Here it is! The last chapter of this adventure. I want to thank all the readers, especially those of you who motivated me with your reviews. I love you all…
Please stay tuned as the next story will be posted next week.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.
Chapter 21
Quil POV
"I'll miss you." Said Claire as she hung herself from Quil's neck.
"What about me? I don't get any love?" Asked Paul pouting in a very childish way.
"Why should I hug you? You hate me." Answered Claire with feigned contempt.
"Well not anymore, at least not as much as before. You are annoying as hell but you kind of grew on me."
"Thanks, I think…. For some weird reason I feel like you are comparing me to mold or some disgusting fungus."
"Maybe I am, maybe I am not. But I do want a hug." Said Paul as he surrounded Claire with his coppery arms which stood out over her white blouse.
It had been three months since the Paul and I made love. Of course there had been many romantic encounters along the way. After a week I decided to trust Paul and give myself to him again. I was scared but decided to leave all the bad memories where they belonged, in our past. Since that day I assumed my place as the more submissive wolf the couple. By becoming the main bottom our relationship was as easy and natural as breathing. I loved how Paul took care of me in every possible way, from our everyday life to our intimacy.
We were very adventurous and became very resourceful in our romantic escapades. After Paul told me about the conversation she had with Mary I agreed that we needed to be discreet. They were older folks set in their ways and I didn't know how tolerant they would be of our relationship. They had been extra special to me; welcoming me in their home and helping me heal my broken heart, very close to becoming a substitute of my parents. I was well aware of Mr. Hill's heart condition and wouldn't dare antagonize him in any way.
Anyway I loved going to the woods to make love. Laying on the soft grass, while looking into the eyes of my lover as he invaded my body in the most pleasurable way was for me the best way to spend my evenings. His body over mine was my own personal shield against anything that the world might throw my way. We felt complete becoming one under the stars, the moon and the sun.
Seeing that we had been deprived of such pleasures for so long, once we felt comfortable with each other there was no stopping us. At the first sign that our bosses were done for the day we would jump out the window and run to the woods shedding our clothes on the way. Once there we attacked each other like hungry beasts. On these occasions we could be as loud as we wanted since there was not a soul around us. Whenever we made love in the house we made sure to be very quiet, unfortunately as it may be sometimes when the sexual rapture reached its peak we had no choice but to let out a moan or call out our lover's name. I never knew if the Hills ever heard us; they never said anything and I would never ask.
Paul had proven himself to be the perfect boyfriend, lover and mate. I could say that I trusted him implicitly; there were no secrets between us. In the process of wooing me Paul and I became friends. We shared secrets that we wouldn't dare tell anybody else, we could spend hour talking and sometimes giggling like prepubescent girls. I loved my life especially now that we were going back home.
"Guys, I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am for everything you have done. It would have been impossible for Tim and Claire to manage everything by themselves. You two are strong as oxen and do not shy away from hard work. Just all the money you saved us in engine repairs is twice what we have paid you. The crop sold very well and I have you all to thank." Mr. Hill stood in front of his house with Mary by his side; he leaned heavily on his cane, which worried me tremendously.
"Paul what can I say to you? You showed up on my doorstep and offered to work for free. As you can imagine at first I was very wary but after Quil got here and I saw you working together I knew I made the right decision by letting you stay. I know we agreed on no pay but it doesn't apply now, this is a little bonus I'm giving you all. Is not much, I wish I could really compensate you, but my medical bills have been astronomical." He handed each one of us a small white envelope. We all gasped when we saw the contents. Each envelope contained two crisp hundred dollar bills and one fifty. I was very grateful and I knew the others felt the same way.
"I'm sorry Mr. Hill I cannot accept this. I said I would work for free and I'm a man of my word." Paul surprised us all by walking to Mr. Hill and gently placing the envelope on his hand before placing his hand over it and closing his fist.
"Please Paul I must insist, this is a bonus. Please indulge this old man." Mr. Hill grabbed Paul's hand that rested on his own and gave him back the envelope.
"Paul please accept it." Mrs. Hill intervened
I walked towards Paul and tapped his arm gently. He looked at me with understanding shining in his eyes. "Alright" said Paul softly, relenting at last.
I gave Mr. and Mrs. Hill a hug before running back to Claire to nuzzle her head and place a kiss on her soft hair. "Be good and remember you promised to come see us."
"Don't worry I'm already saving some money to go visit. After all if the guys at your reservation are half as gorgeous as you it will be more than worth it." Said Claire enthusiastically, making the Hills laugh and her brother roll his eyes in annoyance.
After all our good byes we were on our way. I couldn't help but think how different this drive was from the previous two. The first time was plagued by sad memories of Paul's betrayal. The second time I had been perplexed with Paul's attitude during and after the leech crisis. Of one thing I was certain I couldn't stop thinking about him, he was present in every thought I had.
"Quil what are you thinking? You are miles away from here."
"I was remembering the first two times I drove on this road and how differently I felt." He removed one of his hands from the steering wheel to grab my left hand comforting me. I wiped the few stray tears that managed to roll down my cheeks and turned to look at him. His eyes found mine for one brief instant before returning to the road. How much I love my wolf! Just with a simple touch he was able to give me the loving comfort I needed at that moment.
"Baby I can't erase what happened, I wish I could. Just know that I will dedicate the rest of my life to make you happy." With that he took my hand and brought it to his mouth to grant it a tender kiss.
The rest of our eight hour drive went fast, taking turns to drive and reminiscing about everything that happened since I came to the farm. Many of my thoughts were kept private since there was no point on rubbing salt over Paul's wounds. He felt guilty for what he put me through and those were wounds that only time would heal.
My heart jumped in my chest when we passed the sign that read Welcome to La Push. I was only minutes away to being home with my family and friends. I knew Paul was excited about coming home but I could sense something odd, he was giving off a strange vibe that I couldn't really decipher.
"Paul what's wrong?"
"Nothing" Paul said.
I knew better. "Paul…"
"I don't want to tell you." Paul mumbled.
"But you are going to tell me anyway because I want you to." Paul never said no to me, I was getting spoiled fast and loved it.
"I'm nervous about your family's reaction. Quil … if they tell you to stop seeing me, will you?"
"First of all, my family respects that I'm an adult and even if they don't agree with my choices they will not interfere. Second there is no power on this earth that will keep me away from you. You are stuck with me whether you like it or not." He smiled broadly but I could still read the tension in his body language. I could almost see the butterflies moving around in his stomach. "Don't worry, the only one you have to fear is my mom, when it comes to me she goes all mama lioness."
"How much does she know about us, about what happened?"
"Nothing, it was too embarrassing for me to share with them. They only know it was terrible and it involved you."
"Just peachy… I feel so much better." I just smiled at him. I was not going to lie and tell him my family was going to be happy with our relationship. They were very protective of me and knew that something really awful transpired between Paul and me.
As twilight fell the quiet of the evening followed us to the last stretch before reaching my home. I pulled into my parent's driveway sighing at peace with my surroundings. Everything looked the same, my father's old car in the driveway and the flickering light on the old decrepit porch on. My parents came running out to greet me. I would say greet us, but who am I kidding? I nuzzled my mother's head and kissed her forehead as she cried openly. My father encased me on a bear hug. After several minutes of the three of us talking at the same time saying hellos and asking a million questions we realized that Paul stood quietly next to the truck.
My mother questioned me with her eye, unwilling to acknowledge his presence. "Mom, dad, can we go inside? We need to talk." Never in the history of the world anything good ever follows these words. My parents walked inside not before looking at each other and at me with a questioning look.
I went to my mate and grabbed his hand interlacing our fingers. "Babe, we do this together." He nodded without saying a word.
We entered the living room hand in hand, as soon as we set foot inside the house my mother's eyes darted to our joined hands. She sharply sucked breath in an effort to remain calm. Her disdain toward my wolf was as obvious as the nose on her face. It would take time, it took me a long time to forgive him, maybe he will need to woo his mother in law.
I let go of my boyfriend's hand and jumped to my grandfather who sat on his chair waiting for me. I knelt in front of him, to see him eye to eye and hugged him. He kissed the top of my head like he had done since I was a pup. Paul stood by the door like a fish out of the water. Feeling sorry for him I walked back to stand beside him and even before I turned around he soughed my hand and grabbed it.
"Mom, dad, grandpa, as you can see there have been some new developments so to speak. I know there had been some bad blood between Paul and me but we have put all that behind us. We have grown very close in the last four months. The truth of the matter is that I've loved him for a long time and he has loved me for almost equally as long. He is making me very happy now."
"So you two are a couple?"
"Yes dad, does it bother you?"
"Son, it will take some getting used to. We always pictured you as pack brothers, but this is totally different."
"All we ask is for understanding; we don't want to feel judged. This is a good thing, we are happy together."
My mother stood from her chair and walked towards us. She stood in front of us, her head barely reaching our shoulders. Her arms crossed over her chest and a totally intimidating look on her face. Her expression softened before she lifted her arms to place one hand on each side of my face. "Son, you are the most important person in my life, I adore you. I will never judge you; my love for you knows no limits and has no conditions."
She turned towards Paul while reclaiming the intimidating look. He cleared his throat, his body rigid as he waited for my mother to speak "And you, I want to get something out in the open. I don't like you; I don't know what you did to my boy and probably never will. What I do know is that if I ever see my baby broken again because of you I'll chase you down like the dog you are and make sure that the rest of your life is a living hell. You understand me?"
"Yes ma'am" Answered Paul his face the picture of terror. I found it hilarious that a woman who barely reached his shoulders was able to scare Paul in such a way. There is something to say about strong moms.
Turning on her heels my mom started walking towards the kitchen. "Are you hungry? I made dinner."
"We are starving mom."
I could tell by the delicious smell that mom made my favorite, manicotti stuffed with three chesses. I could distinguish the aroma of the sauce and the spices. My mouth watered and my stomach rumbled in anticipation. Taking a couple of plates from the cabinets and some silverware from the drawer I set the table for Paul and me. Mom brought the food to the table, a deep frown on her face. I knew very well that it was because of Paul's presence on our dinner table, but my wolf wasn't going anywhere, he was where he needed to be, by my side.
After dinner Paul offered to do the dishes while I put the leftovers away. My family had moved to the family room where I found them watching the news. It was like I never left, grandpa on his chair, dad on his and mom sitting comfortably on the sofa.
"Mrs. Ateara, dinner was delicious; thank you." Paul was being the perfect gentleman, working overtime to get on my mom's good side.
"You're welcome Paul; are you leaving?" This was not going to be easy; my mom would not go down without a fight.
"Um yeah I guess…" I interrupted Paul "Mom about that, I was wondering if it will be ok with you and dad if Paul stayed here for a couple of nights. He has no groceries and his place needs to be cleaned. Also we need to shop for furniture; he only has a bed and a sofa in there right now." My mother and father exchanged looks, a silent conversation going on between them. After so many years together they had mastered the art of talking without words, it was something truly amazing to observe.
My father cleared his throat before speaking. "I think Paul can stay here for a couple of nights. We would do the same for any member of the pack. He can sleep on the sofa, I'll get him a pillow and a blanket, lately the nights have been quite chilly and even though you don't feel the cold makes me feel better to know that you have it." My father stood up but I needed to stop him before he went upstairs.
"Dad that's not necessary, I'll get him what he needs and we'll sleep in my room." My mother's sharp intake of air betrayed her calm façade. My grandfather snickered amused with my mother's reaction looking from Paul to me with the most mocking look he could manage.
"After all, we slept on the same bed in the farm." I tried to rationalize the situation for my family's benefit.
"Quil I hope you two are taking precautions. I don't want either of you to get pregnant." Said Grandpa, trying very hard to keep a straight face. The look on my face must have been worth a million dollars. I gave Paul a sideways glance and he was so red his face was looking purplish. How could my grandfather ask us something like that? Was he trying to get Paul killed at the hands of my mother?
"Grandpa please…" I couldn't finish as my nerves betrayed and I broke into a fit of giggles. My father's laughter came suddenly making him produce the funniest sound as the laughter he had been holding since my grandfather made the question came out of him. My mother just sat silently her mouth in a tense thin line.
"Dad, leave the boys alone, you're going to give Joy a stroke, I can see the vein in her forehead throbbing." At least my father gave us a break and intervened for us. Taking advantage of the opportunity I ran upstairs with my boyfriend in tow.
"That went well." Paul said sitting on the bed warily.
"She'll come around, give her time."
"I hope so, that wouldn't make a difference in the way I feel about you, but I know how important your family is to you."
"We'll take it one day at a time." I sat on Paul's lap facing him, a leg on each side straddling him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and after what seemed like days I pressed my lips to his. His hands on my back felt heavenly as he gently stroked my tense muscles. The heat created by our proximity invading every inch of my room. The atmosphere is the room shifts dramatically going from the room where I grew up to the room I'll share with my lover. I removed my hands from his neck only to place them on his hips as I squeezed them to pull him towards me. I pulled back for a second, his eyes meeting mine for a brief instant before they travelled to my lips. His eyes glow with the passion I knew all too well.
"Quil I want you so much, I want to make love to you." Whispered Paul using his sexiest voice. I could feel his warm breath against my ear making my body tingle with desire.
Determined to stay in control I slightly pushed him away from me. "Paul you are pushing your luck, do you have a death wish?" I whispered.
"I don't care where we do it, let's go to the woods, I know you love it when we make love under the stars." He attacked my neck causing delectable waves of pleasure through my body, my back arched in bliss while biting my lip to trap the moan that was threatening to escape.
"I do love it but you are missing a small detail, what are you planning to do when whoever is patrolling bumps into us." I stuttered as Paul ran his warm hands on my sides stirring up the carnal need only he was able to incite in me.
"Fuck didn't think of that." He slumped back allowing him arms to fall to my sides.
"Tough luck baby, sucks to be us." I admitted.
We had to resign ourselves to sleep that first night curled in each other's arms, our legs entwined as I drifted off to sleep. The next morning found us the same way as every morning in the last three months. Me with my head buried on the crook of his neck, right over his mating mark, him with his arms around me in a loving and possessive embrace. After breakfast we headed out to Jake's house to rejoin the pack and assume our responsibilities. As it had always been the door was unlocked and we walked in after knocking and Billy's baritone voice telling us to come in.
Billy was sitting on his wheelchair enjoying a cup of coffee. "Good morning Billy." I greeted.
"Quil, Paul it's good to see you; are you visiting or are you back for good?" After placing the cup on the table he extended his arms and we hugged, feeling that sense of familiarity we shared with all the members of the pack.
"We are definitely back, that's why we're here we want to talk to Jake about rejoining the pack and all that." Paul announced cheerfully.
"They should be down any minute; they finished showering a few minutes ago. Sit down, would you like some coffee?"
"No thank you Billy, we just had breakfast"
A few minutes later we heard two sets of steps coming down the stairs. "Quil!" exclaimed Seth as he hugged me enthusiastically. Then two things happened I heard a low growl and Paul jumped from his chair standing between me and Jake.
"Don't fucking growl at my boyfriend!" Bellowed Paul, I hadn't seen this side of Paul in a long time. He didn't see anybody as a threat at the farm. It was so amusing, I didn't need any protection but he insisted on guarding me like my knight in shining armor. I just humored him.
"Then remind your boyfriend that nobody touches my Seth!" They stood almost chest to chest, like two bulls ready to charge. Seth and I exchanged amused looks as our wolves engaged on a staring contest.
"Jake, when are you going to stop being an idiot, Seth is not made of glass he will not break just because he gets a hug." Huffed Paul. Seth moved away from me towards his irate dominant.
"Sweetheart, that's no way to welcome back the guys. Anyway look at them, who do you think is the submissive in that relationship?" Jake's gaze moved from me to the arm Paul had possessively surrounded me with. His lips quirked up as he deciphers the scene playing in front of him.
Jake composed himself before addressing us again. "Well well well, I think congratulations are in order but no more hugs." He gave Seth a warning glance before briefly hugging each one of us.
"Thanks Jake, we came to let you know we are ready to rejoin the pack and begin patrolling. We do have favor to ask, we want to patrol together." Explained Paul. We had decided to ask Jake for that small concession to provide us with more time with each other. Also Paul had this unhealthy obsession with protecting me that needed to be appeased.
"You'll get no argument from me, that will free more nights so I can spend them with my puppy." Answered Jake while nuzzling Seth's head and giving him a kiss on his cheek. I thought that if those two were able to put away their differences and get along, anybody could do it including Paul and me.
"There go my few nights of sleep." Commented Billy forbearing his luck.
"Still fucking like rabbits?" Asked Paul crudely, making Seth blush.
"I swear it gets worse every day." Mumbled Billy before wheeling himself out of the kitchen.
We laughed together as Billy exited the kitchen. Seth and I exchanged knowing looks; we both knew what was our best weapon against our wolves. I had withheld sex for four days and Paul was ready to get on his knees and beg for forgiveness. It had been a stupid misunderstanding, but he refused to apologize and I showed him two could play that game. I was so happy to have Seth as a friend, even if I didn't have a female alpha wolf inside me, being a much submissive wolf gave me more in common with Seth than with any of the others.
We chatted for a few minutes before Paul turned my way to tell me we should go, we had a boatload of work to do setting up the house that we will share. I had been so excited when Paul asked me to move in with him. He wanted me to choose all the furniture and everything else. I felt he was treating me like a girl but wouldn't complain, he was treating me like a king, if in his mind I was a queen, so be it. My life was so perfect, after so many years of loneliness and uncertainty fate was smiling at me.
"We should get going, we have tons of work to do."
"We'll come by tomorrow to help if that's ok with you." Offered Jake.
"Absolutely; the more the merrier, the faster we get everything in order the faster my Quil can move in."
"Believe me I know, if you are anything like me you don't want to spend one second away from your imprint." A great painful silence came down drowning every other sound, like a heart that beats for the last time. Terror invading me at the sound of that cursed word.
I saw each movement like a slow motion feature as the world appeared to slow down. This had the effect of making my distress grow as my anger took over. I stood frozen in place, like a granite statue, not even able to suck in the air I needed to live. No, this couldn't be true, it was impossible. Paul had an imprint and she died, that was it, end of story. This had to be a bad joke, one that I would laugh of in the future but at that moment I couldn't even understand it.
Me Paul's imprint? But how?... Even more important when? Jake's eyes went so wide they almost bulged. Panic taking over his features, racking through his body. Seth face contorted with each soul stirring emotion. He kept looking from Paul to me before Jake stood in front of him to shield him in case I phased out of anger.
"Paul I'm sorry I thought he knew…" Drawled Jake.
His words sounded like my head was under water. I couldn't comprehend; I couldn't construct a complete sentence. I lost the ability to think rationally. It was like I had a big wet ball of cotton stuffed in my head. I turned to Paul afraid of even looking at him. So many emotions ran through me, none of them positive, so much hate, anger, bitterness, they were like fire running through my veins threatening to burn me alive.
Paul betrayed me, the only reason he fell in love with me was because of the imprint. He was forced into the relationship, like somebody had a shotgun pointed at him threatening to shoot if he didn't. I never hated my heritage before, but at that moment I would have given anything to be something different, even a leech. A person whose fate was not dominated by magic, somebody normal. Now it all made sense, how he was able to find me, his need to protect me, everything had been a lie.
"Paul since when?" I felt like the biggest loser in the story of humanity.
"It happened after we made love for the first time." What the fuck?! Was this a punishment? Who the hell did I screw up to deserve this?
"Were you ever going to tell me?" I spat at him suddenly feeling repulsed with him and myself for all the intimate moments we shared.
"Yes I wanted to tell you so many times and came very close on more than one occasion, but decided to wait until we were back home."
Turning so I was facing Jake and Seth, I looked at them my mind completely blank. My friend and my alpha were in on this? "And you two knew and didn't care to fill me in on the joke?"
"Quil this is no joke, we thought he told you, he really loves you." Explained Seth, unfortunately I was beyond explanations. I didn't want any more empty words, no more lies.
"Of course he does, he is being forced to! I spat at both of them. "It's like driving by an accident you don't want to look but end up doing it anyway. I was that accident!"
"You are wrong Quil…" Intervened Paul, how dare he try to talk to me? I didn't even want to look his way, my heart felt like somebody was squeezing the life out of it.
"You shut the fuck up! You have no right to tell me anything! None of you do!
I couldn't take it anymore, I was choking; it was like there was no air in the room. I needed to get out of there. To get away from all of them. I had been fucked with one last time. There was nothing for me here, no hope, no happiness, no friendship and no love.
I ran out through the back door phasing as soon as my feet touched the wet grass and the first drop of water touched my skin. As always it was raining on our neck of the woods, the weather perfectly fitting to this miserable moment. My paws would hit the ground with tremendous force. I was escaping from everything. I was done.
The downpour was only interrupted by the thick canopy that made up our woods, the thick branches providing some respite for the merciless drops. I ran as fast as I could. I could hear their thoughts; Seth was begging me to stop. Paul knew exactly where I was going. Jacob was going to order me to stop. Before he could utter the order I blocked their thoughts disconnecting myself from them. This ability had been the reason nobody knew about my feelings for Paul, all except Seth. I knew they were in pursuit, I could hear them, but they will be too late.
They betrayed me, my friends kept the most single important fact about my life a secret. They were so fake; my so called friends were nothing but phonies. But none was worse than Paul. Singlehandedly he turned my life into a pile of rubble. I kept him alive, I ignored even my own dignity to remain by his side, I opened myself to him telling him my most secret and private thoughts. I gave him my body, my heart and my soul. He took all of me in his hands and squeezed the life out of it.
The smell of the ocean reached me only seconds before I arrived at my destination. It was so peaceful; the only sound was made by the drops of water as they hit the earth, and the waves hitting the rocks below. I phased and stood up naked as the day I was born. I wanted to die as a man not as a beast. Please mom and dad forgive me, I love you so much but I can't I cannot continue in this world. Standing on the edge of the cliff I listened to the sound of the waves battering the rocks below. It was low tide only the spray reaching the farthest edge of the rocks. The sharp rocks awaited me, hopefully it would be quick.
I took a step forward my foot dangling in the air. A body crashing with me and pulling me back prevented me from becoming airborne. We fell on the wet grass entangled on a mess of limbs. Paul was on top of me holding me down. "I will not let you do this!" Bellowed Paul.
"Why, so you can keep humiliating me?" His face was over mine the rain hitting his back and falling on me like tears.
"Is not what you think, I don't know how the fuck this happened. I just know it did. Quil it wouldn't have made a difference I loved you already. Are you listening? I was in love with you before the imprint!" He was screaming at me while holding my hands over my head. I refused to believe him, he kept this secret from me, what else could he be hiding.
"Liar, everything that comes out of your mouth is a lie. Get the fuck off me!" I was trashing under him but he had me in a grip of steel. I never knew how much strength he possessed until that moment.
"I won't let you go. You are mine, only mine. I love you please believe me." His voice and his eyes were begging me to believe him. How weak and pathetic could I be to even consider the idea? My heart was screaming at me, my wolf howling in desperation claiming his mate.
"Of course you do, you had no other choice." I had to make myself believe that Paul was the foulest creature to ever walk this earth. That was the only way I could resist believing his words. It was very hard not to, the connection I had with him was unique, as much as I hated the idea, as his imprint our life's become one. His emotions were so strong at the moment that I could feel whispers of them. Like a soft breeze that brings with it different aromas, some of them wonderful, some of them rancid.
"No magic made me love you, Quil you know in your heart I was in love with you. Remember all the hours we spent under the hood of my car. Every time your hand grazed mine as you handed me a tool, I could feel every cell in my body react. Baby you are under my skin, you have been for years. My love, every smile, every laugh, every tear, every moment we shared were real. Please believe me. I was too much of a pussy to tell you about the imprint and as time passed I was more afraid. Now I see how bad was that decision, please give me a chance."
"I bet you were disgusted when you made love to me" I hated it when my voice broke in the middle of that statement. Paul and I never had sex just for the sake of it. We made love, every second of it a testament to our love, or at least that's what I thought.
"Are you out of your mind?! I loved every second of it. The way you have given me all of you goes beyond the physical boundaries, it goes right to my soul. Quil you felt it right here, I know you did. " Paul poked my chest lightly pointing to my heart.
"Paul I wish I could believe you." I whispered my voice failing me; maybe it was my lungs which couldn't get air fast enough.
"Don't listen to my words, listen to your heart. Deep down you know my love is real not fabricated. Please baby, months ago you begged me on this same spot to give life a chance. I'm begging you today; give me a chance to make you happy. Our story cannot end this way, I refuse to let you go. You are my friend, my soul mate, my lover and you will be my husband." I felt my resolve falter, my inner being was screaming for me to see reason, to not give up on life. I could be happy, could I? I was not destined to be a dying star whose bright light slowly disappears.
Paul sat back bringing me up with him but still keeping a firm hold on me. We sat on the wet grass facing each other. I felt myself melting under his intense gaze. He had this power over me, or maybe it was the other way around, I didn't know anymore.
"Paul I love you so much, but you hurt me one last time. You broke your promise of never hurting me again. What do you call this? I feel like you slammed your fist against my chest grabbed my heart and destroyed it. I gave you my soul and you walked all over it. " Even if I ended up regretting this I opened my heart to him one more time.
"I could say I'm sorry but those words will sound empty and my attempt at redemption will be futile. If I could take all the pain I caused you and impose it on myself I would. God knows I deserve it. I'm a son of a bitch that doesn't deserve you, that much I know. But God, fate, destiny or I don't know what placed you in my path and gave me the best gift I could've ever gotten."
"But why did you break your present?"
"Because I'm an idiot! My Quil I've messed up many times and I will continue to do because that's who I am. I need you to keep me in line. Please answer me this, have you been happy these last four months?"
I nodded yes as my answer.
"In these last four months I have been the happiest man in the world. With you my life makes sense, with you by my side I feel blessed. It's true what they say, when you are with the person you are meant to be, everything falls into place. My life has been a complicated puzzle that nobody could finish; you came and became the last piece of that puzzle." He spoke the truth, I lived those moments, he was not making any of this up. In the last four months I had been happier than the rest of my life put together. Yes I had my family, I loved them with all my heart, but I was lonely. Every time I would see a family or just a couple holding hands my heart would shrink inside my chest.
"Quil you made me whole when I was lonely and broken, but you loved me enough to take the time to put me together. We can do this Quil, we can be happy. Please baby please please please!" Paul pressed his forehead against mine, his voice breaking. His plea was heartfelt, but could I live with the doubt? Could I let it all go and put me in his hands one more time.
"Paul I was so happy, why did you do this to me? What did I ever do to you?" I begged Paul to make some sense of this whole nightmare. Could I be overreacting?
"You didn't do anything wrong my Quil. It was me, all the fault is mine and mine alone. I made a mess of things; I hurt you again and again. It's not fair to you, I know, you are stuck with a stupid wolf who can't seem to do anything right."
"Paul I just want to be happy, I don't ask for much."
"Let me make you happy then. I meant what I said, I want to marry you. We'll ask Billy to marry us as soon as you want. I will dedicate my life to you. Damn it I would have babies for you if I could."
"You would look totally ridiculous with a big fat belly." I gave Paul a minute smile as he surrounded me with his arms and kissed me softly.
"Quil I love you so much." Whispered Paul smiling against my lips.
"I love you too Paul" I captured his lips in a heated kiss that would seal the promise and the hope for a happy future.
Eight years later
"Whoowee baby you look hot! You look almost as good as the day we got married."
"Thank you, are you ready?" Even after all these years he could still make me blush.
"I am ready for anything" Answered Paul suggestively.
Paul and I had gotten married five years before. We stood up before our family and friends in what became the happiest day of my life. It took time, but we loved each other and fought for what we wanted. As the years passed we became each other's reason for being. It took me three years to accept Paul's marriage proposal, it was a sacred bond, one that I wanted to take without any doubt in my mind. After three years Paul had proven himself to be the loving and committed partner I wanted to spend my life with.
When Seth asked me to be his best man I felt honored, especially when he told me that they wanted to model their marriage after ours. Neither one of them had role models and surprisingly enough we became exactly that. Who would have thought that the Lahote-Ateara could be an example of anything?
"What about Sean?" One year after we got married a young girl from the reservation became pregnant but wanted to give the baby up for adoption. She was only fifteen at the time and wanted to do the right thing for her baby. Knowing how much I wanted to have a child Sam contacted us and with the help of the council and support of our families we became foster parents of Sean Paul Lahote-Ateara. We decided that five Quils in this world was more than enough. We opted for a totally neutral first name but I insisted that the baby's middle name had to be Paul. Two years, many late nights and a mountain of paperwork later we became his legal parents. After all this time I had a family, just like I always dreamed.
"How am I supposed to know? I am not his fa… wait, yes, yes I am" Not even having a child put a damper in Paul's humor and love for life. He went from being the jackass of the pack to being a loving father and vital member of our community. He loved to tease me, when it came to teasing me, Sean and him would partner up to annoy me.
"I asked you to help him get dressed." I was tired and stressed without an ounce of patience left.
With the money his grandfather left him and a small loan, I was able to open a sandwich shop in Forks. Business was booming, but with it came a lot of sacrifice. The morning of the wedding one of my employees had called in sick and I had to go and cover for her. I had promised Seth that I would help set up and felt I let them down. Thank goodness that strong arms was something we never lacked, our pack brothers took care of everything, without breaking anything which was quite a feat in on itself.
"Don't get your panties in a bunch; he went upstairs to get his shoes."
"Stop it with the girl jokes! Seth is not a bride and I'm not his maid of honor." Paul had been torturing us relentlessly about Seth and I being girly. I could only speak for myself but I chose to be a sub, nobody imposed it on me. I never got comfortable with the idea of being an imprint. I should've been happy since that guaranteed Paul wouldn't sleep around and I could trust him. I couldn't help the sudden cold feeling I felt on the pit of my stomach every time that subject was discussed. After some time, nobody mentioned it anymore and that made me immensely happy.
"I'm sowie" Said Paul with the most delicious pout on his face; he never lost his charm and his ability to make me melt with the slightest gesture. I moved to take Paul's protruding lower lip between my teeth and bit it lightly. He moaned and I slapped his bottom to make him behave.
Like lightning Sean passed us, running towards the car, of course he was not wearing a shirt or shoes. Paul took off after him while I went to find the missing pieces of clothing. Standing on our porch I took in the scene before me. My husband and my son laughing at each other's antics. My journey had not been perfect, but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. At the end… it was all worth it.
Fin