Chapter 17: Approaching Full Moon
314words
I looked up at him, surprised by the admission. "Never? In all your history?"
He shook his head. "We accept the pain as part of our nature. It's the price we pay for what we are."
"But Jackson's condition is different," I pointed out. "The pain he experiences goes beyond what's normal for your kind, doesn't it?"
Liam nodded reluctantly. "Yes. It started about two years ago and has been getting progressively worse."
This was the most information Liam had volunteered since I'd started working with them. I tried to keep my expression neutral, not wanting to spook him back into silence.
"Has anything like this happened before? In your pack's history?" I asked carefully.
Liam hesitated, then sighed. "Once, about a hundred years ago. My great-grandfather's journals mention a pack member with similar symptoms."
My scientific curiosity was immediately piqued. "What happened to them?"
"He didn't survive," Liam said quietly. "The transformation eventually became too much for his body to handle."
Jackson paled slightly. "You never told me that."
"Because it won't happen to you," Liam said firmly. "We'll find a way to manage your condition."
The determination in his voice revealed more about Liam than perhaps he intended. Beneath the cold exterior was someone who cared deeply about those under his protection—who would do anything to keep them safe, even work with a human he didn't fully trust.
"May I see these journals?" I asked. "They might contain valuable information."
Liam's walls immediately went back up. "No. They contain pack secrets not meant for human eyes."
I nodded, accepting the boundary though I couldn't help feeling disappointed. "I understand. But if you come across anything that might help Jackson, I hope you'll share it."
"I will," he conceded. "If it's relevant."
