Wow, i'm really getting through these chapters now. Paul and Abby really inspire me. hope you all enjoy it. let me know what you think.
She was so light in my arms. Much lighter than she usually was. A week long drinking binge and purge would do that to a person and I felt sick. I had caused this. I was the reason this beautiful, perfect, vivacious woman was a shadow of herself. Her skin was more grey than white and her hair was dull and greasy as it hung limply down her back.
I carried her easily towards my car, carefully opening the door and gently sliding her onto the back seat. I closed the door so that the cold air wouldn't get in at her and leant my head against the roof for a few minutes. I needed to think; to formulate some sort of game plan in my head for when she woke up. I hadn't been thinking when Mark had rushed over to the bar to tell me that she was leaving with Alex. I had immediately rushed outside, fists swinging, without thinking of how Abby would react. My heart had literally stopped beating as I watched her legs give out from under her. I had never seen anyone faint before and being so powerless to help her had scared me.
I looked up from the car as Alex stood, unsteadily, on his feet. He glared at me and I returned the look. I could still feel the rage pulsing through my veins as I looked at him. How dare he touch my mate? How dare he even go near her? I growled at him, taking a step closer, and then watched his resolve falter. He glanced around him, before wiping his bloody nose on the bottom of his tshirt.
"Forget it. She's not worth it." He muttered, giving me the finger and climbing into the car beside him. He sped out of the car park as I watched and I sighed in disappointment. I needed to hit something, and Alex was as good a punching bag as anyone else.
The door banged open and I turned to see Sam, Emily, Jared and Kim pile outside, behind Mark. He looked around anxiously before turning accusing eyes on me.
"You let them go?"
"What? No." I growled at him. "Abby passed out and is in the back seat of my car. Alex took off after I busted his nose."
I watched Mark heave a sigh of relief and thought, not for the first time, how indebted to him I was. He had been such a help this past week that I knew I would never be able to repay him, not really. Without questioning anything, he had managed to get me a job here, managed to convince Abby to play here, managed to get her to stop drinking yesterday… the list went on. He was a good friend to her and I was glad. She needed someone like that in her life if she wasn't willing to take me back.
"Are you taking her home?" Sam asked. I nodded, glancing back at my car to make sure she was still there. I was terrified that she was going to somehow slip through my fingers. "Good luck man."
"I'll tell Joe you had a family emergency." Jared assured me. "Let us know how it goes."
I nodded at them and then slowly walked towards the car. As quietly as possible, I opened the door, climbed in and started the car. I could see her in the mirror, her mouth open slightly as she breathed through it and her eyes closed peacefully. She looked sick. Really sick. I had to make sure she got better; I had to ensure she got back to her old self. I could offer to throw myself off a cliff if that helped.
The drive to her house passed in no time and I lifted her easily out of the car. She muttered something in her sleep and I froze, one hand still poised to shut the car. Had she said silver wolf? She buried her head further into my shoulder and I closed the door. Maybe I had misheard. Or maybe I was so desperate that I was hearing what I wanted to, rather than what was actually being said. Either way, standing in the cold with an unconscious woman in my arm was a little conspicuous.
After setting her onto her unmade bed, I had walked around the apartment, inhaling her familiar scent greedily. It was mixed with the scent of alcohol now, a sickly sweet scent that made me scrunch my nose up in disgust.
I threw open the window in the kitchen and the one in the living room and began to pick up the glass bottles that littered the room, feeling more and more disgusted as I went on. Vodka and whiskey and rum and gin… I couldn't find any mixer bottles and the thought of Abby drinking so much straight liquor had my own stomach turning. Dumping the bottles into a cardboard box, I shrugged the uncomfortable black shirt off my shoulders, throwing it onto the newly cleared table. I toyed with the remote for a few seconds before switching the CD player on. I didn't know the song that was playing but it was slow and melancholy and suited the mood perfectly as I washed the dishes and stared out at the dark forest.
Why does the sun go on shining?
Why does the sea rush to shore?
Don't they know it's the end of the world?
'Cause you don't love me any more
Why do the birds go on singing?
Why do the stars glow above?
Don't they know it's the end of the world?
It ended when I lost your love
It was stupid to think that an old love song could aptly describe my feelings but as I listened to the words I knew that it could. The song managed to depict every since thought that had gone through my head in the past week. When Abby had thrown me out, my entire world had practically imploded in on itself. There wasn't much point in breathing if she wasn't with me. My world had ended a week ago but maybe, if I could convince her to believe me, it could be put back together again.
It was an hour later that I had finished tidying up the apartment. I closed the windows, satisfied that the cold winter air had purged the room of the stench of stale alcohol and smoke. The dishes were done and put away, the hallway was cleared of all the clothes and magazines and other trash that littered it. Soft music was still playing as I made my way towards the bedroom, wanting to make sure that Abby was okay.
She was lying on her side, curled up into a small ball as she snored softly and I frowned. Her brows were furrowed, as if she was worried about something, and I found myself rushing down to the living room to turn off the music and the lights and to make sure the door was locked, before hurrying back to her room. I hesitated before slipping my trousers off, throwing them into the corner of the room and climbing onto the bed with her. She instinctively moved backwards, towards me, murmuring under her breath again. This time I was sure I heard her saying 'silver wolf'. So she had seen me. The thought both elated and depressed me. If she had seen me as a wolf and not said anything, maybe she just didn't care.
"Paul…" Her voice was so weak as she breathed against my chest that I tightened my grip on her small frame. Having her so close to me after a week of forced separation was heaven. I breathed her in, running my hands across her back and down her arms and legs, making sure that there was nothing wrong with her. She sighed my name again, this time with a little smile and I grinned. She was dreaming about me. The thought had never made me so happy before. I grinned, ecstatic, and lay my head next to hers.
"I love you baby."
"Paul… Paul. Dammit Paul, wake the hell up."
I groaned and reached out blindly, wanting to pull Abby down against me again. I could already feel the absence of her cool body against my side and I wasn't even fully awake yet. I hadn't slept properly in a week, spending my nights on the outskirts of the forest just behind the apartments. I didn't want to wake up so soon and face the fact that Abby most likely still hated me while conscious.
"Come on, Paul. I know you're awake."
I opened one eye cautiously and sighed in relief. She didn't look as angry as she had although she didn't look happy to find me in her bed either. I sat up with a yawn, popping my shoulders as I stretched. I could feel her eyes on my stomach muscles and chuckled silently. As least she still found me physically attractive.
"What happened last night? Last thing I remember is playing and then talking to Kim and then leaving with Alex. How did I end up here and how did you end up with me? And what happened to my apartment?" Her voice wasn't as weak as it had been yesterday and her skin had regained some colour, I noticed in relief. She was getting better.
"I hit Alex, you fainted, I took you home, put you to bed and tidied you're apartment. Then you said you're name in my sleep and I couldn't resist lying beside you."
There was silence as she digested this, her eyes on the bed rather than on me.
"You shouldn't have hit him." She finally responded and I felt myself sag in disappointment. It wasn't what I had expected her to say. "It was my fault. I was leading him on, letting him think he had a chance."
I wasn't expecting that and I stared at her in confusion as she picked the black polish off her nails. Did she think I blamed her?
"Would you have done it?" I needed to know. She looked at me calmly. There was no hatred, no fear in her eyes but there was no love either. It depressed me more than I could understand.
"I don't know." She finally responded. I let out the breath I hadn't realised I was holding and nodded. Her answer disappointed me. I could deal with it if she had said yes and I would be ecstatic if she said no but the fact that she didn't know upset me and I wasn't sure why. "I was trying to talk myself into it, all day yesterday. I thought that if I had sex with Alex then it would make me feel something other than numbness but… he was talking to me in the bar, whispering in my ear and I realised that it didn't affect me, at all. Alex used to be able to make me melt into a puddle with a certain look but last night… I couldn't do it. It would have felt wrong because it wouldn't have been… " She looked up at me sadly and I knew what she was thinking. It wouldn't have been me. I tried not to smile at the thought, instead focusing on her eyes. They weren't as dead as they had been yesterday, I noticed in relief.
"Anyway, I don't know what I would have done if I had made it home with him." She shrugged.
We were silent for a while as we stared at one another.
"So where do we go from here?" I asked. She shrugged one slim shoulder and I sighed.
"Paul, you have to understand. I can't believe that werewolves exist, I can't…"
"But you saw me." I went out on a limb and congratulated myself as she froze. "The silver wolf, that was me. In my wolf form. I've spent the past week under your window, howling."
"No, I hallucinated that wolf. It doesn't really exist." She insisted. I shook my head and pulled her hands towards me.
"Look, Abby, I love you. I love you more than I have ever or will ever love anything else. You're my whole world and if you still don't believe me then I will happily go out into the woods and phase so that you can see with your own two eyes what I am…"
"Paul." Her voice was weak as she shook her head, closing her eyes as if she was in pain. "I can't do this, not right now. I'm not strong enough to handle this."
"You're strong enough to handle anything." I assured her. "But I don't want to scare you. If you don't want to see me as a wolf, then it's fine. But please, Abby, don't shut me out."
It happened suddenly. One second I was pleading with her not to leave me again and the next I was cradling her head in my palm as she kissed me hungrily. Her cold hands were against my shoulders, her fingernails biting into the skin as clung to me. She whimpered against my lips and I sighed, tightening my grip on her waist. She felt so good against me, so sweet and soft and alive beneath my fingers and my lips that I could feel the weeks worth of tension draining out of my body. I turned us around so that I was above her, holding my weight on my arms as I kissed her again and again, slow kisses that made her sigh followed by quick, hot kisses that made my self control slip. Her hands moved from my shoulders into my hair and she pulled me closer, spreading her legs so that I could lie between them.
"Paul." She gasped as I bit slightly on her lower lip. Her sighs became louder and longer as I moved my attention down her throat to her collarbone. I had discovered that nibbling her collarbone turned her on to the point that she practically moaned in pleasure and she didn't disappoint. Her mouth dropped open and she made the most amazing sound against my ear.
"That feels amazing." I froze suddenly, my tongue flicking against the bite mark I had left on her collarbone and my thoughts racing.
"Why did you stop?" She whined slightly. I pushed myself off her, staring down at her unseeing eyes.
"Are you doing this to feel something?" I asked softly. Was she using me the way she had planned on using Alex? To stop herself from feeling numb?
"So what if I am?" She groaned, pushing herself up on her elbow and staring up at me through heavy lids. She lifted her hips to mine, rolling them against mine slowly and carefully and I hissed. I couldn't do this. I wasn't going to become just another Alex to her.
"Abby, I'm not going to have sex with you when it doesn't mean anything." I told her. She scowled at me and pushed at my chest. I sat back and sighed, rubbing my forehead. If I actually got sick then I would have a migraine pounding right there.
"Why not? Don't pretend you don't want me Paul." She ran her nails down my bare chest and I hissed, watching the triumphant smile light up her face.
"Just because I want you doesn't mean that I'm willing to be used."
"Yeah, and what if that's the only way to have me?"
I froze, looking down at her serious face. Did I really have no other choice? I didn't want to be a fuck buddy to her; I wanted to be everything.
"Well? Changed your mind yet?" She smirked. I shook my head and climbed off the bed, ignoring her protests.
"Look, Abby, I have to tell you something okay. It's part of the whole werewolf thing." I took a deep breath, watching as her face became completely void of all emotions. "We do this thing. It's called imprinting, it's what happens when we find our… our mates."
"Very animalistic." She snorted and I almost smiled. At least she was getting her attitude back.
"Anyway, it's something that allows us to recognise that you've met the one you're supposed to be with for the rest of your life. Its like… the world shifts, and suddenly the only thing holding you in place is her. It was you holding me in place."
She stared at me, her eyes wide and mouth open slightly. "That's insane."
"It's the truth. I imprinted on you that night in the bar. Ever since then you've been my entire world, my reason for existing. If you don't want me then there's no point going on." I shrugged, watching the emotions flitting across her face. She took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes, looked tired suddenly.
"Look Paul, I haven't eaten in a week and I haven't slept properly either. I'm not in the right frame of mind to take all of this in right now, okay. You need to give me time to process this."
I nodded eagerly. Time I could give her, it was something I had plenty of.
"Okay, go back to sleep. I'll go out and get you something to eat and wake you when I get back." I promised. She looked up at me, her eyes wide again.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because I love you."
"Oh."
I smiled at her, leaning down slowly to drop a kiss on her cheek. She just looked at me and I sighed.
"I won't be long."
"Okay." She slid her way up the bed, pulling the blankets around her like a cocoon and closed her eyes. I stood watching for a few minutes in silence, smiling softly. We were on the right track at least. It might take a while, of course, but I could wait. As long as she didn't despise me.
The relief was palpable as I left the apartment block and headed towards town on foot. I could practically taste it in my mouth. I felt my phone vibrate against my leg and pulled it out of my pocket, smiling as Sam's number flashed across it.
"Hey Sam."
"Paul, we got a problem. Quil picked up the scent along the boarder again. We need you to get back here and patrol. I'm sorry man, bring her with you."
I groaned and turned on my heel, hurrying back to the apartment.
"On our way."
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Song belongs to Skeeter Davis.
Ok, just a small author's note. A friend of mine commented that it was a little rude of me not to personally reply to the reviews i've been getting. I know a lot of author's do but my problem is that i work full time. And when i'm not working i'm helping my sister plan a wedding and if i have any other free time, it's spent with my boyfriend. I try to write as much as i can at night when i come home from work and i try to get it up as quickly as i can. I don't have time to respond to all the reviews but i wanted everyone to know that i do appreciate the feedback. If you guys hadn't reviewed and let me know that you liked Paul and Abby, i probably wouldn't have even written this story. So if anyone is offended that i haven't personally replied to their reviews, i'm sorry. I'll try in future. Anyway, next chapter is almost done so it should be up soon!
