Hello, hello!

I think I've never tried this couple before... It was interesting to choose Quil. This story might get a follow-up, but I'm still not sure, so this cute couple might stay like this until my brain decides otherwise :)

Have an awesome weekend, everybody, and thank you for your reviews. They are greatly appreciated.

PACK SOULS

Chapter 10: Ticking time bomb.

Bella laughed as she saw Quil's ball miss the hole for the sixth time. They were in their tenth hole, just having a good time. Granted, Bella wasn't a genius at mini golf, but it hadn't taken six attempts at any hole; neither had taken him that, but she couldn't help but tease him.

They had become close in the past few weeks. Jacob had ditched them both. Embry, as well, preferring for some reason to go with Sam. At least Embry spoke to them from time to time.

She had found Quil at the beach one day, she had come to terms with the fact that they were not coming back, and with Jake not speaking to her, that realization hit her like a train. She went to the only place she thought she could seek a quiet moment. He was there, upset about many things. They began talking and never stopped since that day. She never knew he was so talkative or so silly. She had the best time of her life. She laughed more than she had since moved to Forks and definitely since he left.

They had gone out many times, just the two of them. It never felt like dates, more like two friends goofing around.

Until this day.

This mini golf outing had her feeling like it was something else. Like her feelings were not misplaced, and he felt something too.

She never thought she could have feelings for anyone else after loving him so intensely. But here she was, having a blast at a game she had never played in her life, sweating because the place's air conditioning was broken. There were a few other players trying mini golf and having a good time as well.

Quil missed for the seventh time.

"Are you sure you have super keen senses?"

He had told her that the first time they spoke. 'I have super keen senses. I could hear you talk even if you were in the sea'.

He did not have keen senses; he was a goof and a flirt. But he was hers. Hopefully.

Quil growled mockingly. "I'm letting you win, just so you know."

Bella rolled her eyes. He was a sore loser, and he wasn't letting her win. She was winning by five points -not much, really- but it was hilarious how competitive he got.

"Sure, sure. Keep on doing just that." She replied with a straight face.

He winked and finally managed to put the ball in the hole. Bella applauded him sarcastically. He bowed in the same manner.

…

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…

After their mini golf outing, Quil asked her if she wanted to go to his place. It was still early, and she was having too much of a good time to say goodbye, so she accepted. It was the best decision she had made.

He kissed her for the first time there, and then, it was impossible for them to stop, and she had her first time with a man of a good heart and a sweet smile that never went off his face at any time during their night together.

Sometime the next day, Jacob barged into Quil's house, fully intending to piss him off.

Quil looked at his best friend in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" His tone was intended to be questioning, but it came out accusingly.

Jacob stood silent, trying to figure out how to get to him. He's always been such an easy-going guy that this was a significant challenge.

He decided to go with the friend they shared. Bella. They've been hanging out lately.

"You know she's only using you to get to me." How did he manage to sound so convincing?

Quil lost his smile. He stood there in silence. He couldn't believe Jacob was so gone that he would come just to pick up a fight.

"Get lost, Jacob." Quil moved around the kitchen, looking for something to eat.

"She just wants to get my attention because she thinks I'm in a cult or something. She knows that hanging out with you will get my attention."

Why wasn't this working? Why wasn't he worked up, annoyed? Shaking? He was the picture of indifference.

"Screw you, Jake." He looked down the hall, meeting Bella's eyes. She looked like she had just woken up and was wearing Quil's shirt.

Jacob had always harbored a crush for Bella, hoping that once this wolf issue was resolved and he was stable enough to be around her, he could tell her and ask her out.

Quil didn't say anything. He reclined against the kitchen counter and enjoyed the look of surprise on Jacob's face when he put two and two together. Quil wasn't bare-chested for fun, even though he owned several shirts. And Bella wasn't wearing his shirt for fun either.

Jacob got angry at himself and them. They had forgotten about him, went on with their lives, and did more than just hang out. But he was here to push Quil as per Sam's plan. Quil should have phased by now, but he was too happy, too comfortable to let anything shake him out. He was showing all of the signs that he noticed in himself, which Sam explained were the 'symptoms' of being close to phasing.

"I'm not 'hanging out' or 'using' anyone to get to anyone. You decided to ditch your friends and go with Sam's circle. Good for you. No one told you you can't be friends with them, but don't come here after ignoring us for weeks and pretend everything's peachy, and do not dare insult me again." This was backwards. It was supposed to be Quil being angry, not Bella!

God, Paul would never let him live this down if he failed.

"Oh, please. You and I were perfectly fine until he showed up. You wouldn't even look at him twice given other circumstances." He was going to have to do some serious groveling if this worked. He hated the look on Quil's face. Why didn't he bring Embry with him? Sam had thought the two of them together would be a good idea.

"Even Embry thinks so." And there it was. Quil tensed in his spot, and Bella gasped.

But it wasn't enough. He needed to push further. Why did Paul's plan have to be the one approved? He had proposed just straight up talking to him and telling him everything, but Paul was out for blood, and since he couldn't do it himself, he had to live vicariously through him.

"She is using you. Regardless of if you're fucking her or not. This is not serious. She's passing the time until her leech boyfriend comes back." This hit home. Bella's eyes widened in shock and pain. She knew he knew. It was not only an insult; it was a reference.

It worked. A shaking Quil reacted then. He crossed the space between them and delivered a hell of a right hook. Bella gasped, surprised at the fire in Quil's eyes.

"Leave. Now." Jacob cringed inwardly. It had worked. He only had to wait. He could see him shaking slightly. He only had to make sure that Bella was out of the house.

"You should leave." He stared at Bella, trying to convey a silent message. All he said was crap, Quil's a time bomb that had to be carefully disarmed, but there was a chance of casualties.

Quil pushed Jacob hard -harder than he would have done had he still been 100% human-. "Leave her the fuck alone." He growled. Jacob gave Bella one last look and mouthed a 'trust me' when Quil wasn't looking. She looked confused for a second until something clicked. She opened her eyes widely in shock, and he gave her a short nod before leaving the house.

He stayed outside in wolf form, waiting.

He listened intently to what was going on inside. Quil was pacing inside the house, angrier than he's ever seen him. Bella didn't understand what was happening. Jacob was a werewolf, apparently, but what the hell did that mean, and why was he pissing Quil off by insulting them? He had asked her to trust him, so he must have a plan.

Was he trying to protect them? She thought about the wording Jacob used; he said 'leech' as a qualification for Edward. More like a description of him and not an actual insult. Was he trying to protect them from vampires?

But if he was trying to protect them, why provoke Quil?

She almost face-palmed herself. He was trying to make Quil do whatever they do to become a wolf.

"I think you should go talk to him." She wanted to hug Quil, to rest her face between the plate of his shoulders, where she knew she reached, where she knew he had a mole, where she had pressed multiple kisses.

Quil stopped dead. "What?"

"You should talk to him. I think in his own way, he's looking out for you."

He looked at her incredulously. "You were here when he insulted us, right?"

She didn't know if, by reaching him, she would ruin the effect of Jacob's ranting.

She smiled sadly. "I was. And I will kick his ass later. But you need to let go of everything you're holding." She said screw it and reached him, putting her palm in his chest.

He grabbed her hand and squeezed. "I don't care what he has to say. He made you cry." He cleaned a remnant tear from her cheek. "You know I don't believe him, right?"

She nodded emphatically. She wouldn't have given him her heart if she was still hung up on Edward.

She kissed his cheek. He was still too worked up. "Go. I'll wait for you here." She gave him a sly smile.

He chuckled and lowered his face to kiss her. "I love you."

Bella smiled dreamily. "I love you too. Now go."

So much for a romantic declaration of feelings.

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Quil left the house with a split mind. Half his mind was recreating the best night of his life; the other half was furious at Jacob.

Jacob, who was nowhere to be seen when he went out. Jacob, in wolf form, jumped in front of Quil and scared the living hell out of him.

The wolf walked in circles around him. He missed his best friend. He gave Quil a playful push from behind, making him stumble but not fall.

"What the hell do you want?" Quil asked the wolf, still ignorant that it was Jacob. The wolf pushed him again, harder this time. And this time, Quil did fall, but he stood quickly, afraid that the wolf would attack him. He didn't want to die; he wanted to go back to his house and make love to his girlfriend again.

Jacob noticed the change in expression and decided to try something. If anger was not working, maybe scaring him enough that it would trigger the phase would. He pretended to leap towards him, making Quil sprint away swiftly. But then, Jacob growled menacingly and sprinted towards the house. If Quil was seeing Bella, and they had slept together, there must be something there. He ran fast, but not at full speed, trying to give Quil the chance to reach him. Unfortunately, Quil took longer to catch up to him.

Jacob had no choice but to come into the house, making Bella scream in panic and drop the glass bowl she was holding, which shattered into million pieces on the floor. Jacob did not advance further. He was not looking to actually hurt her, only scare Quil enough to make him phase.

Bella didn't know where to go. Something told her she shouldn't be afraid, that everything was controlled, but she couldn't fully listen to that voice because she saw a second wolf coming into the house.

"Don't eat me!" She yelled. Jacob laughed; he couldn't help it. Only Bella would yell at two wolves not to eat her.

Quil took a look at the human in his house and fell. Jacob watched in fascination the process of imprinting. He had looked into Sam's and Jared's minds, but to actually see it was a thing of beauty.

"Thank God." Jacob thought. He was not looking forward to another Sam-Leah situation.

Quil whimpered as if it was physically hurtful to look away from his imprint.

"Jake?" Jacob nodded. "What the hell is happening?"

"You have to come with me. I can explain everything."

"No. Tell me now!" Quil demanded.

"I can explain everything, but you're going to have many questions. And I'm not the only one who can give you answers."

"Sam…"

"Yes. Sam and Embry too."

Then, something clicked in Quil's mind. He could hear Billy's voice telling the stories, his grandpa talking about the elders and a pack. It finally made sense.

He made sure that Bella was ok before following Jacob outside.

Bella stared at the retreating form of the wolves, who, belatedly, she realized was Quil and Jacob.

"Stupid supernatural creatures, scaring me half to death."

She didn't know where they were going and if they were coming back. If Quil was coming back to her, if his love for her was strong enough to keep her close and not push her away the same way Jacob had done. She debated between going home or staying at Quil's place. She had promised him she would be there when he came back. But what if he didn't come back?

She shook her head. No need to worry about what-ifs. She made a promise, and she was going to keep it.

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…

Sleep finally claimed her after a long fight. It had been hours since he left. Of course, his phone was on his nightstand, so there was no way to know where he was or when he was coming back.

She drifted to sleep on his bed, surrounded by his smell.

…

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…

She woke up when the feeling of the bed sinking next to her was too strong to ignore.

"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you up."

It took Bella a few seconds to remember what had transpired earlier that day. She jumped into his arms and clang to him as if her life depended on it. "You're back." She whispered brokenly.

"I love you, Bella." He said back. It warmed her heart to hear him say that.

She broke the embrace and looked him in the eye. "I love you too." She pecked him on the lips. "Tell me what happened."

And he did, with her in his arms, he told her everything. Including the imprinting information. A forever someone. It was scary, they were just starting something, but it felt right.