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Chapter 7

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Alice was right; Victoria came back to tease and torment the pack a week later, taunting them with vindictive words while painting pictures of how she would end Bella's life- slowly and painfully. Paul, as a man had grown fond of Bella the more time he spent with her; Paul, as a wolf wanted to tear Victoria apart and burn the pieces slow for the way she threatened his mate. The pack shared his sentiments; they all held Bella near and dear to their hearts.

Even with the extra patrols, they found time to train, learning and getting stronger, faster and working better as a pack. They now reacted to what others did without thinking about it or having to say it. Sam worded his orders careful enough that the only time their minds went blank to one another was while they trained and he had Emily to thank for helping him. Everyone knew he hated giving orders, choosing more times than not to heavily suggest the pack try something or behave themselves before resorting to ordering them thus.

Alice called again after learning that Riley- the local boy who'd gone missing- was turned by Victoria. She'd placed him in charge of keeping the newborns in order and kept him under her thumb nearly all the time anymore. Alice kept close tabs on the vampire in charge of Victoria's army now that she knew just who to watch and it had paid off so far.

The wolves worked hard, and Bella was there for every training session, every meeting, and every pack event. She and Paul had earned a fair bit of money to split among themselves as well because of it. They'd taken it from Embry and Quil with smirks on their lips and mirth shining in their eyes. None of the wolves knew how to react now that the two weren't arguing anymore and they loved keeping the pack on the edge of their seats, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

With a shake of her head, Bella drew herself from her thoughts and turned her attention back to Sam's kitchen and her homework. The closer she got to graduation, the more her homework appeared to grow as well and she hated it; the teachers pretended to sympathize and tell her it was all par for the course in preparation for testing, but she knew they didn't mean anything by their apologies. She just wanted to be done with school- now.

Bella's phone ringing broke the silence as the wolves made their way into Sam's living room. They'd gone hunting 'Big Red' but came home feeling disappointed at her escape again. Bella moaned and grumbled about annoying pixies under her breath before answering the call causing them to smirk and chuckle quietly as they entered the kitchen to see the frown on her face.

"Hi Alice."

Alice chirped her greeting. "Hi Bella. I just wanted to let you know Riley's coming this weekend- Saturday to be exact. You have one more week to finish getting your wolves ready to fight. You may want to suggest Charlie takes his friends fishing. The weather will be great for it- just not in the morning- it'll rain." She said.

"Oh… um… I'll make sure to tell him."

"Anything for you, Bella. You're still my best friend you know. Next time I'm in town we'll have to go shopping. You could use some more dresses… and make up."

"Thank you for the advice, Alice but I have to go. The guys just got back. I need to talk to them about what happened." She said, trying to keep the irritation from her voice.

"… I could call Edward and have him help them… it's not too late for that. He's in love with you, you know." She giggled.

Bella paled. "No! No.. thank you Alice… b-but no… They'll be ok." She watched as the wolves' proverbial hackles raise at the thought of the leech coming back.

Alice sighed. "If that's the case. I'll talk to you soon- a week from now in fact." She mused.

"Sure, Alice. Bye."

Sam arched an eyebrow at her. "She's… precocious… isn't she?"

"It's the way Alice is." Bella told him with a shrug.

Paul rolled his eyes. "You and your friends, Swan."

"Your point?" She snapped.

He blinked and arched an eyebrow, fighting to keep his lips from twitching in amusement. She hadn't done that in a while and he grinned when the pack shifted in their nervousness. The last thing any of them wanted to handle was a fight between the two.

Bella sighed and stopped him before he could reply. "I'm sorry. I'm stressing over homework. It's never ending anymore. Can't I just… I don't know… wish it to be finished?"

Jacob snickered. "We're wolves, Bells, not genies. Trust me, if that were the case, I'm sure we'd wish to be millionaires or something."

"That's just you, baby alpha." Paul said rolling his eyes.

Jacob growled. He hated that nick name…

"Are you stuck?" Paul asked ignoring Jacob for the time being. As much as he loved teasing him, Bella was frustrated and Paul wanted to help.

"Not per say… just hate math and there's a ton of it left for me to do." She huffed.

"What is it?" He asked taking a seat beside her. He'd always been good with numbers, and let her know it.

The wolves in the room went quiet, watching the duo in something akin to awe. Bella hated her space invaded while she did homework but, to their surprise, she shoved the thick calculus book under his nose. He took one look at it, grabbed a spare paper and pencil and started to work the problems with her, explaining everything he did.

The pack shook their heads in wonder; their friendship would never be one the wolves would understand. To the rest of them, Paul was still temperamental and obnoxious. He loved nothing more than to goad Jacob, Quil and Embry into roughhousing and fights, and he needled the other pack 'pups' to the point of tears on a good day. But with Bella? She was an anomaly he hadn't planned to find. It was a welcomed one though, if he wanted to admit it.

Two hours later found Bella at home with Paul sitting at the kitchen table talking to her while she made dinner. She'd invited him over as payment for his help with her calculus. He'd hesitated at first because for those two hours, they'd be alone in her house. Now, as he watched her dance around the kitchen, preparing what looked to be the makings of an amazing dinner- rosemary and herb roasted chicken with potatoes, green beans and homemade biscuits- he couldn't help but stare in awe.

She caught him staring after she placed dinner in the over and titled her head to the side. "What's wrong?" She wondered.

He didn't see anything wrong. He'd never seen her so confident. She owned the kitchen. He shook his head and moved closer to her. She'd gotten a small bit of paprika smudged on her cheek and he figured it was from using the back of her hand to brush her wayward hair from her eyes. He only grinned down to her after he'd crowded himself into her space.

Bella bit her bottom lip and chanced a look up into his eyes as he brushed her cheek clean. Just like the first time their eyes met, the world fell away. A serene quiet fell over them as Paul rested the hand that brushed her cheek clean on the back of her neck. His other hand rested on her waist, not daring to move anywhere else.

Her hands found themselves brushing up his torso, moving to rest on his biceps. Her eyes searched his, wondering what was rolling through his head in that moment. A magnetic force drew them closer together, but she wasn't sure if it was the man or the wolf she held at the moment. Her lips parted, just enough for her tongue to dart out and wet her bottom lip before being dragged between her bottom teeth.

His eyes were riveted to the action and he found himself gulping. She was just... so different than he ever thought she would be. The pull to know her, to own her heart- to give her his… it was nearly too much right now. He was close enough now for their lips to barely brush against one another- mere feather light touches. The wolf in him was quiet- content to let the man hold their mate for the first time- which only made it that much more real to Paul.

A throat clearing from the door way shattered their quiet. Bella and Paul leapt apart and turned to see Charlie with his arms crossed over his chest and an amused smirk on his face. "Something I should know?" He asked.

Bella blushed crimson and turned her back to them. "You're home early." She said before her throat clenched in embarrassment.

"Yeah… the guys forced me to take some leave. The Seattle thing… it's draining all of us." He said with a sigh. "So, who's your boyfriend?" He knew full well who Paul was, but Bella didn't know that tidbit. Charlie only grinned when they both tensed visibly.

"Dad!" Bella huffed. "We're just… we're friends."

Charlie's eyes narrowed. He saw her shoulders drop and then saw the pain pass by in Paul's eyes as he watched Bella. He rolled his own eyes then.

Teenagers and unrequited love. Or was it supposed to be unrequited lust?

Putting his 'professional face' on, he pointed to the porch. "Outside son. Let's talk while she finishes dinner."

Paul nodded. Even his wolf knew that this person was important to their mate. He was her sire in the wolf's eyes. He'd respect that. Besides, it was an ill known fact that Paul and the chief were old acquaintances. He was the one to help Paul when things went to hell in a hand basket for him as a young boy.

"It's been a while, Paul. Time's done you good though. Billy tells me you're doing well." He said eying the boy beside him. He looked like a man, even if he wasn't one yet, and Charlie had to fight to remember the small scared child he'd first rescued from a life of abuse. That he'd found Bella and even developed feelings for her didn't surprise him at all.

"Yes sir. I'm helping Sam out now with policing the tribe."

Charlie smirked. "And getting to know Bella."

"Yeah um… about that… I'm… I…" Paul didn't know what to say. He wasn't sorry for nearly kissing her. He would have done so if Charlie had been a few short minutes later getting home.

"You know.. She's not had it easy with romance. The last guy who was interested in her was a real piece of work." Charlie mused.

Paul nodded. "I heard. He didn't deserve her…"

"How'd you meet her?"

"Through Jake. Sam, Jared and I were on our way to his house. She was there to talk to him. I said something rude to her and she slapped me. And that's how we met."

Charlie laughed at that. "That sounds like her. Not the slapping part- that's new."

Paul shrugged. "It makes for an interesting story though. How many girls can you say you're friends with who slapped you first?"

"Not too many. My count is still at zero." Charlie grinned. He sighed. "Just don't hurt her. That's all I ask."

Paul's smile was small. "I don't think I could. She's special… one of a kind."

Anything else said was cut off when Bella stepped out onto the porch with drinks in her hand. "You two done posturing yet?" She teased before handing her dad a beer and Paul a coke.

"Funny Bells. Dinner ready?" Charlie asked.

"15 minutes left." She said sitting on the top step with her back to the porch rail.

"Can't wait!" Charlie grinned.

Ten minutes later the rain had started coming down hard enough to force Bella closer to where Paul sat. She only sighed. "I hate the rain sometimes."

"Weather reports said it's supposed to be clear this weekend." Paul mused. He didn't miss the gentle smile he got from Bella for it.

"Huh... I'll have to call Billy and Harry. I've got some time off now. You wanna go fishing with us Bella?" Charlie asked.

"I think I'm gonna hang out with Jake, Quil and Embry. They want to go cliff diving. I'm gonna watch them be idiots." She grinned.

Charlie shook his head. "Suit yourself. I'm gonna go call Billy and Harry. Set it up before dinner."

Bella shook her head in amusement when Paul slid down to sit beside her. She leaned up and kissed his cheek before looking away, missing the small smirk sliding across his lips. "What was that for, Swan?"

"Helping me. Again. I didn't know how to tell him about this weekend. You didn't have to help me with my homework either, but you did."

Paul only shook his head. "Charlie helped me when I was little. My home life… sucked for lack of a better word. He'd come and help out when he could. So… if this helps to keep him safe…"

Bella's head found its way to his shoulder without thinking about it; they'd started getting more affectionate lately and moments like the one she found herself in with him just watching the rain didn't faze her anymore. She treated him the way she did with the other wolves. The whispered, 'thank you' went left unanswered as they spent time in silence while dinner finished making.

When the timer went off, Paul helped Bella to her feet and they made their way into the kitchen. Dinner was a pleasant affair filled with giggles from Bella as Charlie filled her in on the antics at the station. Paul watched her interact with her father; it was apparent how close they were and he had to smile. She wasn't guarded right now. This was who she was. Selfless, fair, gentle, loving, loyal.. This was his mate.

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Bella woke to early morning rain pelting against her bedroom window. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and arched an eyebrow when they fell on a figure sitting at her desk.

"Paul?"

He grinned. "Morning."

"Is my dad still here?" She wondered.

"Just left, actually."

"You do realize it's only like 7 in the morning, right?" She couldn't be mad at him though. Try as she might.

He shrugged. "Yeah, but… I'm a morning person."

Bella sighed. "Alright, come on then. I'll make us some breakfast then we can head out to the clearing."

"I still don't like it, you know." He grizzled.

She smiled and gave him a hug. "I know."

Fifteen minutes later found her dressed and their breakfast dishes in the sink to soak. It took another twenty minutes before Bella and Paul arrived in the clearing. The pack had done an amazing job of moving logs and branches, and even the larger boulders were gone. There was only one thing left to do. A small cut to her finger and Bella started dripping blood onto the bark of trees surrounding the area. It nearly drove Paul to tears. His wolf hated it, so did Paul. She was bleeding- literally- so they could have a chance to win the coming fight.

"Ok, ok. Come on. Please?" Paul whined before scooping her up close to him.

Her arms went around his neck to keep herself from falling and she couldn't help but smile. "I know you don't like it… but Paul, it'll be ok."

"Why are you so sure?"

"Because I have faith that you'll pull through. You and your brothers have trained long and hard for it, and I'm shutting up now so I don't sound too sentimental." She said with some amusement.

"Yeah, wouldn't want that." He tried to tease.

It felt like next to no time before he was safely holed up with her in her house again. He didn't want to leave her, but he knew he had to. She sensed it and did her best for the next couple hours to keep his mind off of things. Board games- chess was a favorite of his she learned- and raunchy TV shows did wonders to ease the tension from him. It worked until Sam called and told him it was time.

Alice told them the newborns would be there around noon, but beyond that, she couldn't see anything. Looking at the clock, Bella smiled sadly at Paul and hugged him. "You be careful, ok?"

"Chin up Swan, you've got the pups out there around the house. We'll be alright. You have faith, remember?"

"I do. Don't let any of them get their arms around you!" She said.

"Never. They'd have to catch us first." He grinned from the bottom of the steps.

"Hey, Paul?"

"Yeah?"

She hesitated. "Kick ass."

"Definitely." He laughed.

She watched him go and smiled sadly. She'd been on the verge of telling him how she felt- that she'd gotten attached to the volatile wolf, but the words refused to leave her mouth. Instead, she walked back inside and locked the door. It was a waiting game now. With a sigh, she sat down on the couch and pulled a book close to her. She was lost on the world of Elizabeth Bennett before she knew it.