Authors Note: Thank you to everyone who's still reading. I make no promises about updating that I cannot keep but I will try my best to continue to write!

Bella POV

Three days ago I was teaching 10 year olds about collages and today I was sitting in front of a giant wolf in my best friends' backyard. I thought I was done with the supernatural world but apparently it wasn't done with me.

After a few minutes of sitting on the ground in front of wolf Paul I started to shiver a bit. Before I could make a move Paul lifted his head and looked me in the eye. Another shiver ran down my spine but this time for an entirely different reason.

Suddenly, Paul jumped up and from my angle on the ground he looked…clausal, magnificent, slightly terrifying, and completely beautiful. He looked down at me with those eyes. They were bigger but they belonged to the man I met on the beach.

Looking him in the eye like this, when he was a wolf I started to feel something. It was a wire. It was hot, almost painfully so, I felt it wrap itself around my heart. I gasped and put my hand to my chest. Paul looked down at me confused…well…as confused as a giant wolf can look. He turned his massive head to look at Jake.

"Change back, we'll meet you inside." Jake said, with one last look at me, Paul turned around and trotted back into the forest. "You too Sam," Jake shouted a bit into the darkness. I turned my head to peer into the trees, was Sam in there too?

Just a few seconds later I saw the two native men I had met just an hour ago walk out of the tree line both shirtless. Sam was just behind Paul who walked up to me and put his hand out for me to take. I hadn't realized I was still sitting on the cold ground.

I put my hand in Paul's much larger one and was met again with a shock, not as strong as the first time we touched but still, it was there. As he pulled me up I realized he had the same hot skin Jake did. Was Jake able to become a humongous wolf too? What about Sam? And Quil had to at least know about it otherwise he wouldn't have known to help Sam and Jacob earlier with Paul. Why did they have to drag him off? My head was starting to spin with all the questions.

Looking up at Paul I knew I needed answers, and I needed them tonight.

"Come inside sweetie, you're going to catch a cold out there." Angie called from just inside the backdoor. Paul led us into the living room still holding on to my hand.

We took our seats to the side of Jake and Angie; they were sitting in the middle of the couch with Sam just to their right.

"So Bella, I'm sure you have some questions." Jake said leaning forward to rest is elbows on his knees.

"Uh, you think?" I replied sarcastically electing a snort/laugh from Sam.

"Well, let me explain a few things then you can ask whatever questions you have." Jake remained very serious through the whole exchange. I had never seen him like this, he looked like his father. "Many years ago our lands were visited by the Cold Ones." I sucked in a breath; he couldn't possibly know about vampires, could he?

"When the cold ones first arrived there were mass casualties. Men, women, even children. At the time some of the men in the tribe were spirt walkers, their sprits could walk around freely without the confines of a human body. It's said that during the first attack the chief of the tribe was spirt walking, his body was destroyed by the Cold Ones and he had to watch his wife's murder. Riddled with grief and with a deep fear for his people, he went to a wolf while in sprit form and asked for help.

"The wolf agreed and let the chief become one with his body. In control of this new form, he ran back to his tribe. As he ran passed the dead bodies of his people, he was suddenly filled with an all-consuming rage. It's said his form then exploded with all the power of his spirt. Taking this new form gave him supernatural speed and strength, enough that it allowed him to destroy all the Cold Ones.

"Now every time there are Cold Ones near the tribe the ancient power is awoken inside the decedents of the first shifter. At least that's what the legends say," Jacob finished.

"So you become a giant wolf too?" I asked looking to Jake and Sam, they both nodded.

"Do you remember your senior year when I got sick at the movie theater?" Jake asked me.

"Of course, you were sick for weeks…" I trailed off, was that what was happening?

"Around the time of puberty the wolf gene activates if there's a need to protect the tribe. That's what happened to me, to all of us." Jake explained patiently.

"What need was there when you were 16? And what do you mean all of us? How many more are there?" My head was spinning. I wasn't sure which questions to ask first, what was most important.

Jake looked between Sam and Paul as if trying to judge their reactions.

"When Jake first changed we were a bit surprised," Sam told me. "The Cold Ones had just left the area, but Jakes Great Grandfather was the leader of the original wolf pack. We were hoping it wouldn't happen but…one of them stuck around."

"The Cold Ones in the area…you don't mean..." I wasn't sure how to finish, I was almost positive who they were talking about but I had make a promise years ago not to say anything about their family to anyone, I wouldn't betray that promise. Even if though they had abandoned me…

"The Cullen's" Paul spoke for the first time but he wasn't looking at me when he spoke. It seemed like he was far away.

"Paul, you good?" Sam questioned moving forward lightly on the couch. He was talking to Paul but looking me up and down. Paul looked down to me before replying.

"I'm fine actually," he said sounding a little surprised. Now I was confused again.

"You didn't answer my other questions." I said after a moment of no one speaking.

"The pack was about 15 but Tanner and Heather are about to leave for college and Leah just found out about the baby," Jake explained.

"Leah, you mean Leah Clearwater? She's pregnant?" I had met Leah just once my senior year of high school and she was anything but maternal.

"She's changed a lot since the last time you saw her," Jake chuckled slightly.

"We'll come back to that. Ok, wait…you said something Sam," I can't believe I almost missed it. Sam seemed to know what I meant and his back went ridged at my words. "What…what vampire stayed behind?" I was almost certain I knew who he was talking about but I was praying it wasn't.

"Fucking redheaded leech. Not one of the Cullen's, they were long gone before she showed up." Jakes fists balled up when he spoke.

"Victoria," I whispered and suddenly 4 heads snapped in my direction.

"Do you know her?" Jake asked incredulously.

"We weren't really that close. Um…it's kind of a long story." I replied leaning back.

"I think we need to hear that story Bella," Sam told me seriously, his brow deeply furrowed.

"Ok, Sam you probably don't remember this but Jake and Angela might. Do you remember my first year here when I came back from Phoenix?"

"Of course, you had two huge casts on. I don't understand what this has to do with the leech." He said looking skeptical.

"We told everyone that I fell down the stairs, that's not exactly what happened." I explained looking down at the warm brown rug beneath my feet. I hadn't exactly planned on telling this story to anyone, ever.

"Bella, please explain," I looked up at Sam who's gaze was solidly fixed on me. It didn't escape my notice that next to me, Paul's posture had gone completely rigid. Instead of facing him or Jake I focused my gaze on the one person who hadn't said a word the entire time, Angie. I pretended we were the only people in the room. If it was just us, I could do this.

"My junior year I was in a clearing in the woods with the Cullen's, they were playing baseball when suddenly three nomadic vampires came out of the forest. Two men and a woman; Victoria, James, and Laurent, James was the leader. Let's just say he took a certain interest in me. Long, horrific story short, he ended up chasing me all the way to Phoenix. Jasper, Alice, and I were hiding in a motel room when James called; I thought he had my mother. I ended up running off to try and trade my life for hers," I told them trying not to think too hard about that day.

"You did what?!" Jake shouted, standing up looking angrier than I've ever seen him. Angela pulled his back down onto the couch and shushed him, then looked back at me nodding for me to continue.

"James had tricked me. He used a recording of my mom's voice to lure me into an empty dance studio. I won't get into details but he tried to kill me, and ended up biting me-," I was stopped short by Paul pulling me from the couch by my shoulders. My feet were dangling just a few inches off the floor. At first I wasn't exactly sure what was going on, Paul's eyes were flashing all over my body from head to toe. He quickly put back on my feet only to run his hands down my arms. When his fingers brushed passed the scar on my wrist he jerked his hand back hissing softly as if it hurt him.

I wrapped my hand around my scar holding it to my chest as I took a step back. For a moment Paul did nothing then, slowly he held his hand out.

"May I?" he asked tenderly. As soon as the words left his lips my hand was in his, by body reacted to his request before I could. It was as if I had no control, not that I didn't want him touching me. He was the most gorgeous man I had ever laid eyes on. He could put his hands where ever he liked.

Woah there Bella, keep it in your pants…

Paul gently ran his finger over the crescent shaped scar on my hand. It was colder than the rest of my skin, and Paul's heated touch stung causing me to gasp faintly.

"How?" he asked under his breath turning his intense gaze back to me.

"Edward…" was all I could whisper back at him.

"What exactly did Cullen do?" I heard Sam's voice right next to me making me jump. I hadn't realized everyone was now standing. Jake had Angela behind him; I could see her worried face peeking out from behind him. I tilted my head in question towards Angela and she nodded up at Jake who looked extraordinarily tense.

"Bella?" Sam said shaking my shoulder lightly. All at once several things happened, Sam's hand was ripped from its place on my shoulder, Paul placed himself in front of me blocking my view, and a loud growling noise erupted from his chest. I looked around Paul's back and saw Jake with Angela suddenly across the room, and Sam backing away from us with his hands help up in front of him.

"I'm sorry Paul, I wasn't thinking. Please, just calm down," Sam said backing away as much as the couch let him.

When the back of his legs hit the seat cushions and Paul's growling was only getting louder I knew that this could get ugly fast. So I did the only thing I could think. I placed my hand gently on Paul's arm. As soon as my skin touched his, the growling immediately stopped.

"I'm alright Paul, he didn't hurt me," I reassured him and just like that the tension slipped from his shoulders. He turned to face me and I took the opportunity to really look at him. His eyes weren't brown like most others in the tribe; they were a gentle swirl of dark to light hazel. The russet color of his skin was deep, a shade darker than Jake and Sam's. I was trying with everything I had not to look down at his chest but it being completely bare and rippled with muscles wasn't making that job an easy one.

Glancing back up at his face I saw him looking down at the floor.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I'm so sorry Bella! I could have hurt, I could have-" he stopped short. Again I noticed his fists clenching and unclenching.

"But you didn't, did you?" I placed my hand on his cheek and gradually he brought his gaze back to mine.

"Are you good Paul?" Sam asked I glanced up at him curious as to why a startled look graced his face. Paul nodded but didn't look at him.

"Um…I think I have a few more questions." I turned back to Paul; discovering he hadn't taken his eyes off me during that entire exchange. The realization made a blush crawl up my cheeks.

"I should probably be the one to answer them." Paul said seriously.

He took my hand, leading me back to the couch we sat down again but this time we were facing each other.

"I don't understand what I'm feeling…"I told him honestly. It wasn't a question exactly but I really didn't know what I wanted to ask. For the second time tonight I felt the wire around my heart. It felt like a thin metal wire that had been slowly heating up since I first looked at Paul in wolf form.

"Have you ever heard of imprinting?" Paul asked me.

"Like baby geese? They imprint on the first living thing they see." Bit of an odd way to start a conversation but the evening as a whole hadn't been swarming in normality.

"It's similar yes. It's said when a shifter sees his soulmate for the first time he immediately knows. Sort of like love at first sight. He gives her a part of his soul, and they are forever bound together. We call it imprinting." He spoke softly and slowly as if not to frighten me away.

"I understand," I told him squeezing his hand in mine. It was very similar to what Alice had told me about mating with vampires. She explained that vampires only mated once in their whole lives. Many had gone hundreds of years without finding their mates but once they did there was nothing that could tear them apart.

It occurred to me once that had I really been Edwards mate he wouldn't have been able to leave right after meeting me.

"You do?" Paul looked skeptical.

"Vampires have something kinda close to imprinting but um…pause for a sec," my brain must have partially shut down because when Paul was explaining imprinting I hadn't really thought to apply it to our situation. "Do you mean to say that we um…I mean that you imprinted o-on me?" I stumbled out.

Paul just nodded his head and I felt my stomach bottom out.

"Oh no. No, no!" I whispered as I started to pace back and forth on the living room floor. This couldn't be happening. Not again. I already had one supernatural being lie about being my soulmate.

Although rationally I knew Jake wouldn't lie to me about this, he knew what I had been through with Edward and the Cullen's. He wouldn't be putting me through all this if he didn't have to.

My heart was pounding, I was starting to shake, and I felt cold all over. I wasn't sure how much of myself I had left to give. There was no way I would ever be enough for him, he was beautiful and strong. I was no match for him.

I continued to pace freaking out in my head about the possibility of returning to the shell of my former self, until Jake stood in front of me stopping me.

"Bella stop. This isn't going to be like with Cullen. If you aren't ready yet, there are options. Paul will be whatever you need him to be. A friend or a big bother, it's all your decision." Jake explained trying to calm me down.

I looked into his eyes but they were the wrong eyes. They weren't the hazel ones I was searching for. It all felt like too much. There were too many people here all watching me, waiting for me to react. I needed some space.

"I just need to think ok?" I begged him to understand and I stepped back then turned away. I couldn't bring myself to look at Paul as I walked through the front door. I went down the front steps, and then to the mailbox, it wasn't until I got passed the end of Jakes block that I felt it.

Felt it before I saw or heard it. Someone watching me, from just inside the trees making me stop dead in my tracks.

"Hello?" I called. Squinting slightly I saw the shadow of a form, I knew who it was before I could see them, and I called out again…