Please Read: Thank you to mhgood and 'kiwiTHElemonLOVER' for your suggestions. I've revised the chapter this morning and hopefully it is an improvement from what I posted last night. Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!

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Chapter 10

Once we were settled on the grass in front of the boulder, I took a deep breath and looked at Paul. "I really don't know where to start," I said as the realization about what I was about to do washed over me. Paul took my right hand into his left and rested out joined hands on his bent knee.

"The beginning is always the best place," he said with a small grin, but I didn't feel like smiling. I felt like I was going to be sick and it must have showed on my face because he frowned and tightened his hold on my hand.

"Paul, aside from Jason and my old therapist, Dr. Hamilton; the only other person I have ever talked to this about was a Sacramento detective," I said and Paul's eyes darkened, but his face was still set in a small frown. "It's not exactly on the top of my sharing list, but you're right. The beginning is probably the best place to start." I looked away from him then and out towards the water and jagged shoreline. Talking with Dr. Hamilton in a way prepared me for telling Paul. I'd told her what had happened so many times that the words were already in my head, I just didn't know if I was ready for whatever is reaction was bound to be. I gathered my strength and took yet another deep breath before I started my story.

"I was fourteen and my first year of high school was coming to an end," I said softly, my eyes still trained away from Paul, but his eyes were burning holes on the side of my face. I could feel his stare and the hold he had on my hand gave me a little more encouragement to continue. "It was a Friday at the end of May and the weekend of Jason's graduation from USC. I'd stayed home from school so that my parents and I could drive down to Los Angeles and have dinner with Jason and a few of his friends before their graduation the following day.

"We'd gotten a late start and I was getting ready to climb in the shower when I heard a loud thump downstairs and then my mom screamed my dad's name. I was still dressed, so, I ran downstairs to see what was going only to find my dad lying on the floor of the foyer unconscious. There was a man standing near the foot of the stairs but his back was to me and he had his arms around my mom with a hand over her mouth because her screams were muffled as she tried to fight against him. I snuck back upstairs when I realized that he hadn't heard me come down and I ran into my parents' room."

My voice broke a bit and I cleared my throat to get it working again, and that was when I noticed that Paul no longer had a hold of my hand. His left arm was around my waist and he had pulled me closer to him while I had been talking. I sank into him, hoping that when I was finished he wouldn't push me away in disgust.

"I moved as quietly as I could to the phone that rested on the nightstand, but when I tried to dial out there was no dial tone. He'd cut the phone line and I didn't have a cell phone then because my parents thought I was too young for one." I closed my eyes before I continued, furrowing my brow at the sudden pain in my chest. "I couldn't call for help and I didn't know what to do. I started to panic, but I knew my mom kept her cell phone in purse when she was at home and her bag was in the kitchen and my dad kept his in his office on a charging stand thing Mom had gotten him for Christmas, so, I started back into the hallway and down the stairs." I opened my eyes again and turned my head into Paul's chest, but I didn't look up at his face.

"I didn't see the guy or my mom, but my dad was still lying on the floor. I wanted to check on him, but I knew I had to get to a phone. Dad's office was too far and the kitchen was closer, so, I started for the kitchen. I no more put a foot into the kitchen when the guy, who was wearing a mask, came up from the basement. When he saw me he moved so quickly. I had no time to react before he grabbed me and I started to fight against him, but he was too strong. I bit his arm and that was when he hit me hard in the back of the head with something, knocking me out."

Paul's grip tightened on me and I was pretty sure I heard him growl quietly under his breath, but I pressed on. I was halfway through my story and there was no point in stopping.

"I don't know what happened between the time he hit me and the time I woke up lying on the floor of the unfinished portion of our basement, but I have an idea of what happened because of what I saw. My eyesight was a little foggy, but I could see my dad was tied to a chair and his head was hanging limply against his chest. From where I was laying I couldn't tell if he was breathing and I slowly sat up because my head was spinning. I called out to him and he raised his head and turned his head to look at me.

"His face was bloody and he looked like he . . . he looked like he was in so much pain, and there were tears rolling down his cheeks, but he was trying to put on a brave face for me. He told me not to move, that I needed to stay right where I was, but I didn't listen to him. He needed my help, so, I stood up and quickly moved to him. He told me to stop that it wasn't safe, but I didn't listen. I should have listened," I whispered as I closed my eyes at the memory of the fear in my father's eyes when our captor had returned, dragging my mom's limp body behind him. It had only been then that I had realized the magnitude of what was happening and my fear had rooted me to where I had stood next to my father.

"It's okay, Harper," Paul said as he pressed his forehead to the top of my head. I sighed and opened my eyes. "You're here with me now, and nothing is ever going to happen to you. I promise." He raised his head a bit and pressed a kiss to the side of my head before placing his forehead back against my hair. His words and touch were comforting, but he hadn't heard everything yet. Those words were an empty promise until he knew everything.

"I know," I whispered and I took a deep breath and continued. "Before I could even loosen the knots that tied Dad to the chair, the guy in the mask came back out; dragging my mother behind him. The mask only covered his nose and eyes and I could see him smile at me as he put my mother's lifeless body in front my dad. He grabbed me then and I tripped over my mom's arm, stumbling into him. He laughed and said I was . . . he said I was 'a bit eager' and I felt like I was going to be sick as I started to shake out of fear as he turned me around, pressed my back to his chest, and then put a knife to my throat."

Paul had raised his head from mine and I could feel his body trembling slightly. I didn't know if it was from anger or disgust, but I was leaning towards the latter. I debated on whether or not I should continue because the words were growing harder to say and Paul's trembling was a bit frightening considering he trembled like that the day he had showed up to my house after Jason had told him to stay away. However, I knew I needed to tell him everything. If he wanted a relationship with me, he had the right to know.

"When my dad saw the knife to my throat, he looked . . . he looked scared and begged the guy no to hurt me, that he would give him whatever he wanted, but the guy just laughed and said no one could give him what he really wanted. He . . .he said that I would probably be . . . that I . . .," I could barely get the words out but after clearing my throat and adjusting my body against Paul's they finally came. "He said that I would be more 'fun' than what my mom was."

Paul's trembling had increased a bit and his breathing had grown heavier and deeper to the point it was washing over the top of my head like a rush of wind from a fan. However, I still didn't' look at his face. It was too hard for me to see the emotions that were undoubtedly there.

"Dad told him to let me go, but the guy just . . . he just . . . he kissed my head and then ran the knife down my left cheek," I said as I raised my left hand to the scar that rested there. The memory of the burning sensation that had came with the slice caused a bit of pain to resonate on my cheek. Whenever I thought about how that scar came to be it would tingle with slight pain in reminder of what happened. "Jason's old bedroom was in the finished part of the basement," I said weakly as I lowered my hand back to my lap. "He. . . he . . . he dragged me through the basement . . . and into Jason's room." I pulled myself away from Paul then and stood from the ground before I started to pace a bit. If I continued, he would know how dirty I truly was, how broken I was, and how unworthy I was of the adoration I saw in his eyes when he looked at me.

"Harper," Paul's voice was tight as he said my name and I stopped pacing. With tear filled eyes I finally looked at him. The anger and the pain on his face was a strange combination and for some reason it made my tears fall. "Harper, did he . . .?" his question trailed off and I swallowed the lump in my throat as I wiped at the tears on my face and looked down at the ground.

"Yes; once before he killed my dad and then again before he stabbed me four times in the stomach and left me for dead." Paul let out a growl then and I looked up at him quickly. He stood from the ground as his entire body shook and his face was contorted with such anger that I took a half a step back from him. "Are you okay?" I asked and the next thing I knew standing in place of where Paul had been was a giant dark gray, silver, and white wolf with fire filled brown eyes as he howled loudly into the sky. Pieces of fabric were fluttering to the ground and I realized that I had just watched Paul morph into a giant wolf. "How . . .," I whispered before I fainted dead away.

Third Person POV

"Paul, what happened?" came Sam's voice in Paul's head and it took all of two seconds for Sam to see what it was that happened. "Don't move, we're coming." Paul was still too angry to phase back even though he was trying so he could go to Harper's side. He whimpered and moved closer to her, nuzzling the side of her face with his snout but she didn't wake.

"It's okay, Paul," Jared said as he and Sam raced to him.

"It's not okay, Jared," Paul mentally snapped as his wolf eyes were trained on Harper's seemingly lifeless face. "You know what she told me. You know. How could that have happened to her? She was only fourteen."

"You have to be strong for her, Paul," Sam said. "She told you her secret and now you have no choice but to tell her yours."

"If she'll even speak to me again," Paul thought as he laid down on the grass next to Harper who was still lying unconscious. "What am I going to do?"

"You're going to talk to her," Sam said and Paul looked up from Harper's body and to the tree line as Jared and Sam broke the line and stood there in their wolf forms. "She'll listen. She feels the pull too, Paul. She'll understand."

"And if she doesn't? With everything that's happened to her, what if it freaks her out and she pushes me away again? I don't know if I can take it," Paul thought and Sam walked over to him as Paul stood.

"She will. You just have to trust her like she trusts you." Paul mentally sighed as he looked back down at Harper. "Jared's going to phase back, carry her to your truck, and take her to his place."

"All right," Paul said as he Jared went back into the trees and came out a second later dressed in his cut offs. Jared picked up Harper from the ground and looked Paul square in the eyes before giving him a small and reassuring smile. However, Paul couldn't help but worry that it wasn't going to be okay.

Harper POV

"Tell him, she's okay," a soft voice said from my right and I opened my eyes to find myself lying in an unfamiliar room. Kim was standing at the window talking to someone. "She'll be waking up soon and he can talk to her in a little while."

"Kim?" I asked and Kim quickly looked away from the window and gave me a small smile before she looked back out the window.

"She's awake," she said before she quickly moved to my bedside and sat down on the bed next to me while I sat up with a small frown on my face.

"What happened?" I asked and she took my left hand into both of hers.

"Well, what do you remember?" she asked.

"I was talking to Paul and . . .," I said before I trailed off and pulled my hand from hers and stood from the bed. "He turned into a wolf!" I shouted as I turned around and looked at her. "He turned into a giant wolf, Kim! Can you tell me how that's possible?"

"Harper, you need to calm down," Kim said as she slowly stood from the bed and held her hands out in front of me in a calming gesture, but I was anything but calm.

"Calm? How can I be calm? I poured my heart out to him. I told him everything and he turned into a fucking wolf!" I rarely ever swore, but I was scared, angry, and very confused; all the reason for a few colorful words.

"You've just had a shock, Harper, and if you don't calm down, you're going to have a panic attack," Kim said.

"I've had those before and trust me I'm not on the verge of one," I said sharply and I instantly regretted snapping at her. "I'm sorry, Kim, but I'm pissed off and confused and I just want some answers."

"Harper," she said with a soft sigh, but she didn't get to finish because the door opened behind me and I quickly turned around to see Paul standing there in a pair of cut offs and his dark eye heavy with worry as he looked at me. Sadness crept into his eyes when I took a step back from him. "Paul, you might want to wait a minute," Kim said, but Paul shook his head negatively as he kept his eyes on me.

"No, I'm not going to leave her waiting for answers. She's been through enough already," he said tightly but softly, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Fine," Kim said under her breath as Paul walked further into the room and she left it. Paul closed the door and carefully regarded my face. We just looked at her for a long time and I wasn't sure what emotion was there for him to see, but whatever it was it didn't look like he liked it.

"Harper, I know you're probably a little freaked out, but please just hear me out," Paul said softly.

"Freaked out doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling right now," I said. "I told you why I am the way I am and all of a sudden you explode into a giant wolf." I was pretty sure I was repeating myself, but I was very confused.

"I phased, Harper," he said. "I'm just glad you weren't standing close enough to get hurt." He started to walk closer to me, but I backed away from him again and he stopped advancing on me.

"What?" I asked confused by what he said.

"I'm . . . well it's complicated, but I can transform into a wolf," he said and I raised an eyebrow for a further explanation but he just looked at me.

"How?" I asked.

"Genetics?" he asked more than said and I frowned. "Look, I was angry and I couldn't stop myself from phasing."

"You were angry at me?" I asked, hurt at the thought, and his eyes widened as he shook his head quickly and took another step closer to me and I took another step back, which led the back of my legs to hit against the bed I had just been lying on. Paul sighed heavily as he looked down at the floor and shook his head again.

"No, Harper," he said deeply before he ran his hands through his hair, the frustration clear in the action. "I wasn't angry at you. How could I be angry at you when you hadn't done anything?"

"Then what were you angry at?" I asked softly and he turned his eyes back to mine. The moisture that I saw in his eyes surprised me and a lump was suddenly forming in my throat as I fought against my own tears.

"I was angry that that happened to you. I was angry that I wasn't there to stop that from happening to you. That I wasn't there to protect you; that that slimy excuse for a man did that to you. It shouldn't have happened. It just shouldn't have."

"You didn't know me then, Paul; so, why do you think you needed to be there to protect me?" I asked, confused by part of his declaration. I was not as angry as I had been; however, I was still a bit scared. I didn't know what was happening and I was pretty sure that I was indeed going insane. My brain could only take so much and the fact that the boy I liked could transform into a wolf was the tipping point.

"It has to do with the wolf part of me, and I can explain everything, Harper, if . . . if you don't pull away from me," he said slowly.

"Are you going to hurt me?" I asked knowing the question was stupid the second it came out of my mouth. Pain flashed in his eyes and he shook his head negatively.

"I told you that I would never hurt you, Harper, and I meant it," he said firmly, his eyes never leaving mine. I believed him and I subtly nodded my head. He closed the distance between us and gently took me into his arms. I sighed at the contact and practically fell into his arms, my face pressing against his bare chest. His skin was so hot, and for a second it felt like all my issues and problems were just melting away at his touch. The comfort that being in his arms brought was overwhelming and despite the fear and confusion, I didn't want to pull away from him.

"Did they catch him?" he asked suddenly and I raised my head to look up at him. His eyes were dangerous looking, but the anger and heat that was in them was not directed at me.

"Yes," I said as I rested my hands on his waist. He took a deep and slow breath through his nose, his eyes still holding mine, both of us unwilling to look away from each other.

"Who was he?" he ground out through clenched teeth.

"The husband of a woman my dad wasn't able to save," I said softly and he frowned. "My dad was a trauma surgeon and his wife died on my dad's table after an accident. He blamed my dad and lashed out after seven months of threats that my dad didn't take seriously." Paul sighed and leaned down and rested his forehead against mine. We stood like that for several seconds before I finally broke the silence that had settled between us. "Paul, are you going to tell me how the hell it's possible for you to turn into a wolf the size of a small horse?"