A/N: Okay so I wrote chapter 17 and was about to post it. And THEN somehow it deleted itself and I spent a few days mourning and trying to remember what I wrote. So here it is! Review!

Chapter 17: Summertime Sadness

Paul's POV

Last night was amazing beyond words. I still couldn't comprehend how I was so lucky to have a girl like Raegan in my life, whether she was my girlfriend or just a friend.

Although I don't think you have to guess which label I would prefer.

Once I came home, my mom started to vent at me, but I avoided it by filling my mom in on the news of me imprinting with Sam's permission, to which she responded ecstatically. I, of course, avoided all details of her past, and instead told her all about this beautiful girl and how much I loved her.

"It's great that you found a girl you're not going to just throw away, Paul. I can't tell you how proud I am of you for that." she said as she sipped her coffee. I rolled my eyes dramatically. "Mom-"

"No, I'm serious, Paul. Seeing you treat women like objects was probably one of my biggest failures as a mother. But from what you tell me about this girl, you tell her how much you love her all the time, understand? And mean it. If I see you toss this girl in the garbage like the others, I will make your life a personal hell." She said seriously, her eyes stern, but still held the warm and motherly feeling I had grown up with. I knew she wasn't kidding around with me, and nodded my head.

Unfortunately, having patrol would mean I wouldn't get to see my Raegan until much later, but at least she was preoccupied in the meantime with soccer practice. My tongue lolled out of my mouth as I ran past the trees, my large paws hitting the ground as I sensed a few other wolves come into sight: Leah and Seth.

Ugh.

Immediately shaking off the aggravated feelings, I bounded towards them. "Hey, Paul! Looks like we are on patrol together!" Seth exclaimed cheerily. I would have sneered if Raegan didn't like him so much, but forced a happy front. Leah rolled her eyes obnoxiously, but I stayed quiet. "Hello, Seth." I said with a sigh. Seth, being the childlike, oblivious person we all knew him to be, didn't even notice the tone in my thoughts. "So, were you hanging out with Rae before?" he asked curiously. I melted at the sound of her name, the memories of moments ago rushing to my brain within seconds. Oh God, she was so beautiful…

"Of course he was, Seth. After all, can't you smell the waves of imprisonment rolling off of him?" Leah snorted haughtily. Seth grimaced, shaking his head. I growled at her carefully, but she only smirked in return. "Yeah. She's the best. We kissed today, and my god…it was like nothing I've ever experienced before." I said sappily, unable to help my dreamy state. Seth chuckled, while Leah huffed. "That's great, man! It's awesome that you are getting her to come out of her shell. She seems like a completely different person in your thoughts than how she is around other people." Seth observed.

"So, when are we gonna see the slut again? You keep her all locked up. None of us ever get to have the pleasure of seeing your imprint embarrass herself as she tries to make human conversation." Leah retorted nastily. A growl ripped from my throat, and my body tensed. "Don't you dare call her that! You know nothing about her, you think you know everything when in fact, you know absolutely nothing!" I snapped angrily, my breath coming out in heavy pants as I prepared to fight her. Leah let out a short bark of a laugh, a gleam in her eye that was all too familiar. "I actually do know a few things, Paul. I know for a fact that you are essentially dating a small child. I know that she's weak, and I know that the fact that you think you can have a normal relationship with her is a pathetic, and long lost dream." She said cunningly. Rage enraptured me like a tidal wave, and my wolf was seething. The word 'attack' repeated itself in my head over and over, a crescendo building up that I could not ignore. Pounding on my large paws, I charged at her with all of my might as I took her smaller form down. I felt a pair of jaws clamp around my shoulder, blood pouring out almost immediately. Retorting, I quickly pinned her underneath me, and dragged my claws into her side. Finally, Seth stepped between us carefully, breathing heavily as he tried to separate us. "Both of you, stop it! Leah, go home and have Mom look at those scratches. Paul, I'll take your shift. Just go calm down." He said exasperatedly. Leah glowered at the both of us, but limped away. Taking a deep breath, I bounded through the forest with determination. To see the only person who could take these feelings of hostility away.

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Raegan's POV

"Good work Rae!"

"Girl, you're getting better every day!"

"Now that's what I'm talking about Raegan!"

The encouraging words from my teammates made me glow with a pride I didn't know I had. Cheeks heating up, I thanked my new friends for the appraisal. I retied my cleats, and with a goodbye to Kim, started on my way home.

Humming a small tune, I walked the path neighboring the forest as I built up excitement to tell Emily and Sam about how my day way. Suddenly, I heard a bunch of twigs nearby break. Alarmed, I swiveled around, my eyes narrowed as I looked for any assailants. Deciding it must have been an animal, I continued on my way, when I heard the crunch of leaves coming from nearby. I turned on my heel again, about to take off without looking back, when I saw a huge looming figure in the trees. "What the hell…?" I whispered to myself. As the figure came closer, I stood frozen in my spot until the tall, muscular man with tan skin became familiar. "PAUL! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?! My blood pressure must be through the roof!" I exclaimed. An angry look was in his eyes, along with an underlying wounded tone in his expression. His face, contorted into the same look he had when I told him about my family in South Dakota, was pained and frustrated. That's when I noticed his incredibly bloody shoulder. "Paul, what's wrong? Oh my god, is that blood?! Come on, let me get you home so I can clean you up!" I said worriedly. What had happened to my Paulie?

Having walked at a pace that would have impressed the La Push track team, I pulled Paul along and finally reached Emily's house. She wasn't home yet, since she was taking Claire to the park with Quil. I raided the medical cabinets, Paul in tow, and finally found a first aid kit. Once again, having to pull him into the bathroom, I instructed him to sit on the edge of the bathtub as I began warming up a small washcloth under hot water. Paul still had an angry look in his eye, and seemed to have difficulty controlling his breathing. Leaning against the sink as I waited for the water to get warm, I looked at his physique. Looking worn out and tired, I wondered what could have bothered him so much. "What happened, Paulie?" I whispered, afraid that if I raised my voice any higher, he would lash out. His body started trembling the same way it did any time he was upset, and I took that as a cue to shut up. The water had finally warmed up, and I took the washcloth tentatively. "May I…?" I asked quietly. He looked at me with fury in his eyes for a few seconds, before a soft, warm look overtook his features. Nodding, he avoided my intense gaze as I tried to figure out what had upset him. Carefully, I took the washcloth and wiped the blood around the wound, which looked like it was healing, and dabbed it back in the water. He closed his eyes, in pain or in serenity I didn't know. "Am I hurting you?" I asked him. He shook his head, but I still wasn't sure, so I was extra careful. Finally, I had to clean the deep puncture wounds in his shoulder. As I pressed the warm towel to his arm, he shot up in pain and growled at me menacingly, a roar ripping from his throat that I knew wasn't entirely from the pain of his injuries. I quickly took a step back, pressed against the sink. His eyes gleamed yellow for a few seconds, before he sat back down, panting. "I'm sorry." He said mournfully, his voice between a growl and a deep baritone. His canine teeth seemed to have grown in size, but I wasn't afraid. Well, too afraid anyway. It was Paul. "It's okay, really. Does it hurt a lot?" I persisted. He shook his head again. "It just…hurts when it's closing up. You didn't do anything, though. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have growled at you."

I continued to clean his injury, and laid my small hand on his chest since I realized physical contact kept him calm. I would shush him quietly every time he let out a pained growl, and finally slathered some ointment on his shoulder so it wouldn't scar. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" I asked seriously. He looked away from me, anger emanating from his features again. I slipped a hand into his monstrous one, immediately soothing him. "Leah." He said with such disgust and disdain, I cringed. "What about her?"

A rumbling vibrated through his chest, and I squeezed his hand reassuringly, moving closer to him. "She's a bitch. A pathetic, low life bitch." He seethed. I knew he wasn't quite finished, so I didn't question him. "And to think that she would eventually get over Sam. Stop treating everyone, including her own brother, like shit. Thinking she's the fucking alpha, always antagonizing the pack. But no, she decides to continue acting like a bitch." He said menacingly. I winced at his curse words, and winced even more at what he said about her. "Maybe you should just give her a chance. She's really hurt and we shouldn't judge her." I said suggestively. He scoffed at me, suddenly furious. "Yeah, well, you wouldn't be saying that if she knew what she said about you today. The bitch has a way with words." He said angrily. My heart dropped. What had I ever done to her? Was she just trying to hurt Paul's feelings, or did she really hate me? He looked over at me, looking apologetic. "Raegan…"

"No, it's okay. She has a right to her opinion." I said, not letting on how much it bothered me. He smiled slightly, and suddenly, I felt myself being lifted from my place beside him. Settling me in his lap, he rocked me back and forth, his face buried in my hair. "Have I ever told you how cute you look in your soccer uniform?" he said casually. My face burned bright red, and he chuckled knowing his effect on me. "I would hardly call cleats and knee high socks 'cute'." I mumbled. Burying his head further into my long tresses, he pressed his nose into my neck and took a long breath. "You smell so good." He whispered. I pretended not to here, embarrassed that a boy like him could make me feel like this. Deciding to change the topic, I cleared my throat as I hopped off his lap. "S-So, you hungry? I can make us some food."

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Paul's POV

Yeah, I was hungry. But not for food. Unfortunately, I couldn't really tell Raegan what I was really in the mood for. Quieting down my hormones, I nodded my head, and followed her into the kitchen. She took out the eggs, and started cracking them single handedly. "Paul, could you do me a favor and cut some ham and cheese?" she asked as she started to whisk together our food. Following orders, I took a knife and tried cutting into the cheese. However, after much difficulty, Raegan came over, giggling, and took the knife out of my hand. "Press the tip of the knife into the cheese, and then press it instead of moving it back and forth." She said, instructing me on how to do it. I almost blushed, embarrassed I couldn't even do something as miniscule as cutting cheese. I began doing it no problem, when suddenly, she came over and ate a slice of ham. "Hey, I was cutting that!" I scolded playfully. Shrugging, she took another piece of ham, and to my surprise, threw it on my face. My mouth, gaping in fake horror, caused her to erupt into a pile of giggles, and she took off running with the rest of the ham. "Hey, you come back here!"

"Never!"

Quickly catching up to her, I slowed down so she could get an advantage. Laughing and thinking she outran me, I pretended to pant and cough in exhaustion. Finally, I caught up to her and threw her over my shoulder, despite her shrieks. "Put me down Paul!" she screamed amongst her hysteria. Throwing us against the ground, I carefully pinned her down as she wrestled to be let go. Holding her arms above her head, I cockily grabbed the ham out of her hands, when I noticed something.

Hundreds of small, faint red lines zig zagging all across her arms and wrists.

Looking closer at it, I grazed one of the lines with my finger. Her body stiffened, her face going pale white.

"Raegan, what are these?"