A/N – Alrighty y'all time for Paul! Ha, bad rhyme. Thanks for the Embry's dad votes. I think I've figured out what I am going to do with him now :) I'm also gonna play around a bit with Paul's past. I know his mother left them when he was 8, but I need her to leave earlier. But that may come later…probably… Lots of history and setup, not a lot of conversation. Sorry bout that!
Paul POV. Here we go!
Yay for bonfire night….NOT. Sitting here, watching all the imprints snuggle up gazing happily into each other's eyes? I mean come on guys! Where did your balls go? Oh right, in your lady's purse. I guess the only really good thing about these things is the food, stories, and occasional pretty stranger wandering up just ready for me to sweep off their feet.
The first time I attended one of these was two weeks after my first phase. I was shocked the night I got into a fight with my dad and turned into a damn wolf. I may have mostly grown up hearing the stories of the Spirit Warriors and the cold ones, but I never put much credence to them. So when Sam and Jared started talking to me in my mind, I naturally freaked and took off running. All I could think was "NONONONONOFUCKFUCKNONONONO." I finally tired out enough to stop and listen to what they were saying. They went through the stories with me, explained who the cold ones near us were, that we were not allowed to touch the Cullens because of the treaty. All others were fair game though!
I am naturally hot headed so it took me a while to finally calm down enough to phase back into human form. My father had seen my shift and had spent the time I was gone worried about me. A bit shocking honestly. He's not really the most caring or observant parent in the world so I was not expecting to see him standing at our back door with a pair of shorts and a plate loaded with sandwiches. We sat and actually talked for a bit about it. It was…nice. But I will never admit that out loud!
Then came the night that Bella Swan disappeared. We had just been informed that the Cullens were finally leaving Forks when Sam got the call from Billy. We headed out into the woods in wolf form to find her. And find her I did. I could smell a strawberry scent mixed with the chlorine/burnt sugar smell of vampire and salt from tears. There she was, lying across a log. I turn quickly and howl for Sam. I don't want to be the one to bring her back; I don't think I would be able to hold back any sarcastic remarks. At least I have the decency to stay away from that temptation.
Fortunately, Sam comes quickly and gets her back to her dad's house. Jared and I follow to make sure that they get there without incident. After Sam puts her on the couch, Charlie gives us his thanks and assures us he doesn't need anything. We left and Sam and Jared start making their way back to the Res. I stop though. There's something that seems to be pulling me back towards the house. I wound up staying just inside the tree line listening to her sob throughout the night.
The following weeks I often found myself outside her house in the woods. I don't know why. There's some kind of draw. I watch her go through depression, crying in the night, screaming. I hear her plea to Charlie for help and then watch her come back to reality. And I will admit it, at least to myself, girl is hot! Just enough of everything to make a man beg. And apparently she's smart and funny and kind and all that other bull shit. Fuck, I felt like I was turning in Sam and Jared and the way they act around their imprints. But I can't help it! My mind seems to be revolving around her. Thank god Jared is around at school to help me get through the day. I'm either trying to catch a few winks after patrol or letting my mind wander.
And now we have Embry to help. Whooray…. It's not that I don't like the kid, but his phase came as such a huge shock that it's been a major adjustment. The thing with Embry is we were NOT looking for him to change. Sure we kept an eye on Quil and Jake. They were direct descendants from the last pack so it made sense for them to phase, especially Jake. He was in line to be the true alpha of our pack. So when we started hearing him in our heads a couple weeks ago, we were stunned. His mother was Makah and we assumed his father was too. So in order for him to phase he had to have a strong bloodline. Right now the prime candidates were Sam's dad Josh, Quil V dad Quil V, and Jacob's dad Billy. None would really be ideal since they were all technically married and accounted for at the time of conception. It was just something to think about. Maybe his mother would answer the question one day.
So now we sit here waiting for Billy to arrive so we can eat and celebrate Embry's "induction" into the pack. I watch Jared and Sam with their imprints and while I make fun of them I can't help but be a little jealous. Yeah I've dated my fair share of women; I just couldn't ever bring myself to be serious about them. I've never felt that connection to make me want to be all lovey dovey woo woo like those guys. And I know it's partly the imprint that does it, but Sam was just as bad when he was dating Leah in high school. I know that if Jared hadn't asked for a pencil from Kim and looked in her eyes, he wouldn't have noticed her. And that's all it took for them. One look and their world changed. Sam broke Leah's heart and ruined Emily's face. Kim got the guy she had been in love with for years. Fuckers, all of them.
Oh look, here comes baby alpha. And who's with him? HA! Quil and Bella and Charlie. Well this should be an interesting night. I watch as Jacob and Quil get Billy settled around the fire while Bella and Charlie stand back a bit. She keeps her head down as Jacob comes back to her. I notice that every time he tries to touch, she backs up just a bit. Like she doesn't want his touch. He doesn't notice it though. His gazed turns to Embry and I could see the anger rolling off him. His once best friend now siding with the enemies? He keeps a wary eye on the rest of us guys, but doesn't flinch as Emily approaches them. This is the real test right here. How does she react to Emily's scars? I zone in on her face and can feel the tension rolling off of Sam in waves. He hates what he did to her and will not tolerate anyone making fun of her. Fortunately, they all seem to have sense enough to smile at greet her politely. Emily starts talking with Bella and from the tidbits I catch across the fire, they are talking food. Excellent.
"Jake is getting there quicker than I thought." Sam mumbles to me. I take a moment to look him and Quil over. Both boys have passed the 6' mark by a long shot and seem to be bulking up. I nod at Sam and turn my attention to Bella. She's got a smile on her face and is enjoying her conversation. I take inventory of her appearance. Skinny jeans, a green close fitting sweater, hair down and blowing her scent all around. FUCK why does that scent drive me crazy?! She makes a passing glance over the crowd, slowing her eyes when she reaches us. I try to look up at her, but her eyes quickly turn from me and a blush creeps onto her cheeks.
Finally everyone is here and we can eat! Don't you people know I'm a wolf and I need nourishment?! And she keeps glancing at me. She won't meet my eyes, but I can tell she wants something. Her expression is curious as she gets in line with Emily and Kim. Sam whacks the back of my head and gives me a knowing smirk. It's the same damn smirk he's given me since that night we found Bella in the woods. Like he knows what's going on but he's not gonna tell me. He's just gonna let me make an ass of myself. Nice.
We get our food and settle down to eat. It's always a spectacle to watch the wolves descend upon a plate of food. Kim and Emily are used to it, but I notice the strange looks we get from the other three. They can't believe how quickly we demolish one plate and head to get the next one. And why the hell is Bella still glancing at me?! I can feel it every time she does it. But she won't ever let me catch her eye!
The stories are told again. Honestly, I love the way Billy and Old Quil tell them. It may sound corny, but there's a certain magic that I feel every time I hear them. And to watch the others listen is even better, especially ones that have not heard them as often as I have. Watching Bella enthralled by the Third Wife story, I can tell she loves them as much as I do. She's sitting between Jacob and Billy and I am right across the way, far away enough for it not to be obvious I am watching her, but close enough to see her smile, hear her sighs, and smell her strawberry fragrance. It is becoming intoxicating. Old Quil finishes his tale and I watch as she closes her eyes and sigh, a small smile playing on her lips. And when she finally opens them she is looking directly at me. Oh…Shit…
A/N 2 – Ok I had to stop here. Don't worry I have most of the next chapter written so hopefully I will have it up soon :)