Chapter 132: Her wolf is waking up

Dorian unlocked the door and pulled it open just enough to block the threshold with his broad frame. He glared at the small crowd assembled in the hallway.

Nina stood at the front with her medical bag, but Pandora, Anthony, and Henna were hovering behind her, their expressions taut with anxiety.

"Dorian, what’s happening?" Anthony asked worriedly. "Is Alyssa okay?"

"We’re just worried," Pandora added. "Is she sick?"

Dorian’s mind was still reeling from the unmistakable sound that had echoed from the bathroom seconds prior; it was a sound that had defined his entire life.

Bones snapping, tearing and expanding, then reshaping. If his instincts were correct, he wouldn’t find his wife waiting in that tub. He would find a Lycan. And until he knew whether she was lucid or feral, he could not allow anyone, not even his own sister or best friend, to set foot inside the room.

He opened the door just wide enough for Nina to slip through. When Pandora made a move to follow, he stopped her.

"Not now, Pandora," he said, shaking his head firmly. "Only Nina."

"Dorian, please!" Pandora pleaded desperately. "Something is obviously wrong. Let us help. Jake and Alec haven’t returned yet, and Henna and I are sick with worry. What is happening in there?"

"Give me a few minutes," Dorian maintained. "Alyssa is fine. She just has a fever, and I need Nina to examine her."

Before Pandora could argue further, he stepped back, slammed the door shut, and turned the key again. Then he turned around to find Nina watching him with wide, wary eyes, her medical kit clutched in one hand.

"Alpha, what happened?" she asked. "Why are your trousers drenched?"

Dorian locked his gaze onto the closed bathroom door, his face carved into a cold, unreadable mask. "Whatever you see in that bathroom, I need you to keep an open mind. Am I clear?"

Nina stared at the bathroom door, then back at Dorian’s deadpan expression. The wariness in her face quickly curdled into fear.

"You are scaring me, Alpha," she breathed. "What is wrong with the Queen?"

Dorian didn’t answer. Instead, he led the way to the bathroom. His pulse hammered against his ribs, driven not by fear, but by an overwhelming anxiety over what lay behind the door.

He reached out, grabbed the knob, and pushed the door wide. Suddenly, he froze. The sight inside the tub knocked the air clean out of his lungs.

Nina stepped up beside him, caught sight of the figure resting in the tub, and let out a horrified shriek.

"Goddess above!" she gasped, clutching her chest. "What... what is that?"

Lying inside the tub, Alyssa had partially shifted. A thick, silky coat of dark and red fur covered her shoulders, arms, and upper torso, stopping just beneath her throat. Her hands had lengthened into razor-sharp, silver claws that hung limply over the edge of the tub.

The lower half of her body remained in her human form, though her blue gown had been shredded by the sudden shifting.

She lay on her side, her head resting against the curved edge of the tub, sound asleep. The pain that had tortured her minutes ago were gone, replaced by a serene stillness.

Dorian slowly turned to Nina, who was staring at the tub in absolute terror.

"I know this is terrifying, Nina," he spoke gently, though his voice was laced with underlying authority. "But I need you to pull yourself together."

"I... I am trying," Nina stammered, her eyes wide as Dorian crouched beside the tub and placed a palm against Alyssa’s forehead.

He looked back up at the healer. "The fever is gone."

Nina stood paralyzed. She had witnessed partial Lycan shifts in seasoned warriors during battle, but she had never seen anything like this. She had never seen claws that gleamed like pure silver.

"Nina!" Dorian snapped sharply, pulling her out of her trance. "Pull yourself together."

Forcing a deep breath into her lungs, Nina slowly let it out, steadying her trembling hands. "Right. Move her... bring her to the bed."

Dorian leaned over the tub, carefully gathering Alyssa’s half-shifted form into his arms. Water dripped from her fur as he pressed her against his chest, carrying her into the bedroom. She felt light and frail, letting out a soft sigh as he moved her.

He laid her gently over the bed. Nina immediately moved to the bedside, pulling a syringe and diagnostic vials from her bag.

She leaned over the bed, reaching out with hesitant fingers to pull down Alyssa’s lower eyelid. The moment her eyes landed on the full-blown, glowing red pupil beneath, she flinched and snatched her hand back.

Dorian offered no explanation. He stood at the edge of the bed, cold, stoic, and unmoving.

Silence settled over the room as Nina drew a little of Alyssa’s blood and ran a quick diagnostic test using her kit.

After an hour had passed, Nina capped her instruments, pulled the sheets over Alyssa’s chest, and looked up at Dorian.

"Her wolf is waking up," she said.

Dorian had already drawn that conclusion. The excruciating pain and partial shift were clear evidence, but he needed her confirmation.

"Elaborate," he commanded flatly.

"There is little to elaborate on, Alpha," Nina sighed, rubbing her temples. "She is not wolfless as the pack was led to believe."

"I’m aware she’s not wolfless," Dorian replied. "She’s a Lycan."

"I see," Nina nodded. "That explains the extreme physiological trauma. Until her Lycan fully breaks through and completes a full shift, she will continue to endure these episodes of fever and agony."

"Why?" Dorian demanded. "Why is her body tearing itself apart?"

"Because her Lycan has been forcibly dormant for years," Nina explained softly. "Now that the bond is snapping open, the beast is forcing its way out. The physical agony will only cease once she’s able to fully shift."

She met his cold eyes squarely. "Whatever kept her wolf suppressed all these years is wearing off. And the next wave will hurt far more than this one."

"How do I stop the pain?"

"Standard narcotics might dull the edge slightly," Nina answered. "But they will not stop the shift. The only cure is her full transformation."

Dorian sighed heavily. He had a dozen more questions, but he held his tongue.

Nina began packing her equipments back into her kit. Halfway through, she paused, letting out a sigh as she raised her eyes to him. "I cannot pretend to be ignorant, Alpha..."

"She’s a Hybrid," Dorian cut in smoothly, sparing her the hesitation. There was no sense in delaying the inevitable.

Nina went completely rigid, her hands freezing over her leather bag, her breath catching in her throat.

"Dylan confirmed it weeks ago when she was in the hospital," Dorian continued. "Aside from Dylan, only Jake knows. And now you. So swear to me that it will remain between us until I decide to reveal it."

Nina was pale with shock. She slowly turned her gaze back to the bed, looking at the sleeping, fragile girl who possessed the bloodline of the very monsters that had once brought the kingdom to its knees.

Like almost everyone in Wintercrest, Nina carried deep, unhealed scars from the last war with the Onyx, Hybrids, and soulless rogues. She had lost her mate and her younger sister, a nightmare that still haunted her sleep.

Without another word to Dorian, she snapped her bag shut, bowed deeply, and hurried out of the room.

Dorian watched the door click shut behind her. He knew Nina’s loyalty to the crown was absolute, but he had seen the grief in her eyes.

Setting those concerns aside for the moment, he looked back at his half-shifted wife sleeping on the bed.

He had to take her away from the mansion tonight, before anyone else discovered her half-shifted state.