Will awoke some hours later. His heartbeat pounded gently in his ears, so at least he was alive. Not that it would have mattered much if he’d died, he was pretty sure his vampire blood would keep him ‘alive’ even if his heart stopped.
He tried to lift his head to look around, but he felt so light-headed that he had to give up. Instead he groaned and turned his head on the pillow to see his surroundings. Everything was hazy, and his memory was worse, but he recognised the hospital.
It was a long room with a two-doored entrance at the end nearest him. He was on one of several beds in a row the length of one wall. Opposite them was the office area where the doctor worked. He could barely make out Liam’s furry, brown, sleeping body a few beds over, and Danny on a special bed surrounded by monitoring equipment in the corner. A man in a white coat and grey-blue uniform appeared in his vision and checked on Danny.
“Doc!” Will croaked, reaching out with a blurry paw.
Looking up, the doctor came closer and his features became less distorted. He was almost completely bald, with a little black hair, and a round, concerned, yet smiling face.
“How are you feeling, Mr. Somerville?”
“Like I was hit by a truck.” He sighed. “A little dizzy, and I can’t see too well.”
“This should help.”
The doctor put a futuristic needle to his fur and injected him with something. His head and vision cleared.
“Thanks, that’s better.”
He now recognised the man as the chief doctor. Usually he and Will didn’t get along very well, but he supposed they wouldn’t be arguing this time.
“What happened?” Will asked, now able to sit up.
“You were attacked.”
“Liam? Danny?”
“Asleep and stable. Do you remember anything?”
Will thought. “Just-”
He faltered as the pain of a wound hit him. The doctor noticed and checked the bandage as Will continued.
“Just than we were up da-Luna, the White Wolf chased us,” he paused again, thinking, “I felt, I felt like I was thrown forward, everything was spinning, then something was clawing at me. The pain was so unbelievable I guess I passed out.”
“You were all found unconscious by your friends in the band. Liam told me about the same thing, but Danny suffered some pretty serious head trauma and I haven’t had a chance to question him yet.”
“Why are we all still in wolf form?”
“You were all mauled very badly, I didn’t want to risk changing you back until you were fully recuperated.”
The doors opened and a she-wolf stepped in.
“Will!”
“Anna.”
The doctor left to check Danny while Anna leapt up onto the bed and hugged him. He winced from his wounds, but he didn’t care about the pain, and hugged her back.
“Don’t you ever do that to me again.” she sniffed.
“Sssh, I’m ok, it’s alright.”
“What the hell happened to you, Will? What attacked you?”
Her eyes were red and teary, and he brushed the tears from her fur gently as he replied.
“It’s called the White Wolf. Warren knows about it. It’s trapped in the moon, or rather we thought it was.”
“Warren knew? Oh I am so gonna kill him.”
Will smiled at her pouty determined look.
“If he’d thought it was really dangerous, I’m sure he would have told us. He said not to go up da-Luna, we should have listened.”
He looked sadly at Danny.
“This was my fault, poor kid.”
Anna nuzzled him.
“Don’t blame yourself, sweetie; you didn’t know he would get hurt. We really should have a talk with Warren though, one involving you holding him and me punching him. If he knew about this thing he should have at least, he, he should, oh I don’t know! But I’m pissed off, I’ll tell you that much. What if Kristien had been playing up there? I’m gonna kick Warren’s ass for this.”
Will looked at her glumly. He knew she had a point, but he supposed he should talk to Warren rather than let Anna pummel him. It was time for the truth to come out.

Will and Liam were discharged the next day. After the doctor called in Warren for more information, it was thought that Danny -through no fault of his own- had somehow been involved with the attack, having suffered more internal than external injuries.
Will wandered into the Campsite and sat at the edge of the river. Will felt he needed to return here as soon as possible, but he was not planning on crossing the river for a long time, just to make sure. The sky was beautiful; it was dusk and that cursed moon was growing brighter against the ever-darkening sky. He disliked that he now looked at the moon with the same distain as Warren.
It had been an ugly scene when Warren arrived at the hospital. It had taken both Will and Liam to hold Anna back. The doctor had recommended a sedative. Eventually she was asked to leave.
As he leant down and began to drink, he sensed a presence. He looked up and was shocked to see the White Wolf sitting across the river from him. He turned to run when it called
“Wait! Please!”
Cautious yet intrigued, Will turned, but he felt a sting in his remaining wounds, telling him to run.
“What?” he asked suspiciously, muscles tensed for flight.
“Come.” it beckoned, waving a golden-glowing paw to accompany its commanding voice.
Will stood his ground.
The Wolf sighed. “I cannot harm you unless you tread on the sacred ledge.” He inclined his head towards the rock in the hillside.
Curious, Will decided to follow him to the hilltop, but gave the rock a wide birth.
“What do you want?” he asked impatiently as they reached the top.
“I have to say that I am deeply sorry for harming you and your fellows, but I needed the blood to re-energise me.”
“Most people use coffee.” Will said boldly.
“You mock me,” it growled, “but no matter. I could not have you taken away from me, that’s why I had to harm you too, and frame young Danny.”
“Frame?” Will puzzled. “You mean, it was me?”
The Wolf’s laugh was chilling.
“Yes Brother, for I found a match ‘tween our bloods. I must say I am surprised that my counterpart was not pure-blood, but you will have to do.”
It advanced on him; the Wolf was nearly twice his size, and Will backed away.
“I’ll have to do for what?”
The Wolf kept pace, step for step… as Will neared the ledge.
“Why, for my vessel of course. Do not fret, it will only hurt if you resist Brother”
A wicked smile spread across its face as Will felt his paws meet stone.
“NO!”
Will covered his face with his paws as in a flash the White Wolf became one with him.
The two rolled down the hill as one wolf until the river came up to meet him.
The wolf lay there in a heap for a second, then groaned and took a shaky choking breath, staggering to his feet.
It was so dark where Will was. He felt like he was in a small dark room, or a cramped tunnel. He could see light at the end of the tunnel though, the light coming in through his eyes. He struggled towards it to see what was happening.
Panting heavily from his ordeal, the wolf looked at his reflection in the river. Will tried to gasp in horror, but he wasn’t in control of his lungs anymore. He wasn’t in control of any of him anymore. Will had expected to see his own reflection, but the White Wolf’s face appeared in the water. A laugh Will had not intended rose from his jaws. William was now merely a vessel, just as the Wolf had said.
‘Ah. What a strong body you have, Brother. It will do very nicely. Is it was fast as it is strong? I caught you all too easily the last time.’ The Wolf thought to him.
It hesitated at the bridge.
‘Do you know why the river is here, Brother? It was supposed to keep me on the hill, incase someone freed me like you did when you and Liam brought young Danny here. However I have grown stronger that the Goddesses ever could have expected, I learned to fly.’
He cackled to himself, and put a tentative paw on the old wood. He paused, then laughed maniacally.
‘It would seem your body has fooled their spell, Brother.’
It took off towards the portal at a determined pace. Will felt his heart beat faster with excitement, but it wasn’t his excitement.
He could do nothing but watch as the White Wolf swept the Reality like a plague, killing everyone as he went. It was a blur of terrified faces Will would never forget. Screams. Such horrified screaming. No, please not the children. Oh the blood; it sprayed the walls red. He consumed and destroyed everything. On frequent occasions, Will begged him to stop, but was silenced and pushed further down into his own subconscious. He struggled forwards again only to see women and children, crying lout desperately for help that never came. Not even in his vampire days had Will caused so much death.
And then, Kristien.
“MOM!” she cried, and ran.
No. He couldn’t let him.
Will lashed out from inside at the dark walls of his tunnel with all his might and the White Wolf gave a howl of pain. Kristien and her mother fled. But the Wolf was not distracted for long. He gave chase and cornered them outside the Wolf Club. They were the only ones left alive.
Anna pulled Kristien close and covered her eyes.
“Don’t look, honey.” She sobbed.
‘This is the end of your rampage, ‘Brother’.’ Will thought to him.
The Wolf simply laughed. ‘You think you can stop me? I am older than your race! I am more powerful than you can possibly understand. I created half-wolves and were-wolves, they came from my blood. You, are, NOTHING!’ it screeched.
Will pulled together all his determination, strength and love for his family. He closed his eyes tight and focused. He felt himself grow larger and push at the walls.
“NO! STOP!” the Wolf cried in pain.
Will felt his arteries want to burst, his head want to explode, his heart beating with all its might. Will felt his muscles tense, heard Anna and Kristien breathing hard in front of him. He opened his eyes; he was back in control, but he could feel the White Wolf well up within him and he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold him back for long. He looked in Kristien’s hopeful eyes, threw back his head, and howled.
The howl rippled through space and time, and forced the White Wolf out through his mouth.
“NO!” it screeched defiantly, but to no avail.
The Wolf was pulled upwards, spiralling into a portal of light above Will’s head, and disappeared. But the howl did more than that. The portal opened wider until everything was bathed in white light. People began to wake from their death as if from sleep, all their wounds healed. Kristien was the first to howl with him, then Anna, then each of the wolves as they were revived, sending the white light everywhere and to everyone.
Will ceased, the portal closed, and he collapsed. He was barely aware of events for a while after that. Days bled into one another. His vision was bright and blurry, hurting his eyes and obscuring the figures of his family, friends and caregivers. His hearing made voices muffled, and his painful ears could not decipher their complex mumbling.
All he remembered thinking, as he lay there on the ever-darkening ground of Reality One, before he lost consciousness and was made to live through those agonising days in the hospital until he recovered, were four, simple, repetitive words:
‘What have I done?’