Wolves of Alverton

Chapter 20

I began to panic. Austin grabbed my hand reassuringly, but he had very little energy left to give.

"What do you mean there's no cure?" Jet fumed. "I thought you said you could fix this." Darryl looked down at his feet. I began to calm down, but I was still scared. Darryl looked at me and then spoke.

"I meant to say that there is no simple cure, at least not one that we can obtain with cash." Jet looked at his father with a curious and inquisitive expression. "The cure is a little complicated and, to be honest, a little risky." Jet looked at me in a way that seemed to ask if I wanted him to go on, so I nodded.

"Proceed," said Jet.

"The cure requires one of us to transform," said Darryl. The boys looked shocked, and a bit worried. "In order to cure Brooke, we must take wolf form and provoke her. We have to get her worked up so she can progress in the transformation process. Once she is just about to transform, whoever takes wolf form must bite her forearm where her veins are darkest. Doing this will cause her body to release all of the toxins that are contained in wolfsbane. If it is done incorrectly, Brooke will finish the transformation process, and die." Jet and Austin looked at each other nervously. They looked at me, and I felt like I was going to be sick.

Darryl crossed his arms and looked at me sympathetically. He knelt down to my level and looked me in the eyes. "Brooke, you don't have to do this if you don't want to. If you wait a little more than a week until the full moon, your body could possibly cure itself, but you'd have to stay home in case you progress further." I looked at Darryl with cold, dead eyes and I said,

"Just get it over with." he looked at me and then at the boys. He nodded and left the room. I sat up and Jet took a seat next to Austin on the end of my bed. I stared at them and gave them a small nod. Jet helped me out of bed and down onto the floor. I leaned against the side of the bed and Jet looked at Austin. I was beginning to feel weak, and my stomach was churning at the thought of losing my life over an allergic reaction. I knew this was an impossible decision that I had placed on the two boys, but there was no guarantee that the full moon would heal me. There was always a chance I could die, but at least this option gave me control of my own death. I would rather die at the hands of my pack than by the will of the full moon.

"You do it," Jet muttered to Austin. I could hear Austin's heart rate increase as the words left Jet's lips. His eyes were filled with remorse, but I knew that he would do his best.

"I'm sorry, Brooke," he uttered. He dropped his gaze from me, and everything fell silent. I could hear the blood rushing through the veins in my own body. He got down on all fours and took the form of a wolf. Austin snarled at me, with his yellow eyes staring directly into mine. I began to panic as the reality of the situation hit me. I felt all the usual pre-transformation feelings to their fullest extent. As I reached what I presumed was the top of my progression, Jet leapt across the room and took the form of a wolf. He pushed Austin aside and bit my arm just above my wrist. Austin meekly stood up and cowered at the sight. I screamed and writhed in pain as Jet let his teeth seep into my darkened veins. My cries echoed throughout the house as I felt a burning sensation surrounding Jet's bite. As I cried out in pain, Austin walked over to me and let me grip onto his fur as I attempted to ease my pain. Warm tears streamed down my cheeks, dripping one by one onto Austin's soft coat. After a few minutes, Jet released his piercing grip on my arm and began to lick my wounds. I eased my grip on Austin's mane and panted heavily. I had never felt a more excruciating pain in my life, and I felt as though all my energy had been drained from my body.

Jet continued to lick my arm as Austin licked my cheek reassuringly. Austin put his head under my arm and laid in my lap, as Jet finished cleaning my wound. After sitting for a few minutes, I looked at my arm that was resting on Austin's mane and watched as my dark veins receded, and I looked out as my vision blurred slightly before returning to normal. Darryl opened the door and peeked into the room. Austin looked up at Darryl, and then back at me. I nodded, and he became human. Darryl walked over to Jet and rubbed his son's head. Jet stopped licking my arm and looked up at his father. Darryl nodded, and Jet became human. Darryl looked at my arm and noticed the bite mark. He whispered something to Austin, and he left the room.