Author's Note: You guys have blown me away with your feedback on this story! I'm so glad that so many of you are giving it a chance even though it's not your usual genre choice. A few reviewers commented that the story is similar to Twilight…funny thing is I've never read any of those books or seen any of the movies LOL so it's just a coincidence.

Chpt. 3 APOV:

"Was wondering when you'd show up son," an older man with greyish hair greets us before Christian even has a chance to knock on the door.

"Is mom here?"

The man glances down at me for the first time, his eyes go wide as he takes in my injuries. I don't need a mirror to see how my face looks; unfortunately I've seen the bruises before. He steps aside, closing the door behind him.

"Christian! What on earth?" A woman comes into the room to greet us, stopping in her tracks.

"She needs help…can you look at her injuries?"

"Of course, bring her to the back."

Without saying another word, Christian follows the woman down the hall to the last door in a long hallway. When he walks in I'm surprised that the room actually resembles a doctor's examination room, which gives me some relief. Christian gently places me on the exam table, his hands fall to the table beside me for a moment as if he expects me to fall off the table.

"I'm fine," I whisper which is only when he steps back from the table.

"Why don't you give us a few minutes Christian?" the woman suggests.

"Will you be okay?"

"I'm fine."

His gaze bounces between me and his mother several times before he simply nods and leave the room, gently closing the door behind him. The woman goes over to the sink and begins to wash her hands. I have no idea what to think about her; she looks….so normal. Is she a wolf too? She would have to be for Christian to be her son right? His dad looked nor mal too, but Christian said he is the leader of their pack.

"My name is Grace," the woman offers her hand. "I work in the emergency room at the local hospital, so I'm trained to treat most injuries."

"I'm Ana."

"Nice to meet you Ana. Can you tell me what happened?"

"I….fell down the stairs."

"Fell?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," she shakes her head slightly and I don't doubt for a minutes that she believes me.

"I landed on my wrist," I lift the sleeve to show her the bruising and swelling. "But I think I hit my ankle on one of the steps, or maybe I landed on that too? I'm not really sure."

"I can take an x ray of both, but the swelling might be too bad to show us the break right now. You'll probably need to come back in a few days for another set of x rays before we can determine how bad the breaks are."

"Oh….okay," I don't know where I'm going to be in a few days but I suppose right now it isn't important.

"Where did the bears find you?" she looks at my hand.

"I was…in the woods, a few hours from Vegas. I had fallen asleep and woke up….wait how did you know about the bears?"

"These my dear are definitely bear claw marks," she presses gently on my hand. "Did they hurt you anywhere else?"

"No," I shake my head. "I screamed as soon as I woke up and saw them. Christian….he got there just after they did this. Then um….Taylor came and helped out."

"That's my boys," she shakes her head. "Did you know they weren't even supposed to be in the woods that night? They were supposed to have flown home, but neither of those men can stand to be closed up for too long so they decided they were going to run home rather than fly."

"I didn't know that," I shiver at the thought of what might have happened if they hadn't gotten there.

"Any other injuries? Maybe old ones that need to be checked out?"

"I…I'm pretty sure my ribs were broken about a month ago. I looked up a few things online and it seemed to fit with what I was feeling. They said there wasn't anything that could be done about it though."

"There isn't as long as it doesn't puncture your lungs which is rare, but I'll get an image of your ribs as well. Now before we begin, I need to ask is there any chance that you're pregnant?"

"God no," I answer quickly relieved that if nothing else I took every precaution to ensure that didn't happen.

"You're sure? Because we can take certain precautions if you are to ensure the radiation-"

"I'm not pregnant; my last period was less than a week ago."

"Okay, just wanting to make sure before we started."

The x ray process is uncomfortable to say the least; Grace explained that she needs to take several pictures of each area to make sure she can see everything. The constant moving of my ankle and wrist has me near tears by the time she's finished.

"I'm so sorry dear," she hands me two tablets and a bottle of water. "Take this, it'll help with the pain."

"What is it?"

"Just a high dose of ibuprofen; it's the equivalent of taking a few of the ones you can get over the counter."

Trusting her, I quickly swallow the pills, hoping that they'll quickly help like she said.

"You have a nice egg here," she feels the back of my head.

"I forgot about that…I think that was from the stairs too."

"Did you lose consciousness?"

"Not then."

"But you did at some point?"

"When the…they were fighting."

"Who was fighting?"

"The bears and….the wolves."

"You lost consciousness then?"

"I don't remember much; but the next thing I knew I was in the van with the…wolves."

Part of me is still waiting for her to tell me I'm crazy, that there were no wolves there. That I have a concussion and a side effect of that is hallucinations because that's the only thing that makes sense. I know the bears were there because I have the marks to prove it; perhaps just the wolves weren't real then. But then how could two humans chase away three huge bears? I shake my head, none of it making any sense.

"Did you vomit at all?"

"No."

"You might have a mild concussion, but you may have also just passed out because of the adrenaline drop when your subconscious recognized you were finally safe."

"Which means I probably didn't hallucinate…"

"Hallucinate?" Damn, I hadn't meant to say that aloud. "Oh, the wolves…you didn't hallucinate my dear. The wolves were very much real."

"I…I don't understand…how is that possible?"

"There are only a few thousand shifters in the entire world, less than one thousand here in the United States," she sits on the stool in front of me slowly wrapping my ankle in an ace bandage. "We live in close nit groups known as packs, much like wolves and other animals do in the wild. Just like those packs, there is a leader of our group who is my husband, Christian's father. The alpha is essentially responsible for the entire pack; keeping everyone safe, making sure that our secret remains a secret, seeing that everyone's needs are met and fostering relationships with other packs."

"We keep our true identity a secret, which is why you never hear about us," she moves onto my wrist as she continues. "If you encounter us in society, we act like everyone else. As I said, I work in an emergency room of a large hospital; Christian's father works operates a small law firm with Christian and his brother Elliot yet no one we interact with on a daily basis has any idea what our true identity is."

"Why? Why not just tell people?"

"People wouldn't understand," she sighs. "There's a story that has been passed down from generation to generation across all the packs of someone who did in fact find out about a shifter. They were essentially kidnapped from their family and taken prisoner by the government."

"Why?"

"According to them, it was for national security. Thousands of medical tests were performed, against the person's will. Psychological tests followed and the entire time he was deprived contact with his pack. The pack is probably a hard thing for most people to understand because that's not typical in your world. For us, our pack is our family….it's who we are. We take care of each other, we protect each other, we love each other. When one of us is hurt, everyone comes together to help out. Being separated from a pack, living on your own outside of a pack, it's unheard of. It's not something anyone wants; in fact it feels unnatural to us. Yet that's what they forced this shifter to do. He died while in custody only a few months after he was taken. He couldn't survive without his pack."

"They killed him."

"Essentially yes, though the government of course denied any involvement. So you see, that's why no one can know we exist because curiosity will win out and we will suffer. To keep our secret, we tend to stay under the radar even as humans. We don't get involved in politics, or became overly successful in our fields even though we could…"

"Or save humans from fights with other animals…"

"No, that's where you're wrong. Christian and Taylor acted as I would expect them to; in fact if they sat back and did nothing they would be dealing with our alpha. We are protective creatures by nature, but especially in our wolf form. It would have been in their nature to help you. It doesn't happen too often, but it has happened a few times that while in our wolf form we've assisted in humans."

"Then how do you keep it a secret?"

"Because typically, it's never revealed that we're shifters. Typically, we just ensure that they get the help that they need. Calling 911 anonymously and providing the location, for example. The person goes to the hospital talking about a wolf who scared away another animal from harming them or helped them get away from a dangerous situation. The hospital chalks it up to a concussion or their mind's way of dealing with the trauma."

"Why didn't they do that with me?"

"I don't know, but I've never seen my son act the way he does around another woman."

"What do you mean?"

"He was so focused on you, as if none of us where here. And him taking you to his house? Even if he didn't or couldn't get you help outside the pack, he could have brought you here. He could have had his father as the leader of our pack, deal with the situation and get you whatever help you needed."

"Why didn't he?"

"I'm not sure, that's only something he can answer," the look in her eyes says that she knows more than she wants to say which doesn't make sense. Christian didn't even call to tell them we were coming here so I don't understand how she could know more than what she's saying.

"Well, I'll be out of your hair soon enough," I shake my head. "I'm going to find a motel for tonight and then figure out where I'm heading from here."

"Dear, you can't go to a motel," she argues. "You show up at any motel, even the crappy ones, you're going to raise some eyebrows given your bruises. Not to mention with possibly broken ankle and wrist, you're going to be in a wheelchair for a few weeks at least."

"Really?" I'm fucking screwed….

"You'll be safe here Ana," she squeezes my uninjured hand gently. "I promise you that we won't let the man who did this to you find you."

"I don't have much cash, but whatever I'll give you whatever I have to cover my expenses. There's more in my account but if I take the money from it-"

"Let me check the x ray and then we can go find Christian, I have a feeling he's pacing the living room waiting for us."

She goes to a closet and pulls out a wheelchair before helping me from the table. Crutches would be a pain in the ass but they wouldn't be as bad as a wheelchair is but with my arm in a sling I wouldn't be able to manage with crutches.

"Are you okay if I share with Christian what the x ray shows?" she asks before we move into another room.

"I guess," I shrug. Can I really say no given everything he's done for me? I don't understand why he's even doing all of this; he could have just dropped me off a motel or even a hospital.

CPOV:

"Want to tell me what's going on?" Surprisingly Dad waits a few minutes after we're back in the living room before questioning me.

"Isn't it obvious? She needed a doctor."

"That isn't what I meant and you know it," he says sternly.

"I don't know."

"Sawyer tells me she was passed out at the farmhouse when he arrived. Why not just call an ambulance from there?"

"I…I don't know."

"Son, you know we have protocol for dealing with situations like this-"

"I know! I know I should have left her at the farmhouse; I knew her injuries weren't life threatening and she would have been safe there."

"But…"

"I don't know why I didn't. Honestly, it didn't even occur to me to leave her there."

"Why not?"

"When Sawyer pulled up, we loaded her in the van and took off…to bring us here."

"But you didn't bring her here, you brought her to your cabin."

"I know."

"You could have brought her here, your mother and I would have handled the situation."

"I know Dad."

"Sawyer said you were very protective of the girl, that you wouldn't leave her side."

"I guess."

I can't help but keep looking towards the hallway, hoping that even though I didn't hear the door open to the exam room that Ana will be coming down the hall. Of course I'm protective of her; someone fucking hurt her. She hasn't said much about what happened, who hurt her or why she was in the woods last night, but I know she's scared. I could hear it in her voice in the van and the way she held herself even as I carried her in here.

"Even Taylor said he's never seen you like this before."

"What do you want me to say? I don't know! All I can say is I want, I need to make sure whoever did that to her doesn't find her ever again."

"I get it son, I do," he puts his hand on my shoulder before sitting down on the couch opposite of me. "Bringing her here put us at risk-"

"Shit Dad, I wasn't thinking-"

"I know you weren't; everyone knows you wouldn't intentionally do anything to harm the pack. That's why I think you're drawn to her for a reason, because under any other circumstance you should have left her at the farmhouse and call 911. I think she's your-"

"Don't say it," I warn. "Even if I did believe in that shit, which I don't, did you fail to notice that she's a human?"

"Of course I noticed-"

"So you think that a wolf's mate could be a human? That somehow not only did our DNA change to the point that we can only love one other in the this entire world, but that somehow a human's DNA also changed? It doesn't make sense."

"It's not unheard of, you know that. Just because it hasn't happened in our pack, doesn't mean it won't."

"A human and shifter falling in love, fine I'll buy it. But I don't buy this whole mate shit…you know that."

"One day you will, especially if she's really your…who I think she is, you're going to see what I mean soon enough."

"And how would you know that it's not just because we like each other rather than our DNA being imprinted on one another."

"Because you'll know; trust me the bond that forms when you claim your mate is like nothing you've ever experienced before. You'll believe in that moment."

"I doubt it."

He goes to the kitchen and grabs two bottles of water, handing me one as he sits back down. Once again my eyes drift to the hallway; I wish I could hear what was going on in the exam room but without shifting there's no way I can hear through all the walls separating us. Unable to sit still much longer, I get up and start pacing the small carpet in front of the couches. I'm not the only one becoming impatient; my wolf keeps trying to come out, he needs to know she's okay even more than I do which makes no sense.

"You know your mother is taking good care of her."

"I know."

"What's your plan?"

"My plan?"

"Will she be staying with you at the cabin? Do you want us to set her up in a room upstairs or does she want to go to a motel-"

"No," I quickly interrupt at the idea of her staying anywhere else but with me. "She's not going to a motel; it's not safe for her."

"You want me to have Gretchen prepare a room for her-"

"No, she's staying with me."

"I thought she might be," he smirks.

I hear the door opening down the hallway, fucking finally. I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding when Ana finally enters the room; it takes me several minutes to realize she's in a wheelchair. Just seeing her puts my wolf at ease; he's no longer biting at the bit to come out though he's definitely still not happy about the bruises on her beautiful body.

"Is she okay?" I ask.

"I'm fine," Ana answers but I look at my mom knowing that Ana has repeatedly told me she's fine even though the bruises covering her beautiful body say otherwise.

"I suspect her ankle is broken, but the swelling is too great to get a decent picture. So for now, I'm treating it as if it's broken. The more she can elevate her ankle, the quicker the swelling will come down and in a few days we can try to get another x ray. Her wrist is badly sprained, but not broken. Still it needs to stay wrapped and in the sling for a couple of weeks at least. Her ribs are healing nicely and don't appear to have been redamaged in the fall."

"The fall?" I look at Ana but she looks away. "What does she need?"

"Rest, lots of rest, she needs to stay off the ankle as much as possible," she hands me a bottle. "These should help with the pain; Ana you can take these every four to six hours."

"Thank you."

"If you need anything, either of you, just let me know. I'll need to see her in a few days Christian, but if you need me before then I can stop by," Mom says.

I step around the wheelchair and hug her, thanking her before I turn and nod to my dad. Taking the handles of the wheelchair I gently push Ana out of the house and to the couple of steps at the end of the porch. I hit the unlock button on the key fob before lifting Ana out of the seat.

"Oh!"

"You can't walk," I grumble as I carry her to the SUV.

"Who's is this?"

"Mine," I pull the door open and gently place her on the front seat. "The van belongs to the pack, it's kept here until someone needs it."

"Oh."

"I'm going to grab the chair and load it into the back," I explain.

The drive back to my cabin is quick; Ana is quiet the entire ride back. Once I park the car, I bring the wheelchair inside the cabin thankful for the relatively open floor plan of the space. The bedrooms are upstairs but otherwise she can access all the other rooms with the wheelchair. When I open the passenger door to the SUV she jumps in surprise but her eyes are wide as she stares out the front window. I immediately look out, my wolf stirs as well sniffing the area for danger, but there's nothing out of the ordinary.

"Ana? What's wrong?"

"There…." She points off in the woods. "There's….a wolf just….ran…."

"You're safe Ana, they won't hurt you."

"How do you know? What if they're not….what if it's not like you? What if it comes after me like the bears did? What if-"

"Shhhhh," I end her questions by lifting her out of the SUV. Like before she leans against my chest, relaxing just a little against me as I walk. "Any wolves you see around here, are part of the pack."

"But how-"

"Let's get you settled and I'll explain okay?"

She nods and I gently place her on the couch where she was sitting earlier; I cringe when she winces as she tries to adjust herself. It's fucking killing me not knowing who this bastard Tony is and where he is. I quickly push down my wolf and grab two cold drinks from the fridge before heading back to the living room.

"Do you need anything else?"

"No….thank you."

"Okay….so the obvious, you're going to see wolves around," I know I need to reassure her so she doesn't freak out when she sees one again especially if they're closer to her than off in the distance like this one was. "The pack owns about one thousand acres, so everything you see out there is included. We all live here…on the land. A pack…it's difficult to explain, because it's not like anything in your world…"

"Grace…she explained some of it to me."

"Oh okay. We protect each other, we protect the pack and our land. As the alpha, my father has a security team that watches over our land boundaries and ensures that no one enters who shouldn't. That's how I know without even seeing the wolf you saw, that it's someone from the pack. If a normal wolf approached our boundaries, alarms would be triggered and he would have been captured and relocated to another area."

"Oh."

"It's not unusual to see wolves running through the woods behind the cabin; while we each have our own cabin and small yard it's understood that it's the pack's space. We don't have the strict rules that you do in your world where you build fences around your yards to keep people out. Besides open space is important for wolves; we need to run. It's hard to explain, but if our wolves are kept in too long they get antsy and become short tempered. They need the freedom and space to roam, to run and to hunt sometimes."

She shakes her head as she stares at me.

"I'm not doing a good job explaining it," I run my hands through my hair. "I've never had to explain it to someone before."

"No, it's not that. I get what you're saying, but…."

"But?"

"It's just so hard to picture you as a wolf. I just don't get it; I don't get how….I don't get any of it. The wolf in the van, you look nothing like him. If it weren't for your eyes, I would be questioning my sanity more than I already am."

"You're questioning your sanity?" I chuckle.

"Do you have any idea how crazy this even sounds? Until I saw your mother, I was certain I had a concussion and was hallucinating seeing you and Taylor as…wolves."

"And now?"

"I don't know," she shakes her head. "Your mother told me I'm not hallucinating and what I saw was real but it's so hard to wrap my head around it."

"You don't need to figure it out all right now, give it some time and maybe it'll start to make sense."

"I don't think this will ever make sense," she giggles, a sound I vow to hear more of. "Oh I wanted to give you something."

"Me?" she reaches behind her to the table where I set her bag when we first arrived. From it she pulls a wad of money and holds her hand out to me.

"What's that for?"

"It's not much; I could only take out a few hundred from the ATM per day and I can't get any more without him knowing where I am-"

"Why are you trying to give it to me?"

"I wanted to stay at a motel-"

"No."

"That's what your mom said," she sighs. "I know it's not much, but it's all I have for now."

"Why are you trying to give it to me?"

"I don't expect you to let me stay here for free; it's not much but it'll help cover-"

"I'm not taking your money."

"But-"

"No. Put it away; I'm not taking your money."

"I can't stay here for free."

"Why not? I have an extra bedroom and you need a place to rest, to heal and to stay safe."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Why?"

"Why do all this? You could have just dropped me off somewhere and called 911; that's what your mom said it protocol when things like this happen."

"I don't know; I have fucking idea why I didn't do just that," I snap tired of everyone fucking asking me why I didn't do exactly that. "I couldn't leave you out there; I couldn't…I had to know you were safe."