Hello Doctor Handsome. I thought with some amusement and I could imagine work being far more interesting if there was at least one handsome doctor at the hospital that I worked at. Yet...seriously what doctor had the time to work out and maintain a muscled body like that?

It only took meeting those gorgeous blue eyes for a brief moment for me to realize why. The man was a werewolf.

"Marlee Hauptman, I've heard a bit about you. My name is Samuel Cornick." He greeted with a charming smile. His handshake was firm, a solid handshake and not one of those dainty ones.

I didn't hear of any new werewolves in my dad's pack... Oh but I could recall Jesse mentioning a Sam or Samuel during one of our past calls. Yet what was it all that she had said?

"I wish we were meeting under better circumstances." I replied with a smile, knowing just how to make my dad regret this decision.

"Yes, I'm sure meeting anyone in this kind of situation is unpleasant." Samuel said as he gingerly took my hand. He started to unwrap my wrist with only the occasional twinge of pain.

"I wouldn't say unpleasant," I said glancing towards my dad. I think he would've intervened had Mercy not been holding him back.

Jesse looked like she was about to bust a gut.

Obviously Samuel noticed the situation as well, and before he could maneuver the flirting to something else I changed the topic.

I may not be a werewolf, but I do have an amount of control issues like one. And I don't need to rebel from my father that much, not anymore. I mean this whole trip was moving past those foolish years.

"So like I might of mentioned before," This I directed at my family, "I plan on staying -ow, yes if you were trying to see if that hurts it does," I gave Samuel a flat look before looking back at my dad and Mercy, "through Christmas if that's alright?"

"No way," Jesse brightened, "You're staying this whole month?"

"Is your work alright with that?" Dad asked, and knowing him he probably knew that financial situation I've been going through this past year. Well he have a security business and I wouldn't put if past him to keep on eye on me from afar.

"Yeah, I've accumulated a lot of vacation days." There really was no sense to lying in front of a werewolf. And dad always made this face that said 'spill it or i will interrogate you till you do'. "That's all I'll be saying about that, for now. I think we've all had enough surprises for today."

I couldn't help but notice Samuel's curious expression as he was checking to see if all my innards were sounding alright.

And I instantly could name the feeling that struck my heart. Not pain, but fear. I wanted to push him out of the house before he said anything or even his expression probed anyone to inquire what possibly could be going on.

"Yeah today definitely has had enough surprises." My smile was a forced expression.