Chapter 3
Embry was expecting to patrol with Sam after the bonfire, but he hadn't paid much attention to where the Alpha had gone after Paul freaked out. The second he phased in to report for duty, Sam ordered him to phase out. Embry did not hesitate to phase right back. He was eager for his first day without a patrol since he phased, but more so, he didn't think he could have stood another minute in the same headspace as Paul. It was usually angry or perverse, but tonight it was anguish.
Midnight had passed before Paul had calmed down long enough to phase back. The melee wasn't about inflicting pain, it was to release it. Sam knew that Paul had to work through the anger before he would be able to confront the real emotions at play. The last thing Sam wanted to do was hurt Paul, but any injuries were from Sam just trying to keep up.
In a fight, Paul would always have the upper hand. He had the strength, the speed, and the skill to overpower any of the wolves on two legs or four. The occasional rogue vamp on patrol was just a chew toy to Paul. Similar to real wolves, this kind of sparring with a packmate was just how he blew off steam.
Sam had a couple of broken ribs from being thrown into a tree or two and defensive injuries across his forelegs and flank. Nothing that wouldn't heal by morning light. As usual, Paul's worst injury was the deep bite on the scruff of his neck where Sam eventually had to pull rank and demand submission the way the wolf would understand best. He didn't like taking away his pack's free will, but they both knew Sam didn't stand a chance without it.
They couldn't wrestle all night. It was time to face facts. Sam knew this part needed to be done outside of the pack mind. It would be easier for Paul to piece together his thoughts with more voices in his head. So his Alpha gave him more time.
Paul sat on a log near the border of the Rez. They were along the patrol route so Sam could feel a little better about not having anyone on active watch. It was pitch black thanks to the heavy cloud cover, but supernatural senses allowed Sam to see the vulnerability Paul hid so well from the rest of the world. He sat with his elbows on his knees, his head heavy in his hands.
Paul loved being a wolf. It was the first thing he was really good at, despite all of the sacrifices that came with it. He didn't have a future that he had to give up. He didn't have a family to keep secrets from. Hell, he even got paid by the council because it was so hard to keep a real job anymore. Now he had imprinted.
And she was taken. By their future Alpha.
"This is supposed to be the one good thing in my life and big surprise, it's shit too," Paul croaked. His voice felt raw from growling in wolf form. He refused to acknowledge the lump in his throat. If he cried in front of his Alpha right now, he would just have to kill himself anyway.
"How do you think it's gonna go down when that little prick becomes Alpha and sees that his girlfriend is my soulmate?" Paul seethed. "An imprint is supposed to be the gift from the spirits that makes all of the other bullshit worth it, Sam! And whatever, so what if she doesn't want me. She's better off and we all know it."
"Paul, that's not—," Sam tried, but Paul cut him off. The older wolf knew now wasn't the time for reasoning anyway. Paul was up and pacing back and forth.
"The spirits know I don't deserve that kind of happiness, but now? Oh, now the second that punk phases, he's going to have it out for me. He's going to take his bloodright as Alpha and royally fuck me. Being a protector is the only thing I have going for me and the guy who's going to be magically in charge is going to take that away too! Jacob Fucking Black. Of course he's with her. Embry said they've been best friends their whole lives. I don't stand a chance. He is going to make my already shitty life so much shittier. And Bel—"
He couldn't even say her name. Paul doubled over wheezing like his breath had been knocked out of him. He couldn't even think of her name without wanting to go track her down. Fuck it, that's exactly what he was going to do as soon as Sam dismissed him.
Stalking her would have to be enough. Maybe his wolf would be content watching her from a distance. It would have to be enough. He just needed to survive the new boss until he could stop phasing entirely and move to, like, Antarctica or something.
"Order me," Paul demanded, standing upright again. "Order me not to think about her when he's phased in. He'll find out about the imprint, whatever, but if he's going to be my Alpha someday, I need ...something."
"Paul, you don't know anything about her yet. Things might work out," Sam tried to rationalize.
"Things never work out for me, Sam. Order me." The shakiness of Paul's voice convinced Sam. Even if this would just make him feel better, it was something he could do for the distressed wolf.
"You will not think of Bella Swan or the imprint with Jacob in the packmind."
The Alpha bass reverberated through the surrounding forest like a ripple of magic. Paul slumped back down to sit on a log in relief. He resented Jacob Black more than ever. He resolved to be her silent protector. Her shadow in the trees to keep her safe.
Sam gave him a moment before clearing his throat and changing the subject, "Billy Black called me this morning with some concerns about Bella."
In an instant, Paul's hackles were raised again, a growl ripping from his human throat.
"Calm down, Paul. That's why I'm telling you this, because now it has to do with you too. Billy thinks she is suffering from withdrawal."
Paul's mind was already racing. What kind of trouble has his beautiful imprint gotten herself into? Is this why the spirits trusted her to Paul's care? Because this was familiar territory?
He knew all about addiction from both of his parents. He hadn't seen his mother since they left her behind in Tacoma when he was eight. His father was a somewhat functioning alcoholic, but his mother preferred to forget what planet she was on. He still clearly remembered what she was like when she came home loaded on whatever drugs she could afford that week. This was within his wheelhouse.
"Paul, I can see you working yourself up. Let me explain before you bust into fur again. She is going through withdrawal from vampire thrall. Ya know how they can lure humans in with their scent?"
"They smell like shit though." Paul could not believe anyone or anything could find that burnt sugar and beech smell enticing. It made him want to shove febreeze soaked tampons up his nose.
Sam started to explain, but Paul didn't care about any of that. He only cared about one thing. "Is she okay? Or at least is she going to be okay?"
"That's what we've got to figure out, man." Sam hoped a task would help focus Paul's anxiety. "Billy thinks she is still being exposed to them somehow. They've been gone for months and she still has classic withdrawal symptoms like she's fresh off the pipe."
Paul growled, "Don't make fun of my imprint, Uley."
Hands up in a placating gesture, "Never, man, I'd never. I just want you to go sniff around her place and make sure there is no trace of leeches hanging around. I'd say you're pretty motivated to figure this out."
"I'm just glad to hear she isn't the leech lover anymore." The whole pack had heard about the idiot human dating the vampire. Paul was reassured to hear from Sam that there was no lost love there. She hated that sparkly fucker almost as much as the wolves. So why would she hang on to something that reeked of leech?
"Go solve your girl's mystery," Sam dismissed him with a wave before walking back toward the patrol route to finish the shift alone.
"I'm not fucking Scooby-Doo, you twat," Paul flipped him off before launching back into silver fur towards Forks and towards the pull of his heart.
0o0o0o0o0
The school week dragged along slower than Bella thought possible. There were only twenty minutes left of her last class on Friday and she could have sworn the clock was broken. Tonight was her date with Jake and she had no idea what he had planned for them to do. Something involving the Rabbit was all she knew and that alone made her a little nervous. That thing was the apple of Jake's eye, but it looked like it would fall apart if it hit a pothole big enough. Her stomach rolled with nerves once again. Was it because she was nervous?
She had put a lot of thought into Billy's theory that she was in withdrawal from vampire thrall. Edward had told her about how it made vampires the perfect predator. Everything about them drew you in almost like hypnosis. She didn't feel hypnotized now. That feeling of the thrall was hard to miss once you understood what was happening to you. Like your whole world is in a haze and this creature in front of you was the most perfect thing you could imagine. Wow, she really understood the comparison to drugs when you thought about it like that.
Billy wasn't the kind of man to tolerate nonsense so he must have a point. She tried to think about this analytically:
What could be so drenched in vamp that it was still affecting her? Nothing. She had nothing from Edward or the Cullens. He took every last picture, momento, and souvenir from their relationship leaving only the memories in her head. Even those were starting to feel like a fever dream.
When did she feel the fullest effect of the symptoms Billy described? All the time. Even right now, in her last class of the day waiting for the final bell to ring, she felt like a pile of garbage. The longer the day goes on, the worse she feels.
That's something. Ok, what else?
When does she not feel like something the cat dragged in? Hmm. She tried to picture the last time she felt actually good. Not just getting by, but good. She could just imagine the lightbulb flashing on above her head. In her room, first thing in the morning. This morning even. She woke up feeling amazing. Stretched out like a cat in the sun. No nausea, headache, chills, nothing. The nights she didn't have the James dream, at least, and those were happening less and less.
The second she went downstairs and began her day, it was all downhill from there. When she stayed at Jake's or spent more time than just a school day away from home, she got worse and worse. More specifically away from her room? Could it be that simple? It's the most logical place something from the vampire family would be amongst her things.
RIIIING
Bella bolted out of her seat, nearly forgetting even her backpack, and took off towards the parking lot. She had an artifact to find. Could it be an article of clothing Alice gave her? She thought she threw them all away. Maybe a book from Carlisle? She was so focused on wondering what the relic could be the whole way home that she barely remembered driving. Miraculously, she didn't trip or slip on a patch of ice when she raced for the front door, fumbled with her keys, and scrambled up the stairs to her room.
The silver wolf hiding in the trees cocked his head, trying to make sense of the curious incident.
All week Paul had been running through the woods behind Bella's house every chance he got. Usually during his patrols or if he got the time during the day. Truth be told, Paul hadn't been working much lately so he had the time. He just couldn't focus on whatever task was at hand because his new imprint was driving him crazy. Sam and Jared had warned him that until it was accepted and his wolf claimed his mate he would be a little on edge. A little? Paul didn't feel a little on edge, he felt like he was walking a tightrope across the Grand Canyon and any slight misstep would send him careening into insanity.
Which is exactly why Paul was sitting just inside the treeline outside the Swan's home at exactly 3:25 pm. He knew Bella would be due home from school any minute now and this little dose of her scent would hold him over. There was always a wolf watching Jacob these days, waiting for him to phase and whenever Bella was with him, Paul would gladly volunteer. These extra visits when she wasn't with Baby Chief were more for pleasure than any duty.
A few minutes earlier than usual, Bella's truck came barreling down the road and skidded into the driveway. She ran up the steps like her tail was on fire and unlocked the door frantically. What the hell? Was something after her? A low growl rumbled out of his chest at the thought of his imprint in any kind of danger. He rounded the back of the house in time to see her through the living room windows scrambling up the stairs. He had never been inside the Swan household, but he knew her room was up the stairs to the left. He has visited her in the middle of the night enough times this past week to know that. Not to be a creep or anything, just to hear her heartbeat and ensure she was okay.
Fine, that was totally creepy, but he has a lot of free time these days. Usually, if he wasn't on patrol at night he'd be in someone else's bed, burning up the sheets. Not since that bonfire. Ever since the imprint, he couldn't fathom another woman touching him like that. Only her. He wanted his slice of imprint magic and he wasn't going to fuck that up by messing around with anyone else when he knew Bella Swan was meant to be his. Anyone that called him out on being a total sap would lose some teeth, but he could admit it freely when he was alone in the pack mind.
Paul phased back, pulling on his shorts and moved back around to the side of the house. From here he could see the front door and more importantly, the window to her room on the second story. He could hear her heart racing and the sound of her moving around her room in a tizzy. He guessed she was looking for something by the sounds of drawers opening and closing and clothes rustling. Every once in a while he could see her cross in front of the window. She seemed anxious and that made Paul anxious. Every molecule of his being pulled him towards her, demanding he go help. But how? What could he do? She doesn't know him. She definitely would be freaked if he just rang the doorbell and said 'hi you sounded like a damsel in distress and I'm here to save the day.'
But he wanted to help. Needed to help. Anything he could possibly do to alleviate her stress. She was stomping down the stairs now with the grace of an elephant in ballet shoes. He felt tethered. Paul didn't realize he had inched out of the woods and made it halfway across her lawn until she flew out of the house, the front door slamming against the wood siding. Bella skidded to a halt when she saw Paul standing in her front yard with a dumb look on his face.
She contained her surprise with acting deserving of an Oscar. Tamping down her immediate mental image of licking those abs, she realized the usefulness of the werewolf loitering in her yard. Ignoring whatever reason he was here, she could put him to work and find some answers. The ratio of questions to answers was getting out of hand. Looking up from his shirtless chest with great effort, she soldiered on.
"Oh perfect timing," Bella squeaked. Ducking her head and coughing to try to adjust her voice to a normal pitch, she tried again, "I was about to go to talk to Billy, but you can help first."
"I can help," Paul repeated, a little dumbfounded that this divine woman was directly addressing him. They hadn't spoken a word on the beach or in the market, but here was Bella Swan talking to him like it was perfectly normal for him to be here. She already had his head on backward. This whole situation was backward. This stranger was his soulmate and they knew nothing about each other. He would do anything she asked of him and here she was, asking for his help.
Paul squared his broad shoulders and puffed out his chest, preening subconsciously. He wanted her to know how strong and capable he was. On some instinctive level, this was the wolf trying to impress its mate.
Instantly recognizing the machismo, she corrected him, "I'm not some damsel in distress, I just need your nose."
Wait, what? Skipping past the concern that she could read his mind, he had no idea why she would be asking for his olfactory services. What did she know?
He followed her back into the house without a second thought. Paul was surrounded by her strawberry vanilla scent and a hint of what he knew was her arousal. He was in heaven. His dick was painfully aware of being in the vicinity of his mate, and Paul could practically feel his member try to take the reigns on his mental faculties. This imprint shit was seriously fucked up. Paul took in the biggest breath he could to savor every last molecule in the air and shoved his hands in his pockets to disguise his throbbing cock threatening to break through the zipper of his cutoff jeans. The figurative fig leaf was completely unnecessary when the last draw of his breath also caught just a whiff of the sickly sweet stench of leeches. The odor instantly brought a deep growl from his chest and his body dropped into an instinctive protective crouch in front of his imprint.
"Ah ha! That's what I was looking for," Bella declared from behind him. "You can smell it can't you? My human nose is no good and I've already torn my room apart looking for it."
Realizing the scent was stale and there wasn't an immediate threat, Paul straightened his spine and turned to look back at the girl. For some reason he expected his magical soulmate to have a magical, twinkling voice, but he was pleased to hear she wasn't like the other simpering bimbos. This was the first interaction they'd had where they'd actually spoken to each other and he was struck dumb while his mind was busy fantasizing what that voice would sound like first thing in the morning when she woke up next to him. His jaw hung open with words unsaid, so she continued on.
"Billy thinks Twatward McSparkleNuts left something in my room that's causing his thrall to still affect me." Bella chose her favorite moniker for her ex-boyfriend to clearly draw party lines.
Paul let out a guffaw of laughter and surprise at the little spitfire in front of him. There was definitely no love lost there. His imprint was perfect. And hilarious! He managed to contain his laughter, but under the cover of a sigh, the words slipped out without permission: "gods, I love you."
They both froze. He certainly did not mean to say that out loud. He had never said that to anyone. Ever. Not even his parents and absolutely never to a girl before. He'd never had a relationship that lasted past the next morning.
She could easily have misheard because she was in fact, too entranced by his laughter and his voice to really pay any attention to the words themselves. His deep voice matched the rest of him - all man.
Bella recovered before he did, assuming she misunderstood him. Gesturing up the stairs she asked, "Could you help me find it? I'm just guessing by your reaction that you can smell vampire."
"Umm.. yeah." Eloquent, Lahote. She's really gonna be impressed by how far you can shove your foot in your mouth. Trying to save face and keep up with the situation, he tried to figure out how she knew so much.
"How did you know I could... sniff it out?" He asked as he followed her up the stairs. For the first time, he actually felt guilty for checking out an ass. They paused on the landing before her room. She was nervous, he could tell.
"I connected the dots. I knew about the vampires and I knew the protectors were out there in La Push somewhere. And if anyone was a superhuman shape shifter, I imagine this is what one would look like," she finished with a sweeping gesture over his body.
"Thank you?"
"It was definitely a compliment. Come on, let's put your nose to work." Bella swung open the door and ducked her head so her hair would fall down and hide her face. Her words may have been confident but the blush climbing her ivory cheeks betrayed her hidden insecurities.
No wonder he couldn't smell the leech residue from the edge of the forest. It was very faint, even in the house, but stronger with each step up the stairs. Just like she hoped, he followed his nose. Her room was a disaster, presumably from her looking for something from the bloodsuckers. His nose brought him to the middle of the room to the.. bed? That bastard was in her bed?! Paul had to take deep breaths and rationalize with his wolf to stop the continuous protective growl. The leech hasn't been here in months.
If it's not coming from the bed then under it? He pushed the heavy wooden frame away with one hand as if it was made of cotton candy and he immediately noticed the floorboard that was slightly raised. It even had a convenient divot in the edge that Paul used to pull it up. The renewed scent felt like it crawled under his skin when he reached in and pulled out a manilla envelope. Bella must have understood what it was because she snatched it out of his hands with a gasp.
"That asshole! He said he was going to leave and it would be like he was never here, but he had to go and hide this stuff in my room?!" She seemed flabbergasted, but that sounded to Paul like just the kind of thing a sneaky tick would do. Her rant wasn't over.
"Maybe I'd cut him some slack and say he didn't know about the effect of their scent on humans, but that bastard was old and knew all about the effects of his kind. And he could read minds! Carlisle would have known all about that kind of thing so Edward knew what he was doing when he left this here!"
Paul took the envelope back from her and looked inside. It looked like a bunch of photographs and a homemade CD. Clearly, it meant something to her but he didn't care about her past, he just wanted to make sure that fucker didn't have a place in her future. And he knew the best way to get rid of vamp stench.
"Can we burn it?" he suggested with an evil smirk that sent her pheromones and imagination into overdrive. She tried to ignore her fantasies of what she would love to do with that mouth and nodded her head.
And that's how they found themselves in the backyard pouring lighter fluid into Charlie's charcoal grill.
"Come on, Princess, let me light it. I don't want you catching your hair on fire." Paul took the matches from her and pulled her back a few steps with his hand at her elbow. Heat and animalistic need rippled up his arm and settled in his chest. Holy shit, that's the first time he's touched her. How the fuck did he just get a boner from touching her elbow? Quick, distract. And definitely don't touch her again.
"You sure make things interesting. We should do this again sometime," Paul smirked. He liked the way the fire reflected from her cinnamon eyes. She was just happy to catch his eye again. Eye contact with this russet demi-god was addicting.
"Hopefully I don't have more ex-boyfriend effects to burn any time soon." Bella absentmindedly put a hand over the spot where her chest used to feel hollow. "If I didn't have plans tonight, I'd offer you a ride home. I didn't see a vehicle with you when you were practicing how to be a garden gnome out front."
"You think you're funny don't you, Princess," he joked right back. "I was wondering if you were going to ask about that." He awkwardly rubbed the back of his head and watched his toe kick the dirt.
"I was going to call you a scarecrow, but I don't have crops and you're not exactly scrawny." She poked him in the bicep to emphasize her point. He flexed for her with a wink. Paul was well practiced at being cocky. It was an easy mask to hide behind.
Bella pulled her hand back like she had been shocked. She felt the butterflies in her stomach liquify between her thighs. Mortified at her physical reaction to this beautiful man once again, she scrambled to change the subject. "So how did you get here then? I mean, to the middle of my lawn?"
He scrambled. Shit. Do I try to lie? Fuck! I can't lie to my imprint. "I ran actually. We patrol to keep an eye out for bloodsuckers and I uhh… was in the neighborhood."
It seemed that was the end of his explanation so she didn't push it. Something was going on here, but she didn't know enough about the wolves or anything about their situation to speculate. Crap, I forgot about Jake.
She didn't want Paul to leave. She wanted to stay with him all night and learn about the wolves. She wanted to hear his life story and hear that perfect laugh again. She wanted to make him laugh. But this was crazy. This man was a complete stranger. Jake was her best friend and they were going to give dating a try. She hated to turn Paul away when everything in her told her to pull him in closer.
"Uhh..I'm sorry, but Jake should be here soon. I should get ready."
"Oh.. yeah. I should go. I've got uh… places. Ya know, things to do." The only thing Paul had to do was continue to stalk Bella Swan and make sure Jacob didn't phase too close to her. Paul started to back away from her towards the forest.
"Have fun on your date, Princess."
He was gone so fast, all Bella could manage was calling after him, "Don't call me Princess!"
0o0o0o0o0
Could a werewolf die of secondhand embarrassment? Paul watched from the trees as Jacob pulled up in his eye-sore of a car to pick up his girl.
My Girl.
This was going to be a long night. He had to watch his romantic rival take his imprint on the worst date ever. He felt like a creep and only a little guilty, but he was here on official business. Sam put him on Jacob Phase-Watch so he had the pleasure of witnessing their awkward date from afar. Weren't these two best friends? Why were they acting like they were on a blind date and they both didn't want to be there? When Jacob picked her up, he literally shook her hand. Paul didn't know him very well personally, but he had seen Baby Chief around enough to know that he was a hands-on guy. He always had his arm around Bella and had no weirdness with hugging his friends. Why was he so awkward right now? He looked like he was picking up his cousin for prom.
The awkwardness only escalated when they got to the diner. There aren't many date options unless you go all the way into Port Angeles and Paul doubted that dumb car could make it that far. So the two lovebirds sat in the window booth of the diner that they went to with their fathers all the time. Romantic. Thank goodness he couldn't hear their conversation from outside over the din of the other customers and the ruckus in the kitchen. Watching their body language was enough to get the gist of how this was going. Jacob kept trying to hold her hand over the table, completely oblivious that Bella was struggling to eat her veggie burger one-handed. Every time something fell out of her sandwich she blushed and shot a glare at Jake's hand currently shackling hers to the table. Poor Princess. She deserved the moon and the stars.
Jesus Christ, did someone abduct Paul and replace him with a twelve-year-old girl?
Fuck! He forgot he wasn't the only one phased in. This is what an imprint does to you.
Shut your goddamn mouth, Embry. You don't know shit and you won't until you imprint yourself.
I hope I don't imprint like all you pussy-whipped morons.
Embry must have been trying to hide something because he immediately started reciting the lyrics to the first song he could think of. It was Sam's trick for keeping anything private in a shared mental space. The youngest wolf must have been pathetically desperate to cover his thoughts because he was currently singing the alphabet song through the pack mind on repeat.
If I have to hear the alphabet one more time, I'm ripping one of your ears off, Call. See how well wolf healing does with that.
Paul, pay attention to your job. They're leaving the diner.
Jacob opened Bella's door for her to slide into her seat with a tight-lipped smile. He jogged around the car to get in and Paul could see sweat practically pouring down the boy's face. Was he really that nervous or just that close to phasing? Either way, Paul wanted Bella away from him. All it takes is a really strong emotion to trigger the phase and that could be anything. Anger seems to be the most effective, but Jacob Black just doesn't get angry. If anyone was going to phase from being too nervous it would be this dumbass. Focusing back into the pack mind he asked Embry,
What's the deal with these two? I thought they were besties?
They were when I used to hang out with them. This date has been so cringey to watch. They were never like this before.
Paul couldn't help but hope it was because she felt the imprint too. Maybe she's having doubts about her relationship with Jacob because she feels the connection. Embry was surprisingly encouraging of the imprint,
Maybe they're just not meant to be more than friends. They've always been close. As far as I know, dating is a very recent development.
As much as he appreciated Embry's insight, having been their friend before, he was sick of thinking about his imprint's relationship with that annoying, happy-go-lucky jokester. He watched the car pull out of the parking lot and could not believe where they went. Back to her house? That was the date? The diner. That was the whole plan? God, this really was the worst date ever.
The awkward couple went inside and Paul took up his perch from earlier where he could see into the living room windows from the backyard. Bella seemed to be making popcorn while Jake picked out a movie. This was just getting weird. Did he really have to sit here and watch them watch a movie? If they start making out, Paul swore he was going to go in and rip that fuckers tongue out. He didn't care about tribal lineage or the fact that Jacob was still technically a human.
A howl cut through the trees and Embry hollered through the packmind,
Leech! Northwest corner.
Thank the gods he didn't have to watch another second of this. Paul took off through the trees towards his favorite pastime: taking out bloodsuckers.
0o0o0o0o0
Jake picked the movie so of course, they were watching Transformers. Bella thought since this was a date he would have picked something romantic or maybe a comedy, but she was actually relieved. Jake picking his favorite dumb car-robot movie was actually the most normal part of the night. She could tell that he was overthinking things too, and that was just not something Jacob Black did. They were best friends. Jake n' Bells. So why was this so hard? She wanted this to work. It could be so easy! But the whole night had felt like they were both trying too hard and didn't know how to act around each other.
Bella was ready to move on. She knew she loved Jake but she wasn'tin love with him. She could imagine a life with Jake. Better than she could ever imagine a life with Edward. That chapter of her life was behind her, and she was ready for a new one to begin. She already felt better with Edward's crap gone and burned to ashes. Thanks to a certain werewolf that she was not going to think about right now.
She couldn't help but daydream about her weird afternoon with Paul. What was it about that guy? She didn't even care why he was there in the first place, she was just so shocked to see him. Speaking of shocked, that electric zap when they had touched? She wanted to feel that again.
No. No, she was here with Jake. Her best friend and maybe-boyfriend who she was going to fall in love with and have a simple, normal life. Bella didn't need some whirlwind passionate romance with some guy she just met. She had Jake.
Jake hadn't noticed Bella space out because he was distracted too. He had picked Transformers because, as a movie they had watched a thousand times, he hoped it would inject a sense of normalcy into the evening. Originally he had planned to take her somewhere after dinner, but honestly, he felt like shit. He was sweating bullets and just not feeling himself.
Dinner was awkward, he could tell. He should want to be with Bella. Their families loved each other and she was beautiful and funny. She had really grown a backbone since that uppity asshole left. She should be perfect girlfriend material. Maybe if they kissed it will feel more like a date? He could fall in love with her if he tried. Fake it 'til you make it?
That was all the convincing it took for Jacob to make a move. His left arm was already around her shoulders so he reached his right over and scooped her legs up, bringing her onto his lap. She squeaked in surprise but giggled to mask her awkwardness when she realized what he was doing.
"Jake, the movie!"
"Come on, Bells, we've seen this a thousand times." He leaned in and brushed his nose against hers once. Twice. Bella closed the gap and pressed her lips to his. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled her body flush against his. He had grown practically a whole foot this past month and had packed on an impressive amount of muscle. Jacob was sort of beautiful and kissing him could prove to be an educational experience. She knew for a fact that he was just as virginal as she was. He had girlfriends here and there growing up but nothing serious. Edward had only ever kissed her lightly and with such reservation that it barely counted. That thought sealed Bella's determination. She resettled herself to be straddling Jake's lap and deepened their kisses. Her tongue was lightly exploring while her fingers dug into his long hair.
Jake was surprised at her boldness but excited just the same. After their uncomfortable dinner, he thought she was second-guessing the choice to go out on a date with him. He had no idea how far she was willing to let this go, but he wasn't going to discourage her from going as far as she wanted. He slid his hands from her hips under the edge of her shirt and felt the smooth skin of her lower back. She arched into him with his touch which encouraged him to go higher. Her hands were busy exploring his chest and shoulders and he thought he'd make it easier for her.
"Um, Bells? When is Charlie going to be home?" He drew his lips down her neck and continued planting kisses down her shoulder.
"He's got the overnight shift and is going straight to your house in the morning to go fishing with Billy. Packed up his gear and everything."
Jake pulled his shirt over his head to give her roaming hands better access and because it felt like a fucking oven in the house. He wondered how Bella wasn't sweating like he was, but any thoughts were quickly derailed when she followed suit and pulled her shirt over her head too. Her hair came tumbling back down and perfectly framed her breasts in her simple navy blue bra.
Bella was taking this evening on with a 'why not?' kind of attitude. If she was going to do anything, wouldn't her best friend be the perfect person to try something new with? He wasn't going to hurt her or not call her again after tonight. She was determined to take this as far as he would let her. She moved her hips against him and was happy to feel that his body was on board at least.
Jake was trying to follow her signs. She was currently rocking against his dick and that seemed like a pretty good sign to him. She said she wasn't bothered by the age difference and, she had been the one to make the comment about the age of consent. This could really be happening, right?
Any and all overthinking was put to a stop when Bella reached back and popped the clasp of her bra, sliding the straps down her shoulders. Jake pulled away from their kiss to appreciate the sight before him. Bella Swan straddling him on the couch. Topless.
He slid his hands up her sides and got a handful of the first pair of real boobs he'd ever seen. Giving one of her nipples a tug, she gasped and arched her back again, pushing her center harder into his erection. She liked that. Good to know.
He kissed down her chest and wrapped his lips around her perfect, bubblegum pink areola, sucking the whole thing into his mouth. He pulled back a little, biting down on the little peak and she squeaked. It must not have been a good noise because she yanked her torso back and slapped his chest.
"Jake! Less teeth on my titties please!" She chuckled, so she must not have been actually upset, thank the gods. The brevity lightened the situation and they both relaxed a little. Bella gave his nipple a little tug in retribution and he laughed too. Bella thought Jake really did have a beautiful smile.
Her lips were back on his with more passion this time. The interruption reminded them both that they could be comfortable with each other. They were both inexperienced and learning together. Their kisses became more heated and their hands more frantic. Hers were locked in his hair pulling him closer and his were back on her breasts. Her moans spurred him on and he got bold.
Pulling back again with a gasp of fresh air, he gave her belt loops a tug and asked, "Can I take these off?"
She climbed off his lap and, standing in front of him between his knees, wordlessly popped the button of her jeans, but paused with her hand on the zipper, "Only if you take yours off too."
Jake couldn't believe what was happening so he didn't stop to question it. He was a teenage boy and his hot best friend was apparently trying to get naked with him. Maybe even have sex with him! No arguments there.
He lifted his hips and pulled his jeans off. Getting them off his feet was awkward and he silently questioned how strippers take their pants off and make this part sexy. Do those tear-away pants have velcro or snaps? Ok seriously off-topic here, get your damn pants off.
Bella snickered, earning a playful glare from Jake, "You really shouldn't laugh when a guy takes his pants off, Bells. It's just rude."
"Well you shouldn't wear spongebob boxers on a date, Jacob Black."
She had a point, but in his defense, "I was so not expecting to be taking my pants off on our first date, Bella Swan."
With her hands on her hips, still standing in front of him in just her underwear she admonished, "Are you seriously slut shaming me right now?"
"No no no no no, that was not at all what I -" he tried to save himself, but she just laughed.
"I'm just messing with you, Jake. I'm proclaiming you the slut here," Bella chuckled, climbing back onto his Spongebob-clad lap. "Are you okay with this? I mean, I'm on the pill and I figured, who would be better to take my virginity?" She suggested with a shrug.
It was near impossible to think with such little fabric between his dick and an actual vagina. Jake stuttered, "Wow, I uhh.. Yes. Definitely, yes, I am okay with this." Well, that confirmed her intentions for this evening. Oh my gods, this was really about to happen.
"I didn't think you'd be opposed to the uhh… idea," Bella emphasized with a grind down against his erection. If she moved just right, the pressure on her clit felt fantastic.
Jake was done talking, he had business to attend to. He lifted her to the side to lay her down on the couch and settle between her legs. He was going to personally thank Charlie for having a spacious couch because there was no way he was taking the time to stop and relocate.
He kissed her neck and ground himself against her center to demonstrate just how excited he was about her plan for the evening. He understood the logistics of sex, obviously, but he was nervous about actually doing it. He peeled her cute little matching navy blue undies down her legs. Her hair was trimmed and neat and he was a little embarrassed he never thought to do any manscaping. Still not as embarrassed as he was about having fucking Spongebob boxers on for the first time he was about to have sex.
He took the opportunity to get cartoon sea creatures out of the equation, shimmying out of his boxers and adding them to the pile of clothes on the floor.
This was the first penis Bella had ever seen in real life and she was...unimpressed. It wasn't small but it wasn't as big as she thought someone of Jacob's stature would have. She was actually slightly relieved because she knew this was going to hurt and maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he was average-sized. She pulled him back down towards her, wrapping one hand around his neck and the other pushing some hair behind his ear to better see his face.
Leaning over Bella with one hand supporting his weight by her head and one on her thigh, he ducked his head to resume their heated kisses. He knew what a hymen was in theory but he had no idea what to expect. She was going to bleed, right? God, he had some complaints about the La Push High Sex Ed curriculum. He decided to start with a finger.
Slowly he brought his hand up her outer thigh rotating towards her apex to swipe down her entire slit with his thumb. He was working blind here so he rubbed his index finger around her folds until he found his target and slowly sunk a finger inside of her. He wanted to prepare her as much as possible, but right now his main concern in this fact-finding mission was to determine exactly where her entrance was. He was paranoid that the moment would come and he wouldn't know where to put his dick.
Bella enjoyed the feeling of his finger slowly moving in and out of her and groaned her appreciation. It wasn't quite good, but it felt better than her own fingers. She kissed along his jawline and down his neck when he had paused in kissing her back. He seemed very preoccupied with what his hand was doing so she allowed him to focus, hoping that meant he'd find her clitoris. He added a second finger and she didn't feel any pain yet, this was nothing she hadn't done to herself. Hoping to move this along a little she snaked a hand between their bodies and took a firm hold of his length.
"Oh shit, Bells," he panicked that he would embarrass himself by cumming before he even started. "Can I?"
She breathed out a "yes" and pushed his shoulders back giving him room to look down and line himself up with her entrance. His worries of getting lost were unnecessary and he slowly slid into her heat. She tensed around him with a pinched look on her face and he waited. When her nails eased up on his biceps he took that as a good sign and began to move.
Holy shit this felt completely different than his hand. He had jacked off so many times to the dirty mags Quil had snuck into the garage, but this was so much better. He wasn't going to last.
Bella was thinking about the stretching burn between her legs. She brought her hands to his shoulders, not sure what to do with them while he moved above her. She tried to take the pained look off her face and thought about how she was going to have to disinfect Charlie's couch. Jake was making grunting noises and dripping an impressive amount of sweat down his face. He howled and made a face like he pulled a muscle, abruptly halting his motions. She was worried he legitimately hurt himself.
"Are you okay?"
"Fuck, I'm great. Did I hurt you?" Oh, he was done. He pulled out of her and sat back on his heels. She clamped her legs together, still worried about getting bodily fluids on her father's furniture.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. Only hurt a little in the beginning," she quickly replied. Not wanting to hurt his feelings that it barely felt good either. She knew it wasn't going to feel good right away and maybe with practice and a discussion about what to do next time, it could be as mind-blowing as everyone says sex could be. She didn't want to ruin his high so she smiled sweetly and got up, pulling her sweatshirt over her head as she walked to the bathroom. She brought him a damp washcloth for the small amount of blood she had seen on his softening member. Handing it to him, her smile faltered. He was shaking and looked like he was trying to mask his discomfort.
"Jake, you're shaking. Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, umm I'm fine," he stuttered while pulling his boxers back on, "I'm just gonna step out back for a second. I'm feeling a little warm. I just have a feeling like I need to be...outside..."
Without waiting for a response, he took off out the back door into the yard. Bella watched him dart straight into the forest. She assumed what was happening, but she definitely did not expect him to phase right after they lost their virginities to each other. She knew deep emotion triggered the change but really? Now? She gathered their clothes and headed up to take a shower. She knew he wasn't coming back. So much for a normal life.
0o0o0o0o0
By the time Paul caught up to Embry, the warning howl had gotten the attention of Sam and Jared. The two other wolves raced towards their pack brothers, assessing the situation from what they could see through the packmind. Sam knew Paul was the strategist, so he let him take point on this one.
Paul, you've got a better eye on the situation, where did you want us? Normally an alpha wolf wouldn't be so quick to hand over the reins, but Sam wasn't meant to be Alpha. He was simply a placeholder until Jacob was ready and he could not wait for that day. Sam was a softy at heart and didn't have the personality to match the dominant traits brought out by being the Alpha wolf.
She's a talker and she's distracted. We'll turn her around so you're downwind, and you can sneak up on her from behind.
The three other wolves gave their wordless understanding and went to task. Embry and Paul circled around to get her to turn while she continued screeching.
"I'm gonna kill that little human bitch! She is the reason my James is dead!"
Paul did not care one bit who James was or what the redheaded tick was talking about. He was simply biding his time for his brothers to show up. Sam was closer, but Jared wasn't far behind.
"You mutts can't stop me! I'm ruthless! And that little whore will pay for her sins in flesh. I will tear Bella Swan limb from li-"
Paul didn't give her a chance to finish. The second he heard his imprint's name on that corpse's lips, he lunged for the throat. Sam got there just in time to sink his teeth into her side as Paul ripped her head clean off.
Aww man, did I really miss all the action? Jared was just approaching the two wolves ripping limbs off the stone-cold body while a human Embry started a fire. Jared helped gather the pieces while Sam tried to calm Paul back down.
We got her, you can stop ripping the thing apart. You're only going to make the clean-up job harder.
My imprint. She was here for my imprint, Sam.
We'll keep a close watch for any other vamps that might be traveling with her, but this one is dead. Your imprint is safe.
Embry phased back in to help sniff out any remaining granite chunks of flesh to be burned. Damn, she was off her rocker. Can vamps go rabid? She was like a feral animal foaming at the mouth.
It took longer than usual to burn the pieces thanks to Paul's overzealous dismemberment. The pack was still gathered when another voice entered the packmind.
WOO HOO! Wait.. What the fuck? I have fucking paws?!
Sam immediately snapped back to mother hen mode. Jacob, everything is okay. We're coming to you to explain. Stay where you are.
They could all see quite clearly through his memories what had caused him to phase. Of course, Jacob fucking Black would be the first wolf in history to phase from extreme happiness. Paul couldn't think about the imprint with Jacob in the pack mind thanks to the Alpha order, but he could without a doubt feel the fiery rage bubbling in his gut. The pup had just given the entire pack a panoramic, surround sound version of his Bella in a way that Paul was positive she would not want to be shared.
Paul phased out immediately. He didn't want to see one more second of Jacob's memories. He felt disgusting for having seen her at all without her permission. Paul wasn't known for his chivalry, but consent was never in question. He was just as disgusted with himself for his reaction to the images. He couldn't help it, his imprint was hot as hell, but that didn't make him hate himself or Jacob Black any less.
Of course, he was furious at the knowledge of another man touching his imprint, but not for the possessive reasons another wolf may feel. Paul didn't care about her virginity or prior experience. What kind of hypocritical asshole would he be? It was clear from the memory that she actually initiated that pathetic excuse for sex. He didn't hold that against her or Jacob, even. There was no betrayal to be angry over because she didn't know or understand their connection and neither did Jacob. Paul figured that because she was unclaimed, he still had a little influence over his wolf to rationalize. She was not his. Yet.
Paul had outright panicked when he imprinted on the future Alpha's girl. It had been a purely selfish concern about his standing in the pack and his status with his new boss. That was under the assumption that Jacob and Bella had a stable, meaningful, and committed relationship. Watching them both this last week had proved Paul had a chance and spending time with her this afternoon had solidified his resolve.
He could still feel the animal tearing at his insides. The beast wanted to run straight to Forks to kill Jacob slowly and then show Bella what he could make her feel instead. He could tell that she had received no pleasure from that amateur encounter. The wolf was ecstatic that he would be the one to introduce her to the wonderland that her body could be and the pleasure he could give her. He wanted to see and experience every inch of her firsthand. He would earn that opportunity if Bella let him into his life. In the meantime, he would plot.
While Sam explained the legends and the ins and outs of shapeshifting to Baby Chief, Paul ran on two legs back to the Rez. Her next sexual experience would be his and she would forget all about that dumb fucking boy that had fumbled through her first time.