The attack wasn't physical; it was psychological, targeted directly at Samuel's greatest fear: the loss of control and the return of the savage, exiled beast.
Two days after the drone sighting, a young, frantic student rushed into the library where Samuel and Esther were working.
"Samuel! You have to come! It's Obinna! He's tearing up the cafeteria! He's... he's changing!"
Samuel and Esther raced to the student cafeteria. The scene was pure chaos. Tables were overturned, glass was shattered, and the potent, sharp smell of ozone and uncontrolled shift filled the air.
In the center of the room, Obinna was struggling, his body convulsing. He was only partially shifted—his hands were massive, fur-covered claws, his teeth elongated, but his mind was trapped in panic, his amber eyes wide with horror.
"I can't stop it! Samuel, help me! The Stone is stable, why is this happening?" Obinna screamed, before letting out a terrifying, half-formed howl.
Samuel rushed forward, but Esther grabbed his arm. "Wait! This is a trap!"
"He's my Pack, Esther! He's losing it!" Samuel cried, his own amber eyes flickering with sympathetic distress.
"Look at him!" Esther insisted. "His eyes are panicked, but his body is fighting the shift, not succumbing to it. It's too fast, Samuel. The Golden Leaf has been stable for weeks. This is externally triggered!"
Just then, a small, silver capsule, barely visible, clattered out of Obinna's torn trousers pocket.
Esther rushed over and snatched it up. The capsule was engraved with a tiny, stylized bat wing.
"A vampire-made toxin," Esther realized, her blood running cold. "It simulates the pain and panic of an uncontrolled shift, triggering the body's self-defense mechanisms. Fortune is showing the Pack that their freedom is an illusion."
Samuel's face was grim. He understood the message. If a trusted Pack member could suddenly lose control, any wolf could. Doubt and fear would fracture the new, fragile Pack stability.
Obinna, exhausted by the forced struggle, collapsed, whimpering.
"Tunde will take care of him," Samuel said, his voice hard. "This wasn't just to sow doubt. Fortune knew this would force me to abandon my human form and risk exposure. He needs to lure me into a full shift."