Chapter 12 – Assumptions and A Friendship Renewed

It had been a couple of weeks since Paul's encounter with Olivia. He'd noticed she was really keeping to herself a lot those following days. Paul followed her a lot while he was in wolf form on patrol. Of course that was borderline stalking, but every time he thought back to that day he kept thinking maybe he missed the signs that told him he was forcing himself on her. Maybe she'd said no and he didn't hear her.

He kept thinking back to that day. After he'd wolfed out and gone running his senses were going off the charts and something kept telling him to go back and check on her. He had turned around and ran as fast as he could to her house; standing under what he could only presume was her bedroom window his ears felt as if they were going to BLEED from listening to her gut wrenching sobs.

Paul honestly didn't mean to take it that far, but he couldn't stop himself. Her lips and her body were so addictive, much more since she wasn't seventeen anymore. She was a grown adult and so was he.

Maybe she did say no.

Dear God, had he raped her?

Paul sat up from his prone position on the couch as he once again replayed everything in his mind that had happened that day from the first heated kiss to her watery exit.

Paul needed to talk with someone but he was barely talking to anyone in the pack. He really wanted to talk with Jared, but after their blow up they hadn't spoken. Not that he could blame Jared either, he accused his best friend of screwing around with his imprint and then tried to bait him with terrible thoughts of Kim coming to himself for sexual satisfaction. He deserved to have Jared kick his ass.

Somehow he left his house and started walking and soon found himself in front of Jared and Kim's home. Paul sighed heavily as he walked up to the porch; he raised his hand to knock several times, but couldn't bring himself to actually do it. He raked his fingers through his hair before he walked over and sat on the porch steps.

Kim was sitting in the living room as she was folding laundry, she saw a shadow move on the other side of the window curtains and she freaked out slightly, but knew if she had something to worry about Jared's nose would've smelled it. She peeked out the window and was incredibly surprised to see the stranger sitting on her front porch steps.

"Jared…"

Jared was brought from his ESPN stupor when Kim called his name. He knew if he didn't turn the TV off he would ignore his beautiful wife's voice and continue watching the basketball game and then Kim would strangle him with the cord from the TV after she shoved it off the entertainment center. His thumb hit the power button on the remote as he stood and walked into the living room. "What's up beautiful?"

Kim smiled. "I think there's an olive branch with your name all over it sitting on the front porch."

Jared quirked a questioning eyebrow at his wife. "Babe we don't have olive trees. Have you been sniffing the dryer sheets too much and got a fragrance high again?"

Kim giggled as she threw a pair of Jared's socks at him. "JARED!" The socks flopped against his chest and landed in his hands as he chuckled. "I'm talking about your best friend sitting on our porch who looks like he could use someone to talk to." Kim stood up as she walked over and placed her hand on his t-shirt covered chest. "I know more than anyone what Paul's leaving did to you and to us. But he's been you're friend far longer than he's been your enemy. Just this once I'm telling you to swallow your anger and pride and go talk to him. You two haven't had a decent conversation in weeks since he's been back and your talk while you two were fighting in wolf form doesn't count."

Jared watched as Kim pushed up and kissed his lips softly as she winked at him. Jared made a face as he sighed with a heavy breath and returned his wife's kiss. He scratched the back of his head as he walked out the front door. He didn't say much as he walked down and sat on the same step as Paul. "So my wife is under the impression you need to talk."

Paul looked over at Jared as he nodded. "Yea, I sort of do and I don't know who to go to. Aside from whoever I'm on patrol with I barely get any kind of conversation out of anyone in the pack and there's no way I can go to Sam or even Emily." Paul's head rested in both of his hands. "I don't even know where to begin with this. Hell after I say what I have to say to you; you are probably going to want to kick my ass. And you would have every right too."

Jared gave his friend a sideways glance. "Bro you're not making any sense."

Paul dropped his hands and looked at Jared. "I think…But I'm not really sure. I think I raped someone."

Jared's eyes widened. "What the hell are you talking about man? Who do you think you raped?"

Paul cringed and the sound of Jared's voice as he frowned. "Olivia." Paul's voice was strained as he watched Jared jump up to his feet.

"What the fuck do you mean you think you raped Livy?" Jared growled out.

Paul sighed heavily. "Man just let me explain." Paul watched as Jared nodded in compliance and walked over and sat back down, he could tell he was trying to keep himself calm; they both were really. "I went to see Olivia a couple of weeks ago, because of something Jr said about Uncle Seth hurting his mommy."

Jared made a face. "Yikes, Seth imprinted and tried to ignore it and ended up hurting him, Livy and his imprint. It was an ungodly mess. No one even knew he imprinted because he hid it from everyone."

Paul nodded. "I figured as much. Anyways, I went to talk with her and we exchanged a half ass conversation and the whole time I kept thinking to myself if I can just kiss her she could feel how much I miss her and need her. Damn if she didn't look kissable in her jeans and t-shirt. I decided going caveman on her was the way to go so I tossed her over my shoulder and carried her to just in the tree line and kissed the air right out of her body. She suddenly started responding and we both couldn't stop. Before I knew what happened we were naked and had the most exhilarating and satisfying sex of our lives; ending with her crying and running back to her house and me running all over the forest in wolf form trying to clear my head."

Paul stood up and paced a little as he shook his head negatively. "Dude I swear to God she never said no or stop. But then after I'd calmed down slightly I started feeling a whole boat load of emotions coming from her and ran back and sat under her bedroom window. She cried so hard, the sobs just racked her body and then I started thinking. Maybe she said no…Maybe I wasn't paying attention because I couldn't control what I was doing. After a certain point our bodies just started taking over."

Jared shook his head. "Dude, I don't think you did anything to her that she didn't want. And I don't honestly think you raped her either. She may have had sex with Seth, but intimacy and romance was never there and yes they may have loved each other, but she's been IN LOVE with you since she was sixteen. Loving someone and being in love with someone are entirely two different things. You're the guy who imprinted on her. Every time you two clash together in a sexual way it's going to be intense for the both of you; more so for her because you've not been in her life for nearly five years. All she's ever wanted is for you to come back and now that you're here she doesn't know what she wants. She wants to be with you, but she also wants to be pissed off and devastatingly heartbroken because you waited so long to come back into her life."

Paul groaned as he sat down on the steps again. "That is not helping me. What should I do? What if she thinks I did rape her? What if she said no and I didn't hear her or I just ignored her because I was too far ahead to stop? This is killing me man. It can't be true. I couldn't have really raped my imprint; the mother of my child could I?"

Jared frowned. "Bro I'm sorry but the only way you're going to find out is going to her and talk to her; as much as I know you don't want to right now. I know you're giving her space."

"I'm trying to give her space. Shit, I sat on her fuckin porch for four hours yesterday but I couldn't bring myself to knock, the same way I did here." Paul sighed heavily as his head went back into his hands again. "Jared…"

Jared looked over at his best friend. "Yea bro?" He knew Paul was struggling with everything and everyone since he'd been back to La Push. If Paul was giving him an 'olive branch' to get their friendship back together; there was no way in hell he wasn't going to accept it.

Paul looked up as he looked over at his best friend who was staring back at him. "I'm sorry man. I'm sorry I took off and made you guys worry. I'm sorry it took me almost five years to come back. I'm sorry I was such a coward and I'm sorry I almost ruined your life with Kim. I honestly didn't think me disappearing would hinder you so much or the pack. I didn't think it would be this hard to re-connect with everyone." Paul's frown returned to his face. "I guess I wasn't thinking at all. I should've known I'd become the outsider. I missed everyone so much but no one as much as you and Olivia. Hell I even missed Emily and her den mother syndrome."

Jared patted Paul on the back. "Well you can sit on this hard ass porch which is doing nothing for our posture or our asses and sulk and worry some more. Or you can go and talk to Olivia; it's all you can really do."

Paul nodded as he got up and thanked Jared for the talk. Jared chuckled as he nodded and walked back in the house in search of his wife. Ten minutes later, Paul found himself standing in front of Olivia's front door again.

"Okay…Here goes nothing."