AN: Whaaaat!? Another update so soon? Only because I love you guys! I've been on a roll with this story the last few days (just getting into the juicy parts of Breaking Dawn). Have any of you read the new Twilight book? The gender swap one? I have mixed feelings about it, but I would love to hear your thoughts!

Chapter Twenty-One

The Experiment

Emmett was as clueless as I was in regards to what Carlisle wanted to talk to us about. Apparently, he was known for doing these little 'experiments', and they ranged in difficulty and danger. After helping clean the kitchen, we made our way to the third floor where Carlisle's study was. It was just as I remembered it – sans whiteboard. That felt like forever ago…

"Ah, glad you two came so quickly." Carlisle stood and smiled.

"That's what she said." Emmett mumbled. I elbowed him in the stomach and shook my head at his boyish chuckle. It seemed to be the norm for Emmett though, because Carlisle didn't even acknowledge it.

"I was going over my data – well, your data, Alex." Carlisle pulled out a folder, showing us graphs that meant absolutely nothing to me. "The effects of our venom on wolves has been unknown – at least to me – until now. I was surprised to find that it practically de-wolfed you, if you'll pardon the term. Here, you can see your levels compared to Bella's." Got it, blue line was slightly higher up on the graph.

"So the vampire venom neutralizes the wolf gene?" Emmett asked, seemingly understanding everything put in front of him. My mind flashed back to the physics book he had been reading. Holy shit! Emmett was smart! I'm not saying I thought he was stupid, but he had always been more brawn than brains. Surprisingly, this was a turn on. "But her levels were too low here." He pointed to a tiny blue dot. "That means that in a larger dose, it could have been fatal." Whoa, what?

"Exactly." Carlisle reached over and flipped the page. "Here, you see the results of a saliva sample I took from Alex – sorry about that –" He gave me a quick smile. " – I ran several tests against both human DNA and my own venom."

"No effect on humans but…" Emmett drifted off as he read the chart in his hands. He looked up at me with a confused look. He wasn't expecting me to contribute, was he? I had no fucking idea what was going on! "It neutralized the venom." He finished. Seeing that I didn't quite understand, he continued. "That means a werewolf bite could, in turn, humanize a vampire… for a while. Or you know, kill 'em."

"Humanize is a strong word." Carlisle crossed his arms as I tried to process everything. "It won't reverse the effects of vampirism, not completely. I hypothesize that it will have a parallel effect on you that it did on Alex."

Emmett raised an eyebrow. "You want to use me as a guinea pig, huh?"

Everything they said finally sank in. "Absolutely not." I shook my head. "If it is the same, it could kill him!"

"That's why we're going to try a very shallow bite." Carlisle gestured to the hospital-like set up in the corner of his office. How had I missed that!?

"I'm game!" Emmett clapped, his wide dimpled smile reappearing.

"Don't you two realize how dangerous this is?" I frowned as they walked over to the hospital bed. Ignoring me, Emmett pulled his shirt over his head and allowed Carlisle to hook several monitors up to him.

"Come on, Doll." He finally looked my way, smile still in place. "This could help us in the future."

"I agree, Alex." Carlisle nodded as I joined them. "This could change our understanding of each species."

I sighed and looked between the two pairs of hopeful golden eyes. "Just a small bite?"

"The smallest." Emmett held his hand out to me, pulling me between his dangling legs when I took it. He was closer to eye-level thanks to his position on the narrow black bed. My hands rested on his chest over several small wires.

"Okay." I frowned. I think it was safe to say that Emmett was my weakness. Cupping my face, he gave me the softest of kisses.

"We're all set when you are, Alex." Carlisle's focus was on one of the monitors. "Try to only bite down hard enough to get past the flesh. Once you hit what used to be his blood stream, that should be enough."

Nodding, I placed my hands on Emmett's shoulders. Although I was worried for Emmett, my inner wolf was practically pouncing at the opportunity to mark her mate. It's a werewolf ritual that I thought I had lost with Emmett. I placed my lips to his neck, leaving a soft kiss there before moving my mouth to where his shoulder and neck connected. His arms tightened around me as I licked the area once before carefully sinking my teeth into his marble flesh. It cracked under my bite – splintering out over his shoulder and up his neck. It reminded me of a cracked porcelain doll. When my teeth were about halfway in, I pulled back. Licking the spot once more, I watched as slowly healed, leaving the faintest of scars in its wake.

"Emmett, how are you feeling?" Carlisle was in Doctor mode, a clipboard already in his hand. I pulled back far enough to watch Emmett's face for any hint of pain.

"I feel okay… A little warm but I – " Before he could finish, his eyes rolled back and his body went limp. Shit.

Catching his massive frame, I carefully laid him back against the bed. Carlisle helped me adjust him, checking on several monitors as he did so. "What's happening? Did I go to far?" A lump rose in my throat as I looked down at my helpless imprint. If I had done any permanent damage, I would never be able to forgive myself.

"No, you did wonderfully." Carlisle assured me with a fatherly hand on the shoulder. "I suspect – like you – the first stage for Emmett will be unconsciousness. Though, he'll probably be out a few hours instead of days."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Good. I'll stay with him."

"I figured you would." He smiled brightly. "I'm going to inform the others of Emmett's condition. I'll be back in an hour to check his vitals."

"Would you send Ty and Chase up here?" I called lightly as he reached the door.

"Of course."

Once I was left alone, I shifted my gaze back to Emmett. Carefully, I brushed a curl off of his forehead before placing a kiss there. Stupid imprint, making it impossible to say no to him. Shaking my head, I reminded myself that Emmett was strong. There was absolutely no way he would let a tiny bite do anything more than knock him on his ass for a few hours. I heard Ty and Chase enter the room, but I didn't turn to acknowledge them until they were a few feet away.

"We heard about Emmett. Is everything okay?" Ty asked his eyes shifting to the bed.

"Yeah." I shook my head. I needed to focus on other things at the moment. "I actually wanted to talk to you both before approaching the pack. First off, I heard you guys loud and clear; you will remain in my pack. Despite that, I feel it would be foolish of us not to have a… well, backup plan."

"Planning on going somewhere?" Chase's deep voice seemed to echo in the empty room.

"No, but you never know. We're crashing with vamps now – that means we'll probably run into some a lot more than we used to. If something happens to me, I want to make sure that Chase can assume the alpha role without issues."

"In that scenario, you know we'd follow him." Ty frowned, obviously not liking the direction this conversation was going. "What does that have to do with me?"

"Well, I think it's time I promote you to a delta." Ty's eyes widened, and even Chase looked a bit surprised. "I've thought about it since I woke up. You're the most sensible candidate. I hope the time will never come when you have to step up, but I want someone Chase can trust to be his right hand man."

"Me?" Tyler still seemed confused. "Why me?"

"James and Matt were the original candidates. They're young, but strong and obedient. Sadly, their strength relies on each other. If one were promoted and not the other, it could throw that balance off. Nick, although my second oldest pack mate, is too young. Not to mention his personal relationship with Chase could become problematic for the alpha-beta dynamic. Lilly will leave the pack – eventually. She's a good wolf, but it's not in her blood to lead."

"Okay, but what the hell is a delta?" A voice from the door called. I scowled at James as he burst in along with the rest of the pack.

"I don't remember calling a pack meeting." I crossed my arms.

"Come on, Alex, it's a small house." Nick smiled widely, taking his place beside Chase.

Sighing in defeat, I waited for them all to settle in before explaining. "A delta is a beta in training. He or she ranks above a regular pack member, but bellow the acting beta. In the event Chase has to become alpha, Ty will become beta."

"Wow, big man is getting a promotion." James slapped Ty on the back, seemingly fine with the whole thing.

"If you accept, Ty, we can do it now." I offered. It wasn't like a ceremony or anything, just a linking of arms and a few words. The pack would be able to feel the shift as soon as it happens.

"Yeah – absolutely." He smiled and looked to Chase. "If you're okay with it too, man."

Chase nodded once. "You're a good choice."

Without another word, Chase held out his arm. I gripped his forearm, my fingers not even making it half way around. With a shaky breath, Ty grabbed mine, allowing Chase to grab his own. We looked down at our arms that formed a triangle. The rest of the pack watched on in curiosity. For once, they were quiet.

"Alpha." I all but growled out, my voice more wolf than human.

"Beta." Chase followed suit.

Ty hesitated for a moment before standing straighter. "Delta."

The effect was instant. I watched the rest of the pack shutter lightly before I closed my eyes, allowing the feeling to wash over me. It wasn't unpleasant, just intense. Like the euphoric high you get after a run. Finally breaking our triangle, I opened my eyes. Ty would begin training with Chase as soon as possible, and I would have to eventually train Chase. He was old enough and wise enough to figure it out on his own, but it was in the spirit of the pack. They filed out as Carlisle returned to check on Emmett, a plate of food for me in his hand.

I watched on as Carlisle looked over several print outs from the machine, scribbling something down on his clipboard. When he paused with a surprised look, I was immediately at his side.

"What is it? What's wrong?" I asked, looking at the monitor as if it would tell me something.

"He's dreaming…" Carlisle breathed in wonder.

AN: Reviews are looooved!

Sneak Peek (which no one pointed out I was spelling wrong like a dumb dumb lol):

"Emmett McCarty, don't you ever dare think that I love you less now just because you're a vampire. I might not like vampires, but you're you, no matter what!"