The medical facility occupied an entire floor of Crestmont Tower, though Stewart had never heard of any businesses offering healthcare services in the building. The doctor, a thin man named Voss with pale eyes and careful hands, directed him to an examination room that looked more like something from a spa than a clinic.
"Just a standard physical," Dr. Voss said, his voice soft and professional. "Mr. Ashford is very particular about the health of his employees. Strip to your underwear, please."
Stewart complied, folding his suit carefully. The room was cool. Clinical. Dr. Voss moved around him with practiced efficiency, checking reflexes, listening to his heart, peering into his eyes with a small light.
"You're in reasonable shape for a man under stress," Dr. Voss observed. "Blood pressure is elevated but not dangerously so. When did you last eat?"
"Breakfast. Coffee and toast."
"Good. The blood work will be easier on a lighter stomach."
The doctor prepared a syringe, tapping the vein in Stewart's arm. The needle went in smoothly. Stewart watched his blood fill three vials, dark and red.
"Now comes the interesting part," Dr. Voss said. He opened a small refrigerated case and withdrew another vial, this one filled with something that looked almost black in the fluorescent lighting. "Mr. Ashford requires all his security personnel to receive certain vaccinations. Protection against various pathogens you might encounter in your duties."
"What kind of pathogens?"
"Rare ones. Nothing you need to worry about. This is purely precautionary." Dr. Voss filled a new syringe from the black vial. "You may feel some discomfort. That's normal."
The liquid went into Stewart's arm and immediately he knew something was wrong. Heat spread from the injection site, racing through his veins like fire. His heart hammered. Sweat broke out across his forehead.
"What the hell," he gasped.
"Breathe through it. The reaction is temporary."
But it wasn't temporary. It was getting worse. Stewart's vision blurred. The room spun. He tried to stand and his legs gave out. Dr. Voss caught him, surprisingly strong for such a thin man, and guided him to the examination table.
"What did you give me?"
"Your future, Mr. Lennox. Now rest. Your body needs to process the change."
Change. The word echoed in Stewart's head as darkness crept in from the edges of his vision. What change? What had he done?
When he woke, Rowan was sitting in a chair beside the examination table, reading something on his phone. The room was dimmer now. Evening light filtered through the windows.
"How long was I out?" Stewart's voice came out rough.
"Six hours. A bit longer than usual, but everyone responds differently." Rowan pocketed his phone. "How do you feel?"
Stewart took inventory. The fire in his veins had subsided but he felt different. Stronger somehow. More aware. He could hear things he shouldn't be able to hear—a conversation happening floors below, the mechanical hum of the building's systems, someone's heartbeat. His own, he realized. Impossibly loud.
"What did you do to me?"
"I gave you what you needed. What we both need." Rowan leaned forward. "Tell me, Stewart. What do you smell?"
It was a strange question but Stewart found himself answering automatically. "Antiseptic. Your cologne. Coffee from somewhere. Someone cooking meat. Sweat. Fear." He stopped. "Why can I smell fear?"
"Because you're not entirely human anymore."
The words should have sounded insane. They should have sent Stewart running. Instead, they settled over him with the weight of truth. Something fundamental had shifted inside him. Something primal and ancient.
"I want to show you something," Rowan said. He stood, unbuttoning his shirt. Beneath the expensive fabric, his skin rippled. Bones cracked and reformed. Fur sprouted. In seconds, where Rowan had stood, a massive wolf with amber eyes stared at Stewart.
Stewart should have screamed. Should have fled. But the fear wouldn't come. Instead, recognition flooded through him. Understanding. The wolf was Rowan. Rowan was the wolf. They were the same thing.
The transformation reversed. Rowan stood naked, unbothered by his exposure. "Your turn is coming. The first change happens at the full moon, three days from now. Until then, you'll experience increased senses, enhanced strength, better healing. After the full moon, you'll be able to control it. Mostly."
"You bit me." Stewart's hand went to his arm where the injection had gone in. "No. Worse. You infected me."
"I offered you a life beyond your wildest dreams and I delivered. The bite is real but the method doesn't matter. You're pack now, Stewart. And pack takes care of its own."
Stewart slid off the examination table. His legs held. He felt steadier than he had in years. "I didn't agree to this. I didn't agree to become a monster."
"A monster?" Rowan laughed. "Look around you. I built an empire. My pack controls half this city's real estate, three major corporations, and more wealth than you can imagine. We're not monsters, Stewart. We're apex predators. And now, so are you."
"My family. Claire and the kids."
"Will be protected. Provided for. You think I'd turn you without considering them?" Rowan retrieved his clothes, dressing with casual grace. "Your wife will receive a generous stipend. Your children will want for nothing. All you have to do is learn to be what you already are deep down. A hunter. A fighter. A survivor."
Stewart wanted to argue but the words died in his throat. Because part of him, some dark corner he'd always tried to ignore, thrilled at the idea. Power. Real power. The ability to protect his family not through endless toil but through strength.
"The pack meets tomorrow night," Rowan continued. "I'll introduce you properly. For now, go home. Be with your family. But Stewart?" His eyes flashed gold. "Don't try to run. You're bound to us now. The blood oath has been sealed. If you leave pack territory without permission, the consequences will be severe."
"What kind of consequences?"
"The kind that involve your wife and children learning exactly what you've become, shortly before rival packs tear them apart to get to you."
The threat hung in the air between them, crystal clear. Stewart had walked into this office a desperate man. He was leaving as something else entirely. Something with responsibilities and dangers he couldn't begin to understand.
"One more thing," Rowan said as Stewart reached the door. "Welcome to the family, brother. I promise you, this is just the beginning."