Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Bitten/Women of the Underworld universe.
"Nick what happened?"
"I fucked up man, I lost control!"
"You bit her?"
"Get her down to the cage now!"
"Shit, she's going to turn."
"Jeremy!"
Nick Sorrentino felt helpless as his fellow pack mate, Clayton, ripped the woman out of his arms and bounded down the steps into the cellar of Stonehaven. Elena called again for Jeremy as she followed Clay down with Nick right behind her. He felt sick, his stomach twisted in knots and with each heartbeat it seemed to squeeze tighter. Ahead of them, Nick watched the girl begin to writhe and struggle in his Clay's hold. He could see the muscles beneath the skin of her arms start to spasm and flex. Her ash blonde hair was damp with sweat and she looked so pale. Shit. He knew they didn't have much longer before she would begin to change. Shit, shit, shit! How could he have let this happen? He never lost control like this, never, especially not during sex. He never had a problem controlling himself during sex and he was always careful not to let himself go too long without changing before entertaining company of the female kind. But tonight, somehow he had lost control, while her legs were locked around his hips he began to change. He had finally fucked up.
"Who is she?" Jeremy demanded as he descended, taking the stairs two at a time.
Nick winced, "Kera Rendall."
"Nick.. how?" Elena breathed as she came to stand beside Nick at the bottom of the stairs. It wasn't a surprise for him to find mixture of bewilderment and fury in her eyes as he looked at Elena's face.
"I-I don't know. I lost control and I started to change." His chest felt heavy, throat tight. "Couldn't get away in time. We were right in the middle of…and I started to change. I panicked. She reached for me…I bit her."
"You've got to be kidding me." Elena growled and walked forward to stand beside Jeremy. "Do you think she'll live?"
"I don't know. I will try to help her the same way I did you and… we shall see." Jeremy replied as he crouched down.
Nick pressed his back against the wall as he watched Clay set her down in the cage then closed and locked the door. Each second was an eternity as she rolled from her back onto her stomach and groaned, stretching her arms out forward in the process. "Where…" her voice sounded hoarse and Nick struggled to get a look at her face from beneath the curtain of blonde hair that fell forward.
"Kera," Jeremy said her name gently as he approached the bars of the cage. "Kera, my name is Jeremy. I need you to listen to me. You were bitten by a werewolf and you're in the process of beginning your first change."
She lifted her head and Nick could see her wide blue eyes as her hair fell away. She looked as if she were about to say something until the sharp crack of bones filled the air. 'Oh fuck. It's starting.' Nick thought. He watched her flip onto her back, arching it at an unnatural angle as a sudden surge of pain hit her body. He clenched his teeth as she began to scream.
"Kera, listen to me. Don't fight the pain. If you want to survive this you need to follow the pain where it wants you to go." Jeremy commanded. "Do not fight the change."
"Breathe Kera," Elena said as she knelt down beside Jeremy.
Somehow through the turmoil, she found the strength to nod at them and Nick felt a small flicker of hope in his chest. Nick wanted to look away as she rolled onto all fours, but he would not allow himself. He had to face this. This was his mistake. The cracking of her bones breaking made his throat tighten again, his gorge rose and the taste of bile filled his mouth.
Elena and Jeremy continued guide her the best they could. They told her to breathe, to stay calm, to not fight. Clay leaned against the wall beside Nick, crossed his arms over his chest and elbowed him in the arm. "I give her a 50/50 chance."
"Fuck…shit. Is there anything else we can do?" Nick shuddered as he watched her fingers begin to shrivel, her teeth sharpening as her snout began to form and lengthen.
"You've done enough." Jeremy snapped and Nick noted that he hadn't felt this small and terrified since he'd dared Clay to jump down an elevator shaft. "You're doing fine Kera, just let go."
It was working, she was shifting. Her cries smothered into a distorted howl as her vocal chords began to change. White blonde fur sprouted all over her body, the joints of her arms and legs snapped backward as her hands and feet changed to paws. But then nothing… She seemed to stagnate shortly after that, as if the pain had become just too much, she knelt there seemingly caught in between human and wolf form. Nick swallowed hard as he heard Jeremy guide her to complete the shift and the final push of the change flourished. She collapsed to the ground no longer human but werewolf.
"Well. She didn't die." Clayton mused as he pushed himself off the wall.
"Elena, Clay, you two are to stay with her for the time being." Jeremy stated before looking at him. "Nick, follow me. I want you to tell me what happened."