Chapter 17
Bella sat up in bed, holding her head in her hands.
"I need coffee."
"Lay back down, Princess," Paul murmured from where his face was still mashed into the pillow. "You know it'll just make you feel worse." A warm arm wrapped around Bella's waist and gently tugged her back. Ever since her encounter with Laurent a month ago, Bella woke up with a headache. The worst aftereffects of thrall weren't nearly as bad this time around without any lingering vamp stench to inhibit her recovery. She spent a couple of days feeling what she imagined a hangover was like. The occasional bout of nausea persisted, but lately, just the morning headaches were her only remaining symptoms from the effects of the vampire thrall.
Thankfully, Paul had a wonderful remedy for a headache.
He pulled her back against his chest, sinking into the soft sheets of Bella's bed. One heated, beefy arm was her pillow while the other snaked around her middle to pull her tighter against his need for her.
"I know what will make you feel better," Paul whispered against the shell of her ear before gently biting down on the lobe and tugging.
"You know, most women use a headache as an excuse to get out of sex," Bella bantered. She rocked her hips back against his hardened flesh, directly contradicting her words.
"Oh, I'm sorry ma'am, I'll leave you alone then." She could hear the laughter in his tone, but still desperately held on to his forearm when he began to pull away from her as if to get up. The purple plaster cast on her left wrist made most things harder for her already clumsy self, but she could still dig her nails into him just the same.
"You can stay," she said, trying to keep her voice even and not sound like she was begging him. Based on the throbbing between her legs, she thought her vagina might lead a mutiny if she let him leave now.
Of course he could smell what he did to her body. Waking up to slow, sensual morning sex was probably Paul's favorite thing in the world. Sure, the pack made fun of him for being a giant pussy, but Paul didn't care. They would never know how amazing her body felt holding him in her tight heat. Hearing her little whimpers and sounds of pleasure.
Paul's lips and teeth needed access to more of her flesh. His hands took a break from exploring her curves to brush her hair back over her delicate shoulder. This was his favorite position in which to sleep, but even more so, his favorite way to wake up. His mark was perfectly placed for him to take full advantage of at this angle. When his lips found the ring of scars, Bella's body shuddered head to toe with pleasure. If she wasn't ready before, she most definitely was now.
Paul didn't bother with clothes when he snuck into her window at night, but Bella's little sleep shorts were still in his way. Charlie wasn't due back from his early morning fishing trip for at least another hour, so he was free and clear to disrobe Bella of the annoying barrier.
Ideally, she'd spend every minute possible in the nude. He had already pushed her tank top up out of the way, but that last fabric hurdle needed to go. As much as he wished he could just rip them off, he had promised to save ruining clothes for special occasions and absolute emergencies. That was an argument they had to repeat last time Paul ripped her clothes right off her body. Apparently being really, really horny didn't count as an emergency.
A wiggle of her hips helped Paul remove the shorts. Before Bella could even finish kicking them off of the end of the bed, Paul had dipped down to lift her top leg just enough to slide home. They fit like puzzle pieces. He paused at the hilt to enjoy the blissful moment of that first thrust into perfection. Bella arched her back, taking him in impossibly deeper.
Slow rocking brought heavenly friction. They both loved the leisurely intimacy of spooning. Paul's slow, rhythmic motions sent waves of pleasure over Bella. She dug her nails into the arm still supporting her head. His other hand held her hip in a vice grip.
Occasionally Paul got so lost in their coupling that he forgot his own strength, leaving finger shaped bruises on her pale flesh. He always felt horrible, kissing the purple marks with apologies and promises to be more careful. Bella secretly loved when he left additional marks on her skin. She was his. Body, mind, and soul. And she liked when the physical reminder colored her skin the way his love had colored her spirit.
She wore Paul's Quileute promise bracelet on her wrist, his mark on her neck, his fingertip bruises of passion on her flesh, and his scent on her skin. Paul always talked about how she smelled like his mate and the wolves knew who she belonged to. Bella wanted to mark him just the same. She knew he must smell like her to the pack, but her human nose couldn't scent that kind of thing.
She wished all of the women that checked him out in the grocery store could tell that he belonged to her. A day dream crossed her mind of Paul wearing a wedding band.
The thought startled her back into the present. She had warmed up to the idea of marriage since their big fight about commitment, but she wasn't the kind of girl that grew up fantasizing about big white dresses and flower arrangements.
Paul must have caught on to her distraction because his even motions stilled and he nuzzled into her neck, still buried to the hilt in her body.
"What's got you thinking so hard over there?" He tried to hide the insecurity in his voice. He could tell that her mind was someplace else, but he didn't want to sound like a baby and tell her that his feelings were hurt.
Bella was embarrassed to be caught letting her thoughts drift mid-coitus. It's not that it didn't feel good. Being with Paul always felt good. But she hadn't been mentally present so she decided to be completely honest to make up for the transgression.
"I was thinking about how I wished that I could mark you. The closest thing would be a wedding ring, but you can't even wear one of those until you stop phasing. I want everyone to know that you're mine." She didn't turn back to meet his eye, but if she did, she would have seen the smile that reached nearly ear to ear. She had said the exact right thing.
"Oh yeah, Princess?" He withdrew and climbed over her, caging her body in his arms. "You'd want to sink your teeth into me?" A shy nod was her only confirmation. Bella held her plump bottom lip captive with her teeth. Playing coy, she didn't want to make eye contact. Her eyes watched her hands trace gentle patterns across his chest instead, too embarrassed to look into his leering eyes.
He wasn't going to let her get away with the innocent act for long. He intimately knew the confident, sexual goddess that hid behind that coquettish veneer. Paul leaned down to lightly drag his teeth along one collar bone and then the other. He traveled up the column of her neck to massage the flesh there too. Purposefully avoiding his mark, he continued his path back down to her chest to capture her nipples between teasing teeth.
Speaking with his lips still around her sensitive peak, he asked, "If you could mark me, where would it be?"
Feeling emboldened by his appreciative response to her confession, Bella pushed at his shoulders with a smile, indicating that she wanted him to roll over. She straddled his narrow hips, purposefully settling her wet center over his shaft. Slowly dragging herself along his length with slippery movements, she leaned down and peppered kisses just under his collarbone.
She couldn't easily reach much further up his body without breaking the contact between their nether regions and that was the last thing she wanted to do. She selected her spot on his chest, a nice meaty bite into his left pectoral. Paul encouraged her sliding motion along his cock while she sucked his skin into her mouth. He hoped she gave him a bright hickey to show off at the next pack meeting if it didn't heal too quickly. They were always shirtless anyways.
Of course, being inside her was preferable, but the drag of her sex along his was pretty fucking incredible too. He would have let her ride him like this until she came, shuddering beautifully, but he couldn't help himself any longer. When she sharply bit into his flesh—not hard enough to break the skin, he rolled his hips back and lifted her by the waist just enough to move her entrance right where he needed her most.
Paul thrust up into her with the sound of smacking skin and Bella's wail echoing off the walls. She sat back up in his lap, bracing her hands on his chest below where she indicated she'd mark him and he went to town pumping up into her with determination.
She leaned back in his lap and he knew what she wanted. He brought his thumb to her little bundle of nerves at the crest of her folds, applying pressure to the exact right spot. The new angle and the attention on her clit sent her flying into her first orgasm. She called his name in a throaty moan. He loved the way her walls clenched around him when she came.
Sitting up, Paul repositioned her legs behind his back one at a time. Bella was still coming down from what he would make sure was her first orgasm of many. She felt so full and so warm wrapped around him like this. Sitting across him in this position meant every minute movement would grind his pubic bone into her clit, sending aftershocks up her spine where it felt like it sizzled in the base of her skull.
He gave her a moment to rest before rocking his hips in and out of her again. At least in this position he could kiss her if he bent down. He wasn't even close to done with her yet, but he wanted to give her a moment to catch her breath before he took what he needed from her body. What she readily gave.
He knew she was ready for more when his rocking thrusts were met equally by her attempts to take him as deeply as possible. While he felt most thoroughly joined in this position, it didn't allow for the animalistic thrusting he desperately needed.
With easy strength, Paul was able to lift her enough to gather his legs under him and lay her down on the bed. Bracing himself on his knees above her, still joined where it mattered most, Paul began moving inside her in earnest. One hand on the bed next to her head held his body over her while his free hand clamped over his mark where her neck and shoulder met. He needed the grip on her shoulder to keep her from moving up the bed with every forceful thrust.
Bella's ankles locked around his lower back and her nails found purchase, leaving red claw marks along his back and ribs. The mixture of pain and pleasure spurred him on. Feeling his imminent release, Paul needed to ensure her pleasure. He was hoping to wring more than just one more orgasm from her body, but the tight heat of her walls clamping down on him was his undoing.
Her gasping breaths coming from her pretty pink lips, lax in pleasure, drove him wild.
"Fuck, Princess," he grunted. "Cum for me."
He released her shoulder to tug on her nipple the way he knew she liked, but he didn't move quick enough. The second he didn't have her torso pinned to the bed, she surprised him by leaning forward and clamping her teeth into his pectoral with more force than he thought she was capable of. The sharp smell of iron and the dual pain of her teeth in his skin and her nails in his back sent Paul into oblivion.
He roared his release, slamming into her body harder than he'd usually allow himself. Stars swam behind his eyes. The hand not supporting his weight now held her face to his chest, tangling in her hair.
Words were beyond him. She released her jaw and licked over the wound in a particularly lupine fashion. Bella slumped back to the bed, her hair fanning out under her, making her look like the siren she was. Before his face collapsed into the blankets next to her head, he caught the exquisite sight of Bella licking his ruby red blood off of her full lips. He wasn't surprised at all that the animal inside him loved that. She would certainly be the death of him.
He would never allow this perfect moment to slip into the pack mind.
Eternity would not be long enough to bask in the afterglow of this moment. For the first time, he saw the appeal of living forever. Frozen in time wouldn't be so bad if it was anything like this.
But he couldn't enjoy the warmth of her body under his own for long. They had places to be. Reluctantly, Paul broke their physical connection and let her start her day. He was almost ashamed to admit he was proud of the slight limp in her step.
"If I'm staying over at Emily's tonight, I need to bring my graduation outfit with me," Bella mused when she returned from her shower. Much to his dismay, she steadfastly refused to let him join. He spent the time enjoying her off key humming and tracing a finger along the bite mark on his chest. Paul didn't mind reclining against her headboard and watching her get ready. He loved that she still blushed everytime he caught her not-so-slyly peeking at his still nude form.
"Why do I have to wear a dress? Everything is going to look stupid with this cast anyway," she held up the Barney purple monstrosity. "I can't believe Jake talked me into purple. Alice would throw a fit if she saw how bad this was going to clash with my yellow graduation robes." Paul tried not to flinch at the casual mention of the parasite. Usually if she mentioned the Cullens it was surrounded by anger and profanities. He hoped this meant she was healing. She deserved some sort of closure to move past that chapter of her life. Maybe if they finally killed Laurent she could put them all behind her for good.
She crossed the room to her closet and in a very Bella fashion, she tripped on absolutely nothing. With a loud crack her pinky toe made contact with her desk chair before she caught herself on the door frame of her closet.
"Motherflipping fuck!" she exclaimed, hopping up to hold her foot in her good hand. Paul was out of bed and behind her in an instant to make sure she didn't fall from bouncing around on one foot. "Why couldn't your wolf slobber magically make me coordinated too?"
Right before their very eyes, the angry looking purple toe faded back to her normal ivory hue. Ever since the mark, Bella had adopted the healing abilities of the wolves. It came in handy with her accident prone nature, but didn't get her out of having to wear her plaster cast for another two weeks.
"I'll kiss it better," Paul offered with a chuckle from behind her. He couldn't help himself from pulling her into a hug. That cute little pout worked on him every time.
"Keep your foot fetish to yourself, weirdo," she teased, the words muffled into his chest. She pushed him away so she could look up to his face with a scowl. "And everytime that healing thing happens I'm reminded that I'm mad at you for this." She smacked the hard plaster cast against his bicep for emphasis. "If you hadn't told Charlie it was ever broken in the first place, I wouldn't have to wear this!"
Paul didn't bother defending himself. They had already had this conversation a million times. Nobody knew she would heal almost as fast as the wolves so the boys had been as honest as they could be when Charlie called to ask why someone had told him Bella was in the hospital. Small towns had the unfortunate ability to spread gossip at the speed of light. Paul had told Charlie about her wrist, giving a fake yet believable story about Bella tripping over her own shoelaces.
The bruising was already gone by the time they got to the hospital. By the time it was x-rayed, it was barely a hairline fracture. It was probably completely healed by the time she was home again with a brand new plaster cast that she swore weighed twenty pounds. Even though she didn't feel as much as a twinge of pain, she was stuck in the cast for the minimum of six weeks to keep up appearances. Every square inch of the purple monstrosity was covered in signatures from the pack. Bella's favorite was the one that got her the most awkward glances from conservative old ladies in the grocery store. Quil's note read in bold letters along the outside of the cast: "NOT A SEX INJURY."
Paul gave her a chaste peck on the lips to silently apologize yet again before turning her back to her closet so she could continue getting packed and ready. He had to leave for patrol and Jake would be here soon to pick her up. He was taking her to Emily's where she was planning on spending the day and doing a girls night before graduation tomorrow. This was the scheme Paul and Charlie had come up with in order to get Bella away from her truck for the day. The plan was to get a new radio and speaker system installed as a graduation gift.
For being such a good cop, Charlie was terrible with deception when it came to his daughter. He told Bella he was getting the oil changed. She had asked why Jake couldn't just do that and when Charlie stuttered and stammered, looking for a reasonable explanation, she knew he was hiding something. Trusting her father, she played along and agreed to accept the ride from Jake.
Paul still hadn't found a new job after losing the construction gig the day Laurent showed up. Money was real tight, but her father had insisted that all Paul had to do was distract her for the day and Charlie would get the new radio. Of course, Paul felt like a useless piece of shit, unable to provide for his imprint like she deserved. He still got his pack stipend from the council for his "security" job, but he needed to figure out a real way to support his girl.
The tell-tale rumble of the Rabbit down the street started the countdown timer until Bella would have to leave. It always hurt to see her walk away—less when she was accompanied by his Alpha who he trusted, but it still sucked. Human ears wouldn't be able to perceive that eyesore until it pulled into the driveway and Paul was going to soak up every last second of her presence.
He watched her pack what was supposed to be an overnight bag, but Paul would have guessed she was leaving for a month-long safari, traveling through multiple climate differences. It was June, why was she packing wool socks and.. Was that a candle? Geez, women were weird. She wasn't even packing snacks. If Paul was going somewhere overnight he would just bring a bag of food, not the supplies needed to survive a nuclear attack. Or maybe summon a demon? What the hell was the candle for?
Seemingly done, Bella turned back to Paul with a smile that looked fake as hell. As sick as it was, part of him hoped that leaving him hurt her just as bad as it hurt him. Sometimes he couldn't believe this perfect, crazy angel loved him too. He was such a pussy, he would see her after his patrol shift. He was running with Sam today. They probably wouldn't talk much. When they patroled together they usually just kept to themselves and tried not to accidentally think anything too weird. Paul was going to try and memorize every freckle and pore in the meantime.
"All ready," Bella said, breaking their staring contest. "I tend to overpack. I get anxious if I don't feel prepared."
"You make being neurotic cute, Princess." Paul rose from the bed and couldn't keep his hands to himself any longer. "But a candle? Really?" Bella scoffed and explained as if her answer was the most logical thing in the world.
"What if the power goes out? What if I wake up in the middle of the night and want to read but can't turn the lights on?" She licked her lips before continuing. Paul's eyes tracked the movement like a predator, no longer listening to her insane reasoning for packing half of her room for an overnighter. He cut her off with a kiss and a hand dipping under her hair to cup the back of her neck with the utmost care. Jake was walking up the gravel driveway with crunching steps and Paul did not want to say goodbye.
With that eerie timing that drove Bella insane, Paul broke the kiss to announce "Jake's here" seconds before the obnoxious doorbell clanged through the house.
They made their way downstairs, Bella's overstuffed duffel slung over Paul's shoulder like it was full of bubble wrap and not a stack of books. Obviously she needed options. What if she just wasn't in the mood for Wuthering Heights? Paul hadn't bothered to hide his laugh at that one.
Charlie and Jake were catching up when the couple had entered the kitchen. Small talk and smiles came so easily for Jake. He was going to make a great Chief.
Paul's step faltered when he realized he had just complimented Jacob Black. Sincerely. Ugh, might as well go buy some tampons for his new vagina. He kissed his mate on the cheek and used the excuse of putting her bag in the car to get away from his sunny Alpha.
Chief Swan watched Paul cross the lawn through the kitchen window. The boy had really grown on him. Not many kids that came from that kind of background turned out so well put together, but Charlie could tell that the young man had something fierce bubbling under the surface. In the months that he had spent with Bells, Paul had never given Charlie's keen eye a reason to doubt him. As long as Paul continued to treat his little girl so well, he'd give him the benefit of the doubt. He watched the kid slam the trunk of the Rabbit with a little more enthusiasm than necessary. Charlie chucked when he swore he saw Jake flinch at the sound.
"Wow," Charlie mused with a twitch of his mustache. "I'm surprised you haven't gotten your baby fixed yet, Jake." The older man could see the dent in the front side panel next to where Paul was not too patiently waiting. He led the group out onto the front porch to get things moving. He needed to leave soon to make it to Port Ange in time for his appointment at the shop and Charlie didn't want Bella seeing him taking the truck.
"It still runs just fine so I'm in no rush," Jake explained. He nodded across the front yard to indicate his packmate, "That lug took more damage than the car." Paul hated the excuse Quil had given the night he lost it and Bella had to race out of here. He shrugged noncommittally at Jake's barb, hoping the subject dropped.
"See you tomorrow, Dad." Bella reached up on tip toes to give her father a peck on the cheek before climbing into the front seat where Paul was holding the door open for her.
Feeling a little thrown off by the uncharacteristic show of affection and uncomfortable with the way Paul watched his daughter get into the car, Charlie mumbled a goodbye with an awkward wave. Jake clapped a hand on the older man's shoulder on his way back out the door and crunched down the gravel drive to the other side of the car. Man, Charlie couldn't believe how strong that kid was. He hated to admit how small he felt around the hulking men Bella kept company with these days. He could use some young men like that on the force.
When Charlie stepped back into the house with another awkward wave, Paul was happy he didn't have to act out the facade of getting in the car with them for Charlie's benefit. He leaned in Bella's open window to give her one last kiss. Or five.
Jake finally had to speak up before Paul got the other half of himself in the window too. He threatened in a sing-song voice, "Your afternoon patrol starts any minute now, Paul. Don't make me tell Leah you were late."
Breaking the slobbery and gratuitous goodbye kiss with a wet pop, Bella turned to ask through a laugh, "Aren't you supposed to be Alpha too?"
"We all know which Alpha has the balls," Paul quipped before giving his mate one last kiss.
Jake just shrugged. He didn't feel the need to posture in front of his Beta. Any other wolf would have lost a chunk of fur for that comment, but Jake was in a good mood and Paul wasn't wrong. They all knew who the real leader was.
"Bye, Paul. I love you," Bella smiled up at him after buckling her seatbelt into place. She knew Jake wouldn't even shift out of park until she did.
"Love you too, Princess." Paul leaned in the window one last time. He couldn't help himself, not when Bella's hair was pulled up into a ponytail, leaving the long column of her neck exposed. She practically reeked of him, but he couldn't fight the need to place his claim one last time in front of Jake. Especially in this dumb car that reminded Paul of his imprint's disasterous first and only date with her best friend. Paul licked a wet path all the way from her collarbone and up her throat to that spot behind her ear that made her squirm.
Bella squealed his name with a giggle, landing a slap to Paul's chest before he backed out of the window. Both wolves loved seeing smiles that big on her face. The light in her eyes had never been brighter. She deserved happiness. Paul promised at that moment that he would do everything in his power to keep her happy until the day he died.
"Wow, you're really turning into a girl, Bells," Jake laughed, backing the car down the driveway before the sickening couple started necking again. "Or are you turning into a wolf? I have no idea how Charlie didn't notice that giant bite mark on Paul's chest." Bella turned a shade of red that had Jake concerned about her blood pressure. She turned back to Paul just in time for the cocky wolf to shoot his girl one last wink and jog back a few steps before turning to break into a run toward the trees.
Charlie wondered from his spot at the kitchen window why the hell that boy was running barefoot into the forest.
You were almost late, Paul. I was about to go tell Leah.
Oh, shut it, Sam. Jake already made that joke. And I wasn't even late, ass hat.
As soon as the thought entered the pack mind, the grandfather clock in the Swan's living room chimed noon. He was cutting it pretty damn close. Technically he was supposed to be at the border of the rez in time to start patrol, not still in Forks and close enough to still hear the weird old-timey clock at Bella's house.
Paul could feel the equivalent of a mental shrug from Sam. He didn't actually care about punctuality and rules, he was just pulling his tail. Sam had gotten pretty laid back since he stepped down in rank. He did his duties, he ran patrol, and he didn't miss his responsibilities one bit. All Sam cared about these days was Emily and the future he was building with her.
All of the wolves tried their best to keep out of each other's heads when they were phased together. It wasn't fool proof, but for the most part they could tune out the background noise unless the other pack member wanted to be heard. Like now, Paul could feel the general current of Sam's thoughts, but not specifics. Sam was planning for the millionth time the perfect way to propose. He had been thinking about it for months, but none of his ideas were deemed good enough. The rest of the pack knew that Sam could ask her in a dumpster, dressed as a circus clown and she would still say 'yes'.
Paul would propose to Bella under the stars on First Beach.
Whoa. That thought came out of left field. He hadn't really thought about it before, but that was definitely how he would ask if he did. Paul didn't think they were really at that point yet. They had talked about moving in together after graduation and of course they had talked extensively about the whole commitment thing after she freaked out, but marriage specifically had been put on the back burner. He was surprised when Bella had made the comment about wedding rings this morning.
They had so many other things to worry about first. Problem numero uno: Paul didn't even have a job right now.
Paul and Sam began their route along the borders on opposite sides of the rez and talked about what kind of work Paul would be suited for. Sam's suggestions were boring and Paul couldn't think of anything he'd be qualified for with just a high school diploma and superpowers.
Imagine if he put that on a resume.
Bella could tell Emily was pretty sick of being surrounded by testosterone fueled boys all of the time. The woman was prepared for every sleepover cliche in the book. She had an afternoon planned of face masks, makeovers, hot wax, and an impressive nail polish collection. Pampering was to be followed by an evening of junk food, chick flicks, and gossip. The only thing that was missing was a slow-motion pillow fight montage. There was even a pink glittery sign on the front door that said "No Boys Allowed" in Emily's curly handwriting.
Jake even made Bella lead the way when they first got to the Uley residence to make sure the sign was a joke. Not even the big, bad Alpha wanted to risk the wrath of their pack momma.
Apparently, the edict taped to the door wasn't in effect just yet. The pack was here to fill the black holes they called stomachs. After the ravenous shifters finished lunch, the boys were to be kicked out or be threatened with torture in the form of tweezers and nail polish.
Bella squeezed into a spot on the table next to where Jake was enthusiastically greeting Leah, tongue first. For a couple that took so long to admit that they even liked each other, they now acted like an old married couple, but hornier. They were always bickering and making up at warp speed. Without an imprint, they weren't as sappy as the other wolves could be with their other halves, but they certainly felt the mating imperative just the same. With Jake graduating from Emily's homeschool program this weekend, Bella could only imagine how those two will spend all of their extra free time now that Jake didn't have two years worth of curriculum crammed into a couple of months.
The other homeschooled wolves weren't rushing through the material like Jake did. The ones that really got the shit end of the stick were Collin and Brady. They were just freshmen when they phased. Once Mr. and Mrs. Littlesea got over the shock of learning that the legends were true, it didn't take much convincing from the Alphas for them to let Collin be homeschooled by Emily.
Mr. Fuller, on the other hand, was on the side of the council that didn't agree with just about anything the Alpha pair did. Unfortunately, they were letting their petty issues get in the way for what was best for their son. The Fuller's insisted Brady got his full four years of high school the normal way. A fact that he bemoaned and fought every chance he got. He'd be the only wolf still in school for years longer than the other boys.
Lucky for him, it only took one incident of Brady getting pissed off and barely making it into a school bathroom before phasing for his parents to allow Emily to teach him.
Bella was looking forward to helping Emily homeschool the boys in a more official capacity now that she was done with school herself. She had started looking into what she had to do to become a teacher, hopefully starting with classes at the community college in Port Ange in the fall. She loved her pack and this was how she hoped to contribute. Bella leaned her temple against Jake's warm shoulder and looked over her family.
Embry and Quil were at the far end of the table, sitting so close they might as well be in each other's laps. Collin and Brady were shoveling food down their gullets so fast that Bella was seriously impressed they were managing to breathe between bites. Being new wolves, their appetites were still trying to keep up with their growth spurts. Seth was in the kitchen helping Emily with something. He took every and any excuse to keep to himself around the rest of the pack. Leah missed the sunny smiles from before her brother's phase.
"So what are you ladies doing tonight?" Collin asked Leah, pushing away his third empty plate. The pup had some serious balls on him for joking with his Alpha like this. Brady had a much healthier fear of his superior that Collin seemed to lack. The youngest wolf shrunk back from his place at the table in anticipation for Leah's attack on his pack brother.
"Oh hell no," the Alpha Female said. "I'm not letting one of them within a ten foot radius with their nail polish and face goo." Leah had conveniently scheduled herself the overnight patrol when Paul and Sam got off so that she wouldn't have to get lumped in with the girls.
Emily happily piped up, "I've got all the slumber party essentials. And since you abandoned us, I'll have to tie you down and give you a manicure some other time. I have extra supplies now that it's just Bella and me."
"Since Kim skipped town with her coward of a boyfriend," Quil said what everyone was already thinking. He was still pissed at the missing wolf for ditching his patrol and letting Laurent get through. Nobody had seen Jared or Kim since that day. Their parents said the couple went into Port Ange for the day, but their parents were the only ones worried when Jared and Kim never came home. It was obvious they had both packed bags before leaving. The shoe box Jared called a savings account was no longer in it's spot under the bed. Jared really was terrible at keeping his thoughts to himself in the pack mind.
If Jared even dared to show his face in La Push again, he'd get his ass handed to him. After it had been a week without a word or a whiff of his scent in the breeze, Leah declared him banned from the rez. Even if he came crawling back with his tail between his legs, she wouldn't let him across the border. Nobody had heard him in the pack mind either. Quil liked to speculate that he was dead, but the less angsty wolves agreed that he must be too far away or simply stopped phasing all together.
The worst part was that Kim used to actually be cool. Jared had been close with Paul before the phase, but that relationship was irreparable after the way Jared had treated Paul's imprint. Bella was where the line was drawn. But Kim was a sweet girl. She didn't agree with Jared's bigoted views and had gotten along fine with everyone else once she wasn't afraid of the other wolves. She was Jared's loyal little puppy, following her imprint right into exile.
Bella didn't want to start the evening off with another conversation about how deplorable and traitorous Jared and Kim were. Instead, she brought up everyone's favorite game: Guess the Imprint.
"Next time we'll round up more people to practice my nail art skills on. What other girls do we know? There's that cute girl who works at the grocery store! Maybe we can find someone an imprint?" Bella suggested with a wiggle of her eyebrows to try and force some levity.
Brady jumped on the conversation, taking Bella's suggestion seriously. "Ew, that's my cousin. The hard part is finding someone you're not friggin related to somehow."
Thinking it through, Collin spoke up, "Well the legends say it's about strengthening the wolf gene so Rachel or Rebecca Black would make sense for someone to imprint on. Like gene-wise, y'know?"
Quil scoffed, "Obviously it's not about genes, dumbass. Bella is paler than a leech and I don't know if you noticed, but neither of us can exactly have puppies." He waved a hand indicating himself and his very male imprint.
"Oh helllll no." Jake took the bait. Hook, line, and sinker. "Nobody is allowed to imprint on my sisters. The only unimprinted ones are the puppies, and that is just sick. Rach and Becks are 21."
"What about Seth?" Embry suggested with a laugh at his friend's expense. "That's only like a five year difference?"
Calling out to where Seth was hiding in the kitchen still, Embry continued, "Hey Seth, maybe your jailbait ass will marry into rez royalty next time one of them visits."
"Becks is already married, so don't go screwing that up, little brother," Leah called out. "But I wouldn't worry about Rachel either, Sethy. That girl would chew you up and spit you out. The spirits know better. There's a girl out there for you."
Emily brought out a plate of cookies, pushing passed Seth who was frozen in the doorway to the kitchen with his hand clamped over his eyes. Maybe if he just never opened his eyes again, he wouldn't have to imprint on anyone. Ever.
Leah changed the subject to spare her brother further harassment, "Hey if you need bodies for girls night you can always have Quil and Embry."
The wolves in question froze in place. They swore Leah had eyes in the back of her head. They had been caught red-handed trying to sneak out the back door through the kitchen. Everyone here knew that with the night off of patrols, they'd try to leave as early as possible to go grope each other in the woods.
"Yeah Quil," Jake spoke up. "Isn't your mom in town this weekend? Shouldn't you guys go spend some time with her? If you don't give your dicks a break, they're going to fall off."
"She doesn't get here until tomorrow, dickwad," Quil grumbled from behind his mate. They were used to the constant ribbing, especially from their life-long best friend. Jake and Leah joked from a place of love. Leah demonstrated this by kicking anyone else's ass that made fun of them.
Jake was happy for his two best friends and didn't begrudge them trying to make the most of their limited free time together. He just smiled and wrapped an arm around Leah's tense shoulders.
She logically understood they weren't intentionally being insubordinate, but she still felt the sometimes irrational power struggle of her wolf. This wasn't an official pack meeting, but the Alpha in her demanded that they be dismissed by her word and her word alone. Leah was getting sneaky with her pack and her leadership instincts. She was pretty good at tamping down the violent instinct to force submission and slyly replacing repremading teeth with pointless tasks. The older wolves saw right through her thinly veiled banter and understood the implied command to her jovial tone.
"Brady Bunch and I have the borders covered tonight," Leah spoke without turning to face the retreating wolves, "but I want one of you to check in around Forks tonight. I don't care who. You two can play Cock, Paper, Scissors for it."
"It's a wonder she can pry herself off of Jake's dick long enough to do any actual Alpha-ing," Embry whispered to his mate on their way out the door.
"I heard that!" Leah screamed from her spot at the table. God, she hated when they pushed back. It made it infinitely harder to reign in the need to assert her dominance. She didn't want to be the kind of Alpha that led from a place of fear. They already respected her. She felt it in every fiber of her being. But wolves liked to test boundaries and these dumbasses did so by joking with her. So she swallowed the lava boiling in her gut and promised her wolf that she'd get Embry back for that comment later.
Quil stuck his head back in the screen door to try to get in the last word, "Doesn't make it not tru-"
A keening holf cut through the night.
For just a moment, Leah felt relief for the interruption. She didn't want to ruin the boys' night by having to rip into their hide. Their blood price would have to wait. Everyone in the room knew what that call meant. Trouble.
The stillness only lasted a moment.
Like the crack of a whip, the silence was broken by a sudden flurry of movement. Leah barked orders while the pack scrambled out the back door. Seth and Collin were to stay with the girls.
Jake was the first out the door and on four legs flying through the forest towards the distress call. Their biggest security concern was Bells. She was safe on their protected land, so Jake could focus on whatever threat lay ahead. He would have loved to stay long enough to watch Leah guide her pack. He still didn't like when she bossed him around, but hot damn, was it sexy.
The council were the only ones these days that thought of Jake as the "default Alpha". If they could just see her in action, there would be no doubt who held the reins.
Leah gave the orders and Jake was her enforcer. Not that she didn't have the muscle to dole out punishments herself, it just hardly ever came to that. They respected Leah. The newer wolves liked to joke around with her, but they'd also be the first bellies on the ground the second shit got serious.
One minute it was bustling and crowded in Emily's home. Wolves were eating ridiculous amounts of food, joking with each other, and acting like the family they are.
The next minute, the only sound echoing through the room was the sink. Seth had been hiding from the imprint conversation by putting himself to work on the dishes. They all ran out of here in such a flash that the gentle sound of water on ceramic was the only noise left echoing through the seemingly cavernous empty kitchen.
Emily and Bella's eyes eventually landed on each other after taking in the ominous void left in the absence of the pack. Bella's own fears were clearly reflected back in the older woman's face. The imprints were left to worry and imagine worst-case scenarios for their wolves. This was Emily's least favorite part of being a wolf girl. Being left behind.
Bella knew just the feeling.
But the pack wasn't the Cullens. They were her family in a much more solid way than the vampires ever were. Her wolves would come back to her. Especially her wolf. Paul would always come back to her as long as his heart beat in his chest.
Bella thought back to the first time the wolves had to leave her behind to respond to a howl from the trees. It was the day of the imprint. So much has changed since then. She actually knew Paul now. They had grown into best friends and lovers over the past..holy shit has it really been six months? She never thought she'd be the kind of girl that was all set to hitch her wagon to some guy she had been dating for six months.
But this wasn't some guy. This was Paul. Her soulmate. Predestined by the spirits. She could feel the magic tingling in her bones at just the thought of him. It didn't take seeing her friends turn into wolves for her to believe in magic. All she needed was this feeling in her soul to be convinced that their bond was the stuff of legends.
Patrolling with Sam was usually rather uneventful for Paul. They didn't particularly get along, but they didn't dislike each other either. The only thing they really had in common was an imprint and being some of the first wolves to phase. Now that Jared was gone, Paul was the second oldest wolf. It had been just the three of them for months before Embry phased so they had a kinship that Paul didn't share with all of the other wolves.
That was where the similarities stopped. They had different interests and ambitions. Their imprints were the easiest subject of conversation, especially since the girls had embraced their connection as pack sisters and wolf girls. Bella was helping Emily plan a wedding and Emily was excited to help Bella learn as much as she could about Quileute history.
Bella's determination to be a part of the community was one of the things Sam admired most about the girl. The pack joked about her being a 'hokwat' pale face, but she was more interested in their history than most full-blooded members of the pack.
Paul was just glad that Sam had very sisterly thoughts of Bella, thanks to his own imprint. Some of the other pack members were far too interested or outright lecherous in their passing thoughts about his girl. Paul had left bite marks in quite a few of the younger pack members when he caught them reminiscing fondly on one of Paul's memories that had slipped into the pack mind. Or even worse, replaying Jacob's memories of Paul's imprint.
Speaking of Bella, Sam interrupted Paul's train of thought before the volatile wolf got pissed at one of the pups when they weren't even here. I think I can hear her truck on the highway. It's got a distinct sound. Isn't she supposed to be at my house right now?
It's just Charlie, Paul explained. But he couldn't not check it out, just in case. He changed course to loop back to the stretch of highway that Sam was running along. The wolves couldn't cross major roads during the day, so their patrols were limited to their borders and the forest between La Push and the 101 highway leaving north out of Forks.
Paul's approach brought him from the west to meet where Sam was running north alongside the 101, hidden in the trees. This far back from the road, he could only catch glimpses of the red vehicle. Sam couldn't see clearly enough to confirm that it was indeed Charlie driving.
Paul cut across the rez, making a direct line to where he could see in his mind where Sam was running. This territory was where Sam would have been headed next on their patrol route, so a wolf hadn't been through this section of the rez in nearly half an hour. Paul caught a faint scent that definitely had not been here last time he passed through these parts.
Sam, have you caught any leech trails?
Of course not. I would have alerted you right away.
It was faint, but it was unmistakable. The closer Paul got to where his pack brother was following Bella's truck, the stronger the scent was.
Sam, you've got the leech on your six. You're upwind. That fucking bastard must be heading straight for you.
As Paul got closer, his fury grew in tandem with the cloying stench. He pushed his four legs until his muscles burned. Paul knew that Bella was supposed to be with Jake, safe on the rez, but she wasn't in sight so he could not be sure. The wolf fought against Paul's attempted rationalization. They did not know for certain that their mate was safe and they would kill any threat.
The second he saw the flash of vampire between trees, Paul let up the howl for back up. He called out to Sam, keep her truck in your sight, but be careful. That fucker is coming up behind you. He's probably following the truck the same as us. Maybe he thinks he's going to get his chance when he thinks she's out of our territory.
Paul, you've got to let the wolf take over. Like you did at training. This time you've got a leech to kill instead of Leah.
Paul had no clue how to relinquish control to his wolf again. Pure rage had triggered the change last time. He wished Leah was here already. She had been able to effortlessly revert to her wolf instincts and ignore the gifted vamp's command. She had gotten his hand last time, now she needed to get his head.
The pack hadn't caught sight of Laurent since the day he turned up in Forks a month ago. Leah's "shield" theory had yet to be tested. Sure, he had been able to hide his thoughts from the pack with more control since the mark, but they hadn't had the chance to test it against Laurent's ability yet. And now the stakes were too high. Even if Bella was safe on the rez, Charlie wasn't.
Sam and Paul felt Jacob phase in first. Paul was relieved that their Alpha confirmed Bella was indeed on the rez and two of the younger wolves were staying to watch over the imprints. The rest of the pack phased in one at a time, running at top speed toward Paul and Laurent.
They were too far away. None of them would get here in time.
Paul knew the exact moment Laurent caught up with his pack brother and former Alpha. At the leech's command, Sam's determination melted away.
"Forget me."
Paul watched through the pack mind as Sam slowed to a trot and sat down on his haunches. Thankfully Laurent sped right past him, leaving the black wolf uninjured. Paul's relief lasted mere seconds before he felt the compulsion of the words float right over him and echo through the pack mind. Like dominos, the wolves behind him fell off track in order of their physical proximity from the command. One by one the wolves wandered off course.
Except for Leah.
Paul couldn't hear her thoughts, only the determined will and focus of the wolf. The ancient spirit of Kaliso was strong in this state. She was right at home in the chase, fueling power through the pack mind. Paul swore he could hear the drums of their ancestors in every thump of their heartbeats and every pounding step of their paws propelling them through the trees.
He had never felt stronger, more home in this form. He was one with his wolf. For the first time, Paul didn't feel like the wolf and himself were separate entities in his mind. They were one being with one purpose.
Killing vampires.
Paul didn't so much as falter at Laurent's command. Instead he was quickly gaining on the vampire. Paul flew past Sam, still as a statue relaxing under a Sitka spruce tree. He gave up trying to stay in the cover of the trees. Laurent had been weaving away from the thinner patches of foliage in order to stay out of sight until he saw the wolf catching up. A grey wolf had bit off his hand, but that had been a lighter, smaller wolf, right? He couldn't risk the beast catching up before he reached his kill and avenged his fallen coven. Laurent gave up his effort to stay hidden in favor of a direct course for the red truck chugging along the road.
Paul was finally close enough to confirm Charlie was the driver of the vehicle. With the windows up, the scent of the driver had been indiscernible at speed. Paul broke through the trees just in time to see Laurent skid to a stop, digging deep grooves into the asphalt under his marble bare feet. Laurent had made the same assumption, not realizing he had tracked the wrong Swan until he was stopped in the middle of the road, facing down the oncoming vehicle.
Charlie slammed on the brakes at the sight of a man standing in the middle of the road. The truck careened toward the side of the highway with a jerk of the wheel. Paul winced at the high pitch squeal of the old, bald tires. He leaped from the forest and watched in his peripherals as the old Chevy flew off of the shoulder of the road and rolled down the steep embankment.
Once.
Twice.
Revised 10/17/2020