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W olfaraine was in pain. His brain has stopped thinking too.

This scent...

He will know this scent anywhere.

"It's him. Doctor Hector... from the Labs." The wolf was mad. The cougar was raging insane. Both halves fought inside him.

They fought over which form will dominate the male. They battled over which form will shift and take over the male's body.

The one with the greatest rage was winning. The cougar was so close to the surface, that its wrath was overwhelming. It mixed with the male's rage until Wolfaraine was on the verge of shifting. He was so close...

Alphose got in front of him to block him from Ismena's family. "Control yourself, Alpha King, please. You do not want to be doing this! Ismena's whole family is here, you will harm them! "

"W-What is going on?" Ismena asked, standing up hesitantly. Her mother and Valentina were confused, but Sandra was downright terrified. Just like she is.

"What is wrong with him, Alphose?" But, she could see it with her own eyes. The mountain lion was on the verge of breaking free.

"He is the doctor from the Labs. I will kill him." He growled, taking another step forward.

"You can't shift forms, especially NOT the mountain lion. You will kill every human in this room!"

"I will kill them all." The deeper, raging voice of the cougar stated. Its green eyes were still fixed on Alfred. "I will kill them all."

"What...!?" Ismena's eyes widened like saucers. She was confused and scared at the same time.

"We have to stop him from shifting shapes, Ismena!

I've tried reaching out to calm him with my own Cougar, but I felt a bit of what he was feeling instead and none of it is good!

If I try to reach out again, I might have ended up shifting forms first—that is not a good thing.

I'm having a hard time stopping him now, I don't know what else to do! "

The desperation in Alphose's tone filled Ismena was so much fear, and an adrenaline rush she hasn't felt in a long time.

Ismena scrambled forward, got in front of Alphose, and threw her arms around Wolfaraine's back, imprisoning his arms in the embrace. "Please... Wolfe, please."

"What are you doing, Ismena!" Alphose gasped, trying to yank her out of that embrace and away from this uncontrolled Alpha King, "You can't be this close to him, this is the mountain lion about to take over now!

The cougar will kill you and the male cannot hear you enough to save your life! Get out, now! "

"No, leave me alone!" Ismena twisted her arms out of Alphose's hold, "This is my whole family in danger now, do you hear me!? Including my barely-alive father! I will protect them and I will protect Wolfaraine too, even if it means throwing my life on the line like this! Do you hear me!?"

Alphose stepped back when he realized he can't shake her. He'd never felt as helpless and desperate in a long time.

"W-What's going o-on...?" Amelia's tiny voice interrupted them. She was hugging her scared, teenage daughter to her chest in protection while looking at Wolfaraine with terrified eyes.

Sandra backed away until she stood behind Alphose and in front of Amelia and her daughter, she was filled with terror.

"Wolfe, please... Get yourself under control, please." Her arms tightened around his back.

He growled in anger at the slight restriction from the small, unfamiliar being. He raised his hands with every intention to lift her away from him and his path. To throw her away.

But, as he placed his claws-infused hands on either side of her waist and grabbed hold of her, the familiarity of that body inflamed his mind.

Ismena.

At the slight awareness, Wolfaraine began fighting internal battles with himself. The male began trying to control himself and hold the cougar off. It was a very hard battle.

Ismena bit her lips hard to keep from crying out as his claws dug into her skin, drawing blood. It hurts but she was determined not to make a sound and frighten her family the more.

"Wolfe," She whispered again, rubbing his back in soothing motions .

"Ismena..." A hoarse, grating voice.

"It's me. Yes, it's me, baby." She gritted her teeth together as his claws dug into the same bloodied skin again.

"I can't...control it. Not...when I'm...hurting too. I can't..." His breathing was loud and heavy, "I don't want...to hurt you. Step out...of the way. I need to kill him."

Her arms tightened around him, "No, you can't kill my father. I won't let you do it, do you understand!? You can't shift, you will kill my whole family!" She yelled, tears in her eyes. "Please try harder to control it! Wolfe, please...!"

Her body plastered against him was calming the wolf so he wrapped his arms around her tightly to keep her closer. He was crushing her and Ismena could barely breathe, but she held onto him.

She has to hold him. Has to save her family!

With her presence calming the wolf, he began battling the cougar only. It took a few minutes, but together, they were able to suppress his other halves. They were able to calm him down.

Finally, Wolfaraine slowly released his arms from around her and opened his eyes. He was breathing hard, sweat glistening his forehead. Ismena pulled away and turned around.

Her mother was still holding her sister closer, fear in their eyes. Sandra was clutching Alphose's clothes, standing behind him in fear.

And, her father has opened his eyes. When did he wake up!?

"Dad!" She gasped, drawing everyone's attention toward the bed .

"Dad!!" Valentina pulled away from their mother and rushed toward him. Amelia turned too and hovered over her husband.

Ismena wanted to go too. she wanted to go so badly. But, she was afraid to leave Wolfaraine's side because of what just happened. What if he shifts to the cougar again?

She was still confused about what happened. Did he mistake her father for another man? Or, is it just the anger of seeing humans together?

Her bet was, he'd had flashbacks of his time in that horrible hell and he'd mistaken her father for one of those devilish doctors.

But, as she kept looking at her father, she noticed something. He was not looking at them at all. He was only looking at the man standing behind her.

He and Wolfaraine were staring at each other. What is going on here?

In her father's eyes, there was none of those glints that suggests unfamiliarity. Instead, apart from the look of pain and tiredness on his face, he looked resigned. Recognition and resignation watched over him.

"I shouldn't have...worried too much," Alfred said, at last, "I always knew...my daughter was...in the right hands, but I still worried. I should have known that it would be you, Number 6."

At the mention of that name, his eyes changed from blue to hot-blazing amber instantly and his claws slipped out again. This voice was low and deadly, "I will kill you if you address me with that name again."

"I'm sorry... I did not know...you by any other name." He has trouble breathing properly, but Alfred was determined that it wouldn't stop him from speaking.

"His name is Wolfaraine. He is our grand leader." Alphose supplied instantly, watching the man carefully .

"Leader... Of course. Wolfaraine..."

"You shouldn't be talking, honey, please save your breath. Whatever this is, can wait..." Amelia pleaded with her husband, extending imploring eyes towards Wolfaraine.

"No, it can't...wait, Amelia. I think...it has waited long enough. I always knew...this day would come."

"I don't understand, father," Ismena's shaky hand squeezed her gown. Dread filled her system. Panic burned down her throat.

Alfred's eyes did not leave Wolfariane’s. "I'm glad you...grew up well. I am sorry for everything. I know these words can never be enough but...I have waited for eighteen years to say them. I am very sorry about everything. Everything I did has haunted...my sleep for so long. I'm really sorry."

"What's going on...?" Ismena asked, looking between her father and a Wolfaraine who was almost vibrating in anger. Tears filled her eyes. This must be a nightmare.

"How are you her father?" His voice was cold and uncompromising.

"How can you be her father?" This time around, pain filled his voice.

"I'm so sorry. Please, do not hate my daughter...for all this. It's not her fault that she has a...barbarian for a father. Don't hate her please, Wolfaraine. She has been through a lot." Tears filled Alfred's eyes.

Ismena hurried towards him then, placing a comforting hand on his bandaged head. She hated that her father was hurting. At that moment, she glared at Wolfaraine for what he was putting her father—her family, through .

"Leave my father alone. Stop hurting him." She stated firmly, her voice dripping icicles. At that moment, she hated him for what he was putting her sick father through.

"No, Ismena, please..." Alfred intervened, "I deserve his hatred and more... I deserve everything."

"Whatever you did, he should not be putting you through this when you just had an accident." She cried out, throwing another glare at him.

Wolfaraine saw that hate and his face closed up. His hands fisted on his sides, as he glared at her father, "I thought you died that day in the Lab. I thought you burned to ashes like the rest of them. How are you still alive?" He gritted his teeth, "How can you, Dr. Hector, be her father?"

"The Lab...?" Ismena froze. She looked at her father, "Who is Dr. Hector. What's the Lab...!?"

"Your father used to be a doctor years ago, Ena," Her mother supplied helpfully, still as confused as her daughters, "He lost his job when the lab he was working burnt to the ground. That was before we moved here to Oklahoma."

" What! ?"

"You never told your family the truth, did you?" Wolfaraine accused. He ran his tongue through his teeth, "You never told them the kind of monster you are? The kind of monster they call 'husband' and 'father'?"

Alfred shook his head slowly, tears running down his eyes, "No, I never did. It has...lived with me all these years. But, I think it's high time to tell them."

And so, he did.

He told them everything .

How he began working for the labs without having the knowledge about what they did there, and how they threatened to kill him when he found out and tried to leave. They kill anyone that leaves in order to cover up their secrets.

He went ahead to tell them how he was forced to follow every order given by doctor Angor.

How they tortured the werewolves, kept them drugged at all times, and forced them to sleep with the females in the hope that any of those women will get pregnant, so the child can be used as a full-process experiment in the hope to know everything about the changelings; how they grow, what they fear, what can kill them, how to manipulate them and the rest of their secrets.

Alfred explained how bad he felt about everything, especially when the changelings began dying and Angor became more desperate, more brutal. How Angor forced him to inject Wolfaraine and bring his drugged underaged sister in, for him to sleep with.

Then, he began telling them about the little girl who was always sneaking into the underground of the labs to tell stories to the prisoners, how they all listened attentively to the girl and how Angor discovered it. How the monster decided to throw the child in for 'Number 6' to copulate with.

His eyes closed, so he wouldn't see them as he narrated how Ismena got pregnant, how she was dying in that lab every day while her poor mother was drowning in the sorrow of looking for her only child. When he couldn't take it anymore, he helped the changelings escape.

He told them how he took Ismena down the road to be discovered and taken to the hospital.

How she lost her womb because of her traumatic experience.

He confessed about how she died in that hospital and how he saved her life by injecting her with Wolfariane’s blood.

How they changed their names after he married Amelia and they moved to Oklahoma to start a fresh life .

He told them everything without leaving any details out. By the time he was done, he was exhausted. Physically and emotionally.

"I'm so sorry about everything. So, so sorry. Please, forgive me." Alfred cried bitterly.