JARED'S POV

The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could think about them, and Anna looked at me curiously, cocking her head as she waited for me to continue.

Was now the right time?

I felt sick, and I swallowed down my nerves as I thought over what I was about to say. It would be better to show Anna than to tell her, as I knew that she wasn't going to believe me without me actually proving it.

"This is going to sound absolutely crazy, but I'm going to need you to bear with me," I told her, taking a hold of her hand and leaning forwards to peck her lips.

She blushed, nodding, releasing a small sigh. She looked concerned, and I was sure that my expression wasn't much better. I was going to freak her out. I knew I was, but I was just hoping that she wouldn't leave. I couldn't stop her if she did though. I didn't want to make her do anything she didn't want to.

"Jared, what's going on? You're scaring me." Anna's tone was hesitant, and her eyes were a little wider than usual as she looked at me, begging me silently to spit it out.

I blew air out from my mouth, puffing my chest out and sitting more upright in my chair. "Okay, you feel drawn to me, right?"

I was hoping that the answer was yes, and Anna look embarrassed, nodding, biting down on her lip.

"And you have since you first met me? You like my scent and when we touch, you feel sparks?"

Anna nodded again, running her tongue along the front of her teeth, a small smile teasing the corner of her mouth.

"There's a reason for that," I muttered, clicking my neck, moving it from side to side gently. "We are mates."

Anna didn't react, and she furrowed her brows at me, confusion written all over her face. I knew I was going to have to elaborate, but I didn't know how. She was either going to laugh in my face or get up and run and neither of those outcomes were overly appealing.

"Okay, please just stay seated while I explain this to you, okay?" I held my hands out defensively, waiting for Anna to agree before continuing. "I'm part of a pack of wolves, and we have people in this world that we are destined to be with. They are called mates, and you're mine, Anna."

Anna looked at me expressionless before her eyes started to water, and she released a huff, getting to her feet quickly, her chair scraping against the floor harshly.

"Right, so this is just some joke to you? Wow, I'm such an idiot," she spoke, her voice cracking as she laughed at herself in disbelief, moving to step past me.

"No, it's not a joke, Anna. It's never been a joke," I tried to explain, my voice shaky. "Please just let me show you. Let me prove it to you, just please don't go."

"What do you mean prove it to me, Jared?" Anna asked, her voice risen and tears dribbling down her cheeks. She looked distraught as she whirled around quickly to look at me, shaking her head.

"Let me get someone to show you they're a wolf. Please."

"If you're a wolf then show me now," Anna said sarcastically, gesturing to me. "Turn into one right now here in front of me."

I dropped my head, huffing. I was still disabled as a wolf, and I knew that as soon as Anna saw me shift, she would try and run. I would need someone else here to stop her from leaving screaming and crying and shouting about there being a werewolf in the house.

"You can't," Anna spoke, taking another few steps away from me, bumping into the wall behind her, holding out her hands to keep me away from her.

"There's a reason you aren't running out of here though, Anna. Your body doesn't want to leave. Just let me get Clara to show you she can shift. I can too, but I still can't walk as a wolf." I yanked my phone from my pocket, quickly dialling my sister's number and holding my phone up to me ear, praying for her to answer quickly.

"Hello?"

"Clara, can you come over now please? I need you to shift in front of Anna," I spoke quickly, my words jumbling together, and I was surprised that she could understand me.

"Okay, right, I'll come over now. I can hear her breathing from over the phone, Jared. Just try to keep her calm." Clara ended the call, and I gazed up at Anna to see that she was clutching at her chest, her eyes tightly shut.

"Anna, please just-"

"Don't touch me!" She ordered as she pulled away from my grasp, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Okay, okay," I told her, holding my hands out defensively, wheeling myself backwards a little bit. "I'm not going to touch you."

I didn't know what to say. I thought that talking was going to make things worse, and would only frighten Anna even more. She was about to send herself into a panic attack though, and I was worried about her.

Fixing her a glass of water, I passed it to her, and she took it with shaking hands.

"Why don't you sit down, Anna? You look wobbly." She was swaying from side to side slightly, and I instinctively moved closer to her in case she fell. The hardwood was rough underneath us, and I knew she would end up hurting herself if she hit it. 

"Clara's a wolf? You're saying that she's a wolf?" Anna asked me as she slid her back down the kitchen wall until she was sat on the ground, and she hugged her knees to her chest.

I cocked my head, surprised. It didn't look as if Anna thought I was lying, but I could tell why she couldn't decide whether I was joking around or not. Hearing someone tell you they are a part of a wolf pack didn't sound logical.

I nodded, releasing a sigh. "Yes, she's the Luna of the pack, and Dylan is Alpha. They run it and they are in charge. Sophia will be in charge one day too."

Anna shook her head, holding her hands out to tell me to stop talking. "Sophia can't be a wolf. She's a child. She's just a child"

Anna was muttering to herself, and I remained quiet, crossing my arms over my chest as I tilted my head back to stare up at the ceiling, releasing a small groan. I knew that Anna could get up and leave if she wanted to, but like I had told her, there was a reason she was staying. There was something within her that was telling her to stay and hear me out. A part of her wanted to believe me.

I glared at the clock, knowing that Clara was probably trying her best to get here as quickly as she could, but every second felt like an hour. Anna's breathing was beginning to calm down, and I looked her sadly.

"Just take deep breaths, it's okay," I told her, but she looked to be ignoring me, keeping her gaze glued to the flooring.

Another few minutes ticked by, and I twiddled my thumbs, tapping them against the arms of my wheelchair. Suddenly, I heard the front door rattle, and I could tell that Clara was here. Breathing a sigh of relief, I wheeled into the hallway to open the door for her, a small sad smile plastered onto her face.

"Where is she?" She asked, and I nodded towards the kitchen, a part of me worried that Anna had slipped out of the window, but I knew that I would have heard her.

Clara followed me into the kitchen, her eyes instantly settling on a frightened looking Anna who peered up at my sister with wide eyes.

"Are you here to tell me you're a wolf too?" She asked, shaking her head.

Clara nodded, releasing a sigh. "Yes, Anna. I'm a wolf. Jared's telling the truth."

"Oh my God, stop it," Anna mumbled, resting her forehead on her knees, and I began pushing the dining room table into the corner of the room, the loud scraping noise irritating me and causing me to curse under my breath.

Clara helped me, quickly pushing the chairs to the side too, Anna focusing on our every move, looking hesitant.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to show you that Jared isn't lying," Clara spoke, beginning to strip down to her underwear, leaving me to avert my eyes awkwardly. Nakedness wasn't something that wolves were particularly offended by like humans were, but the idea of seeing my own sister almost in the buff wasn't something I wanted to see.

I focused on the floor, moving around Clara so I was sat in the doorway to the kitchen.

The sound of Clara's bones cracking and grinding together filled the room, and I heard Anna release a loud yelp, making me huff to myself, pressing my lips together and furrowing my brows.

Clara's body quickly morphed into her large grey wolf, her hair soft and thick looking, coating her muscular body. Her eyes were a bright yellow, and I could tell that she tried to soften them as she looked at Anna, taking a few steps backwards in order to not intimidate her.

Anna jumped to her feet, pushing herself up against the wall and shaking her head, her face filled with panic.

"No, no, no," she cried, scrambling away from my sister and heading for me, but I held my arms out, holding her waist, stopping her from moving. She could leave if she wanted to, but not until she knew that we weren't going to hurt her. I needed to ensure that she wasn't going to tell anyone about what we were.

"Shh, Anna, it's okay," I hushed her, looking at her with a frown. "She's not going to hurt you. None of us would ever would."

"I can't- I don't-," Anna whispered, wiping at her eyes, shivering under my touch.

"I know, you don't have to understand right now, but please know that we would never hurt you. You and I are mates, and the Moon Goddess paired us together for a reason."

Anna looked between Clara and I, gulping, shutting her eyes. "I've seen that she's a wolf. Can you tell her to turn back into a human, please?"

I nodded towards my sister, quickly averting my eyes as she shifted back, the sound of cracking filling the room again. I ran my hands through Anna's tangled hair as she faced me, looking at me with fear.

We waited until Clara was dressed before looking at her again, and she made her way over to Anna, offering her a sad smile.

"I'm so sorry if that scared you," she said, and Anna nodded, sniffling.

I just don't know what to think." Anna stepped away from my touch, despite the fact that I could feel how she relaxed under it. "Where is your pack?"

"In the forest. This isn't actually my house, but I needed a place to pretend was mine. I'm sorry for not being honest with you."

"And what about your job? Do you actually work in marketing?"

Clara stifled a laugh, and I shot a glare at her as she composed herself, turning herself away.

"No, I don't. I work within the pack organising the training regime for our fighters."

Anna widened her eyes, taking a deep inhale of breath. "Fighters?"

I nodded, swallowing. "Yes, we have them just in case anyone attacks us. We don't fight unless necessary, don't worry."

"I want to see your pack."

"What?" I asked, looking at Clara who seemed taken aback much like I was. I wasn't expecting her to want to see it straight away.

"I need to see it."

•••

Anna is getting brave.

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