Hellou! Here comes another chapter. This one is quite long, but I had fun playing and displaying more aspects of the two main wolves 's personalities.

I hope you like it.

THANK YOU For all the reviews.

AND! The debauchery is coming in the next chapter. It's already written, but I haven't edited the chapter or proofread it yet. I'll try to do all this in the next few days and update the debauchery soon.

In the meantime, enjoy and review!


WARRIOR


Chapter 13

I wasn't usually a picky person. I was easily entertained – give me a book and a good show, and I was set. My mom had given me a decent camera, hoping I would catch a photography hobby. The jury was still out on that one.

But today, I was restless. I tried being useful. I cleaned the tiny apartment – even though I had cleaned yesterday. I wasn't hungry, so I didn't eat – which I knew would come to bite me in the ass later. Sam and Paul had had breakfast while they let me sleep in, but I knew they were trusting I ate something while they were gone. But my stomach was closed. I had my classes up to date, and we were still early in the semester, so I wasn't missing much either way.

My conversation with Angela had cleared my head from all the noise that's been plaguing it for the last few days. Beyond my fuck you to Edward, I was also thankful for him leaving. I could see I was happier now. Did I want my heart broken? No, no one wanted their heart broken. But if I had to go through all the pain and the fear that was honestly the center of my relationship with Edward to find Paul and Sam, I would.

Every. Fucking. Single. Time.

They were so worth it.

Connor texted around 2 pm, asking if I wanted to meet him at the library. He was a year ahead of me, but that didn't stop him from wanting to study together. I think he was lonely. I had seen him hanging out with a few people, but I got the impression that he wasn't as open with them as he was with me, hence why he hung out with me more often. I replied, letting him know my boyfriends were visiting and I couldn't leave them.

Couldn't. Wouldn't. Didn't want to.

My phone rang with his call.

"What's up?" I answered.

"Um, care to explain the use of the plural?"

I laughed at his tone. He sounded like he was scandalized but also jealous.

"I have two boyfriends." I confirmed. I didn't give him more details just to get a rise out of him. He was fun to mess up with.

"Girl!" He screamed and then took a few breaths, which made me smile wider. "Give me the details. I thought you weren't interested in dating."

It was true when I said it. I had complicated feelings toward my two boys and didn't want to add a complicated third person into the equation. Especially when said equation could get messy and end up hurting someone.

"Well, I wasn't interested then. But these are two guys from home I've known for a while. Things have been chaotic for a few months, and they came to clear the air, and well, the rest is history." It was mostly the truth. Of course, Connor could never know about wolves and vampires, and who knew what other supernatural creatures roamed the earth? Witches? Warlocks? Demons? Faes?

"Damn. I hate you."

"No, you do not. You're just jealous."

He chuckled. "Of course, I am!"

"What happened to the date you had the other day? You never told me what happened."

He sighed heavily, which made me scowl. Connor was a very sweet man. He had this golden retriever vibe, and he was quite the catch. The whole package, really. He was sweet, gorgeous, had his heart in the right place and manners, and could talk about anything. It saddened me that, apparently, his date didn't go as he had expected. "It was the most uncomfortable time of my life. I didn't know what to talk about. I felt like I was doing a monologue. He insisted on paying for dinner, but it was just so awkward. No kiss, no hand holding. Nothing, Bella. Absolutely nothing."

I stayed quiet, waiting for him to settle down. He was shaken up about his date sucking. He was a romantic at heart and just wanted to find true love. Despite knowing him for such a short time, he was so open with me about his life that I felt like I had known him longer.

"Would it feel cheesy if I tell you that you'll find the right man someday? I wasn't expecting Sam and Paul, but they swept me off my feet." I wanted to be supportive without being generic.

Another sigh. "I know you're right, and I'm being dramatic. But I thought I liked him."

"I know you did. Have you talked to him at all since that day?"

"No. I have been tempted to text him and ask him out for a coffee, but I don't want to be too pushy either."

I pondered his words. If I had given up anytime things got difficult, I wouldn't have had the guts to tell Paul I wanted to be more than just his friend, and I wouldn't have had the guts to face Sam about Leah.

"I say, text him. You have nothing to lose. If he texts you back, go from there. If not…well, message received, loud and clear."

"You get yourself two boyfriends and suddenly become a relationship therapist?" I understood his need to lighten the mood. As open as he was with me, he was also a very private person who could shut down as quickly as he opened up. I didn't push him further on the subject, letting him set the pace of what he wanted to share.

"Far from it. I have my own baggage. But other relationships always look clearer than our own."

"Oh, Oh. Trouble in paradise already?"

I snorted. "Not at all." My sex life was something I did not want to discuss with Connor. It didn't feel right. I trusted Angela because she was the closest thing I had to a sister, and we were on the same supernatural boat. "But hindsight has never been 20-20, it's what I'm saying."

"Fine. Keep the dirty details to yourself."

I laughed just when the door opened, revealing my two men. I looked at my watch: 3 pm. They have been gone for almost four hours. They must have gone farther, or the meeting must have been way more serious than I thought.

"Hey, I have to leave. But keep in mind what I said. Text him."

"Fine. Easy to say when it's not your dignity on the line, Sweetness."

I rolled my eyes. "Bye-bye, drama king."

I didn't wait for him to respond as I hung up. I stood from the couch and walked to my two boys. I stopped about two feet from them since they wore twin scowls and frowned brows. A cold dread settled in the pit of my stomach.

No.

They couldn't be back.

No.

Not now.

Not ever, but not now.

Oh, God. I'm going to be sick.

"Love, focus on me." I looked at Paul, who had grabbed my hand and put it on his chest. "Feel my breathing and breathe with me." I mimicked the rise and fall of his chest, getting oxygen to my lungs and my brain.

I stayed like that for a few minutes. I counted three things I could smell: Sam's shirt I was wearing, Paul's musky scent, and the faint smell of rain. I counted three green things: The cactus I had rescued, Sam's green shorts, and the ugly green kitchen chair.

While I counted three things in my head, I kept breathing in and out, mirroring Paul's rhythm.

I escaped the panic attack. The only person who'd ever walked me through avoiding one was my dad, and he knew how to because he was a cop who had to deal with a lot of ugly shit in his job. One of the things he'd learned about was panic attacks. And when I started having nightmares and then panic attacks, he'd researched even more into them. He'd spoken with the force's psychologist and everything and learned how to spot them and keep people from down-spiraling into one.

Daddy to the rescue.

"How did you know?"

But it was Sam who answered. "We've been reading everything we could get our hands on about them. We meant what we said yesterday. We want to walk this road by your side and be your support system. If we don't know how to spot a panic attack, we're not doing our job of protecting you."

Was it any wonder that I was so fucking deep in love with these two?

I hauled him to me by his t-shirt, crashing my lips to his, getting a surprised chuckle out of him before he recovered and kissed me back. He kissed like he talked. Sweetly, commanding, charming. With a hint of possession.

When he broke our kiss, I hauled Paul next. He was expecting me. He kissed me hard, teasing his tongue over the bottom lip and grazing his teeth along with his tongue. It was sensual and possessive.

My two boys. One sweet, one dirty. But both equally possessive.

"You're mine." He ordered once the kiss was over.

I was a panting mess, looking between them, wondering what the hell was going on. I went from almost having a panic attack to being claimed.

"Ours." Sam corrected, with the same ferocity.

I was theirs, but that was not the point. Something beyond what happened at their meeting must have sparked this possessiveness. In hindsight, their frowns weren't what they'd wear if they had bad news.

"What happened?"

"I don't like him." Paul said.

I frowned. He didn't like who?

"What are you talking about? You don't like who? Jake?" Was he jealous of him? Did something happen?

"No. Jake's fine. Annoying, but fine." I rolled my eyes. Paul would never admit he liked Jake. They had had a rough start, but they had mended that bridge a long time ago.

"Then who?"

"Connor."

My confusion turned into clarity. I looked at Sam, noticing how quiet he'd gotten. He'd crossed his arms over his chest, closing himself off. I didn't like it.

"Why?"

But neither of them spoke.

"Uh, uh. I want words. I don't have supernatural mind-reading abilities." It was endearing that they were jealous of Connor. They had no reason to be, even if Connor wasn't gay. I had no interest in anyone else.

"I don't like it when he calls you Sweetness." Sam spoke first. "It sounds too close to sweetheart."

And only he could call me that. That's what he meant but didn't say.

"I can't control what other people say. He calls me Sweetness, just like any of the guys would call me B. It has the same sentiment. Or the way Jake sometimes calls me honey. I don't see you pouting and frowning over that."

"Because he's balls deep in his girl to think about another one." Paul growled.

I ignored his crassness in favor of the most pressing part of that statement. "First, she's his mate, not some girl. Second, Connor is not interested in girls or me. He has his own love life problems."

Their postures didn't change. "Are you really jealous of him?"

Both boys nodded.

I didn't understand why. It was the nickname; it was his friendship with me. It was that he was a guy. But they knew that none of that mattered to me. I was lost.

Patience, B. Breathe in. 4, 3, 2, 1. Out, 4, 3, 2, 1.

"Why is me being friends with him any different from being friends with Jake, Angie, or Jared?" I named the people I was closest to. Jared, by default, had become a closer friend since he was also Paul's childhood best friend.

"They're in our inner circle."

"So, because they know the truth about it all?" I ventured.

Paul shrugged.

I stayed quiet, going over the facts.

They were jealous because there was a new person in my life who wasn't in our inner circle, and they felt…threatened? Territorial? It was not insecurity about someone else being interested in their girl. This didn't ring of that kind of jealousy. I tilted my head, observing them. They had read about panic attacks—a lot, apparently, since they knew precisely what to do to keep me from spiraling down.

We're not only looking out for you physically. We want you to be emotionally happy and mentally happy and healthy. We want to be your support system if you're feeling happy or overwhelmed.

That's what Sam said yesterday.

"Are you threatened by my new friend?"

"He gets to be here with you every day. We're miles away." Sam, who had less qualms about showing insecurity and vulnerability, was the one who admitted what they were both thinking.

"Do you believe this too?" I asked Paul, trying to keep my voice sweet and my tone low.

"Yes."

I smiled. God, they were adorable!

"I love you two dummies so much." I laughed. "No one can replace you. I may make new friends in the next couple of years. Some may stay, some may go. But they will never take your place. Not because you're mine, regardless of the whole mate thing. But because you are my rocks. Without you, I'm nothing."

For someone so vocal, Paul was unsettlingly quiet.

"He's not more important to you?"

"No!" I grabbed his hands. Who had made this guy think he was not priority number one? "He's my crazy friend who calls me to ask for a study buddy and to tell me about his date. He calls to eat cinnamon rolls and bitch about our professors. I care about him, but he's not more important than you."

He breathed out, and I could almost see the tension rolling out of his body as if it had been a physical object weighing him down.

"Was that the reason for the twin frowns?" I asked Sam. We were still at the entry of the apartment. Luckily, the door was closed, and our voices were not loud enough for noisy neighbors to catch a word.

"Jake caught two unfamiliar scents of vampires." He said instead of answering my question. I let It go, clearly we were done talking about Connor.

So, it wasn't the Cullens. Good to know. Could it be someone related to the Cullens? It seemed unlikely. The Cullens were very thorough and wouldn't leave a loose thread like that. This meant these were either just passing nomads, or it could be…

My eyes snapped up.

Fuck! Could it be?

"Did Jake catch a glimpse of the vampires?"

"No. But they seemed to know what they were doing. Their scent is all over our border. As if they were encircling the reservation."

That went against what I learned about Victoria. I didn't know anything about Laurent. Emmett said he'd gone to Alaska or something like that after he warned us about Victoria. Could they be here?

"Why is it important if Jake saw them?"

"Because I need to know if they want to kill me or if they're just bored vampires messing around."

Paul frowned. Any trace of my vulnerable, insecure boy disappeared from his features. Now, he was my deadly wolf, ready to burn down the world for me or with me, depending on the mood. "Kill you?"

I summarized the scene with James. They already knew that, they'd seen the scar, they'd heard the story a few times now. I recounted who Victoria and Laurent were and what reasons they could have to come back after all this time.

"Call Jake." Paul took out his phone and followed Sam's instructions. Jake must have had his phone close since he picked it up after a few rings. Sam took Paul's phone from him and started barking orders as soon as the line connected.

"Double patrols." Jake's muffled voice answered, but I didn't have supernatural abilities and couldn't make out what he was saying. "We need to catch the leeches that were circling the rez. If they're a redhead and an African American with dreadlocks, kill them." This time, Jake's answer was shorter. "Because they want to kill my mate!" I widen my eyes in surprise at his shout. He's never lost composure like that. He's calm, easygoing, and a bit shy sometimes, but wow, Alpha Sam was a sight to behold.

A few minutes passed, but the dynamic remained the same. Sam was very territorial, and his angry steps echoed in the apartment. At some point, Paul chuckled at whatever Jake said that had Sam stubbornly refusing. Things might have calmed down if Paul was laughing. I pinched the skin of his elbow, making him hiss at me. "Stop laughing."

"He's being territorial. It's funny." I rolled my eyes.

Fall in love with wolves, they said. It'd be fun, they said.

Why is it always that, and not here are your boyfriends, and here are the instructions. Read carefully before assembling.

"What is Jake saying?"

"He agreed to double patrols and hunt down the leeches. He already has Quil and Embry on patrol with Seth. They will spread the territory they usually cover and meet with Jared and Leah in half an hour."

"Do you need to leave?" I hated the thought, but their people were also important to them. The main reason for the wolves was not only to hunt and kill vampires but also to protect their people.

"No, love. It's not necessary. They have it under control." Paul kissed my head, and I leaned into him. This day had been a rollercoaster, and it was only four pm.

"What does Jake want that Sam is denying him?"

"Jake wants to speak with you." Sam answered for Paul, extending the phone to me.

I took it, keeping my eyes on Sam the whole time. His face was unreadable, his posture was tense, and his eyes…well, what the fuck did I know about what eyes said?

"Jake?"

"Hey, honey!" His cheerful voice brought a smile to my lips, which seemed to aggravate Sam and amuse Paul. "Are you okay?"

"Shaken up. You know what they want." He'd been the first person I told the entire story to from start to finish.

"If it's them, we'll catch them, honey. I promise you that." I knew that. I trusted them and their abilities.

"I know, Jake. Please tell everyone to be careful. I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me."

"The doubt offends, honey."

Sam growled but kept his distance. I eyed him curiously. He was moody today. I looked at Paul for an answer, and my naughty boyfriend mouthed the word 'honey'. I then understood why Jake insisted on speaking with me and why he'd call me honey in every sentence. He usually sporadically used his nickname for me, but he'd been lying in sweet now. He was horrible. And I was horrible for finding it so amusing.

"Tell that Alpha of ours to keep his panties on. He's not coming here before Sunday. We've got this handled."

Sam rolled his eyes, having heard Jake.

"Thanks, Jake." I hung up before he could rile Sam up more than he already had.

"You, sir, need to calm down." I walked up to Sam. "He was teasing you. You can't go growling at everyone every time. They're going to think you're untrained."

He looked at me in silence for a few seconds, registering my joke or registering how to feel about it. He must've decided to take it as intended since he chuckled and shook his head.

"Did you eat anything?" Paul called from the kitchen now that the situation had been diffused.

"I wasn't hungry."

He sighed heavily but did not lecture me about it. "There are not enough leftovers for the three of us. Do you want takeout, or do you want to go out?"

I wrinkled my nose. I was still wearing Sam's shirt, and the idea of putting on pants to go out to eat didn't sound appealing.

"Order takeout." Sam called without taking his eyes off me.

A new kind of shiver ran down my spine. The kind that was delicious and promised all kinds of delicious things.