ANNA'S POV

I wanted to ask about my Father and his whereabouts as we made our way back into the house, but I was feeling overwhelmed from my talk with Amelia. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins and I was frightened to see him after everything he had done to both my Mother and I.

I continued to glance down at Jared, and I knew that he knew the question was on my mind. But luckily, he didn't say anything. I just wanted to see my Mother and soak in the fact that we were safe. We had so much lost time to make up for and I couldn't wait to finally be with her without worrying that my Father was searching for us.

As soon as we stepped through the door, Sophia bounced up to me, wrapping her tiny and thin arms around my legs. She snuggled into me, and I crouched down, cupping her head and stroking her hair down.

"I'm happy that you're back," she whispered to me. She smiled, and I knew that she didn't understand the severity of what had happened. It wasn't fair to explain it all to her when it would most likely traumatise her.

"Sophia, give Anna some space," Clara spoke from the couch, bouncing Sonny up and down on her knee, flashing me a smile.

"It's okay," I told her, sighing when Sophia laughed and clambered up onto Jared's lap, leaving him rolling his eyes. He wasn't in the mood for her. As much as he loved her, I could tell that he really just wanted to make that I was okay before anything.

I was physically okay. Mentally, I wasn't quite there, but seeing my Mother would help begin the healing process. I needed to know that she was okay.

"Can you please show me which room my Mother is staying in?" I asked Dylan quietly, smiling sadly at Jared. There was no lift in this house and he wasn't able to get up the stairs.

Jared squeezed my hand and pressed my knuckle to his lips before Dylan gestured for me to lead the way. I followed him, moving my legs slowly as I climbed up the stairs. I was still sore and I had to move slowly.

"She's just behind here," Dylan mumbled quietly, nodding towards a door on the right of the landing. "By the sound of her breathing, she's still asleep, but of course you're welcome to go in and sit with her. When she wakes, we want to get a Doctor to check her over."

"Thank you," I said as I watched Dylan disappear down the stairs, leaving me breathing heavily as I pushed the door open gently. I peered in, immediately spotting my Mother sleeping soundly in the large double bed. I padded over to her, my eyes filling with tears as I settled down on the side of the bed, cocking my head as I admired her.

Her blonde hair was dull and lacked shine, and her once tanned skin was now pale and lifeless, as well as being scattered with bruises. She appeared as if she had given up, and I could tell that all of the stress of fleeing from my Father had caught up to her. I just hoped that when she awoke, she would want to stay with me. I wanted my Mother in my life. I needed her. She was the only blood family I had left.

"Mother," I whispered, pushing away a strand of her hair from her eye. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry you've had to go through this. It's not fair, but I promise that I'm going to do whatever I can to keep you safe. We all will."

I sobbed, my words coming out almost incoherent, and I knew that everyone downstairs could probably hear me, their hearing magnified. It was probably freaking Jared out, and I felt guilty for crying considering he couldn't come upstairs to comfort me. I needed to be alone though. I needed this time with my Mother. Crying was a good thing- it wasn't weak of me. My Mother had always told me that.

"I know you're sleeping, but I just need to talk to you. I need my Mother," I cried, burying my face into my hands and shaking my head, managing to keep my voice and crying quiet. I didn't want to wake her up when I knew she needed to rest.

I jumped when there was a knock at the door, and I shuffled over to it to quietly open it, spotting a sorry looking Gia standing on the other side. She took one look at my tear stained face and pulled me into a hug, allowing me to cry into her shoulder as I clutched onto her for dear life. I sniffled into her shoulder, pulling away and shaking my head, my bottom lip trembling.

"Everything is going to be okay, Anna," Gia told me, holding both of my shoulders and furrowing her brows as she looked at me. "I promise. Nothing is going to happen to you or your Mother. Dylan has already said that she is welcome to join the pack. I know that she's human and this is all going to be a hell of a lot for her to take in, but she'll learn to trust us just like you did."

I nodded, thanking Gia, hugging her once again. She was a true friend and I was so thankful to have her.

We both heard shuffling, and I turned around to see my Mother rolling over in bed, smacking her lips and knitting her brows together. She moved her head from side to side before slowly opening her eyes, gazing around the room in confusion before her gaze settled on me.

Gia looked at me questionably, and I nodded once, letting her know that I was going to be okay and I could handle my Mother on my own.

"I'll go and let Dylan know that she's woken up," Gia said. "We can get someone over to check her."

"Thank you, Gia."

My Mother sat herself up, pulling her pillow to her lap and hugging it, looking overly stressed. I sat on the side of the bed and took her hands.

"Do you know where you are?" I asked.

I had fallen unconscious at the cabin, but I had been informed that my Mother had not. She had been taken here and placed in her own room, and I gathered that she was so exhausted, she fell asleep. I wasn't sure if she had put up a fight or not, but I wanted to ask. I was curious to know how she had reacted when she was told that she was being taken to a wolf pack to get some rest.

"I'm- I'm in somebody's house," she spoke, her voice strained. "A blonde woman took me up here. She told me to sleep."

I nodded. "That was most likely, Gia. She's my friend."

"Are you okay?" she asked, placing her hand on my cheek. "You passed out. I was terrified."

I nodded. "I'm fine. A doctor has checked me over."

"Good. Who was that girl, Anna? Why was your Father working with her? What did they want from us?"

I bit down on my bottom lip. Amelia had made some comments with my Mother present, but nothing had actually been explained to her. We weren't allowed to speak, and I could tell that at the time, she was beyond confused.

I wanted to explain everything, but I didn't know where to start. My mind was foggy, and I opened my mouth to speak, only to shut it again a few seconds later. My Mother was going to think that I had gone crazy.

"There were wolves, Anna. Huge wolves," my Mother spluttered. "They changed into people. They said they were your friends."

"Yes, they are. I love one of them, Mother, and he loves me. Amelia and Father have been captured. They won't hurt us again."

I could tell that my Mother was utterly confused, and she ran her hands through her blonde knotted hair as she muttered to herself. She was probably hoping that she would wake up in her own bed and realise that everything had been some kind of horrible dream, but unfortunately, that wasn't reality.

Werewolves were reality.

I heard talking outside the room, and I sighed, holding up my finger to my Mother and sliding out of the door. Clara stood in front of me clutching a glass of ice cold water, and she handed it to me, nodding towards the door.

"Her voice sounds hoarse," she stated. "She could use some."

I arched my brow at her. I knew that everybody downstairs was listening, but I still didn't like it. This was supposed to be a private conversation between my Mother and I.

"I'm sorry," Clara told me, looking sheepish. "We're trying not to listen, but it's like having the television on in the background. We can't help but hear it."

I nodded once. That made sense. It wasn't their fault they had been born with super-human hearing.

"Jared is worried about you. He wants to speak to your Mother and try and help explain things once you are okay with it."

That sounded good. Having Jared there by my side to help explain everything to my Mother would be a big help. She needed to see first-hand that the wolves were helpful and loving, especially Jared. I knew that my Mother would love him. The second she saw how considerate and loving he was, she would accept him.

Clara disappeared back down the stairs, and I made my way into the room, passing my Mother the water. She chugged most of it down, wiping at her mouth and gazing at me.

"You said you're in love with a werewolf?" she asked, knitting her brows together and looking uneasy.

I smiled, laughing. "Yeah, I am. I really am."

•••

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