The Moon had come out and illuminated everywhere. The pack members gathered around howled to the night sky. Mercedes stood by, fascinated by the scene in front of her. Felix stood on the mini-stage in the center and picked up a knife with an ancient inscription on it. He took out his palm and slit it. A cup was handed to him by make with similar inscriptions. He then poured the dripping blood inside it.
Felix handed the cup back to Jake and the knife. Jake did the same ritual as he did and the rest of them did it as well. They all mumbled weird things in another language that Mercedes could not make out. The collective blood was poured on the soil and howls were heard again.
The moon was at its pinnacle when Mercedes's body began to heat up. When Crystal asked her about it, she dismissed her by changing the topic. She grabbed Crystal's hand and pulled her towards the fire, and they danced along with the rest of the people.
Amidst the hype, Mercedes began feeling hot. At first, she thought that it was because of the heat emitting from the fire, but it was chilly outside. She ignored it and continued to have fun. After a while, she couldn't ignore the heat anymore. Her skin was on fire, and she felt like she was getting pricked by needles all over her. She groaned, feeling discomfort in her abdomen, and it was getting worse by the second. She looked at Crystal and saw how she was having fun with her mate. It was not going to be right for her to disrupt them.
Mercedes slipped through the crowd and went inside the house. She went to the kitchen and got a glass of water to drink. After that, she opened the cupboard and rummaged for some painkillers. She found Tylenol and contemplated whether she should take one or two pills. She threw two pills in her mouth and poured another one but no difference was made. The dress she was wearing was wet with her sweat. She placed the glass on the sink and scooped some water to sprinkle on herself. Mercedes was breathing as if she had just run a marathon, which added to her confusion. What was happening to her was not normal, and she couldn't understand what was happening or why.
She placed her palm on her forehead and closed her eyes and tried taking deep breaths. The pain came back more intense, and it knocked the air out of her. She lost her balance and was about to fall, but she held on to the sink. Her vision was blurred, and she was seeing double of everything around her. She tried calling out for help, but her voice came out in a whisper and no one was in sight.
She let go of the sink and tried to crawl. " You are fighting me. Let me help you!" Her eyes bugged out, trying to pin where the voice was coming from. The fact that she couldn't focus on her vision was not helping. She decided to give up and lay on her side, trying to suppress the pain. " Let go, Mercedes. Give me control!" The voice came again.
" W-who a-are y-you," she stammered weakly and helplessly. " I am Reyna, your wolf!" Mercedes didn't have the energy to give out the proper reaction to the sudden revelation. " T-that's n-not... possible," she breathed out and moaned as the pain coursed through her whole body. She felt like she was being ripped apart from the inside and her skin being torched. The pain was excruciating, but she didn't scream, trying not to ruin everyone's evening. It didn't seem like a good idea, but she did anyway.
Mercedes closed her eyes and tried to focus on the voice in her head. " What is happening to me?" she asked, waiting for a reply from the mysterious voice.
" You are in the process of your first transformation into a wolf. It's going to be more painful than the pain you are in now if you become stubborn and don't let me help you."
" I don't understand how this is happening. I'm just a human being... so how are you my wolf?" Mercedes just wanted answers to the questions she had. She wanted to understand what was going on, but the pain drove her to the floor.
" One thing at a time, Mercedes. Let's get through this, and I promise to tell you what you want to hear after that." She didn't say anything back. A little while later someone finally came to her rescue.
It was Felix, and she knew because of his scent that was somehow more enhanced now. " What's going on here? Mercedes? Why the hell are you on the floor? " He chastised her, unbeknownst to her condition. Mercedes opened her mouth to try and tell him, but her body convulsed, and her eyes turned white. Felix quickly sprung into action and kneeled beside her and grabbed her.
He didn't understand what had happened to her, but because of the condition she was in, he assumed the worst. He tapped her cheek, trying to get her to open her eyes, but to no avail. He thought that she was running a fever, explained the temperature that was off the chats and sweat. Something in him just strained. He couldn't bear to see her so weak.
" Crystal, come to the packhouse immediately. We have a situation!" Upon hearing the agency in her Alpha's voice, she briefed Jake, and they headed to the house together. Crystal ran over to Mercedes's body when she saw her lying unconscious.
" What happened to Alpha? Why is she like this?" she asked in a panic? " I-I don't know. I found her on the floor convulsing, and she just went out. I was hoping you could figure out what was wrong with her." Felix tried to appear calm but Jake and Crystal could see the turmoil brewing behind his eyes.
Mercedes was carried to the living room and placed on the couch. Crystal touched her forehead and felt the high temperature. She then checked her pulse on the wrist and it was faint. She also checked her pupils and they were dilated. The strange thing was her pupils were golden.
" What in the world-" Jake was cut off by Felix.
" She is not human!"