Hellou! Another chapter incoming :)

I'm leaning into the drama for the next few chapters, but it's nothing that will affect the relationship between Paul, Sam, and Bella.

Also, I wanted to make the note that most of the beginning of New Moon happened in this fic. Or more like, this fic starts after some of those events. For example, Bella going over to Jake's to confront him, and Paul flipping out, happened. Obviously, there was no Emily in the house since in this fic, Emily is not with Sam romantically.

Hope you like it. I think, if everything goes according to plan, that Jasper and Bella will meet again in chapter 18.

Until then. REVIEW :)

WARRIOR

Chapter 16.

BELLA POV

After taking a much-needed nap, I woke up to a naked and asleep Paul sprawled to my left and an empty spot to my right. Sam must have gotten up already. I quietly slid out of Paul's arms and tip-toed to the bathroom. We had cleaned up after our tryst, but I felt in need of a shower. Alone.

I turned the bolt on the bathroom door and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked happy, though sleepy. My eyes were bright, and my cheeks were flushed – though this might be due to sleeping with two human furnaces – but most of all, I looked healthy. I had lost weight after everything that went down after my eighteenth birthday. I was quickly recovering my relationship with food and gaining what I had lost. I had roped Angela into going to some yoga classes with me, and she roped me into pilates, so we were both quickly working on our fitness level. It worked wonders for my mental health and to slow down when everything felt like it was on fast-forward.

I turned my head, trying to glimpse the bites, but they were too hidden to comfortably look without feeling like Linda Blair.

Giving up on my attempt to see the marking, I hopped in the shower and enjoyed fifteen minutes of warm water. My muscles were tight, and I was sore in between my legs. I grinned—the best kind of sore to be.

After my shower, I peeked into my room again to find Paul snoring contentedly into the pillow I had vacated. He looked so young when sleeping, just like Sam, like nothing could touch him while he was in dreamland. My heart twisted sadly at the thought of the amount of pressure the pack had on their shoulders. It was a lot to ask from teenagers. Not only were they forced by blood and magic to turn into giant wolves, but they had to do many other things for the reservation. Luckily, the politics of it was left to the adults.

In the kitchen, I found a pot of hot chocolate with cinnamon sticks swimming at the top, with a note next to it that let me know Sam had gone to get some food and he'd be back in a few.

Just as I was pouring myself a deliciously steaming cup, my man came in through the door, loaded with shopping bags.

"What did you do?" I laughed because it looked like he had brought the entire damn store.

What was it with wolves and the amounts of food they bought? Between him and Paul, they could feed an army.

He set the bags on the kitchen table and turned to me. I closed the distance and walked into his embrace, inhaling his scent and basking in the comfort of his love and presence.

"I went to get some food, but I wanted to cook for you, so I decided to stop by the grocery store. And while I was there, I decided to stock up your fridge."

He said so nonchalantly, but I could see there was more to it than what he was saying.

"You're editing." I poked his abs, obviously not affecting him in the least.

"Fine. Jake was worried about Angela. She might have mentioned that she skipped her lunch once."

I nodded. I had scolded Angie for that. Taking it from someone whose relationship with food was on the mend, I didn't want her to suffer the same ailment. We promised each other to keep an eye on our food intake and not push ourselves. It was the first year, and if we started this strong, there wouldn't be anything to pick up at the end of the year, let alone at graduation.

I stepped back from his embrace, watching him take everything from the bags into the fridge and cupboards. He wasn't kidding when he said he bought food for us. There had to be one of everything in there.

I said nothing else, not wanting to discourage the sweet gesture.

"Jesus, and you accused me of buying the entire menu at a restaurant." Paul muttered next to me, making me jump, surprised. They usually made noise that let me know they were approaching. I guessed I was too in my head to hear him. "Sorry, baby. Didn't mean to scare you." He said, kissing my cheek.

I shook my head and let him know it was all good.

Sam's phone vibrated with a call he asked me to pick up. I did, setting it on speakerphone and letting him speak. No way was I going to pick up his phone and start the conversation. Whoever was calling my boyfriend wanted to speak with him, not me.

"Sammy?" A woman's voice came through the speakers.

"Hey, Ems. What's up?"

I heard her sniff, and my body went ramrod straight. She was crying. It was Emily, Sam's younger sister. He's told me a lot about her.

"Em, are you crying?" Sam stood closer to the phone, vibrating and shaking. Paul took my hand and slowly put me behind his back.

It was ironic that he was the one protecting me now when he was the one who almost jumped my bones when I confronted Jake about ignoring me. God, that feels like another life.

I watched Sam – as did Paul – and listened to his conversation with his sister.

"Are you home?"

"No, but I'll be there tomorrow. Do you need a place to stay?"

She sniffed. "Yes, please."

"Go to my house, Ems. You have the key. Do you need me to send anyone to help you with the little one?"

"Aren't you going to ask what happened?" She whispered brokenly. Paul's fist was tight at his side. According to Sam, they never liked the guy she married and usually kept a close eye on him. Something terrible must have happened if she was crying and looking for shelter.

"If he put a hand on any of you, he's a dead man." I had seen Sam mad, upset, and turned on. But the glint in his eyes, the straight back, the balled fists on each side of the phone on the kitchen counter screamed that he was a breath away from snapping and turning into a wolf in my tiny college living room.

"He tried to…" She cut herself off with a hiccup. "I didn't want to, and he almost…" More sobs. "And then, Liam walked into the room, and he raised his hand as if to strike him. I couldn't let him hit my baby."

Paul was ready to bolt out of the door. The only thing stopping him was his hand on my hip, keeping me behind his back. He was worried Sam might snap and wanted me out of the line of fire.

If I was being honest, I was a bit scared. I had only seen a wolf phase in anger when Paul and Jake fought, but I had never been in real danger then. Not that I was now, but Sam was upset, and accidents happened. I would know.

"Did he hit you?"

I gasped, covering my mouth with my hands but unable to do anything about the tears that welled up in my eyes.

"I hit him first with the bat. He was unconscious when I left."

"That's good, Ems. Stay at my place and get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow. Okay?"

"Thank you, Sammy." But she didn't hang up the call.

"I'm at my girlfriends' for the weekend." Sam added when the silence became too much, and the unasked question hung between them.

"Please tell me it's not Leah."

Paul finally relaxed and let out a chuckle. It made me feel better that Sam's sister didn't like Leah.

"Not her. And she's more than just my girlfriend. But I'll tell you about her tomorrow." He winked at me despite the seriousness of the situation.

"Okay. Thank you, Sammy."

They hung up, and I saw Sam text someone – probably one of his wolves. Emily probably needed someone to speak to. She needed her brother. And damn it, I wouldn't be the reason he was not there for her when she was upset. I had had four glorious days with them, and if they had to cut their trip short, I was more than happy that it was for someone who needed them.

"You have to go." It was not a question this time. It was an order, a request, and a plea.

Sam's head snapped from his phone, and his gaze locked with mine. I walked to him and took his face in mine. "She needs you, Sam. Go with your sister. I'll be fine."

He shook his head. "I'll see her tomorrow. I'll give her tonight to settle down." But even he could hear the hesitation in his voice. He also believed he needed to be there for her, but he was hesitating because of me. Because he didn't want to cut his trip short and possibly hurt my feelings, but he didn't understand that he would hurt me by staying here and not being present in mind.

"Listen to me." I demanded. One of the corners of his lips curled up, amused that I was commanding the Alpha. "Your sister needs you now. She doesn't need another of the wolves. You understand what she's going through, and she needs the support of her brother."

"But you need me, too."

I shook my head, still holding his face. "She needs you more now. I'll be fine. I promise. Please go to them."

He nodded softly but did not move. I looked at Paul for help, who nodded and walked to us. He clapped Sam's shoulder, making him look up. "Dude, listen to her. Ems needs you right now."

"What are you going to do?" Sam asked with a hint of jealousness in his voice.

Paul laughed at his Alpha, mocking his jealousy. "Who do you think it's driving your nervous ass home?"

That's all he needed to spring into motion. He rushed to my room and, like a hurricane, started putting things in his and Paul's bags, who stayed out of his way. It looked like a smart decision.

"Please call me when you get home." I turned to Paul. "And update me on Emily."

Paul kissed my forehead and tucked me under his chin. This was my favorite position to hug them. I felt safe and protected.

…

…

…

Sam finished packing the bags in a ball of energy. I could see the worry lines on his forehead, and all the catastrophic thoughts were written on his face. I wanted to say that Emily was going to be okay, but I didn't know the extent of her trauma or if this had been the first time her husband had been violent against her. Sam had mentioned he didn't like the guy she married, but aside from a few comments here and there to Emily, he never intervened. I could see he was regretting that now.

Paul left to put the bags in the car and give us a few minutes of privacy. I had already said my goodbyes to him when I walked with him to the car.

"You'll get there and be strong for her." I rubbed my palms up and down his arms. "If you need to punch something, go out and punch a tree. If you need to talk, call me anytime." He nodded, holding my gaze. "Hold her and let her get it out of her system. If she wants to talk, she'll talk, but be prepared if she doesn't."

He sighed, aggravated. "You think she won't want to tell me what happened?"

I shook my head. "I think the trauma might be too fresh right now to relieve it. Give her the space to choose when to open up."

"What do I do about Liam?"

Yeah, the kid was trickier. I was no expert in children, but his father had been close to using him as a punching bag. He might be confused and scared. He saw his mom take down his dad and then took him out of his home and ran away. I said all this to Sam. "Offer him the option to tell you how he's feeling. If he doesn't want to talk to you, offer to have anyone in the pack speak with him. You can even call me, and I can talk to him." I knew nothing about kids, but for Sam, I would do anything.

"Regardless of what happens, they know you'll always be there for them." I pecked his lips. "Also, text me whenever you can to let me know how they're doing." After a few seconds of silence, I said. "I love you."

"God, I love you too."

Instead of kissing him, I hugged him tightly before letting him go.

I went down with him to the parking lot and waved at the car until it was no longer visible. My heart was both heavy and light. I had the most amazing days of my life and was excited for the many more days to come, regardless of the future.

I went back upstairs and finished putting away all the groceries that Sam had picked. I couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculous amounts of cookies and gummies he had bought. Neither Angie nor I were big fans of gummies, but it was a nice gesture.

I became restless within minutes of the guys leaving, so I busied myself with cleaning every surface of the apartment and then meal-prepping for the week for Angie and me. I was nervous about Sam's sister. I was no stranger to trauma, though mine was different, and I felt useless. The only thing I thought to do for her was send her brother back home. I understood that it was not my job to help and get her through it. She needed an actual therapist if she wanted, someone professional with the right tools, and not a college first-year who wasn't even sure if she wanted to become a psychologist.

I sighed and put away the food I cooked for the week in different containers and set them on the counter to cool down.

I looked at my watch; it'd been three hours since the guys left, and knowing Paul was driving, and he drove like a bat fleeing hell, I'd assumed they were close to Forks, if not there already. I would wait two more hours before sending a check-in text.

Since I couldn't sit next to my phone like a crazy person for two straight hours, I reviewed some of the following week's material for my classes and made progress on my statistics understanding – though calling it progress was still a bit of an overstatement – which helped calm my thoughts and settle down.

I tended to get energetic when I couldn't control things. Things like the panic attack I had before my first week or things like Sam's sister being almost abused by her husband. I couldn't control these because they were out of my control. It was an after-effect that dating a vampire had left me with. The feeling of floating and not having an anchor, the feeling that someone else was taking the wheel in my life and I was just a passenger – things happening to me, and not me making this happen.

I couldn't go to a therapist because I would have to explain that the root of my problems was the nature of my ex-boyfriend and not the doomed-from-the-start relationship.

I shook my head and set my books on my room's tiny (and very uncomfortable) desk. I had showered already, so I was not in the mood for another one. I decided to lay on the couch and watch a movie on the TV while I waited for news from my guys.

I must have fallen asleep at some point because the vibration of my phone startled me awake. I took it and noticed a couple of missed calls from Sam and Paul. It was well past midnight. I had taken a hell of a nap.

The latest string of texts from my group chat with Sam and Paul informed me that they made it home and that Emily was physically fine, though shaken up. They confirmed the bastard she had for a husband – Paul's wording – had never attempted to force himself on her, and it was the first time he tried to abuse any of them physically. I was glad it had been a one-time event and had not been any worse. Liam was confused, but overall, he was okay. He had a lot to say and had been a good sport for his mom when she cryingly explained everything that happened.

I answered in a few sentences that I was relieved to hear everything was okay and that Emily was only shaken up. I also told them I had fallen asleep and hadn't heard their calls. I promised a call soon and went to bed again, sleeping until the next day and waiting until Angela arrived, now excited to recount my 'weekend of debauchery' as she had dubbed it.