JARED'S POV

Hearing Anna tell me about her Father infuriated me, and I had to stop myself from freaking out and demanding his name. I knew that wouldn't help though. I didn't want Anna to see me like that. I had to keep my cool.

She was clutching her bag to her side as she sighed, and I pushed myself along next to her as I waited for her to speak. I didn't want to push her, instead, wanting to wait until she was ready to tell me. I wanted her to feel like she was in a safe environment where she could express her feelings and wouldn't be forced into anything.

"My Dad has a problem with drinking," Anna started, and I remained quiet, letting her take a deep breath. "He was never a nice person before he turned to alcohol, but it's just accentuated his abusive tendencies."

Hearing the word 'abusive' caused me to cringe, and I gulped as I focused on how my hands felt against my wheels, counting to ten to calm myself. I needed to remain composed for Anna.

"He would come home drunk and beat myself and my Mother sometimes. He would usually go for her, but I would occasionally get caught up in it when he was in a really bad mood." Anna's voice was monotone, as if she has somehow turned off all emotion when it came to the situation. I didn't blame her though. It seemed like a coping mechanism that worked relatively well for her.

"So you left?" I gently pressed after Anna stayed quiet for a minute, and she nodded, biting down on her lip. My heart was beating rapidly against my ribs after hearing that Anna's Father used to harm her, and I had to stop myself from growling loudly in anger.

"Yes, my Mother did too, and he's turned to tracking us down and attempting to try and find us. My Mother wanted me to go alone though. She knew that she would get most of the blame if he did catch us, and she didn't want me caught up in it."

I could tell that Anna felt incredibly guilty about leaving her Mother to fend for herself, but I appreciated the decision that her Mother had made. She wanted to protect her child, as any Mother should do. It was something I didn't have.

"How long has he been calling you?" I asked as we turned down towards 'my' house, rummaging around in my pocket to find my key.

Anna shrugged. "I have to change my number often, but he calls whenever he finds out what it is. I don't know how he does it though."

I nodded in understanding as we approached the house, and I pushed the key into the lock and twisted it, gesturing for Anna to enter first. She thanked me, dropping her bag down in the corner, taking her phone out of her pocket and staring at the screen.

"What is it? Has he called again?"

"No," Anna immediately responded, sighing and shoving it back into her pocket. "But I keep finding myself just waiting for his calls. I keep checking to see if he's left a voicemail telling me he knows where I am. If he does find out, I'll have to leave."

I cocked my head at Anna's words. There was no way I was going to allow her to be pushed to keep moving around the country to try and escape her abusive Father. I had just found her and been given a second chance. I couldn't lose her now. She already meant so much.

"No, that's not happening," I said quickly, my voice holding frustration.

"It's the only option if he finds me, Jared," Anna said, fiddling with her fingers, inspecting her cuticles and frowning at how mangled they looked. I guessed she had been picking at them.

It wasn't the only option though, but, I couldn't tell Anna that, so I decided to remain quiet, wheeling myself into the kitchen. Anna followed me, settling down into a chair at the dining table, looking awkward.

"Your Father isn't going to touch you again," I said as I pulled out two mugs, ready to make us some drinks. "I am telling you that with complete and utter confidence."

Anna laughed, but not comically, and she gave me a long hard look before shaking her head. "You'll get hurt if you get involved."

I smiled at her, chewing on the inside of my cheek. "Somehow I doubt that."

We settled into a comfortable silence as we drank our hot chocolates, and I found Anna looking at me sceptically a few times. I pretended not to notice though, and I could tell that she was intrigued by what I meant earlier. She didn't seem prepared to ask though.

"I've been looking for some apartments," she suddenly spoke, and I raised my brows at her.

"You know you don't have to leave, right? I have no issue with you being here. In fact, I quite like it." Anna blushed at my response, but she quickly cleared her throat before speaking.

"I'm trying to get out of your hair as quickly as I can. Everything is a little expensive, but I'm considering taking up a second job."

I arched my brow. Anna was overworked as it was. She was always putting in extra hours or sorting out things at home for other people she worked with

The school definitely took advantage of her, keeping her pay low and expecting the world of her. She was going to burn out if she took up a second job though. Her weekends were usually spent creating lesson plans and researching new topics and subjects for the children. Where would she find the time to do that if she was working?

I didn't want to deter her though. If she wanted another job, it was her decision to make. I just didn't want her pushing herself too hard.

"Just don't burn yourself out," I said, and she laughed, shaking her head.

"Sleep is overrated anyway." Her joke made me chuckle, and I found her staring at my lips, her throat bobbing up and down as she swallowed.

I continued to look right back at her, studying the beauty of her face, before wheeling myself over to her to take her empty mug from her hand. I allowed our fingers to brush against one another, but before I could head over to the sink, Anna grabbed my hand and forced me to set the mug down. She leaned forwards and brought her lips to mine, kissing me slowly, half-clambering onto my lap.

I moaned into the kiss, cradling her face in my hands and moving my lips against hers. I could feel how hot her face was against mine, and I smiled into the kiss as I imagined how blushed she would be if I opened my eyes to check.

I loved how her longing towards me took over her body though, her timidness seeming to fly out of the window when I was around. She would grab me and press her lips to mine, taking control.

Pulling away, I felt my manhood press against my pants, and I shifted in my seat to try and get myself into a comfortable position, gaining the attention of Anna. Her eyes widened when she noticed how turned on I was, and she immediately dropped her head once she saw me staring at her, looking embarrassed she had been caught.

I hooked my finger under her chin and pressed my lips to her softly again. "I'm sorry."

Anna chuckled at my apology, and she dragged her lip into her mouth, sucking on it for a few seconds, looking sheepish. "It's okay. I like it."

I raised my brows at her, taken aback by her comment. I had expected her to feel uncomfortable seeing how turned on I was in her presence, but, instead she admitted that she liked it. I didn't want to do anything sexual with her though- not until she knew what we were. It just didn't seem fair.

I smiled, pulling away from her and making my way over to the sink, beginning to wash up. I had to push myself up off the chair to reach, so Anna took my spot, splashing the water around in the mugs to clean out the reminisce of chocolate powder and milk.

"So are you feeling ready for your operation?" Anna's words were tentative, and I was concerned that she had viewed my lack of response to her as a rejection earlier. I would have loved to tell her how much I enjoyed the fact that she liked seeing me turned on for her, but I didn't want to take things too far, and it seemed like that was where it was headed.

I sighed, grabbing her hand and giving it a good squeeze. "I think so."

I was unsure what I was going to do about my recovery. Anna was going to be expecting me to take weeks or even months to fully heal and begin using my prosthetics, but as a wolf, the Doctor had told me I would be up and walking around in days. Anna would certainly be taken by surprise by it, and it wouldn't seem normal. 

I wanted to tell her, but I didn't know if it was the right time. However, would it ever be the right time? I just wanted to make sure Anna was in the right mental state to cope with it.

I took a deep breath, analysing my mate as she looked at me perplexed, seeming confused by my reaction.

I couldn't help the words that came flying out of my mouth though. Something in me refused to lie to her any longer.

"Anna, there's something I need to tell you."

•••

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