Chapter 11 -Revelations

In the evening darkness that had just settled after the array of colours that came with the sunset, a dark-skinned figure could be seen pacing the outside of an old house. By appearances, the house was empty, with no lights blazing through the windows and no soft snores filled the silence. This was what worried the figure the most. Bella usually came straight home after she had finished attending all of her lessons, but tonight she had not. There was no black car in the driveway, no enticing scent of some delicious meal she was cooking and no Bella humming happily. Where was she?

This figure was Paul Lahote and he could not deny the growing panic within him. So many scenarios ran through his mind, especially after the man, Riley, had attacked her car. What if he had come back and taken her from him? Or what if she was hurt somewhere and he was unable to find her and help her? She could be bleeding out and dying somewhere unknown for all he knew. These questions seemed to rile up his inner wolf, which only caused more questions to appear because his wolf had never acted this way before. Not even with Rachel.

So what was it about Bella, that caused the beast within him to be so unsettled. It was at that moment that Paul made a decision: when Bella came back and he knew she was safe, Paul would go to the Elders and find out. He needed to know what was happening. What the legends really told off. Is it turn that wolves got a second imprint if the first rejected them?

A few hours later found a lone car driving towards the old house in which the dark-skinned man still stood in front of. Behind the wheel was a very sad and tired looking brunette, whose eyes were still red and puffy from the tears that she had cried.

Relief hit Paul like a ton of bricks and in a blink of an eye, he was stood at the driver's door. He then tore it open and pulled the fragile girl inside into his chest, his arms locked around her waist. The unlikely couple stayed there for what seemed like ages, within each others embrace, as the dark-haired man took in the scent of the girl that he finally knew he loved. With all his heart.

SNAP!

The last string that had connected the wolf to his first imprint had now completely severed. No more would he feel the empty longing for the woman that had chosen another over him and no more would Paul feel the pain of her breaking his heart. Although he did not know this yet, only the wolf side of him knew what had been occurring from the moment the couple had laid eyes on each other.

So, when Bella finally pulled away from the warm arms that were locked around her and looked into his eyes giving him a weak smile. Paul did not register Bella's apology because as soon as his and the brunette's eyes had met, something happened. Something impossible that he had been told would only happen once lifetime time. The hazel-eyed woman in front of him suddenly became the centre of his universe. All of the ties that had once bound him to Rachel Black were now connecting him to Bella. She was his.

The wolf inside of Paul howled in joy, however, the human part of him was confused. What had happened? Nothing like this had been foretold about in 0the tribe stories. If there was only one person destined to be his, then why did he now stand in front of Isabella Swan feeling the exact same possessive belonging that he had felt for Rachel when he had first imprinted on Black's sister.

He needed answers. And he needed them now.

Paul did not think about what he was doing, he simply shifted into his wolf form and ran towards the Elders house. Bella watched him go, paralysed by fear, confusion and shock. The human man before her had suddenly transformed into a monstrous beast, ten-times larger than any common wolf. The clothes that he had previously worn lay shredded on the floor beneath her feet.

These feeling where then replaced by horror. Her mind screaming at her. Berating her for loving someone, no something, that would probably end up hurt her. Physically. Her entire body began to tremble as she thought about Riley and what he had done. Was Paul going to be worse? If she refused him, would Paul also rape her?

The fragile woman finally collapsed onto the floor unable to breathe as she sobbed and hyperventilated at the same time. She just could not seem to catch her breath and the snot that was filling her nose due to her tears was not helping. Soon the later of air cause dark spots to appear in her vision and then those spots gave way to darkness. And she fell...

Meanwhile, in La Push, Paul had finally come to stop outside of Billy Black's house. One of the eldest leaders of their tribe. The young wolf could not think of anyone better to get information from than this man who was the descendant of the previous packs Alpha. So he unconsciously shifted back into his human form and jogged towards the Black's front door, knocking loudly on the hard oak wood. Not caring for his lack of clothing at this moment.

A few moments later, a dark-skinned, black-haired man in a wheelchair pulled open the door with a smile. However, his facial expression soon fell when he saw the serious, panicked look of the wolf shifters face.

"Paul," Billy said in a deep voice. "Why don't you come in and put some clothes on?"

Without responding to the recommendation, Paul stepped into the middle of the aged man's home. It was small and cluttered, as usual, with family photos hung on the walls. Billy was proud of his family and happy to display that to everyone who he invited into his house. Paul wished he could say the same for his family, but he could not.

As Billy handed Paul some of Jacob's cut-off jeans he asked, "What can I do for you then, Paul?"

It had only been a few months ago that the elder man had seen Paul transform from the lively, temperamental wolf, to the distant, self-loathing man he had become after his daughter had rejected the imprint. Then when he had met Bella, Billy Black had once again seen that life return to his eyes. However, right now all he could see was confusion and panic, so much as that the youth's eyes darkened with it.

"What is happening to me, Billy?" Paul questioned, he sounded so defeated and Billy felt his heart throbbed painfully for him. In truth, the elder should have told Paul about his and the rest of the packs suspicions about what was going on. After all, it had been thousands of years since an imprint had been rejected and they had kept that story secret from everyone. Heck, if Sam knew he might have a second chance, he would have never given Emily a chance to become his imprint.

"I am sorry, Paul," he started. "Believe me when I say this, the elders and I had never expected this to happen. Rachel was not supposed to reject you, but she did and I am terribly sorry for that..."

"What are you talking about old man!?" Paul's temper flared. He wanted answers and even now he was only becoming more and more confused.

Billy sighed, "You are not the only wolf in our history to be rejected by an imprint. In fact, it used to be a common occurrence in the past due to arranged marriages. In the time after Taha Aki, a wolf known as Wynono Machakw was rejected by his imprint. It is said that he had to suffer one hundred days and one hundred nights and survive before the Fates took pity on him. You see, Paul, a wolf that has been rejected by his soul mate suffers from such intensity that their soul is forever altered. It slowly changes until your first imprint is no longer a match for you, so Fate can then gift the wolf with another."

"Bella," Paul whispered.

"That is what I was thinking when Jacob came to me. He said that Bella felt like pack yet the unmated wolves did not imprint on her. So that left two options, she was destined for a wolf that had yet to go through the change or destined for someone how was rejected. Think carefully, Paul. Think about what you were like when you met and imprint on Rachel and then compare it to what you are likely now when you imprinted on Bella. Could you say with certainty that they are the same person?"

Paul did think about it. He searched his memories and recalled his outgoing, playboy personality. He remembered hating the thought of one day imprinting on someone and of hating the thought of love. Yes, he recalled thinking that love only caused pain and heartbreak. His mother had loved his father so much that when he cheated on her and left her months on end, so she would cry. Yet, when his father returned his mother quickly welcomed him with open arms.

Then Paul thought about Bella and how his temper had not reared its head whenever she was around, no matter how angry he got. He laughed more with her, heck he had even cried in front of the woman. He recalled wanting her to love him, and him loving her and he sincerely believed that the love he felt would not cause him pain as his mother had. And, Paul thought with surprise, even if Bella brought pain to him he did not care. Maybe this is what his mother thought...

Paul remembered the worry when he thought that she was missing and the overwhelming relief when he saw her pull into her driveway. Safe and sound. Then suddenly something dawned on the young man. He had shifted in front of his imprint! He had shifted and ran away, leaving her alone with no answers as to what he was. He had revealed his secret and left her to come to her own conclusions.

"SHIT!" Paul cursed as he ran his hands through his hair.

After his exclamation, Billy and Paul abruptly turned around as they heard the rumble of a car engine, which pulled smoothly into the small parking spot next to Jacobs car. Moments later, the front door opened with a groan, relieving Rachel Black. Her clothes were dripping wet from the rain and her face solemn as if she was weighing the decision between life and death.

When the Quileute woman saw her imprintee standing beside her father an array of emotions ran through her. The first was hope, but then when she looked into his eyes she saw no love or forgiveness there. Then she thought about telling him the heart-wrenching secret she just learned. She could and it would be so easy to do so, yet she couldn't. Of all the ways to win back a man, she would not sink so low as to gossip behind someone's back about a secret SHE was not supposed to know.

So instead she put on a brave face, looked into Pauls' eyes and then to her father, "Paul, Dad," Rachel greeted. "I will be packing and leaving La Push later today. There is nothing for me here." Then looking at the stunned looks on the two men's faces, Rachel strode up the stairs heading towards her bedroom.

Yes, this was the best thing that she could do.

Confused as to why he was still here, Paul turned to Billy and said his good-byes, before running out of the house and into the woods.

Updated: 17/07/2019

Updated: 17/07/2019