A white wolf dog tail wagging stormed him, “stay down girl!” Arne quickly orders his pet of the last six years, “how are you Shade?” he pets his white wolf dog.

“Please tell me you are just a dog and not actually a werewolf?”

The dog just looks at him, “I take it you are just a dog.”

Arne barely managed to brush his teeth but at least it was easier than eating. He carefully took his shirt off and, in the mirror, he looked at his scars, ‘what happened to me.’

Arne managed to get onto his bed and Shade jumped on and carefully find her place next to him, “you are such a clever dog,” Arne pats Shade's head thinking that she is so clever to know to be careful.

Shade is in fact Esmerelda White, the daughter of the pack’s Beta that everyone thought is studying aboard. Esmerelda was abroad studying. She was studying under one of the most powerful Shamans to do magic. Esmerelda’s father, Zeth wanted to take over the pack but he knew that the pack won’t accept it as they all worship their Alpha, Arnold. Zeth White made his daughter come back just in time for Arne’s fifteenth birthday and pretend to gift her as a pet. No one knew what Esmerelda looked like in her wolf form, so they just assumed that she is nothing more than a wolf dog.

Esmerelda placed a spell over Arne one night when he was sleeping so that he won't shift, making everyone believe that he didn’t get the gene. Esmerelda was allowed everywhere with Arne and even found her way into Alpha Arnold's heart. This worked out perfectly for Zeth as his daughter gave him important information that was shared behind closed doors.

Zeth White arranged the Vampire woman that is a werewolf-vampire hybrid to attack Arne. Esmerelda was the watch out that night, it was her howling Arne heard before he passed out. The hybrid couldn’t finish the job, the job that was to kill Arne because they were in another pack territory that caught wind of their cent. The pack managed to chase the two women of their territory and notified the police of the man that was attacked.

Arne fell asleep easily after some painkillers. Esmeralda looked at him in the dark, ‘wish I can just end him already and move on with my life.’

Esmeralda is already mated. Her mate belongs to another pack and is too busy screwing members of his own pack to care much about her whereabouts. Not that Esmeralda minded as she is the one that spelled her own mate to be a player so that he won’t ask questions about what she is up to.

Esmeralda got up after Arne fell asleep. She changed into her human form and cast a sleeping spell over Arne to make sure he does not wake up. She looked around all night for his mobile but could not find it. Esmeralda lifted the sleeping spell and changed back into her wolf form.

Arne woke up to a knock on the door.

“It is open,” Arne says sitting up.

“Hi, your father is awake. I came to help you get ready,” his father’s nurse came into the room.

First, the nurse helped him to go to the bathroom, and then she helped to carefully wash his body. She wanted to take the bandages off his face to clean his face, but Arne stopped her, “no, my mother will do it.”

The nurse wheeled Arne to the third floor to see his father. At the elevator, the nurse objected to the dog, “a hospital is no place for a dog.”

Esmerelda is a bit bumped that she can not enter the hospital as she knew that they might speak openly about what happened to Arne and she needed to find out if they suspect foul play. Esmeralda waited for the elevator doors to close.

Esmerelda went to find her father. Unlike the other pack members, she can’t just mind link because she is not part of the pack.

“Arne, my boy, what happened to you?” Alpha Arnold took his son’s hand, worried.

“Father don’t worry about me, just focus on yourself.”

“Son, there is something important that I have to tell you,” Alpha Arnold signals the nurse to leave the room.

“Close the door behind you.”

“Father, mother already told me that we are werewolves. Um, well, that you and everyone else are and I am not.”

“That is not what I wanted to talk to you about. Your uncle, Zeth, he is the pack Beta, but you can not trust him, no matter what.”

“But father he is your brother, you guys have always done business together he is your business partner, and he owns almost half of the shares,” Arne says, not understanding why his father doesn’t trust his own brother, his beloved uncle that has always been there for them.

“Son, you know the password to my personal safe, if I do pass, open it alone and don’t show the contents to anyone. Do not even let anyone know about the contents or that I had a personal safe.”

“Father, please don’t talk like this, you will not die.”

“The pain is too much, it is time for me to leave this world,” Alpha Arnold coughed up some blood.

“Father? What is happening?” Arne looks around for something to wipe off the blood.

“Nurse!”

The nurse came storming in and managed the situation. She quickly sedated Alpha Arnold, “I am sorry Arne, but this is the only way. You have to find a mate and produce an heir before it is too late!”

Arne wondered why even the nurse felt that his uncle will betray him, ‘perhaps I have to go talk to uncle Zeth myself.’

“Please keep me updated on any changes and try to keep him alive.”

“Will do my best,” the nurse says as she cleans up the blood.

“Here you are,” Anese came into the room.

“Sorry mam, you just missed your husband, I had to sedate him again as he had a coughing attack. I will notify the doctor to come in I think his lungs are filled with fluid again,” the nurse said worriedly.

“Thank you,” Anese says, touching her husband’s hand.

“Arne, the guest will start to arrive at four today. I have arranged for another nurse to come and assist you full time. The nurse is also one of our own pack members that are willing to return now that our Supernatural status is out in the open again. He will arrive later today and help you get ready.”

“He?” Arne questions.

“Well, yes, you need a man to help lift you when needed.”

“I have not yet cleaned my face and my dressings on my wounds. I didn’t want fathers nurse to see what I look like; will you please help me while we are on the hospital floor.”

“Come, here is a room that has all the dressings and items we need.”

It didn’t take long before Arne is changed into clean dressings.

“Shall we go and have some breakfast?” Anese asks as they walk to the elevator.

“Yeah, sure.”

“I had breakfast set up in the garden,” Anese says as she presses the elevator button to go down.

“Hope it is the beachside garden.”

“I know you best my boy, so yes, it is the garden facing the beach.”

As they arrived outside Arne saw that his dog Shade is already outside, “come here, girl.” Arne pads her head in a playful manner.

“Please bring a bowl of water and soap so that he can clean his hands,” Anese says, not liking the fact that Arne is always playing with the dog and not washing his hands.

“For someone that is an animal herself you are quite the hypocrite. Should I wash my hands after touching you too mother?” Arne asks sarcastically.

The nurse arrived promptly later that day and got Arne ready. While the nurse is busy getting him ready, he is full of questions, “have you had a look at your own face?”

“No, the doctor’s advice that I don’t look at myself as it might put me into a state of depression.”

“Makes sense. So, should I take the bandage off or will you wear the mask over the bandage?” the nurse asks unsure what he should do.