“How did my dad die?”
She looks up at me.
“I’m sorry Doctor Ulric. He just walked in.”
“It’s okay Gloria.”
The nurse walks out, closing the door behind her.
“You should be in school.”
“I need to know.”
She gestures to me to sit.
I walk over and sit down.
“Did he suffer?”
“Jeffry was driving back home from work when he was hit by a truck. A piece of metal became imbedded in his chest. There were other wounds with glass and debris. He might have walked away with it, but the metal had hit muscle and it was close to his heart. You have to know that even though you’re not allergic to silver in the form of jewelry or anything else that you might wear or touch, it does something to you when it becomes lodged in you. Our physical makeup is different than any other person. The things that silver is made up of reacts violently with our cells. Jeff couldn’t stay at the hospital because his body was trying to recover and protect itself. He started to change and he was stuck somewhere between human and wolf form. He knew he couldn’t remove the object by himself without causing more damage. No one can know about us and your mother couldn’t see him, not like that. So I went and helped him escape. I brought him here and I removed the metal. He had lost a lot of blood and I knew there was more metal in him. I did all that I could, but the wound was fatal. He wanted to see you one more time, before he died. But I knew it wasn’t possible. People were looking for him. We called the lawyer and he came here. Your father made me his power of attorney. He knew he might not survive the night so at the last minute, he denied his right as parent and gave it to me. You were too young and your mother hadn’t been aware of Jeffrey’s situation. Your father knew I was the only one able to teach you what you had to know. You mother became furious when she found out. I wanted to bring you home with me so that I could have time to talk to you and start to prepare you. But your mother didn’t allow it. She didn’t want me to have anything to do with you. Jeffrey lived for three days after the accident. He was in a lot of pain. Nothing I did helped him. Yes Mathew, your father suffered. He wanted to be the one to teach you and guide you. But things don’t always work the way we want them to. I’m sorry I never told you.”
“Did he die a human?”
“No. It was easier for him to remain in his wolf state.”
“Would you have let me see him even though he looked that way?”
“He was your father. He wouldn’t have hurt you.”
“Did he love me?”
“You know he did.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“I know this is a lot for you take in Matt. And I understand.”
“I need to know it all.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Our line changed when William Ulric became infected with the disease in 1650. He didn’t change right away. It took his physical make up to change from human to wolf. When he did change, it was permanent. It wasn’t until the fourth generation that the virus became completely integrated with our human genetics. Since then we have been able to change at will. In the beginning, it’s hard to control it. That’s why we’re encouraged to learn our wolf side and nature. We usually live a long period of time as the animal before staying in human form. You have to understand that some of us chose to remain in wolf form while others avoid it as much as possible. Once you are near the change you will start to notice the signs. Your hearing and vision will be the first to change. Then your sense of smell and your ability to sense things and hear people’s thoughts will heighten. Then your body will begin to feel stronger and bigger even though there aren’t any physical changes. It’s just a sense of the power of the wolf. You are the second child to be born from interbreeding between a shape shifter and a human. It is usually avoided because we can’t be sure of when the change will occur or even if it can. Because your mother is human, sometimes her human genetics can overpower the wolf. In the first case, your cousin Oliver noticed the change when he was nineteen. Though he did have the ability to change into the wolf, it was only for short period of time and he didn’t have all the full capabilities that we natural breeds have. We can’t be sure about you until you start to feel the effects.”
