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Chapter 11
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Six weeks felt like an eternity to Bella; She loved and hated it at the same time. She'd convinced Charlie to allow her to complete her classes online- at the suggestion of her guidance counselor- and in doing so, she'd be able to walk across the stage with her classmates. She'd even brought her GPA up from a 3.8 to a 4.0- not bad for the amount of times she'd been in and out of the hospital over the last two years. Now she had a week left before graduation.
She sighed and fidgeted again in her seat. A large, tanned and warm hand fell onto her good leg. "I swear you're worse than Quil sometimes woman! Sit still!"
Bella smirked. Jacob had driven her to the hospital to have her casts removed because Paul had to patrol. She'd been upset at first because she loved showing him off as her boyfriend instead of just her friend. He'd finally managed to win her over and tear down the walls around her heart. When he'd asked her out two weeks prior, she'd finally said yes.
She sighed and rolled her eyes at him. "You do know that he's related to me, right?"
"He is?!" Another voice asked with equal parts incredulity and awe.
Bella grinned and nodded her head. "Quil's grandpa married a woman named Molly Swan. Her brother was my grandpa. That makes Quil and I second cousins or something like that." She said with a nod of her head.
Brady had come along for the ride and only shook his head. "Well that's news to me."
"Not to me. I knew. Quil and old Quil both have pictures of Molly all over their house. She looked just like you." Jacob said with a grin.
"I wish I could have known her sometimes. I'd love to see if she's who Quil gets the loonyness from to be honest." She snickered.
"He'll get you for that, you know." Brady smirked. "I'm not like Jake. I can't turn my mind off just yet."
Bella shrugged. "Bring it. You saw what happened to Paul the last time he tried to prank me."
"Yeah… you got him a freaking wolf sized rawhide and told him to be a good boy and choke on it… Still funny by the way." Jacob snickered.
She grinned. "I thought so at least."
"At least we all know you're safe around him." Brady quipped.
"I'm looking forward to the next prank." She said with a glimmer of mischief alight in her eyes.
Jacob shook his head. "I know that look. What did you do Bella?"
She smirked. "You'll have to wait and see now, won't you."
Her name was called before either of them could reply. Brady shook his head and watched as Jacob was reduced to a mere bag boy while she made her way on her crutches. Future alpha wolf indeed. He snorted again and opened the nearest magazine. Puppy was more like it.
He never saw a pair of amber eyes watching him through the glass windows.
(~_~_~_~_~_~)
"Paul! You evil, conniving, egotistical, manipulative dog!" Bella screeched.
Everyone watched as Paul's shoulders shook in quiet laughter. "You should come out here and say that to me baby girl. I dare you."
Bella was equal parts furious and embarrassed as she walked out of her bathroom in a towel and blue skin. She poked her head around the corner and thrust her arm out for the wolves gathered to see. Thankfully, she'd only applied the lotion to places that could be covered by clothing easy.
"You've turned me into a smurf!" Kim and Emily gasped and both smacked Paul before rushing to help Bella. A muffled shriek met their sensitive ears when the girls got into her bedroom.
"He got me a blonde wig too?!"
"Hey, look… he wrote you a note… 'here's to you Smurfette.'"
"Oh! I'm gonna kill him!" The radio drowned out what was said after that. Paul still hadn't stopped laughing.
Collin arched an eyebrow. "Do we even want to know?" He wondered.
Paul shrugged. "She kept singing the stupid smurfs theme song over and over again the other day to piss me off, so this is her payback." He grinned.
"You two have such a weird love/ hate relationship, you know that, don't you?" Sam mused.
Jared shook his head. "That was kinda funny though. At least you two aren't out to hurt one another anymore."
"Too bad Jake, Quil and Embry had to miss it." Brady sighed.
"They'll see it later. The pack mind's good for something." Sam grinned.
Paul smirked. "I just wanna see what she's got in store for me. I saw what she told Brady. Besides, that stuff is temporary. It'll wash off in the shower."
"But she just had a shower…never mind… I forgot, it's you. Pervert." Collin teased while shaking his head.
Emily and Kim walked back into the living room where they'd been waiting on Bella to start their movie night. It had become a new tradition now that Edward was estranged from his coven. Both girls wore wide grins on their faces but otherwise remained tight lipped. When Bella tossed a wrapped box into Paul's lap after joining them, they nearly got lost in their fit of giggles.
Paul gave them a wary look before opening the present. Inside the box was a key to her shed. He looked at Bella who crooked her finger to him. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he none the less followed her outside with the pack following him- all of them curious about his punishment.
"Go ahead." She said making a sweeping gesture with her hands.
His eyebrow twitched before he pressed the key into the lock and turned it. He peeked inside and then slammed the door shut just as quick. "Tell me you did not!" He huffed.
"You're the one who put body paint in my lotion, gave me a blonde wig and called me Smurfette. You tell me." She challenged.
"Come on man, what is it?" Jared wondered.
Paul closed his eyes and sighed. He shook his head in defeat for the latest round of pranks. His eyes stayed on hers as the shed door opened. The pack took one look and burst into laughter. Inside, a put together dog house- made for a larger than large breed dog- stood. It even came with a custom named dog food bowl and dish. A lamb skin blanket covered the floor with silver stitching that spelled out his name.
"Holy hell!" Jared gasped through his laughter.
"It brings a whole new meaning to the phrase 'in the dog house,' doesn't it." Sam mused.
Bella shrugged. "Now I'll have somewhere to put you when you get on my nerves." She grinned.
Paul smiled. "Ok, ok, you win. This round goes to you."
She preened and giggled while the pack rolled their eyes. They'd never understand the relationship Paul and Bella held. They were closer than any of the other couples because of their time spent merely being friends first. It was still a dream to Paul sometimes; the two had definitely come a long way.
"Come on guys. I wanna watch the movie!" Brady huffed.
Bella chuckled and shook her head as he, Collin and Seth raced into the house. "Puppies." She quipped.
"Mmhm." Paul grinned when she grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together.
Paul grinned and pulled her back before she could follow everyone else through the door. When she turned to ask him why, he walked her back until she was flush with the house. His lips pressed to hers in a hungry kiss that stole her breath. He grinned into the kiss when her arms moved to wind around his neck, her fingers playing in the hair at the base of his skull.
He let her go when the need for air burned both of their lungs. "I've been wanting to do that for a while now." He whispered.
She smiled and pulled him closer. "I'm not complaining."
"No... you're not." He moved his hands down her body to the backs of her thighs then smirked when she let out a squeak of protest after her feet let the ground.
"Complaining yet?" He teased.
Her response was to nip at the underside of his jaw. "Nope." She said with a grin as she popped the 'p.'
The wolf in him rumbled in pleasure. "Careful little one." He cooed to her. "It's not wise to tease a predator."
She drew his lips to hers again in a demanding kiss in which Paul again swallowed her whimpers as their hips came into contact with one another. It wasn't much longer before they were lost to the world around them. He couldn't deny the need to claim her much longer. He moaned and pressed himself tighter into the apex of her thighs, his body begging for a release of the tension building within him.
A throat clearing from the doorway pulled them from their lust filled bubble and had Paul growling in the back of his throat, deep and angry. Bella's fingers running along the skin at the back of his neck calmed him down as they turned to see Sam smirking at them. Bella rolled her eyes and Paul scowled.
"Can we help you?" Paul snapped.
"I didn't think you wanted Bella's neighbors calling to report indecent exposure." He said while nodding to a spot across the yard.
Bella sighed when she saw her nosy neighbor's blinds rattling as she hurried to try and hide from the eyes now riveted to the window. "I can't win for losing, can I?" She growled.
Paul sucked a kiss from her neck- in definite defiance of both his alpha and Bella's neighbor- before letting her down to stand on her own two feet and shaking legs. It took her a long minute to regain her balance due to how lightheaded she felt. By the time they made it back into the living room, the movie was half over already.
The doorbell ringing had Bella groaning as she moved to stand after having just sat down on the couch. As the door opened, every wolf in the house was set on alert. The scent of bleach and burnt sugar was a telltale sign a vampire was or had been at the front door.
Bella stared at the wrapped box on the front porch with trepidation. She'd not been waiting on a package, and to her knowledge, neither had her dad. "Paul…" She whined.
Paul stood by her side in a heartbeat. She clutched at his hand, drawing from his quiet strength to reassure her. His fingers laced through hers, his thumb running over the back of her hand in a gesture of comfort. "Shh…"
"Brady, Collin, get the girls back into the house. I'll send Quil and Embry to patrol outside with Seth. Jared, Paul, let's go… we'll meet up with Jake and see if there's anything to follow."
Bella watched from the kitchen window once she, Kim and Emily were inside the house. She hated that Edward had fallen that far into insanity. If not for him believing they were meant to be together, the guys wouldn't have all the tension they did right now. With a sigh, she excused herself to the bathroom. She'd been washing her hands when something in the bathroom window caught her eye. She moved the curtain to the side to get a better look and gasped.
She let out a shuddering breath when she saw a picture of herself and Edward- artfully photo shopped into the same frame- and a note resting in the corner of the glass pane. They were wrapped around one another with his lips to her neck. Her eyes were closed and her lips parted in pleasure. He'd seen her looking like that once before- she had a similar picture of her and Paul, only Paul's teeth weren't sunk into her skin.
My love, you seem to have lost the pictures I left for you a month ago. There are more on your front porch in a box. This picture is to remind you of my love for you, add it to the ones that were delivered to you. Do try to save them from the fire and the mutts this time. I'll see you soon. -Edward
The sound of glass breaking had Collin and Brady racing up the stairs two at a time. They threw the bathroom door open and found Bella huddled in the corner with a broken frame against the opposite wall. Collin moved to check on her and sighed in relief when he saw nothing broken or bleeding.
Brady read the note and frowned. "That's sick!"
"Bella, come on sweetie… Kim, Emily… come here please?" Collin yelled from the hallway.
The boys stepped back and watched the girls take over, helping Bella to her feet before walking her into her room. Brady shook his head and took the picture and the note to the kitchen sink. He pulled his Zippo from his pocket and lit the paper.
"What was with the shrine anyway? I never saw it and the guys won't think about it." Collin wondered.
"I saw it… but I was commanded not to think about it in the pack mind… it's… man it's sick. He had pictures of her doing different things with us… only he'd photo shopped himself into them instead. He went through her room to get the pictures too. Then, he laid out a wedding veil for her as well as an engagement ring. It's just so disturbing. I mean… the pictures progressed until she became a vampire as well. Paul wanted to rip him to shreds. It took Bella taking his face in her hands to get him to stop. Even then… she came up with idea to banish Edward until she was dead and gone. I think it killed Carlisle to hear… but… he's breaking the treaty otherwise."
Collin shook his head, his stomach nearly rolling with sickness. "Doesn't the pixie know what he's going to do? Can't she stop this?"
"She said her visions are dependent on people's choices… there are ways around it. All he has to do would think about something else then keep doing what he's doing. And, no… I'm not defending him. Just being logical. She's as in the dark about him doing this shit as we are..."
Before he could say anything else, the rest of the pack walked back into the house. Paul walked past them and up the stairs to Bella's room. Five minutes later, Kim and Emily were in Sam and Jared's arms. He only shook his head in mild disgust.
Imprints.
"Find anything?" Brady asked Sam finally.
"He got away. He took a page from Big Red's book. He stayed in the trees until he got to the cliff." He said with a sigh.
Ears turned towards the hallway when a breathy sigh was heard. Jacob only shook his head. "Should I be cruel?"
Kim's brow furrowed. "What's wrong?"
"I think it's a safe bet that movie night is over as of now." Jared said with a wry smirk.
Sam rolled his eyes. "I didn't think it had gotten to that point just yet… then again, the way he had her pinned to the house earlier..." He too shook his head.
Emily snickered, having some idea of what had happened. "Have you all not seen the looks they give each other? I wouldn't be surprised if his wolf tries to claim her..."
The pack stared at her in shock. She merely shrugged. "It's the truth and before anyone asks, Sam is the alpha... I'm his mate… I know how the pack works. I know how an imprint works... Those two have skirted it for so long… The wolf was bound to get impatient."
"Bella's in for a long ride huh." Quil teased.
Seth only rolled his eyes. "Someone should stay here… As much as the wolf wants her… she's not ready."
"And you know this how?" Embry asked.
He smirked. "Because I listened to her and my mom talking when she was over the other day. They didn't know I was in my room. And I have the best hearing out of the pack. I heard. every. word."
"It's always the quiet ones." Jared grinned.
Embry and Seth both raised their eyes. "You're point?" They asked together.
Sam only sighed. "Fine... Seth, Embry stay here. The rest of you, come on, we'll watch the movie at my place." He said. Five minutes later the house fell into a calming quiet. Seth had been right. Bella and Paul were sound asleep when Embry had gone to check on them. He only shook his head and left the room, shutting the door behind him.
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Bella sighed and opened her eyes with a small frown marring her face. The warmth at her back meant Paul had left to run patrol already. She couldn't hear her dad, meaning he'd left for work as well. She'd done the exact opposite the night before and had thrown every last disturbing picture onto her grill before torching it. When it had finished, there weren't more than ashes and she couldn't have been gladder for it.
She stretched and threw on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt she'd stolen from Paul not three days earlier. She pulled the collar to her nose and inhaled deep, taking in the calming smell of him. Sandalwood, cedar, pine and something distinct only to him.
She made her way down the stairs, not noticing the opened window in her father's room. She hummed to herself as she started pulling things out for breakfast. Kim would be over soon so she wouldn't be alone on the weekend. She'd only just gotten her casts off and Charlie didn't want to chance taking her fishing, so instead he'd logged in some overtime at the station.
She never saw the figure standing in the corner. Sleep still held her mind in a slight haze- however much the hairs on the back of her neck may have been raised. She chalked it up to the slight chill in the early morning air. It wouldn't start warming up until later and she dressed in nothing but a pair of jeans and a tee shirt that was two sizes too big for her.
Taking her distraction as an opportune moment, a cloth was forced over Bella's mouth and nose. She tried to struggle, but the cloth was held tighter. It didn't take long before her world was painted black and the icy grips of unconsciousness had her falling backwards into a pair of pale arms.
