Chapter 2

'Impossible' another vicious growl ricocheted through the clearing.

'Really, well this is gonna be fun' my wolf smirked. I relayed what had just happened moments before he interrupted. I could feel Jake's sadness roll of his wolf in waves. The wind picked up and blew the scent of orange blossom straight up my snout. Bella. He barked again. I growled. There was another scent accompanying hers but I couldn't figure out why I smelt it. I took a step forward to get a clear view. This was obviously the wrong move.

'No,' Jake sprung towards me heading straight from my neck. He latched on. I twisted out of his jaws. His teeth sunk into the other side. Shit. He lost his footing and we rolled backwards. I pushed my hind legs up and launched him off of me. I vaulted back up. His neck was bared and I took my chance. He wriggled and swiped his paw against my cheek. I turned my head back to the brown wolf and charged. He pushed me away. My claws dug into the dirt to stop my wolf tumbling backwards. We circled.

'You can't have her' he declared.

'I don't want her.' I shook my head.

He snarled 'what? She not good enough for you?'

'Definitely'

'Wrong answer, asshole' he shot forward. His were jaws snapping at me, trying to get the upper hand. I dodged his advance but he managed to rip into my neck. I whimpered. I wrench out of his hold and snapped at him. We stumbled around trying to get leverage. I fell forward. Jake threw his head up and butted me backwards. I rocked. He bit into my shoulder, raised his paw and brought it down hard onto my back, forcing me to the ground. I twist and swatted his paw away. He fell onto of my silver form. I hurled him away with my legs and scrambled to get up. He charged at me and we fell into Billy's rowing boat. Splinters flew in all directions. Rolling into the forest, I had just come from; we kept nipping and clawing at each other. Tumbling to a stop, we both jumped up and away.

'You don't deserve her' Jake spat.

'Yeah, you're right, I don't. I deserve better than a leeches' sloppy seconds.' I growled circling the pup. He snarled.

Jake dug his back paws into the soil ready to leap forward but then there was a shift.

'Stop,' Came the command. Jake's wolf shuddered as he tried to fight the order. I smirked. Who's you daddy now, pup.

'Paul, enough. Does someone want to tell me what the fuck just happened back there? Haven't I told you both time and time again to reign in the wolf around humans?' he roared. 'Did anything I teach you beside how to fight settle into you dumb little brains.' He bellowed, pissed.

Jake and I relaxed our stance and backed away from our alpha. 'You could have hurt her.' Jake snapped his head round to me and scowled.

'I wasn't the only one to phase close to her.' I huffed.

'Oh please, she was miles away from me!' Jake retorted.

'Shut up' our alpha's voice vibrated. 'Both of you could have hurt her. Did my mistake teach you nothing?' We hung our heads in shame. He was right I could have hurt her. I shouldn't have phased so closed to her. I knew I had better control than what I had just shown. It hadn't even been minutes and already the imprint was taking over my life. Stupid imprint.

'Imprint? You imprinted?' he asked confused.

'On Bella! He imprinted on my Bella,' Jake provided.

'You're Bella? Last time I checked weren't her boyfriend and you hadn't imprinted on her. So how in the fuck is she – you know what, doesn't matter. You can have her, I don't want -.'

'Paul,' my alpha cut me off. 'The sprit has chosen her for you. She is meant for you. You can't fight this. It's meant to be.'

'The fuck I can't fight this shit!' I barked. 'Watch me' I challenged. Jake let out an approving grunt.

'I am not about to sit back and watch a member of my pack get hurt. You will not hurt her.' he promised.

I snorted. 'I mean it Paul'

'I can't have an imprint, I don't know the first thing about this shit' I voiced. How was I supposed to look after a broken girl when I was such a fuck up? I wasn't cut out for relationships and crap.

'Tell me about it' Jake sneered.

'Shut it, pup' I glowered.

'Don't think I've forgotten about you. How did Bella find out about the pack?' Sam questioned. I chuckle. Here we go.

'I didn't tell her anything I swear, well…at least not after I phased. I just pushed her in the right direction, is all.' He shrugged and carried on. 'She was down in first beach last year, surfing, I told her about our ancestors and the cold ones. To be honest I never thought she'd figure it out this quickly.' He stated proudly.

Sam was silent as he looked between the two of us.

'Double patrols for the both of you.' He cemented the punishment with a nod.

'What?!' Jake and I squealed 'but!'

'Together' he responded. That shut us up.

'And Paul, you can try to fight the imprint as long as your wolf is on its game.' He paused. 'If you wolf becomes unsettled, you are to immediately go to her and work it through.' The timbre in his voice weighted heavily down on my wolf, my nose touching the ground from the burden of the order.

Sam trotted off.

'Embry and Jared are on their way to Emily's with Bella. I expect you to behave yourselves.' Sam picked up his speed and ran towards Emily's leaving me with the Jake.

Awkward silence cast throughout the pack mind. I didn't say anything; he wouldn't even look at me. 'Jake… I'm sorry.' I started.

'Like hell you are.' He scoffed. And bolted towards Em's, I followed at a leisurely pace. Not in any rush. I wasn't happy with imprinting and it made it worse that I had imprinted on Jake's Bella. He had been in love with her since they were kids. And it made me feel like a right dick that I had taken away any chance of them being together.

Again, there was that distinctive shift and my brothers phased out.

I didn't want to fight with him, we were meant to be a unit. The only way this could work out was to let him get all opportunities to win her over. He had kept reminding us that he was close to getting Bella to love him more than a friend. And I wasn't about to ruin his chances just because I had imprinted on her. He was way better for her than I could ever be and he knew that. She's Jake's Bella.

My wolf jostled. Ours, not his. Ours. He declared.

Whoa. He'd never spoken so clearly to me and with such conviction, it caught me off guard.

If he wants her, I'm not going to stop him from having her.

Yes you will, you just don't know it yet. He cackled.

I was now approaching Em's and I could hear the mindless pack chatter going on in her kitchen. Apparently there was a bet going on between Jared and Embry, which Embry had won. I emerged from the forest directly opposite the back door which was slightly a jar. And yet again I could smell orange blossom and same the phantom whiff accompanying it. I couldn't place the scent but whatever it was it was making me uneasy.

Fool. The wolf sneered.

What did I do now? I enquired.

It's her blood. He growled. Doesn't even know his own mates blood. He mocked.

She's not my mate; I rumbled and pulled a pair of Sam's shorts hanging on the washing line off. I snagged them between my teeth and jogged off past the tree line to phase back.