Chapter 9 – Paul's Story
Blue eyes fluttered open and looked around the room. Her leg was aching, but she wasn't woken up by that, she heard someone knocking on her front door. She rolled out of bed and stretched and heard someone knock on the front door again. She walked down stairs and to the front door and opened it. Her eyes grew wide when Paul was staring back at her. "What – um, what are you doing here?"
Paul couldn't help but let his eyes slowly scrap down Mila's body that was encased in Black shorts with white strips down the sides and a white tank top. Obviously he'd woken her from her slumber. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake you; I figured I'd just come and check on your leg and see how it's doing and how your feeling." Paul smiled. "Plus I brought breakfast." He held up a brown paper bag.
Mila never noticed how much Paul's smile lit up his angry eyes. She couldn't help returning the smile. Mila stepped to the side as she allowed Paul to walk into the house. "You know you didn't have to come and check on me. I'm honestly doing okay."
Paul followed Mila towards the kitchen as his eyebrows crept up to his hairline. "Really; then how's come you can't walk without cringing when you step on your left leg?"
Mila looked back over her shoulder as she smiled slightly. "It's a bit twingey but I'll be fine honest." She stepped on her left leg again and made a face.
Paul didn't miss it as he shook his head and placed the bag on the back of the couch and suddenly scooped her up into his arms. "I can't stand to watch you make that face again; grab the bag."
Mila nearly shrieked when Paul picked her up. It was so fast but then again he was a super werewolf and she assumed he had super speed as well. She grabbed the back as he had requested and his body heat seeped into every pore in her body. Paul walked her into the kitchen and carefully set her down in a chair at the kitchen table.
"What do you like with your breakfast burrito? You look like a ketchup girl to me." Paul guessed.
Mila laughed as she nodded. "Yeah, I love ketchup with breakfast burritos. I actually eat ketchup on everything; No really EVERYTHING."
Paul chuckled as he went over and opened the fridge. "So I'm not surprised when you've got a huge bottle in your fridge."
Mila couldn't help as she laughed at his deep chuckle. She watched as Paul walked over to the table and sat next to Mila at the table as he slid the ketchup bottle across the table and she caught it. "So I have to ask you a question."
Paul placed a huge burrito in front of her and chuckled as her eyes widened. "Go for it."
Mila unwrapped the tin foil from the gigantic burrito and leaned back in her chair as she opened a drawer and retrieved a sharp knife; then closed the drawer and cut the burrito evenly in half as she re-wrapped one half and squirted a dollop of ketchup on the cut end she hadn't re-wrapped. "A few weeks ago Kim and I went on a drinking and crying jag. I get the feeling you and Jared we're close by keeping watch over us."
Paul had a bite of burrito in his mouth and blinked a few times as his chewing slowed. Paul sighed heavily as he nodded. "Jared was still upset about the fight with Kim and when he saw you guys take off for the beach for your private bonfire he couldn't stop himself from staying to watch her. I knew he would more than likely try to make an appearance in human form so I kept his ass in wolf form and away from you guys." Paul swallowed the bite in his mouth. "And before you ask yea we heard the whole story of you and Mason. And personally I think he was a damn idiot."
Mila shook her head. "I'm over it. So why was Kim so gung-ho about you and me?"
Paul frowned as he put his burrito on the table; he knew he was going to have this conversation with someone eventually. "I started dating Jenna when we were sixteen. We married at nineteen; when she was twenty-two she found out she was pregnant. We were so excited. When she was around seven months along; I had to go patrol up by the Canadian border. The whole time I was there I kept getting this feeling that I should be home with her. I'd been gone for about six hours when the pack all appeared frantic in my head. I could hear their voices but they were blocking what their eyes could see; at that point I heard Jenna's name said a few times so I demanded to know that was going on."
Paul swallowed hard as he tried to keep himself calm. "Sam ordered me back to La Push and once I got back he finally told me. A vampire came on the territory and smelt my scent all over our home and worse he smelled my scent all over Jenna who at the time was standing outside and even worse he could smell the pregnancy hormones that her body was producing; after that it was the thrill of the chase for him. He taunted and stalked her through the woods. He tortured and played with her like it was some kind of a game. In the end he killed Jenna…and the baby."
Paul could feel his hands shaking and was surprised when he looked down at the hand that was touching his forearm brought a calming sensation over his body completely and was even more surprised when he looked over at Mila and saw silent tears sliding down her cheeks.
"I'm – I'm so sorry Paul. No one should have to endure pain like that in their life time; no one." Mila blinked out a few more tears. "And here I thought my sob story was the worst in the world."
Paul shook his head. "Heart break and death are two different kinds of pain. They are both agonizing in their own way." Paul reached over and brushed his thumb under Mila's eyes, whipping her tears away; before he sat back against the chair. "It's been two years and for some reason Kim seems to think it's time for me to stop being an angry wolf. I've always been temperamental but I actually calmed down when Jenna found out she was pregnant; I couldn't imagine hurting Jenna or the baby with my temper. After they were killed I was so pissed because I didn't listen to my gut feeling that I spent a good six months in wolf form."
"Did you guys ever catch the vampire?" Mila had to ask. A wrong had to be righted; sweet revenge was always classic.
Paul's frown deepened as he shook his head negatively. "No, but he left his scent all over Jenna and believe me it's a scent I will NEVER forget. He'll come back to our territory, he was too cocky and sloppy not to and when he does; he's mine and the guys know it."
Mila could see the intensity in Paul's eyes. He was just about as serious as anyone could be. She almost felt sorry for that vampire; because she knew if and when he came back Paul was going to do the same thing to it that it did to Jenna. He was going to torture and play with it until it couldn't stand it anymore and then he was going to end its existence just as it had ended Jenna and the baby's. If the vampire hadn't killed Jenna and the baby in such a cold and calculating way she'd probably have felt more pity for it; as it was she wasn't feeling much of anything for it.
Mila cleared her throat. "I'm not much of an eye for an eye kind of person; but you deserve your revenge. You definitely deserve your revenge; if not for you then for Jenna and the baby."
Paul nodded. "I know I was a complete douche bag when you got here and I really am sorry for the things I said and the way I behaved. It isn't who I really am. I've never been so disrespectful in my entire life. I wasn't raised that way and I really hope you can forgive me and we can start over." Paul's finger combed through his cropped black hair. "I've actually calmed down some. Two years ago my anger was at an all time high for me. Anger forced us to phase the first time when we were sixteen. With me my temper was always just below the surface of my skin. The other guys as you can tell not so much. Seth is just generally a happy go lucky idiot. Quil, Jake and Embry have been best friends since birth like me and Jared. Collin and Brady both phased when they were barely thirteen. A lot of boys had to grow up fast in this tribe; some faster than others with Seth, Brady and Collin."
"So they were the youngest?" Mila questioned.
Paul nodded as they continued to eat their breakfast burritos. "Seth was fifteen and his dad had just passed away. He and Leah went at around the same time. Apparently their father's death is what pushed them. Obviously, Leah is recorded as the first and only female. When she first phased she was so bitchy it annoyed the hell out of all of us. But it wasn't like we could blame her."
Mila nodded in understanding. "Ah the Leah, Sam and Emily triangle; Kim mentioned that she didn't explain it all she just said that Leah and Sam had been dating and that as soon as Sam met Emily he fell completely in love with her."
Paul made a face. "It's a little more complicated than that, but that's the jist of it." Paul finished his burrito as he leaned back in his chair. "I know you're leg hurts and this is completely off the wall, but would you like to go to Port Angeles and see a movie?
Mila laughed slight. "That was slightly off the wall; but you know I've been dying to go some place other than work and home. Can you give me like twenty minutes to shower and dress?"
Paul smiled. "Absolutely; take as much time as you need. I'm going to call and check in with Sam so he knows I'll be out of the area." Paul watched as she go up from the table and slowly made her way up the stairs; he had to suppress the urge to carry her again, he just hated seeing the cringe that went across her face every time she took a step.
Mila smiled more to herself as she got in the shower and couldn't help thinking things were definitely looking up in La Push.
