A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update. Can't really say much about a reason why, just a whole lot of life happening at once. I hope you guys like this chapter. Hate it or love it, please review! :)

BPOV

Five days. Five days, seven hours, and fifty-seven minutes to be exact. It had been that long since I asked Paul to leave. It had been that long since I'd seen him, or even spoken to him. If I said that I spent that entire time without thinking about him, I'd be lying. He consumed my every thought. The pain from my concussion had subsided, but another dull ache had consumed me. My entire body was sore. I couldn't think of anything without thinking about him. I missed him. Too much for it to be normal, and the more I thought of him, the more I ached. I yearned to hear his voice. I missed our incessant bickering, I missed his warmth, his soft touch, despite his calloused hands. I even missed the way he kissed. I groaned inwardly. I barely knew this man and he consumed my every thought and controlled every fiber of my being without my say so. I felt like I needed him.

At the same time, I was so pissed at him, I could hardly see straight. He was the reason behind the most crippling pain I had ever experienced in my life. He was the reason behind my concussion, the reason behind my feeling rejected and hurt all over again. He didn't even want this so called connection that we shared and the stinging betrayal of him attempting to sleep with another woman to try to forget about me was too much to bear. I shook my yearning feelings from him free. I had done this on several different occasions, and moments later they would rear their ugly heads. I sighed. What was I going to do? He had betrayed my trust so severely, after I was ready give him everything. Even if I went back to him, how was I ever going to forgive him?

Even my best friend was playing Paul's advocate. He was always trying to make me see things from Paul's perspective and I just couldn't do it. I never fully gave him an opportunity to explain things for himself and when Jake tried to do it for him, it just annoyed me further. I didn't want to hear it. It almost made me want to push Jake away as well but I decided that I couldn't isolate Jacob the way I was doing with Paul. Losing one of them was bad enough, but if I let go of Jacob, it would have killed me completely. On this particular afternoon, Jake was over my house doing some studying. Charlie had gone to work and would be gone the majority of the night and was grateful that Jake was keeping me company for a while, considering my present attitude. Normally, studying would be an activity that we did in La Push followed by work on the Rabbit or a walk on First Beach, but with this recent emotional development, I decided that La Push was not the best place for me to be. I wanted to stay far, far away from there for as long as I could.

We were on the floor in my room and Jake had his nose in his Geometry book and I was barely skimming the pages of the literature required for my English essay; Romeo and Juliet. Ugh! I cringed. Sappy love stories were not my thing. Not anymore. After being betrayed by two men in the span of a few months, I'd decided to be done with the whole damn thing. Love, that is. The funny thing was that even though Edward's betrayal had almost ended me, the pain that I feel from my current situation with Paul was overshadowing what I felt before. I could even think and speak Edward's name without hesitation and I no longer felt the throbbing pain from the imaginary hole in my chest, the pain that Paul caused completely enveloped me. I went through the motions of school and work, after I was permitted to go back. I went back to my normal routine of sitting alone, choosing to sit outside as not to be faced on by the gossiping dynamic duo that was Lauren and Jessica. For all they knew, I was just relapsing over Edward, when I could really give a damn about him at this point. I hated feeling this way for Paul. He had no right to have this big of part of me and I resented him for making me feel this for him and making me push him away. I felt myself going back into a downwards spiral.

"Yo! Earth to Bella?" I hadn't noticed Jacob was trying to get my attention.

"Hmm? Sorry Jake. What's up?"

"Where the hell were you just now?"

"In a dark, dark place." Jacob was the only one I could talk to about this imprint business. It didn't help that he still felt strongly for me, but we were working past that and he was becoming the friend that I always needed him to be.

He sighed. "You have to stop doing this to yourself, Bells. You are in physical pain behind refusing your imprint and you can't even keep your mind off of him."

I sighed. "I really don't need the lecture right now, Jake."

" I don't care, Bella. I'm tired of seeing you like this. You walk around here moping all day long. You look like shit, you barely eat anything, and you hardly talk to anybody other than me. Oh and don't think Charlie hasn't noticed. He's constantly calling me, worried about you going back into the same dark place you were in when the leech left. You're killing yourself, Bells."

His words stung me and I shriveled, sinking into my clothes as his verbal onslaught continued.

"Bella, he's suffering too."

I shuddered at the mere mention of him.

"Jake. Don't." I stated as a warning.

He inhaled deeply.

"Bella, Paul has it worse than you do. The guy is physically sick. He barely leaves his house, outside of patrols. He's in pain, just like you, except with him being the imprinter it's almost crippling. Worse than you felt that night you got the concussion. He won't see anyone. Not even Sam. He refuses to patrol with me because he doesn't want to see how bad he hurt you. He wouldn't be able to live through it."

I felt the wet warmth of my tears sliding down my face before I had even realized I was crying. He was hurting. Worse than I was. I tried to suck it up. Why should I care about how he was feeling. He brought this hurt on us. But everything in me wanted to run to him.

"Jake. I can't go to him. How can I? He hurt me in the worse way Jake."

Jake growled as he got up from the floor to face me.

"And what about Cullen? Is what Paul did so much worse?"

"Yes! Yes, Edward left me. But Paul betrayed me. He denied that he wanted me right from the start. He even tried to sleep with another woman to get rid of our bond. That is worse Jacob. Screw Edward! Paul really hurt me."

"Bells." He whispered. "He denied it for us."

"He spewed that same crap. I didn't want to hear it then and I don't want to hear it now!" I said rising to my feet.

He made a swift move and had me in his arms before I could object. Damn superhuman speed. He rubbed my back gently and I broke down and sobbed into his shoulder uncontrollably as he continued his story.

"Paul tried to fight the imprint because he knew how much you meant to me. How much I loved you. He didn't want to hurt either of us. He didn't know that denying the imprint would cause you so much pain. He's sorry for everything, honey. Bells, he's completely fallen for you. He loves you with everything he has."

I pulled back from Jake and looked up into his eyes as he wiped my tears away. His words weakened my resolve. I could feel myself melting for Paul again.

"Since when did you become so Team Paul?"

"Since I noticed how much he loves you. I can't get in the way of that. Please promise me you'll go see him?"

I fought with myself. What would it cost me to go see him? Besides my dignity pride? Nothing. My inner voice quipped. I sighed and shook my head.

"I promise, I'll see him. But I decide when. I can't do it right now. Not while it's still fresh."

He scoffed. "Fresh? Bells, it's been five days. I think fresh is not the best word to describe this situation."

I rolled my eyes.

"Fine, Jake! I'll see him tomorrow." So much for deciding when.

He kissed my forehead with a loud smack.

"That's my girl! Look, I have to get outta here. My shift starts soon." He said heading toward my window. I shook my head. Paul seemed to be the only super natural creature that actually used my front door.

He stopped before he hopped out of the window. "Why don't you call him? Just let him hear your voice. That'll do him a lot of good."

I nodded.

"See ya, Bells."

"Bye, Jake."

Several hours later, I paced back and forth in my room, taking glances at my phone, debating on whether or not I should call Paul. I had spent the last few hours thinking over our situation. Everything in me was nagging at me to pick up my phone and dial his number, but I kept replaying that same night over and over again in my head. I was in a constant battle with myself.

He loves you.

He didn't want you.

He's hurting as bad as you are.

He's the reason you're hurting.

You can't live without him.

You're better off without him.

You don't believe that.

I was going crazy. As soon as I picked up my phone, it vibrated. I squealed and dropped it on the floor. I groaned. Way to overreact Bella. I picked up my phone and looked at the number. It was Emily. I smiled as I hit the call button.

"Hey Em! What's up?" I said excitedly.

"Bella!" she answered frantically.

"What? What is it?"

"Bella, its Paul."

My heart dropped.

"What do you mean? Emily, what's wrong with him? Is he okay?"

"He's…he's….he's leaving Bella. He's gone into his wolf form and refuses to phase back. He thinks he'll never see you again. He's in so much pain, Bella. Sam said he thinks his best bet is to just leave La Push forever."

"What? No! No, he can't do that! Emily, where is he?" I panicked. I'd already been left before. I wouldn't be able to handle it if Paul left too.

"Jared, Embry, and Jacob are blocking his way. Sam came to tell me to call you. He's on his way to you now Bella. You have to get here soon and you're truck is not gonna make it in time."

I nodded. "I'll be ready."

As soon as I had ended the call, I heard Sam's painful howl behind my house. I ran to my back door as Sam came barreling in.

"Bella!" he panted frantically.

"I know. Let's go."

Sam phased instantly, ripping his shorts in the process. I figured he would just get another pair, but I picked up the shredded clothes as I headed toward the black wolf. No evidence of this fiasco for Charlie. Sam knelt down far enough for me to climb on his back and we raced through the trees, heading towards the love of my life who was now leaving the home that he had promised to protect all because I decided to leave him. I was an idiot. We got to a clearing and I noticed three large wolves blocking the path of a sickly looking silver wolf.

"Paul." I whispered. The four wolves looked in my direction, two of them growling. I was tempted to flip them off but decided against it. They had every right to feel the way they did toward me. I was hurting their brother after all. Sam knelt down far enough to allow me dismount from his back. I jumped down, successfully twisting my ankle in the process, but the pain was an afterthought compared to the sight before me. I half ran, half limped over to Paul who whimpered as I approached him.

"Paul." I breathed. He whimpered again. I raised my hand to touch his fur. He backed away slightly but I moved closer, placing my hand on his massive head. He sighed and leaned into my touch. Tears streamed down my face and I threw myself into him, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Paul, baby, I'm sorry. Please don't leave me." I sobbed into his massive shoulder.

"Please. Please, don't go." I begged.

He whimpered again, nudging into me, inhaling my scent.

"Paul, don't go. I'm sorry I ever rejected you. You just hurt me so bad I didn't see how I could ever forgive you. But I see now that I can't live without you, it'll kill me if you leave me. I've been in so much pain. It hurt to even think about you. I missed everything about you, even our constant fighting. I want to work this out with you. I wanna fight for us, Paul. Please, please tell me you want the same thing."

He whined and I felt the air shift beneath my hold on him and I was holding the human version of the magnificent creature that was once before me.

"Bella." He whispered my name.

"Paul. I'm so sorry."

"Shhhh." He rocked me gently and I enjoyed every moment of being in his arms. His nakedness would normally bother me, but right now it wasn't even a factor. "I'm the one that's sorry babe. I should have never done that to you, to us. Please forgive me."

I snorted. "If I didn't forgive you, I wouldn't be here trying to keep your ass here, would I?"

He chuckled.

"Don't ever pull this on me again, do you hear me?"

"Yes ma'am." He smiled and I stared at him. I rubbed my fingers over his face. His eyes constantly drawing my attention. They were the same amazing shade of brown, but they seemed sunken in. dark circles had formed under them. He was a frail version of the god-like man that had captured my heart. He still had a strong build, but smaller. I vowed that I would get him back in shape right then and there.

"Mmmm, Bella." He growled, holding me closer.

I giggled. "Any tighter and I won't be able to breathe."

He chuckled.

"Ahem." I had almost forgotten we weren't alone and I glanced up to see Jake in his cut offs. "I'd hate to interrupt this beautiful moment. But do you love birds mind if we get the fuck out of the woods?"

We laughed and Paul picked us up from the ground, still cradling me in his arms. He sat me down, and right before phasing said, "Let's go home."

I smiled. I would have a lot to explain to Charlie.