Paul's point of view
"What the hell did you do?" The roar of my alpha and friend wiped out any conversations buzzing through the wooden shack of a garage in the Black's back yard. The creaking door swung open and Sam's body flew in and around the car Jake was currently buried in.
His eyes found me immediately and I flew up from the stool I was perched on, the eyes of my pack brothers and Leah rested between the pair of us as he approached me, only stopping when Jared stood beside me separating us.
"You did something to her, I told you not to screw with my sister Lahote" His hand came up and his pointed finger pushed against my chest, he used all his strength because I went stumbling backwards only to be pushed back up by Quil who was lingering behind me with Claire hanging off his leg. My eyes flew around the crowded garage, Jake and Embry were watching from their places by the broken down car, while Leah watched from the sofa were she was sat picking at her nails, I could see a grin forming on her face as she watched the anger erupt from her ex. Jared simply stared between Sam and I waiting for something to kick off while Quil 'shh'd' Claire behind me.
"I haven't done anything" I spat out as Sam geared himself up again; his face was flashing red as he became angrier and his shoulders squared up. I hadn't done anything to her.
"Then can you explain why I got home last night to find her curled up on the sofa looking like she had been crying?" He snapped through clenched teeth and Jared snapped his head around to me to give me an accusing look. I had made her cry, my inner wolf purred with anger at myself. I knew she looked upset as I left, I hadn't meant to make her cry. "Paul" Sam snapped and I realised everyone was watching, I didn't want them to know.
"PMS? How should I know I haven't seen her dude"
Leah coughed as I spoke, obviously not impressed with my PMS comment. I hadn't made her cry, I barely said anything bad to her. She was probably crying over her smudged nails or something equally as stupid.
"The house stunk of you Paul and when I asked if you had been over she got upset again, I told you, I freaking told you not to hurt her. She's been through enough she doesn't need an arrogant wolf screwing her over because he's too up himself to accept her" He shouted and every wolf around me went stiff at the words I had been praying wouldn't come out. I didn't want them to know, I didn't want it to be real. She wasn't mine and I wasn't hers.
"Accept her? As is accepting an imprint?" Jake was the one to splutter it out but I couldn't look at him. I just stared at my best friend hoping he understood how much hatred I felt for him in this moment.
"Well, that didn't take long" Jared grumbled and stepped away from me. She had been here a month and it was going wrong, I had let myself talk to her too much, my guard slipped and now everyone knew. I didn't want her; she was too young, too immature and different.
"You need to fix it" Sam came for me again and I stepped back, I wouldn't do anything. I hadn't done anything, maybe I shouldn't have left like I had but I hadn't upset her.
"I'm not doing anything, she isn't my problem bro, you brought her here so you deal with her mood swings" I spat out at him and his body went stiffer, his hands began shaking and Jared fully stepped away giving him full access to me.
"She wouldn't be having mood swings if you didn't keep throwing her back and forth, one minute you're nice to her, the next you're horrible, you need to sort it out. She's your imprint Paul, she isn't just another girl crushing on you, she's my little sister and I won't have you treating her like she's nothing"
"SHE'S NOT MINE" I roared out as my own anger bubbled inside of me, I had enough of people telling her she was mine. She wasn't, she would never be mine because I didn't want her. "I have told you so many times now that I don't want her, I don't want some little spoilt girl who wants to be a princess, she's not my princess and I won't treat her like it because you tell me too"
"You know nothing about her or what she's come from, maybe if you gave her a minute you would realise how wrong you are" It was Jared who spoke up now, his frame turning on me like Sam's as he snapped his words out. He was team Savannah too apparently.
"What is it with you two?" I looked between him and Jared; both of them were now scowling at me. "You keep telling me what I should be doing but you aren't listening to me, I don't want her. I'm not interested in all of this bull shit so back off and stop trying to shove her at me" I yelled half expecting Sam to punch me, his fists clenched but he didn't raise them instead he gave a short laugh before pacing backwards and swinging back around again.
"Shove her at you? Shove her at you? Paul I've been trying to shield her from you, I don't want her anywhere near you but you keep turning up and taking her for dinner, following her when she goes for walks and letting her stay at your god damn house, you can't keep telling me you want nothing to do with her when you barely leave her alone and you cannot keep treating her like a friend one minute and like she's nothing the next"
"You know what; I followed her and let her stay at mine for you not because I wanted her there. Maybe I should have let her stay out all night alone, maybe she would have run across a leech and my life would be made a hell of a lot easier" The words barely left my mouth before Sam's body flew at me, his thick hand closed around my throat and he shoved me back against the wooden wall of the garage, his shaking frame towering over me as he held me there. I didn't mean what I said, I didn't want her to get killed, I just wanted her out of my life. I wanted my life back.
"You stay away from her, you come within a foot of her and I swear to god pack brother or not I will rip your throat out" He growled lowly at me, his vibrating body pinning me to wall and I didn't even bother to push back. If he wanted to act like protective big brother then I would let him, it wouldn't last, even sibling bonds weren't unbreakable. I knew that. "I thought it would be good for you, maybe she would get you to pull your head out of your ass, make you less of a self pitying bastard Paul but I was wrong, you're too wrapped up in your own life and problems that you ignore everyone around you. Just stay away from her" He growled again and the tight grip on my throat released and he stepped back, his body shaking as he went.
His words rang through my ears, he knew nothing of what I was thinking or why I was doing what I was, I didn't want her. I couldn't have her she was too young, she needed too much that I couldn't provide. I couldn't give her jewellery and vacations, houses or cars, the city life she knew, I couldn't do it. I couldn't even keep my own family together; I didn't want her problems too. "Whatever" I snapped out as I rubbed my throat as it throbbed from his hold.
I hated this, all of it. Her coming here had screwed everything up, I was fighting with my best friends, Emily was shoving her at me any chance she got, I couldn't go near Rachel without feeling sick and now everyone knew. It would only get worse.
"One more chance Paul, you upset her one more time and I swear to god" Sam turned on me again before storming from the garage, his clenched fist punching the wall as he went leaving an awkward silence behind him.
For a minute nobody said anything, I felt them all watching but nobody said a word and I couldn't look at them. It was out now; they would all be on team Savannah, protecting her from the big bad wolf.
"Well that was different" Quil spoke first, his voice high as he assessed what just happened. "Who knew Sam could get that angry" He continued, Sam was usually level headed. The only other time apart from that that I had seen him angry and ready to attack someone was when Jacob left the pack, that was the only other time he had been close to attacking a pack member.
"You are the biggest idiot" Jacob piped up next, his eyebrows raised as he looked at me across the room.
"I knew something was up, I heard her talking to Kim about you at school. I knew there was something different. So, you imprinted" Embry spoke up and my anger prickled away at me. This would never stop now; it would get so much worse.
"So what's this about you taking her for dinner?" Quil asked and I shot him a look, Claire was watching me wide eyed as she clung to his leg.
"You shouldn't make girls cry, Paul" She sung and my anger reached its final limit, my hands began shaking as the team Savannah comments began from the guys supposed to be my friends. Embry started talking about how cool she is when you get to know her, Jacob mentioned how funny she could be and Quil piped up about her having a rough past. Everyone had past's, everyone had been through pain but it doesn't mean everything is made easy for them, I didn't want to upset her but I also didn't want her.
"Just accept the imprint and move on, it's not like you can ignore it and go marry someone else, she's the only one for you" Jacob shrugged at me, his expression too smug for my liking.
"Poor girl" Embry laughed as she mumbled my shaking body couldn't handle this. I had to get out. I had to just go. I pushed myself away from the wall and stormed outside, the shakes taking over as I went and I could hear Jared calling out for me as I went. I hated this, I wanted to run away and forget it ever happened. I wanted to phase but at the same time I didn't, my body was ready for it, shaking to let my wolf out but I just ran instead, sprinting for the trees leaving the comments from my brothers behind as I went.
I could feel someone following me, their footsteps pounding behind me as I ran further into the trees and out of the light. I had ran for five minutes before the following patter of steps annoyed me too much and I swung around ready to punch Jared but it wasn't him, it was Leah.
"What do you want?" I growled out as she stopped in front of me, her expression not offering any explanation. She was probably looking to bitch me out for being a dick, she loved to do it any chance she got.
"You're a dick" She spoke after a few minutes of just staring at me and I let up a laugh before turning around and walking away from her again.
"Be original Leah" I called out as her steps followed me.
"No, you seriously are a dick" She shouted but I kept going, I hated Leah's bitchy rants.
"You don't even know her Leah so don't try sticking up for her simply to start a fight"
"I don't have to know her to know she doesn't deserve you being an asshole to her, you do realise you wouldn't have imprinted on her if you weren't supposed to be with her or at least be a part of her life"
I stopped mid step and swung around to face her, she knew nothing about imprinting; she had no hope in hell of ever knowing how this felt. Everyone was so quick to tell me what to do but none of them knew how I felt, I didn't want this life, I didn't want to be responsible for taking care of her because I couldn't do it. I wasn't good at it. "I don't want an imprint, my life was fine as it was" I spat through clenched teeth and Leah barked out a vicious laugh.
"Oh yeah because your life was perfect wasn't it Paul? What is it that's annoying you Paul? You can't go near Sam's house without seeing her? Is she hideous looking? Can you not sleep at night without dreaming of her? Oh wait no, maybe it's because you can't go near Rachel Black without your skin crawling, has she ruined your life because you can't go screw the nearest set of legs that will open for you?" Leah spat out and her last few words made me pause, she didn't know about Rachel. No one did, she was in Jake's pack. "Don't look so worried, Jacob doesn't know, he's oblivious to anything that doesn't involve Nessie"
My breath came out again, he couldn't know. I couldn't get into anymore fights. She was right though, I couldn't go near Rachel without shuddering. If she touched me I literally felt sick, she smelt wrong, she looked wrong, all because of a kid.
"So what is it Pauly, is she so hideous that you can't bare to spend your life with her?"
"No she's" I stopped myself, my words came out too quickly but I stopped myself. She wasn't hideous, she was beautiful. I wouldn't admit it out loud though, I couldn't. I could barely think about her for too long without my body shivering and insides jumping, she was anything but hideous. But even with the beauty she held she wasn't mine, I still didn't want her.
"No it can't be that, I haven't seen her but Seth tells me she's a high 8 in the looks department" 10, she was definitely a 10 not an 8. "So it's Rachel then? Or maybe it's simply because you can't bare to be held down to one girl"
"She's too young, damn Leah quit it" I burst as I reached my limit on her ranting, her face fell into an unimpressed expression as she looked at me. She wasn't buying that excuse. "She's not meant to be here, I can't have her and we aren't meant to be together the imprint was wrong" I can't give her the life she wants.
I couldn't stand here any longer, I turned around again and walked but Leah followed. Her silence meant one thing, she was thinking. I kept walking until the trees became familiar and the soft wind carried not only a whistle with it but a scent, one I knew well. My body froze, the scent hitting me at the same time a soft thud joined the air. She was out here. I glanced around realising I had walked to the cliffs; she came here all the time. I saw her here all the time. I walked forward a little more until I could see her sat on the cliff top but the trees still offered me shade.
"Oh yeah, that imprint was definitely off" Leah whispered as she came to a halt beside me, her eyes travelling over the girl sat in front of us. "Stop being so stubborn Paul, there is obviously some sort of bond there even if you won't admit it" Leah turned to leave, her final words ringing through me as she went. She had followed me simply to annoy me.
I wasn't scared. I wasn't scared of a little girl. I told myself over and over but as I watched her picking her nail polish from her finger nails my whole body shook, my mind was full of self doubt, self hatred. I had made her cry. I hadn't even accepted the imprint and I was hurting her. I couldn't do this, I wasn't cut out to love people and take care of them. I failed every time it was asked of me, I failed to take care of my own family, there was no way I could take care of Savannah. She needed someone who could protect her, provide for her, I couldn't. I let people get hurt even when I loved them. I had barely any money, all I had was a house that wasn't even my house and a truck, I had no money, I had no hope of a good job. She didn't need me, she needed to go back to Chicago, to her life where she shopped and danced and lived a good life. She needed someone to care for her, treat her like a princess, protect her, lace her in jewellery, take her on surprise vacations, give her a huge house, earn so much that she doesn't have to work. I couldn't do that stuff for her; all I could offer was an old house and a small town.
I gave her one last look before stumbling back into the trees. I wasn't scared, I was angry. Angry that she was being bound to somebody who was no good for her, to somebody who had nothing to offer her but a small town and a crappy life. No, Leah was wrong, I wasn't scared, I just knew that no amount of love would take over the fact she needed things I couldn't give her. I hurt people, I hurt people and I lost people. It's what I did, I hurt my family and I lost my family, I wasn't about to get close to someone to lose them again.