Another Chance

Chapter 19

JARED'S POV

I was unsure what to do. Anna's request to take her to my pack didn't seem like the best idea right now. She was overwhelmed, and seeing masses of wolves running around in front of her would definitely freak her out. I didn't want her becoming frightened that they would harm her.

"Anna, are you sure?" Clara questioned as she looked at me with an uncertain expression, and I released a small sigh.

Anna nodded, pursing her lips. "Yes. If you're telling the truth, then yes, I want to see it."

"Anna," I took a hold of her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Our pack is big. Many wolves live there and you will most likely see a lot of them. Some of them may even be fighting, and I don't want that to scare you."

"Is there an issue with a human entering your pack?" Anna asked, the words sounding strange leaving her mouth. I really never thought I would hear her say them.

I shook my head, scowling. "No, not if you're mated to me. We don't allow members of the public in of course, but there are a few humans that live there already. Sometimes wolves get given human mates."

Anna gulped, pulling her hand away from me slowly, fiddling with her fingers. I understood why she wasn't inclined to be touched by me right now, but our bond was desperate for me to comfort her.

"And you said some Goddess just 'gives' them to you?" Anna's tone sounded slightly offended, and I frowned, not wanting to think that she was just some object to me.

"It's not like that. She pairs people who she thinks need each other. We were paired for a reason." I decided not to mention the fact that I had had another mate before her for the moment. It would only complicate things and I needed Anna to understand the world I lived in before I told her. The news wasn't going to be easy to hear.

"I'll call Dylan," Clara mumbled, grabbing her phone and exiting the kitchen. I knew that she wanted to run Anna entering the pack by Dylan first, and I was hoping that he would say it was okay. I hadn't expected Anna to want to actually come and see the pack so soon, but it seemed that she was mentally battling with herself on what the right thing to do was.

"So this house isn't even yours?" Anna mumbled, taking a shaky breath, and I shook my head.

"No, but please understand that I couldn't just take you to my pack without you knowing what I was." Anna nodded once, letting me know that she understood.

"Um, so when you...turn into a wolf, can you...walk?" Anna looked hesitant, and she dropped her gaze to her feet, focusing intently on the flooring. She looked guilty for asking, and I released a small chuckle, wanting her to know that she was welcome to ask me whatever she wanted. I wasn't going to be offended by her questioning.

"No, I can't," I told her, keeping my tone light-hearted. I cocked my head as I attempted to listen in to Clara's conversation with Dylan, but, I was focusing on Anna's breathing, wanting to ensure that she took deep breaths and didn't give herself another panic attack.

"It's hard not being able to use my legs. All my wolf wants to do is run, but that will never happen," I explained, and Anna's face dropped. She looked physically hurt, and I noticed her fingers twitching. I could tell that she wanted to reach out to me, but something was stopping her.

I opened up my mouth to speak again, but Clara cut me off, entering the kitchen with a smile on her face. "Okay, Dylan says that you visiting the pack is fine. He suggests not staying too long though just in case it ends up getting a bit much for you, but it's up to you, Anna."

My mate nodded, offering my sister a small smile. "I'm ready to go."

"Okay, I drove," Clara spoke, grabbing her car keys and gesturing for us to head out.