A/N: If you haven't given up on me yet, thank you for continuing to read. There's an important note at the bottom and I suggest you read it if you are enjoying this story.

Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer. I do not own Twilight.

Chapter Seventeen

Paul's POV

As Bella drifted off to sleep, my panic began to surface. Over and over, I saw her diving off the cliff, her body plummeting towards the harsh outcropping of rocks at the bottom. My body shook from the force of my emotions as I relived grabbing hold of her just before we hit the water, taking most of the impact on myself. Even so, I hadn't been able to keep her completely from harm. We had knocked against the rocks with the force of the current as I had struggled to bring us both to the surface.

The sight of her pale-blue body would not leave my head. I'd been absolutely fucking terrified that she was dead when I got her to shore. She'd been so still and in my horrified state, I had been unable to tell if she was breathing. Only my advanced hearing had assured me she still lived when it picked up on the gentle rhythm of her heartbeat. My fear hadn't even begun to abate until I saw her beautiful brown eyes open.

Then the anger had come. Anger at Jacob fucking Black for telling her about the fucking imprint. Anger at her for jumping of that fucking cliff. Anger at myself for not getting to her fucking sooner. Anger at Rachel for being my fucking imprint. If my wolf hadn't recognized her need for medical attention and body heat, I'd have likely whipped her ass then and there for putting herself in danger like that.

I knew there would be questions once she woke up, some of which I wouldn't be able to answer. A wolf hating the imprint had never happened in the history of the tribe and no one knew why the wolf wouldn't recognize Rachel as our intended mate. I had a few theories, but none I was willing to share until Bella and I had a chance to talk amongst ourselves.

And since that wouldn't be happening for probably a few more hours, I was left with nothing else to do but breathe in the sweet scent of my woman and hold her body close to mine. My wolf settled down, sighing contently as we tended our mate, happy to have her close again after so long apart.

Finally, after over a week without, I was able to sleep.

I sat on the couch, my arm wrapped around Bella's shoulders as she huddled into my side. She was dressed in some of Emily's clothes, piled on three layers thick and still shivered occasionally. Her body had been feverish upon waking, but the stubborn woman had been adamant about hearing the whole story.

"I still don't understand," Bella sighed after I'd gone over everything.

"What don't you understand?" I asked, rubbing my cheek against her soft hair.

"Why did you even imprint on her if the wolf doesn't want her as a mate?" Bella asked.

I looked to Sam, who had been sitting quietly in his armchair, only offering his opinion when we asked. Jared was out running with Jacob, keeping him away from me and my mate, but Bella and I had both wanted Sam with us while we talked.

"I think… if I hadn't met you and formed the bond with you, I would have imprinted on Rachel and been a real mate to her," I told her.

"But why did you still imprint on her?" Bella asked, sounding slightly accusatory as she leaned back to look at me.

"I don't know," I admitted, brushing her hair back.

Her face was flushed with her fever and her indignation as she glared at me, trying to tell if I was being honest or not.

"Bella," Sam murmured to catch her attention.

She turned in my arms, resting her back against my chest. I wrapped my arms across her chest, breathing deeply of her scent as she paid attention to Sam.

"Imprinting is supposed to be finding the perfect mate, for the wolf and the imprint. Based off that, Paul and Rachel are perfect for each other," Sam started.

I tensed, growling at the implications Sam was posing to my Swan. Sam shot me a look, but said nothing until I stopped baring my teeth at him. Once I had gained control of myself, Sam turned his attention back to Bella.

"You changed that when you marked Paul. The wolf changed, recognizing you as its mate, but it doesn't change who Paul is. Rachel is still perfect for Paul, but the wolf cannot recognize her as its mate because you already hold that place for him. The wolf affects the way Paul sees Rachel because of your bond, making it impossible for Paul to even like the girl. It's why he had to spend so long around her, making sure he won't attack her if the three of you ever come in contact with each other," Sam explained.

"So… he's not going to leave me?" Bella asked, her voice soft with insecurity.

"No, Bella. He will never leave you," Sam vowed, staring directly into her eyes.

The sincerity in his voice would convince her more than any flowery sentiments and Sam knew it. When she leaned her head back to look at me, I nodded my head in agreement.

"I told you before, Swan. You're stuck with me," I teased, nibbling at her ear.

She shivered against me, though I knew it wasn't from the cold. Her body was flushed a rosy pink from her fever and her embarrassment. I smirked slightly when she let out a sudden yawn, betraying her need for more sleep.

"Come on, Swan. Let's get you back to bed," I suggested, lifting her easily.

She snuggled into me as I carried her back into the guest room, having only slept for a few hours before waking the last time. During that time, Sam had called Charlie to explain that Bella was going to stay with him and Emily for a few days. The Chief had been worried at first until Sam explained that Bella had caught a cold and Emily was taking care of her. Not used to caring for a sick daughter, Charlie had easily agreed to let Bella remain until she felt better.

I helped her get into bed, unable to resist the lure of settling down beside her. My wolf was anxious about leaving her alone, constantly reminding me just how close we had come to losing her.

As if I could forget.

"Do you think Sam is right?" Bella asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"About what?" I sighed, nosing her cheek.

"The wolf changing the way you see Rachel," Bella clarified, saying the other woman's name as if it were the foulest of words.

"I think that might be part of it. My wolf wants her gone, the sooner the better. I don't particularly care for her either. Without the thrall of the wolf urging me to mate with her, I can see her as she really is. A cold-hearted, narrow-minded, ice-bitch with a stick up her ass," I growled, my hatred of my imprint coming through loud and clear.

"I guess it just doesn't make sense to me," Bella huffed, pressing closer against me.

My hands traveled over her body slowly, taking her in as I was assaulted with her scent. It made conversation a little difficult, but I knew I had to ease her fears before they overwhelmed her.

"I don't have all the answers, Swan. This has never happened before. I can promise you, though, I will never leave you," I vowed, kissing the top of her head.

"But what if it changes? What if you see her again and decide you want her?" Bella pressed, her trembling voice letting me know this was her biggest fear.

Thankfully, it was something that I could ease her mind of.

"How much do you know about real wolves?" I asked first.

"Not much," Bella admitted, shrugging.

"Well, there are a lot of myths out there about how alike we are to each other. Usually in a real wolf pack, only the alpha male and alpha female mate, in order to keep the population down. Obviously, we aren't like them in that sense. Jared and Kim attest to that, as do you and I. Another is the whole marking theory. Sam and Jared have both marked their imprints, claiming them as their mates. After, Emily and Kim marked them back. You, little missy, did it backwards. Real wolves don't bite their mates. They mix their scents together, but that's the only way they stake their claim. Other than the obvious, of course," I smirked, pausing in my explanation.

Bella smiled and slapped my chest weakly. I grabbed hold of her hand, kissing her fingers reverently before continuing.

"Real wolves don't mate for life, either. Granted, most mated pairs do stay together their entire lives, but once one of the mates dies, the other will find another mate. That's yet another way we are different. Sam would not be able to move on from Emily were she to die, just as Jared would never move on from Kim. The girls might be able to move on, but it has never happened in our history. Imprinted pairs usually pass away fairly close together. The wolf almost never outlives his imprint by more than a week. It's too painful to go on without her…" I paused, the conversation having hit a little too close to home.

"What about us?" Bella asked, urging me to continue.

"The bond between imprints can be broken right up until the wolf marks his imprint. The imprint can reject the wolf, breaking the initial allure for the wolf. Once the mark is in place, the bond becomes unbreakable and the two are joined for life. Because you marked me, the bond was formed between us, despite the fact that I haven't marked you yet," I explained, kind of hoping she didn't catch that last word.

"So why did you still imprint on Rachel if we already have a bond?" Bella pressed, though she sounded calmer.

"Because Rachel is the equivalent to my place in the pack, making her the perfect mate under any other circumstance. Emily is an alpha female, Kim is a beta female, and Rachel is a gamma female," I told her.

"Then what am I?" Bella asked curiously.

I smiled, nuzzling her hair as I remembered having a similar conversation with Sam a few weeks ago.

"You're an omega female. Infinitely precious to the pack because they know you won't ever try to gain a higher position. You bring out the protective instincts in us, creating a bond that goes beyond simply being a pack sister or pack mate. It's why Sam and Emily are always so worried about you. You bring out their protective alpha instincts," I murmured.

She yawned then, bringing conversation to a stop.

"Get some sleep, Swan. We'll have time for more of your endless questions later," I promised.

"But-" Bella tried to argue.

"Rest. You won't get better if you don't rest," I cut her off, urging her head to my shoulder.

She sighed, her warm breath fanning across my chest as she settled into my hold. Gradually, her breathing even out and the mumbling started.

"Paul… my Paul… love you… so much," Bella murmured.

"I love you, too. So much," I repeated into her hair.

The heavy weight that had settled over my chest earlier after dragging her out of the water finally lifted. As I watched her sleep, smiling as she talked, I allowed myself to believe that we would both be okay.

I think I'm going to post one more chapter for this story. It will be an epilogue of sorts. From there, I think I might try out writing a sequel for those of you who want more of this story (thanks to xAngel-Of-Nightx for the idea). Information for the sequel will be up next chapter. If you did not like these past few chapters, I strongly suggest you not read the sequel. I can almost guarantee you that I will do stuff you don't like. It's just the way I write. But my characters always get their happy ending.

Chapter Eighteen will be posted as soon as I write it and get it back from my pre-reader.