"Why are you the brother that showed up?" Darach lamented with a groan the moment we arrived at Thunderstrike. "Shouldn’t you be having the time of your life exploring the world now that you’re not tied down with leadership duties?"

"And what better way is there to live life than to annoy you?" Damon quipped back, whistling a merry tune under his breath as he helped me out of the car. He leaned against the door, shooting Darach a coy smirk as he watched Darach’s eyelid twitch in annoyance.

"That’s it," Darach said through gritted teeth. "Milo, I want to ban―"

"You cannot, Alpha Darach," Milo calmly replied, not even batting an eyelid. "They are here as guests to help with the recovery of your wolf. You were the one who invited them over, remember?"

"It’s good to see you again, Darach," I said with a laugh, coming over to offer him a hug.

Damon growled from behind, quickly reaching forward to tug me back to his side the moment Darach and I parted, earning him a roll of Darach’s eyes and a snort.

"It is good to see you again, Harper," Darach said, smiling at me as he blatantly ignored Damon. "You too, Nicole, Kyle."

This time, it was Damon’s turn to roll his eyes, though he said nothing more.

"Please lead us to your father, Alpha Darach," Nicole said, stepping forward. She heaved her trunk of essential tools with her, tucking her hair behind her ear as she smiled brightly in response. "We don’t have time to waste. I can’t guarantee that the other Valentine brother won’t dash here immediately if we don’t go back soon."

"Of course," Darach replied with a laugh. "I am not planning on hosting a party for the entirety of Fangborne, that’s for sure. This way."

We followed Darach down a fairly brightly lit path that eventually led into the woods. It was dark and a short distance away from the main mansion, eventually leading towards a small stone building that was tucked away. Security personnel guarded the only entrance that led in or out, and when Darach appeared, they dutifully stepped aside for him to pass.

"We’ve tidied the area for you, Doctor Nicole," Milo said as he and Darach led us down the stairs and into an underground area.

The pathway was dark and moist, water dripping from the crevices. Moss lined some of the tiles, making the steps extra slippery and dangerous if anyone wasn’t careful. Perhaps it was a tactic to prevent prisoners from escaping. After all, only a fool would dare run on these stairs.

"Our preliminary examinations have created a formula that you might find useful in your research," Milo explained. "It is a little difficult to transport it over to Fangborne, unfortunately, and would require your assistance here."

"Besides, it would be better to test its usefulness on a prisoner rather than a good member of your pack," Darach said with a scoff. "That is all my father is useful for nowadays."

I exchanged a look with Nicole, who merely pinched her lips tightly together.

"Are you sure about that, Darach?" I hesitantly asked. "He’s still your father, after all."

"Yes," Darach said. "He is indeed the man who offered his sperm so that I could be in this world. But no, he hasn’t been a proper father, and I see that now after his latest attempt at my life."

Even though there was hardly any ventilation in these dark hallways, I couldn’t help but shiver as though a cold breeze had just run across my skin. Darach’s voice was frosty, hardened by the disappointment in his family time and time again.

"Perhaps if I didn’t have the poison, I could’ve actually died in his hands this time," Darach said, speaking as though he was merely listing out the foods he had for breakfast earlier.

"You give yourself too little credit," Milo said quietly. He then glanced at us briefly before turning his eyes back onto the road ahead of us. "Even with Thorton Elrod shifted, Darach put up a good fight."

"I wouldn’t have lasted if it came to stamina; if he hadn’t been so impatient, he could’ve easily worn me down and I would’ve been defenseless after," Darach plainly said. "This is why it’s so important to get this serum right, and if you do succeed," he looked to Nicole, "I will owe you everything."

We stopped in front of a large metal door, guarded by two warriors. They bowed upon seeing us, and proceeded to unlock the door, pushing it open. Inside, the bright lights reflected off the white walls, practically blinding us after having walked through the gloomy stairwell. It smelled faintly like antiseptic, the scent of bleach lingering on the walls inside.

Damon let out a low whistle as he examined the room, slowly stepping in.

"This is neater than I thought," he commented.

"Of course," Darach said with a roll of his eyes. "We’re not savages."

Nicole and Kyle followed after, with Milo leading the way, Darach and I walking furthest at the back. Milo began to explain and introduce each room within this area, gesturing to a particular door made of silver, tucked in a secluded corner.

"Thorton Elrod is locked behind there," Milo explained. "The door is made of five inches of silver and requires special gloves for a werewolf to unlock."

"Fascinating," Damon muttered under his breath, walking away from us and towards the door to examine it closer.

"If he lost his wolf, silver wouldn’t be able to keep him at bay," Kyle pointed out. "How is that useful, in that case?"

"The poison we administered wasn’t in its final phase, and thankfully so," Milo explained. "We weren’t able to fully replicate whatever it was that the vampires had given you, and instead, this version was able to destroy his connection with his wolf, but not entirely sever his wolf qualities."

"That means he still retains his senses, strength, and dexterity in his human form," Darach said. "But that unfortunately also includes his weakness against silver and wolfsbane."

"There’s a different sample that you might wish to see," Milo said to Nicole, gesturing to the row of tables where a few men and women in lab coats hovered around. "We are now in the final stages of developing the poison the vampires used against Kyle, and this is most likely accurate, given the blood samples you have provided."

"Show me," Nicole eagerly said, and she quickly tottered off with Milo, Kyle in tow.

That left Darach and I alone.

"Darach..." I started to say, inhaling deeply before exhaling as I turned to look at him. Darach raised an eyebrow, confused, but patiently waited for me to continue. "Listen... Regarding Dahlia..."