A/N – Alrighty, Paul's POV now. I know y'all have been anxious to see him again, so here he is!
Paul's POV
What else indeed. Oh just you're my soul mate and we are destined to love each other forever. Or I could just be your best friend, your brother, whatever you want. Fuck how do you tell someone who's almost a complete stranger that the Great Spirits have decided that they are your soul mate and that life will not be complete without them? I kept my eyes on my plate for a few minutes trying to figure out how to tell her all this. She's patient though, just sitting there, stirring her spoon in her coffee and biting that damn lip. I just want to pull it from her teeth.
I took a deep breath and brought all my thoughts together. "Ok, so you understand the basics of what it's like to be a wolf, you know our enemies, and you know our reason for fighting them." She nodded her head and I finally met her eyes. "Tell me Bella, which is your favorite of the stories that were told the other night?" Though I think I already know the answer I just have to confirm it in my mind. It may make this explanation easier. "Oh, that's easy! The Third Wife." Yup, I was right. This is gonna work in my favor. "Why that story Sweet B?" There's that damn blush again. She honestly has no idea what she does to me.
"Well, it's honestly the most romantic to me." I raised my eyebrow in question. Taha Aki's wife killing herself to save her husband? Yeah I guess I can see where that's romantic, but I thought it was more tragic than anything and kind of selfish. "He lived for who knows how long and while he had two previous wives, he only aged when he met his third wife. His love for her was so great that when she died, he wouldn't even return to his human form and he just disappeared. It was like his soul was broken; he was lost without her. That's an amazing kind of love." She spoke with a voice filled with wonder and a bit of wistfulness. Did she want that kind of love? "I think I may have caught a glimpse of that kind of love the other night too."
"Why do you think that?" I asked her. "Well, while we were eating and when Old Quil was telling his story, I noticed something. Sam and Jared could not keep their eyes or hands of Emily and Kim. If they were near, they were touching; if they weren't, their eyes were constantly following them. And there was just something about the way they looked, like they were in awe that that particular person was with them and they would do everything in their power to ensure their happiness. It was absolutely breath taking." She finished so softly it was almost inaudible and was staring at her coffee now, still blushing. Here's my chance. "Do you know why that is?" She shook her head but didn't look up at me.
I put my finger under her chin and tilted her head up. "There's this thing called imprinting. The basic explanation is love at first sight, but it's really so much more than that. It's like your whole world disappears, everything that mattered before is in the shadow in the light of your soul mate." I was looking straight into her eyes as I said this and all I saw was curiosity and was that hope? "How does it happen?" she asked me quietly.
"It happens after a shape shifter starts phasing. All they have to do is look into their mate's eyes and they are done for. They will be anything that their mate desires; a brother, a friend, a lover. The imprint will have that choice." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "But what about the wolf? Do they have a choice?" I shook my head. "No, but they don't have the desire to have a choice after it happens. Like I said, they will be anything for their mate. It's kind of a blessing and a curse." I can't help the sarcastic chuckle at that. She looks at me curiously. "How so?"
I lick my lips and sit back, playing with my fork on my now empty plate. "Most people don't like having their choices taken away. Some need their choices made for them because they are so indecisive. It's nice to know that you have the person that is going to be perfect for you and you don't have to hunt them down amongst millions of people. But then again, how can you reconcile your feelings when there may have been animosity before? For the wolf, those feelings disappear immediately, but for the imprint? They may linger and hurt the wolf until the imprint is accepted." She sat back looking at me thoughtfully. "So… Why would you be telling me all of this?" I took a deep breath and blew it out. Ok, time for it. Just throw it out there. Yeah, right.
"Iimprintedonyou."
Her eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that." Fuck, why is this so hard?! "I imprinted on you Bella. You are it for me. Whatever you want me to be, I will be it. If you say you never want to see me again, I'll take you home and leave you alone. If you want me to be your friend, I'll be the best friend you have ever had. If you want… more… I will give you my heart and soul, everything that I am to make you happy." Thank you word vomit.
She stared at me for a few moments, eyes wide, breathing deep and fast. Shit, don't pass out on me girl! She finally closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. "Ok." Ok? What is that supposed to mean? "Ok, so how do we do this?" I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Well, that really depends on you. We can get to know each other, we can take our time; I'm in no rush. The only thing I ask is that I see you every few days or so. The wolf gets anxious really easily and is calmed by your presence. I can just be outside your window while you sleep or whatever you want." She just nodded her head. "Ok." Must be her favorite damn word.
The waitress proved how impeccable her timing was at that point and brought the ticket over. I went to the counter to pay, letting Bella absorb everything I said. It was honestly a lot to take in. Yeah, here's your soul mate, deal with it. I snorted to myself. I knew I should be raging against it at this point, but I couldn't find the will power. What the hell happened to Bad Ass Paul? He turned into a mush the moment he looked into beautiful brown eyes. Yeah, I was screwed.
She looked up at me when I made my way back over to our table. "So, since you have a bike, I'm sure you know a fair bit about them huh?" She asked me. I nodded my head, "Yeah I maintain my own machine. Don't trust anyone touching Priscilla's undercarriage except me." She raised her eyebrow chuckling at me. "Priscilla?" I grinned largely nodding at her, "Yes, Priscilla. She is my baby and I love her." She laughed out loud at that. Damn if that wasn't the most beautiful sound in the world.
"Well, I ran into a couple of bikes that were heading for the scrap heap, but I rescued them and Jake is going to help me rebuild them. Hopefully get them running. Maybe you can help?" I hesitate before I answer. If it had been anyone except Jake, I would have jumped on it. I honestly had no problem with the kid. But I knew he didn't like us. And with him so close to phasing, I didn't want it to become an issue. Though it would be an easy way to keep an eye on him… "Let me talk to Sam about it." She raised her eyebrow at me again. "It's not that I don't want to, but with him so close to phasing, not liking us, and his apparent feelings for you," I caught her blush at that, "I'm not sure if it's such a great idea for me to be around them. I just want to consult with Sam since he has had more experience with this kind of thing." She nodded her head thoughtfully. "Well, let's go!" She jumped out of her seat, grabbed my hand, and practically dragged me out of the diner. I climbed on the bike and helped her secure the helmet and started towards La Push, reveling in the feel of her pressed into my back. We were about half way there when I scented it. Leech. I know she felt me tense, but I had no time to reassure her as the next thing I knew the back of my bike was empty and I was careening towards a tree.
Then there was darkness.
A/N2 – in the words of Belt DUN DUN DUUUNNNNN. Hope you enjoyed his explanation. Working on the next chapter is gonna be fun…..