Chapter 236

Ava

Chris’s fingers trembled slightly as he inserted the flash drive into his laptop. The three of us huddled around the screen, our breaths held in anticipation.

After a moment, the files that Patrick had copied popped up on the screen. There had to have been dozens of folders, maybe even well over a hundred at the very least.

“Where do we even start?” I whispered, feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information that was staring back at us.

Patrick leaned in, his eyes scanning the screen intently. “Try searching for the keyword ‘Leonard’ to start.”

Chris nodded, typing the keyword into the search bar. After a couple of moments, a new page popped up, this time with significantly fewer files and folders. He began clicking through folders, scanning various documents; old health physicals from previous years that contained nothing more than data, then more recent scans of his lungs and the doctor’s notes, and then…

“Wait, what’s that?” I asked, pointing.

A folder labeled ‘Special Prescriptions’ caught our attention. Chris double-clicked, and a series of documents appeared, each more alarming than the last.

“Oh my Goddess,” I breathed as we began to read, my eyes widening with each line.

The files detailed a nightly routine that sent chills down my spine: Elise delivering small batches of an unnamed medication to the doctor, who then administered it to Leonard the next day.

The medication was supposedly the one that was used to treat his illness, but something about it felt terribly wrong—because, in the notes that followed, Leonard’s conditions always worsened…

Mere hours after taking the medication.

“I thought the doctor said the medication helped with his symptoms,” I breathed.

“It did. Look.” Patrick pointed, and I followed his finger.

“‘Patient shows signs of temporarily improved strength and appetite for approximately thirty minutes following administering,’” I read out loud. “‘However, following those thirty minutes, the patient is weaker than before. Currently studying the costs vs. benefits of administering this medication.’”

“‘But, as per Elder Elise’s strict instructions, I will continue to administer the medication for now,’” Chris finished.

The implications hit us all like a knife in the belly. The doctor seemed fairly innocent in this, merely following orders from his Elder. But…

“Why would Elise be so involved in Leonard’s treatment?” Chris muttered. “And why would she insist on administering a medication that just makes him weaker in the long run?”

I shook my head. “This doesn’t make sense. She’s not a doctor. Why is she supplying medication? And where the hell is it coming from?”

Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine as the possibilities started to sink in. I turned slowly, my wide eyes meeting Chris’s. “We need to test that medication. Now.”

Chris was already on his feet. “Let’s go. Leonard’s house, now.”

We raced out of the cottage without a moment’s hesitation. The streets were empty, our footsteps echoing loudly as we ran through the deserted village. As we approached Leonard’s cottage after what felt far too long, our footsteps slowed, and we paused, shooting each other wary looks.

Something felt wrong, as though there was something in the air, something thick and heavy.

We were halfway up the path when a blood-curdling scream splintered the night, followed by the sound of shattering glass.

“Ophelia!” I gasped, my heart leaping into my throat.

Without hesitation, Chris kicked in the door with a resounding crash. We burst into chaos, the scene in front of us like something out of a nightmare.

The cottage was in shambles, looking more like a war zone than a home. Furniture was overturned, shards of glass strewn across the floor. And there, in the center of it all, was Ophelia: cowering in a corner, her face twisted with terror.

“Chris! Ava!” Ophelia shrieked. “Help me! He’s gone mad!”

She pointed, and we followed her shaking finger; Leonard was standing in the bedroom doorway.

But this wasn’t the kind, gentle Leonard that we knew and loved. His eyes were wild and unfocused, filled with a primal rage. Foam dripped from his bared fangs, and his claws were fully extended. He was snarling so loudly, so harshly, that it almost seemed to vibrate the walls of the cottage.

“Leonard!” Chris shouted, trying to draw his attention away from Ophelia. “It’s us! Snap out of it!”

Leonard’s head snapped toward us, but his eyes didn’t seem to show any recognition—almost as though he were so out of it that he didn’t even know who he was, let alone who we were.

Then, with a roar that sounded more beast than man, he lunged at Chris.

Chris met him halfway, grappling with the enraged Beta. Their bodies collided with a sickening thud, the force of it sending them crashing into the remnants of the coffee table. I rushed to Ophelia, pulling her away from the fray.

“What happened?” I asked urgently, checking her for injuries. Her arms were covered in scratches, and a nasty bruise was forming on her cheek, but she was okay.

Ophelia was sobbing, her words coming out in broken gasps. “I don’t... I don’t know. He took his medicine and then... then he just... changed. It was like he didn’t even know me anymore.”

Another crash drew our attention back to the fight. Chris had Leonard pinned against the wall, but Leonard’s strength was shocking. Despite his frail form, he was matching Chris blow for blow, his feral state seemingly giving him some sort of enhanced strength.

“Leonard, stop!” Chris grunted, narrowly avoiding a swipe of claws that left deep gouges in the wall behind his head. “It’s us! It’s Chris! Your Alpha!”

But Leonard’s face showed no signs of comprehension or recognition. His attacks were relentless, mindless, driven by a feral rage I had never seen before. He broke free from Chris’s hold with ease, spinning around to deliver a powerful kick that sent Chris flying across the room.

“We have to help him!” Patrick yelled, extending his own claws and jumping into the fray.

I spotted Leonard’s medication on the nightstand, which had been knocked over in the chaos. “The medicine!” I shouted, lunging for it. If this was the cause of Leonard’s state, we needed to secure it.

Just as my fingers closed around the bottle, Leonard broke free from Chris’s hold. He spun, his wild eyes locking onto me. Time seemed to slow as he charged, his fangs bared and ready to strike.

Chris’s roar filled the room as he tackled Leonard mid-leap. They crashed into the bedroom, a tangle of limbs and snarls. The sound of splintering wood and shattering glass filled the air as they grappled, neither gaining the upper hand.

“Chris!” I screamed, racing to the doorway. The bedroom was destroyed, the bed overturned and the dresser in splinters. Chris and Leonard were locked in a deadly grapple, fists and claws flying. Leonard was out for blood.

Finally, with one last burst of strength, Patrick grabbed Leonard from behind and Chris managed to get his footing. Together, they shoved Leonard fully into the room. They slammed the door shut, their backs pressed against it as Leonard pounded from the other side. The wood creaked precariously, and even the strength of two men could hardly keep the door shut.

“Ava, the chair!” Chris grunted, straining to keep the door closed. Blood trickled from a gash on his forehead, and his shirt was in tatters.

I grabbed a nearby chair and quickly wedged it under the doorknob. It wouldn’t hold for long, but it might buy us some time. The door shuddered with each of Leonard’s impacts, the chair groaning under the strain.

Finally, after a few moments, Leonard’s growls subsided—almost as though he had forgotten we were here now that he was alone. Although I could hear him pacing in the other room, soft snarls echoing in the sudden silence.

Chris slumped against the door, panting heavily. His shirt was torn to shreds, and I could see claw marks on his arms that were, thankfully, already beginning to heal.

“What the hell was that?” Patrick asked, his voice trembling.

Ophelia stumbled over to us, her face streaked with tears and her hair matted with blood. “I don’t understand. He took his medication, but then he kept taking it, and taking it, saying that it wasn’t helping enough. I tried to cut him off, but when I grabbed the bottle…”

She shook her head, swallowing hard as she slumped onto a nearby chair. “I tried to take it from him, but he went crazy. Feral. Like he was… possessed.”

I looked down at the bottle in my hand, my mind racing with possibilities. When I lifted my gaze, I saw Chris, too, staring at the bottle with wide eyes.

And in that moment, I knew we were thinking the same thing. This was no mere medicine. This was…

“Moonbite,” we said in unison.