Demonic Regime

Chapter 22: Toxins

"Well, by the looks of everything, I'd say you have a healthy thirteen-year-old," said the doctor. "All this test looks good."

I swung my legs and kept my eyes pointed at the ground. There was one big problem with what he was saying—there was nothing healthy about a werewolf who couldn't shift.

"That's great." My mom squeezed my knee. "Right, Rudy?"

"Hmm..."

The doctor chuckled. "The pup is only interested in one thing. Let me see your hand."

I held it out and he put a device on my fingers. My stomach was fluttering. If I didn't have toxins, I might as well be human. There wouldn't be anything different between them and me. The light flashed green.

He smiled. "As I said, a healthy young pup."

"He has toxins?" asked my mom.

Holding my breath, I waited for his reply.

The doctor nodded. "They're still weak but should fully come in over the next couple of months." He put something over another sensor. "Open."

I did so, and he put the device into my mouth.

"Bit down hard."

My teeth dug into the soft material. The green light flashed again.

"Release." He took the sensor from my mouth and discarded the material. "Alright." Turning in his seat, he faced me. "I've given this speech a few times, but I'm pretty excited to be giving it to you." The doctor smiled. "You have toxins, so with that, you have to be careful. It's harder to inject someone in human form but not impossible. Scratching or biting is going to have the same effect in human form as it does werewolf."

Nodding, I was struggling to sit still. I couldn't stop smiling. "But it's coming in."

"Yes, I think they'll be at full power within the next month or two. So be careful."

I wiped my eyes. "I will."

"Oh, Rudy." My mother hugged me. "See, you're a typical teenage werewolf. I never thought I would be so excited to have a pup with toxins. It can be a nightmare from what I've heard."

"It can be," said the doctor. "Majority of young pups coming to the emergency room have toxin wounds. They can be serious." He eyed me. "You can hurt someone."

"I'll be careful." I took in a deep breath. "I'm just happy to have them."

"I know, Rudy." He marked a few things in my folder. "It's been hard to watch you grow up thinking you might not ever be able to shift. We're going to keep working toward finding a solution. Okay?"

"Thank you."

"Come on." He tapped my leg with the folder. "No more tears. You'd think you were upset to have toxins."

I wiped my face. "I'm not."

"Good, because you can't get rid of them," he laughed. "Alright, I think we should meet again in three months. We can do another toxin test and if they're strong enough, we'll need to collect his healing enzyme so the school infirmary can have them on hand."

My mom took out her phone to look at her calendar. I picked at my fingernails, smiling to myself. I had toxins. I hope they were strong, too.

***

"Dad! I have toxins. The doctor tested me and they're coming in."

My mom tapped my arm. "Seatbelt, Rudy."

Adjusting the phone in my hand, I clicked the buckle into place.

"That's great. Best news I've heard in a long time. I'm happy for you," said my dad. "I think we should go out to dinner to celebrate."