Mai stood in the kitchen staring out the window as she sipped her coffee. It was their first weekend in town and she was hopping to take Conor out to explore, after they went to the vet for a checkup. Mai glanced at the clock and frowned. Usually Conor was up by now. She wandered over to the stairs and knocked softly on his door.

"Conor, honey? Are you up? We need to take snowball in for a visit in less than an hour." She called through the closed door. When she didn't get a response, she opened the door and looked around. Snowball lifted his furry head and yawned as he resettled on the bed. Mai smiled as she crossed the room. She rubbed his soft fluffy ears as she looked at her son wedged between the fluffy white dog and the wall. Cake was trying to take over his pillow leaving Conor to sleep in an odd position.

"Conor. You need to get up now." Mai told him softly. He grumbled sleepily refusing to wake making Snowball smile happily. He licked Conors face making the boy wake and groan at him as his mother chuckled.

"Damn mutt. Keep your smelly breath to yourself." Conor grumbled sitting up. He rubbed his face as Cake decided to join in on the action. He rubbed against him meowing loudly as Snowball shifted and continued to nuzzle his neck and face. Something about making Conor grumpy with him amused Ulrich and he continued to bother him happily as the sleepy boy growled.

"Damn it guys, I'm up already!" Conor growled climbing out of bed. He had forgotten his mother was there and squeaked when she hugged him. Ulrich paused wondering how Conor had made such a sound... and if he could make him do it again.

"Good morning! We need to take Snowball to the vet so hurry up and get dressed. If the vet gives him the all clear, maybe we can check out some of the trails around here." His mother told him sitting on the bed to pet Cake. The fluffy cat meowed and sat in her lap content. Cake wasn't a people person and stayed in Conors room to avoid them. Conor, he loved to the fullest. Mai, he tolerated and used when it suited him. Everyone else was on Cakes hit list.

"I'm going to go shower then I will be ready. Should I feed Pizza now or after?" Conor asked as he headed to the bathroom.

"Let's do after just in case he gets sick." His mother told him petting the dog that sat beside her. Snowball watched him close the bathroom door before he turned on the beautiful woman beside him. She was single and young making her fair game for his foul play. He licked her neck making her blush and frown at him. "Sorry buddy. I don't swing that way." She told him getting to her feet and heading out the door. Ulrich frowned as he watched the stunning beauty go disappointed. Most women just giggled and let their guard down so that he could get more physical. Though oddly enough, he didn't enjoy it half as much as he used too. Plus, Conor tasted sweeter to him. Ulrich laid down with a sigh as Cake cuddled against him purring happily. Conor came back out of the bathroom with his hair dripping water down his bare chest and back. He should be eating more, Ulrich decided as he watched him dig through his closet.

"Alright. You ready to go?" Conor asked him as the cat scoffed and walked away. Ulrich hopped down as he followed Conor out the door. After the corner store incident, Conor's fear of him had ceased to exist and he tried to make Ulrich's life more comfortable with real food and sleep on the real bed next to him. They joined his mother in the kitchen where she served them up some egg muffin sandwiches. They finished up quickly and left to go to their appointment.

The vet was a small little building, tucked away in the middle of nowhere. It was on a farm of some sort since the vet worked with a large variety of animals. Conor's anxiety was rising as a loud dog entered the building sending the other animals into a frenzy. Ulrich stood between Conor and the others getting annoyed that his pack felt scared over this nuisance. The dog and him made eye contact and Ulrich had to applaud the dumb animal for the balls to try to attack him.

"Shit, Buster. Heel!" His owner growled as the dog sat at the end of his leash barking and growling. Conors fear was growing as his mother pet his knee frowning at the dog.

"Can't you restrain him please?" Mai asked the gentle man as he swore under his breath. Ulrich had had enough and got to his feet growling softly. He met the other dog's eyes and barked once, bringing the animal into instant submission. Ulrich frowned at the exposed belly of the trembling dog before he turned and licked Conors hand. The other animals quieted as they finally relaxed in this stressful environment. Ulrich glanced around and sneezed as Conor pet his head gingerly. The animals in the clinic knew from instinct that Ulrich was a dominate male that would protect them. Even a dumb mutt knew that. Buster and his owner went to sit away from them as the owner pet his quiet dog in awe.

"That's quite a dog you have there." Said a female voice making Conor and Ulrich glance up at the pretty girl as she sat beside them. She had reddish brown hair and blue eyes with flecks of green in them. She was holding a bunny of some sort as it twitched its nose furiously.

"Thanks. He doesn't fail to surprise me since we have only had him less than a week." Conor told her as she smiled and nodded.

"You are the new guy in school, right? I'm Jasmine, we have math class together. He seems very well behaved for only a week." Jasmine told him with a smile. She petted Ulrich on the head as he smiled happily at her. Conor nodded nervously as he watched her. Interacting with people was hard for him. "I live on a farm not far from here with my own dogs. Maybe he would like to come over and go for a run with them." She told him as Conor nodded quietly.

"It will depend on how his checkup goes. He was injured in an accident before we got him. If the vet gives him the all clear, he would probably like a good run." Conor told her as he stared at Pizza's white coat. His mother was strangely quiet as this girl chatted to him about her farm and the animals that lived there.

"Do you have any other pets?" Jasmine asked as she handed him her rabbit so she could pay more attention to Pizza. Conor held the rabbit nervously as it wiggled around and got cozy in his lap. He liked bunnies.

"Just one. My cat Cake." Conor told her as he watched her play with his dog. Ulrich was happily enjoying her attention as she giggled. She was very cute.

"A cat cake? I am not sure food counts as a pet." She giggled as Conor smiled. Ulrich paused as something made his chest burn.

"My cat is named Cake. He was a birthday present that broke free and ate my cake. I have called him Cake ever since." Conor told her as she smiled at him. Conor tried to hide his blush as she turned back to Ulrich.

"So, what did he name you? Marsh mellow?" She asked the uninterested dog. He had quick paying attention to her, too focused on this nervous boy as he spoke to her.

"What makes you think that? He is clearly Pizza. Right boy?" Conor asked him as Ulrich turned away from them. Why was he getting pissed? Conor was allowed to smile and chat with other people, even cute girls like Jasmine. So why was he getting so pissed?

"Oops. Guess I made him jealous. Dogs like to monopolize their owners love and affection. The moment their owner finds something else, they get butt hurt and whinny. My family has seven dogs of our own since they like to compete in dog shows. My mother is not allowed to even look at another dog during the competitions otherwise Roxy gets mean and attacks the other dogs out of a jealous rage." Jasmine told him as she took her bunny back. A vet called for her and Jasmine got to her feet. "I'll see you around, okay? Take care, I hope your exam goes well." Jasmine told Pizza as she petted his soft fuzzy head. Ulrich grunted as he laid down with his back to Conor.

"She was nice. Cute too." Mai told them softly as Conor blushed. She wasn't that cute, Ulrich grumbled. Marie was way prettier and had a much better laugh.

"You could have said something too." Conor grumbled as his mother smiled.

"She didn't want to talk to me. Oh, looks like it's our turn." She told him getting to her feet. Conor and Pizza followed behind as Ulrich grumbled inwardly. Who said he was butt hurt and whinny? He could show her jealous rage if there was something to be jealous about.

"Oh, does someone not like the vet?" asked as sweet old voice as they entered the room. Ulrich had decided to go pout in a corner as he grumbled with himself. Conor was watching him worriedly as his mother chuckled.

"No, I don't think so. I think this has to do more with jealousy than anything. He was fine until a girl stopped to talk with us." Mai told the vet as she nodded slowly watching the dog in the corner.

"How long have you had him?" She asked as she took notes in a small file.

"Almost a week. Just picked him up from the pound a few days ago." Mai told her as the old vet nodded.

"I see. My name is Dr. Mavis. I think what you have is a case of insecurities. A dog's instinct is to create a pack with its family and figure out his place among them. I think because Snowball is new to your pack, he is insecure about his place inside it and worries that he may be replaced. Did you happen to touch any other animals while you were waiting?" Dr. Mavis asked as she coaxed the dog out of the corner.

"I held a girl's bunny while she petted Pizza." Conor told her as Dr. Mavis looked up confused. "Mom calls him Snowball. I call him Pizza." Conor clarified as the vet nodded. Ulrich grumbled as she encouraged him onto a scale so that she could check his weight and height.

"Oh, my. You're a heavy fellow, aren't you? Almost double what I would have guessed. So, my guess is he is moody because he thought you were replacing him with a rabbit." Dr. Mavis told them as Mai nodded as if it made sense. "Though I suppose he could be jealous over that girl." she chuckled as Ulrich growled annoyed. He was done with being touched as she continued to poke at him. She inspected his leg and removed the bandages pausing when something caught her eye.

"What the hell is this? Those bumbling idiots. You poor thing, that must have been causing you pain." Dr. Mavis grumbled as she worked. Ulrich wasn't sure what she meant until he watched her pull a small, crooked band off his paw. His trinket. He had forgotten about it when he was busy making his escape.

"What is it?" Conor asked coming to stand beside them.

"If I had to guess, a silver bracelet from his previous owners. Someone put that on his paw, there is no way he could have done it on his own. The leg seems to have healed just fine anyways so he should be good as new. Do you want to get him up to date shots while you are here?" She asked as she looked the rest of him over. "I doubt you know what kind of breed he is, do you?" She asked as Conor glanced at his mother.

"Yes, to the shots and no to the breed. We think he is a husky mix of some kind." Mai told her as the vet examined his teeth. She paused to look at them as she continued to pet his head.

"If I am going to be completely honest with you, as I believe I should, the previous... idiots who dealt with this animal should go back to the city and play with their Chihuahua's. What you have here is a wolf mix. More wolf than dog. My guess is from the bracelet he was someone's illegal pet that they dumped in the woods when he got too big. Since he is used to a household environment, rehabilitating him back into the wild is impossible. If you want to keep him, I have suggestions for you such as further treatment and diet. Wolves need meat. Eating dry dog food will only irritate the stomach. Also, I would consider getting him neutered so he doesn't breed more wolf mixed breeds." Dr. Mavis told them as they stared at Ulrich in shock. It was nothing he didn't already know, but he was one hundred million percent against the removal of his balls.

"Well, he's family now, so we aren't getting rid of him. We want to keep him if that's possible." Mai told her as the vet nodded.

"Why don't you come with me, and we will work out a plan." Dr. Mavis told her as Mai nodded and followed her to her office.

"Wait here with him. I will be back." Mai told her son as he nodded. Ulrich bumped up against him as Conor rubbed his ears absently.

"Wolf huh? And you still didn't eat the cat." Conor told him as he sat on the floor beside him. Ulrich came over and laid his head in his lap letting Conor's calm nature reassure him. Conor played with the warped bracelet in his other hand as he considered the type of men who would have done such a thing. To take in a wild animal and bend its instincts into a pretzel so that it could no longer survive on its own before dumping him back into the woods to struggle. Pizza had always seemed like a well-trained pet and a vicious animal. The way he had attacked those men in the store... A real wolf might have killed them both. A real dog would have left more than only one open wound. "What are you really?" Conor asked as Ulrich sighed. His werewolf genes were a secret. Even if they somehow became best friends, he could never tell Conor the truth.

"All right. Time for shots. You should probably move away from him, so he won't hurt you." Dr. Mavis told them as Conor shook his head.

"I'll be fine." Conor told her as he continued to pet the wolf's head. Dr. Mavis glanced at his mother before she shrugged and knelt on the floor beside them. Ulrich only growled once when the vet stabbed him in the hip with a needle. He was used to shots in his neck and the hip had taken him by surprise.

"You are a very good boy." Dr. Mavis told him as Ulrich whined at her softly. "Since he looks like a husky mix, I would continue to introduce him that way. People react differently when they think you have a domestic dog compared to a wild animal at the end of the leash. Though he is very well behaved. Better than some pure blood dog breeds that come through. Take care and if you have any questions or concerns you just call me." Dr. Mavis told them as they thanked her and left.

Conor and his mother sat staring at the pet store in front of them trying to plan their next move. Ulrich sat happily in the back sticking his head out the window scenting he air. They were far away from that stupid girl, and he still had his balls. Things were looking up.

"You want to go shopping?" Conor asked as he glanced back at the happy animal. He gasped when he was assaulted by a wet slobbery tongue.

"I'm going to take that as a yes." His mother giggled as she slipped out of the car. Conor followed her as he let Ulrich out, taking the leash.

"He could have just said so." Conor grumbled as he wiped his face on his sleeve. Ulrich wagged his tail happily as he walked beside his boy. They shopped around the store having a good time as they picked out new food and collars for Pizza. Conor tried to dress him up laughing as Ulrich glared at him dressed as a pink bunny from hell. They settled for getting him a water dish and food. Conor made him a dog tag that made his mother frown. With a new leash and license, Pizza left the store happily with his humans in tow. They stopped for ice cream before they headed home. Ulrich was still licking ice cream off his muzzle as he wandered up to greet Cake. The fluffy cat happily groomed the rest of the ice cream away from Ulrich's muzzle as he laid panting on the floor. He had had fun today surprisingly.

"Hey, it's still rather early. Want to go see a movie? Your choice." Mai asked as Ulrich lifted his head. He listened to them discuss the matter before Conor agreed.

"Alright. I am going to check on Cake and Pizza, then we can go." Conor told her coming up the stairs. Oh, yes. This was perfect! Now Ulrich could email Hass and stretch in his human form for a while. "Hey, going back out with mom. You two behave, okay?" Conor asked as he loved on his cat. He pet Pizza and left leaving Ulrich to listen to their car drive away. He got to his feet and headed into the bathroom before shifting back into a human. As a dog, he kept clean, but something about remaining an animal for so long made him feel off. Nothing a shower wouldn't cure. He showered quickly, wrapping up in a towel and sitting at Conor's desk. Being a human again gave him a slightly different perspective and he wiggled his hands experimentally.

"Alright, let's check to see if I can email Hass." Ulrich grunted as he searched the web logging into his email. He wasn't surprised to see a lot of emails from various members in the pack. He skimmed through most of them only pausing to read Alois's.

Ulrich,

I don't know why you suddenly left like that; I am sure you have your reasons. I can't even tell how I feel about your sudden eagerness to abandon your friends and family, but I do understand the rage I feel towards you for Gabriella. She has decided it's her fault you have left us and is not doing so well emotionally or physically. The beautiful powerful girl that I love is wasting away because she blames herself for your actions, no matter how I reassure her that your fault is your own. What did you do to make her believe such lies? I know you have abandoned us and that I may never receive a reply, but know that if things don't get better, I will hate you forever more.

Ulrich whined softly as Cake leapt up onto the desk. Cake smothered him in love as Ulrich made a decision. He put the cat down and headed down the stairs finding the home phone. He quickly dialed Gabriella's number and waited quietly as he listened to the ring tone.

"Hello?" Said a soft voice on the other end of the line. He had to pause almost not recognizing the dominant female he had grown to respect.

"I just read an email that tells me the youngest is clearly not happy with me." Ulrich told her as she gasped.

"Ulrich? Where have you been?! Why have you left?" Gabriella asked as she growled into the phone. Even with such distance he could hear the anger and hurt in her voice.

"I can't say where I have been, I just broke into someone's house to borrow a few things. And you know why I left. It wasn't your fault." Ulrich told her as she growled and broke something.

"Like hell it isn't! if I hadn't..." She started, pausing when Ulrich let out a bitter laugh.

"Please, we both knew I was unhappy with my place in the family. My father refused to listen to me, forcing me to try to be just like him. It I had stayed I would have hated you guys if only because I hated myself. I never meant to hurt you. Any of you. But I couldn't stay and be free at the same time." Ulrich told her softly. Gabriella made a frustrated noise.

"Alois sent you an email about me?" She asked softly.

"You know how our youngest can be. Very dramatic with his likes and dislikes. And right now, I am very disliked." Ulrich told her almost pouting. She giggled on her end in agreement.

"Yeah. One of the many reasons I love him." She told him with a sigh. "Ulrich, if things could change, if your father would listen, will you come home?" She asked him. Ulrich paused as he considered it.

"If only such things were possible. You guys are the things I miss the most, please don't make Alois hate me. I am sure Hass hates me enough for everybody." Ulrich told her as Gabriella sighed.

"He is incredibly disappointed with you. I hope you patch things up. Meanwhile, I have a pack hierarchy to break down so my alpha can come home. Don't do anything stupid and call back occasionally." Gabriella told him as he smiled. That was the girl he knew.

"Well, I already got hit with a car once and just barely escaped getting neutered by the pound. If luck stays on my side, I won't starve before I call you again. I am not sure I can have a conversation with Hass just yet so I will send him an email. Don't do anything you would regret." Ulrich told her as she scoffed.

"Like do you even know me. I'm going to raise hell then take it over. Hades is going to serve as my bitch." Gabriella growled as Ulrich laughed. She would be alright. They said their goodbyes and Ulrich cleared the phone logs of his conversation. He went back up to find multiple emails from Hass all cursing his guts out. He sighed as he quickly wrote an email, keeping short, sweet and to the point.

Hass,

I would call, but I need my hearing if I am going to survive on my own. I know my decision seemed sudden, but to me it wasn't. What is the point of being an alpha if I can't live my own life? My freewill to live my own life was taken away from me from the start. You were my best friend. You and the others were my only family every time I came home for a hunt. Why couldn't we go to school together? Play on teams or even hang out together? What happened to going to the lake during summer break? None of the things I wanted ever came to fruition because my father wanted me to be or do something else. He claimed you were a distraction and kept me singled out in a private school of human's, fake smiles and lies. I have felt like a lone wolf my whole life when you are not around. When my father made that decision for me to move back home, the only way I could think to keep you, was to lose you. I am sorry I could not explain myself better or sooner. But I need to be myself if I am ever going to be a worthy alpha that can lead a pack.

I'm sorry, but I am not coming back.