Page 101 of Wolf's Mark

“I can attest to that.” I’d been lucky, one of the men beginning to shift faster than the others. What I’d witnessed was by far the most dangerous-looking creature I’d ever seen or heard of.

“How is this possible? While we were told stories, I was provided proof by my father,” Marla insisted. “These creatures do exist, but were contained. They were thought to have suffered from an ancient viral illness, which altered their DNA. All the stories about the devil cursing them were bullshit, but they were cursed by human diseases. What does your medical examiner have to say about why they are suddenly more powerful?” She turned her attention toward Sedona.

“Because their DNA is changing again,” Sedona offered, which was the first time I heard this.

“What do you mean?” I lifted my head, studying her intently. Because her DNA was mostly human, she had the ability to hide thoughts better than most.

She still seemed shaken, rubbing her arms as she dared walk closer to the group. The girl was fearless even in her moments of terror. “I won’t bore you with scientific details, but their DNA is splitting every few minutes, becoming stronger in their ability to eliminate any aspect of human DNA. I haven’t been able to perform further tests after a period of time, but I can make an educated guess.”

“Which is?” Marla demanded.

“That their DNA will morph into something that has never been seen before, far more dominant than any other species on this planet. The molecules are shifting and reforming, even though the body was considered dead and no blood flowing through the organs. It didn’t seem to matter.”

Her words hung in the air and at least there was no laughter from her statement.

“You’re serious,” Riker said softly.

I noticed Marla’s jaw was suddenly clenched. “Then it’s possible time has been their friend, the disease they once suffered from no longer active.”

Sedona nodded. “Without checking, I couldn’t confirm but it’s entirely possible. Unfortunately, I took typical limited samples. I would need more to truly determine what we were dealing with.”

“What is your highly qualified guess?” I asked her.

There was a look shared between us that I sensed others noticed. She was placing her limited trust in me that I wouldn’t allow her to face the demons shadowed in the darkness.

All I could do to reassure her was nod, hoping the imploring look in my eyes would provide what she needed.

“These beings are getting stronger. I don’t understand how or why they are transforming into beasts, but in my qualified opinion, soon nothing will be able to stop them. No disease. No gas. No method of killing them. They will continue to reanimate no matter how many times they are killed.”

“We must stop them now,” Mother chimed in. “There may be a way.”

“How?” I asked.

She moved further into the center of the crowd. “Jeremiah is the key. I’m certain of it. He is from the first family of werewolves, their bloodline extremely powerful. Stories about how savage he is have been told for centuries. He had a very primal and powerful group, the first werewolves birthed from the devil himself. Find a new strain of the disease and infect the first family. Allow the effects to trickle down.”

More Alpha wolves laughed and I had to admit her theory was difficult to believe. “Is that possible, Marla?”

She scoffed. “I don’t know. Has it occurred in other species? Yes, but if Doctor Willis is correct and the DNA cells are changing often, it could be like chasing our tail. We’d need to get ahead of the mutated cells. Not impossible but very difficult.”

“What about infecting the Wolfen? Is that a possibility?” Chase smartly asked.

Marla sighed. “I don’t know that answer either. I’m being honest. While I’ve been studying our cells in both an attempt to ward off human diseases and lengthen our lives, I’ve also handled the research in reverse. However, I’m nowhere near being able to make any assumptions.”

“There is new research that could help,” Sedona suggested. “I’m somewhat familiar with it. It uses the results from testing both humans and animals of varying species. It’s still considered new with no conclusions, but you may be able to make some advances.”

“Science-fiction jargon,” Eliza scoffed.

“Not science fiction. Scientists have been working on eliminating diseases for decades. The research is all about reversing the thought process.”

Sedona knew her shit.

“Maybe, but you don’t understand what they could become if what you’re suggesting is possible.” Marla was more nervous than before. She looked me directly in the eyes. “I’m fearful there won’t be any way to eliminate them.”

“Who the fuck is this human?” Eliza’s demands pissed me off even if I knew he had a right to ask. He was pointing at Sedona as if she was the enemy.

It would appear their senses were dulled enough they couldn’t gather the scent I had from before.

Mother walked in her direction, cupping Sedona’s face. While Sedona’s breathing was clipped, she didn’t move or make a sound. “This is Jax’s true mate. She is one of us.”

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