Anna Begins [Paul Lahote]

Chapter Ten

Anna

"Holy shit." I couldn't stop the curse from escaping my mouth as I watched the large silver wolf pace in front of me, his gaze centered on my reaction. If my face looked anything like the clutter that was my thoughts, I was sure he was seeing mixed messages.

So this was real. Paul and Jacob and all of his and Felicity's friends changed into wolves. Or did Felicity do it too? But he'd said they did it to protect the tribe...that meant only residents of La Push shifted, right? Then again, Paul lived in Forks with us.

So this was real, but there were still so many gaps. I'd tried to hold back from bothering anyone and asking questions, but now I had so many it was nearly painful to hold them back.

But I still wasn't sure of my conclusions. Was I okay with this? Or more importantly, should I be okay with this? My gut said yes, but my gut had been wrong before. And goodness knew my nerves and brain and regular responses tended to be wrong most of the time.

Yet...my hands didn't shake. My palms weren't damp. My stomach wasn't twisting. My mind was a whirlwind, but the rest of my body was calm.

Maybe that was a sign.

Paul had said they shapeshifted to protect people. So unless I was the enemy, which I was certain I was not, I was safe. He wouldn't hurt me. None of the—

"I know this is a lot, but please, Anna, say something before I explode!" Felicity exclaimed, a small laugh bubbling from her lips.

"Be patient," Sam told her. "Take your time, Anna."

Now that I was reminded Felicity was here, though, I decided to take a chance and ask just one question. "Are you one too?"

Surprise colored Felicity's features. "Me? Oh, no. I'm not a wolf. I'm just...with Jacob. It's why I can know the secret."

My head tilted to the side. If that was why she could know about this, why was I let in on the secret? Surely not because I was friends with Felicity.

Sam apparently was done with the patient gig because he chimed in before I could try asking another question. "I know there's a lot we need to talk about, and a lot we need to share and explain, but let's go inside to have this chat. Paul, shift back and meet us inside." Then he turned and walked back to the house, up the stairs and to the door. He held it open, gesturing with his hand for Felicity and me to enter.

I looked at Felicity, and she smiled reassuringly. If she was so comfortable with these people even though they were also huge animals, there was probably nothing for me to be worried about, right? That was what I was counting on as I entered the house, heading toward where I remembered the kitchen was.

Emily turned to greet us, her expression full of concern. "Anna, please sit. Can I get you something to drink? A snack?"

I shook my head as my stomach decided now was the time to rebel. If I ingested anything, I knew it wouldn't end well. As I sat and waited for the others to get situated I contemplated my current state. I'd been so calm moments ago. What was the problem now? I thought I was okay with the news...

And I was. But now, the prospect of getting to talk about it, to ask questions—and maybe asking the wrong questions. Or saying things that would be hurtful or offensive or stupid or a myriad of other things that would lead to the others hating me. Wishing they hadn't shared their big secret with me.

My hands started to shake, but I hid them under my thighs before the others could notice.

But then Paul walked in, and I could tell by the way that he looked at me that he could tell I was getting upset. He stopped in front of me, staring down with gentle eyes. "You took that well," he murmured. "Now that we ripped off the band-aid, it's all uphill from here. No worries, okay?"