Paul's P.O.V. (for this chapter only)-

"Is this because you've attacked her previously? You feel there are things you did to her that you have to atone for?" "The first time he met this "Anastasia", he tried to eat her. That's why he feels like a worthless wolf." "Yours is a love born from a hunting instinct." "Tell me the truth! She's not dead; I can't smell any of her blood on you! Where is she?! Tell me where she is or so help me god, I will kill you!"

"Anastasia is my prey!"

No matter where I looked, my eyes kept reverting back to Christian. His prey; he called Ana his prey. Prey: something to be hunted and consumed. That's the definition of what he called her…. My eyes narrowed suspiciously onto him. I never even considered it before, the fact that Christian could kill and eat herbivores- never mind Ana. He just seemed so kind and quiet all of the time; I told him not to hold back his carnivore strength before. But it never occurred to me that he might use that power of his to harm a fellow living creature. Sure, he's a wolf but he's not a killer…. is he?

Now, for the first time in my life, I wasn't so certain.

I kept my stare on him through the corner of my eye; sneaky enough that he nor Hidoku noticed. The rough neck panda was busy giving us directions. "Ok, here's the plan. Paul and I will go in first and clear out the first floor. Christian will run in when the coast is clear and try to find a staircase. Eric's room is likely on the top floor so go there first; we'll keep the exit free out here. Once you got the girl, get the hell outta there; don't wait for us. It's a long shot, but we might be able to pull this off if we stick to my plan. Got it?" Christian nodded and I didn't say anything.

"Right! Come on, rhino; you're with me," Hidoku then stood up from where we were crutching in the shadows. Christian's and my eyes met one last time before I wordlessly followed Hidoku up the concrete stairs; neither of us were smiling. We made sure not to step on the tiger's unconscious and bleeding body along the way. I tactfully waited until we were far enough from earshot to speak to Hidoku. It would be our first time talking alone.

"Hey, panda; what is…. imprinting exactly?" I didn't bother meeting his puzzled gaze as I quietly asked this; I could sense his eyes on me. "Imprinting? It's an involuntary mechanism wolves have to identify their mates. All wolves have the ability, but not all of them imprint on someone." "They have no control who they imprint on?" He shook his head, finally tearing his stare off me. "No. Wolves only imprint once; it's part of the whole mating for life scenario. And once a wolf imprints, there's no reversing it." "Oh….." My gaze dropped disappointedly. But I wasn't done yet; I had one last question. "And…. is it possible for a wolf to imprint on a different species…..? An herbivore?"

Hidoku's feet came to a surprising halt, causing me also to pause and glance back at him curious. Boy, was his expression grave with zero nonsense to detect. "Now's not the time for your petty jealousy." "What?!" I responded with an upset and offended frown. But he didn't see fit to stop there; oh on. "You know what I mean. Don't let your anger at Christian ruin this mission, you hear me?" "Wha-…..? No, I'm not jealous; I'm worried for Ana. You heard him back there; he called Ana his "prey". Prey! Like she's something to be chased around and attacked. If that's how Christian sees her, he should have nothing to do with her. If he's imprinted on her, as he says, then shouldn't he love her enough to do that? If it'll save her life?" "He's risking his life to save her now," the panda retorted. "So am I," I shot back angrily.

He eyed me for a long minute before huffing and letting his head fall. "Look, kid; I agree. I think it would be better for the lamb to be with an herbivore like you. But that's not possible now. It's not your fault, or mine, or Christian's; it's just the way things happened. You need to deal with that, just like how he needs to deal with all the problems this is causing him too. You think this is easy for Christian? He's going to have to fight this innate desire built into his DNA every single day for the rest of his life. He's not the one who won here," Hidoku's eyes lowered right as he said this as I patiently waited for him to continue. "But he'd probably be inclined to disagree with me, each time he looks at her…. That's how strong the imprinting instinct is. Don't you get it? He didn't ask for any of this; none of us. Yet here we are, trying to save some god-forsaken lamb from the hands of a mob boss. None of this makes sense realistically." "Hidoku….." My eyes widen and he met them again, keeping his stare sharp as ever.

"But what does that have to do with you? Who cares if Christian imprinted on Anastasia?" "I-I care; it means I'll never be with her. Christian's not the only one in the picture here; I love her too. I've loved her for a lot longer than he's even known her. Doesn't that mean anything?" I could feel my resolve grow more and more desperate.

"Yes; yes, it does. You love her- that itself has nothing to do with Christian or me or anyone else. Your love for her is just as real as Christian imprinting on her. Of course that's worth something- your feelings will activate your protective instinct. You do want to protect Anastasia, don't you?" What a stupid question. "Of course I do!" "Good! Then stop whining and own up to your feelings. You and Anastasia may not have a future together, but what you feel for her now is still real- it still counts. And I'm not about to sit back and watch as you let go what you want to hold onto the most. Fight for her instead; maybe even die for her. Your efforts won't be wasted, just as your love isn't wasted. Forget about Christian, forget about everything else. We'll only manage to do this if you let your protective instinct take over. You understand?" "H-Hidoku." And I swear, his eyes softened around the edges a little.

"And one more thing. Don't let fear of the future taint all those good memories you have with her. The time between then and now belongs to you; you're allowed to cherish it. Fight for her with that in mind. After all….

You love her. That's enough, isn't it?"

I could nothing but stare at him wide-eyed, my mouth agape. "You love her. That's enough, isn't it?" I do… The side of Ana's smiling face zoomed through my mind. I really do love her. I… The memory of my meeting Ana appeared next. I don't know how to stop loving her. Ana bandaging my arm after I scraped it during a game in middle school. Somehow without my ever noticing it, it felt so natural to love her. Ana laughing with me at the movies. She's so incredibly easy to love…. Ana and I making cupcakes together. She's the reason I'm strong; she gives my strength meaning. Ana smiling at me; every single time I saw her smile. Without ever trying, she's brought me so much happiness since I might her. The last time Ana held my hand in hers. Thinking back, I wouldn't change a thing- not a single moment with her. Not one single second of it.

The last memory was of Ana and I swimming in a local pool. It was empty since we went rather late, but we didn't mind. I treasure that specific memory more than the others I think because of how natural and organic it all seemed. I remember I was swimming below her near the bottom of the pool, and she was right above me. As if to be prompted by some cue, we both opened our eyes at the same time. The first thing we saw was each other; we saw each other and smiled. Ana….. She looked so beautiful, with the water spreading her hair out all around her, just like an angel. Her blue eyes pierced mine. Ana…. Ana, Ana! Anastasia.

"Let me protect you; don't try and hold me back for my sake. And in return, I will make you happy, I promise."

That's right. I promised I'd protect her; I'd keep her safe and in exchange, she'd let me make her happy. I just thought that… that happiness would come from me. But now I don't really care where that comes from, just so long as she is happy. Happy and safe. That's all I really want now. That's all I'll ever want because…. because…..

"I love can't stop loving you."

"Hmmmmm?" Hidoku perked up at this, but I just glanced back at him. "Ok." "Ok, what?" "I'm not going to fight for Christian's sake, or even my own. You see, I made a promise to Ana once: I'm going to protect her at all costs. I'm going to protect her and make sure she's happy going forward. Whether I have to protect her from Christian is up to him, but I'll do what I have to. You're right; I love her. I can't stop myself… I can't wanting her, so I've made up my mind. I'm going to save her, and I'm going to wear her colours while doing it."

Hidoku then observed as I pulled out Ana's colours from my pocket; I never left home without it since that game against the Chargers. I tied it onto my forearm and grinned back at the panda. We nodded our heads in unison. "Let's go." "Heh, it was nice knowing you, kid." "Likewise," I said before we pulled open the front steel doors.

So maybe my story won't get a happy ending after all. But I could give a damn about that at the moment. So long as she gets a happily ever after, that's all I care about. It may be useless to say now but that doesn't make it any less true:

I can't stop loving you, Anastasia Steele.