Story Summary: A tragedy worse than just Edward leaving forces Bella to grow up faster than imaginable and makes her fall in love with someone whose existence was seemingly impossible, but it's not Jacob Black. Set just after Bella's dream about who Jacob really is, she rushes over to his house on the La Push reservation, where she meets more members of his pack and takes the time to fall for one. BxP/AU/M. Please enjoy.

Chapter Summary: An angry teen's involuntary phase into the next chapter of his life; Bella drives to La Push in her truck to confront Jacob, her former best friend with a dark, tribal secret that he has apparently inherited. While there, she confronts her own delusions about how special Jacob has been all along, sees him as he truly is for the first time, and meets his other pack mates.

Title: Paw Prints & Other Distractions

Chapter I: 'Everyday is Exactly the Same,' by Nine Inch Nails

Setting: After Bella wakes up from dreaming about Jacob, she heads for her Chevy truck to drive over to Jacob's to say what she knows about his new late night activities. Edward really did leave and the Cullens are not hiding out in Forks in a cave somewhere. This is purely an impulse story with no rules for chapter titles or endings and Paul is a lot more boisterous than Jacob is when he tells me what he wants; I like it already.

PPOV (Paul's Point of View)

Months ago…

The almond-toned Quileute beauty under my arm kept blowing in my ear, and it was starting to get on my nerves; I was already running some kind of fever and the extra hot air was becoming bothersome. Why did all girls think blowing on a guy's neck was sexy? It was sexy when we did it, not the other way around. And we only did it because we knew that it got a chick off, making her anticipate feeling the real heat that we had in store for them. But Dina, the granddaughter of one of the chief elders that sat on the reservation's council, was flirting with my last nerve as she continued to swoon, rustle my hair, and blow on my ear and neck.

Patience, Paul, I calmly told myself. You just need to say a few more right words and this girl will be yours. I maliciously added, That'll teach her grandfather to set me on curfew. I wasn't his kid; how dare he force a curfew on me just because I had gotten into a fight at school. The principal hadn't even suspended me, but the elders can punish me just because they sit high on the council? I don't think so.

I forced Dina to stop, grabbed her roughly, and pushed my hand up her skirt. Of course she was excited already; this was too easy.

"God Paul, wait till we get in your house first," she squealed happily.

"Don't want to wait," I whispered.

"Well we have to," Dina insisted, her jade colored eyes batting at me. "My grandfather will kill me if he hears that we've been seeing each other."

Seeing each other? I bit back a laugh. I had only just started talking to her two days after the elders had issued that mandated curfew on me. Stupid bitch didn't know any better, but I was only interested in making her grandfather pissed. Who would want the 'bad boy of La Push' making moves on their granddaughter?

I pushed myself forward, kissing the bottom of her jaw and groaned a little into her hair. I jabbed my finger into her side and she jumped at my prodding touch.

"Paul, I'm serious."

I grew annoyed. "You want to be with me or not?" I snapped.

"Well of course I do, but we're just moving so fast and we're out in the open—"

"That'll heighten the experience," I urged. "Come on; it'll be great."

She pulled back a little. Too eager, Paul. Way too eager. Dina was getting nervous; I could smell it on her. Her fear and anxiety entered my nose and made my muscles tense in preparation for attack, wanting to prey on her naivety and teach her a lesson. How dare this girl get me excited and then rush to take it back.

I grabbed her arm again in agitation and dragged her to my side. "I can see you're not comfortable with having a real boyfriend, Dina. I thought that maybe you'd be the one, you know? Sorry about wasting your time."

"Wait, wait! Paul, please, I want to. I do. I've liked you for so long, but please, I promise we can do it back at your house. Let's just get there first."

"No," I said, playing the guilt trip. "I think I should take you home."

"Let's do it there then."

I could barely keep my smile back. "Really? But your parents, your grandfather—"

"Are already asleep by now," she interrupted.

"They don't like me," I glowered, pretending like I was actually concerned.

"I don't care. I do."

I grinned and gave her a light kiss. This was better than doing Dina out back behind my house; to have sex in a chief elder's house would be perfect. It's a shame I wouldn't get to do it in her grandfather's room, but maybe I would screw Dina a few more times just to get caught in the act. That'd be better than me spreading the rumor about sleeping with Dina Lahai myself; the chief elder would never be able to live down that embarrassment.

We rushed over to Dina's house, me half carrying her. I was moving with a lot more speed and stealth these days. She walked into her house first and beckoned me in. I heard deep snoring coming from two rooms in the front right of the house; apparently both Dina's parents and grandfather snored. Yuck; tough break, I thought silently. I hated when chicks snored. Dina pulled me toward the back of the modest three bedroom home, one of the bigger homes on the reservation. I only lived in a small, one bedroom house with my mother. My father wasn't…never mind.

I pressed my mouth to Dina's suddenly, and she nearly dropped her purse on the floor; I caught it without breaking our kiss and tossed it on a nearby chair.

"Good eye," she muttered under the weight of my tongue.

I half nodded and pulled her to me, ripping open her denim skirt. She grunted as if she wanted to scold me for being so reckless, but I gripped her butt and dove into her body with my fingers, which caused her to buck against me and my warmth. I couldn't really be bothered with foreplay. Wet was wet to me tonight and I was just grateful that she hadn't screamed. My hips crashed into her stomach as we stumbled backward across the bedroom, hitting her antique dresser, and I already had my pants unzipped by the time she even bothered to remember that we hadn't closed the door.

"Paul, shut the door."

"In a minute." My face pressed against the skin of her arm as I lifted her leg and picked her up onto the dresser, played along her lower lips for a few seconds before putting on a condom and pressing myself into her. She made a noise and I shoved my arm closer to her face, preparing my hand to cover her mouth.

She cried out, "Paul, wait, the door—"

"They're asleep," I hissed and then replied more softly, "I just want you so much…can you blame me?"

Dina melted and nodded her head. That was the response I needed; I slipped my head in and her hair began whipping across my shoulder as her head flayed back and forth between her vanity mirror and my huge body. I grappled with her thighs a little, trying to force her body to oblige my wish to gain entrance; I could appreciate the fact that she was tight, but she was no virgin. I had no interest in playing it cool. Pretty girl or not, I just wanted her for one reason.

I pushed myself half an inch or so every few seconds so that she wouldn't scream at having to take in my size all at once; I had done this before. She moaned in my ear as my hips began to gyrate and we fell to the floor, rubbing and scratching at the rug. My knees fell in between her legs as I asserted myself on top of her. Dina sat up, attempting to kiss me but I saw through the ploy and moved my head out the way. I never kissed during sex and for me, the kissing just led up to what I considered the end of the evening. After we had sex, it was okay for one of us to leave.

Her pulse quickened, reverberating inside my head and I winced from the unpleasant sound. I pushed my fingers into her neck, trying to force back some of the noise by using my hand as another barrier to break through, but the rhythmic sonance entered my ears and wreaked havoc on my sanity. I unexpectedly heard a quick, but loud howl somewhere from outside and my eyes rolled back, welcoming the darkness; a place that I had long been a part of as I remained different from the other guys on the reservation.

Dina's fingers scraped at my abs, ruining my dreamy isolation and as punishment, I pushed my elbows out to hold her hips wider. When I slammed into her, my pelvis rubbed against her enlarged clit and she whimpered in my clutch. I glanced up at the ceiling while trying to keep a nasty look off my face. Dina didn't seem so pretty now with her face screwed up like that. She patted at my sides, trying to tell me that I was hurting her. I gave a low snarl and I rolled onto my back, letting her get on top and ride me as hard as she wanted. I was already bored. If it wasn't for getting back at the council, I never would have even looked at Dina.

"God Paul, you're getting bigger," she squeaked.

Getting bigger? I wasn't even excited anymore. I was just going through the motions. I nodded and just kept letting her talk even though that was also getting on my nerves.

"Paul, you're hot."

"Uh huh," I repeated.

"Paul, why are you so hot? Paul, you're hot!" She almost screamed.

"Shut up already," I said angrily, getting agitated. I growled suddenly and her eyes widened at my ferocity. She kept moving her hips against me, but I couldn't feel her anymore. All I kept thinking about was how her grandfather had been riding me the last three years and never seemed to cut me a break. All they could see was what everyone else saw; I was a hothead. I was a nobody. I was a waste of time. Dina scratched at me, her inner thighs visibly reddening against my skin, but her hips kept moving. This slut was still on my dick. "Get off!" I yelled, throwing her off of me in a rage. She flew, hitting her head against the far wall and I jumped to my feet, still seething in anger about my punishment over a lousy fight at school. The council got a say over everything that I've ever done; when was I going to be in charge of something? When was I going to get to have any power?

I roared at the still figure of Dina, half naked on the floor, and felt a torrent of heat rush to my skin. I began to paw at my thighs and chest, anxious to push down the anger, but I couldn't do it. My hair felt plastered to my skin, my head was dizzy, and my thoughts began screaming at me all at once, determined to find a way out of my imprisoned mind. I had to get out of here. I had to get out of this room.

What was wrong with me?

I couldn't answer. I didn't even want to be here. I clawed at a wall, desperately seeking the other side. Desperately seeking the freedom I had never been allowed to have while living on the reservation. My nails grew ragged and bloodied as I continued to scratch and bite at the wall, pieces of wallpaper clotting the blood that had begun to show on my hands. The rage stung my ribs and eyes as I bent to the pressure of my tears falling. This was a nightmare and it was mine. I yowled, hearing muffled voices from somewhere close to me.

"Paul? Paul, stop that!" a voice came from behind me.

My head turned slightly. That voice was close enough for me to hear it. It was almost on the border line of comforting. I needed to be there with it. It gave me an answer; I had to get out of this room. I needed to be out of this life.

I blinked, mistrusting the state of my own mind. I watched a tall, black figure in the window, his eyes watching me as I stood naked in front of him? Naked? I glanced around the room, my clothes in shards on the oak floor of Dina's bedroom. My breathing accelerated. Not only was I feeling dangerously claustrophobic, but I was also standing nude in front of a stranger. No, now there were two strangers. I narrowed my eyes as I saw Sam Uley looking at me with passivity; what was he doing here?

The other figure moved abruptly, taking my focus away from the Sam's dark outline. "Hey, you've got a naked girl on the floor. Did you drug her or fuck her unconscious?"

My pulse raced, adrenaline becoming a time stopper as I rushed at the mocking voice, not even sure who it was. Then something happened; my hands and knees fell to the floor as I ran, feeling strangely exhilarating as my toes scratched into the floor and propelled me into the wall at the side of Dina's house. I took down the wallpaper and paneled wall, feeling the wood graze and scratch at my skin as I finally made it out of that room, that house, that life. I skidded across the back lawn, crashing into a tree. I landed on my back, my body still burning in the dirt. I glanced up, feeling woozy and furry. Furry?

"Can't believe Paul is in our pack." A voice chatted excitedly. "I'm going to see the hottest girls in La Push and I won't even have to actually talk to them. Yo, how did you end up with Dina Lahai? Her grandfather is on the council; he's still going to kill you when he finds out that you're in the pack after what you did to her!" a kid next to me screamed.

Huh? I tried to speak, but my mouth felt huge, drooling and gnawing at the words instead of correctly pronouncing them. Was I that disorientated?

"Oh, don't try to talk; werewolves can't actually speak after they've changed, you know."

Werewolves? What the fuck was he talking about?

I shook myself, feeling something slap either side of my head. It took me some seconds to figure out that my ears were hitting me. When did my ears get so huge?

"Hey Sam, Dina okay?" the unknown Quileute teen called over his shoulder and then started laughing. "Twenty bucks says that it takes Paul at least ten more minutes to figure out that he just phased for the first time while having sex with a girl."

"Knock it off, Jared, and show him. And stop trying to bet with me. I'm not your friend; I'm your Alpha," Sam grumbled back.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Jared reluctantly admitted. "Okay, Paul, watch this." Jared stood up and suddenly his eyes went back, his hands went forward, and his spine arched his whole backside up, cracking in the night wind. His lips and nose turned hairy, producing whiskers, and as his eyes turned amaretto in shade, he let out a yowl that sounded inexplicably close to the roar I had made prior to breaking free of Dina's bedroom. Now a thick haired brown wolf stood before me, wagging his tail, and anxiously waiting for me to start screaming. I had to admit, I was a little freaked out.

I mistakenly whined, putting my new set of hands and feet under my body. My paws and legs were huge, and I was not adjusting to them quickly.

So Paul, you remember those stories about the cold ones they use to tell us at the bonfires when we were kids? Jared asked, not even moving his massive wolf jaws.

BPOV (Bella's Point of View)

Present…

"Wolves. Giant wolves in Forks. First it was vampires, and now its wolves. First it was vampires and now it's wolves," I repeated while drumming my fingers on my truck's dashboard. "Wolves. Vampires. Forks. Hot. Cold. Rain. Nothing to do with one another." I pushed the gas a bit harder and my truck groaned, starting to wobble under me. "Come on, come on."

I was silently praying that I was wrong. I was hoping that my imagination was getting the better of me when I dreamed the other night about Jacob turning into a giant wolf. That would explain nothing and everything that had been going on. Vampires in Forks: one falls in love with me. Werewolves in Forks: my best friend just happens to be one.

I hit my head on the wheel. "Please be normal. Please be normal," I continued to recite, but I knew it was hopeless. I wasn't normal; how could I expect anyone else to be?

My Chevy finally made it to Billy's house. My fingers were shaking with anticipation as I put my hand on the door's handle, my breathing elevating. Crap, why am I here? Jacob told me to call. I should have called first. I shook my head. Too bad, Jake, I determined. Sure, I was angry, but Jacob owed it to me to tell me the truth. And if the truth just happened to be that my boyfriend-Darn it, Bella, he's your ex now-was a vampire, and now my best friend was a wolf, I could accept that. Sort of. But Jacob was going to have to be the one to tell me. Not some dream. He better have a great explanation for avoiding me for so long.

"Billy? Jake?" I yelled out of the truck window. Let's get this over with.

I took another breath and tried to step as carefully as I could out of my truck. My foot landed in the soft, mushy grass, my hair already starting to frizz in the humidity. Okay, well if my best friend really was a werewolf, I doubt he'll really be worried about my hair.

My eye caught something move just as I heard shuffling near the house. I saw three boys, or men was a better term, shirtless and looking very unfriendly, barreling their way across the front yard of the Blacks' house, their eyes focused intently on me and my truck. I recognized Embry Call quickly, but he had grown. His muscles were lean but pronounced, his hair short and almost motionless in the wind, and he moved with perfectly poise and his even steps were synchronized with the other two boys, who were standing toe-to-toe with him. I quickly gave the three shirtless men a once over, looking at their abs, their movements, and the obvious amount of power they possessed in just their walking alone. They really walked around like they owned the place. Jacob had been right; this La Push gang was keeping him away from me. Why did it matter to Sam if Jacob saw me? I grew furious.

"You," I started screaming, pounding my fists and body into the first bit of flesh I was able to touch. "What are you doing to Jacob? Who are you?"

"Hey, watch it, girl!"

I flinched away from him at the sound of his voice and my eyes settled on his hard jaw.

"Bella, relax," Embry started. "Jacob is fine. He's in the house—"

"Shut up, Soapbox. Don't tell her anything," the macho tone blared.

Soapbox? That must've had something to do with Embry being named after a character on his mom's soaps. I felt tightness in my chest and started to demand to know why in hell Embry couldn't say anything when I was pushed by two big hands. I stumbled back and stared at my assailant. In one breath, I took him all in. His skin did more than capture the small amount of light in the clouds, but his muscles and pecs commanded my attention, called for my respect even, as they stretched his epidermis to exhaustion. It looked tiring to be this stranger's muscles. His feet were evenly apart, his toes grabbing small blades of grass that had the nerve to be his way as he stood so close to me. I huffed in what I hoped was annoyance, but all I could really do was inhale him. He smelled even better than Jacob did. He smelled of rugged musk and maple, gently seeping out of the leaves and onto the sap that fell to the ground. The sap was fresh and almost as coffee brown as the skin he wore and his eyes were of the same shade. His eyes were the most beautiful features of them all. I was not imagining his beauty; he was a natural wonder.

"Hey. Hey, Paul." Embry put his hand on the back of the guy I had been staring at. "This is Bella. She's Jacob's friend—"

"I know who she is." Paul cut Embry off. "What I want to know is what she's doing here."

Embry looked disgusted and threw a pleading look at the other boy. "Jared, talk to your friend."

"I don't need Jared to back me up. What's she doing on our land?"

"And who are you?" I exclaimed.

"Paul. Didn't you hear him?" He pointed offhandedly toward a slightly hunched Embry. Embry looked positively embarrassed that Paul was creating a scene.

"And just who do you think you are, Paul?" I repeated.

"Much more than you are, vampire girl," he snapped.

I tensed, my hand moving to slap him. His snarl turned into a nasty grin, seeing how badly I wanted to wipe the taste from out his mouth and the arrogance off of his face.

"Careful, leech-lover. Wouldn't want you to break your hand on my face," he said contemptuously.

I was close to trembling; the way he described me sounded as if he meant it. I stood my ground under his hulking figure, his frame now blocking what little sun had peeked out. I started to feel brave, though, under his scrutiny. "You're right. I barely like touching the trash in my own house, let alone you."

Paul blinked, taking a small step toward me. I could hear a low whistle coming from both Jared and Embry. And then I heard a growl. My attention was focused intently on the huge Quileute in front of me, and though his lips had barely moved, Paul's menacing grunt shook the ground he stood on. I flexed my fingers as I saw the muscles in his neck tense, looking as though they wanted to break through his russet skin to restrain me.

"Oh, this is bad," Embry said in a low voice.

"Too late now." Jared almost sounded gleeful.

I continued to stare at Paul, not daring to take my eyes off of him. He was completely still, as if holding his breath. He glared at me, but there was something off. Paul's eyes were too bright, sparkling into mine. He didn't blink; his eyes were straining not to break contact with me, and I could see his eyes tearing from keeping them open for so long. It didn't seem to affect him as much as it was affecting me. There was no voice in my mind that told me to be afraid; after all, Edward had once been the most supernatural thing in Forks, and now we had werewolves. But if this Paul was a wolf, if he was truly like my Jacob, then I had no reason to fear him. He even made me feel differently than I had this morning. I had flung myself out of the bed and from my nightmare-filled sheets to be standing here, in front of him, in front of my best friend's house. It was now a place I felt even more comfortable being in.

I dropped my gaze for a second, no longer feel uneasy, and the spell was broken. I thought I heard one of the boys suck their teeth. "Damn, it almost started to get good," one of them voiced in displeasure.

I looked at Paul again and his posture was still rigid, but he at least he had started to blink again. I opened my mouth to speak when I heard him snarl at me again. I recoiled, but he was looking past my shoulder. I saw a red flash leap over me and push into Paul, knocking him back. A reddish-brown wolf was perfectly placed between Paul and me, growling and snapping his massive jaws at him.

"Black," Paul began, "it's not what you think—" Paul's mouth looked split in two as the red wolf pawed it, jerking Paul's face sideways and pushing him closer to the forest edge.

I widened my eyes. Was this Jacob? Oh my God, was it true? Were Jacob and his friends really werewolves? "Jacob—"

I heard a roar as Jacob started to turn in my direction. My hands broke my fall as I stumbled back, hitting the ground as Paul placed one hand in Jacob's russet fur and hoisted him over his head with a luminescent, silver paw. I stared on in horror as Jacob landed half on his back and half against a nearby fir tree. Jacob's wolf stood tall, shaking bits of leaves from his coat, and Paul now stood between Jacob and I. Paul started to shake, his skin tearing in front of me, ripping the cloth from his body, and leaving my ears with an echo of a deep yowl, bellowing in his throat. I gripped the dirt under my hands, knowing that a bit of the ground would do nothing if Paul decided to suddenly turn around to cut me in half with his teeth, but I had no choice. Jacob was getting closer and the two other members of the pack were doing nothing but watching.

"Fight, fight, fight!" they chanted.

No bell was rung to signal the start of the fight. Instead, Paul leapt forward and landed right into Jacob's side. The rest of Paul's clothes were shredded with the help of Jacob's front legs and the emergence of Paul's silver fur. As I momentarily marveled at how Paul's body became even more magnificent than it had been before, the two wolves crashed into each other with a loud boom, their mouths lurching toward one another's neck and flanks.

"No," I whispered fiercely. "No, stop!" This was all my fault. Jacob told me to just call him. He told me not to come here. What was I thinking? What was I even doing here? How could something—no, two things—happen to me here, in this place? I was so unremarkable in Phoenix. What the hell was going on? Was it in the water? "Stop it now, both of you!"

Jacob flinched as Paul barreled his head into Jacob's back, sending him across the small yard in one blink. I ran toward him, afraid that Paul had hurt him.

"Bella, no!" Sam Uley's hands were wrapped around my small frame instantly. Where had he come from? I started to beat and claw at his arms when Paul whimpered, walking slowly over to Jacob's form. Oh no. No, Jacob. He isn't. He couldn't be. He just couldn't be.

"Jake," I cried softly. I felt Sam's hand in my hair, but no lower. "No, please no." I had already lost Edward. Now I was about to lose my best friend.

Suddenly Paul yelped; Jacob tore into Paul's left leg, pulling him closer to his wolf form with his mouth before flinging him back into a pile of large logs of firewood. Paul bounced off the logs, splitting and cracking most of them into bits. A sob caught in my throat as Paul suddenly jumped back up and slid himself under Jacob. Jacob reached under his leg, but missed, and Paul successfully grabbed his tail, yanking him so hard that his reddish head arched back and yipped in protest. Jacob kicked, catching Paul in his stomach, and they flung themselves into a fence to the far left, tumbled down a hill, and rolled into the forest. I could still hear them snapping and snarling.

"Christ to all hell those two are going to kill each other." Sam shook his head and finally released me. He turned toward Jared and Embry, who were still borderline snickering and all-out laughing while running toward the small, cleared path of fallen trees. It was the obvious path of destruction left behind by two, hotheaded wolves. "You two, take Bella to Emily's. No trouble." Sam started to run, pulling off his shorts and shoes along the way.

I turned before I heard a loud pop, signaling that Sam had indeed turned into a wolf.

Jared chortled, putting his arms around my shoulders lightly. Embry kneeled next to me on the ground, looking at me with sympathy. Who was he to pity me? I grew angry again.

"What the hell is going on here?" I demanded.

Jared and Embry looked at each other for a moment before laughing uproariously. "I got ten bucks on Paul," Jared simply stated.

"You're on," Embry agreed. "Jacob's too much of a natural."

Emily and Sam's house was small, but it was quaint. The small garden and yard was even less spacious than the Blacks' house, but I didn't think that either Emily or Sam really cared how much space they had or where they shared their love; all that mattered was their family and each other. That's where it began and ended with them. Even I wasn't too blind to see that.

I was shaking against Emily's table, where the biggest banana-nut muffins I had ever seen were resting on a large, green serving plate. "Great," I said sourly.

Jared continued to laugh and poke Embry with a fork. I didn't know why Emily had bothered to set any silverware down in the first place. Even normal teenage boys barely used utensils while eating. Normal? There's that obscure word again, Bella. What did I really know about normal anyway?

"You gonna to eat that, Bella?" Embry asked suddenly.

I shook my head. Embry started to reach for it when a hand reached over me and hit him. "Don't you dare take food off a woman's plate. And save some for your brothers," Emily scolded.

Jared 'tsk-tsked' at Embry's still shocked face before they both started to laugh again. I picked another small piece of my almost entirely untouched muffin, popping it into my mouth. Emily turned her face to me and I noticed three long, jagged marks etched in her skin, but I was more focused on the concern and empathy emanating off her more than anything else. "How are you feeling, Bella?" she asked.

I turned, looking at both Embry and Jared. "Like I've been thrown to the wolves."

Embry coughed and Jared resumed his laughter.

Emily gave a small smile, turning her more marred face slightly more askew. "You get use to it."

"Doubtful," I added sarcastically.

I heard hooting and a series of bangs on the table. Jared and Embry started slamming their chairs around. "Both of you, I will make you eat outside if you don't stop it. And what did I say about saving some for your brothers?" Emily asked.

"Okay, okay." Jared put the last muffin back on the table.

"I'll have to make more, and quickly. And don't you dare touch that, Jared. You either, Embry," Emily warned.

Both boys put on a mock-innocent face as Emily turned back into the kitchen. I heard footsteps on the small patio and tensed as the door was flung open revealing Sam in shorts but bare otherwise. He wore a concerned look on his face.

"Bella," he greeted me with a nod. "You two, where's Emily?" Sam asked, turning toward the still guffawing pack mates.

"In here, Sam," Emily called through the kitchen.

Without another word to the three of us, Sam walked into the kitchen, where Emily delightfully screamed, "Sam Uley!"

I grinned, feeling happy that at least Sam was safe even though I wasn't very fond of him. Was he the leader? Didn't all wolf packs have a leader? Hadn't that been what National Geographic had said? God, even watching that show had seemed so long ago. So much had changed. I had changed. Jacob had changed. Why had Sam charged after the guys like that? He didn't even have a scratch on him. At least Sam broke up the fight, Bella. Yes, yes, that's right. Sam wasn't such a bad guy after all. But he had scared Jacob so much just a few weeks ago. What had changed?

"All right. Here come the two contenders!" Jared exclaimed excitedly while continuing to crow and turned his head closer to the open door.

"Yeah, but which one of them won?" Embry wondered.

I glanced at the door and watched as Paul and Jacob walked side by side, in basketball shorts, looking serenely calm. Jacob pushed Paul a little with his shoulder into the door first. Paul looked around the room, his eyes quickly averting my prying ones, and displayed his right arm, which had a decent sized pink scar slashed across from his elbow to his wrist.

"Burn! I won! Pay up!" Embry yelled at Jared, jumping up so fast that the chair screeched across the floor, scratching it.

"Not my floor! Darn it, Embry Call—"

"Sorry, Em!" Embry shouted over his shoulder. "Dude, pay up, now," he added while turned toward Jared.

"Oh man. Paul, how the hell did you let him kick your ass? You've been phasing longer than him." Jared said.

Paul shrugged, looking annoyed. "Off my game."

"That doesn't happen. What gives?"

I saw Paul shrink back and move a vacant chair further from my side of the table.

I picked up the rest of my muffin without biting into it, pushing it against my mouth just to look busy. Paul shifted his weight, and muttered something in my general direction, continuing to look past me. I held my breath as I felt the passing heat from his voice, not at all minding the warmth, and felt the urge to abruptly reach out and touch his arm. I couldn't believe how much I felt for this Paul. I couldn't believe what Jacob had done to his own brother. Well, pack mate, anyway.

Then I heard a muffled sound and it grabbed my attention.

"What?" I asked, immediately turning toward the guys.

"She didn't hear you, Paul." Jacob spoke up.

My gaze went toward Paul, but he kept his eyes away from me still. "I said 'sorry.' Okay?"

I started to accept his apology, but Paul already looked as if he had moved on and turned his body completely away from me. Jeez, he was big.

Jacob stood by the door, his cocky presence shining into the room. He gave me a grin and I smiled back, unable to stay mad at my best friend though he had been avoiding me for over a week.

"Hey," Paul interjected, suddenly agitated again. "There's only one muffin left. I'm hungry."

"Em is making some more," Embry said.

Paul snorted. "You guys are such assholes. You always eat all the damn muffins."

"Oh yeah?" Jared placed his hand on the last pastry, tossed it back, and took a huge bite of the muffin as it landed.

"FUCK!" Paul jumped over the table, his fist landing squarely on Jared's nose.

"Shit, Paul! Relax!"

"Get the fuck off me, Call!" Paul threw Embry such a dirty look that I retreated. My chair moved. Paul's eyes were on me instantly. I held my breath. "Why the fuck is she still here?" he roared, asking the same question from earlier.

"I—I," I started to sputter. Paul's arm moved closer to mine and Jacob was between us, again, in a flash.

"She has every right to be here," Jacob said easily. "She needs our protection just as much as anyone. She knows what they are."

"That makes it worse," Paul stated coldly.

"Paul, don't you dare phase in my house!" Emily shouted. Sam was already in the archway of the kitchen door.

Paul looked at Jared, still bleeding on the floor. "He ate the last muffin," Paul whined.

"Here," I declared. I stepped from behind Jacob and pushed the rest of my muffin toward Paul's shaking arm. I left my forefinger on the plate. "I know it's probably less than what you were hoping for, but it's yours. Emily is making some more. Maybe this will hold you until then." The words tumbled out of my mouth, but I meant every word. Jacob was already watching us both, but I continued to stare intently at Paul, hoping to see what I saw in his eyes back when we were at Jacob's house. I was already addicted to the euphoria, the constant dreamy state that had taken me from my nightmare and plucked me right in front of him. It made me think that was where I wanted to be though I had only just met him.

Paul's eyes lowered to the baked good and then back to me. "You don't know me. Why are you giving me this?"

"I don't know." I glanced down, feeling self conscious. "Do you want it?"

Paul moved his head and arm closer to me. His breathing was slow and even. I could see his chest contracting with each breath he took. He stopped shaking and his thumb rubbed the green plate under my abandoned muffin, making its way toward my finger, still resting on the plate. I choked on a bit of air as my finger felt a jolt; his thumb brushed the skin of my knuckle, making the small hairs on my neck and arms stand, and then he snatched the plate away from me. He sat back in a chair, making it creak and shake under his weight as he fingered the rest of the muffin in his hand before taking a mouthful in front of me.

"Suit yourself. Nothing is better than Emily's muffins."

I looked up angrily and Paul was sitting up, gloating that he had taken my muffin. I took a step forward, but Jacob placed his body between me and the table. And Paul.

"Hey, if she wants to hit me, let her. I do hit back, though," Paul taunted.

"He's a dick, Bella. Let him be."

I let out a frustrated scream into Jacob's shoulder.

"Relax, babe," Paul continued. "When was the last time someone helped relieve your stress?"

"You, you," I started sputtering. "You little—"

"Trust me, babe. I'm not little," he retorted with an even bigger smile. "Wanna see?"

"Paul, that's enough." Sam stepped to the front. "Jacob, help Bella. Make sure she gets home okay. Paul, no more talking."

"But—" Paul started to protest.

Suddenly Sam spoke swiftly in a jumble of words I didn't catch, and Paul's lips soon folded under each other, resembling a cartoon that had eaten too much sour candy. His mouth twisted and his eyes squeezed shut, as if in pain. He turned his body toward me, almost overturning the table with such a sharp move. I felt a pang of guilt, as if it were my entire fault again.

"What happened? Why does he look like that?" I asked, still looking at the hurt on Paul's face.

"Gag order," Jacob admitted.

"Yeah, but don't worry, Bella." Embry moved closer to me. "Once Paul opens his mouth, he's unstoppable until you issue one."

"How do you get it off?" I asked, while Paul struggled to eat the muffin that I had given him. I almost started to laugh at his attempt to take even small bites with his mouth clearly obstructed by some force that I could not see.

"Sam has to take it off, but believe me, when Sam does, you don't want to be here. Paul always lets out a string of curses once the order is off. It's like he can't wait to start mouthing off again."

I turned toward Jacob, who increased his hold on me. "Is every day like this?"

Jacob's smile was wistful. "Every day is exactly the same."