Chapter 4
On any other day, Bella could probably make the drive to the Rez with a blindfold on. Not today. Today she had to put all of her focus on the road or her wandering mind was going to wander her truck right off the highway.
She pulled up to Jake's house and parked next to the Rabbit's empty spot out front. Jake didn't exactly drive home last night, he was probably still out wolfing it up in the woods. She'd have to come up with an explanation for Charlie on why the car was still parked in front of their house, but that was a problem for Future-Bella. She had too much swimming through her brain to deal with that minor detail in the convoluted plot that has become her life. Was she really about to begin her second relationship with a mythical creature? Bella hoped Billy could answer some of her questions.
She trudged through the slush of melting snow and kicked her boots off just inside the front door. The house was dark and cold and it was clear that nobody had been here for hours. Crap. She forgot. Billy was out fishing. She had slept in this morning and made it here by 11am, but they probably were already on the water by 6.
She shrugged and headed to the kitchen to start a cup of coffee. There was no point in going back home just to come back later so she decided to wait. This little red house was her home away from home. She was more comfortable here in the Black's home than she ever was living with Renee. Moving back with her father to finish high school was the best decision she ever made.
She wandered into the living room with her cup of coffee and smiled at the pictures on the walls. Her favorite was one of her and Jake just after she had moved back. She made a point to reconnect with him once she was permanently back in Forks, but that didn't exactly last. She was deeply embarrassed of how she neglected him when she got so tied up in Edward. Jake brought her out of her funk and they picked up right where they left off. They had gotten along their whole lives. Whenever she visited Charlie she would spend as much time as she could with the Black family and she always kept in touch with Jake throughout the school year.
That easy friendship was what she hoped for in their relationship. An awkward date at the diner wasn't a good start, but she wasn't giving up just yet. She didn't regret sleeping with him. It was an experience she couldn't imagine sharing with someone else. Not because she was in love with him or because she found him irresistibly sexy, but because she was comfortable with him. They could have fun and be silly together and learn about each other's bodies, but that was it. She couldn't imagine fireworks with Jacob Black.
She got pulled out of her X-rated thoughts of who she'd like to have fireworks with when she noticed a book on the shelf below the picture of her and Jake. 'Wolfpack Legends Histories of the Quileute Tribe'. Maybe she didn't have to wait for Billy to get home to find some answers after all. She pulled the book off the shelf and brought it back to the kitchen table with her cup of coffee.
Bella was positive Jake had transformed last night. She wanted to armor up with as much information as she could get her hands on. She wasn't sure how this was going to affect their friendship or relationship. Or if they would even be able to maintain a relationship after this. She was more worried about the whole wolf thing changing their friendship than sleeping together had.
She flipped through the book and was appreciating the illustration on the first page of her favorite story "The Third Wife: Taha Aki's Imprint" when Charlie wheeled Billy in the front door.
Charlie lit up like a Christmas tree. "Hey there, Bells!" Despite living together, they really didn't see much of each other because they both preferred to keep to themselves. "I'm surprised to see you here, I thought maybe we'd cook up some fish at home tonight?"
"Yeah maybe, dad. I was hoping to catch Jake so I'll call and let you know if I'll be back for dinner."
"Feel free to invite him. It could be a date!" He elbowed her in the ribs with a wink. Real subtle Charlie. "You too, Billy! If you're not sick of me yet today, you both could come on by. Just let me know. I gotta get his fish in the fridge, I'll see y'all later!" Charlie grabbed his cooler of fish and headed right back out the door, leaving Billy and Bella in the kitchen.
Billy was not surprised to come home to little Miss Curious waiting for him at the kitchen table. The second he rolled back onto the Rez, Sam had told him that his son had phased and of course Bella was involved. Sam didn't share any details about what Bella had to do with Jacob phasing, only that it wasn't an argument and the girl was unharmed. Guessing from the book of legends opened in front of her, Billy had an idea what she was here for.
"Doing some light reading, sweetheart?"
She met Billy Black's trusting eyes and the dam broke. She explained what had happened the night before with some serious editing. She told him all of her worries about Jake becoming a wolf and how it was going to change him. He was such a kindhearted soul, she couldn't imagine him sharing a body with an animal. She was worried how this would change things between them. She wanted to date him because it seemed like the right choice to make. A safe choice. She knew their fathers would be happy.
Billy had to interject or she'd never stop her nervous rambling, "Sweetheart, don't date someone just because you think your father would approve." Billy knew about the imprint and faithfully believed in the wisdom of the spirits. They wouldn't choose wrong and he knew it, even if he never would have chosen Paul Lahote for this sweet girl. He couldn't outright discourage her relationship with Jake because that would be a complete 180 from how he had felt just a week ago. Billy figured Paul wouldn't wait too long to tell her and Jacob surely knew by now himself. He hoped she wasn't too emotionally invested in this new relationship with his son. She would find out soon enough, but it wasn't Billy's place so he let her continue.
Bella wondered out loud if it was even possible to have a relationship with Jake now. She noticed the other wolf girls at the bonfire and had read terms such as "mated wolves" and knew about the Third Wife in the legends so she was curious about wolf relationships. Did they mate for life like wolves in the wild? Damn that girl is too smart for her own good.
Billy hesitated but chose to explain the basics, leaving the main part for Paul himself, "Bella honey, there's a specific way that a wolf finds their mate." Billy went on to explain the basic lines you'd read in any legend on the topic. He covered the standard 'gravity shifts' and 'center of their universe' and 'he'll be anything the imprint needs'. By the end of his speech Bella was glassy eyed and stunned silent, much like every new wolf getting the imprint talk. It was powerful magic from the spirits and Billy was glad Bella recognized the importance.
"Imprinting grounds the wolf and shows him his other half. The two are perfect for one another. There are various theories of the purpose of an imprint, but I think the imprint is to balance the wolf. Sharing a soul and a body with an animal does a lot to these boys. They're just boys being thrown into the responsibilities of men. The strength of body needs to be matched by strength of the mind. The wolf alone is a powerful force and the love of an imprint can help the man balance the wolf. Help him remember his humanity."
"But they don't have a choice," Bella protested. "Jake doesn't have a choice."
"Jacob cannot imprint, Bella. The documented histories indicate that the intended Alpha will not imprint so that their focus can be the pack and the tribe. If the imprint dies, the wolf will soon follow. It's an unbelievable pull between mated wolves and their claimed imprints. It could be distracting or even used against the Alpha in a time of war. Jacob can fall in love, get married, and have a family the old fashioned way, but he can't be held back by the type of distraction an imprint can be to the wolf."
"He can't imprint on me then," Bella thought out loud. She tried to imagine a bond like that, a relationship ordained by the spirits. Bella was actually disappointed that Jacob could not imprint. It sounded like a storybook romance come to life. Happily ever after guaranteed sounded beautiful. Because Jacob couldn't have that kind of bond as Alpha, she was even more determined to fall in love with him and be that other half.
Billy hadn't planned on telling her this much. Billy didn't want to be the one telling her any of this at all. Paul should be explaining all of this to her, but Billy didn't want Bella to leave this conversation with a negative attitude towards imprinting. She'd find out about Paul's imprint sooner than later.
The Chief relaxed when he saw that his relief team was here. Through the window in the front door, he could see Paul and Jacob step onto the front porch. This was a conversation for them. Billy sent a quick prayer to the spirits, asking them to help Bella along the emotional roller coaster this afternoon was turning into.
Jake spent all night listening to Shape Shifter 101 from Sam. Patrol schedules. Pack mind. Vampires. Enhanced senses. Keeping the secret. The truth about certain creepy ex-boyfriends of certain best friends. By morning he could phase back to human and by noon he could phase back and forth at will. Sam was impressed, the kid was a natural.
He walked back home in his human skin, wearing nothing but a ratty pair of shorts Sam had given him from one of their hidey-holes in a tree. Jacob wanted to walk home on two feet to really appreciate his new awareness of the world around him. The sights, sounds, and smells that he never would have noticed before were overwhelming. The world wasn't just in HD, it was reality times a million. He took the time to think as well. His whole life changed overnight. Everything that he knew was flipped upside down.
Hell, even the remaining human aspects of his life changed last night too. Bells was always the constant anchor in his life that he could count on and now he wasn't sure where he stood with her either.
Holy Shit, he had sex with Bella Swan last night. He could still date Bells after what Sam told him about imprinting. It would never happen to him. She was the easy choice. It would be a comfortable relationship. She seemed a little awkward after last night and he wondered if it was any good for her. He could make it good for her, they just needed practice. With practice they could find some passion. They could be two halves of a whole. He just wanted what Sam and Emily had, but he didn't have the guiding hand of an imprint. He would have to create his own destiny and that could be Bella.
Right now his priority was to get home, get some sleep, and eat anything he could get his hands on. He followed the trail out of the trees to the little red house he had lived in for his entire life. Jake thought that this house might be the only thing that hadn't changed after last night. But even the comfortable familiarity of home was blemished with a werewolf sitting on his front step.
Paul had been the only wolf not with them last night. Jared and Embry ran the border while Sam coached him. Paul was mentioned briefly when Sam told the story of how the pack formed, but Jake could tell there was some major information missing. It was as if the second Paul was mentioned, the other wolves went radio silent. Sam brushed off Jacob's curiosity and dismissed the topic saying that Paul would have to talk to Jacob himself.
The newest wolf guessed this was about to be that conversation and Jake hated that he was going in blind. He had no clue what this could even be about, but it felt ominous. Paul had a reputation around the Rez for fighting and being a total whore. Sam's only comment on the impending conversation was for Jake to keep an open mind and remember that Paul was actually a good guy. Jake would judge that for himself.
Paul stepped off the porch and looked about as uncomfortable as Jake felt.
"Jacob," Paul dipped his head in greeting. "I heard you coming so I waited before I went in to talk to the Chief and uhh..."
"Is Bella here? That's her truck." He didn't like the idea of Paul being anywhere near Bella, but Jake was just happy to see her again. "You guys can just call me Jake, y'know. Only my dad calls me Jacob." Paul was shifting his weight from foot to foot looking about as uncomfortable as Jake felt. "What's this about, man? Sam was real vague last night and I just want to eat and sleep."
"Let's talk inside," the older wolf suggested. Of course Paul had already known that truck was Bella's. He'd been stalking her for a week, including her trips to and from school and around town in the monstrosity. Paul needed to get her a safer car. He'd been sitting on the porch for a while, watching her vehicle slowly get covered in a light layer of snow and basking in the sound of her heartbeat. She was just on the other side of the thin walls of the old home. He soaked in her scent of strawberries and vanilla. He wished Jacob would have walked slower so he could sit on this porch all day and know she was right here. Safe and sound.
Jake led the way into the house, smiling ear to ear at the sight of Bells in his kitchen. What a sight for sore eyes. If she was here, they must still be okay. He felt terrible for running out like that last night. He was supposed to keep the secret, but he couldn't imagine keeping something like this from her.
Bella visibly flinched when Paul walked in the door behind him. Jacob looked between them, wondering what that was all about. He knew Paul had a reputation, but he couldn't think of a reason she'd be afraid of the guy. If he was here to talk about the pack, Bella needed to leave anyway. If he made her uncomfortable, even better reason to get her out of here.
"Hey Bells, I figured you'd be home cooking up whatever Charlie caught today," Jake struggled to sound nonchalant. He was never much of a liar, and he could never get away with lying to Bella.
"Not yet. I wasn't sure if I'd see you today," Bella said with a glance down his body, noting the caked on dirt, leaves in his hair, and about 40 pounds of additional muscle. Yeah, she could say Jake looked better, but he still had nothing on the Adonis awkwardly loitering in the doorway behind him. It took every ounce of willpower to keep her eyes from Paul's equally bare form. Weren't they cold?
"You and the Chief are invited to dinner at our house if you can?" Bella continued. She tried not to laugh at Jake's attempt to look casual, but even if she didn't already know his secret, she would be able to tell he was hiding something.
"Sure! Did you need to go get started on that?" Jake suggested with a hand gesturing her out the door. Jake was obviously trying to get rid of her and he was being really weird about it so Paul decided to cut the charade.
"Actually, she needs to be here too, this is about her." All eyes but Billy's jerked to Paul in confusion. Bella was frozen in place when she met his stare dead on.
"I imprinted on you."
…
"Really?" Bella and Jacob said in unison.
There were a million questions running through Jake's already dead-tired brain. This was the secret the pack was trying to keep from him last night? He looked between Paul and Bella like he'd find a sparkly magic cord tying them together. That's when Jake noted the lack of confusion on her features. Jake had a startling realization, "Bells, how do you know what imprinting is?"
Maintaining the heady eye-contact with Paul, she explained absentmindedly to Jake in a far off voice, "It's part of the legends. It sounded like it was supposed to be rare, but that makes three out of five."
Attempting to keep up the ruse, Jacob forced a chuckle, "The legends are just stories told around the bonfire, honey."
Her hands were on her hips in an instant, snapping her attention and ire towards her best friend, "Jacob Black, do you think I'm an idiot? I'm sure you know by now that I dated a vampire. Why would only half of the legend be true?"
Paul did not like the mounting tension in the very small room between his human imprint and a brand new shape shifter. He mentally ran through scenarios of how he'd get her out of here if Baby Chief popped a gasket. He inched a step closer to being between the two, just in case. Sorry Billy, you're on your own.
Jake just stood there with his mouth open and his brain melting out of his ears. At least that's what it felt like. It would take him a week to catch up with everything that happened in the last twelve hours.
Bella stated matter-of-factly like she was giving a history lesson, "Edward signed the treaty 70 years ago with your great-grandfather, Ephraim. I knew there was a pack again and I knew it was in your blood. The signs are hard to miss if you know what you're looking for."
Paul puffed out his chest theatrically and winked at Billy, "My imprint is a smart cookie."
"Slow your roll, Lahote, are you sure you imprinted?" Jake asked, holding on to one last slimmer of hope.
"Of course I'm sure," Paul asserted. He was sure about the imprint, but was majorly confused by the pup's defeated tone. "I'm just surprised to be alive this far into the conversation. Aren't you two together? I was expecting my head to be detached from my shoulders by now."
And what fine shoulders they are Bella couldn't help daydreaming. Everytime she got lost in Paul's eyes it was like her head filled up with a fog of lust and stupid.
"You two seemed relieved, not pissed. I was prepared for pissed," Paul admitted. He still couldn't let go of the cagey tension in his muscles, prepared to fight Jacob or rescue Bella from him at any second.
Bella and Jacob looked at each other and had an entire conversation with their eyes. Understanding the gravity of an imprint. Sadness at the loss of what they both hoped they could have. Worry for their friendship lasting through this. Hope because they both knew it would. And finally, acceptance.
Bella smiled up at her best friend, took his hand, and spoke for them both. "I think we both know this relationship is better off platonic. It seemed like the safe choice. Charlie and Billy pushed for us to get together since we were kids and it just felt like…"
"Like it's what we were supposed to do," Jake finished for her. It felt like a weight was lifted off his chest. She would be happy, even if it was with Paul. "After learning that I can't imprint, I'm jealous more than anything. But I'm happy that you can have that kind of happiness handed to you on a silver platter. The spirits must see something I don't because I have no clue how that is your other half." He flicked his eyes to Paul with a chuckle and continued. "I knew a relationship with you would be comfortable, but I think I see you more as a sister, Bells."
Paul let out a snort, "I hope you don't get freaky like that with all your sisters."
Billy spoke up from the corner where he had been forgotten, "And that's my cue to leave!" He rolled toward the front door with a wave. "I'm going next door to Harry's. I'm glad this conversation happened without claws." Bella thought if her blush got any deeper red she would actually become a tomato.
Jacob cut through the tension in the room, "I need to eat everything in this kitchen and get some sleep and you two have a lot to talk about. We'll catch up later, Bells." He pulled Bella in for one of his signature bone crushing hugs and offered a handshake to his pack brother. "For what it's worth Paul, I'm sorry for last night. I don't know how you haven't killed me yet."
"I don't know either, Black, but I think it's because the imprint isn't...sealed," he nervously glanced at Bella hoping to gauge her reaction to the concept. "And I don't think my wolf saw you as a rival as a human. Obviously now that you've phased, I'll rip your fucking legs off if I catch you reminiscing." That last bit was so low it came out as only a percolating growl to Bella's human ears.
Paul held his hand out, excitedly awaiting the zap of skin to skin contact. "Come on, Princess. I've got some 'splainin to do."
She looked back to Jake. Their relationship was over about as fast as it started, but their friendship would survive. "We'll be okay, Jake."
"Yeah we will," he smiled at her. "But we still have a lot to talk about, so don't forget about little old me."
"Never, Jacob Black." And she took Paul's hand, following him out the door to whatever happened next…
"WAIT!"
They made it just a few steps down the gravel driveway when Jake burst out the front door with an apologetic look on his face, "Sorry to ruin your dramatic exit guys, but Sam just called a pack meeting. Bella, you gotta come too."
That's how she found herself on Sam Uley's front porch, hesitating when Paul pulled her hand to drag her inside. She wouldn't have actually been able to put up a fight, but he felt her resistance and stepped back to face her again.
"What is it, Princess?"
"Umm I suddenly remembered something I've got to do.. Uhhh what about Charlie? Gotta go make him some dinner. Can't leave him to fend for himself, can we?"
Jake, with what sounded like a mouth full of food, yelled from inside, "Quit stalling, Bells. Billy already called him saying you won't be home."
She was very nervous to be in a room full of wolves. Perhaps she hung onto some of the prejudices Edward passed on to her about the Quileute shifters. She tried to rationalize that they wouldn't hurt her, Jake was one after all, but her feet weren't listening to logic.
Paul smoothed her hair behind her ear and lifted her chin to meet her eye to eye. "Hey, hey, hey," he crooned, "I can feel you panicking from here. You're fine. You aren't a bloodsucker so you have nothing to worry about."
"They don't hate me? I was friends with them."
Paul hesitated. He had been the only one that really had a problem with her when she was dating Edward. Paul thought she had been an idiot for dating a leech and a melodramatic brat for the way she reacted when the leech left. Of course, that was before he understood the effects of thrall and before the rose-colored glasses that came with an imprint. But he couldn't lie to her, not completely.
"Nobody hates you anymore."
"ANYMORE?" she whisper-yelled at him.
Jake stepped out the front door and immediately recognized the stubborn stance and the determination in Bella's crinked brow. Without a word or a bit of effort, he hoisted Bella over his shoulder, walked inside right back past a growling Paul and dropped Bella on the couch.
"You were taking too long and we can all hear what you're saying anyway," he said with a tap to his supernatural ear. Jake took the spot next to her, but seemed to think twice about putting his arm around her.
Bella grumbled, but didn't seem genuinely mad at Jake, so Paul wasn't going to be either. He was going to have to get used to the Baby Chief being so touchy with his imprint, but that just seemed like the nature of their relationship. If Bella was okay with it, Paul would just have to accept it. Or murder Jake and hide the body in the woods. The second option was becoming more and more appealing everytime Paul caught the remaining scent of Jacob from Bella's skin.
Paul had heard Sam and Jared's thoughts enough to know that his own imprint was different. He would have expected to be a lot less comfortable with Jake, but for reasons unknown, Paul's wolf was… calm. Uncharacteristically calm. Maybe the beast was just content with Bella's proximity. Maybe his wolf knew that Jake and Bella were friends and she needed her friend. The imperative to give her anything she needed was so ingrained into every instinct of the wolf. It was the only explanation he could think of.
Clearly Paul wasn't the only wolf that thought it was unbelievable that he hadn't ripped Jake's arms off yet. Jared, Embry, and Sam all watched Paul in shock, just waiting for their usually hot-tempered packmate to pounce on the newest wolf. Instead, Paul shrugged and started to inhale the plate of food Emily passed to him.
"I can't explain it either guys. I'll let you know when I figure it out," Paul tried to explain in a voice low enough for the girls not to hear. That's when Paul noticed the third imprint passing out plates. She was so boring, he thought she blended right into the wallpaper. It was unusual for Kim to come to any pack gathering, even if Emily could use the help. Kim was shy, quiet and terrified of the other shifters. Paul specifically because he used to make it a game to scare a yelp out of Kim any chance he got. Now that he had imprinted too, he couldn't believe Jared hadn't decked him for messing with her.
Sam cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the group back to the task at hand, "The purpose of this meeting is to find out everything we can about the redheaded leech that knew Bella by name. Something had to happen for her to try and come back for revenge. Bella?"
Every pair of eyes in the room pinned Bella to the couch. She was frozen in place. Sam could have warned her this was going to be a public speaking gig. She needed to mentally prepare to talk in front of a room of mostly strangers, especially about such a traumatic event! Bella didn't even know Victoria was coming after her. Obviously she was out there somewhere, but why wouldn't the Cullen's have handled that? That seemed like a big freaking loose end.
Paul gently massaged her shoulders from where he stood behind her on the couch. Bella relaxed instantly under his touch. She could do this. She told the story, starting with vamps playing baseball, being tracked to Arizona, and ending with the ballet studio. Paul's grip tightened almost uncomfortably when she pulled up her sleeve and showed the room the icy scar on her wrist.
The collective gasp of everyone in the room startled Bella back from the memories. She was so lost in the retelling that she had almost forgotten that there was a room full of people listening. She paused to let them come over one at a time to feel the cold scar on her wrist. It reminded her of something she had read online about wolves last night after Jake left. Lupine instinct was centered around touch. The pack themselves didn't fully understand or acknowledge it, but that was exactly what was happening. Affirming through touch that their new packmate was indeed safe.
Bella continued, warning them about Laurent, the last of the trio who was supposedly up in Alaska learning how to be a vampy vegetarian. She let out a sigh of relief thinking she was done talking.
"What do you mean, tracking abilities? Is that not something all vamps can do?" Sam was thinking through the tactical aspects of the new information and how it would affect his pack. Always the Alpha.
Paul was beaming with pride. His imprint was strong, a survivor. She was helping the pack and she had knowledge that would be a tactical advantage. He was staring at her like the sun shone out of her eyes and it was very unlike the Paul that the pack was used to.
Embry wasn't the first to notice, but the only one who dared to comment. He quipped, "Geez it looks like Paul's gone soft. Another man lost to an imprint."
Before Embry could blink, Paul had chucked the TV remote, hitting the pup square in the forehead without taking his eyes off Bella.
Jake cracked up, "Wow Embry, you're so jealous of their imprint that you couldn't even dodge that."
"I'm not jealous, fucker, I just -"
"Mongrels, let her talk!" Sam interrupted.
It wasn't an order, but the room fell silent just the same. Jake had to nudge Bella to remind her that she was the one that was actually supposed to be speaking.
"Uh- yeah," she hedged, "Alice could see visions of the future, Jasper could feel and manipulate emotions, and uh- Edward could read minds. Well, except mine. Carlisle thought I'd be a shield when I got turned."
Paul lost it. "When you got turned?!"
The thought of Bella becoming a reanimated corpse made Paul's skin crawl. He repeated "When?!", but it was more growl than words by the time he lunged for the backdoor and puffed into fur.
"Well, there's the Paul we all love to hate," Embry joked. "How did imagining you as a leech make him phase but, he was fine seeing you and Jake fu-"
Jake had Embry a foot off the ground by his neck before he could finish his sentence.
"You will not disrespect her like that," Jake growled through his teeth. "You're lucky Paul was already out of hearing range or we'd find your carcass in the woods."
Bella couldn't care less about the slight to her honor, because her focus was on a completely different aspect of that statement.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'SEEING'?!"
"Did nobody tell her about the pack mind?" Sam asked with an eye roll. Amateurs. That is not how Bella should have discovered the extent of the shared thoughts.
Too much was happening all at once. Bella looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an 18-wheeler. Emily was trying to reassure her that the concept of the pack mind wasn't so bad and that she'd get used to it even though Bella still didn't know what it was. Jake was still threatening Embry with bodily harm. Jared was standing in front of Kim growling at the wolf confrontation that was happening too close to his imprint. Kim was trying to look around Jared to tell Bella that Paul would be right back, he just needed to run it off. Sam was whistling out back trying to get Paul to come back and talk to his girl. This meeting had gotten out of hand real quick.
Bella was completely overwrought. Tears slowly leaked down her cheeks from the overwhelm of how much had happened in the past 24 hours. She had effectively begun and ended her relationship with Jake, lost her virginity, was told she had a predetermined soulmate, met a pack of wolves, and now finding out her most personal moments were on display for a group of overgrown puppies? Fuck. Bella hated that she was crying. It was just too much for any person to reasonably handle without a tear or two! Everyone talking over each other wasn't helping her composure.
"Paul should be the one to tell her all this stuff, why hasn't Paul told her anything?" Emily demanded Sam.
Jake was trying to apologize on her right, Embry was yelling at Jacob on her left.
"EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP," Sam boomed from the back door. The alpha command cut through the room like a lightsaber through a stick of butter. Everyone froze. And all of the wolves heard what Sam was hearing. A wolf's pained cry and the warning howl from Paul.
"What's happening now?" Kim was feeling extremely out of the loop still stuck behind Jared.
Paul came barreling in the back door with jean shorts barely pulled over his hips. The fly hung open revealing where his happy trail ended and his coarse black hair began. Bella's eyes were brought up to his face when he spoke in that lushious baritone that felt like it rolled over her body in waves. When her mushy brain was able to process the actual words he spoke, she was snapped back to reality.
"Quil phased."
Embry was the first out the door, pushing Paul aside and bursting out of his clothes into his black and grey patched wolf before any of the other wolves could even process the severity of the situation.
Sam looked exhausted, "Something serious must have happened, I wasn't expecting him to phase for at least another week. Girls, stay here please." Sam was out the door a second after kissing Emily goodbye, followed by Jared.
Paul crossed the room back to Bella when he saw the tracks of her tears. He kneeled down in front of her, took her face in his hands and kissed a tear off her cheek.
"We gotta go, Princess. I'm sorry this is how this went down. I should have given you more time before subjecting you to these morons. And I'm really sorry to leave you like this, but I'll be back as soon as we get the situation under control. Something had to happen to make him phase so early and we've got to make sure it wasn't a leech." Paul stood up and nodded to Jake, "C'mon let's go see what happened to your boy."
Jake stood up from the couch and reached for the button of his pants. With a squeak, Bella slapped her hands over her eyes a second too late.
"Come on Bells, don't be shy. It's nothing you haven't seen before. And just like everything else, it got bigger with the phase. Wayyy bigger." Paul's fist wiped the smirk right off the youngest wolf's face.
"I warned you, pup. Next time I'm ripping that dick off that you've got no right to be proud of," Paul threatened the wolf now sprawled on the ground. In the same breath Paul leaned down with mercurial sweetness and whispered "Be right back," with a kiss to her cheek.
Finding her breath through the butterflies from Paul's proximity, Bella whispered, "At least it's closer to being proportional to the rest of him now."
"Fuck you, Bells. I still heard that!" Jake yelled on his way out the door.
"Truth hurts doesn't it, Baby Chief," Paul jeered, shoving Jake off the back porch onto the lawn. Hoping Bella was still watching, Paul dropped his shorts and phased into his sleek silver wolf in one fluid, practiced motion. Bella wished he had at least waited for the shorts to hit the deck before phasing.
"You've got a little drool there, Bella," Emily joked pointing to her own chin.
I thought he wasn't supposed to phase for like another week? Jared asked.
Paul watched the scene through the pack mind while he raced through the forest to catch up with the other wolves. The town of La Push was built along the coast between the beach and the dense forest. This meant that almost all of the houses backed up to the trees, allowing a sort of wolfy highway. Being one of the oldest families, the Ateara's had a plot of land in the more populated part of town. This meant the backyard still met with the forest, but they had neighbors on either side. Sam would coach him through what was happening as soon as they weren't at risk of exposure.
Quil, you gotta come into the trees so you're out of sight. People can't see you like that.
When the giant chocolate wolf didn't cooperate, Sam Alpha ordered him. He didn't like taking away anyone's self-autonomy, but sometimes it was necessary. Quil inched with his belly dragging on the ground towards the rest of the pack hidden in the shadows.
Embry lunged forward to get to his friend, but Sam stopped him by the tail and jerked him back out of the way. Jared pinned the unruly wolf to the ground with his teeth in Embry's scruff. Embry whined and squirmed against Jared's hold. Everyone in the pack mind could hear his pain, but the only coherent thought was the need to get to Quil.
They could all hear Quil's mind. He was so overwhelmed that he wasn't thinking in words, just emotions and pictures through a fog of panic. Being in the pack mind with them all together was like seeing everything in double except it was times six. From his own eyes he could see his chocolate brown paws up close. Paws. Quil clenched his eyes shut, hoping for darkness, but instead he could see himself in five other different perspectives. He just knew one of these wolves was Embry. He could hear the flavor of his thoughts and the sound of that one mental voice calling his name was the only thing calming Quil down.
Quil continued shuffling forward until he was in the cover of the trees. There were too many voices in his head. Too many smells and sounds and sensations, so he kept his eyes locked shut. Sam tried to soothe the newest wolf.
You are safe. We are your pack, your brothers. We will help you through this.
Quil's regained enough composure to form coherent thoughts. He didn't yet understand the pack mind and without making any attempt to control his memories, the whole pack could see what caused him to phase.
Quil's grandfather was yelling and purple in the face, "You are a disgrace to this tribe, to your family name. An abomination! You will be normal or you will leave this reservation. You hear me boy? The Ateara name will not be blackened by your actions and you will be normal!"
Joy, Quil's mother, was sobbing trying to get to her son, but Old Quil was blocking her.
"Do not comfort him, woman. He is no grandson of mine and a shame to the memory of his father. And to think this filth was under my own roof." Old Quil threw down a gay porno magazine at Quil's feet and shoved him back with the end of his cane in the middle of his grandson's chest.
He had phased right in the living room after that. Old Quil should have been proud that his grandson was a protector of the tribe. It was a true honor and a trait of utmost respect, but instead all he felt towards his grandson was revulsion. Joy had screamed and Quil managed to make it into the backyard with minimal damage to the door frame. The pack could still clearly hear them arguing from the backyard. Joy tried to defend her son against the onslaught of disgust and bigotry from the old man.
Embry was whining so loud it hurt their ears and he struggled against Jared's jaws so fiercely that he drew his own blood. Embry's pain was only adding to Quil's anguish and Sam needed anything riling up the new wolf to stop.
Embry, calm down and stay still! The tenor of the Alpha order shook through the pack mind like the aftershocks of a bomb. The wolves were all knocked back a step, giving Embry the opportunity to shake off Jared. He leaped forward to Quil who was still crouched on his belly on the forest floor, eyed clenched to the outside world. Embry licked over his muzzle, his brow, over his closed eyes, trying to encourage them open.
The four other wolves watched on, still confused, as Quil calmed under his friend's touch. Embry's whimpers turned into a low purr. Quil relaxed and slowly raised off the ground to rub his muzzle against the continuous licks.
Sam was frozen in place. He had no idea what was happening or how Embry ignored his order. He didn't understand until the chocolate brown wolf had calmed down enough to look up to his friend and met his eyes.
They all knew an Alpha order could not override an imprint.
Revised 9/11/2020