Title: Shattered Faith
Genre: Angst/Romance?
Rating: M
Pairing: Bella/Paul
Words: 2,230
Beta: ChrissiHR
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

AN: This story contains infidelity, so if that is something you're not comfortable with, feel free to skip it. It's not for everyone. Don't flame me in the reviews- you have been warned.

HUGE thanks to Chrissi for betaing this over a month ago while she was recovering from surgery! I did change some things after she looked it over, so any mistakes are mine.

This is the continuation/conclusion of my drabble "Love Runs Out" found in chapter 22 here in the wolf drabbles.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~oOo~

Shattered Faith

The pack was gathered as usual, wolves roughhousing on the sand while the imprints and families gossiped and cleared the remaining food away. To the outside eye, they appeared to be a happy group. Nothing could be further from the truth.

She sat huddled alone on a log by the fire, glancing toward the trees for the hundredth time, only to be disappointed once more. He obviously wasn't coming.

She wasn't that surprised. Paul had let her down more often than not this past month or so—staying late at the jobsite, or supposedly covering an extra patrol. She didn't buy it. He clearly had somewhere else he'd rather be than at home with her.

Bella tried to keep a brave face, while inside her love for her mate was being slowly chipped away by a growing sense of uneasiness. Doubt crept in with every night he wasn't in their bed. She'd heard the other girls—how their wolves lost interest in them and returned to their former selves. She just believed that she and Paul had something better.

If Paul was returning to his former ways, then he was probably in bed with countless women—women undoubtedly more pretty than she. She never really understood what Paul saw in her anyway.

As the fireworks began, her eyes were drawn to his figure, silhouetted against the waves. His strong back appeared relaxed as he tipped his head toward the sky to watch the bright, festive colors explode in a bright display and then fizzle out. Much like an imprint.

Tension grew as the pack left, one by one, or in "happily" mated pairs. She offered Angela a tight smile when the other woman carried her baby home to bed. No one was left but her and Jake.

He seemed to sense her slowly dwindling resistance as he stood and made his way to her log—to their log—the same piece of weathered driftwood where they had often sat as friends before all this craziness began. He'd never stopped watching her all these years, and the past few weeks he'd been even more insistent with his pursuit. "Bells?"

He put his arm around her shoulder and reached up to cup her face with his large hand. She pushed down the voice in her head screaming at her that this was wrong. This was so wrong. There were no words for how completely wrong this was, but she was just so lonely... She closed her eyes and leaned into his kiss, giving in to his passion and heat.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

When she finally made her way home, she showered frantically, trying in vain to scrub his scent from her body. She knew it was pointless—there would be no hiding what had just occurred. When Paul came home, he would know.

She woke to a gentle kiss, a tender hand at her head and another a little further south. "Mmm, babe. You're so wet for me! Come on, wake up. I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier."

Her eyes flew open just as he took a deep breath. There was no mistaking the look of raw hurt that crossed his face when he realized what she'd done. She stared in shock as his happiness crumbled and devastation took its place. Two large tears rolled down his cheeks as he sat back on his heels and looked down in horror at the foreign wetness on his fingers.

"Why?" The whispered question carried all the force of a slap to the face, and her head jerked back in response. He didn't give her a chance to answer. "I don't understand. You've never wanted him—not that way. Not him. Why?"

Pulling up the remaining shreds of her dignity as she pulled the sheet over her body, she threw out the answer. "You weren't here. You haven't been here. I hear the talk, I know what you've been doing, so don't try to put this all on me."

He couldn't look at her as he stood and shook his head slowly. His fists clenched in fury at the manipulations of his pack. He knew how his so-called brothers felt about their imprints, and he kept his feelings for Bella closely hidden from the pack mind. Their love was special—he'd thought it untouchable. He should have known better.

"I've been working, babe," he finally offered quietly. His eyes were clear and honest when he raised his head and captured her startled gaze. "I got an extra job down at the docks. I've been trying to save some money…"

His eyes darted down to her flat stomach, hidden beneath the sheet. "I hoped you would figure it out—I thought you'd want to find out on your own, like a normal human woman.

"I was saving up so we could add on to the house for our baby."

Disbelief slammed into her with his words. What had she done?

Bella's mind swirled with the implications of the evening and what had transpired on the beach. She thought of Paul—her lover, her mate—working hard to provide for their new family. She was pregnant.

He must have known from her scent, or some wolf instinct, or… could he actually hear the heartbeat? At the heels of that wonder-filled question a more sinister thought sent her insides roiling. She clapped her hand over her mouth and raised her eyes to meet Paul's furious gaze.

"Oh, my god. He knew!"

She flew from the bed and dove for the toilet, giving up the light meal she'd eaten earlier at that cursed bonfire. Jacob knew. He knew she was carrying Paul's child—hell, he probably knew the real reason Paul was absent so much lately—and he still fucked her.

Bella collapsed on the cold floor, sobbing for all she had ruined with one ill-advised act. She could hear Paul in their bedroom throwing things around, opening drawers and the closet, probably packing up his things to leave her. Why wouldn't he? He certainly wasn't the guilty one here.

Standing slowly, she brushed her teeth and pulled on her robe from the back of the door. Fear and shame kept her in the bathroom, and she slumped against the tub when the front door slammed, followed by his truck doors. She rested her forehead against the cool porcelain, trying to tune out the sound of him driving away.

What could she do now? Her job at Newton's wasn't enough to pay the bills, and she wasn't even sure she could stay at their house without Paul there. That thought brought her up short—would she have to leave La Push?

She'd moved in with Paul the day she graduated high school, but she'd been sleeping at his house already for months. Charlie didn't approve of the wolf any more than he had the vampire, but Bella had never cared much for her father's opinion.

Now she was faced with the possibility of having to crawl back home to him, and she was sure word would get out around town before too long. How would she explain her growing belly and absent boyfriend? How would she provide for her baby?

She never heard him come back in, and his hot hand on her arm caused her to give a small shriek in surprise. "Come on," he growled, pulling her gently to her feet and inexplicably reaching past her to turn on the shower.

He moved with purpose, stripping his shorts off before he looked down at his confused little mate and slipped the robe from her shoulders. When she still didn't move, he simply lifted her over the side of the tub and stepped in behind her. She shivered as he pulled the curtain closed, away from the warm spray of water and her overheated wolf. She finally worked up the courage to ask, "What are you doing?"

He didn't answer at first, just continued scrubbing his hands as if he could wash away the past few hours with the simple act of mixing soap with water. Paul was torn—as a man, he was furious that his mate had betrayed him. As a wolf, he was loyal to a fault, and he only wished to reclaim what was rightfully his.

"We're leaving."

The words were so soft she almost thought she imagined them. Then he said them again. "We're leaving. But I have to do something first. Something I should have done a long time ago."

She gasped when he turned back to face her, his eyes glowing yellow in the dim bathroom light. She was momentarily terrified until he reached out and gently pulled her toward him. He stopped her right in front of him and stared at her seriously, searching.

Her eyes were wide with the remnants of her fear and her confusion. What did he mean by leaving? She thought he was leaving her? His human side was still enough in control to understand what she was silently asking.

"We're leaving the pack. We're leaving La Push. We're getting the hell out of Washington. I don't give a fuck where we go, but I won't let these bastards pull my family apart." His voice was fervent, surprising her with his passion as much as his words.

She didn't think he was asking for her agreement, but she gave it anyway. "Okay," she said, nodding, earning a pleased growl from her wolf.

He leaned close and pressed his nose against her throat, taking a deep breath of her scent. "Mine," he rumbled quietly, and she couldn't hold back a moan at the feeling. She was beginning to get an idea about the other thing he wanted to do.

Paul pulled her body close and lowered his lips to hers, taking possession of her mouth with a fierce and thorough kiss. His tongue mapped every corner of her mouth, erasing Jacob's presence and claiming her once more.

She melted against him when he lowered one hand down to her stomach where their child was hiding, protected and safe. His eyes were serious when he tilted her chin up. "Mine," he repeated, slightly louder than before.

"Yours," she answered softly, submissive.

He snarled—an inhuman sound that filled her with equal parts fear and desire. He whirled her around to face the wall, pressing her body firmly against the cool tile. Her nipples peaked at the sensation as he moved close behind her.

She sucked in her breath when he entered her suddenly, with no warning and no preparation. Bella moaned at the feeling of him filling her completely, joining them together as only they should be joined, and she felt cleansing tears spill over her cheeks as his arms caged her tightly at either side.

He paused when he smelled the salt and reached down to turn her face back toward him. His lupine eyes searched hers for any sign of physical pain—even in his righteous fury he couldn't bear to hurt his beloved mate. She tried to reassure him with as much of a smile as she could muster, and she pressed back against his hips to show him that she was okay.

With one more reassuring kiss, he began to move. Each thrust was drawing them closer together, cementing their bond, and healing her betrayal. His hands moved without ceasing, covering every inch of her body that he could reach, while his mouth was glued to her neck. He sucked and nipped at her sensitive skin, ready to give in to what his wolf had been demanding for years. It was past time. She was his.

Bella was lost in a sea of sensations, filled and surrounded by Paul. He was everywhere—inside her, all around her, consuming her, claiming her. She could sense his release drawing close, and she was right there with him. As his movements became jerky and uneven, he growled lowly in her ear, "You. Are. Mine."

She couldn't hold back her cry of pleasure as his teeth broke the soft skin of her throat, binding their souls even closer as their imprint was finally complete. He understood her tears this time, as he bathed her mark with his tongue. He didn't say a word as he washed her slowly, reverently, and helped her carefully from the shower.

Paul wrapped her in a towel and then lifted her into his arms as he made his way to their bedroom. She saw that he had left clothes out for both of them, but the rest of their possessions were gone—packed away for their fresh start at a new life together.

He dressed quickly, then helped her into her clothing, rubbing his hands over her body and the fabric to further cover his mate with his scent. His wolf was content—his rival vanquished from memory—but the man would take years to fully come to terms with what she had done.

Seth was patrolling when he saw them drive away, and he instantly phased out to keep from giving away that information in case anyone else were to phase in. He'd scented what had happened at the beach, and he knew those two needed to leave La Push if they had any chance of fixing their relationship. They never once looked back, and he silently wished them well.