Sorry, I Cannot!

Blaire's Pov

I watched with bated breath as the Pack’s physician ran tests on Indrik. He checked his eyes, his tongue, his lips and a host of other places. He mumbled something under his breath as he repeated the tests.

By the time he looked up, his eyes were wide with terror. "That girl!" He muttered through gritted teeth.

"Can he be treated?" Beta Green asked, stepping forward. His body seemed to sag and his voice was weary from all that was going on.

The physician shook his head. "The girl chose her poison well. This is Voldemort's root." I stared at him blankly, not understanding what that meant but obviously, the Beta understood and so did my mother as they gasped in disbelief.

"What?" My mother gasped. "But that is impossible. Where could she possibly have gotten it?"

The physician bowed his head. "From me. She asked me about it this morning when she came to get his medicine. I had totally forgotten about that till now."

Silence reigned for a moment before mother spoke again. "But he will be okay, right? After all, the poison only affects humans." Her voice was uncertain as she without doubt was realizing what the rest of us were.

"I really wish that were true but sadly, Indrik is no different from a human. Not in his current condition." Indrik sputtered, coughing up more foam and, was that blood? The physician bent over him and shook his head.

"Surely, there is something you can do though, right? An antidote for the poison, perhaps?" Beta Green questioned.

The physician shook his head. "The reason why the poison is so dangerous to humans is that once ingested, it goes straight to the heart, turning all the blood into useless mush, green mush." My eyes widened as I took another look at his mouth and sure enough, the foam emitted a greenish glow. Even the blood or what I had thought was blood had taken on a greenish tinge. He was right. My friend was dying. The thought was so painful that I could hardly breath. "When it finally reaches the heart, they die. No two ways about it. As a wolf, the body regenerates quickly and counters the effect thereby making it not as harmful to us. Unfortunately, Indrik does not have this power."

"But, he is a wolf. That should count for something, right?" I blurted before I could think, my fear clouding my reasoning faculties.

"There is one thing." The physician said suddenly, looking at the Beta. My heart soared with hope as I followed his gaze. The Beta shook his head, urging the physician to not say it. "We can unlock his wolf. If we do that, his wolf will set to work at once and cure him of the poison."

"No!" Beta Green muttered forcefully. "I am sure there is another way. You have a lot of potions, Mattew. One of them ought to work. We cannot unlock his wolf. Not now, not ever."

My legs felt like rubber under me as I stumbled back. Suddenly, I started to recall all the days that Indrik would cry that no one cared for him. I had always tried to convince him otherwise but now, I was not so sure. How could someone who he looked on as a father figure refuse him the one thing that could save his life?

"Beta Green, you should reconsider your decision. The boy would die if we do not do this and quickly too. He has about a few minutes left before the poison reaches his heart. When that happens, it will be too late. The boy will die." The physician declared. A cold breeze swept through the courtyard filling me with a sense of foreboding, like nature had stamped the physician's words.

Beta Green looked around, his face portraying the strain he was under. I had always thought that he looked rather young for his age but now, he looked like he had added a couple of years. "This is all your fault!" He snarled, referring to the physician. "If only you had been more careful with your equipment, this would not have happened. And don't you try to push this on me. You should find a way to treat him. I will go find the girl that caused all these and make her say what she knows. That can't be the only way out."

"Beta Green!" My mother called, stopping the Beta in his tracks. "Now is not the time to cast blame. We should face the problem head on and find a way to solve it before it is too late. You heard the physician. Indrik does not have much time left."

"I promised!" The Beta groaned, his voice raspy with despair. "I promised Alpha Grayson that I would never unlock his wolf. Not now, not ever!"

The moon disappeared under the clouds, leaving us squinting under the billowing flames of the torches for a moment before the moon was freed again.

"I am sure he will understand!" My mother muttered softly. "After all, you also have the duty to keep him safe, right?"

For a moment, the Beta looked like his pants had been set on fire under him.

"It is our duty to ensure that he stays alive. I don't think his father will ever forgive us if we allowed him to die." A gruff voice added. I looked up in surprise to find that the Zeta was also here. I wondered how long he had been here for. I couldn't dwell on that for long though as I stared at Beta Green while biting on my lips hoping that he would change his mind and save my friend from certain death.

The Beta rocked on his heels then started to pace, his face showing just how exhausted he was. Finally, he stopped in front of Indrik and massaged his pale cheeks tenderly.

"I am sorry but I cannot do that!"