Aida POV

It's been three hours, and I'm still in shock. Three hours and one second exactly since I watched the most attractive guy I've ever seen transform into a wolf, just like that.

For some reason, I wasn't even that scared. Don't get me wrong; yes, a guy split apart in mid-air and poof! Turned into a wolf. Yes, that was terrifying. But I wasn't afraid he'd hurt me. Not even a bit. Something from within me told me he would never do anything to cause me harm.

Maybe that's my lack of lunch meds talking. I don't know. It's a feeling. I can't explain it. I just feel comfortable with him. And for as long as I can remember in my life, I've never felt comfortable with anyone.

Well, I do sometimes have a dream about a woman singing to me. I can't see her face, but her voice is high and sweet, and the song she sings is always the same. In that dream, I always feel comfort. I have either been alone or socially awkward my entire life. But with this boy, I am neither.

Even as we walked back to the institution together and snuck back in, avoiding the nurses and making it back to my room, it was as if we had been friends for years. Simple. Easy. I like it.

I think I'm still in shock. It's a lot to process. The boy. The wolf. My realisation that maybe somewhere along the line, I may have been lied to ... My head was spinning with questions.

Argent stays with me as long as he can, but he wants to catch Dr. Jasper as soon as possible. He won't exactly say why, but I know he wants to discuss with him the fact that he believes I am a wolf. And seeing as though Dr. Jasper apparently is a wolf too, Argent is perplexed as to how the doctor didn't know.

I don't know if I believe that I'm a wolf. It sounds nice—romantic, even, the thought of being a part of such a strong supportive group. The pack. I've never had that.

I look at the beautiful, dark-haired Argent standing close to the window. I have a strange urge to run and throw my arms around his strong back and never let go.

But I don't. Instead, I say, "Maybe Dr. Jasper did in fact know I was a wolf, but he believed it better that I didn't know because I am unwell. He's always seemed to genuinely care about my wellbeing since I moved here."

Argent scoffed and looked slightly pissed off at that last part.

"It's a gift being like us, Aida. A union between wolf and person. It's sacred. To mess with that is forbidden and punishable by death. If I find out he knew and has somehow hurt you, he's done."

He looks so sincere, so serious. This harsh Argent is different from what I've seen so far. It's pretty damn attractive!

If I'm a wolf, I still have so much to learn. I have no clue why.

No matter what happens, I will always have that to hold onto. And for once in my seventeen years, I feel hope.

He stands before me and places his hands on my shoulders. I look into his eyes. How can you feel so at ease with someone you just met? "No matter what happens in the next few hours, I will be back, and I will have answers for you."

"Aida, I want to get this sorted, and I want you to come and be a part of the pack." He waits for a response. I don't know what to say. I feel elated and scared at the same time.

"But what if I'm not what you think?" I ask. A sinking feeling starts in the pit of my stomach. Maybe he just feels sorry for me.

But he replies without delay, "You're everything I think and more. Pack your bags. I'll see you soon."

And with that, he's gone.

So, what happens now?

***The nurse in charge comes to my room and taps on the door frame.

"Aida, the doctor wants to see you tonight."

I check the alarm clock. It's 5 p.m. Where did the time go? I've been here alone in the room for four hours since Argent left, just thinking things all over and replaying what happened in my mind.

I get up and put my shoes on before heading to the nurse station. Esme is on. "The doctor wants to see you, honey. Lab 2. I'll keep your dinner for you."

She is so kind. Not all of them are.

I nod and give her a smile before heading out into the foyer beyond the ward and through to the other side. The labs are two levels below the wards. It's odd that he wants to see me there but not completely unheard of. I have been down a few times for blood tests and a few infusions at his request.

I head down the stairs, taking the scenic route tonight. I hope this doesn't take too long; I am exhausted from today's events.

As I get to the lab door, I can hear someone inside. The sound of rustling papers and mumbling gives him away, and Dr. Jasper looks up as I knock. He wears an odd expression. Fear. Or maybe desperation? He's definitely nervous. Maybe he has seen Argent.

"Come in, Aida. I won't be but a minute. Though, we aren't staying in here. We have to head to my private lab. The lights in here are playing up."

That's odd. The lights look like they're working just fine. I don't argue. I just stand and wait for him.

"Doctor, may I ask you something? It's about, Argent Lake."

He pauses when he hears that name.

I want to ask him about what Argent said. I want to see if he will tell me the truth. If anything, I feel like he owes me just that. I continue, "Doctor, Argent said something to me today, and I want to ask you if it's true."

He hasn't moved since I began speaking. If anything, he seems more anxious. His left hand is shaking, and the paperwork he is holding begins to crumple as his hand shakes more and more.

"Doctor, he said that he thinks that I might be ... He is a werewolf, and he thinks that maybe I am a ... wolf too, like you?"

Finally, he looks at me. His eyes are wide, and he answers slowly, "Why do you think we are werewolves, Aida? That sounds a little ridiculous, does it not? Argent is a very nice young man. Perhaps he was showing pity on you. He asked me earlier why you were here, and I explained about your delusions. You seem confused. Maybe he was just being nice?" His eyes shift back and forth from me to the wall behind me.

He's lying. I can tell.

It's exactly as Argent thought. Dr. Jasper has been lying this entire time. He won't even tell me the truth now when it seems as though he has no reason to lie anymore.

"Well, normally I would agree with you, Dr. Jasper, but seeing as though I watched him change into one before my eyes in the woods today, I'm going to go with maybe you're a liar, I'm not as mad as I thought, and maybe you've been lying to me about everything this last year." I stand my ground.

For as long as we've known each other, we've had daily interactions, and I've never challenged him. I have been meek. Quiet. I have accepted all he has said as gospel because I had no reason to object. He was kind and helpful, and he was trying to save me.

Or so I had believed.

"Aida. Please. There's a lot you don't understand. There's more to this story than even Argent knows. I have done all of this for your best interests. If you believe anything today, please believe that."

Now I'm the one shaking. I can't understand what I'm hearing. "Dr. Jasper, are you saying that I'm a werewolf too?" We stand there like this, eyes locked on each other for what seems like hours. Neither of us move.

Finally, he lets out a sigh and nods. "Yes, Aida. How could you not be? You were born into a family of wolves, and you too are a werewolf."

I feel my mouth drop open. My whole body is numb.

"Wait, so ..." I try to talk, but nothing is coming out. My heart is pounding in my chest. I feel nauseated.

And then I feel anger coursing through me.

"Are my dreams real? Have they always been real? Did I hurt people, Dr. Jasper?"

"Yes, that part is true, you have hurt people—though, never on purpose. When you have those dreams, you're in a trance- like state. That is why I've always stopped your shifting process. It would be too dangerous to let you shift. Your illness in wolf form would be catastrophic. Like it was for your mother."

At those words, I see everything around me go fuzzy. The room starts to spin. I put my hand out to the wall next to me to steady myself.

My mother. I've never heard anything about my mother before. Or my family. Now I have a mother?

"What did you say? My mother? You knew my mother?"

He comes closer to stand right in front of me. He stretches out his hand to touch me, but I pull away. I turn away from him and try to catch my breath. I feel as though I've taken a hard hit to the chest. I take a deep breath.

When I turn around to face him, he is closer again. Before I have a chance to speak again, he grabs me, and I feel a sharp sting in the side of my neck.

Shit.

As the world becomes a haze and the room begins to fade, Dr. Jasper whispers to me, "Of course I knew your mother. She was my wife."

And with that the lights go out.