Our attention all turned to Damon, who had his jaw clenched so tightly that his veins were visible just beneath his skin. He kept his gaze firmly on Kyle, a million thoughts running through his head. Even his emotions were moving like a whirlwind, not stopping for even a second on one thought, and quickly moving to the next.

Of those emotions, I felt doubt and a sliver of hope. His fear was also prominent, and I could see it in the subtle way his eyebrows were furrowed and the manner his fists were clenched firmly together.

"Let’s go home," he suddenly said, his low voice cutting through the thick tension. Without saying another word, he turned and headed back in the direction where the car was parked.

"Is he alright?" Kyle asked, standing up to his full height right as Darach’s security team came over with a towel for him to wrap himself in. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"I doubt it," Nicole replied with a sigh. "The odds might be in his favor, but for now, it’s not a hundred percent chance of success. He is no doubt worried about how things will turn out in his case."

We shared a look with one another but said nothing more, choosing to return to the lab to retrieve the necessary materials before meeting Damon back where the car was parked. Surprisingly, Darach was already there, waiting.

He and Damon were silent, none speaking a word as they stood with their backs facing each other. Each of them treated the other as though they were air, and it would’ve been an amusing sight if I wasn’t practically bouncing off the walls at the possibility of the serum returning Damon’s full strength.

"All settled?" I asked Darach once we approached.

He straightened up and brightened at my words, nodding as he looked into the distance where Thunderstrike’s borders were.

"Milo and the rest of my men have escorted my father out of Thunderstrike’s territory. He will be a rogue with no home unless a neighboring pack is kind enough to take him in."

"Aren’t you worried that he will return for revenge?" Kyle asked, raising an eyebrow. He adjusted the collar of his shirt― a piece of clothing that the members of Thunderstrike had kindly loaned him.

Darach shrugged. "I’ve considered the possibility."

"It isn’t a mere possibility at this point," Damon finally said with a snort. Using his foot, he propelled himself to his full height, his arms folded across his chest as he stared at Darach as though he was a court jester performing for the king. "Thorton Elrod will come back for you the moment he is capable enough to. You should’ve taken his wolf, or better yet, killed him off before he came back to kill you. Again."

"I am not you," Darach coldly replied, the expression in his eyes cool and frosty the moment he turned to look at Damon. "Not everything has to end with death."

"For now," Damon said with a cruel and mocking smirk. "When you have warmed your seat enough as the alpha of Thunderstrike, you will understand that sometimes, death is a mercy. Any loose ends must be weeded out, or it will be your neck they will be after."

Without another word, Damon entered the car, violently slamming himself into the driver’s seat before slamming the doors shut. He revved the engine and looked pointedly out of the window, impatient.

"Thank you for the equipment and assistance, Alpha Darach," Nicole said, patting the small satchel that was slung across her shoulders. Her fingers curled around the handles of the briefcase which held part of her research. "The serum couldn’t have been perfected without you."

"That somehow feels like a lie," Darach jokingly replied. "But thank you, Nicole."

"But we failed," Nicole said, blinking a couple of times in confusion. "You didn’t shift."

"I didn’t," Darach confirmed with a nod. "But I feel it― my wolf is there. It’s back. And like I said, that’s enough."

Nicole’s eyes slightly watered at his words. She nodded once firmly, raising her hands to wipe at her eyes. "I promise to continue researching a way to bring your wolf back," she said. "One day."

Darach smiled and nodded, but said nothing more.

We said our thanks and goodbyes, and in no time — and much to Damon’s relief — we were on the road back to Fangborne. Thunderstrike grew smaller and smaller in the distance until its borders were no longer visible. In what felt like forever, we returned home, and Blaise was right there waiting for us.

"Like we promised," I said the moment we stepped out of the car. I soared straight into Blaise’s open arms, allowing him to spin me around before peppering kisses on my cheeks. "Back within a couple of days."

"Feels like forever," Blaise said, nuzzling his face against the top of my head. "How’s the serum? Did it work?"

"It did," Kyle said excitedly, practically jumping out of the car, his face flushed pink with joy. "Doctor Nicole managed to―"

"I need a shower," Damon said, rudely cutting in. He knocked his shoulder against Blaise just slightly as he walked past him and into the mansion, not sparing his brother even a backward glance.

Blaise and I shared a look of confusion, then he turned to Nicole, his eyebrows furrowed and forehead wrinkled.

"Did it..."

"Damon didn’t use the serum," Nicole explained with a sigh and a shake of her head.

"He’s afraid," I quietly added. "It didn’t fully work on Darach."

We fully recounted the events to Blaise, and with each new added detail, Blaise’s expression seemingly turned darker and darker. At the end of the story, he turned back to look at where Damon had disappeared, exhaling loudly.

"He’s worried that it will fail on him like it did with Darach," Nicole continued. She then held out one final syringe, still full with the serum inside. "Here," she said. "This was meant for Damon, but he never got the chance to administer it."

"He had the chance," Blaise said, picking it up from the palm of Nicole’s hand. "He just didn’t want to."

Instead of keeping the syringe, Blaise handed it over to me.

"You keep this, Harper," Blaise said. "Knowing my brother, he will end up regretting his choice. Curiosity will get the better of him."

My fingers curled around the small clear tube. Then, I looked up at Blaise, my lips pursed together tightly in determination.

"I’ll find you later," I said. "There’s somewhere I need to be."