Wait! How Did The Stray Dog I Picked Up Turn Into A Man?!

Steven didn’t want to bring up the horrible memory so he didn’t ask Josh right away about how he was able to transform into a wolf.

It was probably the terrible incident that triggered him so he would leave it at bay till he was sure his son was fine.

He couldn’t afford to watch him tremble in fear while recalling the incident.

"How do you feel?" The doctors came back, checked the children, and saw that they were almost healed, even though they had only had the surgery the previous day.

It was quite a surprise, and they wanted to run tests on the children’s healing factors and other things, but their parents strongly refused.

They knew exactly why their children were healing so fast. Even if the doctors tested them, they wouldn’t be able to do much about it because it had to do with their genes anyway.

"I feel great, Doctor," Olivia announced cheerfully, but Josh responded shyly and in a low tone.

"Fine, doctor."

"That’s good. You need to eat lots so you can heal well and grow up healthy."

"We will, doctor. Thank you very much."

She was such a polite and cheerful girl and Josh wished he could be outgoing like that.

The doctors advised that they remain in the ward for a week to heal fully.

Even if they were healing fine, a stable environment like the hospital ward should be better for them to recuperate completely. And if they wanted to play with other kids, there were others in other wards.

The doctors finally left, and silence lingered for a while. The steady beeping of the monitors filled the room, broken only by Olivia humming softly as she picked at the hem of her blanket.

Michael stroked her hair and glanced at Noah.

"She’s already restless. If she’s like this now, she’ll go stir-crazy in a week."

Noah chuckled under his breath.

"That’s true. And if Olivia gets restless, Josh won’t have any peace either."

It was a theory of Olivia always looking for what to play with and who to play with.

Steven’s lips twitched at that, though he didn’t look away from his son.

"So, what are you suggesting?"

"That we make this room feel less like a hospital ward," Noah said lightly, but his eyes carried weight. "They survived something no child should have to. If they’re to heal, they need more than medicine. They need to laugh again."

Michael perked up immediately, squeezing Olivia’s hand.

"We could bring in some mats, toys, coloring books... maybe even balloons." He suggested.

"Balloons?" Roland repeated, walking in from the door and they turned to find him raising a brow.

"Are we celebrating?" Alyssa asked, popping out from behind him and Olivia’s face lit up.

"Aunty," she called and Alyssa’s heart warmed up, seeing she was doing well.

"Yes and no," Michael answered stubbornly. "While we’re happy nothing major happened to the children, I think a real celebration should happen when we’re finally out of here." He said, referring to the hospital surroundings, and they nodded.

"Then what are the balloons for?" Roland asked.

"To make the room look a lot more lively," Noah answered, and they nodded, seeing it made sense.

"Many with bright colors," Michael said.

Steven finally turned, his shoulders loosening.

"Fine. But nothing too messy. Josh doesn’t like a mess." He said and Michael rolled his eyes away.

If he’s going to play with Olivia, then there was bound to be a mess, but he should probably keep that to himself for now.

And instead of him, the one who spoke up was Alyssa, who had suddenly gotten the boldness to talk in front of an Alpha from another pack.

"Oh, come on," Alyssa teased as she placed the fruit basket she was holding on the table. "Children are supposed to make a mess. That’s how you know they’re healing. And it’s our job to clean up the mess afterwards."

Everyone laughed quietly at that, the heaviness in the atmosphere lifting a little. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"My boy doesn’t make a mess." Steven stubbornly said, folding his arms.

"Well, I guess he’ll learn," Noah added and Steven clicked his tongue. He didn’t like that they were going to teach his boy how to make a mess.

"Daddy," Josh called with a soft voice and Steven looked down at his, worried that he was hurting somewhere.

"Do you feel pain? Does your head ache? Do you feel thirsty? Hungry?" He sounded so worrisome that Josh shook his head, blushing that his daddy was being a bit too much.

"No, but... I don’t mind making a mess."

Steven was stunned for a bit and then he laughed.

"Alright, if that’s what you want." He turned to Michael and the rest. "You guys can do whatever. So long my boy has fun."

Noah shook his head, finally realizing how much of a sucker he was to his son. But he guessed he was the same.

And so it began, with one idea tossed into the air and quickly agreed upon, by the next morning, the ward became less like a sterile hospital room and more like a playhouse.

Michael and Noah had arranged for colorful mats patterned with letters and numbers, spreading them across the floor so the children wouldn’t feel trapped in bed and could move around with bare feet, with no need to wear slippers.

Roland brought in balloons filled with helium and they floated from each corner of the room, and small bouquets that brightened the window sills.

He was careful to choose ones without pollen that might interfere with the children’s breathing, since they initially had internal injuries.

Toys, crayons, and building blocks soon scattered like treasures with the two children moving as far as their tubes could reach.

Large sheets of cardboard were soon taped to the walls, turning half of the ward into Josh’s gallery.

His talents shone whenever he held a drawing material as he always poured his heart into every drawing.

In one, there were two kids standing under starry skies, and in another, prison bars with what looked like multiple children crying

Without realizing it, he has drawn the fears that were playing at the corner of his heart. The fearful experience in the circus and the nightmare that would never seem to clear.

He didn’t cry. He just drew. And when or got to the point where he drew Olivia on the floor with blood everywhere, his hand began to tremble.

He shut his eyes and held his trembling hand. He hated that he had been so weak.

But he continued drawing. He knew he wouldn’t be able to express himself otherwise.

Steven watched him draw, his heart aching for his kid.

What could he do to help him get over it?

Even if Josh didn’t remember exactly how he was able to turn into a wolf cub, he knew the trigger that caused it. So, after drawing a bloody Olivia, he drew himself as a wolf fighting the bad guys.

"Josh, look at this," Olivia said, smiling brightly as she raised her drawing. "I drew a squirrel."

Josh looked at the squirrel she drew. He couldn’t tell if that was a squirrel but it was cute. He laughed and said,

"Let me draw one too."

So, he pushed aside the nightmare drawing and decided to draw with Olivia. He didn’t want her to see them anyway, so this was good.

"Wow, you’re so good," Olivia said as she clapped at his drawings, her laughter lifting his heavy heart. "I wish I could draw a well as you."

"But you have other things you do better than I." He said and she proudly rubbed her chin.

"That’s true."

She wasn’t even trying to be modest but he liked that about her.

Steven picked up the drawings, and Noah saw them. He got closer and from one cardboard to another, they could see the details of what had happened there before they arrived.

Michael, Roland, and Alyssa all sat on the mat, watching the children play, and Olivia rushed towards them, showing their drawings and praising Josh for being a future artist, to which Josh blushed, and Michael kept his eyes on him.

While they were doing this and laughing blissfully, Noah and Steven stood at the corner, staring at these drawings with broken hearts.

There was no need for words. They already saw the process. They saw what had happened and how their children suffered.

Noah turned around without saying anything and went to sit next to Michael.

It wasn’t that he had nothing to say but he couldn’t. If he did, the entire hospital might feel his rage, so he kept it to himself and Steven did the same, tucking the drawings away.

Never again.

If he were to let his anger rage, he would miss this chance to make it up to Josh. So, he would not ruin this moment.

But just to be sure this was not the work of his enemies, he decided to do some digging and make sure there was no one behind this whole thing.

And luckily... This was just a scheme of a man who was broken as a child.