AN: Hello! Sorry for the cliffie last time- I really meant to have the next chapter up sooner. My goal now is to stick to my Wednesday update schedule again. Hope everyone had a nice holiday break!

I've been struggling with POV in this story, and how to get it where I'm trying to go. I think writing my last two stories (and a majority of my wolf drabbles) in 3rd person kind of got me into the habit. Originally I wasn't going to include Bella's POV in this story, but at the moment she is kind of the only one who knows what's going on from her perspective. So next chapter will probably include something from her.

Chapter 14

Previously: Embry took a deep breath and reached for Bella's hand when it looked like she wasn't going to go any further. "Hello, Grandfather," he said quietly, sounding just a little snide at the title. "Merry Christmas."

Bella seemed to find her voice then and she raised her head to face down the tribal elder. "Yes, hello Grandfather," she echoed Embry's words with so much venom that I stopped dead in my tracks.

Grandfather? What the hell was going on

Paul POV
Quil looked just as stunned as I did, but Old Quil never even flinched. He stared down at Bella with an intensity that made me want to run up there and throw myself between them, but I kept myself rooted by sheer force of will.

Bella finally snorted and rolled her eyes she put her hand on her hip and cocked her head. "So are you gonna invite us in, or not?"

Her words seemed to shake the younger Quil out of his stupor and he stepped back away from Bella, looking between her and Embry as if he'd never seen them before. "I- I don't… What are you talking about?" he finally stuttered out in confusion.

Old Quil sighed and glanced at the door. "Perhaps it would be better to speak out here for now."

Bella shook her head as she stomped up the steps to face him. "Why? Is Joy in the dark too? Are you the only one around here that knows all your dirty little secrets?"

The elder looked at her with strange look—it was a mixture of sadness and anger. His next words seemed to hit Bella and Embry right in the gut though. "No, my daughter-in-law is well aware of her husband's many indiscretions."

Something about his tone made Bella gasp, and I heard Embry let out a noise that sounded almost like a growl. When we heard who his real father was, we asked Billy if he would be likely to join the pack. Billy assured us that he wouldn't, since he was only one quarter Quileute, and the Ateara line wasn't especially strong, unlike the Black and Uley lines. Seeing him stand there so protectively beside my imprint, I wasn't so sure.

Something on her face finally broke Old Quil, and he sagged back in his seat. His hands muffled his words when he finally spoke. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. My son's actions shouldn't reflect poorly on either of you."

The younger Quil seemed to reach the same conclusion I did, as he reached out and pulled Bella to him. I growled as he grasped her arms a little too tight for my liking, but she shook him off almost impatiently. "Yes, Quil. Surprise. You, Embry, and I all share the same father. Isn't that great?"

I took two steps out of hiding when I smelled the salt of her tears, but she just shook her head angrily and stepped away from the men on the porch. "Look," she said, staring down Old Quil, "I just needed to let you know that I know, and ask that you not say anything to Charlie. Please."

She didn't wait for an answer before she stalked away from the house, leaving her apparent grandfather and two brothers staring after her. I didn't stay to listen to them begin to argue, I just followed my imprint as she stomped down the quiet street, muttering under her breath as she went.

"Rude, stubborn, inconsiderate old fool. 'Indiscretions' my ass. I should– Oof!" I couldn't hold back a chuckle at her ranting, but when she heard me she managed to stumble in true Bella fashion. I darted over to catch her before she could hit the ground.

When she looked up at me, I couldn't move. It was like that first night—the night I imprinted—only this time there was no Sam to pull me away.

It was so much worse, too. I could feel her soft, pliable body resting in my arms, tight against my chest. Her cool white hands were touching my overheated skin, and I could feel my wolf growling softly in pleasure at the contact.

I couldn't look away from those wide brown eyes. I was drowning, melting, all the sappy shit that I would laugh at Sam about later. I tried not to focus on her breasts pressing against me, noticing how they were the perfect size—not too big, not too small, but just right. A good handful each.

Her eyes were moving constantly, looking from my eyes, to my lips, down to my arms. Her breathing sped up when she took in her hands on my bare chest, and I couldn't stop myself from leaning closer to take a deep breath of her delicious scent. The strawberries were so sweet they were nearly overpowering, but the soft brine of La Push kept her grounded, made her smell like home.

At least now I knew why she smelled that way. She was at least part Quileute. A quarter maybe? Big Quil was half, and it was clear that her mom was as white as they come. No matter, she was mate to a wolf, she was mine, so that made her part of the tribe either way.

"Paul?" Her shaky voice combined with the direction of my thoughts gave me enough of a push to separate us. With my hands on her shoulders, I set her back on her feet and made sure she could stay there before I pulled away, breaking contact between us.

She wrapped her arms around her chest, shivering at the loss of my body heat, and I had to choke back another growl as my wolf wanted to pull her close again. I turned my head to take in air clear of her scent, and took another step back to put some distance between us.

"Paul?" Her voice brought my head around again, and I met her eyes without even thinking. "Are you okay?"

I realized that my fists were clenched tightly and I was trembling, fighting against my wolf as I kept us away from our imprint. Sweat beaded up with the effort, and light wisps of steam rose around me in the cold air.

"Yeah," I ground out the word between my teeth. "I'm fine."

She nodded doubtfully, then gave me a breathtaking smile. "I'm really happy to see you, Paul."

Fuck, I needed her to stop saying my name like that. Her voice was low and slightly hoarse, probably with the emotions of the past few minutes. All I could think about was hearing her moan my name in bed.

I took two more steps back and shook my head to try and clear it. This imprint was powerful shit. Bella looked kind of hurt when I looked back at her, so I scrambled for something to say, wondering where my confidence with the ladies was. This girl had turned me back into a nervous boy again.

Needing to break the silence I spoke the first thing that came to mind. Of course, that probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. "So, I heard you earlier with Old Quil. Charlie isn't your real dad?"

Bella's eyes flashed with a dangerous light that had me stepping back even as she advanced on me. Her dainty little finger dug into my chest with each word. "Listen here, you- you- you eavesdropper! Charlie is my dad. He may not be the sperm donor, but he's my dad in every way that counts. And if you know what's good for you, you'll keep your mouth shut about what you heard."

I was so shocked by her anger that she was halfway down the street before I broke out of my stupor and ran to catch up. She tensed when she felt my hand at her elbow, but she stopped and faced me with her hands on her hips.

"Wait, Bella, please. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. I'm just trying to understand."

She laughed, but the look on her face was anything but funny. "Don't worry about it, Paul. It's my life and I still don't understand."

This close to her, I could see that she was hurting, and I could almost feel her pain as my own. The last thing I needed to do was get closer to her, but I looked over toward the beach and this time I was the one talking, not my wolf. "Want to take a walk with me?"

She looked surprised at the offer, but she ducked her head and smiled shyly, nodding as she followed my gaze. "Yeah," she said quietly, "I'd like that."

It seemed natural to reach for her hand, so I pushed my fists into my pockets instead, trying to keep some distance between us. I was starting to re-think this whole imprint thing. Maybe I didn't have to avoid her completely—I just needed to keep our relationship friendly instead of romantic.

As we walked, Bella told me about how her step-father was cleaning their home office and stumbled across some paperwork he didn't understand. It was Bella's original birth certificate, listing Quil Ateara IV as her father, and proof of her tribal membership.

"I asked my mom why she lied, and she said that when Quil wanted her to move close to him and let him support her—like he did later with Joy and Embry—Renee decided she needed a back-up plan. She seduced Charlie, and when she told him she was pregnant a few weeks later, he proposed."

She made a weird choking sound, and my wolf panicked for a minute until I realized she was crying. I led her over to a driftwood log and pulled her down to sit beside me. "You know my dad thinks I was born premature? That my mom went into labor early and had to be delivered here in La Push because there wasn't time to make it back to Forks? Well, that was all a big load of shit right there."

I could feel her fury building up, and it made my hands begin to tremble with a need to fight. I focused on my breathing and tried to find my center, only a little surprised when Bella began to calm beside me.

Glancing over at her, I couldn't help but ask, "So why don't you want to tell Charlie the truth? Why are you still lying to him?"

She looked at me and I could have sworn she looked disappointed. I felt like I gave the wrong answer in class, and I really wanted to find the right one to give her. "Paul, if my dad knew the truth, there's no way he could pretend like nothing is wrong. He would want to take Renee to court and get custody of me, legally, and I don't want to take the chance that he would lose. It's better for everyone if I wait until I'm eighteen."

I couldn't argue with her logic—I was in the same boat before I phased. Counting down to that magic age when the government decided you could stand on your own merit, instead of your parents'.

"I understand. I'll keep your trust, Bella." It was all I could promise her, for now at least.