Chapter 19

"Jacob Ephraim Black, stop trying to seduce me. We're going to be late."

After the graduation ceremony, everyone split up for the afternoon before they were all gathering again at Emily and Sam's for dinner. The pack went back to the rez, the Swan's and crew went back to Forks before they headed to the Uley's, and the Alpha pair curled up together to steal a few hours of sleep before their pack needed them again. Billy was with the Clearwater's, leaving the Alphas alone in the little red house on the edge of the forest, a rare occasion that Jake was hoping to take advantage of while it lasted.

"We can be late, it's just dinner," Jake pleaded. He rolled their bodies so he was pressing her back into the mattress with his weight.

"It's a dinner celebrating YOU!"

"And Bella! They can focus on her while I focus on you." The weight of his hips pinning hers held her in place.

"It's a big deal, Jay. You're done with high school. And you tested out of like two years worth of classes in only a couple of months. That's worth celebrating," Leah insisted.

"I only did it for you. I must have a thing for older women. Bella and now you. How are you supposed to take me seriously while I'm still in high school. I feel like a puppy following you around. How am I supposed to stand next to you. Stand next to this," he gestured down her body. "You are this fucking goddess and I'm the teenager you're stuck with."

"Oh come on, Jay. The age difference doesn't bother me. You certainly don't act like a dumb high school kid. And hot damn, you don't look like it either. Abs for days."

"I see now, you're just into me for my body, Lee," Jake growled into her neck. He rocked against her body, grinding the ridge of his need against her center.

"Jay," Leah whined. She wrapped her legs tightly around him and he knew he had won.

"Lee," he smiled into her skin.

"I might as well give you your graduation present now then, if you're not going to let me up," Leah huffed. She would have folded her arms across her chest if Jake didn't have her wrists pinned above her head.

"Oooo I get a present? What could be better than this right here?" Jake spoke into her neck, releasing her wrists to drag his rough hands down her arms to her breasts.

"You could mark me?"

Jake stuttered on his path down her neck with his mouth. Jerking back to meet her eye, "I could?" It was barely a whisper. Obviously he loved the idea, but he needed to make sure she was 100%, absolutely, without a doubt serious.

"Please."

Jacob Black thought himself a gentleman and wouldn't dare make a lady beg.

Brady and Collin had been Emily's little worker bees all afternoon. They helped her prep food and set up tables and chairs in her backyard. She couldn't exactly fit nine wolves and their families in her living room. Seth was busy constructing a giant frame of firewood to light for the bonfire after the sun went down.

Leah tried to find non-patrol tasks for the younger wolves as much as possible. It couldn't be said that they had fewer responsibilities, they just had safer ones. Well, they were safer from vampires, but currently trapped in the cross hairs of the former Alpha's watchful paranoia.

Sam hovered over the pups from the second he returned home from Bella's graduation. He didn't like the idea of having brand new, unstable wolves so close to his Emily. They had seen his memories and really couldn't blame the guy. That didn't make it any less pants-wettingly scary every time the former Alpha growled a warning. He was still the second biggest wolf in the pack after Jake and had no compunction with handing them their own asses.

"Samuel Uley, they are helping me," Emily scolded, throwing a cherry tomato in his direction.

Sam deftly caught the projectile in his mouth before walking up behind her to wrap his warm arms around her middle. "You know I can't help myself, sweetheart."

A subtle rub to her lower abdomen hinted at his meaning. They hadn't told anyone yet, it was still too soon. Sam had been trying to put a baby in this woman for months and it finally stuck. Emily was starting to get nervous, but Sam knew it would happen for them. They wanted a family so badly and now something good was finally happening for them. Now he just needed to figure out how to stop phasing so he could grow old with his child and his fiance.

Damn, he needed to do something about that too. Kim was supposed to help plan the wedding, but she was still in the wind with her dumbass wolf. Sam wouldn't be so cruel as to ask Leah to help. He didn't want Emily to be too stressed in her current...condition. Maybe Bella would step up and help plan the wedding.

As if on cue, his favorite hokwat called from the entryway, "We brought more food!"

A whole parade of people followed in behind Bella, each carrying a dish or a plate of yummy baked goods. Emily could safely guess that was just the first load from the car. That girl was a miracle worker. Emily directed everyone where to put dishes before encouraging them to mingle outside. Her kitchen was too crowded as it was. Quil and Embry deposited their trays and dishes of Bella's hard work and stepped back outside just in time to watch Joy Ateara's ancient Corolla park next to the Fork's police cruiser.

Embry and Paul were ditched in a show of speed that left Charlie curious of how much wolfishness the boys had to temper in his presence before he was in on the secret. He was glad they didn't have to bother anymore. Joy and Quil were catching up animatedly at a picnic table. It was easy to see where Quil got his exuberance from. The Ateara's were talking like they hadn't just seen each other last week. Quil ran up to the Makah Rez when he could because it was easier for him to make the trip on four paws than for her to drive down. On the up side, Quil had never been closer to his Makah relatives.

Embry realized it was irrational to be jealous that he wasn't the one causing his mate's happiness in this moment. He blamed his wolf. He shouldn't be jealous that Quil was smiling at his mother, but damn it, the wolf wanted every single one of Quil's smiles. Embry's heart continued to beat in his chest for the soul purpose of enjoying that spark of happiness in Quil's eye. He was absolutely beautiful. Embry had always thought so. Long before ancient magic had given Quil muscles and a few extra inches to his frame.

The first time he remembered thinking Quil was beautiful was a clear memory from Embry's childhood. They had been poking at tide pools on the beach one afternoon when they were in middle school. He wasn't sure exactly how old they were or if he had even realized yet that he liked boys the way Jake talked about liking girls, but Embry perfectly remembered the way Quil smiled at him and handed him a particularly cool shell. Embry kept that seashell on a bookshelf for years. A gift from the beautiful boy that he wasn't supposed to love.

Embry's seashell had since been added to Quil's shoe box of priceless trinkets. They shared those memories and mementos like they shared everything else.

"What a momma's boy," Paul chuckled, escaping the kitchen before Emily actually whacked him with a rolled up newspaper. Before Paul could open his mouth again to make another crack at the younger shifter, Embry had a death grip on the back of Paul's neck.

"Don't you dare fucking ruining this for him, Lahote," Embry whispered through his teeth with more aggression than any of the pack had ever seen from their usually calm and cool brother. Embry released his bruising grip on Paul's neck with a shove added for emphasis.

Quil pretended not to hear Embry's threat to Paul. Hearing his mate get protective did fun tingly things to bits of Quil that he'd rather not acknowledge while talking to his mother. He couldn't help but glace back though. Of course Embry's eyes were already on him, absolutely brimming with adoration.

Noticing the matching glaze in her son's eye, Joy commented wistfully, "That boy loves you more than life itself."

"He is my life, mom."

Charlie had ambled up to greet Joy just in time to hear the love fest. He knew about imprinting now, but that didn't change Charlie's feelings about his own mistakes when he was young and in love. He had to remind himself that they weren't Renee. Even without the tribal magic, Charlie would have bet the farm on these boys making it work.

He thumped Quil on the back in greeting. "You're still too young to marry off, so Embry has to wait at least until you're a legal adult to make an honest man out of you. I'm sure your mother will be thrilled to plan a wedding, but you're stuck with me for now."

Quil had the cutest look of utter confusion. "With you?"

"What did you think, boy? That'd I'd just kick you out when Bells was gone?"

Quil's ears turned a shade of pink that was impressive for his dark coloring. "I.. I didn't know, sir."

Joy was so grateful for Charlie Swan. He had stepped up and been there to parent where she felt like she had failed. Quil constantly told her that being away from Old Quil was the best case scenario for anyone, but she could see the shadows under his eyes. Until these last weeks with the Swans that is. Quil was that bouncy boy she raised once again. Without really thinking, Joy threw her arms around Charlie, keeping mind to be gentle to the arm in a sling. "Thank you for taking care of him."

He froze. Charlie didn't know what to do with his hands, settling for an awkward pat between her shoulder blades. He was absolutely terrified that she was going to cry. "Don't you worry about the boy, Joy."

Quil gave his best Vanna White impression, making everyone laugh, "This is my wonderful mother."

"We've met, Quil," Charlie mumbled, suddenly feeling like an embarrassed teenager again. His hands were shoved in his pockets and his mustache awkwardly bunched side to side in a motion Bella recognized as a nervous tic. Charlie stepped back from Joy, inching towards his cruiser. "Have a nice night everybody."

"You're not staying, Chief Swan?" Joy asked, unsuccessfully hiding her disappointment.

"Ohh, just.. just Charlie," he stammered. He tried to hide the blush staining his cheeks by keeping his eyes trained carefully on the floor. He rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding her question.

"Of course he's staying!" Bella piped up. She had never seen her father get nervous around a woman like this before and she was going to play matchmaker. "Dad, you know about the pack so there's no reason not to stay for the bonfire."

From where he was attempting to stay out of range of being pulled into the conversation, Bella saw Paul's face fall. Bella had heard his apologies and worries many times since he snuck into her window late the night before. She had filled him in about Charlie's condition and he told her about the fate of her truck. Paul still felt guilty about telling the Chief about the wolves, even if the clever bastard had essentially figured it out on his own. Neither Alpha had mentioned it yet, but Paul was sure he had a beating coming. Charlie hadn't mentioned the job offer again either, so Paul was on edge with two proverbial axes hanging over his head.

Thankfully changing the subject before anyone even noticed the silent exchange between Paul and his imprint, Bella directed, "Em, grab the trays of cookies from the backseat. I worked too hard on those this morning for me to drop them on the way from the car."

Almost everyone that knew about the tribal secret was in the backyard. Parents, imprints, even a few council members. Adam Fuller was still coming around to the pack's new leadership, but Mrs. Cameron and Old Quil absolutely refused to participate in pack events. They wouldn't have gotten a welcome reception anyway.

Hoping to avoid the council members that still gave the white girl funny looks, Bella wandered toward the circle of chairs around the massive un-lit fire pit in the center of the yard. The younger wolves were lounging, seemingly having finished Emily's bidding and hoping to stay clear of Sam's wrath. They looked so relaxed and carefree for the first time that Bella could remember. But that wasn't it. Something was different.

Bella couldn't remember a time she had seen the pack this..dressed. Every single one of them was wearing a shirt for once. Some of those shirts even had buttons! Somehow it just felt wrong. She definitely hated when Paul wore a shirt. Covering up that caramel mass of muscles was at least a misdemeanor.

Her face must have given away her musings, because Paul pulled her into his lap on one of the chairs in the circle. "What's that look for, Princess?"

"I was just lamenting the fact that you're all covered up," Bella pouted with an exaggerated lower lip jutting out.

"Well I couldn't exactly let your dad see this," Paul whispered, popping open a button of his dress shirt to reveal a ring of scars on his left pectoral. Her mark.

Bella gasped, reaching out an unbelieving finger to confirm it wasn't an illusion. "It stayed? But how?"

Paul grabbed her hand before she could give him an insta-boner with just one touch. "I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it works the same as yours, so no touchy unless you want me to jizz my pants."

A grin that could only be described as evil pulled at the corners of her mouth, forcing Paul to clarify with a laugh, "Please don't make me jizz my pants at your graduation party."

Much to Paul's relief, Quil interrupted to congratulate Bella. His minx was dangerous when she got ideas in that pretty little head. The pack came by individually with their mates or families to congratulate Bella on graduating. Most of them had been at the ceremony, but she felt so loved that they were all here for her.

And for Jake. Where was Jake? This was supposed to be his celebration too. He had tested out of enough credits for the tribal school to grant him a diploma under his special circumstances. The principal didn't know about the pack, but the council vouched for Jake as the up and coming Chief. They gave a load of bullshit about extra duties and studies of the tribe's traditions. Little did the school know just how in tune with the tribe's primal history Jake really was.

But now the man of the hour was late and the wolves were getting antsy. The whole pack was waiting to eat until their Alpha's arrived. Bella rightfully assumed Leah was with him; those two couldn't keep their hands off of each other for more than five minutes.

Emily called the Clearwater and Black residences with no answer. Paul was getting ready to pull rank and declare the pack could eat without them when the love drunk couple stepped into the backyard hand in hand.

"Sorry everybody, now the party can begin!" Leah hollered from the backdoor with much more enthusiasm than usual. She held up their joined hands with a "whoo" that reminded Emily of a stereotypical drunk sorority girl. Was Leah drunk?

Emily turned to ask Sam if that was even possible when she noticed every wolf had dropped. The younger pups were on the ground while the older wolves like Sam and Paul had merely lowered themselves to be below Leah's height. Even Bella had dropped to a knee in the grass.

The exuberance dropped from Leah's face, taking in the reaction of the pack. The Alphas shared a look before Jake cleared his throat. The pack loosened their stance, but every pair of lupine eyes was still fixed on the ground before the Alphas' feet. Bella shook her head and looked around, unsure of why she was kneeling.

The humans in attendance looked around in confusion. Charlie, being the most recent addition to the fold, spoke first, "What in the sam hell-"

Billy knew. Billy always knows. "You marked her, didn't you, son?"

Sharing another look, both Alphas pulled their collars to the side. "Well it was kind of a mutual thing actually," Leah giggled. Giggled? The pack didn't know Leah was physically capable of giggling. She had been doing a lot better with the wolf stuff and the general angst, especially once her and Jake finally got together, but now she looked genuinely happy.

Emily was the first to break the stillness, rushing forward to hug her cousin with tears in her eyes. She was pretty emotional these days, but she probably would have cried anyway to see Leah so..herself again. This was the Leah everyone knew before Sam, before imprinting, before the wolf.

Leah gave Emily an extra squeeze, earning a growl from Sam. Apparently protecting unborn pups was all it took to stand up to an Alpha. "Stand down, papa wolf," Leah chided with a wink for Emily. "Ok everybody let's eat!"

Emily was still frozen and confused so Leah whispered as low as possible, "I'll let the pack figure it out on their own, but I think Sam is going to give you away pretty quickly. Congrats, cuz."

Jake leaned over to kiss Emily's cheek and offer his own sly congratulations before heading up the line to the buffet. After the Alphas, the imprints and other humans were served first. Nobody wanted to risk the wolves eating everything before anyone else had gotten some food. There was a reason the pack had been banned from every buffet style restaurant in a fifty mile radius.

The boys were working through the truckload of beer that Billy and Harry had brought for the pack. Charlie even let Bella have one to celebrate. She took one sip, made a face, and passed it off to Paul. The thought was nice.

Having Charlie here was new for Bella, but she loved it. No more secrets and lies. He was closer than ever to Billy, finally free of secrets between the lifelong best friends. Bella was pleasantly surprised to find Joy Ateara shamelessly flirting with Charlie, fussing over him like a helpless patient when Charlie told her what happened. Apparently Charlie didn't need her help as a matchmaker.

The food was good, the company was better, and in the blink of an eye the sun was setting.

Jake and Leah stood before the crowd to begin the more ceremonial part of the evening. Charlie asked, in a voice he probably didn't know the wolves could hear, why it wasn't Billy leading this tribal sort of stuff. Bella shushed him with a wave and Billy leaned over to explain that technically Jake was Chief as Alpha of a current pack. Charlie smiled up at the boy he had watched grow up with a new sense of respect. The reality of the magic and the pack was finally starting to sink in.

One of the Alpha's cleared their throat, successfully demanding the attention of the group with a subtlety that spoke of the deference the audience held for their leaders. Leah nodded the cue for their former Alpha to step forward to have the honor of lighting the bonfire. The kindling caught quickly and in seconds flames were licking up the larger logs. The orange and yellow light of the flames danced across the gathered faces. The comfort of the fire wrapped around the crowd, drawing them into the embrace of family and tradition.

Matching the familiar cadence of storytelling, Jake retold the events of Laurent and Paul's eventual take down. At each step he thanked or praised his wolves for their roles as protectors. He formally welcomed Collin and Brady when the story came to Laurent's return that caused them to phase. He praised Leah for her amazing strength and fortitude to have the ability to submit to the wolf. Jake's descriptions of Leah were gratuitous and graphic enough to earn an awkward cough from Billy. The Alpha was unapologetic and the wolves that had seen inside his brain knew it could have been significantly worse.

When it came time to acknowledge Paul for his role in taking down the vamp, Bella found it was hard to breathe through the tightness in her chest. Or was she feeling the tightness in Paul's chest? He hadn't been able to tell her about those final moments with Laurent and she hoped Jake's story would fill in some of the gaps for her. She could feel the tension rising in her mate through their bond as Jake spoke about Paul's bravery. The Alpha didn't mention Paul's mental shield blocking the gifted vamp's commands, instead complimenting Paul's connection with his wolf.

Bella was disappointed when Jake's description of the fight with Laurent was simply "and Paul overpowered him." The crowd clapped and cheered for her mate, but she knew there was something missing. She stroked any part of Paul she could reach, mostly the arms wrapped tightly around her abdomen.

Jake instructed Brady to grab something from the back of the Rabbit. Bella's sight had improved since her Mark, but even in the light of the fire she didn't recognize the box the pup carried back. A shudder ran down Bella's spine and Paul held her tighter. The wolves knew something she didn't because the responding growls rose up the second Brady returned with what now looked like a safe. Paul didn't make a noise, but his grip around her was approaching uncomfortable. She could feel and hear him taking deep breaths with his face buried in her hair as if he needed the comfort.

A twist of the combination lock and Bella's nose told her exactly what had the wolves on edge. She'd recognize that scent anywhere. Her improved sense even told her exactly who that scent belonged to.

Jake seemed proud of himself, reaching in to remove the severed hand from the small gun safe. With a feral growl Paul was on his feet with Bella held behind him.

"What the fuck made you think it was a good idea to bring that?" Paul snarled through the tremors rolling through his body. The rest of the pack sunk back, unprepared for a confrontation. Especially a packmate standing up to an Alpha.

Leah spoke first, "I agree, it was foolish, Paul. I didn't know he was planning this, but now is not the time to hash this out." She gave a pointed glance around the fire to the many, many humans in attendance.

Jake tried to defend his decision, "I thought we could celebrate the end of this by burning the last of that leech." Leah stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

Paul did not want or need a reminder of how far from human he was. He had ripped that vamp to shreds. The pieces were so small and scattered that you couldn't tell that it even used to resemble a human form. Of course Paul wasn't sympathetic to leeches, but even leeches used to be people. Paul didn't recognize himself after that. He didn't know he had it in himself to so ruthlessly murder. He'd killed them before. That redhead a couple months back had gone down without a thought of remorse, but that was concise. Beheaded and burned. Done and done.

What Paul did to Laurent was..inhuman. Even as a wolf he felt his clear connection to his humanity, but with Laurent. That wasn't Paul. Paul didn't want that to even be able to have been him. He was disgusted with the way his wolf delighted in that destruction. No, the way Paul himself had reveled in the savagery. He could still smell the blood from Laurent's last victims as if it was still oozing through his toes where he stood on the vampire's remains. He had scrubbed his skin so raw it was still healing by the time Paul climbed into Bella's bed.

Bella should be afraid of him. Part of him was afraid of himself. She deserved more than a monster. He could feel her presence in his very soul and he could feel the tiny box in his pocket burning.

He ran.

He ditched his pants as soon as he was out of sight and burst into fur. Things were easier to handle this way. He wasn't ready to face his human emotions, so he would just not be human for a little while. If it wasn't for Bella, Paul was positive he never would have come back.

Paul could not just sit there and watch and smell that disgusting hand burn. He didn't think he could handle the reminder. Even now he could swear the scent followed him.

Actually. Was that the same scent? He looped back to the bonfire in a wide arc to make sure he wasn't catching something else in the wind. He found his pants and the stupid buttoned shirt Emily had made him wear. He looked ridiculous wearing jogging pants and a button up, but Emily wouldn't take no for an answer.

Thankfully, the gathering had dispersed by the time Paul snuck back into the yard He passed Leah and suggested a wolf patrolled now that they were losing the sun. Peace time wasn't a time to get sloppy. The empty safe by the fire confirmed the hand had been burned while he was running, but he didn't want to assume the smoke was what he had smelled out there. The wind was moving in the right direction to support his theory, but he was their strategist. Vigilance was his forte.

She sent Collin and Brady to run the border until they were relieved and Paul breathed a little easier. He kept to the edge of the crowd to get back to Bella. He was embarrassed at his outburst earlier and wasn't quite ready to explain himself. By the now simmering fire, Bella was sitting with some wolves, her father, and Joy.

Without a pause in their conversation, Bella stood so Paul could take her seat and pull her into his lap. Things were just that effortless with her, why was he having such a hard time talking to her about his concerns about his humanity. He pushed the thoughts from his mind and focused on whatever conversation was happening around him.

"Honey, what happened to your arm?" Joy asked with a nod towards Bella's purple cast.

"A vampire scared the daylights out of me and I fell and broke my wrist," Bella answered. The casual tone was purposeful. "Hey, since Charlie knows about the wolfy stuff, can we cut this cast off please?"

"Oh, come on Bells. Casts are practically a tradition for your milestones. You had one at your eighth grade graduation when you broke your pinky. Sixteenth birthday when you broke a toe. Prom when you..uhh," Charlie stumbled, remembering that the story he was fed hadn't been true. "Oh never mind. Yeah let's make an appointment to have it taken off first thing on Monday."

"That would be awesome. I'd rather not make plaster casts a fashion statement, thank you very much," Bella rolled her eyes, still trying to shove a stick into her cast to reach an itch.

"If we're lucky she won't be in a cast at her wedding," Quil laughed, throwing an exaggerated wink to Paul across the fire. Paul's eyes shot to his imprint, wishing he could see her face from where she was perched on his lap. He prayed to every spirit in the sky that she didn't have that look of panic at the mention of a wedding. Of their wedding.

Bella herself was surprised at the absent tightening of her chest. It wasn't such a scary thought like it used to be. She laughed a carefree chuckle at Quil, missing the tension in Paul's every muscle melt away with the sound.

Quil however didn't miss the warning in his Beta's eyes and dropped his gaze to the floor in a show of respect for the pecking order. "Sorry, Paul."

Trying to win back some brownie points, Quil reached over and wiggled his fingers into the cast on either side of Bella's forearm. With a crack, he ripped the plaster cast easily in two. "There you go, Bells."

Paul cradled her wrist, pushing Quil back to keep him from touching her again. He needed to make sure his dopey pack brother hadn't hurt her. Paul was relieved to see no more bruises, only smooth alabaster skin, ignoring the debris Bella had gotten stuck down there in the past month from trying to itch under the cast. Paul flicked off a pencil eraser and thanked the spirits for the thousandth time for their unique magic. She could heal almost like a wolf now, but Paul still vividly remembered every injury, every bruise. Especially the ones his own hands or mistakes had caused.

"That thing smells like death," Embry cringed, plugging his nose. "Sorry, Bells."

Jake wordlessly booted Seth from the seat next to Bells, dropping into the chair with a plate piled with desserts in his lap. "It's ok, Bells. If Regina George can pull off a full neck brace at prom, you can make a cast look good in a wedding dress."

"I'm not one of the Plastics, Jake," Bella laughed. When nobody else seemed to get reference she explained, "From Mean Girls. Obviously."

"Not obviously," Quil said. "Why would any of us get that reference? Jake, why do you get that reference?"

"Hey," the Alpha spoke around a mouthful of cake with his fork pointed at Quil, "I have two older sisters, giving me every excuse for knowing Mean Girls. And it's a great movie, you're the ones missing out."

Paul sat back, watching the love of his life interact with his brothers with the ease and comfort of family. This was their family. The rez didn't feel so suffocating with Bella by his side. He finally had a purpose and someone to share it with. Their relationship was stronger than ever after each of their insecurities were addressed. The small box in his pocket felt lighter with each breath. They had talked about this a million times in the last month. She wasn't scared of the idea of forever anymore. He wasn't scared she would suddenly remember she was too good for him and leave one day. The only thing missing now was Paul's testicles apparently. Why did this seem so difficult? She was going to say yes, he just needed to ask. Everyone was here, tonight was the night.

Finding the right time was going to be the hardest part.

She was going to say yes, right?

Seth asked for a moment to speak with the Alpha alone. "Just a minute, Jake," Seth explained.

"I was just thinking, now that Laurent is gone, do you need me? I don't think it would be that hard for me to stop phasing," Seth spoke to the ground, his foot nervously kicking at the dirt. "I'm no good at the wolf thing and I'm even smaller than Brady and Collin still. They're taller than me so of course they're bigger, so you guys don't even need me with the lighter patrol schedule now that the threat is gone."

Seth was rambling and Jake let him so he could get his thoughts in order, not because he agreed with whatever nonsense Seth was going on about.

"And Leah wouldn't have to worry about me anym-"

"Seth," Jake cut him off. "You're not abandoning your pack."

"But, I-"

A hand in front of the pup's face stopped him again.

"Yes, you would be abandoning us just the same as that dickhead Jared. We need you. Not because we need the numbers for patrols or because you've got some unique personal responsibility within the pack. You are our brother and we need you. Just as you need us. So what if you're the smallest? You've got agility and speed that only Leah could beat. We can talk about working patrols and meetings around school if having a more normal teenage experience would help. Go back to the tribal school or stay homeschooling with Emily, I don't care, but you're pack. You're staying."

Seth wanted to argue, but he wasn't going to talk back to his Alpha. He still thought Jake was wrong about his smaller stature being useful. Didn't he just say they had Leah for that? Seth didn't even consider talking to Leah. She was generally the only person he confided in, but he didn't want her to think he was weak. Before Seth could open his mouth again, Jake asked him to go help Emily bring dishes inside.

"Ok, Jake."

The parents and council members were making their excuses to leave. It was getting dark and the boys were getting rowdy. When Charlie got up to leave, Paul knew he was out of time. He didn't care about the other humans, but he wanted Charlie to be there for this. He stood up and cleared his throat. He didn't get the instant silence that the Alpha's would have, but he was impressed at the respect the pack held for their beta, even after his meltdown in front of everybody earlier. He cleared his throat again, but this time because there was a mutinous lump rising.

"Chief Swan, if you could give me a minute before you go," Paul called to the man he was hoping to be his father-in-law soon. Paul was just glad his voice didn't crack. Charlie tentatively sat back in his chair, squinting his eyes suspiciously at the young man. When he noticed Paul's hand nervously fiddling with something in his pocket, he had an idea. When Paul pulled Bella to her feet to stand next to him in front of the pack, Charlie knew.

Paul looked over Bella to catch Charlie's eye to make sure he was still there. The older man smiled and gave Paul the slightest nod of encouragement. He looked around the fire to see all of his packmates watching too. Leah and Jake gave him supportive smiles from where they were wrapped around each other in a lawn chair. Finally settling his gaze to the women before him, Paul let go of his anxiety.

He hadn't prepared a speech of any kind, which he was now regretting. Obviously he knew he loved her and this is what he wanted, but maybe he should have thought a little bit more about how to put that love into words. There were no words. She was Bella and she loved him despite everything. She loved and loved. Paul used to think she was an idiot because of who she loved, but now that the force of that love was directed at him? Now he knew how blessed he was to be embraced by Bella Swan's deep, abiding heart.

Paul took a deep breath and just let his heart and the spirits guide him.

"I was the asshole who called you a leech lover and I've never really apologized for that. I'm sorry. Obviously I don't love the idea of you with a leech, but if anyone could love a bloodsucker it would be you. I can't believe I'm saying that as a compliment, but that's just who you are. You can look past a person's flaws and mistakes and see the good. And whatever spirit in the sky is in charge of our magic knew that was the kind of girl I needed. The spirits either don't like you or they really like me, but I'll take it." Paul laughed to himself. He stepped back to lower himself to one knee and someone in the crowd gasped. Bella's smile got impossibly bigger, causing Paul to stumble over the words and he had to clear his throat before continuing.

"You weren't just a leech lover then. You aren't just a wolf girl now. You're Bella frickin' Swan. Maybe Lahote if you want? That's up to you. Just a suggestion." Chuckles bubbled from the pack. "But you are your own woman and damn, that's what I love about you. You're fierce and you fight for those you love. Even yourself. Please let me fight for you for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me, Princess?"

"Maybe we can teach you how to love yourself too."

"Is that a yes?" Paul's breath was caught in his chest.

"Of course," Bella smiled through watery eyes.

Cheers from around the fire erupted as Paul swung Bella up into a crushing hug, spinning her around. He planted her feet back on the ground, but held her closely to him to kiss her with gusto. Before she could get lost in his touch, Bella pushed him back to see the unguarded look of love and adoration in her fiance's face.

Paul dug around in his pocket, procuring the tiny box he had been nervously carrying around all day. He almost forgot the ring! Bella looked genuinely surprised when he opened the box to reveal a delicate band with silver leaves wrapping around a single stone.

"What-," she stammered. "I thought the bracelet was..," Bella trailed off as Paul slipped the ring on her finger.

"Of course I got you a ring, Princess. The bracelet is traditional, but most people on the rez do rings like the rest of the world now. And you're my little hokwat." He kissed her nose for emphasis. "I had the stone from an old family ring, but I had a jeweler on the rez make the setting just for you."

She was speechless. Emily ran up to hug her, followed by Joy. Quil itched to hug her next, but loathed to give the guys an opportunity to make a joke about being one of the girls. Jake bumped past him to swing Bells into his signature crushing hug, throwing a wink over her shoulder to Quil. That bastard knew everything. Quil suspected he could read their minds even in human form. He tested the theory by thinking as loud as possible what he really thought about the Alpha.

Bella squirmed out of Jake's grasp, graciously accepting the pack's congratulations as she made her way across to Quil for her hug.

"Can't believe you're going to marry that asshole," he muttered into her hair.

"And you're going to stand up there with us, little brother," Bella beamed. She relished the look of shock and excitement on Quil's face.

Joy was next to offer her congratulations, leaving Charlie for last.

Bella felt compelled to apologize or explain herself to her father. He had always warned her against repeating his mistakes and here she was getting engaged the day of her high school graduation. She would never deny Paul, there was no regret there, but she needed Charlie to understand.

Neither of them were great with words. Or emotions. Or sharing in general.

Charlie pulled her into his best one-armed bear hug and whispered the only words he needed to in order to get his point across. Bella understood without a doubt her father's implied approval, support, and understanding.

"You are not Renee."

Charlie dropped his arm so as to not draw out the moment, already uncomfortable with the brimming tears in his daughter's eyes. He knew she understood it wasn't an insult to her mother, just a statement of fact. Joy saved the awkward silence by jumping in to gush over the ring. Charlie escaped the conversation by sliding over to shake Paul's hand.

"Sir," Paul dipped his head, unsure what he was supposed to say to Charlie at this moment. Thank you? Much to his surprise, Paul was saved from having to come up with something when the Chief spoke first. Charlie was uncomfortable with emotions, but he was great at idle threats.

"You so much as look at her wrong and I'll be the first to put you in place, Alpha be damned. I don't care if you're a superhero, I'll find out how much a shotgun does to one of you." Paul pretended to flinch at the man's squeeze of their still shaking hands for the sake of Charlie's pride. The Chief continued in an unsettling jovial tone.

"And I'll be able to keep a close eye on you when you're down at the station with me."

Paul didn't have to fake his reaction this time. His jaw dropped and his eyes bugged.

"Did you think I was kidding about the job offer, son?"

Paul stammered over his non-response, before Charlie reassured him with a less menacing pat on the shoulder. He went on about training schedules and uniforms and Paul caught about half of it, nodding along while his mind raced. If he really could start this summer, Paul would have a real job to take care of Bella and a future when he wasn't phasing anymore. He watched his fiance as she showed Emily the ring. He loved calling her that. It was so much more than 'girlfriend' and less animalistic than 'mate'. Either way, she was his, and he'd be able to make her proud as a member of the Forks police force. He couldn't help his mind from wandering to her reaction to him in a uniform.

He shook his head and made the effort to tune back in to the man's yammering.

"I'm curious about how your wolfy senses can be utilized on the force. When do I get to see a wolf for real? I don't know if I believe Bells when she said how big you boys get in that form. The physics of it all just doesn't make sense. Where does the mass come from?"

A howl they recognized as Brady cut through Charlie's rambling. Leah disappeared into the trees already on four paws before most of the other wolves had even risen from their seats. Jake barked orders for Quil and Seth to guard the imprints while phased so they could watch what was happening through the pack mind.

Collin's howl from a completely different direction lit a fire under everyone's asses.

"Looks like you'll get your wish after all, Chief Swan," Paul muttered before stepping back and popping into fur right there. Joy reached over to pick a piece of Paul's sweatpants off of Charlie's shirt. Paul snapped his teeth in Charlie's direction playfully and gave Bella a slobbery kiss before following the rest of the pack into the forest.

"Holy shit." Charlie Swan definitely believed the boy now.

Brady's howl went up first. Collin howled too before he could tell the scent he was following was the same trail just further back. Collin followed the path of the scent that ran with suspicious accuracy along the line of their treaty.

Brady tried to show where he was to each new pack member that phased in. He rounded a corner and skidded to a stop in a familiar clearing.

"I know Bella is alive," a small dark-haired leech spoke to Brady with her hands on her hips. One of the voices in the pack mind wondered how the little leech was managing the forest floor so well in heels that high.

"Bring her here. Now."