Demonic Regime

Chapter 34: Growing Up

"I guess I'm supposed to lecture you about what you did," said my grandpa.

I shrugged with a sigh. "Uncle Andreas did already. He yelled at me, and I have detention hours I have to serve before the end of the semester." I sipped from my milkshake.

He handed me my bag of food as we sat on the hood of the car.

"Looks like Andreas is finally living up to the rank," chuckled my grandpa. "I doubt he yelled too much."

Unwrapping my burger, I shrugged again. "A stern lecture is more like it. My parents did most of the yelling. Though, it was them mostly panicking that I might have been hurt."

"I can see that." He peered over the city. "The brat deserved it. Harass my grandson again, and he'll get more than a couple of scratches."

I smiled to myself. "I think my parents wanted us to talk more about responsibility and the danger of toxins."

He took a big bite. "They're dangerous and be responsible. There you go."

Sucking in my lips, I munched on some of my fries. "I won't do it again if that makes you feel better."

"A bit, but if they deserve it, they deserve it."

I scoffed before starting to laugh. "I was so nervous for no reason. I was worried I disappointed everyone." I picked at the seeds on my bun.

"We've all done it. Alphas do it more than anyone. Who do you think is doing all the punishments? It's not the beta. I'll tell you that much."

We ate in silence. I crumbled up my wrappers and tossed them in the bag.

"I found something for shifting." He took a deep breath. "It's going to take some time to get your parents to agree to it, and I don't know if it'll be permanent."

I swallowed hard. "What is it?"

"A drug we stopped using. It forces unmated humans to shift. The effects last a month, but it's very painful. Humans have died from it, so we stop using it. Wolfsbane uses it on all the human-borns that a high upper wants to mate. They want to check first and make sure they know what they're getting." He shifted in his weight. "They used it on Jax's brother."

My eyes grew wide. "The werewolf killer?"

He nodded. "They needed to know beforehand what Axil would be getting since he is the beta."

"They're mated now. He's red with white." I touched my hand.

"Axil got what he wanted," my grandpa replied plainly. "A handful, just what he deserves."

"Grandpa." I arched a brow. "What are we then?"

"A handful," he laughed. "A huge handful, and I'm proud of it." He messed up my hair. "As should you. You're going to be red. Werewolf blood decided this hair of yours, so you have nothing to worry about. I doubt we'll have any surprises."

I clutched my drink with both hands. "Do you think my parents would ever let me?"

"I'm working on it. For now, let's keep it between us. They'd put an end to our outings if they thought I was trying to convince you to do something dangerous."

"But as a werewolf, it wouldn't affect me as much as a human."

"It's going to hurt, Rue." He turned to me. "Your body isn't used to the process of shifting. It will hurt."

"I still want to do it."

He nodded. "I knew you would. I'll keep working on convincing your parents and Andreas. You worry about school and getting ready for swim season. It's going to be you and me all season long."