SM Owns the characters.
I am so sorry about the delay in updates, but my lovely 5 year old stood on my laptop and the screen smashed. Then the charger decided to stop working and i had to order a new one.
Enjoy this chapter, the next one should be up in the next 2 weeks.
Friends, Pack, Protection
PPOV
As I walked back to La Push in my human form, I couldn't stop thinking about Bella's request. I finally understood imprinting now; it really is what the woman wants. Bella wanting us just to be friends has never made me so happy. I also had a feeling that I would probably be her only friend for a while. She needed to get to know the rest of the pack and imprints before thinking of them as friends.
As I crossed the boundary into La Push I could sense Sam in his wolf form following me, I stopped in a clearing deep within the forest and striped off. I closed my eyes and tried to think of something that would make me angry so I could phase. But all I could think about was Bella, and how I could help her learn to trust other people so she could have more friends.
I opened my eyes and watched as Sam walked into the clearing in his wolf form, I closed my eyes and tried again but I couldn't build the anger up enough to phase. I opened my eyes and looked directly at Sam, who had now phased back to human.
"Paul are you ok?"
"Yes."
"Why are you not phasing then? It is your turn to patrol." Sam asked, before he started to smile.
"I can't at the moment, I can't get angry enough. Bella wants us to be friends and that is all I can think about." I admitted already feeling like an idiot.
"Paul I told you so many times that you can't rely on your anger to phase, there was going to be a time when you would have to learn to bring your wolf forward under normal circumstances."
"I've lost my man card?" I asked not looking at him.
When I heard Sam's laugh, I knew that that was why I couldn't phase Miss Swan was now walking around with my man card tucked tightly in her back pocket.
"Let me howl for Jared to take over patrol, and we can go back to mine and start training again. Emily has gone to visit family on the Makah Reservation for the night so we can practice near the house."
"How can you stand her being so far away?" I asked, knowing that Bella was only in Forks but that still seemed too far away.
"Once you have completely bonded, your senses are more sharper. I know when she is sad, hurt and happy. Plus it takes me sixteen and a half minutes exactly to get to her parents front door from my front door, and I have two different tracks that I can use depending on the weather." Sam explained, as he started to shake again before phasing into a wolf.
I listened silently as he howled for Jared, less than a minute later Sam phased back and got dressed. I also pulled on my shorts, realising that I had been naked the whole time.
"Come on then Paul, let's start your training." Sam suddenly said, not even trying to hide his grin. "This is going to be interesting."
I followed Sam silently through the forest until we got to his house, rather than walking towards the front door, we walked around to the back.
"Right Paul, I need you to clear your mind of everything, including Bella." Sam spoke stopping so he was stood a short distance away from me.
I closed my eyes and thought of nothing, or tried to. I thought of looking at a brick wall, but stopped when my mind was drawing Bella's image on it. Blackness, I thought of nothing but the dark.
The memory of sitting in my bedroom in the dark, listening to my parents arguing again because my dad had used all his wages to buy drink again. I could feel my body shaking, in the distance I could hear Sam telling me to calm down but it was too late. I felt my bones stretching and reshaping and then the tearing sound of my shorts ripping from my hips.
"What were you thinking about to cause that to happen?" Sam asked, joining my thoughts seconds later.
I showed him my memory of thinking of darkness, before that brought on my childhood memory.
"And before that what were you thinking about?"
"Brick walls, but then my mind started to make an image of Bella out of the bricks." I admitted, shaking my head.
"Phase back and we will try again." Sam ordered before his thoughts left mine.
"Paul, think of the forest and running through it in your wolf form. Think of your wolf and his colour. That is how I learnt to control my phasing."Jared thought as he was running patrol.
I let him feel my gratitude before phasing back to human. Sam was sat on the grass, deep in thought. I joined him, not bothering to get a new pair of shorts.
While Sam was thinking, I took the time to think about my wolf and running through the forest. I could feel my body shaking, but then accidently started to think of Bella, and that I should have asked Jared if she was ok.
"What were you thinking about?" Sam asked.
"Jared mentioned how he is able to phase into his wolf by thinking of the forest and his wolf, I could feel my body starting to change but then thoughts of Bella popped into my head and calmed me down."
"I think it is a must that you need to think of your wolf when phasing, but it needs to be more than that. Whereas the forest works for Jared, for me it is the whole Reservation. But that could just be something that I have become attuned with by being the Alpha."
"How will I know what will make me phase?"
"You won't, not straight away, we need to work through the things that make you angry enough to phase and the things or person that makes you phase back into your human self again." Sam explained, making it sound like the easiest thing in the world.
"Well you know what makes me angry and thinking of Bella helps me phase back."
"Before you imprinted, how did you manage to phase back then?"
I sat for a while, thinking about that. Trying to remember how I would phase back, even when I had accidently phased into my wolf through anger.
"You are trying to think of what you think about when you want to phase back?" Sam asked, grinning once again.
I nodded in agreement "Yes but I can't remember how I phase back, or used to phase back."
"You still do it now; of course Bella is always at the forefront of your mind. But think about it this way, it is because of your wolf that you imprinted so your wolf would be happy thinking of and about Bella in either form."
"Sam you are just confusing me, its late and I'm getting tired. So please just say it."
"It's instinctual, because you are part of both. In your wolf form you still keep your humanity, so it would work both ways. While you are human, some parts of the animal that you turn into also gets brought forward."
"I think I get it, what you are saying is that I need to allow part of my wolfs natural instincts to be able to phase?" I asked, finally understanding everything that Sam tried to teach me right at the beginning.
"Yes, now we just need to figure out what those instincts are, because they are different for each of us. I also think that your wolf might feel a certain area around the Reservation that it needs to protect, so we need to work on that also."
"So your wolf feels that the whole Reservation needs its protection, Jared's is the forest. But what is mine?" I asked myself, already trying to think of all the places I go to in my wolf form.
Our conversation stopped when Jared suddenly howled, Sam phased straight away and I followed seconds later, thinking once again of the dark bedroom.
"Paul we need to go to Bella's, she is asking for you." Sam thought, running towards Forks.
I picked up my speed and caught Sam up just before we got to the out skirts of Forks, we both ran through the forest stopping near the edge to Bella's back yard. I could see Bella, leaning slightly out of her bedroom window; I phased back, catching the shorts that Sam threw at me in his wolf form.
"Bella, are you ok?" I asked, as I walked out of the forest stopping at the tree below her window.
"Did I wake you? I'm so sorry if I did. It was just, it doesn't matter, I'm sorry I bothered you." Bella whispered.
"Bella, I wasn't asleep. What has happened? Do you need me to come up?" I asked concerned now that it was obvious that something was wrong.
"No, no I'm ok. It was just a dream, and when I looked out my window and saw the brown wolf, I just panicked."
"What did you dream about?"
"It doesn't matter now, I need to go back to sleep I have school in the morning."
"Do you need me to stay down her?" I asked more worried now that she was not telling me about her dream.
"No, I will be ok. Go and I will see you tomorrow after school." Bella whispered back before she went back into her room and closed the window.
I watched as she drew the curtains before turning the light off, I watched her bedroom window for a few minutes before turning around and walking back into the forest.
I took the shorts off and tied them to my ankle before closing my eyes and thinking of the blackness again. This time it didn't work, as I knew that Bella needed me, even if it was just for reassurance.
"Paul, think about why Bella is the way that she is and what the family of leeches did to her." Sam spoke, that seemed to do it and before I knew it I was back in my wolf form.
"Ok, sorry about that but you needed to phase. Jared has gone home, he has school in the morning, so I am going to run patrol. You need to figure out how to phase into your wolf without getting angry." Sam thought, and I could see through his thoughts as he was making his way back to the Reservation.
"And what do you suggest I do to be able to do that?"
"Forget about your human self and go wolf; think about your wolf's instincts. Allow him to run where ever he wants to run, don't try to stop him."
"What if I come back to Bella's?" I asked my wolf might have the same thoughts as my human self.
"I don't think you will your wolf shares your body to protect the Reservation. I wouldn't be surprised if you find yourself near or on the Reservation."
I felt Sam close his thoughts off as best he could, I thought about my wolf, its colour, its speed, its hunger to protect humans. I could feel my wolf reassured that Bella was safe and well, and the trust that my Alpha would protect her. My speed picked up, my wolf knew where it was headed. I could feel the animal within me running through the trees, sniffing and listening along the way for any threats.
I stopped suddenly, and felt myself really look around at my surroundings. I was on the cliffs, feeling the wind blowing through my fur. From my view, I could see the whole beach and some of the houses near the beach. I could feel my wolf satisfied that everybody was safe and there were no threats nearby.
"Paul, how are you feeling?" Sam suddenly asked, coming to a stop near me.
"Free, relaxed but also on my guard." I answered him.
"I should have guessed it would have been the cliffs, do you remember the first time you phased? You ran straight here and sat down."
"You could have said something earlier; I could be in bed by now."
"No, you had to figure it out by yourself." Sam chuckled, moving out of the way just before I swatted him with my paw.
"So what now?" I asked, thinking of finally able to climb into bed and sleep.
"You need to practice, so phase back to your human self and then think of your wolf and the cliffs." Sam instructed.
I instantly felt calm and started to think of my human self, taking a deep breath I felt myself phase back. I then thought about my wolf and the cliffs, feeling the satisfaction of being able to watch the beach and part of the Reservation for any threats. I felt my body stretch and change and within seconds I was once again sharing my thoughts with Sam.
"Good. Keep practising, run a patrol on the other side of the Reservation. If it is all clear, trying phasing again. Once you can do that, run towards Forks and try again. Get as far out as Bella's house and try phasing again." Sam ordered.
I followed his orders and found that no matter where I was stood or went, I could now phase without getting angry. I stopped in the forest outside Bella's house, still in my wolf form I led down and listened to Bella's slow heart beat. It was comforting, knowing that she was sleeping peacefully.
I closed my eyes and let the sound of Bella's heartbeat lull me to sleep; I no longer had nightmares of my childhood. My dreams always included Bella, and the pack, and what the future could be like.
I jumped awake some time later to Sam howling, I ran towards the howling before listening to Sam's thoughts.
"Leech scent, minutes old on the outside of Forks. Jared patrol the Reservation, Paul head towards La Push but don't leave Forks. I'm following the scent and it is heading straight to Forks." Sam ordered I looked through his eyes to see where his was.
As I stood silent I could the sound of light footsteps, heading straight towards me. It was faster, faster than a human. Then the wind changed direction; and the awful stench of bloodsucker hit me full in the face.
"Stay where you are, I'm a few seconds away. I can hear the footsteps as well."
Suddenly the footsteps faltered before they changed direction. I stood not moving, knowing that the leech was heading out of Forks. Sam also changed direction, and I watched and waited as Sam chased after the leech.
"It's too fast, I've lost the scent. I think it smelt you Paul and ran, hopefully it won't be back. Jared go back home. Paul run a patrol around Forks, stop at trees and anything else you come across, and rub your fur across it. Mark the territory, and I will do the same until we meet up."
I done as Sam said, before going back to Bella's. I didn't want to leave her alone while there was a rogue leech out there somewhere. Sam soon joined me and we both phased back to human.
"I'm sure it was the same scent as the one we followed the other day." Sam said, while still deep in thought.
"It should be able to smell us now, and hopefully stay away."
"We have marked our territory now, so that should put it off for a while." Sam replied not sounding very hopeful.
"You think it will be back?" I asked, wondering what his theory would be.
"Yes, I do. Jacob is going to be phasing soon, there are also a few others on the Reservation that are starting to grow. I have a feeling that something big is going to happen."
"I'm hoping that your feeling is wrong, and we have scared the leech off for good." I growled out, even though somewhere at the back of my mind, I also had a feeling that this was just the start.
A short time later Sam ran back on patrol, he spent the time going over new patrol schedules, while I sat silently listening to his ideas and also listening to Bella sleep.
I heard Bella's alarm go off before hearing it being dropped on the floor and going silent. Minutes later, Bella got up and went to the bathroom. I listened, hidden in the forest as she got ready for the day before pulling back the curtains.
"I thought I would follow Bella to school make sure the two idiots we threatened the other day doesn't start on her again." Sam thought as he stopped next to me.
"I forgot about that, she is going to kill me after school. Remember she didn't want me to say or do anything to them."
"You didn't Jared and I done all the talking, and we were just looking out for our sister." Sam replied sounding smug.
"I really don't want to make her life harder, she has no friends here. I just hope this doesn't cause more trouble." I admitted, remembering the conversation I had with Bella previously.
We followed Bella to school, running along her truck while still hidden in the forest, we realised soon after when we got near the school that two sides of the building was surrounded by the forest.
We both phased back and put our shorts back on before walking out of the forest. By this time Bella had parked her truck and was walking towards the main doors. We both stopped on the other side of the car park, we could still hear the conversations near the school.
We both sucked in a breath when the idiots from the beach walked out of the main entrance and stopped in front of Bella.
"Hi Bella, sorry Bella." We heard them both say before they looked up at stared straight at us. "Bye Bella." They both said before almost running off around the side of the building.
I watched as they both disappeared around the corner before looking back at Bella. I winced internally from the glare that she was giving us. Before smiling and mouthing the words thank you and waving.
As she turned to walk inside, she was stopped by another girl. I watched and listened as this other girl invited Bella to sit with her in class along with a boy called Ben.
"See she does have friends here, come on lets a run quick patrol and then you can buy me breakfast." Sam said as he nudged my shoulder and walked back into the forest.