The look on her face was grim. My heart sank as Blaise and I rushed towards her, frantic for updates. Darach followed at a more sedate pace.

"Nicole! How is Damon? Is he..."

Nicole gave a quiet sigh and shook her head sadly. "He’s alive, but he has lost his wolf. That’s all I can say for now."

I staggered back, a hand flying up to my mouth in shock. Damon had lost his wolf. This was impossible for me to comprehend― Damon was one of the most powerful werewolves I knew. How could everything that made him the imposing alpha he was be stripped away from him just like that?

What was going to happen to him afterward?

"Are you sure?" I asked desperately. "Could it be a mistake?"

If I was distraught, Blaise was nearly hysterical at the thought of his twin being transformed into an ordinary human. Panic flared through the bond, and I could sense Blaise’s mind shattering at the realization as he cycled through disbelief and denial.

"No, no this cannot be," Blaise muttered under his breath, shaking his head repeatedly as his breath came out in quick pants. He grabbed at Nicole’s shoulders, shaking her rough enough that she let out tiny gasps of pain.

"Blaise, let go―"

"Nicole, are you sure you’ve checked properly? Maybe his wolf is just sleeping. Or it could be blood loss. Or poison; have you drained all of it from him―" Blaise wanted to continue, but Kaine stepped out from the door behind Nicole and cleared his throat.

"Beta Blaise, please let go of my mate."

Kaine could have pried Blaise’s hands away from him, but I guessed he wanted to respect the pack hierarchy, especially when the world he knew had all but turned upside down. I had never seen Kaine look so discomfited before; his hair was a mess, and tiredness was etched in every line of his face. He seemed to have aged a decade since I last saw him.

When Blaise seemed to not register his words, I gently pried his hands away, causing him to let out a pained cry.

Nicole gave me a thankful look, before turning to address Blaise.

"Blaise, I assure you I have done everything I possibly can. I’m sorry― this is my incompetence," Nicole choked out, her breath tremulous. "I tried all ways and means but it’s simply too late to salvage the bond― there’s nothing left to build it on! His wolf is gone, and he’s now healing like a human!"

Nicole’s eyes were weary with guilt and grief, the skin on her face pale and wan. I knew how seriously she took her duties as the pack doctor, and how deeply she cared for every member of Fangborne. Nicole would have done anything, including giving up her own life if it meant Damon’s wolf would remain.

"I wouldn’t make such a severe diagnosis if it was not hammered in stone," Nicole said, wiping her tears away with her hands.

"Impossible!" Blaise raged, his eyes bloodshot. "There must be something, we just haven’t found it yet!"

"I agree."

Everyone turned to Darach, and I had nearly forgotten he was still there, privy to everyone’s despair. He had a steely glint in his eyes as he gazed at Nicole, before turning to me.

"Perhaps this situation would have been impossible to resolve in the past, but now we have Harper’s case to study. Since they are mates, it might be possible for the Moon Goddess to do something to fix his bond, for Harper’s sake if not his own."

He continued, "I believe we owe it to Damon Valentine to try before giving up entirely. Miss Nicole, I believe we will eventually find a solution. Don’t despair. You are Fangborne’s only hope out of this mess."

Nicole nodded, calming down at Darach’s words. Even Blaise had managed to gather his senses, even as I could detect the thread of anxiousness that clouded his every thought. More importantly, Darach had brought up a good point― my very existence was proof that a wolfless werewolf could shift when given enough incentive. Perhaps I simply needed to put myself in more danger to trigger Damon’s transformation.

If it meant getting Damon his wolf back, I would be willing to throw myself into a volcano.

Thankfully, Darach’s words had banished the despair that had threatened to overwhelm us. I hoped he didn’t resent me for killing Dahlia. But that was a conversation we would need to have at another time. Damon was more important.

"Can... Can we see him?" I asked. I needed to see him with my own eyes.

"Yes, can we?" Blaise echoed eagerly.

"You may, but he’s still unconscious," Nicole said quietly. "I... I’m afraid of what will happen when he wakes up to find his wolf is gone. We’ll have to find a way to break the news to him gently."

Blaise let out a weak, broken laugh. "You say this like Damon wouldn’t figure it out the moment he opened his eyes. My brother is very in tune with his wolf, and losing it would destroy him."

"There’s also the issue of pack leadership," Kaine’s low voice interrupted the earlier discussion. "If he has no wolf..." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Kaine’s voice trailed off, but it was too clear what he was going to say.

If Damon had no wolf, then he could not be Fangborne’s Alpha.

"I’ll... I’ll take over his duties temporarily until he gets better," Blaise said determinedly. "And he will get better, mark my words. For now, we’ll keep this news between us. No one is to know about Damon’s true condition until we have resolved it."

Kaine nodded.

"Of course he will get better," Darach chimed in. "No offense to you people, but Damon Valentine is singularly the most annoying werewolf I have had the misfortune to meet. He won’t go down without a fight. Knowing him, he’s probably going to recover his wolf using sheer willpower so that he can mock me for not being able to do the same."

A laugh burbled out of me. The situation Darach painted with his words was so ridiculous, but I desperately wanted it to come true. Nicole also gave Darach a small smile.

"I hope so too. Thank you for not gloating about Damon’s situation."

Darach’s face turned solemn. "After going through a forced separation with my wolf, I would not wish this on my worst enemy. I would rather wish Damon Valentine to permanently develop erectile dysfunction for the rest of his life than to want him to lose his wolf for good."

"That’ll warm his heart," Blaise said. "Maybe the both of you can actually be friends in this lifetime."

"Don’t push your luck," Darach said, a look of utter disgust on his face. "I’ll leave him to you guys. I need to go back to Thunderstrike now. Let me know if there’s any development in the case?"

"Of course," I agreed, and as Darach turned to leave, I could only suck in a deep breath and open the infirmary door.

It was time to see what had become of Damon.