Derrick

Twenty-Two.

THIS IS A SHORT CHAPTER, AND I APOLOGIZE :'D

The bonus chapter yesterday was supposed to be today's update, but I was excited about it and wanted to know what you all thought of it asap. So today's update is short because I had less time to work on it. I'm still happy with it, though, and I hope you like it too :)

This chapter has 1220 words in it, and I'm sorry if there are spelling errors. Thank you SO MUCH for reading!

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The ride took hours. When we arrived, Sebastian opened the doors of the limo and helped me out.

"Are you okay?" He asked. He'd noticed the dried-up tears on my face, and he pulled me into his side as we walked.

"I'm okay," I answered. I mentally cursed my shaky voice. Sebastian held me a little tighter.

Isaac jogged in front of us, and Sebastian let me go.

The house was small and quaint, and the woods around it smelled strangely of ash. I searched for the origin of the scent, but Sebastian lightly tugged my hand. I looked up at him, and he shook his head very slightly as he watched Isaac.

The second limo parked behind ours, and several other people stepped out. Were they the other wolves in the room? Isaac's pack? I noticed one boy with deep auburn hair, and for a split second, fear made my heart pound. His hair was almost the same shade as Derrick's.

Inside, there was a small living room that led to a long hallway. A kitchen was off to the side, separated from the living room by two half-walls. There was no door. A big tv dominated the space, and a comfy-looking couch was positioned in front of it. Two recliners sat on either side of the couch. A wooden coffee table had been placed in front of the seats, with a stack of multi-colored coasters resting in the middle of it.

Isaac turned and looked at us.

"Mind sharing a room?" He asked, looking between us. Shock turned my cheeks a deep pink, and humor sparked in Isaac's eyes.

"We only have one extra bedroom," He explained. He was grinning, enjoying my embarrassment. "I mean, I know Sebastian doesn't sleep, but he probably doesn't want to stay in the living room all day."

"Thank you," Sebastian answered, his voice smooth and polite. Isaac's grin widened and he winked at me.

Sarah touched my shoulder.

"We need to get you fixed up," She said, looking at me meaningfully. Sebastian tensed at my side, and Isaac scratched the back of his neck. It took me a moment to realize that she was talking about the wolf venom.

The ache in my body had completely gone away, and as much as I was grateful for it, I knew it only meant I was that much closer to being a vampire. I nodded.

"Follow me, please." She said. She glanced at Isaac, and he stepped forward.

"Sebastian," He began. "We'll need you to stay here. Is that okay?"

Sebastian's gaze didn't leave my face as he nodded once.

Sarah led me down the small hallway and into a surprisingly big room. Isaac closed the door behind us. Sarah directed me to a cushioned chair as Isaac shuffled around in the drawers of a large metal dresser against the wall.

"This will hurt," She warned.

"Sarah." Isaac snapped.

"What?" She said defensively. "I'd want to know if something was going to hurt."

Isaac appeared in front of me with a needle.

"This won't change any of your...progress so far." He said. "Changed DNA can't exactly be unchanged. But hopefully, it'll stop anything else from changing."

"We want Isaac's venom to clash with Sebastian's," Sarah added. "They'll more than likely cancel each other out."

"What if they don't?" I asked, not exactly wanting an answer. Sarah and Isaac glanced at each other again.

"If the separate venoms don't cancel each other out," Isaac half-whispered. "The newest venom introduced into your system will take effect."

"You'll be a wolf, instead of a vampire." Sarah finished.

"Oh," I murmured.

One change or the other. If their method didn't work, I was changing into something entirely different. But if I didn't do it, I would change into something else, too.

I would change regardless. Unless it worked.

So did I really have a choice?

"You still have a little time," Isaac said. "We don't have to do this today."

"If we don't do it now, more of me won't be me anymore," I argued. We stared at each other for a long moment. His dazzling green eyes shone with hesitation, and I tried for a smile.

"This is what I want," I said. He sighed and nodded. He handed Sarah the needle.

"Whose venom is it?" I asked, morbidly curious.

"Mine," Isaac answered. "Sebastian is strong. We need an equally strong venom to cancel his out. What venom is stronger than an alpha's?"

Sarah gestured toward another chair.

"Go sit," She ordered. Isaac obeyed, keeping his eyes on me.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked me. I swallowed and nodded. She reached up and pulled her hair down. It fell around her shoulders in blonde, curly waves. She held a thick band up.

"I'm going to roll this over your upper arm. When I do, clench your fist as tight as you can, okay?"

"Okay," I said uneasily.

She rolled the rubber band onto my wrist and moved it higher and higher. It tightened as it moved, and when it was in the correct place, a tiny pain echoed through my arm; it was too tight. She nodded at me and I clenched my fist.

It came without warning. I felt the sting of the needle, and very suddenly, the sting was overpowered by a strong, incredibly painful burn. It seared through my arm, only getting hotter as it went. My teeth ground against each other in an effort to keep my mouth shut.

That didn't last long.

When it reached my chest, I couldn't hold back the shout that escaped my lips. At my chest, it got more painful, and I screamed. Isaac appeared at my side and shoved a cloth into my mouth for me to bite.

My teeth went straight through the fabric, as tightly clenched as they were. The cloth didn't provide any comfort, but it did muffle the horrifying sounds coming out of my mouth. Isaac stood in front of me with his hand pressed against his lips, his eyes closed.

This lasted for what seemed like hours. Hours of excruciating pain. I was sure I would die; I wanted to die. Isaac had to keep replacing the cloth in my mouth, and eventually, he was out of them. That meant hours of unabashed screaming.

Isaac left the room at one point and came back with a dark, square bottle. When my mouth opened to scream again, he poured the liquid from the bottle into my mouth. I gagged and swallowed frantically, unable to taste anything. A sort of fuzziness clouded my brain and surprisingly, made the pain a little better.

This went on for a while. I'd scream and he'd pour more and more of the liquid into my mouth. My mind only got fuzzier and fuzzier, but the pain never actually went away. Some small, tiny part of my brain told me that it was alcohol that Isaac was making me drink.

After what seemed like days, the massive burn started to slow down. Little by little, the fire lessened. This took another eternity.

By the end of it, I was sweating and very drunk. I barely felt a pair of cool arms lifting me up before I passed out.