WARNING: Thanks to certain potty-mouthed individuals of the Pack, contains pretty strong language.

XXXXXXXXX

Chapter IX

Paul's pov:

As soon as Jake and Leah disappeared indoors, I silently began to walk away. Towards home. All the while I struggled against my inner wolf not to turn around or acknowledge Sam. I had to fight to pretend my imprint didn't exist, that he didn't matter to me, when deep down I knew it was one great big lie ... that I was fucking deceiving myself. And as I did so, I tried to console myself that I was only doing what Sam wanted - obeying my Alpha. After all that was a command I was unlikely to ever forget as it was the one which left me completely devastated. The one where he ordered me to and I quote, "Just stay the fuck away from me, Paul ... for good."

"Paul !"

My body tensed the moment I heard his deep, husky voice call my name and my heart rate immediately began to race wildly. I couldn't help reacting, yet I daren't show it or let Sam see how badly he affected me. But I had no intention of stopping and for the sake of my own sanity, I continued to widen the gap between us. Stalking away from the man I loved more than life itself, as though my life depended on it, even though I could feel the intense, burning sensation increase in my chest with every step that I took. Steps which took me further away from him.

"PAUL ! Wait up, man ...Don't go- "

I closed my eyes and for a brief moment I thought I detected a slight trace of panic in Sam's voice, then slowly shaking my head I decided I'd imagined it. After all, the idea of Sam Uley, my Alpha - hell ! my imprint - panicking, especially over someone as insignificant as me was both inconceivable and laughable. It was a big fucking joke, only I wasn't laughing ... if anything, I was crying inside. Suddenly, his hand lightly grazed my bare shoulder. His touch, although I'd longed to feel it for ages, was totally unexpected. It was something I clearly hadn't been prepared for as I immediately shied and backed away from him. And that was a response I never thought my imprint would trigger in me.

"Don't ! I mean it ... don't touch me. Don't you dare lay another fucking finger on me, Sam. Just leave me the fuck alone !" I snarled. But even to my own ears, the quiet defiance sounded hollow and definitely lacked its usual fire. To make matters worse, my body began to tremble with unease ... and anticipation. Right now, I felt pathetically confused. Conflicted by my emotions. The human in me yelled at me to run. To just take off and not look back as I recalled what had happened between us the last time we'd been alone. How he'd used, or as Leah believed, abused me. How Sam had shattered my trust, crushed my spirit and worst of all, broken my heart into tiny, fragile shards that would probably never heal. Yet my inner wolf craved to be near its imprint. Wanted nothing more than to be at Sam's side and revel in his calming presence. It demanded - no, howled - that I stayed with my Alpha and didn't give a damn about whether I wanted to or not.

"Paul, I ... I'm ... I need to- "

My heart suddenly skipped a beat as I heard Sam's soft, purposeful tread cautiously approach me. I instantly spun around to confront him and my sudden movement caused him to freeze. He appeared distracted. "What ? What part of "leave me the fuck alone" don't you get, Sam ? Huh ?" I yelled, gesticulating wildly with my arms, conveying both my displeasure and frustration. "I ... I can't deal with this. What the hell d'ya want from me, Sam ?"

"What I want is for you to stop running from me, Paul ... For you to quit hiding, so we can talk ... What I want is a chance to fix things between us. To make things right. I want - I need - my best friend back. I-I miss you ..." His reply was softly spoken. Calm and sincere. Unfortunately for Sam, I was still raw and so wary from our last encounter that I was unwilling to believe him ... let alone trust him. And I was about to give him a rough idea of how I felt. To show him that his actions had thrown me off balance.

"And the fact that you fucking miss me is supposed to make things alright ? That I'm supposed to forgive 'n' forget all that's happened ? Well, that's just too fucking bad, Sam. It's too little too freakin' late ..." I snapped as my chest rose and fell agitatedly. Just 'cause I was no longer a dominant wolf, there was no way in hell I was about to roll over submissively and make things easy for my imprint. Nope, I was going to make the bastard stew for as long as possible and show him just how much of a bitch payback could be ...

"Will you just shut up and listen for a goddamn seco- ?"

Shaking my head emphatically, I wrapped my arms protectively around my midriff and glared at him. "Uh-huh, no way. Why the hell should I ? Why the fuck should I care about what you want ? What you need ? 'S not like you stopped and gave a damn about me and what I was going through over these last few years ... so why the hell should I ? If you're expecting me to roll over like a good little mutt and do just that, then you're going to be seriously disappointed ... What I want to know is what the hell d'ya want from me ? I mean, I did what I was supposed to do ... was an obedient imprint and gave you what you wanted. I was far too stupid or far too weak and let you have your way with me and what for ? Only to be treated like garbage the moment you got what you needed ... To be treated like dirt and ordered to fuck off and leave you alone. Permanently. So, yeah, you tell me what I'm "supposed" to do ..."

For once, instead of bottling everything inside when it came to my imprint, I finally let rip. All the pain, anguish and rage that I'd held in for so long, for two goddamn freakin' years, spewed out of my mouth and once I started venting, I quickly found that I couldn't stop. In a way, it was almost cathartic, even if it didn't completely free me of my anger. They were things that needed to be said and whether Sam liked it or not, he needed to hear them.

"Sam. Sam ! Are you even listening to me ? SAM ! Fuck this !"

Mid-rant, I became aware that Sam had zoned out on me. My eyes narrowed with icy contempt as I watched him. For some crazy reason known only to himself, my imprint had a dazed expression on his ruggedly handsome face and was studying me intently. It was a steady, unwavering look I'd never been subjected to before and it made me feel lightheaded and breathless. In some ways it kinda reminded me of the way Jacob and Leah eyed each other, or how Jared and Embry would look at their imprints, Kim and Rachel. Yet it also differed greatly. Sam's intelligent, golden-brown eyes burned with heated intensity. An intensity which was far stronger than the looks the other wolves bestowed upon their imprints. It also held a growing awareness ... an interest that flared within them that I'd never imagined or expected to see. Seeing those striking, whisky-hued orbs blaze with passion and suddenly discover that the desire and need they held was for me was ... staggering. It certainly wasn't the look a wolf gave his imprint for the first time ... Hell ! I should know. But as Sam's gaze slowly travelled up my body, it finally dawned on me that he wasn't just looking at me ... he was actually checking me out ! Openly checking me out. And he wasn't being shy about it either.

I remembered how I'd reacted when I first imprinted on Sam. Sure, there'd been a wealth of different emotions in the look I'd given him when I first laid eyes on him. It had been a combination of awe, want, need, love and above all, devotion. Sam's reaction although lacking in reverence, more than made up for it with hunger tinged with possessiveness. It reeked of pure Alpha. And it definitely made me feel uneasy. Unconsciously, I pulled my lower lip between my teeth and began to worry it and instantly felt Sam's hot gaze as it was drawn to my mouth. His eyes dilated. That's when I became aware that Sam had snuck up on me. He stood a foot or so away, close enough for me to have to look up at him and notice the dark rings which circled the stunningly beautiful irises of his eyes ... and close enough to smell the unmistakable scent of arousal.

The fact that he'd managed to get into my personal space and catch me unawares had me snorting in self-disgust. Hell ! No one ever got into my space ... not if they knew what was good for them. And here was Sam, standing within touching distance, his eyes fixed on the base of my neck where it met my shoulder. He was close enough that I could feel the heat emanating from his body and close enough to make my skin tingle with anticipation. To make me crave his touch. To want him. Need him ... And that made me inexplicably angry ... with myself. I wasn't going to roll over and submit to him, just 'cause he was finally beginning to see the light. To weakly give in to temptation, just 'cause Sam was my imprint. My Achilles' heel. No matter how desperately I wanted to. Fuck ! I may not have anything much left, but I still had my pride for what it's worth and I planned on hanging on to it ... like grim death if I had to.

"Why me, huh ? What the fuck did I ever do to deserve all this shit ? First off, I imprint on a fucking guy. Said guy blows me off in favour of the biggest bitch ever then when she snuffs it, he turns to me for attention. And me ? Dumb sap that I am, I give it to him. Bastard then makes me his fucking bitch, freakin' marks me then has the fucking nerve to reject me ! So, why the hell am I still here ? Screw this, I've had enough, I'm going home."

As soon as I mentioned the word "home," I saw Sam shake his head in protest, then heard him plead huskily, "No, Paul, wait ... please ?"

"Why ? You've not given me a good reason to stay, so what's the damn point ? You can't do this to me, it ain't fair ... You can't go Alpha on me one minute and tell me to stay the fuck away, then expect me to come running whenever you want. I deserve better than that ... and you know it !"

"But, Paul- "

I rolled my eyes, then shook my head before treating Sam to another of my trademark vicious glares. "No. Unless you grow a pair and prove to me that you're genuinely sorry for what you've done, then I don't wanna know. You may be my imprint and I may've stopped Lee from kicking seven shades of shit out of your sorry ass, but it doesn't mean I have to like it ... or that I'm happy about it. So, 'til you convince me otherwise, stay the fuck away from me, Sam."

Then, before I did anything stupid like give in to my inner wolf - who was insistently whining that I submit to the need to pounce on my imprint, rip off his cutoffs and let him fuck me senseless again - I took off. All I could think of, could feel, was the overwhelming need to escape. To get away - ASAP ! So, I did what anyone with a sense of self-preservation would do ... I bolted. Fled as if I was being chased by a pack of rabid hellhounds, whilst struggling to forget the image of my imprint's stricken and confused face as he stood, helpless, in my wake.

XXXXX

Once I finally got home and thankfully, found no one there, I managed to crawl upstairs before weakly collapsing in a heap on top of my bed. Closing my eyes, I lay there gasping shallowly for breath. I knew fleeing from Sam would hurt. I'd been suffering from a constant, dull ache ever since Sam commanded me to stay away from him, yet when I saw him earlier, it had all but vanished. But nothing prepared me for the agony I now felt. It was excruciating. I ached all over. Only this time the pain seared and coursed like wildfire throughout my body. My limbs felt drained, I found it difficult to breathe and I was lightheaded. But worst of all, was the pain in my heart. It was as if it was being slowly crushed in a vice. I turned onto my side, drawing my legs up until I lay in a foetal position and slowly began to rub my chest with my fist in a vain attempt to alleviate some of the pain. Yet when no respite came, I realized the only way the pain would disappear would be if I swallowed my pride, kicked what little self-respect I had left into touch and went crawling back to my imprint. And that meant doing the unthinkable, something I couldn't accept ... submitting to Sam.

Thanks to the sadistic, old bastard - a.k.a. the old man - I shared house with, I'd come to regard submission as a sign of weakness. As something a real man would never contemplate. To yield or give in to someone, despite your better judgement, would only end up in grief. Although I was smart enough to accept if I caved in to Sam's wishes my suffering would end, I was damned if I'd do something so demeaning ... So, yeah, maybe I was cutting my nose off to spite my face by denying myself what I wanted the most ... the chance to be with my imprint. But I was also making a point. That I may be a damn sub, but I was no pushover or that I'd willingly kowtow to anyone. Fuck it ! I was still Paul Lahote. La Push's very own resident hot-headed, badass hellraiser. I was still a rebel and I wasn't about to change for anyone. Alpha and imprint be damned ! And if Sam doesn't like it, then he can go screw himself ...

Shivering, I reached across and dragged a thick blanket over to cover my sorry carcass. I suddenly felt inexplicably cold and extremely depressed. I was exhausted. For some crazy reason, all I wanted was to sleep. To just close my eyes, forget about my crappy existence and hopefully, if I was lucky, never wake up.

XXXXX

Meanwhile ...

Sam's pov:

I can't believe it. He's actually gone and left me. Fucked off before I even got a chance to explain. To apologize properly and beg for his forgiveness. And believe me, I was prepared to do anything to regain Paul's trust and more importantly, for him to understand that I wanted him more than anything or anyone in my life. I needed him and wanted him to know I'd accepted the imprint.

I'd seen first hand the devastating effect my initial rejection had had on Paul and the last thing I wanted to do was to inflict even more pain on him. And I knew I'd do everything - anything - in my power to keep him safe. Hell ! I knew I hadn't imprinted on him, but Paul was my mate and I cared for him deeply. Far more than I cared about anyone else. What I felt for him wasn't love ... well, not yet anyway. But it was powerful ... intense. And it was growing stronger with each passing day. I knew despite the mark, that I'd always want and need him ... and that the chances of me falling for him were extremely high. In fact, it was a dead cert. And the crazy thing about it all is that it didn't freak me out. I wasn't about to hightail it in a blind panic and reject him. If anything, the more I thought about the situation and about Paul, the happier I became and the idea of being with him didn't piss me off ... if I'm honest, it felt incredibly right.

As far as I was concerned, it didn't matter that I was Paul's imprint or he was my mate, all I cared about was that he knew that I was his ... in the same way that he was mine. And that his welfare, safety and happiness was paramount to me. That from now on, his needs would always come first. Now all I had to do, was convince him of that ... that I was genuinely sincere. And knowing how much of a rebellious, bloody-minded, little bastard my undeniably gorgeous mate can be, I knew all too well that I was facing an uphill battle ... one I'd clearly need help with, if I wanted to win Paul's heart and be with him for the long haul. And thankfully, I knew the exact person who could do just that ...

XXXXX

Fifteen minutes later ...

"So ... not that it's not good to see you, Boss Man, but ... why are you here ?"

I looked up and returned Jared's slight, teasing grin with a faint, rueful smile and shrugged helplessly. He handed me a bottle of still water, before parking his butt on the back porch steps beside me and bumped his shoulder gently against mine.

"Can't a guy call on his friends anymore ?" I countered lightly, trying to buy some time as I sorted out my head.

Jared's shrewd mocha eyes burnt with open curiosity as he studied me. "Hey, Sam, it's you ... You never do anything without a good reason, let alone wing it ... What's bugging you, man ?"

I sighed heavily, realizing that I may have made a mistake in underestimating him. "Ok, you're right. There is something- "

"I knew it !" Jared stated gleefully, before unscrewing the cap off his own bottled water and downing a few mouthfuls.

"Jay ..." I carded my fingers restlessly through my cropped hair, spiking it further then briefly worried my lower lip before deciding to bite the bullet. It was now or never. I had to say something. Confide in him. Especially if I hoped to have a chance of winning my mate. I eyed Jared appraisingly and took a deep breath. There was no reason why I couldn't talk to him, after all I trusted Jay with my life. Despite Jared's rep as a bit of a joker, a prankster, I knew I could trust him implicitly with anything I told him, safe in the knowledge that it'd go no further. "We, uh ... I have a problem ..."

He turned to face me and encouraged me to continue with a softly-spoken, "Go on, shoot ... I'm listening. Can't be that bad or you'd still be holed up at home, playing hermit."

My hand travelled across my scalp to rest against my nape. I rubbed it anxiously and sighed. "Depends how you look at it ..."

"Nah, man ... depends on how you look at it. It may not be as bad as you think. So, quit screwing around so I can share some of my all-knowing wisdom with you." He grinned impishly in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere and to help me relax. Oddly enough, it worked.

"Ok ..." I paused and inhaled deeply once more. "It's Paul."

Jared seemed to perk up with interest. He clearly hadn't expected me to bring up our Beta ... or announce that he was a "problem." "Oh ... oh-kaay ..."

"He imprinted, Jay- "

"Well, that's a good thing, isn't it ?"

I sighed. "Like you said earlier, it depends on how I look at it ... Paul imprinted, Jay. On me."

The next thing I knew, Jared was cracking up beside me. Laughing so hard that I thought he'd pass out on me. I glared at him and he quickly sobered up.

"Fuck me ! Nice one, Sam. You almost had me believing you there- "

"I'm not kidding, Jared. I'm Paul's imprint. His soul mate." I stated earnestly, leaning forward to rest my elbows on my thighs.

Jared's dark eyes widened and he absently rubbed his jaw with his right hand. "Christ ! You're serious, aren't you ? Shit ! This is huge, Sam ... It's a massive deal. For both of you. When did you find out ? Nah, scratch that. When did it happen ?"

"I know," I replied quietly. "It's freakin' huge. I only just heard about it. Leah found out by accident. Thought I needed to know. Paul wasn't about to tell me any time soon."

"So ? When did it happen ?" Jared gently prompted, before taking a couple more sips of water.

"Uh, two years ago ... on the day he first phased."

"Fuck ! You mean to tell me Paul imprinted and has been hung up on you for the past two years and you knew nothing about it ?"

I nodded silently, my eyes clouding at the thought of how much pain my mate had to have suffered during that time.

"Two goddamn freakin' years ? Wow ! And he never said anything ? Gave you a clue ?"

"Nope. Zip. Nada ... Nothing."

"Whoa ... so all the while you were with ... Emily, Paul kept it all to himself ?"

"Yup, basically ..."

Jared grinned suddenly. "Well, it explains a helluva lot then- "

"What d'ya mean ?"

"Why Paul hated her guts so much. Why he couldn't stand to be anywhere near her and why he always looked as if he'd like to rip her head clean off."

"Jared, Paul'd never do that- "

"Sam ! Wake up, for Christ's sake and open your eyes. Put yourself in Paul's shoes. How would you react towards someone who effectively stole the one you loved from you ? Ripped out your heart constantly ? Robbed you of your soul mate and took your reason for living away from you while continuously making your life a living hell and making you feel like an outsider within your own pack ? 'Cause that's what Emily did. Day after day after fucking day. I'm sorry, bro, I know she's dead 'n' all and that you loved the bones off of her, but when it came to Paul the girl was a first class bitch. Right from the off. And before you say anything, you need to know this and understand where Paul's coming from. The poor sap couldn't help imprinting on you. He sure as hell never asked to imprint. Especially on a guy who happens to be both his best friend and Alpha- "

"Jay- "

"Nah, let me finish, Sam. Just listen for once. Seeing you with her every day and knowing he couldn't be the one by your side making you happy, must've damn near killed him. When Paul imprinted on you, you became his life. His reason for living. So, when you took up with her, it must've felt like rejection to him. He lost his purpose in life and his soul mate in one fell swoop. Poor bastard would've been gutted by it. No wonder he changed so much. Became so cold and distant with everyone. It was bound to affect him ... though considering it's Paul, he sure handled things pretty well ... Beats the crap outta me how he did it, 'cause if I'd been in his shoes and Kim didn't want anything to do with me then ... then I wouldn't be able to deal with it." He paused and his gaze drifted off to stare absently at the forest treeline. "When or if you imprint, Sam, it's a massive deal, yeah ? It's life changing and depending how strong you are, it can make or break you. You have to be tough. And to be able to live without his imprint for two years, Paul has to be one of the strongest, toughest people around. What he went through would've killed a lesser wolf ..."

"I know," I murmured, "but that's not the half of it, Jay. There's more ..." And taking a deep breath I stood up and proceeded to tell him the rest of the story, keeping a wary eye on him all the while, particularly after I revealed that I'd fucked Paul then "gone all Alpha on his ass" afterwards.

Luckily, I'd chosen well in my confidante. Jared, even though he was close to both Paul and myself, didn't go ballistic and attack me like Leah did. He listened quietly and nodded encouragingly 'til I finished what I had to say. Minutes passed and seemed to drag on like hours before he finally spoke.

"Shit, Alpha ... you sure are in a bind. So, how d'ya want to handle it ?"

"I want him, Jay. Badly. I need Paul in my life. By my side. He's my mate. My sub. My best friend. It ... It just doesn't feel right not being with him. I feel like a huge part of me's missing when he's not around. I hate not having him in my life. It just feels so fucking cold and empty without him ... I-I miss him." And that was the godsgiven truth. Hand on heart, I genuinely missed him. And the shocking thing was I found that having bound the pair of us together after I'd marked him, I actually missed Paul far more than I missed Emily, the dead girl I'd professed to love. And seeing Paul earlier, had only reinforced the increasing need to be with my mate. It also emphasized the latent yearning I felt for him.

I couldn't help it, but the more I longed for him, the more my mind wandered. All I could think of was how fine Paul looked. I'm not saying he wasn't hot before ... he was. Otherwise, how would he be able to account for all those girls chasing after him. But now ? Now, he was drop dead gorgeous. If anything, the air of fragility about Paul only served to make me ache for him even more. There was something irresistible in the way only my temperamental wolf could make the rare combination of feistiness and vulnerability work. How, instead of pissing me off, I even found the way he pitched a hissy fit endearing. That even when Paul was sorely pissed off and throwing a major strop, I was hopelessly attracted to him. Unfortunately, the more I thought of him, the more unaware I became of my widening goofy grin. In fact, I was so wrapped up daydreaming about my mate, that I failed to see Jared roll his eyes in amusement.

"Hey ! Sam ..."

When I failed to respond, Jared quickly tapped me upside the head while struggling to keep a straight face. Startled, I distractedly met his twinkling gaze and stared at him blankly.

"Oh. My. God !" Jared stated bluntly. "You sure have it bad, Sam- "

"Uh ... Have what bad ?"

Jared snorted, then barely able to contain his mirth began to chuckle softly. "Your feelings for Paul. Guess I should be glad that we hadn't shifted, 'cause I doubt I could've stomached seeing what you were really thinking ..."

I felt my face heat up and immediately bowed my head. That was probably a mistake as the tell-tale sheepish expression on my face was enough to have Jared convulsing with laughter once more. I doubt he'd ever seen me act like a pathetic, lovesick puppy before. Shit ! Come to think of it, I'd never seen myself act this way ... even when I was with Emily. Although I'd been besotted with her, almost to the point of obsession, she'd never been able to create such intense feelings in me. Had never driven me to distraction as Paul effortlessly did. And he clearly had no idea of his power over me, that he'd been able to inflame me with a certain look or the way he spoke. Paul appeared to be absolutely clueless about how I truly felt about him. And that was something I planned to change ... pretty damn quick !

Once Jared managed to compose himself - again - he studied me carefully, then sighed. "Well, I never thought I'd say this Sam, but it's obvious you've genuine feelings for Paul. Never knew you could be such a sap though ..." He caught me glowering darkly at him then continued hastily, "not that it's a bad thing. It's good. Very good. Great even ..."

I rolled my eyes, yet couldn't help being a little amused by what he'd said. It was true. Undeniably so. My feelings for Paul were changing me. I was turning into a wuss ... and surprizingly, I wasn't bothered by it. I didn't care. All I cared about was my mate. Of taking care of and protecting him. And making sure he was happy. Nothing else mattered. Except for one slight hitch. In order to do all that, I had to win him over. And that was a pretty tough stumbling block to get around.

Sighing deeply, I met Jared's gaze head on and held it steadily. "Yeah, it is," I replied huskily, surprizing myself how quickly and easily I'd accepted both my change of heart and him. "A very good thing ... I just need to convince Paul. That I'm being straight with him. That I'm on the level ... and that's where- "

"Where I come in, huh ?" Jared gave an all-knowing smirk as I slowly nodded, while toying with the water bottle I held.

"You could say that ... I-I need your help and advice, Jay. I don't want to screw this up any more than I already have. And believe me, I know I've fucked up ... big time. You imprinted and know what's going on in Paul's head ... what he's feeling. I just want a chance to make it up to him. For him to see I'm not a total ass or a waste of space. And that I'm so sorry for putting him through all this shit. Hurting him has to be one of my biggest regrets."

"Well, that's great, but I ain't the one that needs to hear you say that. You should talk to Paul, after all he's the one that needs to hear those words ... to understand you really mean them."

"Fuck ! You think I don't fucking know that already ? 'Course I freakin' know that." Frustration was clearly making me snappy. "What I want to know is how the hell am I gonna do that if he doesn't want to know ? 'Cause he's already told me to stay the fuck away from him."

"Jeez, Sam ! Haven't you learnt anything yet ? You need to grow a freakin' pair, show some backbone and make him listen. Make him understand. And when I say "make" I don't mean that you Alpha him in any way. 'Cause if I ever hear that you've done that to him and not in order to keep him safe, I will go all wolf on your ass ... y'hear me ? I mean it. You're both my brothers and I love the pair of you to death, but if you do anything and I mean anything to hurt him, then I will hurt you. Alpha or not, I will make you bleed, Sam. You get me ?"

My eyes connected with his mocha ones. The customary warmth and amusement they normally held were missing and replaced by a grim resolution and a rare intensity. Jared's face held a steely determination which conveyed he meant every word that he'd said. That he'd break me without hesitation and make me bleed if I hurt Paul. And because he genuinely cared about my mate's welfare, I couldn't hold that against him.

"Sure, I get it. I can't promise I'll never hurt Paul, but I swear I'll do all I can not to," I replied seriously, not cowing under Jared's stern gaze. Something must've convinced him that I was being sincere. That I wasn't playing him, as he shrugged his shoulders and suddenly grinned causing the tension to disappear.

"That's all I needed to know, bro ... That you'll try not to hurt Paul and you'll always be on the level with him. Can't ask for anything more."

I found myself grinning back at him and rubbed my nape anxiously. "So, what do I do ?"

Jared's gaze drifted to the treeline and he remained silent as he gathered his thoughts. "For now ? You back off. Give Paul some space. Let him cool off. He's too wound up right now to give you a fair hearing. I say you go home, sleep on it and try to come up with a plan that won't piss him off." He chuckled and slowly shook his head. "Boy, you sure know how to make life hard on yourself, Sam. Marking Paul of all people and claiming him as your mate ... Life won't be dull with him, that's for sure. He's gonna make yours sheer hell, if you're not careful."

"I know, but I ain't complaining. Paul's worth any grief he decides to throw at me." I heard a sudden bark of laughter and saw Jared smirk once again.

"Whipped, Sam ... You may as well admit it, Paul's got you well 'n' truly whipped, even if he doesn't know it yet."

Rolling my eyes, I found myself unable to contain that daft grin from spreading across my face yet again as I leapt to my feet. "Shut the fuck up, Cameron !"

He laughed and stood up, wiping his palms against his paint-splattered cutoffs. "Whipped !"

Shrugging, I began to walk away, only to freeze as he called my name. "Sam !"

"Yeah ?"

"I'll help you. Just ... Just don't fuck it up, 'k ? I mean it. Just don't ..."

Nodding, I smiled in gratitude then headed off home. Praying with every step that I took, that my wilful, moody Beta wouldn't take too long to see the light and cool off ... 'cause honestly ? I don't think I'll be able to stay away from him for long ...