I jolt awake to the sound of screaming.
Heart pounding, I leap out of bed. The agonized howl echoing through the pack house sends chills down my spine. I recognize that voice instantly.
"Marcus," I whisper, dread settling in my gut.
I dash into the hallway, nearly crashing into Liam. His eyes are wild, hair a mess. For a moment, our complicated history fades away, overshadowed by the crisis at hand.
"Skye," he says tightly. "It's spreading."
We race to Marcus's room together. The door's already open, with Jake and other pack members crowded around. They part as I approach, fear and confusion etched on their faces.
What I see inside stops me cold.
Marcus is writhing on the bed, his body twisting unnaturally. But it's not a shift – it's something else entirely. His fur is receding, claws shrinking into normal fingernails. The change is excruciatingly slow, each transformation accompanied by another scream.
"What's happening to him?" someone whispers behind me.
I wish I knew.
Marcus's pain-filled eyes find mine. "Alpha," he gasps. "Help me!"
I'm at his side in a flash, grabbing his hand. It feels wrong – too soft, too human. "I'm here, Marcus. We'll figure this out."
Even as I say it, I know I'm out of my depth. This isn't a normal illness or injury. It's something else entirely.
"Liam," I call over my shoulder. "Get the pack healer. Now!"
He takes off, leaving me to handle the growing panic in the room.
"Everyone out," I order, my Alpha voice leaving no room for argument. "Jake, you stay."
As the others file out, throwing worried glances at Marcus, I turn to my beta. "We need to contain this. Post guards at every entrance. No one leaves or enters until we know what we're dealing with."
Jake nods grimly. "You think it's contagious?"
"I don't know," I admit. "But we can't risk it."
Marcus cries out again, arching off the bed. I watch in horror as the last of his wolf features vanish, leaving behind a fully human form. His eyes flutter open, unfocused and confused.
"S-Skye?" he mumbles. "What's going on? I feel... wrong."
Before I can answer, Liam returns with our healer, Nora. She pushes past me, immediately examining Marcus.
"How long has he been like this?" she demands.
"It started maybe ten minutes ago," I reply. "Nora, what is this? Some kind of curse?"
She shakes her head, frustration clear on her face. "I've never seen anything like it. It's as if... as if his wolf has been stripped away completely."
The implications hit me like a punch to the gut. A werewolf without their wolf isn't just vulnerable – they're incomplete. For many of us, it's a fate worse than death.
"Can you fix it?" Liam asks, voicing what we're all thinking.
Nora hesitates. "I... I don't know. I need time to research, to check my books. But Skye, if this is what I think it is..."
"What?" I press. "Nora, tell me."
She meets my gaze, fear evident in her eyes. "There are old stories, legends really, of a curse that could turn werewolves human. But they were just that – stories. No one's seen anything like this in centuries."
The room falls silent, her words hanging heavy in the air. I look at Marcus, now unconscious but no longer in pain. Then to Jake, worry etched on his face. And finally to Liam, the mate I rejected, whose return has complicated everything.
"Alright," I say, steeling myself. I can't show weakness now. "We treat this like the threat it is. Jake, full lockdown of the compound. No one shifts until we know more. Liam, reach out to your contacts. See if any other packs have seen something similar. Nora, hit the books. I want answers, and I want them yesterday."
They nod, moving to carry out my orders. As they leave, I'm left alone with Marcus, the weight of our situation settling on my shoulders.
A curse that turns werewolves human. It's unthinkable. Yet the evidence lies before me, pale and vulnerable in a way no werewolf should ever be.
I close my eyes, reaching for my wolf's comforting presence. She's there, a warm, familiar weight in my mind. But for how long? If this curse can affect Marcus, none of us are safe.
A soft knock pulls me from my thoughts. It's Liam, his face grim.
"Skye," he says quietly. "There's something you need to see."
I follow him to the main hall, where a crowd has gathered. As we approach, they part, revealing a sight that turns my blood to ice.
Five more pack members stand in the center, looking lost and afraid. And undeniably, irrevocably human.
"It's spreading," Jake says unnecessarily, coming to stand beside me.
I struggle to keep my face neutral, to project the confidence my pack needs. But inside, I'm screaming. This can't be happening. Not to my pack. Not on my watch.
"Alpha," Sarah, one of the affected wolves, steps forward. "What's going to happen to us?"
I open my mouth to reassure her, to promise we'll fix this. But the words die in my throat as searing pain lances through my body. I double over, gasping.
"Skye!" Liam is at my side instantly, supporting me. "What's wrong?"
I can't speak, can't breathe. The pain is like nothing I've ever felt, worse than any shift or battle wound. It feels like my very essence is being torn apart.
And then, as quickly as it began, it stops. I straighten, panting, aware of every eye in the room on me.
"I'm fine," I manage. "It's nothing."
But Liam's eyes narrow, unconvinced. And as I meet his gaze, I see my own fear reflected back at me.
Because for that brief, terrifying moment, I couldn't feel my wolf at all.