AN: thanks for ther reviews, I hope you'll all forgive me but the marking has been postponed to the next chapter, Bella has something to tell Paul and she couldn't wait any longer so here's the chapter... hopefully you'll like it as much as I did.

Chapter 14

Paul and Bella were relaxing on the bed in their hotel's room. He needed to talk to her about marking but he was unsure, she brought out all his insecurities and maybe because he cared about her too much he was hesitating. Finally the wolf started to rattle in his cage and Paul sighed. He turned to look at her. "There's something we need to talk about."

Bella became serious and nodded. "Am I going to like this talk?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps... I want to discuss with you how a mate is... how you would become a permanent mate." He stopped to see if she was following and at her nod he went on. "As of now our bond is not definitive yet, we connect with each other and our feelings are growing over time but... we can still both walk away from this."

"You've already told me this... is there more?" She asked looking confused.

"Marking..." He breathed. "There's marking... I need to bite you and leave a permanent scar on your shoulder. After that, we'll be bonded like an imprint couple, without the compulsion because it was our choice to be together since the beginning. However, we won't be able to walk away; we'll be it for each other."

Bella took a deep breath. "If you mark me, we'll be together until our death... did I get this right?"

He nodded and she fell silent, she looked pensive. "When eventually would you want to do this marking?"

"Tonight or tomorrow at the latest... I want you to meet Cullen with this extra protection with you." He told her.

She stood up from the bed and started to pace back and forth. "Paul… I don't know what to say. I don't mind us being together for choice and I'm willing eventually to get married but… you want to mark me."

Paul nodded, feeling disappointed about her reaction. "Does it scare you?"

"Scare me? Yes, in a way it does. I wouldn't mind though to have a permanent reminder of you on my body but… the finality of it. It's all nice and sweet to talk about being together long term… but this is so… irreversible." She whispered looking at him with something shining in her eyes.

"Is this about Cullen or Jacob?" He asked then because now he was starting to suspect that she was hiding more than he assumed.

Bella looked at him again with an emotion in her eyes, but he couldn't detect what that was. "Partly about Jacob…" she admitted reluctantly. She sat in the recliner and watched Paul for a while; he looked back at her not backing down from his request. She was going to fucking explain what it was all about.

"You won't like… my reason for denying you the marking." She stated. "But because I praised you for your honesty… then I'm going to tell you and if you want to leave seeing as you're still in time… well… I won't stop you." She whispered.

Paul was watching her carefully, he knew he definitely wasn't going to like what she would say but he planned not to get angry until he learned the whole story. He wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt until proven wrong.

Bella took a deep breath and then started talking. Her eyes were looking out of the window and she seemed far away from their room. "Edward and I never had a normal relationship. Since the beginning it was born wrongly. He wanted to drink my blood because I was his singer and I was fascinated by his mysterious life. When he left me in the woods… my behavior was to shut down, to die a little bit every day. Everyone commented that it wasn't normal… and it was true. Edward…" She stopped and turned her deep chocolate eyes on him with an expression of betrayal and fury that he would never forget. "Edward manipulated my mind, he was not able to read it, but with his dazzling he molded me the way he wanted. I didn't know at that time and I would have never known if… during the honeymoon after the first time we… made love… he had to leave to hunt for a few days. And I don't know if it was either the discomfort of my first time or that he timed wrongly his departure but I finally regained my memory about certain things he placed in my mind."

Bella stood up and started pacing. Paul was vibrating, the leech had tried to make her like a doll obeying all his fucking orders and the horror of it didn't finish there. She went on. "I recalled that when he left me in the forest he asked specifically that I didn't get over him. So he left me but he wanted me to be consumed by thoughts of my 'lost love'." She spat angrily. "And then I recalled all the time I wanted to break up with him and be with… Jacob. Oh Paul! I wanted so much to be with Jake that when I finally realized the depth of Edward's deception I had to fake my death and leave him. And he is lucky that I didn't kill him, I wanted to burn him to ashes for what he did to me."

Paul was stunned; the depth of the leech's betrayal must have stung so badly. "So you do want to be with Jacob." He said emotionlessly, not sure about how he was feeling in that moment.

Bella looked at him. "I dreamed, craved and wanted to be with Jacob. He had tried to fix me, but he couldn't because of Edward. When I kissed him on the mountain's top I saw my future with him, our children and him always at my side." She stopped for a moment and her eyes softened. "But then I met you and I don't know how to explain it but… you wreaked havoc in my heart. There was no dream to eventually go back to Jake because I wanted you, you make me so happy and I know in the depth of my heart that I belong with you. I was just ashamed to tell you all this because… I didn't want you to think any less of me." She looked down in shame.

Paul's mind was swirling with thoughts; the wolf was resting quietly inside him, not wanting for once to push any of his desires onwards. It was the moment in which the man was finally free to decide what he wanted to do. Was he really going to tie his life with a woman who had gone through this much? How damaged was she really? And could he fix her? Would he be enough?

The wolf was still lying low so Paul knew that what he would decide it would be just the human part of him, he looked at the broken girl in front of him and his heart softened. She had gone through so much and she was still standing, she deserved to be loved and when she had looked at him she had seen more than the angry man everyone saw. His mind was made up, he took the few steps that separated them and pulled her into his arms.

"Bella, I'm here to stay. I'm not going anywhere." He whispered. She hugged him tightly almost like her life depended on holding onto him, and he relaxed even further because he knew he had made the right choice. "But we need to re-discuss the marking issue, I won't settle for anything less than a real mate."

Bella looked up with her solemn teary eyes. "Are you sure that you want to tie yourself to someone like me?"

"Someone like you? Brave, selfless and beautiful? Let me think… yes, I do. And do you want to be stuck with someone like me? Fiery temper, uncouth behavior, and a wolf inside me?" He teased back.

She smiled softly. "You are a bit rude sometimes, but you can be very understanding. And you're brave too; I've never thanked you for risking your life against the newborn army… Paul what I'm trying to say is… that I want to be with you, and if it's something that you think it's right for us… then I'm in. Let's do this marking and be together… that's all I want too. I know what I'm giving up because I really love Jake, but I want to be with you more."

"Are you sure Bella? There's no going back from it." he asked again because he didn't want to have her agreeing in a moment of weakness.

"I was afraid of your reaction when I told you what really happened with Edward… but you handled it well and although I'm still ashamed of having been that weak I now feel that I can face him and life after him… with you. So, yes I'm sure Paul. Make me yours." She whispered.

Paul smiled and caressed her face. "You were not weak Swan. He's a supernatural being and he has powers to draw his victims in. He should be ashamed, not you. Now, we'll go to sleep and I'll give you another day to think about it. It's really a life-altering decision and I don't want any regrets."

She placed her forehead on his chest and sighed. "Okay Paul we'll both sleep on it."

"Sounds like a plan, I'm beat. Let's get to bed and we'll see tomorrow." He kissed the crown of her hair. They changed and went into bed, he pulled her against him and she snuggled as close as she could. "Sleep well my Swan."

"Sleep well my Paul." She murmured back.

Paul lay awake in the bed for a while; she was sleeping next to him unaware of his thoughts and his anger. He hated Edward Cullen so much that he could hardly breathe, that corpse had hurt his Bella so deeply that she was scared of her own shadow and her self-esteem was down to zero. When they were going to meet him, he would share with that little disgusting bloodsucker what he thought of him. Cullen had just to try to hurt Bella further and he was not going to get away with it, his wolf wanted nothing more than shred him to pieces.