Paul jerked awake, sending a rush of pain coursing through his body. He screamed out from the searing heat that racked the lower half of his form. "Anna!"

"She is alright." Jared said quickly. "She is down stairs with Sam."

Paul could hear her arguing with Sam. "Please, let me go back up there. He's in pain."

"And, unless you are a doctor, there is nothing that you can do for that pain Anna. I promise, he will heal. Carlisle Cullen will be here soon to make sure the bones are set properly and help him rest. But, you and I need to talk."

Paul growled. "Let me go Jared. She is my imprint. I should be the one explaining things."

Jared shook his head. "We tried to let you. Ten minutes ago. The pain was too much and you passed out again. And, seeing you in pain like that had her nearly in hysterics. We just got her out of the room."

"Please." Anna begged.

Sam sighed. "You can go check on him. But, then you and I really do need to talk about this."

Paul could hear her run up the stairs.

"Paul." She sobbed. She stared at him. Indecision written all over her face.

Paul whimpered. "It's still me, Anna."

Her face set. "I know that stupid. I paid attention to the stories. It's just that you are hurt. Because of me. You protected me." She collapsed next to the bed.

He winced as he reached over to pull her up into the bed next to him. "Don't feel bad about that. You have nothing to feel guilty for. I will always fight to protect you. And, I will always be willing to get hurt if it saves you from that pain." He kissed the top of her head as she cried against his chest.

"But, I don't want you hurt." She whispered.

He hooked a finger under her chin to lift her gaze to his. "I mean it Anna. I don't go looking to get hurt. But, I will heal. This is the better option if it means you are safe."

His head started to spin and his stomach felt queasy as the pain spiked. The look of worry in Anna's eyes broke his heart. Jared was right. He wouldn't hold up long enough to really tell her much. At least not without freaking her out more. "Go on down to Sam. He will explain everything." He kissed her forehead one more time.

Paul closed his eyes and tried to breath through the pain without hurling. Fighting to stay conscious enough to hear the conversation in the living room.

Anna paused on the last step of the stairs. Then she took the last step down.

"So, the neighborhood watch…" She trailed off. "Really a pack of wolves?"

"Yeah." Sam snorted. "You seem to be handling this better than most."

Anna took a deep breath. "He saved me Sam. How could I not accept that?"

Paul could hear the smile in Sam's response. "Indeed."

There was a pregnant pause in the conversation. "Where you all born like this?" She asked.

"No. We each turn. At different times, different ages. But, always brought on by the presence of the vampires near our lands."

"Paul disappeared right before I left…" She started.

"That was when he transitioned. He had no control over it. He didn't even know about it before that. You must know that he never meant to abandon you."

She sniffed back tears.

"And, the… vampires? The guy in the woods, he kind of reminded me of someone."

"The Cullens. They are vampires as well. They are the reason for most of our changes. However, they only feed on animals. They are no threat to you and will help you when you need it. Our instinct is to hate them. However, the past few years have shown us that we can work with them. But, I would never trust any other vampire."

Paul wished that he could see her face. Emmett and Carlisle had saved her. She had trusted them. But, to be attacked by someone like them, it had to have been messing with her head. Damn, he wanted to make it all go away. Ease her pain.

"Anna, I know this is a lot to take in. But, we should also talk about you and Paul."

She snorted. "Again with the love match stuff."

Sam chuckled. "Sort of."

Paul groaned. He really didn't want Sam to be the one to have that conversation.

"Anna, I am not going to try to tell you how to feel. You have been through enough, that you have every right to be guarded and take things the pace that you are comfortable with."

"Okay?" She questioned.

Sam took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "There is something that happens to us wolves. It is called imprinting. There is a moment, the first time that wolf looks into the eyes of the person that the ancestors have chosen for them, when our entire world re-aligns. From that point forward, the wolf is destined to devote himself, or herself, to that other person."

"Are you saying that Paul's imprinted on... me?"

"Yes." Sam's voice softened. "But, it is not as it sounds. I don't want you to think that he didn't have a choice. Paul chose to be your friend, cared for you, became protective of you, even proposed marriage to you, all before he turned wolf."

"What? You proposed to her?" Jared jumped in shock. "What the fuck? You held out on me!"

Paul growled at his friend. "Shut up and listen."

"I don't understand." Anna said hesitantly.

The sound of the couch cushions moaning under Sam's weight indicated that Sam sat next to Anna. "In my case, I had only met Emily once or twice before I imprinted on her. At the time, I had been in a long relationship with her cousin, Leah Clearwater."

"What?" Anna's shock was expected.

Sam huffed. "Yeah. It was complicated and really hurt Leah. I still feel guilty for that. But, we can't really go against the imprint bond. Once, I accepted that, I found that I was really happy with Emily and she is with me. We are soulmates, Anna."

"I see. And…"

"And, Paul found you first. Not the wolf. But, when you came back. That first night that he saw you. That is when he imprinted on you. I want you to know that. I don't want you or Paul to ever question just how deep and genuine your love for each other is. It is not just because of some imprint bond. He didn't become your friend out of any magical pull. He didn't offer to help you raise your daughter because the wolf told him to. He didn't worry about you for four years and race to see you once he heard you were back because you are his imprint. He did that all on his own, as a man who loves and cares for you as his friend."

Anna sighed.

"But, it also means that if the two of you ever do move toward something more romantic, he will be devoted to you. I know that seems like a lot to believe now. But, I know Paul. And, I know this bond. You are more special to him than anyone else."

"Thank you Sam. It's just too soon."

"I know. I am not pushing. I just wanted you to know. So that you can trust in it. Trust in him. But, it does come with some warnings."

Paul growled again. He didn't need Sam to scare her.

Jared shook his head, but said nothing.

"What kind of warnings?"

Sam paused for a moment. "I know that you have heard of his reputation. And, I am assuming that you are aware of Paul's temper?"

"Yes. But, I don't know what you know about it. I won't betray him talking about it."

Sam chuckled. "Smart girl. But, you don't need to be so defensive with me. As wolves, we share a mind link when we are in wolf form. We know each other's emotions and see the things they think about. He held serious walls around his memories of you. But, not so much about his childhood or the instances that built up his colorful reputation."

Anna sighed. "I know about his abandonment issues. He hooks up with girls that he lusts after, but won't feel bad never calling them again. Always the one to leave, so they can't hurt him like his mom did. The temper is a shield. He hides how weak he feels when his anxiety kicks in. Or when he feels neglected or judged. I withdraw inside myself. He lashes out. I understand him. And, I am not scared of him."

Paul looked at Jared who smiled. "Well, maybe there is hope for you yet Lahote. The girl is smart."

Anna continued. "One of my greatest regrets was being another person to abandon him, to fail him."

"You had a good reason." Sam consoled.

"It's not enough." Her voice cracked. She obviously carried her own guilt for how things had ended four years ago. "He is the reason that I stay here. I can't leave him again. At least not now, not for a while. Not unless he wants me to go." Paul was stunned. She stayed for him? She didn't want to leave? Even without knowing about the imprint and after learning about the wolf? Like hell he would ever want her to go!

"That will never happen. I am sure of it. But, about Paul's temper."

"Paul won't hurt me." She said firmly.

"Not intentionally." Sam said. His voice flat. "The wolf would never hurt it's imprint intentionally. But, if he loses his temper and turns wolf when you are too close…"

Anna growled. "There is nothing that Paul's wolf could do to me that hasn't already been done. Shit. That vampire tore off my shirt out in the woods. You saw my scars."

"And, you have seen Emily's." Sam's voice was laced with the pain and guilt of the confession.

"I'm sorry for that. Really, I am. But, trust me when I say that it is not the pain that I fear. I can heal. It's not even sex that I fear, I know that he wouldn't treat me the same way they did."

Jared smirked. "Thank God she does not fear sex, otherwise you would have permanent blue balls."

"Shut the fuck up." Paul growled. His tone was feral and protective. He was not going to get on to that topic. He didn't want to think about sex with Anna. That just lead to feelings he did not want to have yet. The most terrifying was the fear that he would hurt her if they did have sex. He was aggressive and not small. She was petite and had been horribly abused. She didn't need a man like him.

Anna had taken a deep breath and regathered her thoughts. "I don't fear the wolf because it's the feeling of hopelessness that scare me. Being broken. Being hated. Being treated as a worthless object to be used and thrown away, with no chance of escape. I fear being dragged under by those memories. But, worse than that, I fear for those that I have come to care about. I don't want them to know that kind of suffering. And, I sure as hell don't want to drag anyone else down with me if I break again. That is something that I can't get past when I have to keep re-hashing my abuse in trial after trail. Those are fears based on human behaviors. Not from a protective wolf."

Paul's heart broke at her words. He tried to move to get up, only to have the pain splinter through him. He whimpered as he returned to his original position.

"I am sorry Anna. I didn't mean for this to take such a dark turn." Sam voiced softly.

"No. You wanted to protect me. I do see that. But, if you are right about his devotion, then you will never have to protect me from Paul." Her conviction was startling. She held so much faith and trust in Paul that it took his breath away. "He doesn't know it, but he saved me before. Just as surely as he did today. He has no idea just how close I was to ending everything before he showed me that I wasn't alone. You see his anger. I see a strength to keep fighting though the pain that I wish that I had known sooner."

"Go on up. I am sure he would like to see you again." Sam's voice was soft. Paul closed his eyes at her confession. He never knew that she had been so lost.

"Thank you Sam." Anna slowly started up the stairs, just to turn around and descend them again. "Wait. I let you lead the conversation too much. What about my questions?"

"And, what would those be?"

"What do I do about Donovan? The pack didn't catch him."

"We will do everything possible to protect you Anna. You are a part of our family now. Paul can stay here at my house while he heals. You are welcome to stay with him. The pack is here often, so we can protect you both."

"Does Uncle Ryan know about you?" She asked.

"No. We try to keep the information contained. The Tribal Council knows, our imprints, and a few family members. That is why Jared and Quil work with the Tribal Police. The Sheriff knows, but not all of the deputies. So, if it is wolf or vampire related, they get assigned, even if they are still young and wet behind the ears."

"Last question, where in the hell is Dr. Cullen with the pain meds?"

Jared laughed. "She can be fiesty."

Sam chuckled. "I hear him pulling down the road now."

"Hear him?" Her brow raised.

Sam smirked. "Wolves have excellent hearing."

"Damn you stupid! Eavesdropping this whole time!" She raced up the stairs. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw just how pale Paul was. He was sweating bullets.

"You seriously suck Lahote. I can't even be mad at you for not telling me you could hear all of that." She sat next to him on the bed.

He winced at the movement of the bed. "I could hear, but didn't have it in me to tell Sam to fuck off and let me talk to you about it. Sorry monkey."

"Not as sorry as you are going to be. You have a shit ton of questions to answer once you are less likely to pass out on me."