A/n: You guys I completely forgot that in this universe Billy is walking and Sarah is in the wheelchair! Just keep that in mind for the next chapter.
The next morning Bella sighed as she looked over the designs on Paul's desk.
"What's wrong Kitten?" he asked seriously. He was sitting across from her, a very serious look on his face.
"All the designs are good but ...the problem now is my scars. Im covered in bite marks Paul... and I can't go exposing those in a fashion magazine. It was fine when we first started. You just used me for sketch designs. Now we're talking about exposing my body to a lot of people, not just you. We want to keep the Volturi off our backs."
"I thought about that kitten. I have three options. One is to give you a body sleeve. It's like a stocking for your body. It will look like your skin and yet cover your scars. Our second option is to cover the scars with tattoos and the third option is to digitally take away the scars."
"But then I feel like we are lying to people. I already don't qualify for model material as it is. And what about the photographer? How will we hide the scars then?" she asked.
"We don't have to worry about that kitten. Everyone in the business is a family member. They know what vampire bites look like you won't have to worry about being exposed to strangers."
"So, what do we do now?"
"Well, with the enemy still out there, you and I are going to work from home for a while." He said as he wiggled his eyebrows.
Bella laughed and rolled her eyes.
"Quit flirting with me mister. I have to go cook breakfast."
Warm arms encased her before she could reach the door.
"Oh no you don't missy. Your dad and Sue are cooking breakfast, we can go Sleep in a little bit."
Bella felt relief fill her body. She was exhausted. She hit the ground running as soon as she got home. She hadn't sat down once.
"You're pushing yourself." He told her as he pushed open the door that connected his office to their bedroom.
"Says the man who brought home two kids."
He shrugged.
"Come back to bed. Lila will be awake soon."
….
"Charlie, what are you doing you old fool?" Big Quil asked as he stood over his best friend.
"Im trying to cook, if you would stop hovering." Charlie grouched.
"Yeah, but I like my bacon crispy…" Big Quill pouted.
"And you won't get it unless you sit down!"
Big Quil stomped his foot like a five-year-old and sat down.
The back opened to reveal joy with a big smile on her face.
"I can't believe Bella's Garden is so huge! She has pumpkins back there!"
"Yes, she has a real green thumb. Paul has been doing the upkeep for a while." Sue told her.
"I still can't believe you allowed her to get married so young Charlie and to…Paul… for crying out loud." Big Quill commented.
Charlie flipped the bacon and cracked an egg as he turned around to look at his best friend.
"He loves my daughter with every breath that he takes. He had his life together and could provide for her. As long as Bella was and is happy, that's all that matters."
"But happiness and love mean nothing if they are immature. They were only teenagers Charlie, that's like you and- "
"Don't you dare go there, Quill? And don't you dare say her name? Bella and Paul are nothing like…like she and I."
He then turned back to focus on the food. Joy lightly hit her husband on the arm.
"Stop stirring the waters." She whispered.
"Im not, I just want to know why they married so young and why Charlie allowed it. Plus no one has told me why Bella was gone for so long," he whispered back.
Joy rolled her eyes.
"I told you what she told me. She was held against her will. There is nothing we can do about it. She's home now, you need to let it go. You keep asking questions, Charlie will punch you in the mouth."
Big Quill snorted.
"As if he could take me."
Joy hit him softly again.
Before Big Quill could say anything. The sound of talking and footsteps reached the kitchen.
"Good morning. Oh- Big Q! Mama Joy! What are you two doing here?" Bella greeted me as she stopped in shock. An infant was in her arms, while Brady Fuller clung to her side.
"I invited them over for breakfast. The four of us had a great chat last night." Her father announced as he looked at the infant in her arms with curious eyes.
Bella looked around nervously. It was one thing having her father and stepmother here, plus Paul's family. But Joy and Big Quill didn't know Paul and he didn't know them. He hated unexpected visitors unless it was an emergency. She and Paul were very private people.
"Im sorry bells. Did I overstep? I didn't even think about it." Her father apologized as he looked at her in a panic.
Bella moved closer to her father, as she guided Brady to sit down.
"Im not mad Daddy, I just wished you would have asked us first. You know how Paul can be."
Her father didn't get to respond because a massive powerful energy filled the room.
Bella turned toward the kitchen archway. Her husband stood, muscles rippling over the green tight sweater he wore, along with black slacks and a belt. He matched Bella's green and black sweater dress. It was one of his favorite things to do, matching with her.
Paul looked like a predator who caught a prey. His head turned up slightly as he sniffed the air of another male outside of her father in his den.
A low growl shook the walls.
No one moved and no one spoke. Poor Brady shaking at the energy his new father was giving off. It was then Lila began to cry.
Bella hushed and rocked her.
"Oooh, come now pretty girl. Daddy's just a little frustrated. It's gonna be ok." she said as he looked at her husband with pleading eyes.
Paul approached Bella from behind and purred into her neck. The vibrations sent calm to her and Lila. He then rubbed his fingers through Brady's hair and then took a seat at the head of the table. His head slowly turned to joy and Quil.
"Mr. and Mrs. Ateara, you're in my home." He stated as a matter of fact.
"Son- "Charlie began but Paul held up a hand for silence.
"You're in my home. Without my permission." He hissed.
Joy and Big Quill looked at each other in panic before they looked back at Paul.
It was Big Quill who spoke this time.
"We didn't mean to intrude. We spent time with Charlie and Sue last night and we thought we'd come over for breakfast. We mean no harm."
"You mean you didn't mean to come into my house without my permission?" Paul growled out.
Bella swallowed hard as she looked between them all. Before they could answer, Paul let out a gut-busting laugh.
"Im just yanking your chain. As long as you don't tell anyone where we live, I don't care. Respect my household and we will be fine."
Bella smacked Paul lightly on the arm.
"Babe…" she chided.
Paul grabbed her hand and kissed it.
"Just testing the waters kitten."
It was then Big Quill began to laugh as well.
"I like this kid."
"Speaking of kids?" Charlie questioned as he nodded towards the infant in Bella's arms.
"These are your grandkids. Lila and Brady lahote Ferguson "Bella introduced.
Charlie smiled kindly at Brady and cooed at Lila.
"I'm sure you'll give me an explanation later?" he questioned.
Bella nodded as Sue began to serve the table.
"Oh, Mom let me- "
"No, you don't young lady. You'll sit right there and eat a proper meal." Sue chided.
After breakfast was finished, Bella handed Lila over to Sue, and then she, Brady, and Paul headed out.
It was time to meet the pack.
…
Rebecca paced back and forth on her back porch. The pack would be meeting here in about thirty minutes. However, she asked Paul to come a little early so she could talk to him. He would be leading this mission since he had the most knowledge about it. Plus, he already had a plan set up.
Worry etched her thoughts as she thought about her pack mate. He was such an enigma. Someone she couldn't understand and the reason behind that was because they didn't trust each other. She didn't trust him, and he didn't trust her. but they would have to work on that to operate correctly. When she thought about it, Paul never gave her a reason to not trust him. He always did what needed to be done. His only offense was being different. And that wasn't an offense at all. People tend to avoid what they don't understand.
But what brought her to this moment of clarity? This moment of wanting to see her pack mate for who he truly was?
Well, to be honest, Rebecca had been watching her packmate for some time. While he carried a dominant presence, he had no desire to be in charge unless those he cared about were in harm's way. He stayed calm under pressure and was always in control of himself. He could strategize under stress and didn't follow his emotions at the dime of hate.
Rebbeca sighed heavily because her sister wouldn't like what was going to happen next. As she continued to think, she heard heartbeats emerging from the forest.
Looking up, she saw Paul and Brady in their wolf forms. To her surprise on Paul's back was Bella Swan.
Rebbeca's eyes widened at the young woman. She hadn't seen Bella in a long time. When she disappeared two years ago, Rebbeca didn't blink. She thought the girl had run off to find the Cullens and was living among them. It seemed she was wrong.
She stood tall as she observed her pack mates emerging from the forest. She grimaced at the sight of Brady. He was so young and the bald patches on his fur showed signs of stress. She thought not having him patrol would have helped his home life but now, she was full of regret. They both phased, Paul, shimmering effortlessly into a man wearing very nice clothes. Another surprise was that he and Bella were matching. A united front.
Rebbecca choked as the dots began to connect. The smell of sex they had scented on Paul during their last council meeting! It made sense. Bella was the one he had been with. She groaned at the thought of her sisters' reaction.
This was about to be hell on earth.
…..
"Paul, Brady...Bella.. thanks for coming. It's nice to see you again Bella. However, I will say that if you are affiliated with any vampires, they will not be allowed on our land." She said firmly.
Bella gave her an eyebrow arch, that resembled Paul's. It unnerved her.
"You asked me to be here early. I value my time."
Rebbecca cleared her throat and tried to focus. Bella Swan being here really threw her for a loop.
"I believe this is a pack matter, plus Brady doesn't have to be here."
Paul stared at her with his shades on. He looked like a semblance of calm.
"Let's go." He said with a short and clipped tone.
It was then she realized he was going to leave.
"No! Wait, darn it Paul, come on. You have to understand my frustration. You blindsided me with Bella Swan."
Paul whipped around and was in her face before she could blink. He towered over her.
Rebbeca swallowed hard.
"No! You were blindsided because you were not paying attention! You haven't been paying for a very long time alpha! Your pack member was being abused under your nose and you ignored it. Your pack has been in disarray for a long time and you stand and bat your pretty little eyelashes as if every problem will go away. Now, my time is present and not to be wasted. You will not disrespect me or my wife. Either tell me what you wanted to discuss or I walk away and you can deal with the cold ones by yourself."
Rebbeca held her tongue and internally held her wolf back. Parts of her felt a mild sense of attraction to Paul. He knew when to take charge and put people in their place.
Wait…did he say WIFE? As in Bella was his wife?
She sighed in frustration and swallowed down her pride.
" I apologize for offending you. both of you," she said sincerely as she looked at Bella. She then turned to Paul who had taken a step back.
" your right…I have been slacking. It's been a lot going on but that does not excuse me for slacking. Brady, I am so sorry honey, I failed you. I'll talk to the council immediately about finding you somewhere to stay. You won't have to go back home."
"I already took care of that. What did you need to speak to us about." Paul informed her.
Rebbeca fidgeted before she put on her big girl panties.
"Everything you said earlier was right. I've been watching you for a while and I have treated you unfairly. I apologize for that."
Paul gave her a nod.
She then pinched the bridge of her nose as she asked this question.
"paul…I need you. I need your help. I need a trustworthy mature …beta."
"You have one." He told her in a monotone.
"Yes I do but… she can't focus right now. She's all over the place and too busy up your butt. I need someone with their head in the game. Please paul…I need your help. I need someone strong backing me up."
Paul turned to Bella, both of them having some silent conversation. He raised an eyebrow in her direction.
Bella tilted her head to the side and then nodded. Paul turned back.
" I will help you."
"Oh thank you! Now can you tell me the strategy or should we wait for the rest of the pack? "
"Let's talk now and then we will debrief the pack."
…
Sometime later, the pack began to arrive in the backyard. All of them gave curious and skeptical glances at Paul and Bella.
Once everyone arrived, Rebbeca gave an order for silence.
"Hello everyone. Thanks for being on time. Listen we know we have an unknown enemy out there. Our pack mate Paul, has encountered him. Therefore we will be taking his lead on this mission. But before we do that. I have something to say. I have not been the best alpha I know I can be. We all have a lot going on and it has been very hard to balance life and our pack duties. Plus we have the elders breathing down our necks. I know it has been a lot and I truly apologize about that. I am going to revamp our patrol schedules so that everyone can get what they need. and with that said, we need a bit more order. We have all been a bit lackadaisical in our commitment. Therefore, I am making Paul Lahote my new beta."
As soon as she said it, the whole pack felt the transfer of power take place. On top of his dominant presence, he now had the power of beta to back him up.
"WHAT! REBBECA!" Rachel yelled.
"QUIET!" she ordered. Rachel's lips locked up.
"Now, everyone needs to turn their attention to Paul. He's going to debrief us."
Paul stood, the energy he gave off, captivating the pack's attention.
"We have two weeks to prepare. Here is what we are going to do.."
….
Five hours later, the pack went their separate ways bruised and exhausted. Paul wanted to see just how much they knew.
As strong as he was, the truth had to be made known.
They couldn't depend on him to take down an enemy all the time. Yes, it worked out and they had a routine. But everyone needed to know how to make the kill just in case he wasn't there.
He needed them to understand, that the enemy would do everything in his power to get what he wanted.
As Paul observed them, he tuned in to the nearby conversation Jacob Black was having with Bella.
However, his eavesdropping didn't last long, Rachel Black was coming his way. He planted his feet firmly on the ground as she marched toward him. Her eyes were yellow.
"This is what you do huh? Prance around like I don't exist! And now you take my position!?" she seethes.
Paul sighed. He didn't want to do this. He didn't but he had to. With lighting reflexes, he grabbed her and pulled her into an embrace.
His tiger roared as a sense of betrayal ran through him, his wolf on the other hand hummed. This was a daily conflict in his spirit. His wolf wanted community. Wanted pack. It wanted to touch and protect. But his tiger. His tiger wanted solitude. In nature, tigers were solo creatures.
But right now, touching a woman that wasn't his. It hurt. Made his skin crawl but he needed to end this battle. He even got on his knees and prayed that morning. God gave him the answers he needed even if he didn't like them.
He needed to humble himself in this moment.
"I…" he hesitated. " I ..am sorry, if you feel like I hurt you. I am sorry you got trapped in something you didn't even want. your just as much a victim in this as I am. But I need you and your wolf to hear me. hear me as an imprint. I don't romantically want you. I have a mate. I want you to live your life and find someone naturally. Not because your wolf forces you too. Look at yourself. Driving yourself crazy over someone who doesn't want you. your worth more than that. You deserve better than that."
And then Paul stepped back and strode away towards his true mate.
….
"Hey…bells.." Jacob said quietly as he approached her. She was leaning against a tree.
"Jake..hey," she responded apprehensively
Jacob kicked a nearby rock as they stood there in silence.
"sooo, how have you been?"
"I've been pretty good. Just getting my life back on track you know.." she responded vaguely.
Jacob groaned. This was so awkward! Too awkward. He couldn't take it anymore! They were best friends…well at least they used to be…now well, he didn't know.
"Darn it bells.. im sorry OK? I screwed up our friendship when I phased! I had to take a vow of secrecy but that doesn't excuse the way treated you. I was immature! and by the time I got my act together, you were gone."
"Yeah, it was immature! You ignored me Jake and slammed the door in my face! You stopped talking to me! I know you had a secret to keep and do you think I wouldn't have understood that? You could have told me you had tribal duties or something. Why be so cruel?"
"Because you stubborn bells and you would have continued to come around until you saw me with your own eyes that I was okay."
"And what's wrong with that? The day you slammed the door in my face, I was coming to tell you that I knew about the wolf that everything would be ok, and that I could wait for you. Instead, Billy told me to go home and you slammed the door in my face. Listen I don't want to rehash the past. We were both under a lot of stress and mistakes were made. I just want my friend back and I want honesty. No more lies or being a spoiled jerk."
"Hey, im not spoiled!" Jacob pouted.
Bella gave him a look.
"Yes, you are Jake. You have younger child syndrome." Bella told him as she lightly punched him in the arm.
Jacob gently pushed her away and laughed.
"whatever. So, Paul says you going to be involved in the battle. Flaming arrows though? You sure you can handle that?"
Bella grimaced. Jacob was always doubting her.
"Flaming arrows made out of vampire flesh Jake. Im a pro at what I do ok."
Jacob threw up his hands.
"Whatever you say buffy."
Bella sighed in annoyance. Maybe Jacob hadn't matured as much as she thought.
Sensing her discomfort, Paul walked over to her. Jake stiffened.
"Pup." he nodded and then turned to Bella.
"Ready to go kitten?"
Yawning Bella nodded.
"Yeah, it's getting cold out. See you later Jake."
Without saying, Bella snuggled into Paul's side as they walked away. Brady joining them.
Jacob sputtered at the scene.
As they walked away, Paul muttered only for Jacob to hear.
"Still thought you had a chance pup? Yeah right. In your dreams. By the way, tell your alpha that the whole pack is invited to my house for dinner."
As they walked toward their house, Bella noticed Paul was trembling.
"Honey what-"
"Not now. Later." He said through gritted teeth.
A small hand grabbed his own, calming his tremors a little.
It was Brady. He could sense Paul's unease.
He gave the pup a nod.
When their home came into site, Paul sent Brady inside and ran with Bella to his private part of the forest.
His eyes were blue and yellow.
He had lost full control and now Bella was in the crossfire.