What in the fuck did he just say?
Did that man just tell Paul Lahote that Phyre was his sister?
Her mind was racing. She questioned it when Deputy Cameron called him Lahote. The name was related. But, she first thought he was a cousin or uncle or something. Phyre had a brother that she never knew about? What in the hell?
"What ever the girl told you, she's lying." Was all that Paul said and he headed to the back door of the house.
That snapped Phyre out of her confusion. "What in the fucking hell? I didn't say a God damned thing to anyone about you! I don't even know who you are! I was only looking for my fucking mother! I have no idea where these two buffoons came up with this whole brother conspiracy. But, I don't want it. I don't need you. I don't need anyone. I only want my fucking emancipation so that I could be legally an adult and get the fuck out of here!" She screamed at him.
Jared and Quil started laughing. "She sure sounds like she is related to you."
Paul turned around. "You don't know what you are asking for little girl. It's best if you get the hell away from La Push as fast as possible before your life changes and you end up stuck here like the rest of us."
She stormed right up and got in his face. "That is exactly what I am trying to do asshole! Do you think that I want to reconnect with the woman that abandoned me to that drunken, judgmental, authoritative prick who wanted nothing more than a strong son to carry on the fucking Uley name! I was never the child he wanted. Not even my brother was good enough for the man. Yeah! Perfect life of protecting my brother from his abusive bullshit because he happened to be gay. Listening to my brother cry every night because he was bullied at school, just to be beaten for it at home. Fuck! I had to come home from school sick as a dog, just to find my brother dead when he killed himself because our father couldn't man up and love the children he had. Then of all the fucking nerve, the bastard shot himself in front of me because he failed to produce a good heir. I lost them both in one fucking night!"
Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she finally spoke about what happened the night she left home. But, more than the hurt, was the anger. The rage. It was building as she stared down the man that she just found out was a brother. The man that would rather reject her and call her a liar than even listen to his friends.
"So, no. I don't fucking want to be here. I don't want the family that abandoned me to that hell. I just want to get the fuck out of Washington. So don't you dare take out your family issues on me. Just tell me where I can find Deborah Lahote."
Paul was starting to shake. His anger was spiking as he faced the sister he never knew existed.
"Paul, she is telling the truth. Sheriff Call got the info from Spokane before we headed over. Remember when your mom was pregnant and lost the baby when we were five? She lied to everyone. She never lost the baby. It just wasn't your dad's. So, she left her with her own father... Sam's uncle." Jared spoke calmly. "You both need to calm down. Paul think about what you sensed when you first saw her. Look at her. She is your sister and Sam's cousin. She has the blood. So, calm the fuck down before you push things too far."
Shaking his head, Paul looked up at the other men. "Did you call Sam?"
"We tried. But, we couldn't reach him."
"Stop talking over my head!" Phyre screamed. "Just tell me where Deborah Lahote is so I can leave!" The way they spoke about people as if they were making plans, as if they knew something that she didn't, like she was too young to be included in the conversation about her own damn life... it was pissing her off even more. She was shaking in her rage. She didn't need those people. She didn't need them to decide things for her. She was six months away from turning 18. She just needed a paper to say that she could decide for herself. What in the fuck would six more months change to anyone else?
But, as she worked herself up in her thoughts, their voices faded into the distance. Her fever was spiking again. Her body hurt. Her mind spun. She was so fucking sick and tired of feeling like shit. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. The pain and anger of that night flooded in. She had kept it locked up, refused to think about it, until she yelled at Paul. She hated them all. Her brother for giving up and leaving her behind. Her father for never loving his own children and leaving her with those memories. Her mother for abandoning her to that life. The men around her who argued over what to do with her as if she had no say. She hated them all.
She trembled in that weight. She needed to get out. She wanted to crawl out of her own skin. To release the rage.
Then it happened.
Blinding, searing pain. Everything in her body erupted in the fury of her anger. She screamed in her head.
When it stopped, she opened her eyes to realize that she was on the ground. No, not on the ground, lower than she was. She barely had time to process it when she watched Paul launch himself and turn into a huge fucking wolf before her very eyes. His clothing shredded from all around him as his body grew larger than the fabric could contain.
Phyre wanted to run, but she found that her legs didn't quite want to work right and she fell, to find that she was on legs covered in fur herself. "What in the fucking hell?"
"It's okay. Everything is going to be okay." She could hear Paul's voice in her head.
"Hey Paul! Was that a new voice we heard?" Another voice went skipping through her mind.
Paul growled softly. "Shut up Brady! We have a new member of the pack. I've got her. So, just finish your patrols and keep your minds as blank as possible for a bit, alright?"
"Yeah man." Brady replied.
Phyre was looking around, frantic. She managed to find her way to her legs and started to run off into the trees. However, she only made it a few steps before Paul tackled her back to the ground.
"Don't run." He ordered.
She looked up to the two Deputies. "Please help me."
The two men smiled at her with a hint of sadness. They were not shocked or surprised. They knew what was going on. And, they did nothing to help her.
"They can't hear you." Paul told her. "Those of us in the pack can share a mind link, a pack mind, when we are in wolf form. But, it only works between us in wolf form."
Phyre was ready to fall apart. Her senses were heightened. She could hear things from farther away. See things clearly even in the fading light. Hear the beating of Paul's heart as well as the two police men. She could smell, fuck, everything! She was being hit with too much information. Her body still hurt. Her emotions were raw and exposed. She whimpered.
Paul eased off of her. He nuzzled at her neck and started to lick around her face. Phyre was surprised to find the attention comforting. It helped to focus her mind on one source of information.
"You know. I didn't even get to learn your name." He said sheepishly.
"Phyre." She said, still overwhelmed with the sensations and changes happening so fast.
He nuzzled her neck and licked at her ears. "Seriously? Like a burning Fire?"
"P-h-y-r-e. But, pronounced like fire. It is short for Phyrianna. Phyrianna Uley." She said meekly, completely overwhelmed with everything that was going on.
He sighed. "I am sorry for my anger, Phyre. Our mother left when I was 12. I don't know where she is either. She left me with a negligent drunk too. Though, you didn't have her hit you. So, there is a bonus on your end. She is not much to look up to."
"What in the hell is happening?"
He growled again. "Well, if I wouldn't have been so angry and just answered you, you might have made it out of here without changing. I am really sorry for that. The blunt answer is that you are a werewolf and you just phased for the first time."
Her mom wasn't there and they didn't know where she was. She just turned into a wolf. Everything was raw... Phyre broke down in her grief and anger. Her memories flooded through. Everything that lead to her being there. Paul remained silent. He moved to lay down next to Phyre and stretch his head over her neck in an embrace as he comforted her pain.
They stayed like that for the longest time. Collin and Brady even voiced their sympathies and condolences. Who ever they were. The two Deputies sat down and chatted independently. Phyre really had no idea how long they stayed there, but she emotionally cried herself out. She was drained from the release. However, grateful for Paul's comfort. For a man that she barely knew, he had been there for her when her bubble of denial had burst. And, that meant a lot.
"Did Thomas Uley ever tell you the stories of our tribe?" Paul asked after a while.
"No."
"Figures." He huffed.
"The gist is that we are protectors for our people. We are tied to the lands in a way others are not. But, when our enemies are close by, it triggers a change in those who have a certain gene. Not everyone in the same family will change. But, there is a genetic component."
Phyre furrowed her brows. "Enemies?"
"Cold Ones. I guess you would know them as vampires."
She jumped slightly. "Seriously? Vampires are real? Like sexy immortal love stories and such?"
He growled a lot louder at that. "We are built for killing those leeches. Don't ever romanticize them." He shivered. "However, we do hold a treaty with a local family of vampires that only feed off of animal blood. I am slowly coming around to think they are okay. Mostly because they helped to save my wife twice. But, that will be a story for another time."
"But, if I left before this happened, would I have become a wolf elsewhere?" She asked hesitantly.
"I just saw your memories Phyre. You were sick in Spokane, you were triggered there. So, it was fortunate you made it here before the shift. My rejection just tipped it over. Again, I am sorry. There is usually some level of rage associated with triggering the first phase. Not sure if it is an effect of the change or a trigger. Maybe a little of both. So, it is possible that you would not change if you were not emotional at the same time."
Paul stood up again and licked at her face. "You seem to be calming down now. You might be able to change back to human. Though, I will warn you, you will be naked."
"Ugh! Seriously?"
He chuckled. "You will get used to it. I keep a small bin of shorts at the back of the garage so that I can wear something when I get home. Everyone has a stash, plus extras in places."
"How many wolves are there?"
"About a dozen. You make the second girl. And, I will keep the perverts from trying anything with you. Though, be prepared for the porn show through the pack mind. We are guys after all. We think about sex a lot." To emphasize the point, several scenes filtered through before Paul got a handle on it again. He walked over to Quil and Jared and pushed at their hips to turn around.
"Oh, shit. Yeah." Quil blushed.
"Alright, try to calm yourself down and think about being human again." Paul encouraged.
Phyre took several deep breaths before she felt her body shift. It was no where near as painful as the first time. Uncomfortable, but not painful. Before she knew it, she was laying on the cold ground with her bare skin. She looked up to see Paul shift as well.
He looked straight into her eyes. "Good job. Let me grab you a blanket until you get used to being seen naked." He stood up unabashedly and strolled into his house in full naked glory. Hell, if he wasn't Phyre's brother, she would be admiring the view. But, ew!
"You wanna hurry up!" Jared called. "You know we'll see her eventually anyway."
Phyre could hear the growl from the house. "I take it you two are wolves as well?"
"Yup." Answered Quil. "The only two wolves in the Police. And, the Sheriff really hates it if we shred up our uniforms. So, kinda try not to phase while working, unless we absolutely have to."
"Or just take them off first." She grumbled. Quil chuckled and shrugged. Phyre really wouldn't mind seeing him take it all off. Yummy. Deputy Cameron really wasn't bad either.
She was honestly surprised that those two were not trying to sneak a peak early. Maybe it was because they were cops and she was underage. It was just strange. She was used to men being pervs. She spent most of her summers working as a lifeguard for the pools, and it didn't matter if she was underage or how old the men were, they always stared or tried to get in a grab. Yuck! Okay, okay, she realized that she was being a hypocrite. Leering a little at Quil who was a few years older. But, hey, younger to older was a much better direction for such things.
Once inside, Paul went to the laundry room and pulled out a pair of black leggings and an "Avenged Sevenfold" concert t-shirt. Phyre raised a brow. "You like metal?"
Paul gave a half laugh and took the t-shirt back. "That is my wife's and she will kill me if you ruin it. So, how about one of mine?" He handed her a simple grey shirt in it's place. Then, he lead her to the bathroom to change and clean up. She could hear their conversation down the hall.
"Well, Leah will be happy to have another girl." Jared said.
Paul growled. "I don't want to force this kid to stay if she doesn't want to stay."
"You know as well as we do, that the emotions of the change are a roller coaster ride for the first few weeks. She could blow up just because someone knocks into her at the store. She needs to stay at least long enough to know she can control the wolf before she exposes everyone." Quil added.
Fucking hell. She was stuck there? Her anger was starting to spike and she started to shake. Paul rushed into the room to wrap his arms around her. "Hey. I am not making decisions for you. Quil was right, you do need to stay for a bit though, to learn to control this. After that, I will help you with whatever you decided to do." His hands rubbed circles into her back until she stopped shaking.
He hooked his knuckle under her chin to raise her face so he could look in her eyes. "Phyre. I promise. I am sorry that I didn't want to believe you at first. But, you are my sister. I will do what I can to help you. You just have to get control first." She silently nodded. "Besides, you are already showing more control than most. This won't take you to long."
"How long did it take you?" She whispered.
He sighed. "Three weeks before I could face the world again. Years to really get better control. But, that was my wife's doing."
Phyre let out a long slow breath.
"I am not saying three weeks from now. The first two weeks were the sickness, the fevers and body pains as I grew. I barely stayed conscious. Then, it was my first phase. That took me three days just to be able to return to human. You are past the sickness. And, it only took you a couple of hours to let out your emotions and calm enough. I am serious. You are doing better than I did." Then he left the room again to let her change. He grew while he was sick? That explains why her jeans didn't fit anymore. She had been living in yoga pants for weeks. Hells bells. And, she really didn't feel calm. Exhausted. But, not calm.
Her stomach growled as she walked out of the bathroom and toward the living room. "Yeah, being a wolf makes you really hungry." Quil chuckled. "That is why we ordered pizzas. Two each. Plus dessert." He smiled.
God did that sound good!