Chapter Summary: Bella sees firsthand the effect that she is having on Paul although they both refuse to admit it. Bella is disgusted and annoyed at Paul's recent abhorrent behavior in public and wants nothing else to do with him, regardless of whether he resides in Jacob's pack or not. Paul is at his wits end when he attempts to figure out how he really feels about the 'leech-lover' and tries to force himself to "forget" about her completely; the end result is disastrous.

Chapter III: 'Topless,' by Breaking Benjamin

"Not you. Not you," I chanted.

Paul smiled at me, stepping even closer. "What's wrong? Not happy to see me?"

I ignored his question. "What are you doing here?" I complained.

"Relax, Swan, I have to be here. The prince was worried that something might happen to you on the field trip, and I was nominated," he stated, making surprisingly quick movements with his huge hands.

"The prince? Nominated?" I questioned.

"Black is the prince," Paul clarified. "And yeah, as in I was forced to be here."

Now I was insulted. He was ordered to be around me. Paul didn't really like me at all. "You can leave at any time."

"Yeah right, babe. I'll just go against the gag order and go to a bar instead, where I can drink and actually look at girls that aren't jail bait."

"We're jail bait for you?" I arched my eyebrow. "You're eighteen?"

"No, I'm not. I'm seventeen, but I like my women older."

"Oh." I quickly became disappointed, but I shook the disconcerting thought from my mind. What did I care who he dated? "I'm eighteen," I announced, not really knowing what else to say.

"Yeah?" His interest suddenly seemed piqued, his breath pushing back the hair off my neck. "Wanna be my cougar?" he whispered.

"God, no!" I pushed him as he turned his upper body to me, making me palm his pecs through his red shirt. I inhaled sharply, and he looked impressed with himself. His eyes danced, and his irises flickered with a sudden softness. I wondered if that was the "safe feeling" that Jacob had been talking about days earlier. I tore my hands away from his chest.

Paul blinked and turned away. "Your loss."

If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought he was disappointed too.

"Your friends are boring, too," Paul proclaimed abruptly. "All they do is chat incessantly with one another about wanting to own this or that when they don't know anything about the machines they're standing in. You need a better taste in friends."

"Like who?" I demanded.

"Like me."

"Friends with you? Why? What's your angle?"

"No angle," he smirked. "I just think I would look better on your arm than any of these losers."

"And just what number would I get to be?" I scorned. "Lucky number 127?" I asked, picking the first number that came into my head.

Paul looked taken aback for a moment. "Who blabbed? Did the prince blab? What a big mouth."

"You know what, Paul." I started. "I might have considered being friends with you if you weren't so nasty."

"Aww, babe, being nasty has more advantages than you think. For starters, I could do some interesting things with my—"

"Ugh!" I walked away from him quickly, my cheeks burning as I did so.

"Come on, Swan! I didn't even get to tell you what I've got hidden under my mattress!" Paul called after me.

"That's it, that's it. I never want to be by this kid again," I said to myself. "He is so gross. Anyone but him. I'll tolerate anyone but him."

I was going to have to talk to Jacob about this; if I had to accept Jacob and all his other pack mates, that was fine, but I would not allow Paul to keep acting like he did around me. Not with the way he talked. Oh my God, the way he talked. It was like fire under my skin how I felt when Paul talked. What was wrong with me? Why was I going back and forth like this? Why was Paul torturing me? How could he? Why did it feel like Paul could make the mountains move with his deep, burly voice? He'd make the trees bow and the dirt underneath shift from the movements. Oh, to be underneath Paul—

"Bella! Hey, Bella!"

Crap! "Yeah, Mike?" I asked, breaking my internal rants.

"Was that kid bothering you?" Mike pointed toward where Paul and I had been standing. Paul was now leaned over, talking to an olive-skinned brunette with hair clips and a cream skirt. I shook my head, amazed at how quickly he moved from one girl to the next without even stopping to breathe.

"No, he's moved on," I said. Onto the next prey.

PPOV

I watched Bella from the corner of my eye, able to keep my eye on the fast-talking brunette who was playing with her hair in front of me and still hearing every word that transpired between her and the other pale-faced kid who Jacob had often called 'a marshmallow.' Is this Mike dude serious? Does he really think he can take me on in a fight? I wouldn't even have to have been a werewolf to kick his ass. Who does he think he is, offering to protect what's mine?

What's mine? Christ, Paul, Bella isn't yours. I thought to myself, giving an evil grin. Not yet, not today, I couldn't help but add. "Wás x̩ax̩íḳtiya," I whispered, making the girl in front of me giggle. I knew she had no idea what I had just said. Not today, I muttered in my native language. The brunette didn't even know that I wasn't talking about her.

It had been four days since I had seen Bella with my own eyes and I had been about to lose my mind. I had skipped school to spend some time with her. Jacob hadn't sent me at all; no one except Jared even knew I was skipping school, and I only told him so that he could cover for me. Told him I had some chick to surprise with lunch at work and that if I was lucky, I would get more to eat than just food during her break. Jared had told me to "go for it," and my lies led me here, here to piss off my potential mate for life. What the hell? I couldn't see it. Bella Swan, really? How? Why? I was more of a redhead kind of guy anyway. Hot, natural redheads were an abnormality in Forks. I supposed it had something to do with the sun, though what the sun had to do with red hair, I didn't know. Or maybe I was just so in love with myself that I loved everything red. That could be true, too. It would explain why I loved pink so much…besides it being the favorite color of a woman's—argh! Shut up!

"Hey, what's your name, sweetie?" she whispered seductively.

My attention was still only partially on the brunette, but I had played dumb before. I had already forgotten what she told me her name was. "Paul," I answered shortly, already weary of the game she and I were playing. I had just needed to look busy before any of the teachers or auto boat show security could come over. This swarthy brunette looked ripe for the taking, but all girls became nameless and faceless sooner or later with me. These were the girls that only wanted one thing; lucky for me, so did I. I had always had that effect on women. The thought made me smile even more, making the girl in front of me widen her eyes in pleasure. I fought the urge to hold my nose. The brunette smelled slightly off and for the life of me, I could not figure out why. The scent was something peppery and it picked at the small nerve endings in my nose. Nevertheless, I pushed forward, placing my nose into her brown hair while closing my eyes, and pressed my chin into the crook of her neck. I controlled my breathing and took small inhales so that she could feel them along her throat.

"Isabella," I murmured.

"Huh? No, it's Jacqueline. Or Jackie, if you wanna call me that instead."

I shook my face from her hair and looked at her. I was really losing it. I shrugged it off. "Oops." I didn't even care if I had offended her or not. I wasn't surprised when she brushed off my callousness. And Sam wondered why I jumped from woman to woman. It was because they were all too easy. You could treat them however you wanted, but say a few kind words in a deep, dark voice, and they were ready to let you in again. Let you in anywhere you wanted to go.

"No biggie. You'll learn my name soon enough." She stepped closer to me, pushing her bust into my stomach. "I'll be making you scream it," she disclosed.

"Right," I replied.

My heartbeat accelerated when I heard Bella's small laugh. Bella. She was grinning at something that her friend with glasses was muttering to her, the hot-looking librarian. Bella was always in the library too, wasn't she? She would have to be since she was so smart. So smart, so smart. That's what Jacob had said. The sweet little prince was madly in love with her; always had been. But she was mine, I protested. She was going to be mine. I imagined caressing Bella, holding her against me to the point where I would be close to crushing her. I wanted to feel her skin against mine, taking command of my heartbeat. Didn't you hear it, Bella? Our heartbeats match. Our heartbeats match now. Just thinking about her, hearing her laugh and sigh as if I wasn't standing a hundred feet from her made me warm, and my shirt's fabric started to give as I barely flexed. I trembled against the poor girl in front of me.

"Whoa, honey, you're scorching." Jacqueline, Jackie, whatever she wanted to be called, chuckled and put her hand into one of my pockets. I groaned against the pressure of her hand. "All this is for me?" she purred. "Wow…"

My legs came apart a little, and she pushed her hand even further into my jeans. I was quickly running out of room for both her hand and myself. I turned my head and sniffed, catching Bella's scent. She still wasn't too far away, talking to the cute librarian's other friend now. Ben, I think his name was. Bella's strawberry shampoo was still in her hair; she had showered. She had showered without me? Damn! I'll make it up to you, babe, I thought. I promise. I'd lather you up and then wipe it all off, with my tongue. I'll go as fast or as slow as you want me to. You want to make love? We can do that. You want me to fuck you? We can do that, too. I'd even let you ride. Oh my God, I'll teach you to ride. Just let me feel you inside. Let me make you say you love me. Please let me make you say it.

I swallowed loudly as I felt myself grow in the girl's hands, unable to control myself. I could smell only Bella. I could even taste her in the air with my tongue. Jacqueline gasped, and she fought with my pocket, squeezing her hand too much against my thigh.

"Um…Paul?" she called in a small voice.

I didn't answer her. Jacqueline could have been part of the background, a part of my imagination for all I cared. All I could see was Bella, and all she could see was me. I imagined burying my body into her as I continued to kiss her, trying to shield her from as much pain as possible as her body took in my size, our legs and hands buried under the sheets. I wouldn't even care if she wanted to do it on silk sheets. I'd even cuddle with her afterward if she wanted. If she wanted? Cuddle? My face scrunched up as if there were a bad taste in my mouth. I wanted to cuddle? What the—?

"Paul! Paul, my hand!" the brunette screamed a little more urgently.

The real image of Bella's head turned at the sound of my name and my face fell as I saw her disgust and annoyance at my figure and the girl's. With no doubt in my mind, she knew what the brunette and I had been doing. Bella's other friends looked on in shock.

"Paul! Jesus, my hand, Paul!" she repeated, screeching in my ear.

"What? Huh?"

"My hand!" She shouted again. "And it looks like you didn't need me after all." Jacqueline dropped her eyes.

I met her gaze and looked down, feeling wet and a bit soggy. I finally had softened, but not before I had achieved an orgasm. I was horrified. The brunette had barely touched me, and I had gotten off in a matter of minutes by just smelling another girl. This was getting serious. This was getting detrimentally serious.

"Christ!" I cursed.

"That's what I said," Jacqueline clipped, clearly annoyed. "Look me up in the phone book when you can last a little longer, okay?"

I turned my eyes to her, already pissed off. "I'll call you when I'm desperate. How's that?" Jacqueline's hand moved, and I caught her by her wrist. "Don't do it, toots. It's not worth it."

"You're right. You aren't," she spat back.

I let her arm go when I was satisfied that she wouldn't try to hit me again. I glanced over where Bella and her friends were, but she was already gone.

Shit!

BPOV

"Angela, I have to go. I have another caller," I begged over the phone. My phone gave another angry click as if to give a helping hand, but it was pointless; Angela kept me on the phone.

"Bella, I am telling you, if you don't give me the goods on that guy you were talking to so that I can tell Jessica so she can tell Lauren, they will call your house themselves and will not stop calling until they get an answer," she went on. "Even a few minor details could help keep them off your back," Angela added thoughtfully.

"Okay, okay," I exasperatedly called out and rolled onto my back in my bed. "His name is Paul, and he lives on the rez. That's all I know; I swear it."

"That's it?" Angela asked in disbelief. "That won't be enough."

"I don't know why not."

"Bella," Angela sighed, sounding remarkably similar to Alice. "Ah well, I tried. By the way, did you see what he and Jacqueline were do—?"

"Yes, Angela, I saw it," I cut in. "It was gross."

Angela gave a spirited chuckle. "A hand job is gross to you, Bella?"

"What? Well, no, I don't think so. I've never given one, but I mean a hand job in a public place? Seriously?" I commented. I had given up pushing Angela off the phone after the series of clicks had stopped. The caller would just have to call back again. "That better have not been Lauren or Jessica on the phone just now," I threatened when the noises finally ceased.

"Probably Jessica," Angela confessed. "I don't think Lauren would actually admit to you that she likes Paul."

I scoffed. "Yeah, well I would rather not get involved with those two."

"They just want to know who he is and stuff. It's no big deal."

I groaned loudly. "Why do they even think I know him?"

"Because they saw you talking to him, and don't deny it either, Bella," Angela laughed. "We all saw you two."

"We weren't cozy, Angela," I argued. "Get that thought out of your mind."

"Did he try to pick you up?" Angela asked. "I thought you knew him already."

"I did. I mean, I don't know him like that," I defended. "I met him through Jacob. I've only seen him twice; that hardly means we're going to get married one day."

"Uh huh, well, would you be able to ask him for his number?"

"Huh? No way. I couldn't ask that creep for anything," I said in an appalled tone. "He'd never let me live it down. He's already cocky enough as it is."

"It's for Jess. Well, it's actually for Lauren," Angela admitted. "But I suspect that Jess will copy the number down for herself too. She kept gushing, 'Oh, if only Mike and I weren't going to get back together soon' over and over again."

"Oh jeez," I said, rolling my eyes. "He is not that cute."

"So Bella Swan has noticed a cute guy, finally," Angela joked.

I cringed, thinking about Edward again. It was strange; I hadn't thought about Edward for a few hours now. My mind was occupied with other things, but even now I couldn't remember what my prior thoughts had been about. Sure you remember who, not what, you were thinking about, Bella. He's tall, reddish-brown, built, gorgeous—

"Jacob's cute," I stated suddenly, trying to cut through my own screaming voices.

"Of course he is, Bella," Angela beamed, "but there's just something about dating a guy who is like a little brother to you. Cute, yes, but anything else would just be crossing the line."

"Well," I started, debating whether I should tell her just how close Jacob and I had gotten this past weekend. "He's pretty, sort-of-beautiful. There, I said it."

"Actually, he's pretty freakin' hot," Angela expressed. "But Paul looks as though he'll tell you what to do in bed. Make you work for it, you know."

"God, Ang." I choked on laughter. "You are really getting into this."

"Hey, I have Ben, and I am grateful for it, but I am not blind either." Angela laughed again. "I just see what I see. Hey, Bella, did you notice something?"

I squirmed on the bed. "Notice something like what?"

"That guy, Paul, didn't you notice him looking at you while he was…while Jacqueline and him were doing that thing you think is so gross?" Angela giggled softly after her statement.

"I do not think its gross when it's with someone you love," I repeated, "And no, I did not actually want to look at him. I had a pretty good idea of what was going on without a complete breakdown of how to."

"No, Bella, I mean he was looking at you. Like staring at you," Angela enunciated. "He didn't look like he was paying much attention to the girl at all."

"Knowing Paul, he probably just spaced out, but trust me; if he was actually looking at me, I would have noticed," I said nonchalantly. "I tend to pick up on abnormal people watching me. I always seem to feel them or attract them."

"How is Paul abnormal?" Angela asked skeptically. "He's just a horny teenager, right? Pretty typical."

I almost gasped. I had nearly let out too much about Jacob and the pack's secret. What's wrong with me? It's Paul fault. Pull it together, Bella. Pull it together.

"Well, I am not that used to it," I butted in. "Paul is a different breed all together anyway," I said only half joking. Angela had no idea what kind of breed Paul was. I wasn't even sure, myself.

"Yeah," Angela said while laughing again. "I know his body is freakishly huge. It's crazy. All the La Push guys look like that?"

I shrugged, though she couldn't see it. "I don't know; I guess so. I don't spend that much time down there anymore."

"Well maybe you should and take me with you."

"For what?" I started to laugh again.

"Cute guys, washboard abs, and 10 packs; those are the kind of abs you only see in the movies, not in real life so when you see them for real, you need to be ready."

"And what would you do, pray tell?" I asked in jest.

"Just look." Angela declared. "Maybe finger a few bodies, but that's it. I'm loyal."

I bit back a comment when I heard a click on my phone again, a perfect excuse to get off the phone with Angela. "Hey, there's my other line again. I gotta go."

"Okay, but if it's Jess or Lauren, don't say I didn't warn you. They won't let you get away with that 'I don't know him well enough' thing that you told me."

"Duly noted. Bye, Ang!"

"Bye."

I clicked over hesitantly. "Hello?"

"Bells, its Jake," an enthusiastic voice said into the other side of the receiver. "How you doing?"

"Jake, you have to do something!" I immediately wailed. "Paul is out of control. Do you know what he did on my field trip yesterday?"

"Yeah, Sam told us he almost got slapped. That seems to happen to him a lot," Jacob declared with little humor. "This time it was at a boat show, so that was a new experience for him."

I twisted the phone cord and covered my legs with the sheets on my bed. Even hearing Paul's name from a deep voice like Jacob made my mind jump to all sorts of conclusions and daydreams. Like me imagining that I was on the phone with Paul instead. On the phone with Paul? What did you just get finished telling Angela? I scolded myself.

In a few short minutes, I had relayed what had happened at the boat show in my own detail, and Jacob seemed unconcerned. He thought it was just Paul being Paul.

"It was so gross! I mean a hand job? A public hand job?" I repeated to my best friend. "And he was so rude to her too. I mean I couldn't actually hear what they were saying, but I mean for a girl to have a hand down his pants one minute and then the next be ready to slap him, he would had to have been pretty rude to her."

"With Paul, that's the only way he knows how to be. It's okay, Bella. I told you how he was. Now do you believe me?" Jacob asked triumphantly.

"Yeah. Sure, sure."

I could hear him smile through the phone. "I love when you say my lines, Bells."

"Ugh, not you too, Jake! Why does every guy feel the need to hit on me?"

"What?" Jacob's voice changed. "Paul hit on you?"

"Huh?" I had struck a nerve. I immediately felt the tone of the conversation go down and quickly. Actually, it had leapt off of a cliff and plunged through the bedrock below sea level. "What was that?" I asked, trying to pretend like I hadn't heard his last question.

"Don't play around, Bella." Jacob sounded annoyed. "Paul hit on you? I mean, I shouldn't be surprised. This is Paul we're talking about—"

"Exactly," I cut him off. "Then why should you be surprised? Let it go, Jake. I can handle myself."

"Yeah," he chuckled, his anger seemingly subsiding. "I gathered that. You're strong enough to resist me and all my boyish charms."

"Yes, but it was so hard," I said, playing along a little. "Especially when half the people in this house are Team Jacob."

"No kidding. I'd love it if you were on my team, too."

I giggled. "You are going to get me in trouble."

"Well, Lord knows that every other bit of trouble comes to you anyway."

I laughed out loud now. "Oh, shut up."

"Teasing, Bells. Well look, I've gotta go. Another patrol shift."

"Oh come on. We just got on the phone. Can't you be late?"

"Sorry, Bella but if I want time with you at all in the next few days, I gotta leave now. You'll see me soon, right?"

"Sure, sure."

"Alright, I'll see you around. And don't worry; I'll talk to Sam about less Paul time and more 'us' time, 'kay?"

"'Kay," I mimicked.

"Later." The phone clicked.

"Bye Jake," I murmured anyway.

"Hey Bella, could you come down here a minute?" I heard Charlie's voice from downstairs.

"Yeah Char—I mean, yeah, dad! I'm coming!" I yelled back down.

APOV (Author's Point of View)

Later…

A figure moved in the shadows, making the man grab his gun. He checked the clip, knowing that it was loaded, but it was always best to play it safe. "Be careful, be careful. Always am," he recited to himself. He was always careful. Dangerous job, but that was it; he had friends, he had the town of Forks with good people in it (mostly). And he even had a bit of family nearby. His best friend, who had been around for years, and his daughter was now back home, where she belonged.

He grinned, in spite of himself; in spite of being alone in the woods with no backup nearby and not another soul for at least a dozen yards or so. Sure, it wasn't that far really, but what if something that quickly was to get upper hand? The man shook his head. "Nah. It's only a routine investigation; nothing to worry about." There was so much to worry about lately. The small family he had, including his extended family, depended on him, and he could not afford to leave them behind. Not when he had just gotten everything back. He had his daughter back again. Even after his daughter's boyfriend left and she had felt so deserted and distraught, that didn't matter anymore because he had his daughter back now. He would make it up to her; he would pay closer attention to who she hung out with now and would not allow himself to be pushed back by her exasperated "Dad!" any longer. It was a parent's job to piss off their kids anyway; that's how parents knew they were doing it right.

The guy shifted, his feet shoulder length apart as he quietly took his hand off the top of his gun. "Nerves."

"No; me," a woman's tone cut through the silence.

He had barely turned, a bright flash making him blink frantically. His shoulders hurt, being smashed into the earth by an unknown weight hovering over his body.

"Too easy," the feminine voice said. "Much too easy." She moved again across his line of vision, much too quick to be human. The man felt himself lurch up momentarily, his back heels stinging as he landed. Suddenly, he grabbed his throat, feeling warm as his fingers turned wet from his paper-thin skin crinkling underneath. The man's tips were immersed in his own blood and as he started gasping for air, he heard his own wheezing, and felt a few bubbles pop under his hands. His eyes went moist in the otherwise quiet night.

The woman took a small step back, trying to savor the man's bloody aroma in the air for as long as she could before she would have to give in to her urge to feed, but she would wait a few more seconds. She liked her meal warm and she had been overexcited; with a blow like that, the man wouldn't last much longer. It would be inhumane not to put him out of his misery. Inhumane? She giggled like a school girl caught with a lollipop in her hand; a vivid, shiny, red lollipop. Lick, lick. She tossed her red hair back, moving closer. She was hungry and would no longer be kept waiting. She still had a few other things to take care of, but they would have to wait till after her hard earned meal. Eh, who was she kidding? It really had been child's play for her.

"Nothing to keep me from her now," she replied to the man's figure. Her hidden incisors descended, feeling cool as their tips hit the air. She was already feeling refreshed though she had yet to taste the man before her. Just do it already, her inner voices cried. Now! "With pleasure," she mouthed silently back.

A sharp bark cut her intended action and she turned, ill-prepared. She bumped forward, her breath leaving her. If she had needed to breathe, it would have been the equivalent of having the 'wind knocked out' of her, but she was a vampire and she didn't need air. Her lungs had long since turned ashy and gray, no longer able to sustain their original pink color or gain nutrients from the air she was taking in. She needed nothing except that man, who was now twitching and moaning on the forest floor some few feet away…blocked by a big, furry animal.

"What the—?"

The beast barked again, and she gave it a small smile. "Oh, a dog. I think I'll name you Spot," she spoke musically, unafraid. Spot wanted to play. Her meal would have to be lost; she had always enjoyed animals, even before she had became a vampire. She missed it. Being a rogue meant she had to move around a lot and wasn't allotted much time to take care of a pet. This one would have to be an exception. "Come here, boy," she whistled. The werewolf's silver fur stood on end as he reared his head, pebbles quaking as he pushed them aside to make a run for the other supernatural creature, and he charged. The vampire jumped backwards, landing on a short tree branch.

"Now what?" she called down.

The wolf sniffed, snarled a little, and dug his claws into the tree, lifting himself a few feet. It wasn't enough, but he was able to snap at her long, ashy grey tunic, tearing a piece of it with his jaws. She barely flinched.

"My, my. You want me pretty badly, don't you? Well then, I hope you like fetch." She spun and took off, jumping down on the other side of the tree, and looked back one second to make sure that her new game was following her; the wolf was indeed on her heels.

He growled and snapped at her figure as she took off ruthlessly through the trees and grass. "Keep up, ol' boy. Keep up," she exclaimed as she laughed again. The wolf reached out and took a swipe, almost knocking her off her feet. "Ooh, nice one, but you'll have to do better than that," she called back and took off with a sudden burst of speed. She could hear the dog panting, but he wouldn't give up. "Was the man a friend of yours?" she maliciously asked. His silver body trembled with anger, making him push harder into his haunches, and his chest began to burn with fever, but he wasn't going to stop until she was caught.

Her ripped tunic caught on a loosely elevated twig, holding her one moment too long, and her leg was caught by the wolf's teeth. She hissed and tore her own pale skin, releasing herself from his almost locked jaw. "I'm afraid I'll have to cut this short," she responded, hearing a few more howls in the distance. "Do pay my respects to the family left behind though." She made an abrupt turn, causing the wolf to skid in the wrong direction, and into a large thorny bush. The vampire barely grinned as she leapt over a large canal, separating herself from her newly abandoned pet.

The huge wolf howled as she turned back, giving him a small wave. He could not cross the canal. The werewolf had been too late; he had not actually seen the murder committed by the vampire and therefore could not cross into the Cullen's land, whether they still resided there or not. If the pack did not actually see the crime, they could not trespass and kill the offending vampire. Those were the rules; that was the law of the treaty.

And the red-headed vampire knew this. "Stupid dogs," she murmured before running deeper into the thicket.

A thick, brown-colored wolf appeared next to the bigger silver one, whining lowly in his ear. The silver wolf turned around, bounding back to where the wounded man was still laying, barely alive.

Hang on, hang on. Shit, I fucked up! Hang on, don't die on me. Don't die, he silently recited the words over and over again, his silver head bobbing. The brown wolf took off in the other direction, calling to the other pack members, and frantically searching for any person walking by while the silver wolf arrived at the hurt man's side, pacing back and forth by his figure, now almost motionless. The wolf's short, gray whiskers reflected off of the somewhat bright gold police badge clipped on the man's belt. The wolf wished that he could do something other than pace beside the man, but he didn't want the man to grow alarmed and start bleeding more if he touched him. He could already hear him gurgling, his breathing growing shallow.

Hurry up, Jared! He barked out in the distance, his fur shaking with fury again, this time for a much different reason.

His silver head turned, watching the man's eyes slowly close, and his breathing cease. No. Shit, no! Forgetting that he was still phased, he bumped the man with his nose, causing the police chief's vibrating cell phone to suddenly fall out of his pocket. The cop had needed a better phone case. The wolf shook his head, taking a small glance at the phone's blue LED screen, the only light in that part of the forest now.

BELLA, the phone said.

His muzzle dipped into the dirt, feeling ashamed. His vision played and replayed all that he did see as he continued to lay half down next to the man's body.

Sorry, babe, he moaned and closed his eyes, thinking of the girl he already let down.

*A/N: The term "Wás x̩ax̩íḳtiya" is Quileute for "not today."