Chapter 10

Bella saw Jacob and Paul as they stepped out of the forest. They were both looking at her. Jacob tilted his head to the side, signaling her to come to talk with them.

Bella was so relieved to see them both unharmed. She couldn't possibly fathom what they'd been doing the last hour, but she guessed it must have been very dangerous. Vampires, dear God, she still couldn't believe it was true.

"Hey Sue, I'll go chat with Jacob for a while. I'll be back soon."

Sue smiled. "Enjoy your time with your friends Bella. No need to rush back. Thank you again for giving me those recipes. I love to try that cauliflower casserole while you're still here, so you can tell me if I did it right."

"Sure, Sue. Remember, nutmeg is essential in it. And cheese, lots and lots of cheese."

Bella followed Jacob and Paul to the driftwood log where she and Jacob had, over the years, spent hours after hours talking and just hanging around. The trunk had lost one big branch since she'd last been here.

"Are you both okay?" she asked, looking at Jacob and only glancing at Paul. She was fighting a strong need to touch Paul and ensure he was okay. She shoved her hands deep into her tight jeans pockets, keeping from reaching for him. The pull was so strong. But now that she knew, if not understood, what made her feel this way, it was easier to be around him. She could rationalize it; it wasn't her reacting to him. It was the imprint.

"We're good," Jacob answered, pulling her into a warm hug. Bella wrapped her arms around her friend and inhaled his familiar scent.

Bella heard Paul growl.

"Did you just growl?" she asked, turning to look at him.

Paul just stared at them, yellow glinting in his eyes. He looked almost feral.

"He doesn't want me to touch you," Jacob explained. "It's a wolf thing."

"A wolf thing?" Bella asked.

"Wolf is very territorial and doesn't want to share," Jacob added as if all would make more sense now. It didn't.

"Doesn't want to share?"

"Are you pretending to be a parrot?" Jacob chuckled, and Paul closed his eyes, shaking his head, and when he opened them again, the yellow had disappeared.

"Sorry, Bella," he said almost sheepishly, "this is so new to me. I'm still learning to control everything about this imprinting shit. But Jacob here damn well knows that wolves can't stand other wolves touching their imprints."

"Surely you are joking?" This was utter nonsense. Was Paul telling her that Jacob could not touch her anymore?

Jacob sighed and moved away from her as he said, "No, we're not. The wolf doesn't understand the difference between friendly touches and not-so-friendly ones. As long as he hasn't marked his imprint, he's ready to kill every wolf who touches her."

"Damn you, Jacob," Paul cursed.

"Mark his imprint? Kill?" Bella's head was swimming. "You don't make any sense."

"There is quite a lot you don't know yet," Jacob said. "I feel my dad would be the best person to tell you. He knows all that goes on with the shapeshifters and imprinting."

Bella sighed. She knew that it was probably the best. She could not think properly when she was close to Paul, and Billy was almost like a father to her, and they had always had a special bond. She could trust him to tell her all there was to know about imprinting.

"I guess you're right. I was thinking while you were out there doing your thing - by the way, I want to know everything about it," Bella said, shooting a pointed look at Jacob, and he nodded. "I know this is a serious matter, and I don't have any other option than to accept the imprint. But before I do that, unless I've already accepted it? How do I know if I have?" She was making herself dizzy, with the questions bubbling in her mind.

Jacob chuckled. "The wolf knows when you've accepted him. He feels it."

Bella looked at Paul, and he shook his head.

Bella was relieved. She wanted to be in control and to know when she was doing the accepting. But before she did, she needed more information.

"I need to know what the wolf needs from me. Can I accept him and still carry on with my life? My life is in Seattle now. I am going to become a doctor, and nothing is going to change that. It's been my dream my whole life, and I've worked damn hard to achieve it."

"And you should do just that," Paul rushed to say, "You don't have to change anything. I won't allow it. I couldn't live with myself if you had to give up your dreams. And there is no need for that anyway."

Bella was a bit surprised by Paul's words. "Well, it's hardly fair since I gather you had had to give up many things, but I just can't. I need you to understand. More than anything, I want to be a doctor."

"I do understand, Bella. I can't do anything about my life, but yours doesn't have to change."

Bella felt a pang of something in her heart; was it guilt? She realized that she didn't know Paul at all and that he was much more than she'd thought.

"And I do have a boyfriend who I happen to love," she added. She felt weird when she said that and guessed it was the imprint. It tried to control her feelings, but she didn't allow that to happen.

Bella saw Paul wasn't happy about what she'd said, but he tried to mask it. Did he expect her to dumb Tyler over this? Jacob had said they could be friends. It didn't have to be romantic; it couldn't be romantic.

"And then there is this Angela business. She's my friend, and no matter what she's done, I know she loves you, Paul."

"I won't ever be with Angle again," Paul growled, picked a little stone from the sand, and threw it into the ocean. "I'm going to be there for the kid, but that's all."

That sounded harsh, but Bella could understand Paul. Angela had deceived him and done a terribly selfish thing. And if she was truthful to herself, she hadn't understood how Paul had chosen to be with Angela. Even after seeing him once, Bella knew they weren't compatible. She'd seen something untamable about him. Something so raw and passionate that Angela just couldn't handle it. Well, now she understood. Paul wasn't even a human, well, not only a human. Could she handle him? Her cheeks flushed at the thought. Damn, being around Paul really messed up her head.

She cleared her throat. "But we can be friends. I'm always happy to have good friends in my life. But what is it that the wolf needs?"

"The imprint is there to balance the beast and keep the shapeshifter human," Paul said after throwing three other stones into the ocean. "I know Jacob told you more about this shit after I fled. But yes, we can be friends. The wolf needs to spend some time with you and know you are safe and happy. Above all, he needs to keep you safe."

"I am safe," Bella said softly, and she felt an overwhelming need to dive into Paul's arms and hold him close. But she didn't.

Paul and Jacob glanced at each other.

"What?" she asked. There was something they hadn't told her. "Tell me what's the matter. What happened out there?" she asked, tilting her head toward the woods.

Paul started to pace back and forth, glancing at her; he looked like a caged animal, and Bella turned to look at Jacob.

"Please tell me. You are making me nervous."

"There were leeches. We didn't catch them but drove them away," Jacob finally said.

"Are they going to come back?" Bella asked.

"It is possible," Jacob answered.

"Is possible? Could you please tell me everything that happened? I would like to know. You know me, Jacob; I hate that there is so much I don't know."

"How well do you know Edward Cullen?" Paul suddenly asked, stopping his pacing and staring at her.

"Edward Cullen? Why? What..." Then Bella realized, and all the strength left her. She plumped on the sand. Paul hurried to kneel beside her. "Are you okay?"

Weirdly, she was, and she nodded. Everything she had ever thought of Edward Cullen, how he always felt a bit off, strange with all that not eating, being unnaturally pale. It all made sense now. "He's a vampire, isn't he?" she whispered the question even though she already knew the answer. "Was he there? In the woods?"

"Yes."

"Oh my God!" Bella felt dizzy and nauseous. She closed her eyes and leaned her head between her knees.

"I can't believe this..." she muttered. "I think he wanted to eat me."

"What?!" Paul and Jacob asked at the same time.

Bella lifted her head and opened her eyes. Jacob had also sat on the ground and looked at her with concerned eyes.

"He was always lurking around. It was creepy. I always knew something was wrong with him, with his family." Bella laughed humorously, "I thought they might have some genetic disease. They were all so pale, and I didn't see them eat anything, ever. Of course, they weren't related, but since their father is a doctor, I thought he had adopted children having the same condition. Thinking he could cure them." Bella had never told anyone she'd had this theory about the strange Cullen family. Not that she'd spend lots of time thinking about them, but it was the best she had come up with. It was the thing with her; she always needed to understand and give explanations for things.

"What did you mean he wanted to eat you?" Paul asked.

Bella shivered. "The way he looked at me," she said, turning her eyes at Paul. She just realized what it had been all those times Edward had been around. "It was like he was trying to control himself."

Paul growled and bolted up. "He is obsessed with you! The damn fucker wants you!"

"What?! Why are you saying that? What was he doing in the forest? Why are they living here if you exist to kill vampires? It doesn't make any sense." Bella's head was starting to hurt. This was all complete madness.

Paul didn't say a thing but kept pacing back and forth. Bella could almost see his ears fuming. He was muttering to himself.

"It's a treaty our ancestors made with them. They don't kill people, and we let them be. They are animal drinkers," Jacob told her.

"What?" Bella felt sick.

"Yeah, they hunt animals and drink their blood. They first came here somewhat 80 years ago, and my great-grandfather made a treaty with them: they could stay here, but they are not allowed to touch humans. They don't touch humans," Jacob told her.

"How old are they?"

"I don't know. We know there are leeches several thousand years old."

"You are kidding me?" This was unbelievable.

"No, I'm not. Just ask my dad if you don't believe me."

Bella's mind was racing. If Doctor Cullen was old, like a few hundred years old, he must have an amazing knowledge of medicine.

"Oh, I must speak with doctor Cullen..."

"NO!" Paul said firmly, stopping his pacing. Bella's head snapped at him. "No?" she asked, arching her brows.

"I can't handle you going near any leeches."

"For the love of God. I went to High School for over two years with them. And he's a doctor who heals people. I want to know about his skills. He could be many hundred years old, and then he must have gained a bottomless amount of knowledge over the centuries."

Jacob chuckled. "Of course, Bella, you would turn this into a possibility to learn and understand." He gave Paul a pointed look, who just grunted.

"So, what was he doing there in the forest?" Bella asked again.

"I don't know why he was there, but..." Paul rubbed the back of his neck and looked uneasy. "Damn, this gets more fucked up, Bella. This Cullen fucker can read minds."

"What!? How?"

"Don't ask me. They are dead, yet they live, so I guess they all have some kind of powers," Paul said.

Nothing would surprise Bella anymore. She was sure of it.

"After I left you with Jacob, I was... a mess," Paul continued. "My head was full of your image, and the wolf ballistically wanted to return to you and grab you and take you to his den and never let you go."

Bella's eyes widened.

"Yes, he is a possessive fucker," Paul said with a shrug. "As I told you, this freak can read minds, and all of a sudden, he was there shouting about you, Isabella Swan."

Bella just stared at Paul. She didn't know what to say.

"I was about to rip his head off..."

Bella winched.

"Sorry, but that is what we do to leeches..."

"Not to the ones we have a treaty with," Jacob piped in.

"We should not let them live here," Paul snarled. "They should get the hell out of here."

"I'm not arguing with that," Jacob said, "but we can't risk our safety by breaking the treaty."

"Please continue with the story," Bella said impatiently.

"I was just about to rip his arm off when three others showed up, and it was then when I informed the others that there were leeches."

"The howl?"

Paul nodded.

"They were passing by and heard Cullen shouting and showed up to see what was going on."

"Were they human drinkers?" Bella asked, feeling her blood turning cold.

Paul nodded.

"Bella, we have to tell you something that …" Paul swallowed, "might scare you, but please believe that we will keep you safe."

"You are scaring me," Bella said hoarsely. Her throat felt dry all of a sudden.

"One of the leeches got interested in what Cullen was shouting, and he wanted to know who this Isabella Swan was. He's a tracker; he thrives on hunting. And now he wants you."

Bella gasped.

Paul walked to her, knelt by her side, and wrapped his arms around her.

"We keep you safe. We'll kill the fucker, and you will be safe," he murmured.

Bella's head was swimming, and she let Paul hold her. It felt comforting, and he was so warm. A crazy vampire wanted to kill her.

"You are safe, Bella," Jacob said, and Bella turned her head from Paul's chest to look at him, and at the same time, she pulled herself away from Paul.

Bella turned to look at the ocean. Paul moved a little, but he was holding her hand, and she let him. She'd realized that touch was essential to the wolves. "What does this all mean?" Bella asked.

"We make sure you are safe. You don't have to be afraid," Paul said.

Bella snorted. A crazy vampire was after her, and she didn't have to be afraid. Then she realized this didn't concern only her.

"Isn't everyone around me in danger too? My father? My friends? Tyler?"

"It is possible that they are," Jacob said. "But we'll protect them as well. And we're doing everything we can to eliminate the fucker asap. We're going to ask Cullens to help us."

"How?"

"We're meeting them, and that mind reader is going to tell us all he heard in the tracker's head," Paul told her.

"I want to come too," Bella said.

"No!" Paul growled.

Seriously. What was wrong with him?

"Paul, we'll get along much better if you understand that I don't like to be told what to do. I should be there if you are discussing something that concerns me with them."

"Are you sure you want to meet Edward again?" Jacob asked.

She wasn't sure of that, "I don't know. I'll think about it."

Paul looked relieved. "I didn't say I wouldn't come with you," Bella said to him, and his expression darkened again.

Jacob laughed. "Oh Bella. You haven't changed a bit."

"Why? You think I should have changed?"

Jacob just laughed, but Paul still looked serious. Bella felt that she wanted to make him feel better. She needed to let him know that she wouldn't refuse the imprint.

"I will accept the imprint," she said. She knew it was the only right thing to do. "I understand what it means well enough to accept it. You don't have a choice in the matter, so then I don't either. We'll become perfect friends, I'm sure of it."

Paul looked relieved, and he closed his eyes.

"Is your wolf feeling it now?" Bella asked.

Paul nodded and opened his eyes.

"Thank you," he said softly.

They stared at each other, and for a moment, everything else disappeared around them.

"Um... you're welcome."

They were quiet for a while.

"So, Paul, Angela told me you like to cook." She said, wanting to break the silence that was growing heavy with something she didn't want to explore.

Paul looked surprised but said, "Yeah."

"So that is something we have in common," Bella said. "Have you always loved making food?"

"Pretty much. I had to make my own food if I wanted to eat when I was a kid, and I've grown to love it."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Bella said quietly.

Paul shrugged. "I had a lovely neighbor, an old lady, who taught me to cook and took me in whenever my parents were biting their heads off or trying to beat the shit out of me. So it could have been worse."

Bella felt her heart breaking. To think that a little boy, Paul, had been abused by his parents and left unfed.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have told you that. I don't need pity," Paul said, looking at his hands resting on his propped-up knees.

"No, Paul, I want to know things about you, and it's not pity. It's heartbreaking to hear such a thing. No child should go through things like that, not to have at least one loving parent," Bella said.

Paul was leaning against the driftwood, and she moved to sit beside him.

"I've always had one loving parent and one who just doesn't care shit about me."

"Are You talking about your mum?" Paul asked.

"Yeah. She's … I don't know how to describe her. I stopped caring years ago." Talking about her mother wasn't easy for Bella, but she thought it was only fair after what Paul had told her. "Let's just say she's a woman driven by her own desires and needs. She should have never become a mother. I haven't seen her in four years. She always asks me to come to spend Christmas with her and whatever man she's married to. But I have Charlie, and he makes up lack of a mother. He's an amazing dad."

Paul smiled while he listened to her. He had such a sweet smile it altered his face completely. He wasn't only drop-dead gorgeous, but when he smiled like that, he looked like he cared deeply. She wondered if this was a smile Paul had only her. Not that she had any right to hope such a thing. Paul was free to smile as he wished at anybody he wanted.

Their eyes locked, and Bella felt an overpowering need to kiss Paul. His deep dark eyes were sucking her in, and she could not help the feeling that she wanted to drown in them; graved that even. Bella's eyes flicked to his lips, and she licked hers at the same time Paul's tongue darted out to lick his. Her breath was getting heavier, and when she looked back at his eyes, she gasped at the fire burning in them. She felt the pull, and she started to lean closer.

A scream pulled Bella out of the haze, and she closed her eyes, blocking the temptation, and she leaned back, sighing. She was dreading opening her eyes. She could not believe it. She had almost kissed Paul. She could hear him breathing hard, and Bella guessed he had felt the same.

Her phone buzzed, and Bella recognized the tune; it was Tyler.

"I have to take this. It's Tyler. He's leaving for Hawaii with his family," she said and got up from the sand, walking away to talk to her boyfriend in privacy. She could feel Paul's eyes on her back, and she fought the urge to turn to look at him.

"Hi Tyler, are you in the airport?" her voice quivered a little.

"Yes, we are waiting for the boarding to start. Grandma has bought us seats in the business class." Tyler grinned at the screen. "But damn, I wished you were here with me. I miss you already like crazy."

Hearing Tyler's voice and seeing his face made her suddenly weepy. She missed him, too and all this madness back at home was overwhelming. And she had almost kissed Paul, for God's sake. What kind of person almost kisses another guy? She felt terrible. She was a terrible person. It didn't make her feel any better that it was because of the imprint.

"I..." she said, swallowing the lump in her throat, "miss you too."

"Baby, are you okay?" Tyler asked, looking worried.

"Yeah..."

"Damn baby. I don't know if I can wait three weeks before I can be with you again. Hold you in my arms."

Bella couldn't hold the tears any longer and started crying.

"Baby, you are scaring me," Tyler's said with a louder voice. "Look at me, baby. What's wrong?"

Bella knew she had to say something to Tyler. She didn't trust Tyler not to abandon his family and drive straight to Forks if he felt something was wrong. She had to lie, and she hated lying to Tyler to anybody.

"I.." she sniffed. "I just found out that one old lady I used to know here in La Push has died. She was such a sweet lady, and I feel so bad I didn't come to see her in March."

Paul watched Bella as she walked close to the water's edge and talked to that fucking boyfriend of hers. He was still breathing heavily, and his heart was beating out of his chest. Fuck, they had almost kissed! His whole body was humming with need and want. The wolf whined. Poor bastard. Not that he was fairing any better.

Damn, he was fucked. His whole being was wrapped around that gorgeous brunette he could not tear his eyes off. She was his imprint and had accepted him, but she didn't want him as her lover. How the fuck was he going to deal with that? He knew without a doubt that he couldn't get hard with any other women anymore. He didn't want anyone else. He found it repulsive to even think about having sex with anybody else. And to think of her with that fucker... It was pure agony.

He groaned loudly, closing his eyes as he leaned against the driftwood. He wanted her so bad he felt he was going mad. He could not stop seeing her lips parted as she licked her bottom lip and bit it between her teeth. How he'd wanted to lean even closer and pull her to sit on his hard-on, ride him, moaning his name.

He was so hard it hurt, and he ached for release. He ached for her. He could still feel her breath on his face. He groaned again.

Then he smiled. She was fucking amazing. The way she'd challenged him and made him frustrated. She was fucking perfect for him. He felt his damn soul howling with delight. Yeah, Paul fucking Lahote was in touch with his soul.

His instincts were all over the place. After chasing the leech who was a threat to his imprint and failing to catch the motherfucker, all the wolf - and Paul could admit to himself that he too - wanted to do was to grab her and take her to his home and never let go.

But of course, that wasn't possible. He had to let her go and, above all that, let her love another man. His heart lurched painfully, and he sighed. Being near her had restored most of his strength – it was amazing really how fast it had affected him - and the last shreds of blackness he'd felt the last few months had disappeared. But now he was just miserable.

"Paul Lahote!" someone shouted, and to Paul's utter horror, he saw John Weber half running towards him, Angela following him, stumbling on the sand as she ran after her father, crying, trying to stop her father.

Paul glanced at Bella, who had also heard the shouts and was looking at Angela and her father.

Fuck. At least his boner was now gone.

AN:

I hope you, who have been waiting for an update, will forgive me for the wait. And I hope the chapter was worth the wait. Let me know what you think. 😊

Hey, just to let you know that I'm writing a little outtake from this story, and I'm going to publish it as a separate one-shot. And I'm sorry to inform you, hardcore Paul fans, that it is a Bella/Tyler story. Paul is the best, I agree, but I have a few spots in my heart for particular sweethearts. If you want to get the notification when it's ready, you might want to follow me.

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

Buen fin de semana a todos

Bon week-end à tous

Trevligt veckoslut for alla!

Dobry weekend wszystkim

God weekend alle sammen!

Hyvää viikonloppua kaikille!

Khubav uikend na vsichki!

Buon fine settimana a tutti!