Lycanthropy

I had walked inside the cave and went into the room where the machine stood.

“Terrence, you better tell me now that you are done!” I yelled at him.

He yanked at the wrench a couple more times and said ‘done’ when he released it on the table.

“What does it do?” I asked him, while he arranged for about eight wolves to pick up the heavy machine.

It was about seven feet long, four feet high and wide and looked incredibly heavy. Steel plates, bolts, wires and gauges all bundled up together in a strange way of which I couldn’t come up with what it would do. Nor could I think of what it could have been that the pack doctor had found out, experimenting on the scout in the cell at Aron’s pack.

I followed behind the machine where Terrence walked over to Berrant, who now held a tablet in his hands, on which a program was showing all sorts of numbers, charts and words that I couldn’t understand. Berrant typed in some more numbers and words and the charts on the screen changed a little.

“I think it will be optimal now, Terrence.” Berrant said to him.

“Yes? Have you found the right configuration?” He asked in return.

“Yes, I changed the flow of energy and the recurrence of magnetic pulses.” He replied while still looking at his screen and I just looked in awe at them both.

“What the hell are you guys talking about? Seriously, what kind of mambo jambo voodoo where you saying? And how on Earth would you two know about these things at all?”

“Well Terrence is an amazing mechanic, as you probably know, an I'm a certified engineer. But not that you ever cared to ask me about it.” Berrant snapped at me.

“Ouch.” I replied.

We kept on walking behind the machine, as it was taken outside by the eight wolves, down a slope and being placed at the bottom of the mountain, while my warriors pushed the scouts back to grant us some room.

“Kari, found out that when the scout in the cell tried to flash, it used up a certain type of energy.” Terrence started to explain, talking about Aron’s pack doctor.

“It even tried to flash away, while she stood near him, holding a metal clipboard. Upon doing so, the clipboard flew out of her hands and got stuck against the bars of the cell. The scout’s energy making the board suddenly magnetic for a little while. And that’s where our idea came from. Kari has confirmed my theory and it worked for the scout, so I’m hoping that this baby here, will do the same for all the Nightstalkers here on the field.” He said while slapping on the side of the machine.

I could tell that he was proud to have been able to create such a thing together with Berrant, as he was looking at him proudly as well. But all his explaining still didn’t make me understand a word that he was trying to say to me.

“Nightstalkers don’t have a non-stop blood supply running through their veins at all day, as you know yourself that they need to replenish their stock by drinking more of it. But a human body or a werewolf’s needs blood to keep our hearts going, so, what does make their heart beat? It turns out that their bodies have more nerve endings than a regular human being or a wolf, and their brains are more active than ours are.” He replied to my confused face, but I still wasn’t understanding a single word.

“Meaning…” I dragged out the word, as Terrence struggled to get the machine on, and Berrant walked over to me.

“The nerves in their bodies, are similar to that of an electrical network. We only have to interrupt their energy, for long enough, to make them go slower or eventually get hurt by it. And that is where this machine is coming in. We have built an EMP, short for electromagnetic pulse, which will, hopefully, fry their brains.” Berrant continued to explain, while Terrence was glowing now as the machine had turned on.

“There is just one thing…” Terrence said, but I already had figured out myself, what this would mean to me or to my grandmother.

“It could fry my grandmother’s brain, and that of my own as well.” I said, as he nodded.

“Yes, I am hoping that your Lycan parts will be strong enough to get through this, but I’m not sure.” He said uncertain. “I can only use it safely, when you are out of range. So, all you have to do is run for at least a mile, and then mind link me.”

I wanted to tell him to use it immediately, as I’m willing to do anything for the safety of every wolf here on the field. And also because we don’t have the time to wait much longer, as I could see that we were losing ground again. Radu has more scouts and assassins coming out of the forest and who knows how many more there could be?

But it would have been selfish to act upon it, without talking to my mate first. If it would fry my brain, then he would be without me. And if this would be my last day alive, then I wanted to tell him something, that was aching my body for a long time already.

“Wait for my command.” I said while letting Dakota take over and make me run through the hordes of scouts and wolves, towards the centre of the field.

She bit off some scout-heads and ripped through some assassins as they came surging towards us. But eventually reached for Aron, as she pushed away another scout that came out lunging for him.

“Are we going to die?” Dakota asked me.

I had a strange feeling. A gut feeling that I couldn't shake about 'death'. I have faced it so many times, yet, I could feel that this one was going to be different. So... much... different.

“I don’t know, but if we do, then we do it when I have spoken those words.” I said to her and she nodded ferociously, agreeing to my decision.

“Gran, we are going to use a machine that could harm you and I as well. Run away for at least a mile, I’ll follow after you.” I said to her, and I saw her flashing away.

At least she was safe.

And I hoped that Radu was close enough to be hit by the machine, as he still hadn't shown himself on the battlefield.

I shifted back to human and stood there, naked and bloody, looking into Aron’s eyes.

“What are you up to?” He asked me, while grabbing me tight.

Wolves surrounded us, fighting off any scout that wanted to go into our direction, giving us a moment to talk.

“You know that when I rejected Daniel, I was relieved to be rid of having to love anyone. I never wanted to love anyone, as I sincerely didn't know how to. From the moment that my mother had been killed, all of my love was taken then too.” I started.

“Yes, I know love. But why are you telling me this now?” Aron asked me.

“I might never have said that specific word back to you, as I still didn’t want to commit to the fact that I might be able to actually have that certain feeling now. But, ever since I have returned, from being together with a creature who is even more coldly hearted than myself, made me second guess my own emotions.” I said and smiled lightly.

Time around us was going slow, as the fighting and clashing of wolves made blood sputter in all directions, including towards us. But we stood there, not caring about a single thing in the whole world, except the attention that we have for each other.

“Love, what is going on? You never take this long to tell someone what you want!” He asked me again, annoyed and noticing that I was getting somewhere, with a reason.

“Aron, I was foolish to not understand my own feelings.” I said, ignoring his question.

“Em, what are you going to do!” He now shouted at me, knowing that what I was going to say next, was due to some danger that was coming in fast.

He knows me so perfectly well, that he didn’t even want to hear me say the words.

“Don’t you dare say it! I don’t want to hear it now!” He yelled at me, while holding my head in his hands. “I already know what you feel for me! I don’t need to hear it, please Em!” He begged me.

Tears ran over my face, while I looked him in the eyes, lovingly.

Wolves around us were being overrun, as more and more Nightstalkers flashed in front of them.

It was too late for me to run as well.

“Terrence, do it.” I linked him.

After a few moments I could hear a soft humming from the machine that Berrant had started. The humming got louder and louder, probably heating up to emit the pulse when ready.

Aron shifted his gaze towards the machine at the base of the mountain, and looked back at me.

“Em, what is that thing going to do?” He asked me confused and worried.

Looking at my eternal love:

I really didn’t want her to say it to me, knowing that something bad was going to happen. But when she opened her mouth, slightly hesitating for the words that wanted to come out, she took a deep breath and stopped for only a second.

While the humming, coming from the machine, went louder and louder, she did say the words that I longed to hear from her for such a long time, yet was dreading to hear them now.

She said those three little words, because this moment could be her last. She hadn’t said that to me, but I knew that she had made a terrible decision.

“I love you.” Is what she whispered.

And the humming of the machine stopped, to unleash its power...

A/n: Ohhh.... my....