Note | Alpha Order | Inner Wolf | 'Talking in Mind Link'
Chapter Twenty-Seven | Feeling Wrong
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Paul growled. The leaches were playing with them. He didn't like to be toyed with. Or pushed in a direction he had not chosen for himself.
"Excuse me?" Sam growled out.
Better him talking, than Paul. Paul was ready to take them out. Take them all out. Paul had had just about enough of the leeches near his territory. Near his imprint.
A tremor coursed through Paul's body.
"It would be better if you did not think about such things." Edward's higher pitched voice called out across the huge living-room in the Cullen house.
Paul twitched. "And you'd do better to stay out of my mind cock-sucker." His deep voice growled out, animal coming to the surface.
Edward frowned as Paul supernaturally shoved him out of the alpha wolf's mind. He still didn't understand how he could do such a thing. But, then again, Paul wasn't human either.
"Please, Edward." Carlisle soothed. He smiled widely at the wolves littering his living-room. "We wanted you all to know what we know."
Sam held in an eye roll and shifted. "Then tell us."
Devon heaved a small sigh - his human traits were still intact. "There is a special library in the Volturi Coven." His nose twitched as he did his best to keep away from the stench of wolf. "It houses the history of our ancestors."
"Much like our people do?" Jared questioned with furrowed brows.
"Yes," Devon nodded. "In a sense." His brows furrowed as he concentrated. "When I lived with the Volturi, I spent a lot of my time in there." His honey colored eyes were hidden behind closed lids as he recalled his memories. "There was one book, a book I was beyond fascinated with."
"Is there a point to this?" Paul snapped. His shoulders rolled. It had been an overly long day. He hadn't been home to see his imprint yet. And he wanted to see her. Paul needed to see Loveless. He rolled his shoulders once more.
"If you would stop interrupting him." Edward hissed.
Jasper sent out a wave of calm. This was the reason he stayed. Putting three of the strongest wolves in the same room as a family full of vampires - emotions were bound to stir.
"Edward," Carlisle crooned softly. He sent the other a fleeting glance before turning back to Paul. "Please, I beg . . . Give Devon a minute, let him explain."
Paul hissed out a snarling breath. "Get to the point."
"It talked about a cultivated civilization." His brows furrowed as he recalled the memory - it had been a while. "A civilization for more intelligent, powerful: physically and mentally." Devon shifted - unnoticeable until after he had settled in once more in a new position. "A civilization with people made of fire and air."
"Fire and Air?"
Paul shook his head. "Stop watching the fucking air bender - not that great of a show." His little sister used to watch that - it had been one of her favorite shows as a child.
Devon hissed, turning to glare at Paul. "Stop being an immature child!"
Jasper sent out another calming wave.
"Please, listen to him." Carlisle started. "He's telling the truth. I vaguely remember hearing of them as a child." Carlisle smile, a soft chuckle falling from his lips. "Not a child per say, but like any civilization - there are legends. After a person is turned into a vampire, they go through a child-phase. A period where you have to relearn everything. During this period, a new-born learns of the heritage to the civilization they have joined."
The others vampires nodded in agreement as they listened to Carlisle.
"I remember a legend much like the people that Devon speaks of." The doctors voice was smooth and light.
"Pheorians." Devon supplied.
Pauls' brows furrowed. "Fee- what?"
"Ph- as in the letter p and the letter h." Devon answered. "Phe-or-ian," he broke it down before saying it once more. "Pheorians."
"Why do you say they are made of fire and air?" Jared questioned.
Devon gave the wolf a half smile - Jared was the nice one. "It's a mash up between air and bird." His lips pursed. "The book tells us their bloodline and abilities came from the blood of a royal phoenix."
"How did these two very different . . ." Jared trailed off, not sure how to summarize the two: one human and one bird. "Become one?" HIs nose scrunched.
Devon shrugged while looking at Carlisle. "That much is unknown. They could have joined together in many different ways."
"You've got to be shitting me?" Paul snorted. "What did they mate?"
Devon frowned. "No matter how many decades I have been around - or even in my human years - that is an expression I have never understood." Devon shook his head. "But no, I am not shitting you."
"It's a bird and a human." Paul stressed the two while shaking his head. What the hell had he gotten himself into when he agreed to be alpha? This was to much. Idiotic. Impossible.
"And you're a dog." Edward sneered.
Paul growled. "I didn't fucking sleep with a wolf or some shit like that. Our ancestors merged with the wolf. Our ancestors asked to become one with the wolf." His deep voice hissed out as a tremor crawled up his spine. He really wanted to bite into a leech right now.
"Shall I buy you a teething kit?" Edward smirked.
Paul chuckled. "Your arm will be fine."
Edward hissed.
"Please," Carlisle soothed. "Edward." He motioned towards Bella who had long ago been sent upstairs - away from the meeting.
Edward nodded begrudgingly.
"Things would run much smoother, if there was less antagonizing." Carlisle spoke softly, doing nothing to raise their tempers more than necessary. "We do not know the complete story."
Paul nodded, breathing in deeply through his nose. "I know that - but the coc- leech - needs to mind his own damn business. Not to mention - stay the hell away from my Nicole." My Loveless. The wolf within Paul hissed darkly a growl bubbled in his chest. He stood.
The other to followed.
"Thank you for your information." Paul started. "We will deal with the rest." His ears tweaked at the sound of a truck coming up the drive. "Our ride is here."
Carlisle smiled easily. "I wish we could have been of more help."
"You have done more than enough." Paul nodded, "if you come across anything else, let us know."
Carlisle bowed. "Yes, yes."
. . .
Loveless heaved a small sigh as the sea air coiled around her. Her shoulders sagged as the sound of crashing waved eased the tension. She pulled her flip-flops off and let the warmed sand slide against her toes.
Relaxing.
It was very relaxing. No wonder Vic wanted to bring her here.
It seemed to Loveless, that all the bad memories and locked away emotions just ebbed away with the tide of the ocean. Her spine eased as her body easily carried her down to the shore. A chill slid through Loveless' body as the cold water reached her toes.
Turn back. You are not ready my child.
Loveless stopped, frozen in fear. Where had that voice come from? Why did it sound familiar? She shook her head and continued.
Turn back, my child, turn back.
Loveless swallowed hard as she stared at the waning sun. What was happening to her? She shook her head and continued on. Loveless had never played the scared little girl, and she wasn't about to start.
Pop.
Loveless' eyes widened as something within her shattered. Her body swayed.
A sudden flux of emotions swam through her. Loveless frowned. Her hands coiled into fists as heat seared her chest and flared. Her right hand came down over her chest as she wheezed. Her legs turned to jello.
The sound of waves crashing grew louder.
Her eyesight dulled as she hunched over. The heat burned brighter. A tremor coursed through her body. Loveless whimpered as her air supply dwindled.
What was happening.
The lights around her dimmed as her vision spotted.
The heat burned brighter. The white-hot scorching heat in her chest coiled deeply in her bones and spread through her system. Her body was fighting.
Fighting what?
Her vision blackened as she fell against the sand.
. . .
08:29:02 PM
Paul growled as he slammed the passenger door shut. "It's going to take years before the sent of acidic corpses out of my nose."
"I think my nose hairs are burned." Jared whined and made a pawing motion at his nose before laughing.
Jacob's nose wrinkled. "Maybe y'all should ride in the bed of the truck?"
Sam snorted. "Just drive."
"You're imprint is mad at you." Jacob started.
All three imprinted wolves perked up. Their eyes wide, a heart stricken look on their forces.
"You need to clarify." Jared started. "We all have imprints. Which one is upset?"
Sam nodded. "I haven't done anything to Emmy - I haven't even been there to do anything."
Jacob laughed. "Sorry, sorry. Paul, your imprint is mad at you."
"Why?" Paul exclaimed, his heart rate increased. His wolf pushed at his chest. That made them angry. What could they have done? His eyes narrowed as Jacob played oblivious. Paul growled. "I will alpha order your ass."
"She hasn't seen you all day." Jacob chuckled. "She was really unhappy when I pulled into school to get her."
Paul smirked. "She misses me?"
"Sure, sure." Jacob rolled his eyes. "She was in a mood since she saw my truck and not your car." Jacob shook his. "Your imprint is a huffy one too."
Paul chuckled and relaxed back into his seat. The tension seemed to drain away as he thought about his imprint.
"Emily has got a baked ziti in the oven." Jacob's stomach growled. "I seriously thought about just making you all walk home."
Sam smiled, the tension slipping away. "She's making ziti?"
"Sure is!" Jacob smiled brightly. "She was putting the third one in the oven when I left the house to go to mine." He flipped the blinker and turned onto the main highway - away from the dirt road that led to the Cullen's home. "Kim was making potato salad and apple pie." He moaned softly.
Jared chuckled. "Stop talking about food!" He growled and shoved the back of Jacob's chair - softly. He would have damaged the seat and wrecked the car using his actual strength.
"I wonder if Nicole cooks?" Paul murmured softly looking out the window.
Jacob snickered, "she'd probably poison the food."
Paul rolled his eyes. "Yeah, she'd poison yours." His brows furrowed as tension built.
"Paul?" Jared voiced, though all had noticed the sudden change in their alpha.
Paul breathed out shakily and hunched forward. Something was wrong. His hand shot up and pushed at his chest, over his heart. "Wrong?" he breathed out.
"Paul?" Jared exclaimed, more anxious. "What's wrong?"
"Loveless," he couldn't stop the name from fall from his lips.
Sam's eyes widened. "Go faster!" He snapped at Jacob while helping Jared hold Paul down in the seat.
"Buddy, alpha, friend-o-mine . . ." Jacob laughed out nervously. "let's not damage the truck." He grimaced at the deep growl that greeted him. "Please?"
Paul breathed out roughly through his nose as deeper tremor shook his body. "Faster. Something," he breathed out, curling in on himself. The pain was immense. A searing white heat that nestled in his chest. It constricted his lungs, thickening his blood. The fire within him burned brighter. Tremors shook his body.
Jared's eyes widened. "Paul?" His voice shook. "What's wrong? what are you feeling?"
The truck jerked with the force of the tremor that coursed through Paul.
"Stop!" Paul wheezed out.
Jacob slammed on the brakes. The truck lurched to a stop.
Paul ripped the seat belt off while almost breaking the door-handle to get out of the truck. He fell to the ground - his knees hitting mere seconds before his hands followed. He wheezed out once more. His breath in short wasps. Something was wrong with Loveless. Something was severely wrong. His body shook, little spasms traveling through his muscles. Bones began to splinter while muscles stretched. Paul took a deep breath and waited.
Futile. It was futile to stop the phase. Futile to fight it. Easier. Much easier to let it go. Let it fill the body and the mind.
Where Paul once stood, his wolf counter-part now did. His shoulders rolled once more. He stretched leaning up towards the sky, a howl ripping from his throat.
Jared started to shake. "Jacob, take Sam and get home - find Nicole." His voice was hard - Beta Tone. He shed his clothes - leaving them in Jacob's truck - before phasing. "Paul?" Images rushed though their link. Her name was on repeat. It hadn't taken Jared long to realize that the name Loveless coincided with the Alpha's imprint - Nicole.
Paul whimpered before breaking into a dash. He needed to find Loveless. He needed to find her. Something was wrong. He needed to know she was safe. The heat that surrounded his heart intensified.
"We will find her." Jared did his best to soothe his alpha while trying to keep his insecurities at bay. His wolf whimpered and cringed at he onslaught of pain that crashed upon his alpha in rolling despairing, rolling waves.
Paul growled and continued to run. He needed to find her. And now.