then he said, “I’ve read about it, yes. In the journals. It happened right before the two brothers instigated a war. The war between Caedmon and Arnou.”

“So you see? Using that kind of magic over and over again has serious consequences. And we’re asking her to do it. Why do you think an Osborne witch would find it necessary to acquire the power of others after they’ve misused theirs? Why do you think the Osbornes came for your little brother’s mate when she came of age? Why do you think Roman Caedmon suppressed his powers when he was alive? Every time they use their magic, it drains the life force right out of them. I won’t allow my mate to deplete herself in this cycle of agony.”

“Tristan, please…” I cupped the side of his face with my palm, hoping to calm his temper. “Don’t work yourself up. I promise not to do anything that’ll hurt me.”

Devin sat down in an adjacent chair. “Tristan is right, Elisa.”

“But what if I find a way to do the spell and reduce the side effects…as in I can guarantee I won’t deplete my energy?” I asked.

“What are you talking about?” Tristan countered.

“I’ve been executing the spells on my own. History has shown that witches are more powerful when they come together full circle. The minimum number of witches to form a circle is three.”

Devin rubbed his chin. “Three…who exactly?”

“Me. Alessia. And Aris.” I held up my palm. “And before you say anything, there is a caveat. The spell won’t work that way unless there is trust between everyone in the circle. It’s not as easy as it sounds.”

“This is…” Devin shook his head. “I don’t think we can trust her. You might believe that her intentions are pure, but she can change her mind at any moment about her family.”

“She wouldn’t have come all this way, bypassing the Osbornes, just to get at me or us. She could've gone straight to them if she wanted to. She's been following me and watching me for a while. For months, she was afraid to approach me. There's no doubt that she has seen me in my weakest and most vulnerable moments. If she wanted to inflict harm then, she would’ve done so. May I add that she’s almost as powerful as I am. She’s like Alessia times two. I felt it when we were in the museum together.”

“But will she come back?” Devin asked.

I swallowed, thinking back on what Aris had said about wanting to be free of her magic. “She will. In either case, we have more of a chance with an Osborne in the flesh, than a bowl of her blood. I could execute the spells myself in the hopes that I have the correct elements and enough energy to sustain it or I could seek her help and get to the bottom of this in half the time.”

“So you use the blood to track her and ask her to do magic to find the very family she’s been avoiding for years, and then what?” Tristan asked.

“We find the cure for the bite, the spell that made the Converted, and then massacre the whole lot of them,” I said.

I heard no further oppositions from either my brother or my mate. I concluded they wanted the same thing I did. To put a stop to this madness. We had tried their way already, and the situation was getting out of hand. It was time they tried things my way.

Devin rose. “I’ll talk to Dawson and Alessia tonight to see if we can get things rolling before things get much worse.” He shot a glance at Tristan’s side.

“Don’t burden them with this so late tonight. I know my limits, and I’ll be fine. As for the rest of the wolves, Dinsel and I will strongly enforce my latest orders to ensure no one else gets bitten,” Tristan said.

“I’ll do the same. I’ll see you two in the morning.”