Chapter 25

"What the fuck is he doing in there?" Paul asked Harry.

They were outside Harry's fishing cabin, and Bella was inside with some sort of medicine man or some creep like that. The sounds coming from the cabin, the chanting and singing sounded disturbing. He'd been very unhappy to leave Bella alone with him, but the looney had insisted that he needed the space free from any strong emotions and aggression; hence he was kicked out.

"Don't worry, Paul. Bella is perfectly safe. Kal-lape is reading her spiritual and emotional auras, trying to find out what holds her in the darkness," Harry explained.

Harry looked serious; he truly believed that bullshit. To each their own, Paul himself was only desperate to try just about anything to get Bella back. If what was needed was an odd-smelling shaman talking in weird fairytale language, be it. Whatever the language was, it was no Quileute he heard coming from the cabin, similar, but not the language he knew.

Paul huffed and paced in front of the small rustic cottage. Of course, he had recognized a fellow shapeshifter in Kal-lape, which was why he could leave Bella alone with him, and his wolf had agreed. The old fart was no threat. Let's hope he was able to help. But it sure didn't sound like he could.

It had taken some organizing to get Bella out of the hospital. Carlisle was first against it, but since he couldn't offer anything more to help Bella, he gave permission to take Bella away from the hospital. Not that Paul needed his fucking permission, but he needed the doc to help with Renée. And Carlisle had obliged and told Renée some shit about the reasons she needed to be moved out from the hospital to get treatment somewhere else.

Paul didn't care what kind of bullshit the doc had told Renée. He was just happy that the doc had his way of persuading humans as all the fuckers did. All they had to do was spread their sickly smell that was all alluring and sweet to the humans and look into their eyes. It was creepy as fuck.

"So, you really hiked all the way back to the mountains to see him and asked him to come here to help Bella?" Paul asked. "What did you need to say to him to leave his sanctuary. Didn't you tell me that he's been living there from the land something like 80 years, not once leaving the area?"

"Yes, he loves his solitude. But I had to try something, and I knew that he was able to help. He's a wise man and knows a lot of old healing methods, and even if he says he hadn't done anything like this before, tried to get human bitten by a cold one back, he knows what he is doing."

"Well, I sure fucking hope so," Paul grunted.

"I guess he was just bored and wanted to do something. He was very interested to know more about the present-day pack after my first visit, and when he heard how the elders had meddled and messed up the dynamics of the pack, he wanted to come to see the situation himself. But I guess he needed a more valid reason to come than just being nosy, and that was Bella," Harry told him.

"Thank you, Harry," Paul said. Paul didn't know what he would do if this didn't help get Bella back.

Just then, Kal-lape came out from the cabin. Paul turned to walk past him to see Bella, but the medicine man stopped him placing his hand on his shoulder.

"You can go to her soon. I want to have a little talk with you first."

Paul measured the old man before him. He had long grey hair on a ponytail and a wrinkled face. Other than that, he didn't look old and definitely didn't look like someone who should have been dead for the last 50 odd years.

"Make it fast," Paul urged. He fucking needed to go and check she was alright.

"She is alright, young-alpha," Kal-lape said. Fuck is he reading his thoughts now? Not that one needed to be an Einstein to figure out what he was thinking.

"She should come out before the sun rises tomorrow morning, but she needs you. Talk to her and give her reasons why she should come back."

Like he hadn't done that past three weeks, over and over again. He nodded impatiently.

"There is herbal oil on the bedside table you should rub all over her body."

"What?"

"It's healing oil mixed with cleansing properties, and it has a scent that belongs to her. The memory of smells and scents is very strong in humans. Evoking those memories helps her too."

Paul nodded and tried to go, but the old wolf stopped him again.

"Your mate is remarkable human," Kal-lape said, looking him straight in the eyes. "I can see why the cold one was so captivated by her. Even though I have only met her sleeping spirit, I can say that she is one of a kind. She is a very powerful shield, and it is this shield that is blocking her and making it hard for her to come back."

"Shield? What is this shield?" Paul interrupted. This was getting loonier by the second.

"Spiritual shield. I don't know why it is working against her now. It might be the venom or the very traumatic experience. But the shield is why she's not a cold one herself. She was able to block the allure of her admirer. I haven't heard any human being able to resist the pull of a cold one before. She for sure is a worthy mate for you, young-alpha. Or should I say you are a worthy mate for her? You are equals. You make mighty alpha-pair."

"And what if we don't want to be a mighty alpha-pair? I mean, Bella has her own life, which doesn't include staying in the Res, and I like to think there is more in store for me than herding a bunch of overgrown dogs."

Kal-lape looked at him with an amused look on his face. "You'll figure it all out."

Paul tried again to leave the man and to move past him but was stopped again. Paul was starting to get pissed.

"One more thing," Kal-lape continued, "does she has any siblings? What are her parents like? Just wondering if they have special gifts as well."

For fuck's sake, couldn't they do this some another time? But Paul knew he would get faster to Bella if he answered the question.

"She has a little brother Benjamin, and he seems to have a special sense like a sixth sense or some bullshit like that. He can smell cold ones like we wolves can, or they don't smell good for him. And he knows at some level that I'm a shapeshifter, a wolf."

"Oh, really? I would very much like to meet this young man."

"He is only nine years old," Paul chuckled despite himself. Ben always brought a smile to his face. "He also talks in some strange language. We've thought that it is something he's made up, but I'm not so sure anymore."

"Interesting," Kal-lape mumbled.

"There is herbal tea in the pot on the stove. After she wakes up, make sure she drinks it all. I'll be around. But give her time; she hasn't drunk anything for over three weeks, and she can easily throw it all up if she takes too much too soon. I'm going to phase and run away from the reservation, but phase and howl after she has come back to you. I'll come to check on her and have a chat with her. She surely is the most interesting human I've ever encountered."

Finally, Kal-lape let him go inside the cabin. It was dark inside, having only one small window. It was one room open-space cabin with one bed, a small kitchenette, a table, and huge fireplace that was now lit. The room smelled of various kinds of herbs. But it wasn't a bad smell, a bit strong, but Paul could handle it.

Bella was lying on the bed over a big fur. Was it a wolf? Kal-lape had painted a symbol on her forehead with red paint of some sort; it was a symbol of fire. Paul knew that it symbolized purification, cleansing, and renewal. His grandmother's teachings were paying off now. Seeing that symbol on her made him feel for a second that she belonged to this world and was part of his heritage. But for him, more important than the heritage was the future, the heritage they could form together. He walked to her and saw the glass jar containing amber color liquid.

Paul knelt by the bed and took her hand. She was so pale but beautiful that it almost hurt to look at her. He leaned down to kiss her softly on the lips. She was breathing peacefully and looked like she was sleeping as she had been for the last three weeks. Nothing had changed in her face other than the bruising had faded away.

"That psycho told me to talk to you. It should help you to find your way back. Said you are some kind of a shield and that it is blocking you and you can't find your way back. But it also saved you from becoming a leech."

Paul laughed humorlessly.

"It all sounds pretty insane. Fucking mad. All the crap that has happened to you. No wonder you're not sure if you should come back. But I am sure I need you here with me."

Paul brushed his thumb over her knuckles. The way she usually did when they were talking about something of importance.

"The thing is that I won't make it without you. I don't want to exist without you."

Paul shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment. The feeling of hopelessness rushed through him.

"It's heavy, I know. But it is the truth."

Paul felt tears prickling in his eyes. He cleared his throat.

"We are free to be together now. I've told you this before: I don't have an imprint anymore, and I never will. It is you. It's always been you. You're It for me. My wolf knew you know. I should have let him bite you. We, you and I, should've understood what it was all about. If I had bitten you, I would not have imprinted on that fucking bitch. None of that fucking drama would have ever happened."

Paul moved Bella's hair off her shoulder and skimmed the spot on the junction on her neck where his wolf had wanted to bite her before the imprinting. There had been teeth marks, that fucker had bitten her there, but the marks were now gone. His wolf had gone ballistic when he'd realized where the bite marks were. They had had to let the wolf lick the marks, and when he did, they had healed and vanished. It was potent stuff, the wolf's salvia.

"Harry told me all this, and the looney who was here with you just now had told him. He's an old shapeshifter, 150 years old or some shit. Can you believe it? He's continued to phase and is still very much alive."

Paul sighed and moved closer to the bed. He took his shirt off; it was so hot inside.

"He said I should rub this oil on you," Paul said, taking the glass jar on the bedside table. "And even if I don't believe it helps, I'm going to do it. I would do anything to get you back, baby. You know that, right. But, don't get any ideas when I'm taking off your shirt and pants, okay."

He placed the jar back on the table and then carefully took off her shirt and pants. He didn't want to smudge the symbol on her forehead. She didn't have a bra on, but she did have panties, and he let them stay on her. He poured little oil on her stomach and gently massaged it to her flawless creamy skin.

"You will laugh at this: I'm new alpha now. Sam's been fucking ecstatic to hand those wackos to me. And I can't blame him."

The oil had a pleasant scent, and then Paul realized it was shockingly similar to Bella's scent, only stronger. That was weird but nice. How had Kal-lape been able to get her scent into the jar? Did he really want to know? He wasn't so sure.

"But you know what, baby. You don't have to stay here in the Res. I want to marry you, but you don't have to live in the Res. Fuck, maybe we'll find a way I don't have to live here, all the time at least. I'm okay if you want to move to New York or wherever you need to go and do your thing. I only want to see you smile again. See your beautiful eyes once more."

"Fuck, this is sappy as fuck. But please, baby, wake up. I miss you so bad it hurts."

Paul continued to massage the oil on Bella's body. When he touched her full breasts and rubbed the oil on them, he could not help feeling aroused and had a strong urge to pull the rosebuds into his mouth. Fuck he was a pervert. This wasn't the time or place to have a boner. His girl was unconscious, for fuck's sake. But his mind slipped, without his consent, to those many moments they'd made love, and he had to stop for a while. He decided to take a little fresh air and clear his head.

He rose from the floor and turned to leave when he heard the most beautiful sound in the world.

"Paul, don't go."

AN:

She's awake! YAY! Thank you for your support for this story. All of it is very much appreciated. I always love hearing from you.