Chapter 13
*Hello! Hella long chapter alert! It's almost as long as my very first chapter! It's got the pack reveal and the imprint, I didn't want to separate them. It didn't feel right to me but I hope it isn't too long! Enjoy*
After being stuck behind slow moving traffic, Bella was finally home. As her truck rumbled into the driveway, she was grateful to see that Charlie was not home. Some very recent disappearances around the Olympic National Park were keeping him busy.
Bella felt conflicted, the less rational part of her heart was hurt and furious but thankfully her mind was in control. She thought back to the Cullens and how obviously different they were, there is something similar going on with Jake and Paul. There was something bigger going on here and Bella knew she would sniff it out.
Bella unlocked her home and stomped inside. As an afterthought, she locked the door behind her and ran up the stairs into her room. She stood by the window for a moment, she had the sensation of being watched. She glared in the direction of the forest and pulled her curtains closed.
She turned on her bedside lamp and allowed the soft glow to shimmer in the room, sitting in her chair, Bella took a moment to breathe. She looked at her favourite picture again, the forest scene. In the soft lamplight, the picture brought tranquillity. Using it, she regained control of her temper and reached for the small notebook, in which she started a secret list of things to ask Paul, "When she was ready."
With shaking hands, Bella took the Quileute book from under a pile of books that she was reading for English Class. It was time, the instinctive voice inside told her so. The book opened to the page on the Cold Ones, she had left a scrap of paper in there marking that page. On closer inspection, she saw it was the receipt for the book. With a jolt, Bella noticed she bought it almost a year ago. How could that be?
A wave of sadness fell over her as she felt a longing for Edward that she hadn't felt in a long time. She didn't think she missed him that much these days, but sometimes it would creep up on her.
Irritated, Bella pushed that longing away. Now was not the time, she had to get to the bottom of the mystery in La Push. The night Jacob told her about the cold ones he mentioned something else.
Bella's blood ran cold. Wolves.
Quileute's were descended from wolves.
She thought of all the howling she had heard and both Paul and Jake's response to it.
Bella opened the book and flipped to the index, turning pages to fast they almost ripped. According to the index there were multiple mentions of wolves… Bella realised she would have to read the whole book for answers.
She decided to take a few minutes to steel herself for this. She crept downstairs and made a cup of tea. She lost herself as she focussed on the way the tea would sluggishly drift out of the bag, staining the clear water. She couldn't really let herself zone out though. She stirred the bag, clinking her spoon and then dragging the used teabag out and dropping it in the sink.
Bella climbed back to her room and cradled her mug of tea to her chest. She would start reading once the mug was empty.
While she geared up to reading the book, Paul and Sam stood in the woods outside her house, looking up at the window.
"What is she doing? Billy was shitting a brick thinking she was gona phase." Sam kept glancing up to the closed curtains. She was showing no signs of the phase, Sam didn't understand why she told Billy about her supposed symptoms.
"She's so smart Sam. I think she's close to figuring it out."
Sam gave Paul a look, "And you still want to avoid her?"
Paul sighed heavily. "It hasn't been about avoiding her, it's about not letting my selfishness ruin her."
"You're like a damn broken record. I hope she does figure it all out and kicks sense into your ass." Sam growled, irritated.
Paul looked sharply at Sam, his lips pulling into a tight line.
"Whatever," He finally said. "Are we gona check out the leech trail or not?"
Sam nodded, he sniffed around Bella's house, agreeing that there was a new scent. They followed it together into the Olympic National Park, for a while before returning to La Push.
Meanwhile, Bella's mug was emptied and she bit the bullet. This time she opened the book almost reverently and started at the very beginning.
The more she read, the crazier she felt, could a pack of shapeshifting wolves really be cavorting around the countryside? If vampires existed then there is no reason that there isn't more magic affecting the population. What disturbed Bella was that if they were around then there were vampires in the area. There had to be a presence of vampires to trigger the shift. It certainly wasn't the Cullens anymore. Could it be Victoria, finally coming for retribution for James? Would this have anything to do with the missing hikers from the National Park?
Changing her train of thought to avoid panicking, she thought of Paul. There was nothing in the book about the strange connection she felt to him, but if she was right about the wolf thing, she would get him to talk to her. If she knew everything, she would not let him hide from her.
Bella was sure she had figured it out, she just needed to be proved right or wrong. If Jake was the newest wolf, it'd be easy to push him to the shift. Bella stepped over to the window, pulling open her curtains. It was still light, she could make it down to La Push in thirty minutes at the most.
A sense of determination and satisfaction fuelled her down the stairs. Before she left the house, Bella fired off a quick text to her dad, remembering the last time she rushed towards the supernatural.
Hey Dad, just got the all-clear from Billy. Gona go see Jake quickly. I won't be long, don't want to tire him out. I'll let you know if anything changes. Love you! Xx
Charlie responded as she was reaching for her jacket.
Tell Jake I'm thinking of him. I'll be working late tonight anyway, you have fun and stay safe. Love you too x
Bella smiled, when she first arrived, she could barely get her dad to speak to her and now they were texting. Bella marvelled at how easily he expressed his love now and she used that to keep her strong in her path to La Push. She locked the front door behind her and jumped into the truck.
The whole drive down, Bella drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. There were no big logger trucks on the road so she made it down in twenty minutes. She ran up to the Black's front door, but at the last minute she saw five shirtless men standing in the treeline. The Pack, Bella told herself. It was show time.
She stormed towards them and they strode out to meet her. Her eyes roamed over each of them, she recognised Quil and Embry, the man in the middle took the leadership stance. He must be the Sam Uley that Jake mentioned before, the man next to him must be Jared. He was the only one with a cocky smirk, the others looked awkward. And afraid, she thought to herself. She finally let her eyes land on Paul. The dark circles under his eyes and sad set to his mouth made her falter. An urge to comfort him almost overpowered her.
She shook her head softly, answers first, Paul next. Jake wasn't with them but Quil and Embry were due a rant anyway.
"I am disgusted with both of you." Bella made her tone icy and low. Remembering a nature show she watched about wolves, she adopted an aggressive stance. The pack took a collective step back, she was close to getting her proof.
"Bella," Paul began as he moved to stand next to her. She held up her hand, going against what she really wanted to do.
"We will talk next." She promised, emphasising each word. Quil and Embry looked ashamed and terrified. Fuelled by the emotions of the last few months, Bella continued.
"How dare you treat your best friend so appallingly!" She deepened her voice while shouting, continuing with her aggressive wolf impression. She continued with her tirade before they could interrupt.
"You cowardly little boys! Do you have any concept of how much pain you caused him? And for what?! To decide he's good enough a few months later once he gets a fucking haircut? I'm as disgusted with him as much as I am at you. He was so weak to run straight back to the shits who ditched him."
The pack gaped at her. Quil and Embry began shaking aggressively, their bodies quaking.
"Calm down, both of you." Sam ordered them, at least he didn't try to boss Bella around, she thought. She knew this was it, she needed to hammer it home. Her heart was racing, her instincts knew this was reckless and her blood flooded with adrenaline. She was so close though. Bella bared her teeth, in an infuriated grimace.
"You know what? I'm just so disappointed in both of you, acting like pathetic little bitches." Bella jabbed Quil's chest with her finger, emphasising the word 'bitch' hoping the connotations of a female dog would be enough to drive the wolves over the edge. It worked. Quil roared, Paul grabbed Bella's arm and shoved her behind him while adopting a defensive stance. Where Quil was, now stood a huge chocolate brown wolf.
Peeking around Paul's protective body, Bella was elated, she was right. She burst out laughing causing the confused pack to gape at her.
"I knew it! Haha, yes! Finally, score one to the human!" She did a little happy skip while the pack figured out what to say. As she looked at Quil the wolf and a shaking Embry she felt a pang of guilt.
"I'm sorry you two. I just wanted to prove I had guessed the truth. I didn't mean what I said… much."
"What?!" The pack chorused, astounded.
Savouring the moment, Bella nuzzled into Paul's side, grinning at the boys.
"Quil, your fur is awesome! It must reflect the chocolate addiction, Jake told me about. Do you get to control what colour you are?" She was almost delirious. None of them knew how to answer. She looked at Paul, he was as astonished as the rest of the pack. She used their connection and her recent affinity for grey to guess his colour.
"I like your colour best though." She said softly. "Grey is my favourite colour right now."
Paul looked like he wanted to pass out. Bella squeezed Paul comfortingly, smiling softly at him. The pack knew that Paul had imprinted, but they didn't realise the connection was so strong for Bella too. His arm snaked around her waist, returning the gesture tentatively.
"Bella, how did you guess?" Sam's voice rang out, uncertainly. Bella looked around the Black's yard and at the pack.
"It's a long story. Is there somewhere we can go?"
"Yeah. Paul, take her to our place. I'll take Quil to grab spare shorts."
Bella felt Paul nod and watched as the pack dispersed into the trees. She felt Paul try to move and tightened her grip.
"Paul, can we stay like this for a few more minutes? I've waited so long for this." Bella whispered as she moved to wrap another arm around Paul. Paul was too surprised to do anything but pull her into a tight hug. They stayed like that until the cold finally invaded making Bella shiver slightly.
"Let's go Bella, we need to go to Sam and Emily's."
Bella sighed as she released Paul. She looked up into his eyes.
"Paul, what is this connection we have?"
"Can I explain it after we go to Sam's?" A small part of him felt overjoyed. He had visions of him and Bella sharing a relationship like Sam and Emily. A larger part was terrified she would bolt.
"Fine. But I'll hold you to it. Now I know about the pack, I won't let you avoid me anymore."
Paul pulled Bella in for another hug, they were savouring this moment that they had both been longing for. Eventually, they moved apart, Paul gripped her hand and pulled her towards the truck. Bella let him drive, he knew where to go and she wanted to rememorize his face. The drive only took five minutes. They pulled up outside a sweet and sunny looking house.
"It's beautiful!" Bella gasped.
Paul laughed, Bella had missed that sound. "Emily will be happy to hear it."
"Come on, let's go in. We've kept them waiting long enough."
"Sure thing, cupcake." Bella beamed at Paul using his pet-name for her again.
They entered the house, it was as warm inside as the exterior had promised. Sam stood in the hallway with his arm around a beautiful woman.
"Hello, you must be Bella, I'm Emily." Her voice was gentle and melodic, her smile was welcoming.
Bella briefly noticed some scars on Emily's face but she ignored them, looking straight into her eyes.
"It's lovely to meet you," Bella smiled and held her hand out. Emily rolled her eyes and pulled her into a hug. Bella sighed happily. Everyone laughed around them. Emily took a gentle step back.
"Follow me, there should be some snacks left for you two. Can I get you a drink?" Bella followed, staying close to Emily. Paul heard her ask for some tea as Sam laughed.
"They're going to be partners in crime, aren't they?" Sam stage whispered to Paul.
"Oh god, they're going to control us with snacks." Paul played along. The proximity of Bella making him feel whole again.
"I heard that!" Bella and Emily chorused simultaneously from the kitchen. Sam and Paul laughed, entering the large kitchen. Bella was sitting at the table with Emily placing steaming mugs in front of them. The rest of the pack sat around the table patiently. Sam took his seat next to Emily and Paul eased into the chair next to Bella.
"So… Bella, could you explain to us how you figured it out?" Sam asked, his arm around Emily
"Sure Sam, but, where's Jake?"
"He's patrolling, but I'll fill him in when he's done."
Bella nodded before she began to tell the pack about her time at the beach when Jacob told her about the cold ones and that she bought a book of Quileute legends to elaborate on the Cullens. After the Cullens left and her encounters with Paul and Jake, Bella started putting the pieces together. Finally, after seeing Jake that day, it made her go home and read the book of legends cover to cover.
As she finished, Emily laughed, applauding Bella.
"Thank Taha Aki for you, we've been desperate for another intelligent ally! Kim and I struggle sometimes. Kim is Jared's girlfriend, you're going to love her!"
Bella beamed around the table, her eyes falling on Quil and Embry, who still looked unhappy.
"Quil, Embry, I am really sorry for what I said. If it helps, I was planning on going off at Jake instead, but he wasn't there."
"It does help, maybe you could do that when he comes back? That would really help." Quil ventured hopefully while Embry smiled.
"Unbrotherly behaviour like that loses cupcake privileges." Emily piped up. Quil went pale and shook his head. Everyone laughed and Bella relaxed into Paul's side. She loved having this warm family around her. She turned to Paul and raised her eyebrow, signalling she was ready to talk. He nodded tightly, his smile slipping.
They stood and left with a few goodbyes and waves. Bella promised to visit Emily the next day, Emily leapt up and hugged her tightly. The pack watched as they left, feeling hopeful for their brother. His imprint was badass.
They got into Bella's truck and Paul drove her home. Charlie was still out.
"Will you come in?" Bella asked Paul. He gulped and nodded.
They walked in and Bella locked the front door, Paul noticed with approval. He could tell the smell of leech was fading, it wasn't bad enough to make him shift. Bella led him up to her bedroom, closing the curtains and sat down on her bed. Paul sighed and joined her.
"Ok so, I'm not too good at this. Once I've told you, you can get more info from Emily. She gets this stuff." Paul fidgeted, feeling nervous. Bella took his hand, silently. She was happy to wait for him to tell her in his own time. Paul cleared his throat.
"There's a thing that happens to wolves, it's called an Imprint. It's meant to be rare, but half of us have done it so far. You're my imprint." Paul spoke quickly, anxious to get it all out there. Bella squeezed Paul's hand, sensing his distress.
"The wolf looks into the eyes of that special someone and it's the craziest feeling. It's like you're keeping me on Earth now and not gravity. The wolf is supposed to be whatever his imprint needs. Brother, friend or Lover. Or anything you want."
Bella nodded, everything becoming clearer.
"That's why I can feel you, and you me. When did you imprint on me?"
"That night at the beach…" Bella froze in horror.
"That was almost a year ago. Paul, I was involved with… I got…" She choked on her words. Paul sat silently, watching her and waiting for her to tell him to go away. Bella was doing the same thing. He must be disgusted with her for getting involved with the Cullens. She was trying to think of how to tell him when he beat her to it.
"I know what happened to you. I had a sort of vision. It's hard to explain."
Bella flew off the bed and crouched in front of Paul, clutching his hands and tears filling her eyes.
"Oh Paul! You would have felt everything. Did it hurt you?"
"I felt your pain…" Bella stood before he could say anything more, she wrapped her arms around him.
"I'm so sorry."
"You?! You're sorry?! Bella don't be ridiculous. It wasn't your fault."
She leaned back and looked into his eyes, she could see the layers of guilt and hurt. They started with the imprint but they went much deeper. She was silent for a few minutes before responding.
"It wasn't yours, either." She whispered. She gestured for Paul to lie back and she folded into his side. "Why did you avoid me?"
Paul sighed, he wanted to tell her. He was ready to and she was ready to hear it. He just needed a few minutes to prepare himself.
He briefly told her of his past, the day he became a wolf and everything that happened since. He spoke about the day in the cemetery and how he couldn't forgive himself. He was meant to be what she needed, and in his selfishness, he caused her pain and needed her to take care of him.
Bella placed a hand on his chest and leaned on her elbow so she was looking straight into his eyes.
"Paul. You silly, beautiful man. Thank you for telling me this. You need to know, what happened on that awful day is not your fault. I need you to know that, and I need you to let me remind you of that whenever you have a difficult or sad day. I need you to let me comfort you and protect you as often as you will protect me. You are as much my imprint as I am yours. I will not let anything hurt my imprint, not even my imprint." She finished with a gentle smirk.
Paul had no words, he blinked up at Bella. The soft lamplight and her passionate speech had made her look more beautiful than anything he had ever seen before. Bella returned his stare, gearing up for the next move. It may have been too soon, but she wanted this and she knew he would appreciate it too.
Moving slowly and delicately, she kept her hand on his chest, over his heart, as she leaned in to press a soft kiss on his lips. He slid his own hand up her arm and into her hair as he deepened it. He moved his other hand to rest over her heart.
The feeling of kissing your imprint was beyond any firework cliché. After all that had been said, it felt like Bella was gently placing a bandage over his broken heart. The kiss sent tingles from his lips throughout the rest of his body, making his stomach flutter. Bella fell deeper into the kiss, the heat from Paul and the pressure of his soft, full lips was unlike anything she had felt before. They both felt like they were on fire, that they were flying and that the rest of the world ceased to exist.
All too soon they needed air and parted.
"Can you stay with me tonight?" Bella asked, her heart thumping under his hand and his heart raced in response.
"Cupcake, I don't think I could leave."
Bella shifted so she was back in an innocent cuddle position. She vowed silently to herself that she wouldn't let anyone hurt Paul again or she would show them an ugliness she never wanted to release. Paul's arms tightened around her as they drifted off to sleep, finally feeling a step closer to being complete.
A/N
Hello again!
What did you think? Did I do the reveal justice?
As always feedback is gratefully received!
Thank you so much to all my amazing followers and reviewers! Reading your responses to my story keeps me inspired to continue it! I truly appreciate it!
Hope all is good wherever you are!