Chapter 3

"So, you didn't see it?" Sam asked.

"No. There were too many people, and just when I smelled the fucking leech, everybody was moving and applauding," Paul said, feeling the agitation and frustration all over again. "We need to get back to more patrolling just to check that what the fuck ever it was, isn't trying to come here. I'll take the first shift tonight."

"But there haven't been any leeches coming in the past six months. Why would this one be able to get through the shield?"

"I need to be sure. That damn corpse was there for a reason, and it was Bella. I cannot tell you why I know it because I don't, but it's the feeling the wolf has, and if there is something I've learned, it's to trust him. The fucker knows."

Sam nodded.

"Are you going back to New York anytime soon?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, end of this month, and I need one wolf with us, maybe Embry or Jared. If that leech comes back, I need to be able to track it down, and I need one wolf with Bella all the time," Paul said.

Sam nodded, understanding the seriousness of the situation, which was a fucking relief; he wouldn't have the patience to argue over something so pivotal than his family's safety.

"Maybe it would be good to take Jared with you, get him away from here for a while," Sam suggested.

"Is Kim still giving him a hard time?" Paul asked, although he knew nothing could have changed since they'd last talked about the situation. But fuck how he hoped they could get their shit together and go on with their lives that were somewhat separate now but still connected on a deeper level.

"Yeah, she's a mess. Emily is trying to help her, but she's not very cooperative and mostly makes Emily feel shit."

Paul sighed, rubbing his face. He should have more energy to try to deal with the couple, they were his responsibility as part of the pack, but it was damn difficult to be involved with their shit, not the least because of how they've treated Bella and him.

"Okay. I'll take Jared. It will do him good, and I need someone with me. There is one concert on the first of February, and Patrick is negotiating for two more before the end of March. Another one is in Seattle, and another one is probably in Boston. The bastard tries to squeeze everything out of Bella before she has the babies. Originally, they talked about only one concert, but since it was such a success, and everyone wants to have her, there'll be three."

"Was it good?"

Paul's phone beeped. It was a message from Bella. It was a video of her moving belly with a text Time to put these two to sleep. You coming? A shit-eating grin spread on Paul's face. He glanced at Sam, who was looking at him questioningly.

"Hmmm?"

"The concert. Was it any good?"

Paul laughed. "You ask me if my wife's concert was any good, and you're expecting me to answer something else than great?"

Sam laughed too.

"But seriously, it was fucking amazing, I mean the whole thing until the moment the corpse showed up. I've heard the music when Bella had played it before, but now it was turned into a whole orchestra piece; it was fucking unbelievable. But seeing her play and enjoying herself is the best part. All I ever want is her to be happy, and playing makes her happy."

Paul got up, his wife needed him, and he always needed her. "Hey Sam, I've gotta go. But thanks again for doing the reno so fast."

"No problem. Your mother-in-law promised us a pretty handsome bonus if we finished it before you came back from New York."

Paul cringed. "Yeah, she likes to throw her money around."

Renée had insisted on paying for the renovation of their house, which had pissed him off at first, but Bella had told him to put his manly ego down and accept the offer. Her mother had lots of money, and since she hadn't been able to pay for a grand wedding, they should let her pay for their house's improvements and use the money where it mattered the most. She would snake it to them somehow anyway. After brooding for a few days thinking about being a fuckin charity case, he'd given in. He had to go to the bank anyway to ask for a loan for his restaurant, and they could always pay Renée back.

But he had to admit it was nice to have everything ready well before the babies were born. Now they had two extra rooms and another bathroom: all the space they would ever need for four people even after the kids had grown bigger. Paul was happy, there was no other place in the res he rather lived than their house, so it was awesome they'd been able to expand it to accommodate their growing family.

Paul texted back to Bella Coming. And left Sam's house.

On his way to his truck, he ran into Quil. He looked apprehensive, not like the cocky easygoing Quil he used to be, which ailed Paul.

"What's up, man? All good?"

"Yeah, all good. Neil …. Neil is coming tonight … um... me and Claire … um …. we're going to introduce him to my mum as … ah… as my boyfriend," Quil stammered.

Damn, Paul hoped that he would let go of that insecurity around his sexuality. Everyone in the pack had proved to him they had nothing against him being gay, and Claire had been fucking great, showing why she is his imprint. But still, he struggled. Paul hoped he could kick Old Quil's ass, like really kick him. He did number on his grandson with all his shit.

"That's great, man. Has Neil moved back here, or is he just visiting?" Paul felt a pang of guilt about not being on the top of all things going on with the pack.

"He's visiting, for now. But ... um … he turns 18 next month and … um... he would love to move back here."

Paul patted Quil's shoulder as he walked past him. "Just let me know if there's anything I can do to help, okay," he said.

He didn't want to have that chat now; he burned to be with his wife. They hadn't had sex for a couple of days, which was unusual. The last two days in New York had been crazy busy and without any privacy. This morning Bella had been sleeping when he'd left to catch up with Sam. He'd been too restless to wait for her to wake up; he needed to talk with Sam about the bloodsucker and how to deal with the situation.

He hopped into his truck and drove away. Maybe this was why he didn't know all that was going on: he let his dick rule him. But fuck like he cared; he needed his woman, and he needed her now.

The drive to their house didn't take long.

"Baby, where are you?!" he shouted as he closed the front door.

"Come and find me!" came the answer.

Paul's semihard just got harder, throbbing in his jeans. Bella's voice had come from the back of the house, from either new room. As he threw his jacket on the couch and moved toward his wife, Paul's heart hammered faster in sync with hers. It never ceased to amaze him how they could feel each other's emotions, and she was just as anxious to reconnect with him as he was with her.

Both doors leading to their new rooms were closed, but Paul felt Bella being in the left one. He opened the door, and his breath hitched when he saw her sitting on the armchair wearing nothing else than … nothing ...damn. she was completely naked. Her long wavy hair covered her full breasts, and she swung her slim legs over the armrest. Her eyes were heavy-lidded and dark with lust. His dick pressed harder against the fly, and he involuntary palmed his shaft, making her moan.

They just stared at each other for a long while, breathing heavily. Paul's nostrils flared as he could smell the mixed scent of their arousals spiking his own and fueling their need for each other.

He pulled his t-shirt off as he moved to take his wife. Bella changed her position simultaneously, and their mouths crashed against each other as Paul kneeled in front of the chair. Hungry mouths ate at each other, and tongues battled for dominance.

"I missed you when I woke up," Bella breathed when Paul moved to kiss her neck.

"I'm here now."

"That you are... ah …" she moaned as he sucked his mark on her shoulder.

Bella started to fumble with the button on his jeans. He was too busy with her heavy and soft breasts to help her. After she got them open, she grabbed his hard cock into her hand and started to pump him.

"Fuck … yes …" he groaned.

"I want to suck you off," she breathed against his neck. She moved to sit on her knees on the floor, and Paul stood up, moving back a little to give her more space. She pulled his jeans down on his thighs and kissed the head. Her big eyes were looking up at him through her lashes as she snaked her tongue on his dick and scraped her teeth just the way he loved. She sucked him into her mouth, hands twisting the base. The suction she used was fucking perfection, and he grabbed her head, holding it still, and started to fuck her mouth, knowing how she loved it. She moaned, and the vibration went straight to his balls as a new hit of arousal arrived at his nostrils, he knew this would be over soon, and he didn't mind. He ached to taste her and get her off before fucking her against the chair. Oh, the possibilities that chair offered...

"Baby suck me harder!" he moaned and added the tempo, hips thrusting against her face, carefully not to gag her. She moaned again, and his balls tightened as she started to roll then with her other hand. It did it; he shot his load into her throat. He held her head a little longer, loving her hot mouth around his pulsing cock.

He eased his grip on her head, and she licked him clean.

"You are fucking amazing, baby," Paul said and helped her pregnant wife up from the floor. "My turn."

His fingers found her soaked entrance, and he pushed in one finger same time he made sure Bella was positioned comfortably on the chair. It was a big cozy chair, and Paul lifted Bella's other leg over the armrest spreading her wide open. He growled, which never failed to arouse his wife further.

He licked her, and she tasted heaven. Circling her clit with the tip of his tongue, two fingers sliding in and out, curling his fingers and twisting his wrist. Fuck, what a sight to behold.

"Mmm..." she moaned.

His wife had always been very responsive to his touches, but after falling pregnant, it was as if she had an on-off switch he could just turn on whenever he felt like it. He had hardly started, and she was already coming arching her back.

"Uh, Paul …"

"You taste like the sweetest of honey, baby. I want more," Paul growled and continued to lick and plunge his tongue into her hot channel, making her come repeatedly.

"Paul … Ah... I want to sit on you. I want your cock," Bella breathed after another orgasm.

The chair might've been a bit too snug for the two, at least for hard fucking, but damn perfect for slow and tortuous lovemaking, and he was all for that.

Paul helped her up from the chair, and after pulling his jeans off, he sat down, lifting her on his lap. Bella placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned down to kiss him, licking her essence from his lips and face. She bit his bottom lip and sucked it into her mouth. Paul's cock twitched between her thighs. He grabbed his shaft and rubbed its head against Bella's wet folds. They both groaned loudly at the contact.

"Take it, baby. It's all yours," Paul grunted.

Bella sank on him slowly while her mouth made love to his mouth, his face, his neck. Her right hand moved on her mark over his heart, fingers tracing the teeth marks on his skin. Every nerve in his body was reacting to the stimulations, and the sensation was overwhelming. He trembled with overflowing emotions.

"I love you, Paul," she breathed into his ear.

"I love you, baby, more than anything."

She rotated her hips, moaning. "God … Paul, you feel so good. So big... uh... so hard." She rocked and undulated on his lap, squeezing her inner muscles, grinding her pelvis against his making him absolutely crazy. He met her movements with a growing need to get deeper, faster, harder...

"So good..." she moaned, arching her back and placing her hands on his knees, bouncing up and down. Her full breasts bounced with her. Enjoying the view, he didn't touch them but let them move freely, making his mouth water.

Bella's movements on him grew more demanding, and he, too, needed more.

Using his supernatural strength, he lifted them from the chair and pulled himself out of his wife's moist heat.

"Turn around, baby," he said to her and helped her to kneel on the chair. Bella placed her hands on the back of the chair, and not wasting any time; Paul entered her from behind. The height was just perfect.

"Yes, Paul..."

"You're so fucking tight, baby." He thrust slowly balls deep, admiring the view in front of him. "So damn beautiful."

Paul traced his fingers on Bella's inked f-shapes on her lower back, leaving goosebumps in their wake. He loved how she looked like this: swollen middle, hips rounder than before. He knew he was a man madly in love and, as such, had eyes only for his wife but surely this woman was the most beautiful creature ever existed. He increased his tempo, grabbing her hips tighter. She loved it when he was rough with her, and he had stopped worrying over the bruises she so easily got when he held her even a little tighter. His wolf loved every mark he'd made on her skin while they fucked.

"Yes, Paul, harder... ah... fuck me harder."

Skin slapping against skin and wanton moaning echoed in the room with still little else than a chair and baby cribs to soften the noises. It was hot as fuck, and Paul wanted it to last forever. But it didn't. His balls started to tighten, and he slammed faster and harder.

"Oh fuck … Jesus... Baby come with me," Paul panted and moved his hand on Bella's clit. It was all she needed, and she cried out her release as her walls gripped tightly around his cock, milking him, sucking deeper, and making him explode deep inside her. Her thighs were shaking, so Paul wrapped his arms protectively around her, lifting her against his front side. He loved to keep her still and close to him while their bodies were still pulsing with their release. It was one of the most erotic things Paul knew. Bella shivered with aftershocks and clamped around him some more, and he groaned with pleasure.

He kissed her cheek, and she turned her head to kiss him.

Bella's belly bounced under his hands. He chuckled against her neck.

"I guess we need round two in the other room," Bella giggled, still panting.

"When are you going to tell people which ones you are having?" Johana asked.

"We're not. We don't want to know before the babies are born," Bella said.

"Oh." Johana was surprised by this, but she recovered fast. "You mean you're not organizing one of those gender revelation parties?" she asked, smiling.

"Hell no. No parties, baby showers, nothing. I know some people think I'm weird, and my mom is driving me nuts complaining about me being selfish and not letting her organize one for us, and maybe I am, but I don't have the patience for those kinds of things, and Paul thinks the same. When the babies are born and safely here, people can give them gifts if they want to."

Bella didn't say out loud that she also felt it to be bad luck to get presents for the babies before they were born. Some might call it neurotic or downright insane, but she couldn't help how she felt.

"Yeah, I guess it makes sense since you're not finding out which ones you're having; it saves the trouble for everyone trying to find gender-neutral things for the babies."

"There is that," she said, taking a sip from her tea. "And the thing is, me and Paul love going out for a day to do some shopping together when we have the time, and we try to get things we like and what is purposeful. We think that babies don't need so much stuff anyway. We found this amazing shop close to Seattle, where are vintage and used baby stuff and clothes, cute toys, and furniture made locally. We bought the cribs from there made by a local carpenter called Dave."

"Those must've been expensive," Johana said.

"Not substantially more than the ones from chain shops. And it's nice to support local handiwork."

"Well, it's nice if you can afford it," Johana said.

Bella cringed inwardly. She knew Johana didn't mean anything by it, she was just stating the fact, but Bella did feel a bit uncomfortable. Her intention never was to brag about having a wealthy family. Living on the reservation, where many people struggled with their income, she'd become more aware of her good fortune. But she and Paul had plans which would also help people here to get more income, opening a restaurant that would serve food made of local ingredients, selling locally made products, and so on. They still haven't talked about it since their plans were in the early stages. Right now, they wanted to focus on their babies, and Paul was happy to work for Sue for the time being.

"How have you been feeling? It's been ages since we last met, and you were hardly showing then, and now you are so big," Johana asked.

"Yeah, I'm huge," Bella sighed, brushing her hands over her bump. "But it's been ridiculous how smoothly things have gone. Sue thinks it's because of the wolf magic, and I guess she might be right. I've been a bit more tired than before the pregnancy, but I've also worked hard with my music. No nausea, cramps, pains, not even swollen ankles, yet anyway," Bella told her friend. After hearing so many horror stories of complicated pregnancies from her music colleagues, she knew she was lucky.

"You look gorgeous; you know that, right? It's amazing how, being pregnant with twins, you can still be so slim, apart from your bump. My cousin who had twins looked nothing like you."

Bella was starting to feel a bit too self-conscious, so she just smiled. She wanted to talk about something else.

"How are things with you? How is Seth doing?" she asked. Johana hummed, having just taken a bite from her bread. Bella took another sip from her tea, waiting for her to answer.

"I'm doing well," Johana finally said. "We are doing great. Ever since the bonfire, there had been this feeling of togetherness and rightness that weren't there before. We are, of course, over the moon that our bond was the mating kind because we love each other, even though we are so young we knew we belong together."

Bella smiled at Johana. She had been sure of their bond too. But Bella wasn't happy that she'd also been right about Kim and Jared. No matter how much hatred had been thrown between her and her former friend, she didn't wish anything bad for Kim or Jared.

She'd heard from Paul that Kim wasn't accepting the new situation and was making it impossibly hard for them both to continue with their lives. It was such a shame.

It made her sad. Being so immensely happy herself, she wanted everybody to feel the same way.

But she couldn't help the little feeling of fear sometimes creeping into the back of her mind: could this last. Could it be possible to be this happy? Surely something terrible was going to happen sooner or later. Perhaps it was the nerves of getting closer to the birth of the twins, but there were moments when the feeling of dread was overwhelming. She knew what it meant to lose someone you love, and there was no guarantee in life it couldn't happen again.

Bella shook her head, trying to get rid of the bad feeling, and turned back to Johana.