Preventive • Paul Lahote •

Chapter Sixteen

Like a feral animal.

She felt the tears pool into her eyes at the though. She was an animal, a shifter, like the legends. That's what they were supposed to be, just legends, but yet five minutes ago she could see and hear better than she ever could in her life.

"Maddison, say something."

Her eyes flickered back towards Paul's worried face, before turning and looking at Jacob again.

"Why didn't you tell me."

Her eyes were locked on Jake, and she could see the guilt on his face, and watched as his eyes flickered to Paul before settling on her again.

"There were rules, Maddison. We had to keep innocent people safe, it was better that way."

"And yet, you told Bella."

Her tone was firm. She knew that he had said something to Bella. If it weren't for the emotionless girl, she might not have known about her disposition until she had shifted in front of her entire third block class. Jake's downcast eyes and slight shake of his head told Maddison all she needed to know about the situation. He wouldn't tell her, but he would tell Bella.

"How could you. You were one of my best friends, my only friends, my cousin.... You all left me."

She finally let her eyes wander from Jacob to Paul, and the man looked more broken than she felt in that moment. His brown eyes were sad as they took her in, covered in dirt in blood before him. The girl that he was supposed to save, to prevent danger from happening to, bleeding because of his own bite. Blue and brown clashed in sorrow, each pitying themselves too much for their own good, and wishing to change the situation.

"We were always watching you, protecting you... Even when you thought we weren't."

Paul's words caused Maddison to remember the gray wolf that sat outside her window for so long. The wolf that howled in sorrow with her, that watched over her, and that comforted her with its' presence when she was at her worst. She looked at Paul, the man that was that same wolf, and felt remorse. The memory of her wolf was too good to be tainted by the person that it ended up being, yet she still appreciated him for being there for her.

"You still left."

"I was just taking preventive measures to keep you safe!"

Maddison rolled her eyes at his sudden change in tone. From endearing and caring to desperately lashing out at her to make her understand, his change in tone could have given her whiplash. It angered her, that he would dare think that what he had done – what they all had done- had somehow kept her safe.

"Such a big word for such a small brain. Almost as big as the distance that your 'preventive measures' have put between us... between all of us." Maddison snapped at Paul, but made sure to look at Jake so that he knew she was including him and all the other guys.

"It doesn't matter now."

Sam's voice broke the stare down that the three were having as their heads all whipped towards him. Maddison's hair, tangled and full of leaves, hit Paul in the face as she turned. His brows pulled together in frustration, but he also found himself enraptured by the light touch.

Sam continued forward, throwing a pair of shorts at both Paul and Jacob while he walked towards the group. Maddison looked down and quickly realized that she was not wearing the jeans and shirt that she had been in earlier, and without having to look knew that the boys were not either. Her face flushed red at the thought, but with the way Paul was guarding her, she at least had a light reassurance that neither Jacob nor Sam had seen anything too risky.

"It doesn't matter now. You're pack, and that's that. There is no changing the circumstances or the outcome."

Sam held out a plain shift dress to her and Maddison took it without a word and slid it on. As soon as she was covered, Paul stood and helped her to her feet. Maddison looked at the three boys and then her own hands, which still had a slight tremor.

"How?"

Jacob let out a forced laugh as he ran his hand through his hair in a nervous jesture. "Genetics? You're actually the first girl, so... we barely know anything about the 'normal' shifters let alone something new."

Maddison listened as her eyes stayed locked on her bare feet. The stark pale skin against the dense foliage looked so mundane compared to the deep dark paws that had left prints in the earth moments before.

"What does this mean, for me?"

"Means you're pack, and we'll see what happens from there."

Again, Maddison nodded her head.

"Why are we shifting?"

"Leeches."

The disdainful tone that Paul spoke with caused Maddison to look at him in shock.

"What?"

Jacob cleared his throat in an awkward manner. "Uh, more commonly known as vampires?"

If she wasn't shocked before, she definitely was now.

"Vampires?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Sam's strong baritone voice stated with so much firmness that Maddison knew that they were not messing with her. Not that she didn't believe them, she did have paws a few moments prior, but the otherworldly explanation for her alienation was a bit overwhelming.

"Vampires?"

"Vampires."