"Jacob phased last night." Paul spoke solemnly once they had walked for a while down the beach. They were still within earshot of the other wolves, but it gave them enough of a semblance of privacy to talk without the others butting in.
Dani nodded ever-so-slightly as she kicked a few clumps of sand, absentmindedly searching for seashells for Seth. "I figured. Is he alright?" She knew that Jacob most likely wouldn't be seeing Bella anytime soon and she worried about the girl slipping back into the half-dead, emotionless mess that she had seen in the garage that day with Embry. It had taken forever for her to start to heal and she had quickly become one of her closest friends besides Leah, she didn't want to lose another friend to Sam Uley's merry pack of assholes.
Paul shrugged, gently lacing his fingers with Dani's as they walked side-by-side leaving footprints in the soggy sand. "Sam and Billy are explaining things to him right now. He's angry, he wants to see the Leech Lover." Paul's lips curled up in distaste as he thought of the girl dating the vamp, vegetarian or not. It wasn't natural, just the thought of it was enough to make his skin crawl and his wolf growl.
"Bella. Her name is Bella." Dani frowned as she stopped, her wrist popping slightly as he kept walking for a moment, not noticing she had stopped. When he heard her bone pop, he immediately turned and examined her arm to make sure he hadn't hurt her as she stared at him in confusion, her brows furrowed. "Why did you call her that?"
"Call her what? I called her a paleface." He tried to backtrack as she pulled her arm away from him, knowing he had just opened a can of worms he didn't want to open yet. Dani didn't even know the full extent of the wolves; she was nowhere near ready to learn that a family of vampires lived only a forest away.
"Have I ever been that stupid?" Dani shook her head as she stared up into his eyes, crossing her arms over her chest as she stood up straight and tried to look imposing in an effort to show she wouldn't back down and let him hide whatever he was trying to hide. "You said 'the Leech Lover'. Explain, Paul. You said no more secrets and lies."
Paul sighed heavily, running a hand through his growing hair as he stared down into her determined, stormy green eyes. "Can we go to the cave to talk?" He knew the guys could still hear and he wanted complete privacy with Dani to explain the rest of the legends. Dani took a moment to respond, seeing no hint of dishonesty in his eyes, before she nodded slowly. Paul crouched, scooping her up bridal-style in his arms and darting into the tree line as she shrieked in surprise at the sudden movement.
"What the-" As soon as he started running, she clung tighter to his chest and buried her face against his neck as the wind whipped past her, chilling her. The familiar, spicy scent that clung to his skin calmed her and it seemed like only seconds before he came to a halt and his grip loosened carefully to let her down. "We're here already?"
"It's no magic carpet ride, but wolf speed is pretty handy." He chuckled quietly as he helped her regain her balance on the rocky ground at the cave entrance, then peered into the darkened opening. "Nothing's in there, it's safe here."
"How can you...wolfy senses?" Dani realized midway through her sentence that, even though he seemed like the same Paul, he had changed in more ways than she would ever know. At his sheepish nod, she smiled softly and stepped into the cave. "You never told me what it's like to be a wolf."
"Why do you want to know?" He retorted, following her in and watching as she plopped down on the old blankets they had made a bed with long ago.
She shrugged, gently patting the soft, worn throw blanket beside her to invite him to sit. "I just want to know the new Paul. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
He sighed heavily as he slowly lowered himself to sit, his wolf humming softly in pleasure as her scent came over him in calming waves. She stayed quiet as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, a small smile on his lips as she snuggled into his heat a little and stared at the smooth rock wall in front of their faces. "The phasing part is the worst. That first transformation...I wouldn't wish it on anyone, Dani. It feels like you're on fire and can't put it out, and everything starts to annoy you so much that the simplest things are like fuel to the flame. Then, when it finally gets too much, you feel like all of your bones are breaking and twisting." He leaned his head back with a heavy thud against the rock behind them, swallowing hard as he remembered the first time he had phased in their living room. "And then everything's just over. You find out you have fur and an asshole alpha to follow, you find out you can't see anyone besides the other wolves. Sam forces you to get a haircut, like it fucking makes a difference." Dani could tell he was getting agitated and leaned up, gently pressing her lips against the warm flesh below his jaw and feeling his hammering pulse.
"Why do you have to follow Sam's orders? Who made him the leader of the pack?" She laid her head against his shoulder as he started to slowly rub her back, unknowingly soothing some of the ache away and bringing a warm blush to her cheeks as a quiet moan escaped her lips.
"You know, out of all the times I imagined you moaning for me, I thought it would take more than a back rub." He chuckled softly as he glanced down at her mop of dark hair, knowing she was embarrassed as she hid her face. "I'm not mad at it, though."
"I've just been so sore lately and I have no idea why." She mumbled, smacking his chest half-heartedly as he leered at her playfully. "Stop being a perv."
"Aw, come on. Let me work on you." He gently pulled her into his lap to sit between his legs, moving her hair away from her delicate, tanned shoulders so that it was out of the way. "I promise I'll behave, for now. If I get too rough, let me know."
"Good." Dani relaxed a little as he began to knead her sore muscles, the heat from his skin making it feel even better as she leaned back against him as much as she could without interrupting his massage. "Mmm so...Sam...Who made him head asshole?"
"Sam was the first to phase. That's why he disappeared for so long, he was lost in the woods and didn't know how to phase back. That makes him alpha by default, I suppose; now that Jacob's joined the pack, that might change." He couldn't deny the fact that hearing her soft moans, as innocent as they were, were turning him on. He hadn't had any sort of release since the last night he hooked up with Rachel Black, and he was hoping Dani wasn't able to feel the growing tent in his denim shorts against her lower back.
Dani, for the most part, had become a figural puddle in his lap as his fingers loosened up her shoulders, then moved slowly down her spine working out all the kinks. "What...Jacob? Why would things change because of him?" She could feel her blush intensifying as she felt something stabbing against the top of her butt cheeks, but she wasn't uncomfortable enough to end her massage. 'A few months ago, I would've ripped off my top and begged him to take me if I knew I affected him like that, and now that it's pushed up against me, I have to pretend it's not the hottest thing I've ever felt.' She tried not to sigh petulantly, reminding herself that if she was patient and Paul stuck to his promises, this wouldn't be the last chance she had.
"He's the alpha by birthright. After he gets his wolf under control, either Sam will have to stand down or they'll have to fight for the position." He finally reached the base of her spine and stopped massaging, wrapping his arms around her slim waist and pulling her closer to rest his chin on her shoulder. "Anything else you need rubbed?"
"I told you, Paul, not until you prove you're sorry." He fought the urge to kick himself as she sat up, wriggling out of his hold as she turned to face him. "We came here to talk, remember?" Despite all her attempts to seem stern, she couldn't help but glance down at the tent in his cutoffs. Her eyes widened almost comically before she turned away, shuffling over to a stack of her books they'd accumulated over the years in here. If the outside was any indication of what he had hidden under all that denim, comparing him and Embry would be like comparing a snake to a worm.
"Alright, then ask me." He laid back against the wall and crossed his arms behind his head, watching her piddle around to distract herself. "What do you want to know?" 'She's grown more since I left. I guess she just finally hit a growth spurt...' She was still lean and petite, but she had filled out a little and he wondered if she had started to work out more over the summer.
"Explain why you called Bella a leech lover." Dani cleared her throat softly, clutching an old copy of 'The Great Gatsby' to her stomach as she turned back to her stepbrother. "Is it a wolf thing too?"
Paul stared into her eyes for a moment before he sighed, nodding. "I know you know the legends about the Cold Ones, the enemies of the wolves...vampires. We were created to protect the tribe and our people from them. A coven of them just left Forks a few months ago, around the time Sam and Jared phased."
"In Forks?!" Dani's eyes widened as far as they could as she dropped the faded, worn out book and started to stand up, as if she wanted to flee from the very idea. "So, you're telling me that when it gets dark out, there are creepy crawlies hanging around waiting to suck our blood?"
Paul couldn't help but chuckle, knowing she was scared but amused by her reaction. He reached out and gently grabbed her hand, tugging her back into his lap and handing her the book she had dropped. "No, Dani. Every night, at least one wolf is patrolling around the Rez in case any vampires show up and if a leech wants to get to you, they have to get through me and Embry to eat you."
"But what does that have to do with Bella? She's a human, I should know. She got a papercut from my notepad one night and I swear I thought she was going to bleed out." Dani absentmindedly flipped through the book as she stared up at Paul, her eyebrows furrowed into a thick, dark line. She was still terrified by the thought of Nosferatu gnawing on her toes while she was asleep alone, but she didn't want Paul to see how childish she was being.
"The coven that left Forks was a family called the Cullens. You've heard of Doctor Cullen at the hospital, he was their leader. They called themselves vegetarians, feeding on animals instead of humans. The tribe had a treaty with them, the last pack created it in the '30s. They aren't allowed on our land and any vamp who does cross our border is fair game." Paul took a deep breath, letting that sink in before he dropped the next bombshell. "Bella was dating one of them before they left."
oooooooooo
"So, Leah, have you bought anything for the nursery yet?" Joy clasped her hands together on the tabletop, peering across at Leah as she perched comfortably on Quil's knees to devour the plate of pancakes, eggs, and bacon she had been offered.
Leah shook her head, a few pesky strands of hair falling into her face only to be swept behind her ear by Quil before it could interfere with her breakfast. "No, I kind of wanted to find a nursery first. Mom and dad haven't mentioned anything about turning the guest room into a nursery, so I think I'm on my own."
Joy exchanged a secretive smile with Quil before she hummed softly. "Well, after you eat, if you feel up to it, you and I could go do a little shopping and maybe do some apartment hunting."
"Really?" Leah raised her eyes to meet Joy's sincere, if a bit dazed, expression. "Uhm...that would be great, actually. Where should we look first?" She glanced up at Quil, smiling as she relaxed comfortably in his arms. Despite the embarrassment of earlier, Joy had made her feel more at home in 30 minutes than her own mother had in 18 years.
Quil leaned down, pressing his lips to hers in a gentle, chaste kiss as his hands rested on her baby bump. "Up to you, baby. I'm going to stay here though; mom wants me to clear out the storage room with grandad."
Almost immediately, he could see a little bit of her excitement fizzle out although she tried to hide it with a smile. "Oh, alright. Uhm...I'm going to go shower before we go." She stood up, arms around her belly as she scurried out of the kitchen and down the short hall to the bathroom. As soon as she was out of sight, Joy reached over and slapped the back of her son's head, clicking her tongue and shaking her head in disappointment.
"Ow, Ma! What the-" He turned to stare at her, bewildered, only to freeze as he saw her eyes squint and her hand raise again in warning. "...heck?"
"Good boy, I will not tolerate that kind of language in my kitchen. Now you should've known better, now she thinks you don't care to go baby shopping with her!" Joy stood up, shaking her head once more as she started to gather the breakfast dishes, carrying them over to the sink to rinse for the dishwasher.
"What? I thought you were getting her out of the house so I could work on the apartment!" He stared up at his mother, still utterly confused as he ran both hands through his messy, curly hair and tugged on the ends in frustration. "How am I supposed to know what's going to upset her and what isn't?"
"You have to figure that out yourself. All I know is this: if you let that girl go, I will haunt you long after I'm gone. She's wonderful and she clearly loves you to bits." Joy turned to face her son, shutting the dishwasher door with a well-aimed hip bump as she leaned against the countertop. "I've never seen that girl light up like that, even with that Uley boy. I always just assumed she was a bitch."
"Hey, what happened to no swearing in the kitchen?" Quil chuckled as he stood up, heading towards the doorway to leave the kitchen. As he passed by her, Joy swatted him with a dish towel playfully, laughing as he tried to dodge and ended up crashing into the doorframe instead.
"My kitchen, my rules. Now go, if you're not back in half an hour I'm coming in again." She returned to cleaning up the kitchen a little as Quil made his way down the hall, quietly letting himself into the bathroom and stepping out of his pants and boxers by the overflowing laundry hamper.
"Lee?" He stepped into the tub with her, gently pressing against her back and wrapping his arms around her waist as he peered over her soapy shoulder, watching her caress her belly lovingly. "I didn't mean to upset you, I'm sorry."
He heard her take a shaky breath before she shook her head, the soapy hair she had piled atop her head like a foamy, fragrant mountain falling onto her lean shoulders. "Don't worry about it. I don't want to push you into it."
"Baby, you aren't pushing me into anything." He trailed soft, tender kisses across the soft skin of her shoulder as he caressed her baby bump lovingly. "I'd be there in a heartbeat, but mom really wants to get to know you and you know how grandad is. If we leave him here alone, he'll get into shine again and we'll never be able to get him off the couch." He slipped his hands lower, gently caressing her thighs and hips as he felt the tension slowly leaving her body.
"But I thought baby shopping would be like…us together." She murmured, closing her eyes as she gave in and leaned back against his chest.
Quil nodded, gently turning her in his arms so that they were facing each other. "And it will be. Lee, unless you're planning on coming home with a lease and a truckload of baby supplies, we'll have plenty of time to go together." He pressed his lips to hers gently as she nodded, snaking her arms around his neck as her belly pressed against his.
"Promise?" She mumbled against his lips as she started to rub against him and he smiled as he picked her up, wrapping her legs around his hips as she held onto the shelf built into the wall for balance.
"I promise. Now, can I show you how much I love you before my mom comes in again?" She moaned quietly as he caressed her body, pressing against her as she felt a blush rise to her cheeks. He said he loved me.
So...hey there *several sweatdrop emojis* Long time no see. I wish I had an excuse but...I don't know, man, college got hard all of a sudden. I've switched majors three times. Played DnD until my arms were sore. Got a 3.0 last semester, insanely proud btw.
I had this chapter sitting half finished for what seemed like forever and every time I went to finish it, I would lose my progress because the doc manager would mess up. So I'm so, so, so sorry for the wait this time and I'm not going to promise frequent updates anymore because I respect you all more than to promise something I may not be able to keep, but I do promise that this story will get finished. I have the outline done, now I just have to get back into the headspace to write this particular story.
On another note, though, I started updating my Seth/OC story pretty frequently after going on an Australian rock music spree one day and regaining my inspiration. So if that's a pairing that interests you, please check out Come Said The Boy and maybe leave me a review?
As always, thank you to everyone who has stayed following and reading this story with my frequent long breaks and thank you for all the reviews and favorites as well. I never thought this story, or any of my stories, would be this popular and I'm insanely grateful to everyone who reads anything I write.