Warning ⚠️: This book contains graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised.

Joelee let out a low sigh as she bitterly tugged on the metal shackles that secured her wrists. She had been on this cold examination table for over an hour now and her scientist had yet to do literally anything for over forty minutes besides read research details on his computer.

" Can I go yet?!" She yelled to her scientist, knowing all too well that her sass would have consequences later but she didn't care. She wanted to get this over with so she could revel in her self loathing in peace.

" No!" Came his harsh reply, causing Joelee to flinch with a shaky breath. She hated the effect he had, the fear that coursed through her at the sound of his deep voice... But he would not see any sign of weakness. She wouldn't grant him the satisfaction of knowing his attempts at wearing down her willpower were starting to work... Nor that the very thought of him sent a cold chill of fear down her spine.

Joelee grumbled something under her breath as she released yet another sigh, eyeing the gold liquid that traveled through the needle and into her veins.

" Alright, I'm going to shock you now, babes!" The male called from where he peered through the window of his office at Joelee. Deep brown eyes lacking emotion as he examined the younger woman who took a deep breath in preparation before she gave a light nod.

" Go for it! Hopefully this serum kills me!" Joelee yelled in reply, immediately clenching her teeth as electricity traveled through her body for a few seconds.

But the pain was weird to her... Different. Though the shock only lasted a few seconds it was incredibly painful compared to what she was now used to. It wasn't the normal zap that she grown so accustomed to, no, this pain was all over. In her veins and bones, even in her teeth. She felt as though something deep within her head seemed to snap and the pain immediately began to grow at a rapid pace, causing a cry of surprise to escape her lips as what she could only describe as pure agony flooded her every single cell.

Joelee screamed as she felt like the blood was literally boiling in her veins, throwing her head back against the table but she didn't register the blood that now began to travel through her hair as she gasped for breath. Her hands clenched, nails digging into her palms which sent blood pooling from the wounds, down her fingers and onto the metal table beneath her.

Her scientist watched through the mirror with a morbid fascination, glancing at her heart rate monitor as it began to rise incredibly quickly.

Seeming to realize that he would eventually have to report this and would need witnesses to his success, he barked orders through an intercom, sending more scientists scrambling into the room.

" What did you do?!" An older scientist yelled at the young male who turned to glare at his fellow scientist with a warning look in his eyes.

" Nothing. I used an experimental strand and... This was the result!" The young man couldn't hide a grin as he watched Joelee writhe in pain, her scream ringing in everyone's ears but it only brought him amusement as he knew exactly what was happening. He had seen something similar once so long ago, driving him to experiment and rectify the faults within the first proven sign that his tests were in fact working. Previously his tests to unlock the next step to human evolution had not had a... Stabilizer if you will, to allow it to fully bond to the patient... But it seems... He had found the solution.

" You were told to wait! That strand is unstable!" A female scientist yelled before going silent as another woman walked into the room.

The Boss Lady.

But the woman said nothing as she approached Joelee with an emotionless expression, green gaze cold and calculating as she remained a safe distance away.

Joelee on the other hand was convulsing and screaming in pain, her eyes rolled up into the back of her head as she tugged painfully at her restraints. Her desperate attempts at curling into a ball to fight through the pain seemed futile to everyone watching but something in her head drove her to free herself so that she could curl into the fetal position. As though it would take all of the pain away to be on the ground instead.

Black veins began to travel across Joelee's skin, leaving behind hives that blistered and turned red beneath everyone's gaze, bubbling up like a bad case of poison ivy.

" Is that... Fur?" One of the scientists whispered as the hives began to sprout with what appeared to be thick, white, fur.

" What's happening?" A young scientist murmured to Doyle who said nothing as he watched the thick fur spread across Joelee's now blistering, red, body.

Nobody gave a reply, not having a good answer for the younger scientist as all they could do was watch the scene in front of them with a sick sense of dread at having to witness something so gruesome.

Joelee screamed again as the bones in her body began to make a sick snapping noise, jerking in her restraints she eventually tore free and rolled off the table, onto the cold ground where she began to claw at the concrete with a whimper of pain. She curled herself tighter as her spine seemed to raise away from her back, showing every single vertebrae shifting and adjusting within her skin.

" Those shackles are unbreakable... Not even the androids can break them..." A female scientist whispered after she finally forced her eyes away from Joelee where she instead focused on the broken shackles on the examination table.

Joelee screamed until her voice began to grow hoarse, the bones in her arms snapping and reforming as she gasped for breath.

The heart monitor attached to her was beeping loudly behind them, the number steadily rising which caused an older male to run over and examine her stats with a shocked expression.

" Ma'am, her arterial blood pressure is 140 mmHg! Heart rate is two hundred beats per minute and steadily rising!" The older scientist exclaimed with wide eyes, scrolling through her stats and coming to halt on her DNA signature where his mouth fell open in shock.

" I knew it... It worked...'' Joelee's scientist, Doyle murmured as his cold brown eyes watched her transformation with a morbid fascination.

Joelee raised her head, gritting out a loud cry of pain, spine now forcing her onto her hands and knees while her head cracked side to side as her neck made loud popping sounds, eyes rolling forward to reveal a deep gold.

" How so?" The Boss's voice caused the scientist's eyes to linger to her momentarily before the snapping of Joelee's legs turned his gaze back to Joelee instead.

" Ma'am.... Her DNA is completely changing Itself..." An older man said as he eyed Joelee's stats on the screen which the IV in her arm had been monitoring.

" Into what?" The Boss woman snapped at the older male who flinched at her harsh tone, hands shaking nervously as the attention of someone so powerful now on him.

" A wolf, ma'am..." The same man said just as the screen went blank, the IV snapped from Joelee's arm, causing blood to leak from the wound it had created but it quickly sealed over right before their eyes. Joelee let out a sound that sounded almost similar to a dog's whimper as her face began to snap and elongate into a muzzle. Blood gushed from her mouth as large fangs erupted from her gums, her old teeth being forced back up as her new, sharp, canines dug into her lip, splitting them open as they grew.

Joelee stopped convulsing as the change was completed, causing her to lay there in pain, breathing heavily with soft whimpers escaping her throat. The large, snow white, wolf lifted her golden eyes to The Boss woman, a growl echoing in her throat as she took a step forward. Joelee's scientist who stood closest to The Boss Lady quickly pulled a staff from his pocket, extending it into something similar to a cattle prod before sticking it into Joelee's side with his deep brown eyes lacking any emotion.

Joelee barely flinched as a snarl ripped from her jaws, her fangs bared in warning at her scientist who didn't seem worried in the slightest.

" Back away, please, ma'am." A raven haired male guard pointed his gun at Joelee only for The Boss to grab his arm, lowering the gun with a harsh glare.

" Our first successful experiment in almost a decade and you want to kill it?" The Boss seethed which caused the male to gulp quietly as he quickly avoided The Boss's intense gaze.

" Step aside, Phoenix." A tall soldier gritted out in a deep, gravelly voice as he aimed a stun gun at Joelee instead. Soft whistling noises echoed through the room as the male fired multiple tranq darts into the wolf's flank, causing her to stumble as she blinked her eyes to clear them.

Joelee whimpered quietly as her ears began to migrate down to their normal position, fur beginning to retreat back into her skin as her jaw began to crunch and crack back into position. A loud whine ripped from her throat as her limbs snapped and popped out of socket before returning to their places in a more humanoid position.

"This is so disgusting." A young woman whispered to Phoenix as the two watched with disgusted expressions, both not daring to look away from the oddly mesmerizing transformation.

Joelee straightened her shoulders as they popped into their proper place, eyes flashing to blue as the veins began to retreat from her skin.

Her dirty, off white t-shirt and grey sweatpants were now in shreds and she pulled her shirt tighter over her chest in an attempt to hide herself as she slowly stood, eyes seeming much brighter now as she gazed at the people around her.

"What did you do to me?" Joelee whispered to her scientist who gave her a smug smile before he winked, expression promising that there would be more to come later.

Tears ran down Joelee's pale cheeks as she bunched the shirt closer to her chest, shuddering breaths causing her shoulders to shake.

The Boss's green gaze fell on the scars that marked Joelee's skin around her stomach and hips, causing the red haired woman to narrow her eyes dangerously.

" Get her fresh clothes and run more tests. Let's see what else this little Skinwalker can do." The Boss Lady smirked before exiting the laboratory, her black pumps clicking loudly as she walked.

Joelee struggled furiously as two female guards dragged her into a metal room, a third tossing clothes to her before they slammed the door shut.

Joelee shuddered though the normally biting cold of the laboratories was not the cause... Not this time. She stood there now, mind reeling from what had just happened, her wounds pulsing and hot as though they were infected but something deep down inside her knew it was because she was healing instead.

Her entire body felt as though she had done a full workout and her palms were sticky from dried blood.Though for some reason she seemed to remember a pain that seemed worse than even this... Shaking her head rapidly to clear her mind of her past memories.

" I'm a werewolf! I knew it!" She yelled to no one in particular, a large grin on her face as she stared down at her already scabbed over palms.

" That's cool. I knew I liked you when I first met you." A voice said from behind her, causing Joelee to turn quickly, fists raised defensively.

" Oi, it's just me, Sam." Mary laughed, green eyes shining with a smile in the dim light of the containment cell though for some reason Joelee could see almost perfectly within the din light.

" Oh, sorry." Joelee lowered her fists, doing her best to give the slightly taller girl a polite smile as she examined the woman in front of her. Her waist length mass of curls seemed to rival flames with a deep fiery red base, dark orange and deeper red strands flying loosely within the bundle of waves and curls. Her bright green eyes lidded with flaming orange lashes that brushed against her full rosy, freckled cheeks. Her lips were in full hearts, tinted a light pint in contrast to her pale skin which seemed to be dotted in every inch with a constellation of freckles. She was slightly taller than Joelee's 5'4 frame, standing around 5'7 with a curved yet athletic frame.

" It's nice to finally see your face." Mary smiled, eyes crinkling along the corners as she did, revealing just how prominent the apples of her cheeks were against her sharp cheekbones.

" There's not much to look at." Joelee laughed softly as she ran a hand through her matted, now dirty blonde hair, suddenly extremely self conscious of her own appearance as she blushed shyly.

Mary shook her head in amusement but didn't argue or agree as she took a small step towards Joelee who kept track of the ginger woman's every movement.

Mary's eyes wandered down Joelee's slightly exposed body, flushing the blond's face completely red as she realized she had yet to get dressed. Joelee said nothing as she scrambled to put on the spare clothes, keeping special care to remain in the shadows with though she remained facing Mary... You can never be too safe and she would not turn her back on a stranger.

" So, you're a werewolf huh? What's all that about?" Mary questioned as she eyed the younger girl curiously, seeming to size Joelee up which only aided in Joelee's overwhelming insecurity.

" Oh, I was just being dramatic." Joelee lied smoothly, holding Mary's gaze so that her lie would be more believable. She didn't trust Mary quite yet and didn't want to give away something that could potentially endanger herself.

Mary worked her lower lip between her teeth, not giving her a reply as she seemed to size Joelee up once again, seeming as though she was peering into Joelee's very soul in search of a lie.

Joelee looked away as she began rubbing the side of her index finger with the tip of her thumb, avoiding Mary's prying gaze as she struggled to come up with something to say.

"I feel like we're about to have a shootout at high noon." Joelee whispered which caused Mary to burst out laughing, the tension between the two immediately fading as they began to walk closer to each other.

"I didn't realize you were so beautiful, I would've at least asked for a firehouse shower." Joelee grinned as she put a hand on her hip, smirking a bit as a blush tinted Mary's freckled cheeks.

"Isn't the cold shower for afterwords, though?" Mary's words caused Joelee's eyes to widen as her own cheeks flared red, Mary giving a cheeky smile as she batted her eyelashes at Joelee innocently.

Joelee opened her mouth to say more but was interrupted when two guards came in, pointing a cattle prod at Mary before the larger one reached for Joelee. Joelee backed away, narrowing her eyes dangerously but the guard quickly slapped a pair of metal handcuffs over her wrists before grabbing her arm.

" Let me go you low level loot droppers!'' Joelee snapped, squirming and kicking as they dragged her back towards the laboratory, a low growl rumbling through her throat as veins began to crawl up her neck.

' This is going to be a long night.' Joelee thought bitterly as her scientist gave her a sinister grin, the fear forcing her veins to fade as she emotionally prepared herself for what was to come.

_ -*- _

Killian ran a hand through his matted curls, subconsciously working out the knots in a random spout of boredom.

" I'm so bored!" He yelled, knowing everyone within the vicinity could hear him but he didn't care. What were they going to do? Complain?

" Me too." A male's soft voice murmured from the cell next to his own, causing Killian to immediately perk up at the aspect of socializing.

" Who's there?" Killian asked but received no reply much to his disappointment. Ever since the Monarch had done a cell transfer, he had been bored out of his mind, wishing that he still had the same cell mates, at least they actually talked to him. But alas, his new roommates never spoke a word in the short time that they were there and quite frankly it was starting to get annoying.

But then again, he was determined to make friends with his mysterious neighbours.

" I'm Killian." He said after a moment, untangling his fingers from his hair as he sat up a bit.

"I... I'm Kevin." The male voice replied after what seemed like hours, causing a smile to form on Killian's face.

Perhaps there was still hope for this mysterious Kevin yet.

" Nice to meet you! How long you been here?" Killian asked excitedly but once again received no reply, rolling his deep brown eyes as he instead began to drum his fingers on his thighs.

" Okay, then." Killian muttered as he rolled over on the bed, knowing that this dude was more than likely a lost cause.

" Hey... I'm bored too..." Came a soft voice from a neighboring cell, it sounded like a girl this time.

" Well then do you wanna talk?" Killian asked the girl hopefully, desperate for something to distract him from his thoughts.

" Isn't that what you're doing?" Kevin's sarcastic reply startled Killian and a grin spread over his face at the playful words.

" Oh, shut up." Killian laughed softly, causing a chuckle to escape the mysterious boy next door.

" I'm... Kayla...." The girl said, pausing as if she momentarily forgot her name which she more than likely had. Being in a compound where the scientists barely acknowledged you were a living thing definitely put a strain on your memories, even if it was information about yourself.

" Killian. Nice to meet you." Killian smiled even though he knew she couldn't see his face, she was sweet and he liked that. It was rare to find someone who was still polite despite being held captive.

" Likewise..." The girl murmured before going silent as a guard hit Killian's door with a batton.

" This ain't a social gathering. You're not here to make friends so shut up." The guard snapped, narrowing his eyes in warning before he turned and moved away from the door once again.

Killian sighed softly before closing his eyes. It's not like there was anything better to do.

He knew he might as well get some rest while he could. There was no telling what was to come.

Not in this place.

                              _-*-_

June 25th 2016.

Joelee was jolted awake when Esther sprizted her with a water bottle that had a hole poked into the lid.

" Really?" Joelee groaned as she looked down at the large water stain on her shirt.

" Get up! We're here!" Alyssa exclaimed as she flopped into the backseat, landing on Joelee who released a loud exhale at the sudden weight on her.

" Five more minutes." Joelee mumbled as she grabbed Alyssa and flipped over, using the shorter blonde as a teddy bear as she released a loud yawn.

" Don't you want to see Nathan?" Esther teased, causing Joelee to immediately shove Alyssa away as she instead shot up to stumble towards the door.

Joelee shoved Esther out of the way, stumbling slightly as she, very gracefully, fell from the van before dusting herself off to try and regain some semblance of dignity.

" I knew that would work." Esther whispered to Alyssa who giggled in response, quickly hurrying after Joelee who was dusting herself off as she walked.

" Shut up, I just needed to stretch legs." Joelee quite obviously lied as she looked around, searching for her camp friends with ever growing excitement.

" Joe!" Connor called as he jogged over to her, blue hair catching the light and almost blinding her at how vibrant it was. He wore black, ripped skinny jeans with a shirt sporting the words Edgar Allen Crow in bold white letters while a crow holding and ink quill stood on the very front. Connor was rather handsome dark brown eyes, framed with rather long, dark eyelashes and lined with black eyeliner. His mother and aunt were both from China originally though both only had a mild accent, Connor and his cousins did know a bit of Chinese due to visits to their mother's home country but none had even a hint of an accent. Connor was tall by Joelee's standards though for a man she supposed he wasn't by normal standards, standing at around 5'10 with a lean yet muscular physique.

" The Goth One!" Joelee quickly ran over and hugged her friend, laughing when he pointed at the spot on her shirt with a curious expression.

" Esther." Was all Joelee had to say for him to understand, the older male giving a serious nod as he shot Esther a glare for ruining a perfectly cute shirt.

" Uh oh, Connor is stealing your girlfriend, Nathan!" A boy with incredibly dark brown hair called which caused Joelee to roll her eyes as she pulled away from Connor.

The boy... Derek was tall with a slightly athletic figure, his skin tan in comparison to Connor who was incredibly pale. His hazel eyes glittered as he spared a glance at Connor who looked worried for the boy's safety. The two looked similar though the Derek's lips were slightly thinner than Connor's, he was around the same height as Connor but Derek seemed to have a bit more muscle than the older boy did.

" Shut up, you pepperoni pizza." Joelee punched Derek in the arm, causing him to yelp in pain as he stuck his tongue out at her.

" Ouch." Nathan said from behind her but was interrupted when Joelee quickly hugged him.

" You going to kiss him again?" Derek teased which caused Joelee to quickly pull away from Nathan who looked just as awkward as she did.

" We didn't kiss! He kissed my head. That's it! Stop spreading lies, Derek! I haven't kissed anyone yet!" Joelee muttered as she looked down at her hands instead, seemingly very uncomfortable now as she began to run the side of her index finger with her thumb.

" Suuuuuurre." Derek teased which caused Joelee to let out sigh before she crossed her arms over her chest.

" Come on, girls. I'll show you to your rooms." Esther and Rachel's mom said which turned Joelee's attention to her instead.

" See you later." Joelee murmured before quickly following the other girls, not missing the way Nathan immediately punched Derek's arm after she left.

The others went into their dorms while Joelee hesitated, hearing a loud crack coming from the woods. Being the curious and debatably stupid person she was, she followed the sound. A decision that she would learn to regret for four years.

" Hello? If you're a scary ax murderer I'll help you murder people!" Joelee called before she felt a pain in the back of her head and everything went black.