The morning sun caught the trophy case, casting prism-like reflections across the hall as Jessica slammed her locker with a metallic bang that matched her mood. Three days had passed since Mark's weight room meltdown, and the whispers in the corridor teeming with students had only intensified. She adjusted her cheerleading uniform, the soft fabric starkly contrasting the coiled tension in her muscles.

  So far, there haven't been any more reports of a strange creature terrorizing the locals, and Mark seemed to behave normally for a while. But Jessica had always kept her guard up.

  "Jessica," Kevin's voice broke through her thoughts. He propped himself against the adjacent locker, a manila folder tucked under his arm. "I've got something."

  Jessica scanned the crowded hallway before nodding toward an empty classroom. "Not here."

  They ducked inside, and Jessica perched on a desk as Kevin spread his findings across the teacher's table. Salina materialized moments later, her black nail polish catching the fluorescent light as she closed the door behind her.

  "Tell me you found something useful," Jessica said, crossing her arms.

  Kevin pushed his glasses up his nose, a familiar gesture that preceded his info-dumps. "Mark's dad isn't just any scientist at PharmaTech. Dr. Turner specializes in performance enhancement research for military applications."

  "Military?" Jessica frowned. "What's that got to do with his son raging like an angry gorilla?"

  "Everything," Kevin replied, sliding a newspaper clipping toward her. "PharmaTech lost government funding last year after failed trials. Too many side effects, too little control. But according to their research, they were close to a breakthrough."

  Salina picked up a grainy photo of Dr. Turner. "So daddy dearest brings his work home, and Junior decides to play lab rat?"

  "Basically." Kevin nodded. "Or his dad doesn't know if he's taking it."

  A cold realization washed over Jessica, turning her insides to ice as the fragments of truth aligned. The sudden increase in strength. The mood swings. The crimson tinge to his skin when he'd lost control.

  "We need to talk to him," she decided, sliding off the desk. "Today."

  "And say what?" Salina asked, arching an eyebrow. "Hey, we know you're shooting up with experimental super-soldier juice. Mind not destroying the town?"

  "If we have to," Jessica replied, her words sharp as the canines that began to elongate inside her mouth. With a deep breath, she willed them back to normal size. "I'm not letting another monster loose in Moon Valley. One's enough."

  Kevin's expression softened. "Jessica, you're not—"

  "Save it," she cut him off. "Let's find Mark."

  *****

  They cornered Mark after the third period, his hulking frame easy to spot among the crowd heading to lunch. Jessica noticed the subtle changes immediately—his jersey stretched too tight across shoulders that seemed broader than yesterday, veins pulsing beneath skin that held an unnatural flush.

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  "Mark, we need to talk," Jessica said, planting herself in his path.

  Mark's eyes narrowed, pupils contracting to pinpoints. "Get lost, Tumblerlee. I'm busy."

  "Too busy to explain why you're turning into a science experiment gone wrong?" Salina quipped, earning a death glare from both Jessica and Mark.

  "Keep your voice down," Mark hissed, seizing Jessica's arm with alarming strength.

  She winced but stood her ground. "Conference room. Now."

  To her surprise, he complied, hauling her into the empty student council meeting room. Kevin and Salina followed, Kevin locking the door behind them.

  Mark paced like a caged animal, his movements jerky and uncontrolled. Jessica's werewolf senses detected his racing heartbeat, the chemical tang of adrenaline rolling off him in waves.

  "What do you want?" he demanded.

  "The truth," Jessica replied, her gaze never leaving his. "We know about the serum, Mark. We know what you've been putting into your body."

  "You don't know anything," he spat, but his right hand flew to his left bicep, where Jessica could see tiny puncture marks through his thin shirt.

  "Your dad's research," Kevin said. "The experimental enhancement drug that PharmaTech was developing. You stole it, didn't you?"

  Mark froze mid-stride, his face cycling through shock, anger, and finally, defeated resignation. He collapsed into a chair, the wood protesting under his weight.

  "It was just supposed to be temporary," he mumbled, staring at his trembling hands. "For recruiting season. Get noticed by scouts, land a scholarship, then stop."

  "But you can't stop," Jessica stated rather than asked.

  Mark laughed, a hollow sound that raised the hair on the back of Jessica's neck. "You have no idea what it feels like. The power. The rush. Everything becomes so... clear. No fear, no doubt. Just strength."

  "And the side effects?" Kevin pressed.

  Mark's expression darkened. "It wasn't supposed to... change me. Dad's notes said the formula was stable."

  "Clearly, it's not," Salina observed dryly.

  "How much have you taken?" Jessica asked, dreading the answer.

  Mark hesitated, then reached into his gym bag and pulled out a small metal case. When he opened it, six vials glowed an eerie crimson, while four empty slots confirmed Jessica's fears.

  "Four doses in two weeks," he admitted. "It was just supposed to be one, but... I needed more. The effects wear off, and then..."

  "You crash," Kevin finished. "Classic addiction pattern."

  "I'm not an addict!" Mark snarled, shooting to his feet. For a split second, his eyes flashed crimson, and Jessica took an instinctive step back.

  "Mark," she said, each word measured like she was approaching a wounded animal, "you need help. That serum is warping you from the inside out."

  "You don't understand," he said, his voice cracking. "The scouts are coming to the championship game this Friday. This is my one shot. My entire future. I just need to keep it together until then."

  "And after?" Salina challenged. "What happens when you can't control it anymore? When you hurt someone? Or worse?"

  Mark's face twisted with momentary anguish before hardening into resolve. "I'll figure it out. My dad has... he has ideas. Ways to counteract the side effects."

  "Does he know you took it?" Kevin asked.

  Mark's silence was answer enough.

  "You need to tell him," Jessica insisted. "Before this gets worse."

  "Stay out of it," Mark warned, snatching up his case and backing toward the door. "All of you. This is my problem."

  "It's everyone's problem if you hulk out in the middle of town," Salina countered.

  Mark's hand closed around the doorknob, knuckles whitening with pressure. "Just... leave me alone. I've got this under control."

  As the door slammed behind him, Kevin turned to Jessica with a grimace. "He definitely doesn't have this under control."

  "No kidding," Jessica agreed, her heightened senses still reeling from the wrongness that emanated from Mark. It wasn't just his scent, though that had changed from normal teenage boy musk to something chemical and sharp, but something deeper, more primal. Her wolf recognized a predator, a threat.

  "You need to find his dad," Jessica decided. "When you do, text me."