PREVIOUSLY-

We walked back home and had dinner before Bella made me get some sleep considering I had the first midnight to 5am shift.

It was even harder than I imagined to leave my sleeping mate in our bed at midnight, but I needed to keep her safe and making sure there weren't any leeches in our territory would help do that.


I didn't catch any new scents this time, but I didn't really expect him to come back so soon after we'd found him either.

When I got home at 5am, Bella was muttering in her sleep.

"My mate," she whispered in her sleep. "Paul."

I smiled and walked over to the bed, slipping in under the covers next to her.

"I'm here, babe." I murmured to her, pulling her close to me as I kissed her head. She wrapped her leg around mine and ground up against me. Whether knowingly or not, it made me hard as a rock instantly.

"Mmmm," she moaned, moving up against me again.

Fuck.

Was she still asleep?

I couldn't tell from her heart rate or her emotions. Though her emotions… Lust.

"Paul…" She was moaning my goddamn name in her sleep. I could feel my control slipping again. It was bad enough that I could feel the intense urge to take her again.

I took a deep breath to try and calm myself.

She's asleep.

She fucking wants me in her sleep.

I bit my lip in an effort to contain myself when she started running her fingers over my chest.

"Mmmm Paul… want more…" She muttered breathlessly in her sleep, rubbing herself up against me.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Control. Gone.

I leaned over and wound my fingers through her hair and pulled her face to mine, kissing her softly at first, then harder once she started responding majorly.

"You're here?" She whispered, pulling away to rest her forehead against mine.

"I'm here, baby." I told her.

"I had the best dream." She murmured sleepily.

"Oh trust me, I know." I responded honestly with a chuckle. I didn't even have to see her to know her cheeks flushed.

"Well if you already know, want to continue?" She questioned quietly, running her fingers up my abs.

I didn't even waste my breath on an answer, I just grabbed her waist and pulled her on top of me.

I was never more happy that she only slept in her panties and one of my t-shirts because I just pulled my shorts down a little and slipped her panties to the side, sliding into her easily.

She was already so wet from her dream. Every fucking time I was inside her it felt like nothing else I'd ever experienced in my life.

She rocked back and forth and we both finished quickly, having been way too built up. She collapsed on top of me and I held onto her as she slid back to my side.

"That's one hell of a way to come home babe." I laughed.

"One hell of a way to wake up, too." She muttered into my neck sleepily. "I don't think you're the only one feeling the whole animalistic mating urge thing."

That was news to me.

"Oh really?" I asked her curiously.

"Yeah. I kind of want to jump you all the time right now." She giggled.

"Jump me all you want, princess. It's already happened twice now, might as well go for it." I chuckled, totally all for it.

"Mhmm, you can have me in the shower again when I wake up." She whispered, sounding half-asleep. My eyebrows rose in anticipation. Hell yes.

"I'm going to hold you to that. Go back to sleep babe, I'll wake you up when it's shower time." I told her.

Bella fell back asleep almost instantly and I passed out with her not long after.

She definitely held her promise about the shower when we both woke up. The water ran cold before we were done.

We were like that the rest of the day and night when I wasn't out patrolling. I was pretty sure Jared would have a massive case of blue balls after listening to my thoughts for 5 hours.

None of us caught any scents for the rest of the day but when it came time for Bella to go to school the next morning, I could smell leech all over the parking lot of the school.

She opened the door to get out and I reached over pulling it back closed immediately.

"What—"

"The fucker is here. Fuck I can't phase with all these students and I'm not leaving your goddamn side." I growled.

"Hey, calm down. Do you know where he is?" Bella asked me, putting her hand on my arm to stop my shaking.

"Over by the tree line. He's watching. I think he wants you to follow him. As if I'd ever let that happen." I ground out.

"What we're going to do is you're going to come with me. We're going to go into the woods, you'll phase and warn the others while being able to protect me and we'll both see what he wants." Bella told me calmly. Every damn bone in my body was telling me no but my imprint wasn't asking.

"Bella…" I begged.

"It'll be okay. I'll have you right by my side." She said to me. I growled but I knew she was set on it.

"Let's go. If he so much as looks at you wrong, that fucker is a pile of ash." I promised her and she nodded to me.

I made sure to think it really hard too, just in case he was listening in.

I pulled her out my side, staying in front of her the whole time. She was holding my hand reassuringly as we walked toward the pale motherfucker.

He walked into the woods and we followed at a safe distance where I knew I could protect her. Once we were far enough in the tree line, I stepped only far enough (and between Bella and the leech) to phase and it was an instantaneous change.

I was back at my imprint's side within seconds and she ran her hand down my muzzle lovingly as we moved closer.

I could feel Sam phased in.

"Cullen is at the school. I'm with Bella in the woods. Fucker wants to talk to her. I need backup ASAP." I growled to Sam through the pack mind.

"On it. We'll be there as soon as we can." Sam replied.

I growled at the direction of the dead icicle as we approached, but I pushed her with my head to stop. We were close enough.

"Bella. It's wonderful to see you." Undesirable number one spoke with a hand in his pocket.

"Why are you here?" My imprint asked him angrily.

"I had to see for myself." He motioned at me.

"Well now you've seen and I'm sure you can hear his thoughts, so you can go." Bella replied. That's my girl.

"I can't." He said, looking at me as if trying to figure me out. Bella gave him a confused look. "Hear his thoughts. He's just like you."

She turned to look at me and ran her fingers through my fur.

"I can assure you his thoughts are very colorful right now. And not in a good way." She informed him. Damn right.

"I can assume no less. I hear the others approaching. Their thoughts are colorful enough. I am curious though, what is an imprint?" Doucheward asked and I growled deeply, taking one step forward.

"Paul is my mate. My true mate. Completely and irrevocably. I feel what he feels, I know exactly where he is at all times. He's also my fiancé and he is extraordinarily protective of me." She explained to him.

"Right behind you, man." I heard Jared say from my flank.

"I see. The whole pack counts you as one of their own." Fuckward said to my mate. "I'm not here to harm Bella. I won't lie, when I read Alice's thoughts about Bella's future disappearing, I was distraught. She explained to me the company you were keeping and I was not happy with the idea. I left because I wanted you to have a normal human life, not to be tied up with more supernatural beings. I can see that your future was always intertwined with the supernatural, just not of my kind. As much as it pains me to say, you are well protected with these animals. You can grow old and have children, the things I could never give you."

"My destiny was always with them. I love Paul. I love him more than I ever thought was physically possible. You broke me, Edward, and that's something I can never forgive you for. They fixed me and I'm more complete now than I ever was. They're my family." Bella said to him. I love you too, baby. More than the whole universe.

I could hear the pack saying a whole chorus of 'sister' in the pack mind.

"I can see that. I apologize for what I did to you. Your alpha just showed me a very clear image of how the three of them found you after I left. I never meant to cause you any harm."

"Thank you, Sam." I said into the pack mind. "Wish I could show the fucker some things myself."

"My mate and my pack want you to leave and never come back, and I do too." Bella told him adamantly. Damn right, baby.

"I understand. I have learned of Victoria's presence from the pack's thoughts. I will abide by your request if you allow my family and I to help take care of her. We are the reason she's come for you." I growled more at him. I wanted him gone.

"That would be completely up to the pack." Bella answered.

"I'm not underestimating your pack's abilities, alpha. Victoria is more than 600 years old. Her gift is evasion and she will not easily be taken down. I can predict her moves before she makes them because I can read her mind. I am only offering our assistance for as long as it takes to destroy her. I understand that my family's presence may cause more tribe members to phase, but they would anyways due to Victoria's presence."

Fuckward kept his eyes trained on Sam as I listened to Sam's inner dialogue to him.

"When the treaty was created, we did not take into account the fact of mates or mates' family living outside of the reservation. While my family could protect Charlie, I acknowledge that he is now part of the tribe, therefore under your protection as well. The treaty will remain active if the pack chooses to continue their daily protection of Charlie."

I was going to protect him, treaty or not.

"Yes, that extends to Bella when she attends school as well. I can see that her mate would not allow her to be in vampire territory without being close by." I growled at him. I would be right next to the school every damn second she was in it.

Bella was running her fingers through my fur and I pushed my muzzle into the crevice between her neck and shoulder where my mark rested, purposefully showing it, making my claim known.

Sparkly looked at it and sneered at me as I licked the side of Bella's face. I wanted to make the fucker uncomfortable.

"I clearly see your point, mutt. Just because I cannot hear you doesn't mean that I cannot see or smell the very obvious bond you share with Bella. I only wanted Bella to be happy whether it was with me or not, and while I cannot understand why it had to be with a wolf, I can respect that her destiny did not lie with me or my family. I never wanted her to be changed. I have no doubt you will give her the life she deserves if this 'imprint' is what your alpha says it is." He said directly.

She is my life.

"He will and he has already. I'm happier than I ever have been. If you and Sam have come to an agreement, I'd really like to go back home now. I can feel that Paul is extremely uncomfortable with you being so close to me." Bella said to him, knowing exactly how I was feeling.

"It was good to see you, Bella. My family will be happy to know that you are well." He replied before nodding to the pack and taking off in the opposite direction.

Bella turned to me and I could tell she was shaking. She'd held it together while he was there but she was angry now.

"Take me home? I can't go to school right now." She asked me and I nodded.

"Take my shorts, bro. I know you shredded yours. I can grab some back at Sam's." Jared said to me in the pack mind.

"Thanks man." I phased back and grabbed the shorts tied to Jared's leg, slipping them on before walking back to Bella and pulling her into my arms tightly and breathing in her scent.


A/N- Didn't go how you expected, did it?

I opted for a different approach this time.