Paul
The day had finally come. Today we would face the army. Our training for the past day and a half had been hell, but I felt ready. The pain I'd been feeling since I lost Rosalie was absent today. I was glad to have the strength to fight.
It's an odd feeling waking up for what could be the last time. My brothers all felt optimistic knowing how low the numbers were on the other side now, but the army was still double our size. My only goals were to kill Edward and keep my brothers safe, I didn't care if I died in the process.
I still hadn't spoken to Bella, but I needed reassurance from her that the girls would be safe. It was only 4am, but I was driving to Charlie's place in Rosalie's car to see her. The girls were supposed to go to their safe space at 6. I was the only one that knew they'd never make it there. When I got to Charlie's, I noticed that Bella's bedroom light was the only one on in the house. I didn't want to wake him, so I called her.
"What do you want?" She answered.
She was still angry. I couldn't blame her. "Let me in. I'm outside."
She hung up but I could hear her heavy footsteps as she walked down the stairs. She walked out the door and locked it behind her, crossing her arms as she approached the car.
"What do you want that you couldn't say over the phone?" She asked me.
I chuckled. She wore an angry expression that was very out of character for her. "Come on, B. There's no room for that attitude today. I need to know that our plan is still on."
She looked dumbfounded. "You think I'd go back on our plan because you're an idiot and a hypocrite? You know me better than that, Paul. I know what I need to do today." She started to walk away from me and I didn't feel like arguing to get her back.
She made it to the door and turned back, tears streaming down her cheeks. I stepped out of the car and pulled her in to my arms. "We're going to be okay, B. Please don't be scared."
She gripped me tighter. "You both better come back to me."
I softly kissed her forehead. "I promise that we will. You keep yourself safe today."
She nodded and pulled away from me. I had to go, and I knew she did too. We had a pack meeting at 5 at Sam's, and I'd see Bella there. The Cullens weren't invited; we needed one last breakfast together as a pack in case we lost anyone today. I had two stops to make before I got there. There were a few people I wanted to say goodbye to, just in case.
My first stop was at the Clearwaters house. All of the lights were on, and Leah's car was here. I knew Emmett wouldn't be here, all of the vampires were hunting. Sam had asked them to give us a little space this morning. I still had the key to the house Harry had given me as a child. I walked in and saw the family sitting around the table in the kitchen.
"Morning guys." I said as I sat down between Leah and Seth.
Sue reached across the table and grabbed my hand. "It's good to see you today, Paul."
I smiled back at her. "We agreed as a pack to spend the morning with our families before we meet at Sam's. I don't know if I ever thanked you guys for everything you've done for me, but I appreciate all of you. I wouldn't have survived my childhood without you."
Sue walked around the table and hugged me. "We love you, Paul."
We sat together and reminisced on old times. I knew how hard this had to be for Harry and Sue, knowing they were about to say goodbye to us for what could be the last time. Leah reluctantly told us we needed to go, it was 4:45. Harry and Sue took their time hugging each of us before seeing us off. Leah and Seth took off in Leah's car and I drove alone in Rosalie's. I had one more stop to make before I met the pack at Sam's.
I parked at Sam's and jogged down to the beach where I had proposed to Rosalie. I sat down on the damp sand and watched the waves crash into the shore. I reached in to my pocket and pulled out her engagement ring, twirling it in my hand.
"I miss you, babe." I spoke out loud. "We will take care of the people that did this to you today, I promise."
Old Quil must have been right about the imprint taking some time to break, because today I felt the best that I had since I lost her. My heart was still in shambles, and I missed her like crazy, but I was glad to be out of physical pain. I sat alone for a few more minutes before heading to Sam's.
The entire pack and the human imprints were there and I didn't want to be around all of the couples, but I was happy to see my brothers. I walked in and sat down next to Jared and Kim.
Emily walked in to the kitchen carrying a plate of muffins. "Good morning, Paul!" She greeted me brightly.
I smiled at her. "Morning, Em. How are you feeling today?"
"I feel amazing." She replied. "I have all the faith in the world in my family to keep us safe." She kissed Sam on the cheek and walked back toward the kitchen.
Kim chuckled lightly. "I'm a little more nervous than Em, but I know you guys have got this." She told us.
"Hell yeah we do!" Jared responded. "I didn't kill 72 leeches for nothing!"
"You have to work tomorrow too." Charlie Swan said as he walked in the room. "I'm just dropping Bells off, but I wanted to tell you guys I'm really proud of all of you. Be safe out there today."
Jake walked Charlie out and Jared grumbled about having to work tomorrow. Emily came back and sat plates down in front of each of us. For the first time since I'd phased, I didn't have much of an appetite but I knew I needed to eat. An outsider wouldn't know anything of significance was happening here today. We looked like any other family having breakfast together. Everyone was making small talk and the mood seemed so jovial. Maybe it felt that way for my brothers, but it didn't for me.
I may not have been in physical pain today, but I still felt the loss of my mate. I felt it when Emily kissed Sam's cheek, and when Jared buried his face in Kim's hair. I felt it when Jacob pulled Bella close to him as she walked in the door. I felt it hearing Bella's baby's heartbeat, another testament of her love for her wolf.
I noticed Leah was avoiding eye contact with me and Sam cleared his throat loudly when he caught me staring at her. "Leah has something to share with us." He told us.
Leah gave him a questioning glance and he nodded at her. She stood up and walked outside with Seth following her. She came back with an envelope in her hand and Seth was carrying two large, thin boxes. He handed them to me but didn't speak.
"Is this for me?" I asked him.
"For all of us." Leah responded. "But I want you to open it."
I pulled the end of the first box open and slid my hand across the object inside. It felt like a frame. I pulled it out slowly and revealed a picture of me on my knee in front of Rosalie when I had proposed. She had her hands cupped over her mouth and the pack stood back behind the decorations Rachel and I had laid out. I rubbed my finger over Rosalie's face, the way I wished I could now. Everyone was elated in that picture. I felt the hot tears running down my cheeks and Sam slapped his hand down on my shoulder. The envelope Leah held had more of the wedding pictures, many of them being of her and Rosalie the night she died.
"We all needed a reminder today of what we're fighting for." He told me. Emily took the framed picture from me and hung it above the fireplace in the living room.
I hadn't needed the reminder, and I don't think it had the effect on me that he'd hoped for. All of the hurt I'd been pushing back and trying to cope with turned in to a blinding rage like I've never felt before. My hand started to shake and I didn't think I could control myself until Bella took it in hers. I knew I wouldn't phase, but the anger remained. I only had to hold on a little bit longer before I'd have a perfect outlet.
It was time for the girls to go. Sam and Jasper had decided that Bree and Kate would stay and fight. Leah, Esme, and Rachel would go with the girls to protect them. It was hard to convince Esme to leave Carlisle's side, but she knew we needed her to protect the imprints and she accepted the responsibility. I was surprised at how much the entire pack trusted Bree now. I wished she could have met Rosalie. Rose was so much more understanding than I am, and I was sure the two would have been friends.
Bella and Leah both hugged me before they left. I slipped Rosalie's ring into Leah's hand as she pulled away from me. She looked back at me with tears in her eyes and promised to keep it safe. I had pleaded with Sam to let Leah stay and send Bree in her place, but Seth protested. I wanted my sister to be safe but she was the fastest of us and an incredible fighter.
Sam gave us some vague instructions for the day. He wanted us all to work in pairs. Jasper would work with Emmett, Carlisle with Kate, Bree with Embry, Sam with Jacob, Peter with Charlotte, Seth with Quil, and Jared with me. I didn't object; Jared and I worked well together and I knew I could keep him safe.
We met the Cullen's at the clearing. It felt weird to refer to them that way since their coven had changed so much, and half of the vampires on our side weren't part of their coven. Jasper and Sam stood in front of us and we fell in line behind them in a v formation. We'd done a lot of training to prepare for this moment, but now that it was finally here I had to admit I was anxious.
"I can smell them." Jared commented. "They're close."
"We hold our positions until we see them here. This clearing gives us an advantage that we lose in the forest." Sam ordered.
Quil was becoming anxious and I felt Jasper trying to calm everyone down.
"What the hell is wrong with you, man?" Embry questioned.
"You mean other than the fact that there's a whole army of leeches coming from us?" Quil remarked. "It feels like there's an imprint close, it's stressing me out."
I scoffed. "No shit, Kate is right across the field."
"It's not her. Sam, don't you feel it?" Quil pleaded.
Jacob broke his stance to face his friend. "Does this mean you're going to imprint on one of these killer leeches? Because I'll still kill her."
I stepped out of our formation and growled at him. "Nobody is killing anyone's imprint."
"Enough." Sam moved between us. "Everyone get back in line, now."
I felt the alpha order and moved involuntarily back to my position in line.
"I'm sorry, guys." Quil told us. "But it isn't Kate. Don't any of you feel the pull for your imprints?"
"I don't." Sam replied.
"Me either." Jake commented.
"Not me." Jared confirmed.
That only left Embry and myself that were imprinted. "I don't have a pull to Bella like I did with Rosalie." I told him.
"If Em doesn't feel anything it has to be you, Paul." Quil insisted.
"Shut up with it already." I scolded him. "I just told you that I don't feel the normal pull to Bella, and Rosalie is dead. All I feel is pain now."
"Quil, please stop." Sam pleaded. "We don't need Paul to be upset."
Seth spoke up. "What if it is Rosalie?"
"There will be no more discussion of Rosalie today." Sam ordered us. "She's dead, Seth. It's not her."
"I agree with you, Seth." Embry added. "I still think she's alive."
"Do we need to make it an order?" Jake asked.
Jasper stepped out of line and walked over to us. "What the hell is going on? The pack's emotions are all over the place and it's driving me insane." He looked at Sam. "Can you please calm them down?"
Sam nodded in response and Jasper took his place next to him again. "You heard him. Enough about Rosalie, everyone calm down."
It was ironic that we were being ordered to calm down while we waited for an army of leeches to attack us. They were late. Alice had told us they'd get here at 8am, and according to Bree that was still the plan.
"No, Sam." Jared said defiantly. "We should be angry. They killed our sister. They're coming here to kill all of us and our imprints. I won't calm down. They tried to kill Embry. They're coming here for Bella. They killed Rosalie. I'm going to be angry until the last one of them burns, and even after that because killing them won't bring her back. You can order us to do a lot; but you can't order us to stop being angry. I refuse."
The rest of the pack echoed their agreement. It made me proud to see how strongly they all felt about my mate. She had been part of our lives for such a short time but she had such a profound impact on the pack.
"He's right, Sam." Jacob agreed. "But we need to be angry and focused. You can be mad, just don't let it distract you from the fight."
The time for talking had passed when the first newborn entered the clearing. Sam and Jacob took off after it and twelve more showed up at the same time.
I ran alongside Jared to take down two male leeches. They were both about Emmett's size. They may have been big, but they were terrible fighters. We made quick work of them and moved on to the next ones. I kept trying to watch out for Seth but he and Quil seemed to be handling themselves better than the rest of us. I watched as Seth moved awkwardly toward a leech much bigger than him. The man fought almost as expertly as Jasper, and managed to wrap his arms around Seth. I started to run toward them, but the man fell to the ground. He groaned in agony as Seth tore him apart.
"What just happened, Seth?" I questioned him.
He didn't answer. "I'm not sure. It's happened every time I've come close to losing a fight. They just fall down in pain."
Something wasn't right about that. When the thirteen leeches they had shown up were dead, Emmett gathered all of their limbs and placed them in the center of the clearing to burn when this was over.
The next set of newborns showed up and ambushed us. There were many more than we expected, close to 30 when I stopped counting. Jared and I were trying to take out the bigger targets, but we were struggling. It seemed that any opponent that was about to win a fight against one of us was dropping to the ground in pain, sometimes just long enough to give us the upper hand. Whoever was helping us seemed to be struggling to keep up because so many of us needed help at any given time. Bree's hand was ripped off, and while she was searching for it another newborn pushed her down on the ground and clutched her neck. I ran to her aid quickly and guarded her while she took a minute to recover.
The Cullens all seemed to be holding their own, but we could tell that Sam, Emmett, Jasper, and Jacob were the primary targets. I wouldn't have been surprised if they'd passed their photos around. I'd ask Bree about it if we both made it out of this alive.
I finally found an opponent I couldn't easily kill. This guy was much bigger than Emmett, and he taunted me the way Edward had in my nightmare. Nothing I did seemed to phase him, and Jared was too busy to help me. Our guardian must have noticed my struggle because he fell to the ground and I took his head off easily while he writhed in pain on the ground. I turned back toward my brothers as I heard Kate screaming. Embry's leg had been broken by the leech he was fighting. It would heal, but still needed to be set. Carlisle couldn't get to him, he was struggling with his own fight.
Just as Edward, Angela, and Victoria came in to my view they were covered by a thick black smog that was moving quickly toward us.
"This has to be the Volturi." Sam told us. "Run from the smoke! Jasper told us it will paralyze you."
We all started running, but Embry was limping. Kate was trying to fight off the nomads while she drug him behind her, but she couldn't do it. I phased and ran to brother, picking him up in my arms. Everyone that got close to us fell to their knees, allowing us time to escape. I heard Bree screaming as Carlisle tripped and was overtaken by the smoke. I pulled her along and we kept running.
The faster I ran, the faster the smoke seemed to move. Peter and Charlotte had both been too close to run away when the smoke started to overtake the battlefield, and we'd lost them too. Kate finally came to me and took her mate back in to her arms and I phased to try to run faster. The newborns didn't seem to know what the smoke was, and their attacks hadn't stopped. Quil and Seth hadn't been able to get away from their attackers quick enough to escape the smoke either.
"We have to keep running." Sam urged us. "I know we've lost people, but we can't stop."
Kate tripped and fell backwards. I tried to nudge Embry along, but he stayed with his mate disappearing from my sight as the black smoke overtook him. I howled loudly as I ran from my brother. Jasper looked around and saw how many we'd lost and decided to fight instead of run. Emmett stayed by his brother's side, the two of them trying to push the newborns back and allow us extra time to run. The speed of the smoke seemed to increase again, covering both of them before they could get away.
We were far past the clearing and very few newborns were left when I heard Jared screaming in our pack mind. I turned to see a newborn dragging him backward, not understanding what the smoke would do to them. Jared had an imprint to get home to. I didn't. I had decided before we got here that I'd protect my brothers at all costs. I jumped over Jared and tackled the newborn backwards into the smoke. The world seemed to fade around me as I made contact with the smoke and all of my senses were disabled.
I was at peace. I didn't know what was coming next, but Jared had been spared and I had a feeling I'd be reunited with my lost mate soon.