"You gonna be okay?" Paul murmured, his hand interlocked with Dani's and swinging idly between them as they moseyed along the path to their cabin. "I have patrol tonight, and I can swing by here if you're still scared."
"Don't worry about me. You have a whole rez to protect, I'll be fine." Dani tried to smile, attempting to hide the tiny tendrils of fear that had taken over her voice of reason. She knew logically the pack was fully capable of protecting the rez, and she knew that the vampires were bound by some sort of no trespassing treaty, but she couldn't shake the cold chill of fear and repulsion the sparklebombs had inspired deep in her stomach.
Paul didn't respond as he brushed his thumb along the back of her hand, feeling the faint flutters of her pulse beneath her soft skin. He couldn't describe how pleased he was to be near her again, touching and holding her like he had been allowed to before his first phase. Even his wolf, who tended to be a rabid, snarling fucker most days, had settled down in Dani's presence. It was like he finally had what was missing in his life, and he had been incredibly blessed that Dani even forgave him at all. "I'll run by after my patrol." He murmured so decisively that Dani knew better than to argue the point.
Their easygoing silence came to an end when they reached the end of the road and both of them caught a glimpse of their father's work truck parked in front of the house. Dani could see his shadow moving in the front window, probably making himself dinner, and her face instinctively curled into an ugly sneer. "Guess he's done playing house with Tiffany for the day."
Paul cocked his head, brows pulling down into a thick furrowed line as he heard his father milling around the kitchen, opening and shutting cabinets. "Dani…" He could smell the beer from here, and although he knew his father would be more likely to hurt himself than hurt Dani, the thought of leaving her here with the drunk man while she was angry made his wolf whine in protest.
"I'll be fine." She leaned up on her tiptoes, patiently waiting for him to duck his head down so she could reach. He chuckled softly, gently resting his hands on her slim hips as he crouched down slightly, relishing in the spark she sent across his skin as her lips brushed against his chastely, as they had always done. "Go be a furry badass, I promise I can handle this."
He held her closely for a moment, fingers hooked in the belt loops of her shorts as he stared down into her vivid green eyes; there was so much he wanted to say, wanted to make up for, that it overwhelmed him sometimes. He knew that he couldn't rush it, not until Dani was ready to let him in again. He knew that, but that didn't stop him from wanting. "I love you."
It was a soft whisper, and nothing they hadn't said to each other before, but this time it made her heartbeat triple, warm, happy butterflies dancing in her belly as she leaned into his warm, muscular chest trying not to blush at his shirtlessness. She had a feeling she'd get used to it, being around the pack now. "I love you too, Paul." She snuggled into his chest, resting her cheek against the hard planes of his pecs as her eyes closed. She wanted to savor the feeling of love, safety, and happiness for as long as she reasonably could before going inside. It struck her as funny that she found the arms of a werewolf, a volatile one at that, more comforting that her own home.
They stood, tucked together in their own little bubble, drawing comfort from each other for as long as they could before a deep, mournful howl cut through the peaceful sounds of the forest. Paul let out a rough, animalistic growl that was somewhere between a sigh and a snarl as he peered into the dark trees surrounding them, as though he could see whoever had howled. "That'll be Embry. I'm late."
"Go, Paul. I'll be fine; and tell Em I said hi." She cleared her throat softly as she pulled away, brushing her hands greedily along his arms under the guise of dusting imaginary particles off his skin. His scowl melted into a smirk as he let her, a soft rumbling sound escaping from his chest. "Are you…Are you purring?" Dani's eyes widened and her hands paused as she tried to control the giggles bubbling up in her throat.
Paul raised one eyebrow, gently brushing his fingertips along the strip of skin exposed between her tank top and shorts, relishing the soft shiver it caused in her. "I'm a wolf, baby. And he likes you." Before she could read into that statement too much, he pressed those silky, heated lips against her forehead tenderly then jogged off towards the tree line, already reaching for the button of his cutoff shorts. She watched for a moment, until she could barely make out his form in the shadows, before she turned with a tiny sigh and trudged towards the porch, stomping a little harder than necessary on the weathered boards as if taking her frustration out on them rather than her father.
The smell of beer and the hum of the microwave met her as she stepped into the home, shutting the door with a quiet click behind her. She tried to sneak down the hall to her bedroom, but her father stuck his head out of the kitchen with a small, hopeful smile. "Dani! I was hoping you'd be home soon; I have dinner heating up right now."
She stared at the man in confusion, from his freshly shaved face down to the clean button up and jeans he had put on. This wasn't the dad she had come to be familiar with the past few weeks. This domesticated routine was new territory and she took a few small steps into the home, ready to navigate the minefield as she stared at him. "Dinner…you have dinner…and you're sober…" She was muttering to herself in disbelief as she walked stiffly to her room to drop her bag off, not catching the small flinch on her father's face.
oooooooooo
'You just left her there?' Embry practically squawked, his heavy paws thumping on the dirt path as Paul lumbered beside him, keeping their eyes and noses open in case they ran upon something.
Paul's cold, nearly black eyes turned to the boy, never breaking his stride as he wished for the hours to be over already. 'If I thought he was a threat, I wouldn't have.' He tried to tighten the leash on his wolf, though a soft growl escaped him as his claws flexed in the soft dirt. He may have been on the path to being alright with whatever Dani and Embry had done together, but his wolf had taken permanent offense to the younger male. Something about him rubbed the wolf the wrong way, something deeper than a fling with the girl they both loved.
Embry quieted after that, knowing that, however he himself felt about the hotheaded asshole, Paul would never leave Dani alone somewhere she was in danger. At least that was something they could agree on. As independent as Dani was, and as strong as she could be- Inadvertently, flashes of their last night together, when she had taken control and ridden him so freely, not knowing her stepbrother was listening, flashed through his head for a split second. That was all it took, though, for Paul to turn on him, a heavy silver paw flinging out and crashing against his neck. Embry's muzzle slammed into the dirt, held there by Paul's weight as their eyes met. 'I didn't mean to show that.' Embry murmured, trying to ignore the sharp pain from Paul's claws digging into the thick fur at the scruff of his neck.
'But you did.' Came the gravelly response, the pressure on the younger boy's neck increasing until he let out a strangled yelp, his paws scrambling in the dirt as he tried to find the leverage to throw the bigger, more experienced boy off his body. 'Try. I could tear you to shreds before you could lift a fucking paw.'
Embry whimpered, trying to force his body go limp as his ears flattened against his head. He knew the older boy was still angry, but until now, Sam had done his best to keep them separated. They hadn't had a chance to work out their aggressions in Paul's preferred way, and he knew that nothing would be settled until they had.
So, with a small prayer that the action didn't get his head bitten off, Embry took a chance and phased back, sprawled naked in the dirt under Paw's giant paw as their eyes met. "Fight me like a man, then."
Paul's snout turned up in a snarl, exposing the razor-sharp canines that glinted in the moonlight before he felt the air shift. Paul stepped away, the air around him shimmering before the giant wolf folded in on itself, silver fur replaced by tan skin. Those eyes didn't change though; cold, filled with rage, and tinged with the unmistakable yellow of his wolf as he growled, "Let's go."
oooooooooo
A plate of steaming meatloaf was placed in front of her and Dani frowned, stealing a quick glance over at the Tupperware containers sitting by the sink. "I didn't think you'd be home tonight."
"Ah, well…I'm going to try to be better from now on." He tried not to think about what, or who, he would have usually been doing by now. This evening after work, he had gone to Tiffany's to end things. They had both known it was wrong, but it was something that just happened between them. It was time for him to be a man, though, and focus on his family instead of his lover. He had made vows to Amanda and Dani to always be there for them, and he had been failing miserably on both accounts. It was like he had been living in a haze since Amanda had gotten sick, not wanting to confront the pain in his family while he was hurting so badly, and it was the coward's way out. Daniel had never been a coward.
Tiffany had understood. Had taken his quietly muttered words with a watery, bittersweet smile as she gave him one last lingering kiss, then offered to send leftovers home with him since it seemed like Embry wouldn't be coming home for dinner tonight. He accepted them gratefully, hoping he could start earning some forgiveness from his daughter with a meal together, even if she had no idea the extent of what he was trying to make up for.
From the stern look on her angelic face, her full lips twisted into a thin grimace, he wondered if maybe he had miscalculated.
"And just where did the food come from? You can barely make cereal on your own, and last I heard takeout doesn't come in Tupperware." She stabbed her fork into the meatloaf to take a small bite, refusing to let her rumbling stomach distract her from her righteous anger.
Daniel's eyes roamed the room, a sure sign he was either trying to come up with a lie or trying to find a way to sugarcoat things. Her father didn't lie often, but when he did, it was easy to see his tells. "Ms. Call made it. She had made dinner for her and Embry, but he's been staying out all night and she didn't want it to go to waste, so she thought we could use it." There, nothing suspicious. He felt proud of himself, until he caught sight of the absolute rage on Dani's face, her fork halfway to her mouth as she stared through him rather than at him. "…Dani?"
Her hand was trembling so hard the food fell off the fork, landing somewhere between the table and chair as she fought to control the trembling and spasming in her joints. White hot rage blinded her as she stood, shoving her chair away from the little cluttered table as she stepped back from her father. "I guess fucking her has its rewards then, right?"
He cringed, head bowing as he wondered how she had found out. "Dani, baby-"
"No." The sound was guttural and filled with grief and rage as she gripped the counter to steady herself, her legs aching and threatening to fold under her as she glared at the man that she considered to be her father. "My mother loves you…more than anything, and you repay her by fucking her best friend?"
He opened his mouth to defend himself, but she wasn't finished.
"And you just stroll in here night after night, pretending things are fine because you have all you need, right? Pussy and a case of beer, that's all that matters, right?" She let out a hysterical laugh, the sound rough as though it had been torn from her throat as she shook her head, trying to calm her thoughts.
"I am still your father!" He stood up as well, trying to push past the guilt and shame he felt as he stared at his clearly hurting daughter. If she had been Quileute, he would've thought she was about to phase, and wouldn't that have just been the cherry on the fucking sundae? Phased on by both his kids in a matter of months.
"And my mother is dying alone while you-" She cut herself off with a pained cry, her hand going to her chest as she tumbled to the ground, landing with a thump on her knees. "How could you?"
"Dani, I'm sorry- it just happened, and I never meant for you to find out-" He tried to explain himself as he stepped towards her, growing increasingly concerned as she trembled and shook, her head shaking as though she were fighting with herself.
"Fuck you." She managed to utter through clenched teeth, before a pained scream left her body and she fell forward, hidden by the table and chairs as his eyes widened.
"Dani? Dani, are you okay?" He practically dove around the table to check on her, only to skid to a stop when he saw feral eyes, a stunning mixture of green and gold, glaring up at him from a slim, white, furry body. As the wolf stood, taking a step towards him with its teeth bared, he understood.
He was prey.
He didn't know how it had happened, but he knew he needed to get away from his daughter and he needed to get help. His eyes flickered from Dani's growling form to the phone hanging on the wall, and she cocked her head as if daring him to try.
So, he turned on his heel and ran, clambering through the back screendoor and towards the side of the house, hearing heavy paws thumping on the ground behind him as Dani- as the wolf stalked him. He knew there was no way to outrun her, but he only needed to get help. If he could just get one of the pack to come, to let them know-
He struggled to yank his flip-phone out of his jeans pocket without breaking his stride, shaky fingers dialing the Chief's number. If anyone knew what to do, it would be Billy Black.
oooooooooo
For his credit, Billy Black hadn't let the shock knock him for a loop for more than a second before he shouted for Jacob. He could hear the panic in Daniel Lahote's breathless voice and knew now was not the time for questions.
"Get Sam, go to the Lahotes!" Billy shouted as Jacob crashed through the hallway, tangled in his bedsheets and eyes wide with concern as he stood crowding the doorway. "Dani has phased."
"Dani?!" If it were any other situation, the way Jacob's eyes had bugged out may have made the old man chuckle, but the laborious breathing and soft snarls coming over the phone put a damper on it.
"Daniel Lahote is running for his life, she's gone feral. Get Sam, now!" He snapped, the power in his voice making something snap in Jacob as he shot out the door, feet barely touching the ground as he sprinted into the forest, leaving the back door bouncing against the doorframe without bothering to shut it.
He was phased before he entered the woods, heavy paws crushing fallen trees and underbrush as he tore through the forest towards the Lahote cabin. A long, alarming howl escaped him as he tested the mind-link, knowing that someone had to be on patrol right now. The others would respond to his howl shortly, but he needed all the help he could get as fast as he could get it. No one responded, he was the only one phased. Not even Dani could be heard over the link, as shocking as it was. Not that it had been normal as it was; Dani had no Quileute blood at all, she shouldn't have phased.
He dove over a fallen tree, using leverage from his back paws to propel over it and out of the heavy tree line. His ears perked up as he heard Daniel's rough breathing and a loud purr of contentment, leaping out of the woods just in time to intercept Dani as she lunged for the kill. Their bodies tumbled across the dirt, russet over white, in a snarling, snapping tangle as he tried to pin Dani down. Daniel had collapsed to the forest floor, panting and scrambling away from them in fear.
'Dani, calm down! It's Jacob!' Now that he wasn't focused on finding them, he could hear the other's thoughts as they raced towards them as well. Sam, Jared, Embry, Paul, they were all talking over each other in shock, but the cacophony of noise was still lacking one voice.
Dani's big eyes slowly blinked up at him as he got her pinned, heavy paws on her chest as she sprawled on her back. Her snow-white fur was clumped with dirt and leaves from the chase and he could tell that she was nowhere near as large as the others in the pack, even Embry who was noticeably smaller than the other guys. As he made a soft rumbling sound, hoping to comfort her despite the force behind his grasp, he could see the yellow fading slowly from her eyes and horror set in as she began to wriggle under him, emitting soft whines that tore at his heart as he remembered his own first phase. The loss of control, the sudden animal instinct thrust over you as you were confronted with your wolf…It was all too much at once.
'Jacob, stand back.' Sam kept his dark eyes on Dani's trembling body as Jacob slowly stepped away, taking the weight off her as Paul's silver wolf stepped up, nudging her flank with his muzzle and making a soft snorting sound. Dani whined, curling up on herself as Paul sat down, curling himself around her and resting his head on hers as the others looked on. 'We need to find a way to communicate with her; none of us can hear her.' Sam looked unusually frazzled, even in wolf form as they watched Paul crooning to her softly, his wolf soothing her own minutely.
It took a while for their confused thoughts to settle enough to realize they were missing yet another voice; Paul was still phased, wrapped around Dani's petite, sleek form like some sort of heated, furry blanket, yet they could no longer hear him either.
Things are happening! I know some people were against Dani becoming a wolf, and I assure you it's not going to be that simple. Please give it a chance.
I also want to apologize for my little absence; I had midterms this week and all my classes decided to schedule their midterms in a two-day span, so I was stressed as all hell trying to prepare for all them.
And lastly, I wanted to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for over 600 followers! It happened a few days ago, and I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who's given this story a chance. I never thought I'd have even a fraction of that many readers, and it makes me ecstatic to know I have that many supporters.
So, thank you, everyone who has read, followed, favorited, reviewed, critiqued, etc! It means so much to me, and I hope you'll all continue to enjoy! I have a few more twists up my sleeve, so please stay tuned.
