Way Down We Go by Kaleo is the song for this chapter :)
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Sam stood before the remaining members of the council on the same morning that Harry was found. He could hardly control the tick in his cheek from irritation. He needed to get out and hunt around the Clearwater house with his pack, not talk about it. The only thing that kept him from saying so was that these men were Harry's close friends. They didn't mean to hold the pack back.
"Samuel, are you listening? Sue told us that Harry's body had lacerations in it, consistent with a knife." Old Quil asked.
"So?" Let him chase a scent and get real answers.
"So the odds of this being a cold one is weird. What cold one doesn't just go for the jugular?" This time it was Billy speaking.
"Well who on earth would hurt Harry if not the vampire who has been playing with us for all these months?" Sam growled.
"Well, from the way Sue was awoken and was toyed with, we have reason to suspect it's of... supernatural source." Old Quil clamored hesitantly, but Sam detected the faintest threads of smugness in his tone.
"What are you getting at? If it's supernatural and not a cold one..." Sam was confused before the implication of a knife hit him like a train.
"You've got to be fucking with me?! You think Bella did this?" He trembled in outrage at one of his pack, an imprint, being blamed for such an atrocity.
Old Quil's face displayed no remorse. "It could've only been her."
Billy winced at his old friend but nodded his head at Sam. "I don't believe so either, but as chief, I can't ignore that possibility." He saw the look on the alpha's face and quickly added. "It's too much speculation to file a formal charge. I'm merely asking that you and the rest of the pack keep an eye on her. Avoid Paul as the guard because-"
"But she's an imprint, Billy!"
"Please understand that my request is just a precaution. This council-" The chief cast an aggravated look at Old Quil. "will not do anything rash or stupid. The well-being of the tribe is our first priority, but Bella's bond to us is not under dispute. We just want everyone safe."
Sam sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Alright. I'll ask Bella to start patrolling with us, so that she has about three wolves with her at all times and our duties aren't neglected. On off time, I'll put Jared on her."
Billy nodded and frowned. "Why not Jake?"
"If Paul's not allowed to guard his imprint, then Jake isn't guarding Bella either. You want a pissed off Paul rampaging around?" He leveled a stare at his chief and the man quickly shook his head sheepishly. "Can I actually look for the bastard now?" Sam was at the end of his leash.
"Yes, be careful Samuel." Old Quil said regally.
Last time I checked you're not the chief. The werewolf did not budge an inch and looked at Billy.
The older Black smiled, "Watch out for your brothers and sisters, son." He spoke in Quileute.
Only then did Sam walk away.
Paul's POV
It was difficult to coax Leah and Seth out of their self-pitying stages. The quicker they changed, the quicker they could see their dad in the hospital. Embry, the gentlest of us all, worked tirelessly to soothe them, which resulted in Leah snapping at him. I understood the rage and I quickly became the she-wolf whisperer amongst us. The bitch just wanted to fight.
I was more than happy to give it to her.
Oh wow, Leah, you almost got me there. Her fangs nearly sank into my tail. You know that's a cheap shot, right?
A ripping growl. Shut. Up. Leah literally got a piece of my furry ass in her mouth. The sight of blood and grey fur galore had the rest of the pack snickering.
I yelped and admittedly, suddenly I was the bitch. Leah... you never told me you ate ass. How much do I owe-
She was beyond fluid thought and sank her fangs deeper into my flesh, and shook to emphasize the pain from the wound. I whined. Someone help me, fuckers!
The roaring amusement that accompanied the pain almost distracted us from Jake walking in human form towards us. He looked tired and drained. Meanwhile, Sam's mental presence joined us.
Why are you two not checking out the Clearwater's house? He snapped at Embry and Jared, who were too busy rolling on the forest floor. Sir Alpha's scattered thoughts ran too fast to catch. I, ironically enough, was designated as babysitter for the newest additions.
"Bella, look away I'm getting naked." Jake's voice called out.
Holy shit. Who was he talking to? She couldn't be here, could she? Leah ripped into me further but I ignored her as I searched for my imprint.
Low laughter from high above had us looking into the trees. Bella had snuck up on us and had a prime seat to my misery. Her muscular legs swung casually in tune with her laugh while she responded. "Sure Jake, trust me when I say I'm not looking at you."
Amusement reigned on her face as she gave me a very smug smirk.
Oh shucks, if I could blush in wolf form. This was embarrassing. Leah abruptly released me and gave hysterical mental laughter. It must really be shock if she wasn't wondering why the hell Bella was on top of a 100 foot tree. She was starting to cool down, but high stress still colored her mind. Seth laid away from us and was still unbearably sad.
"Bella, if you're tired of running, you can ride on my back on the way to my place." Jake called, his voice high with annoyance. The guy was exhausted.
"I'm good with running, Jake." Bella still didn't glance down at him, her eyes still trained on mine. "Anything I can help with, Sam?"
Sam's mind closed off like a wall and then he shook his furry jaw. Bella stood, Jake shifted, and then I received the privilege to watch as her lithe body silently darted from tree to tree until she was out of range of our senses.
The whole pack was in awe of my imprint's stealth. I was so proud.
That could be useful. Sam filed it away into his mental notes about Bella.
What's an imprint? Leah's thoughts were curious but somewhat full of dread.
It was Jared whose mind slipped, allowing the full details for the reason the love of her life left for her cousin. Leah had resented Sam's presence after turning, but her father's health had distracted her from truly showing the rage and heartbreak held within. The information about imprinting sent the she-wolf spiraling back to a primal state where she wanted only one thing.
She was fast. Faster than any of us, and my attempt to catch her by the scruff failed when she launched towards our alpha's throat. Too fast for an alpha order.
An injured Sam, too masochistic and guilty to defend himself, later left to finally investigate with the others. Leah felt a little guilty in being a delay since she wanted justice for her father.
Don't worry about it. I would've done much, much worse if I was in her position.
She licked my face in appreciation and finally laid back next to Seth. He was starting to become more aware of his surroundings.
Alright, kids. Let's focus on getting you guys unfurry.
It took twelve hours for the Clearwaters to shift with my help. It wasn't a bad record since the circumstances were terrible, but Jake's transition and natural ability had almost made me forgot how truly difficult it was. Meditation helped because Emily had taught me. I still held the record for taking the longest to shift back the first time.
The hunt that Sam led was beyond puzzling. The doorstep where Harry had been dumped was wiped clean of any scent except human blood, all of which belonged to our council member. The two-story bedroom window that Sue hinted about was wiped clean too. The scent of the wind, always present in our noses, was even absent on it.
Sam theorized that it was one of those special abilities that Bella had told us about. The vampire Victoria or one of Bella's kind could've done it, or some other species we didn't know about. The only successful part of the mission was that now we knew it was supernatural.
Only once Leah and Seth were gone did Sam inform us that Old Quil was gunning to pin the blame on my imprint. The news wasn't really as shocking to me as it was to the others.
You're taking this... well. Jared ventured.
I'm sure Bella would be even less insulted. We don't even know what the hell she is, guys. She's my soul-mate, but that doesn't mean we can't take extra measures to make sure our tribe is safe. Harry is almost dead for fuck's sake. If anything, she'll be safer this way.
Sam let out a sigh. Don't tell her anything about this. Been awhile since I've been alpha-ordered, the weight of it shackled me. Take a break, everybody. Paul, get Jake out here immediately with Bella later. You can spend a little time with her first. I'll stay here. And for the love of the Spirits, don't tell Seth or Leah about this, Jared.
I knew Bella was strong but I shuddered to think what Leah would attempt to do to her if Old Quil's suspicions reached her.
Bella's POV
Jake was sleeping (he needed it) while I read an old book of Rachel's on the couch. Relaxation and simply hanging with my best friend all day until dark helped to relieve our tension, and it made Charlie feel better that I was not alone. Harry had only gotten worse and my father was staying the night at the hospital with Sue, whose kids were mysteriously not there. Reading for the first time since I had been grounded was truly gratifying.
The peace was broken when I heard heavy footsteps out of the woods. Then a second later, Paul slid through the rickety door that Jake still needed to repair. He looked about as tired as Jake had and how I felt. Neither of us had gotten much rest because of our late night escapade.
The night before now felt like a dream; the tangibility of it sullied by violence.
"Hi, Paul." I smiled at him shyly.
He was dirty and there was dried blood on him from Leah. His dark eyes looked me over and I felt myself blush. I'd dressed in my usual Bella of Forks attire, not what I truly wanted to wear. Paul had probably gotten accustomed to the latter.
The tall man prowled over to me slowly, and it felt as though I was being hunted. I tried not to melt into the couch from the feeling. My heart started speeding. He let the back of his hand scrape my cheek softly, tenderly.
The corners of his mouth quirked up into a sexy smile. "Hey babe." And then he seemed to sashay to the door to Jacob's room where he unceremoniously kicked the door open.
"Wake up, Black! Vacation's over."
Jake's breath started out startled and quick. "Fuck, Lahote, I'm going to kill you and the leech first so I can sleep!"
I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled pleasantly from my chest.
"Well that would just solve everyone's problems, now wouldn't it?" Paul responded, but he was already heading back to me. He once again was fixated on me. I awkwardly scrambled up the couch as he plopped down.
The proximity burned my body, set it afire. Paul's hand leisurely began to stroke my hair while the other rubbed my bare calf. I tried to keep calm but it was a losing battle. He was an antidote to the coldness that had been a part of me for years, what I had been hiding from everyone, even my closest friends. My breathing came out rugged and my head fell back, exposing my neck.
Paul's mouth tracing my bare skin on my neck rose goosebumps and I became oddly immobile. He made his way to my lips slowly and I couldn't help the startled squeak out of my mouth. He pressed them gently to mine but then pulled away abruptly. I whined deep in my throat and he stroked my face while looking up smirking.
"Sorry pup, my imprint and I will get out of this house." I only then noticed rapid breathing from a corner of the living room. Someone who either had just finished a marathon or a very pissed off werewolf was there.
It was definitely the werewolf.
"If you weren't holding her right now, I'd rip you apart." Jake's surreally guttural voice rang out while I tried to peek my head around Paul's humongous body to see him. Paul's hand blocked me, sparing me from the sight of my friend's livid face.
"Get out before you hurt her. You can kick my ass later, promise." The door slammed and my head was released. Glaring at the handsome jerk above me was the de facto course of action.
I was livid. "What the hell, Paul?!" Cussing wasn't my thing usually.
"Calm down, rabbit. None of this is in our hands." Paul had stood up from the couch with me held princess-style in his arms. He walked out of the Black house.
"Where are you taking me?" Kicking his chest entered my mind, but the thought quickly fled. He was in human form. Hurting my Paul wouldn't happen. 'My?' Where is this all coming from?
Paul's eyes softened under the moonlight as we moved quickly. "We need to talk about everything, rabbit. You and I need sorted."
That shut me up out of agreement. This definitely needed figured out, my soul, something I had believed on a plane I could no longer see, was tugging at me.
After ten minutes, we were in a humble house I recognized from the time I had wrecked the dirt bike when Jake was "teaching" me. It was odd, looking back I would've never thought a gorgeous man lived here. The inside of the home was organized, clean, and easily identified as Paul's home by its scent. He sat me down in a really comfortable rocking chair.
"Wow, no wonder Charlie is always in one of these."
Paul laughed softly. "Yeah, I feel as though I've cracked some code that people our age are just neglecting." His eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled.
He was nervous but so was I. He was kneeling in front of me on the carpet, his hands on my thighs and eyes on my face. The touching didn't seem voluntary on his part. Like if he let me go then he'd lose me.
"Paul, what's imprinting?"
Paul flinched, and his hand stroked my hair soothingly. He answered after a deep breath, "It means the Spirits have dictated us soulmates."
My heart died and suddenly any intentions previously on staying collected were gone. I began to hyperventilate and the dam I kept around my devastated heart burst. Much like when I crashed the bike just outside this house, I began to see him. He was still just a boy, but what they did to him was still evident. Bites around his eyelids, his ravaged neck, bone exposed around his chest, an arm ravaged off...
He was still murdered. And he was forever trying to protect me although that's how he was in that state at all.
Bella... calm down. Control it. I know you can... Those once gorgeous blue eyes were stained crimson yet I could still see the traitorous love that took him from me within them.
My one true soul mate, even in death, consoled me.
The living werewolf, the one I would betray him with, held me tight in his arms to comfort me as well.
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Well this certainly escalated
What'd you think?
Thank you so much for the support so far!