Preventive • Paul Lahote •

Chapter Thirteen

Paul ran through the trees, shifting into his wolf form as soon as he hit the tree line. He was fuming, yet calm, and his feet and mind were moving with an urgency and clarity that he could barely process. The only thing Paul knew, at that moment, was that he needed to talk to the pack.

"Paul?"

Billy's voice was firm yet questioning as Paul raced up to the little deck off the back of the house. Still fully shifted, Paul continued to barrel towards the Black residency, needing to talk to the other members inside. He shifted with a swiftness that only Jacob had mastered, gabbed some shorts off the porch and walked inside while demanding Billy follow. Paul burst through the doors, eyes unfocused and barely noticing the individual members of the pack that were present.

"She's shifting."

All of the pack members that were sitting in the house seemed to freeze in their movements as their heads snapped to the frantic looking Paul but none responded.

"DID YOU HEAR ME SHE IS SHIFTING."

When all of the boys continued to just look at Paul with a bewildered look, he let out a growl of frustration before turning to head out the door. Before he could leave, Sam had a firm grasp on Paul's arm and turned him around.

"Who, Paul?"

"Maddison."

The room was quiet, once again, but Paul could feel all of the skeptical and angry eyes that were on him as he looked at Sam. Sam, for his part, was hiding his skepticism quite well, but it was still evident by the slight raise of his brows that even Sam did not believe what Paul has just said.

"Maddison?" Sam questioned in disbelief as his grip on Paul's arm loosened.

"That's crap, Paul!"

Jacob's booming voice was the first to say what all the other shifters were thinking, and it was like his vocalization of this gave everyone else the courage to state their opinion as Embry, Quil, and Jared began to berate him too. Paul could feel his skin crawling with anger, but he forced the shift down so that he could get them to understand.

"I'm not lying. I just saw her, she was so angry, like how we all got right before the shift."

Jacob rolled his eyes as he stood from the couch. "Yeah, I'm sure she was angry, because she had to talk to you."

Paul rolled his shoulders as he continued to fight off his irritation.

"No, this was different. She was feverish and angry. Hell, she punched me across the face and just shook it off, her hand should have been broken."

All of the boys silenced at his statement.

"It is possible," stated Billy as he rolled his chair further into the room from where he had been observing the scene in the doorway. "Highly unlikely, but she does have the bloodline for it, even if it is diluted."

"There has never been a female shifter," Sam stated as he released his grip on Paul and turned to face Billy.

"There has also never been a need for as many as there is now." Billy said as he made a sweeping gesture with his arm to all of the young men that were in his home. "It would be surprising if a female shifted, yes, but not impossible. There is a great threat to our people, if it is persistent the bloodline could continue to transform tribe members until it is resolved... That being said, I'm doubtful Maddison is a shifter, her father is not tribe and I would assume that would make a difference."

"You assume," Paul stated as he looked at all the men around him. "But we don't know much about, well any of this. How do we decide who shifts? You said it yourself, she has the same bloodline as Jacob, and he is one of the most powerful among us."

Billy and Sam both cast a glance at Jacob, with the same thought running through their mind. Jacob was an alpha, a natural born leader thanks to his bloodline, so it could be possible that the shifter gene would be passed onto other family members, as outlandish as it seemed. Billy let out a sigh as he ran his hand down his face in irritation.

"The possibility exists, however unlikely, so Jared and Quil will keep an eye on her. But, Paul, if this is just some deceitful trick to interact with her, there will be repercussions."

"It's not a trick, I've seen almost everyone in this room go through the phase, and she is shifting."

Billy nodded his head. While he internally questioning the possibility that Maddison was actually shifting, he could tell by Paul's face that he believed he was speaking the truth. Whatever had occurred between the duo, Paul truly did think that Maddison was shifting, and with the amount of young men in the room – a historically unprecedented amount- he needed to heed the young man's testimony and keep an eye on his niece.