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On with story…
Chapter Three
Paul woke with the sunrise, the bare walls of his bedroom tinged the same pink and orange of the sky as it reflected through the glass wall behind his bedhead. He'd slept fitfully, the pulling sensation that had plagued him since yesterday had only strengthened overnight but he was no closer to understanding its origin. He hadn't phased since he'd arrived the previous afternoon and his wolf was unusually antsy.
Feeling the need to reconnect with his inner beast, Paul rushed through showering and cleaning his teeth before strapping his clothes to his ankle, not bothering to get dressed, and phasing as he leapt from his front porch. The pull redoubled in intensity with the phase, seeming to draw him to the other side of La Push, toward Forks. Paul grappled with his wolf momentarily before setting off in the direction of Jared and Kim's house, determined to focus his energy on his promise to get started on Sam and Emily's extension.
Paul always left his truck at Jared's when he was called away from the Res as he knew his pack brother could use the extra vehicle for larger jobs and it meant avoiding replacing the battery every time he came home. He phased and threw on the t-shirt and jeans he'd grabbed before leaving home, setting off barefoot down the lane knowing he always kept a spare pair of work boots in his truck.
As he neared Jared and Kim's small cottage he smiled as he heard the commotion inside. In their usual style, the couple were bickering about who was going to make breakfast. Paul knocked loudly on the screen door and did his best not to laugh too loudly when Kim answered the door with a towel around her wet hair.
"Paul! Welcome home!" She smiled brightly if a little hesitantly, stepping aside to let him into the house.
"Hey, guys. Nice to see nothing changes around here and you're still bickering like an old married couple." Jared let out a guffaw as he walked toward Paul and slapped him on the shoulder in greeting.
"Once you've been married for six years, you'll understand." Was Jared's only explanation. He turned and kissed Kim on the forehead quickly enough that he didn't notice the slight fall in Paul's face at the mention of marriage.
While Kim made breakfast, seemingly having lost the argument to Jared, they caught Paul up on what he'd missed in the last six months which in reality wasn't a whole lot. As they all ate bacon and eggs, Jared told Paul about Colin and Brady cutting back their hours now they'd started doing online courses and Kim mentioned a new teacher at La Push School that had befriended Emily.
After agreeing to catch up for dinner in the next week, Paul took the keys to his truck and pulled on his boots before heading to the Uley house. Sam's truck was in the drive – he never brought his cruiser home because he couldn't install car seats – and Paul was pleased he'd be able to catch up with his former Alpha.
Despite the fact Sam hadn't phased in three years he had retained heightened senses, albeit weaker than when he was phasing, and which were a large part of what made him such an excellent Police Chief. It was also how Sam heard Paul coming and was standing on the front porch to greet him with a wide grin by the time Paul pulled up next to the house. He jumped from the cab and clasped Sam's forearm in greeting, returning his smile.
"Welcome back, brother. I heard you had a tussle with a leech on the way back in." Despite his directness, which was typical of Sam, there was respect and admiration in his tone that Paul chose to ignore. He only nodded before relaying the story briefly as they made their way inside.
It hadn't taken Paul and Sam long to mark out and measure up the extension and Paul managed to get to Port Angeles and back with his first order of supplies before lunchtime. He was pleased to see Emily had a chance to sleep in with Sam not due on shift until midday, but she came waddling out the back door with a steaming mug of coffee in one hand and a towering plate of sandwiches in the other.
"Good morning, sunshine!" She called with a smile, holding out her offering to indicate Paul should take a break from digging holes for new support beams.
"Good morning to you, too." He accepted her offering, parking himself on the grass to dig in before adding, "You look much more rested today." It took Emily a moment to join him before nodding her head in acknowledgement.
"As relieved as I am that Sam isn't fighting vampires anymore, I do miss the flexibility he had when he was Alpha. It seems like I see less of him now and," She paused, throwing her head back to soak in the warmth on such a rare sunny day before taking a deep breath and continuing, "It hurts." She rubbed her chest at the admission.
Paul understood, only from second-hand knowledge, that separation from an imprint for any length of time caused a deep ache in the heart of the wolf which was reciprocated, albeit to a lesser extent, in their imprint. The longer and further the separation, the more painful the ache became until eventually it would madden the wolf. At least that's what was written in the journals that had been handed down since the days of the first pack. Of the imprinted wolves in the current pack, none had cause or desire to test the boundaries of the pull to their imprint.
"I'm sorry, Em. I wish I could tell you that it will get easier with time… but we both know that would be a lie." Paul felt a strong wave of sympathy toward his friends; for Sam, who was working his ass off to support his growing family and for Emily, who was run off her feet with three – nearly four – children. Despite the stresses, Paul knew how much love existed in the Uley home; no matter the current challenges neither Sam nor Emily would change a thing about their lives together.
As if reading his thoughts, Emily replied, "It's hard being away from Sam but I'm actually glad it doesn't get easier. If the separation eased with time, the aching lessened, it would mean our connection did too. I love him just as much, as fiercely, as the day we met. I would deal with this ache every minute for the rest of my life if it meant keeping Sam." Paul swallowed his last mouthful of sandwich before he turned to Emily, ignoring his heartache listening to her so easily describe the soulbond she had with her imprint.
"I'm so happy that you and Sam found each other, Em. I couldn't imagine a better match for either of you." He bumped her shoulder, unsure what else to say. Emily just smiled and pat his bicep, suddenly contemplative.
She broke the silence after a few moments. "You're going to meet her, Paul. And when you do, you'll see that any length of waiting was worth it just to find the other half of your soul." Paul kept looking forward, emotion overcoming him. After a pregnant pause, he whispered, "I hope you're right, Em." He couldn't voice his fears, the hopelessness that had overcome him in recent years, choosing instead to remain silent. Based on the look Emily gave him, he didn't need to.
"How's SJ been doing?" Paul was the one to change the subject, unable to stop the smile that graced his face at the thought of his favourite nephew. Emily's face lit up at the thought of her son and she spent the next twenty minutes telling Paul just how much he'd improved in the last six months.
"Honestly, Bella is a blessing sent from the spirits. SJ isn't just improving, he's thriving. I can't believe how far my little boy has come in such a short time." Paul smiled even wider at her words, thrilled to hear about SJ's progress. Sam and Emily had agonised over whether to send SJ to the Res school or pursue alternative schooling; on such a small reservation it was difficult to find educational support for a child with additional learning needs.
"This Bella is his teacher? I don't remember a Bella teaching at the school." He was only mildly curious; he thought he knew everyone on the Res after twenty-six years. "Yes. Bella Swan. She was born here – her father, Charlie Swan, was Quileute and her mother was visiting from California but stayed on the Res and married Charlie. Charlie died when Bella was five and she and her mother moved back to California not long after, which is why you probably don't remember her. She moved back about six months ago, right after you left for the Skokomish Res." Paul hummed for her to continue, suddenly overwhelmed by the intensity of that phantom feeling, pulling at his very soul.
Emily suddenly paused, before looking at Paul with eyes filled with questions she wouldn't ask, not yet. "She's sweet, kind and so generous; she brings SJ home a few nights a week and she's just started tutoring Colin and Brady and they're both pretty enamoured with her, though that isn't surprising." Paul raised a questioning brow and Emily continued, "She's probably the most beautiful woman I've ever met and the ridiculous thing is she has no idea!" She scoffed good-naturedly, her affection for Bella obvious.
"Can you do me a favour, Paul?" Paul snorted, gesturing to the beginnings of the framework he had been constructing, "I'm kind of in the middle of another favour, Em." His smile told her that he was only teasing and she wouldn't be overstepping by asking for another favour from him. "Could you pick SJ up from school today? It would really help me out." Paul agreed without hesitation but didn't miss the mischievous look Emily sent his way. He would dissect that later.
Paul jumped to his feet before offering his hand and pulling Emily to hers as well, chuckling as she dusted herself off. He kissed her on the cheek gently, thanking her for the food, before moving to hoist another post into place. Emily watched him for a moment, pleased to see the ugly claw mark that ran down his arm had healed overnight, before making her way back inside with her smile still firmly in place.
As he pulled his truck into the Res school, Paul's eyes scanned the lot; his years as a protector had birthed many instinctual habits, foremost of which was the near-constant assessment of his surroundings for potential threats. Parents were peppered between cars, some chatting idly as they waited for their children, others glancing impatiently at watches while tapping feet crunched the gravel underfoot.
He pulled into a free space to the rear of the lot, far enough away to avoid having to watch the other adults regard him with fear and unease but with a direct view of the entryway so SJ could see him once he walked out of the building. School pickup had been difficult for SJ in the past; he would panic if he didn't see someone familiar when he came out of the building, which could easily bring on a full-blown panic attack. Jared had been late to pick up SJ once and the poor boy was inconsolable until Sam left his patrol to come and calm him. Paul would never do anything to upset the young boy like that.
The shrill of the final bell pierced the relative quiet of the afternoon. He heard chairs scraping before the eager chattering of children and the shouts of final instructions from teachers burst from classrooms and into the hallways, heading towards the pine double doors at the front of the building. Paul leaned back against his truck, a 1985 Ford pickup with faded black paint and plenty of life left in it. SJ loved his truck, almost as much as Paul himself, and had once giggled that the roar of the engine sounded like a T-Rex, his favourite dinosaur.
A small smile graced Paul's face at the memory as the doors, painted green decades ago and faded with age, opened and children started pouring out, running towards parents waiting to greet them. He suddenly realised how excited he was to see SJ after so many months away. He scented the air seeking out the young boy's distinct pine and cinnamon smell; a pack cub's scent was earthier than other children, always carrying their wolf parent's scent mixed with their youthful aroma.
Paul ignored the now familiar pang of longing in recognition that none of the cubs bore his wolf's scent. While the man had withdrawn into isolation in the absence of an imprint, his wolf refused to be content just caring for the cubs of his pack mates; it was constantly searching, desperately longing for his elusive mate. He felt the now-familiar pull, now burning so intensely he could feel it searing his raw heart, but he reined his wolf in.
In a moment of weakness, Paul had once revealed to Emily his fear that the mistakes of his youth had left him unworthy of a mate and that was why the spirits had seen fit not to bless him with an imprint. He'd been younger then, only eighteen, and in his youthful naivety expected some sort of reassuring comfort from his alpha's imprint at his confession. But as soon as he'd seen the pity in her eyes as this confession, he'd disappeared in the blink of an eye and had avoided the topic vehemently ever since.
Pulling himself from his melancholy rumination, Paul scented more deeply now, locating SJ, and he smirked as he registered the subtle scent of peanut butter and jelly clinging to the boy, remnants from his nephew's favourite packed lunch. His head turned to the side in a distinctly lupine gesture of curiosity as his ears tuned into SJ's gentle voice prattling animatedly to someone; SJ was never one to hold a conversation for long, preferring instead to listen as others chattered around him. Emily had said he was coming out of his shell more since Paul had been away but he hadn't expected a complete one-eighty from the shy, anxious boy he'd last seen only six months prior.
Inhaling deeply, his eyes flew open as he drunk in the scent entwined with SJ's; it was mouth-watering and distinctly feminine, a divine mixture of lily, magnolia and something spicy – nutmeg? The scent had Paul's wolf lashing at the confines of his mind, simmering closer to the surface than usual as his eyes flashed a feral yellow briefly before returning to their usual deep onyx. Whoever the scent belonged to had piqued his wolf's interest and it demanded Paul locate the owner, but the man was more reserved, hesitant and restraining his instincts with a firm control earned from a decade's experience. It had been years since the man had been even remotely interested in a woman, and his wolf had certainly never responded to one's scent, and never with such ferocity of attention.
Suddenly, the right entry door swung outward and a petite woman locked it into an open position as small children poured out behind her.
"No pushing, kids!" Her melodious voice laughed, affection colouring her mock-scolding tone. Paul's wolf roused again at the sound, desperate to hear this voice again and Paul could scarcely contain his anticipation and maintain the unreadable mask he presented to the world. His seared heart burned with ferocity now, pounding a thundering rhythm in his chest.
When the woman turned to face the parking lot, he couldn't control the sharp intake of breath as he caught his first glimpse of her. Beautiful simply did not suffice; he didn't think there was a word to describe her that would do her justice. She was small, 5'4" at most with a petite frame and deliciously caramel skin, which was complemented by the pale yellow sundress that hugged her waist and fell loosely to her knees. As Paul raked his eyes over her he could see the muscular definition of an athlete in her limbs and mused that yellow might just be his new favourite colour. Dark mahogany curls hung in loose waves down to her waist, auburn and caramel tones flickering as they caught the rare beams of sunlight peeking through the clouds.
She tucked an errant curl behind her ear with slender fingers as she spoke to the children lined up behind her and Paul finally looked over her face; small, feminine chin, full, rosy lips, high cheekbones, and faint smile lines framing huge doe eyes with chocolate orbs that sparkled with humour. He drank in her appearance greedily, intending to commit each curve of her body and line of her face to memory while desperate for her to meet his gaze. Something deep within him recognised her, his soul perhaps, and he caught himself leaning forward on the balls of his feet in anticipation.
As if the bewitching woman heard his silent plea, she suddenly looked in his direction and as their eyes connected Paul let out the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding with an audible whoosh. Gravity shifted and it took all of Paul's strength not to fall to his knees at the realisation that this exquisite creature was now the centre of his universe; he was staring into the eyes of his future as an intense feeling of peace washed over him. The pull he'd been feeling, his wolf's restlessness – it was his soul guiding him to his imprint, to her. He needed to know her like he needed air.
The spell broke as she released him from her piercing chocolate gaze after a few moments, completely unaware of the magic that charged the air between them but shaking her head minutely as if to clear her mind and refocus before lowering herself towards the ground. Until this moment Paul hadn't noticed she was holding a child's hand and when he finally managed to tear his eyes from his imprint's face, albeit reluctantly, he saw that child was SJ and he was smiling up at her as she focussed her attention on him.
Despite the deliberate lowering of her voice as she spoke to the boy, her gentle question was clear to Paul's supernatural ears.
"SJ – do you know the man over there?" She pointed towards the herculean man who was regarding her with the same intensity she'd initially been so thrown by. This man was power incarnate, his hulking form prone for action despite a relaxed posture with heavily tattooed arms crossed across an impossibly broad chest. Other parents instinctively avoided him, sensing the power simmering just beneath the surface and afraid of triggering its release.
Focussing her attention on the small boy clinging to her hand in an attempt to stifle her reaction to an unexpectedly intimidating presence, she was unsure whether to be relieved or panicked as the boy looked in the direction she'd indicated before responding, "Of course – that's my Uncle Paul!" His response was excited, which Bella chose to consider as a good sign; SJ wore his emotions clearly on his face and his soft, boyish features were stretched into a huge smile after regarding the man.
Bella reminded herself that SJ's father cut an equally imposing figure so it stood to reason the boy didn't react to his Uncle Paul's presence the same way she instinctively did. She had known SJ's uncle was coming to pick him up – Emily had called earlier in the day to tell her just as much – and she'd expected to meet another huge specimen just like every other male she'd ever seen at Sam and Emily's home. Nothing could have prepared her, though, for the man who was leaning in such a casual display of dominance against an ancient truck that was dwarfed by its owner's sheer mass.
"Well then, let's go and meet your Uncle Paul, SJ." Bella managed to keep her voice from wavering as she smiled gently at the boy before rising to her feet and clasping his hand in hers once more. She rolled her shoulders back in an attempt to bolster her confidence before she started moving in the man's direction. Despite her apprehension, she was pleased when she noticed that Daniel Kipp had abandoned his attempt to approach her when he'd realised who she was walking toward.
She avoided making eye contact as she approached, instead keeping her gaze firmly fixed on a spot in the centre of his chest as she watched it rise and fall, his breaths seeming to match the pace of her own. This synchronisation pleased her – a fact she would deconstruct later. She relaxed minutely when he straightened from his position against the truck and his posture softened as the distance between them lessened.
Once she was only a few feet in front of him she gently released SJ's hand and watched him close the gap as he ran into waiting arms that wrapped around him even as he squealed delightfully, "Uncle Paul! I missed you so much!" Childish giggles drug her attention from the gravel as she looked up to see SJ swung around dramatically with his arms wrapped around his uncle's neck. As the man placed SJ on the ground next to him, his eyes suddenly connected with hers once more and she stilled immediately, unable to look away.
His eyes were dark – almost black – but ringed in a strange yellow colour she'd never seen before. His proximity to her, even without his obvious physicality and strength, would normally panic her. While she certainly was intimidated by the man, there was something soft in his eyes that endeared her. Whatever it was that she saw there, it was intoxicating and it took an absurd amount of willpower to redirect her gaze from his face.
"You must be Bella Swan." His voice was deep and impossibly smooth; it sounded like honey as it dripped from thick, pink lips. "Emily couldn't stop talking about you. I'm Paul. Paul Lahote." He offered a huge hand for her to shake but she simply stared, suddenly overcome with nervousness. She wasn't sure if those nerves were in the interest of self-preservation or attraction and she wasn't interested in finding out. Instead, she resolved that maintaining a cool distance would be the safest option.
"Hello, Mr Lahote. Yes, I am Miss Swan, SJ's teacher. It was a pleasure to meet you but I'm afraid I have to go; I'm tutoring this afternoon and I'm going to be late." She made a show of glancing at her watch to support her excuse, stepping back toward the school even as she spoke. Paul's face dropped in disappointment at her clear dismissal, desperate to remain in her company as long as possible, to hear her voice tinkle like bells in the air again. "I'll see you tomorrow, SJ. Have a wonderful night!"
She was gone by the next deafening beat in his chest, her dark curls whirling in the air as she turned and whipping her intoxicating scent towards Paul. He took deep, greedy inhales in an attempt to commit the scent of his mate to memory even as he watched her disappear back into the building, taking his heart with her.
And that's it – Paul and Bella have met. While this will be a slow burn, there is lots of excitement to come. I'll see you in Chapter Four!