Chapter 15: just another Manic Monday

Brown paws hit the earth as Quil made his laps around the reservation. It was his and Leah's time to patrol.

Everything's Clear on the east side, Leah confirmed.

The West is straightforward, too. Quil told her stiffly. Even though his nose was low to the ground, he couldn't help but think about Bella. Her brown eyes and laughter flashed through his mind.

Leah groaned.

Listen, Quil, if the leech lover can put up with bloodsuckers, then Im sure she will be OK with anything else that comes her way. I might not like her, but she's a pretty tough cookie. I'll give her that.

Quil snorted and said," Thanks, I guess Leah."

Like Clockwork, Bella's brown eyes were replaced by Naveah's grey ones, and a wave of peace settled in him.

"I know that feeling. I think about Silas all the time. Just thinking about him calms my wolf."

"im glad for you, Leah. You've been happier since you met him." Quil complimented.

"yeah, I have. It doesn't hurt to be around Sam and Emily now that I have Silas, but parts of me think something weird is happening with them."

"you know I caught on to that too. It's like they're somehow off. I can't explain it, but-"

Quil froze as the scent of vampires filled his nose.

"leech!" Leah howled. Quil snarled; the vampire was closer to him than to Leah. With supernatural speed, he ran in its direction. He howled a deeper howl to alert his pack mates that danger was at their doorstep.

"quil! im coming!" Leah told him.

Leah was by his side within record time as they approached the crouching vampire. Without waiting, Leah and quil attacked.

They fought first and asked questions later.

Quil yelped as they tore the leech apart when something heavy landed on his back.

"no!" Leah yelled. "They're three of them!"

"quil! Leah! The pack is coming!" Sam shouted in their heads.

Quil bucked and growled as he tried to get the vampire off his back, but nothing world. He howled in pain when he felt his back break.

"Quil!" Leah screamed.

Quil snarled.

One vampire was down, but the other two were surrounding Leah.

"no! leah! Ruuun! Sam hurry!"

Quil watched in horror as one of the vampires picked Leah up by her neck. Her paws dangling In the air.

"NOOO!"

Suddenly, a dark shadow knocked the vampire that had Leah down to the ground, its head being ripped off and thrown.

Quil watched as Leah fell to the ground, breathing heavily. And then, as the second vampire tried to run, the shadow cornered it and ripped its head off.

Quil's eyes widened when the shadow finally stepped into the sun.

Grey fur and bright yellow eyes looking back at him.

"Quil? Leah? Are either of you hurt? Is anything broken?"

It was Paul.

…

"ARGH," Quil Screamed as Sam broke his back all over again.

"im sorry, Quil. It's almost over."

"I could care less about my back, Sam. I'm just glad Leah's ok. I'm grateful Paul was there.."

"I am too, Quil."

"is he ok? I mean…. Does he seem in control?" Quil whispered, "And where is Bella?"

"you know I haven't had the chance to ask him any questions. My only goal was for the pack to get to you and Leah. You passed out a few seconds before we arrived. Once we arrived, Paul had you over his shoulder and Leah in his arms. he ran you back here while we burned the leeches. He even managed to calm Naveah and Silas down before they could freak out. I honestly have no idea what to say to him. or what to ask, you know?"

Quil grunted as Sam straightened out the last few bones in his back; after a few moments, the relief came. It was standard that all pack members knew how to break, rebreak, and set the bones in their bodies. Just in case someone got hurt on the battlefield, everyone knew what to do and how to do it.

"Well, I know one thing: as soon as I get up from here, im going to ask him where Bella is. And thank his angry butt for saving us."

"or, you could rest and let your imprint know you're ok?" Sam suggested.

At the mention of his imprint, all thoughts of his cousin vanished. Naveah was the only one on his mind.

"yes! I want to see Naveah and then well talk to Paul."

Sam chuckled.

"yeah, that part."

….

Leah sat in Silas's lap as she watched Paul from across the table. He was eating an apple and flipping through a magazine.

How can he be so calm? She thought. He can't just show up here without answers.

"What's up, Lee?" Paul questioned without looking up from his magazine.

Leha jumped, not realizing he knew she was watching him.

"I – I just want to thank you. For saving me…and Quil. You got there on time."

"And?"

"And?" Leah questioned.

"there's something else on your mind. I can feel it."

Leah sighed as she exited Silas's lap and sat beside Paul at the table.

"Well, I just want to know what happened. From your mouth, not from old Quil. Are you…..okay? Is Bella okay? And what happened a week ago? Why did you want to attack Rachel? Is it really because you thought Billy was hurt?"

To her surprise, Paul took her hand with a tender look in his eyes.

"Relax, she-wolf. Everything is ok. I'm okay. The pack and Bella are okay. I can't give you an explanation of what happened because I don't know what happened myself. I was on my way to see chief black, and when I got there, Rachel black was standing in the doorway. I remember pieces and parts of what happened. I felt angry and protective, and then I heard Bella scream at me. The only thing I could do to gain some control over my wolf was to squeeze Bella. I shredded her back to pieces when I did that. But in a way, Bela throwing herself in my arms saved my life and brought some clarity back to me. She'll always have those scars, and I'll be in her debt for the rest of my life."

Then, Leah realized the whole pack was in Sam and Emily's dining room. All of them looked at Paul in surprise and understanding. Quil had even made his way out of the guest room so that he could listen, Naveah tucked into his side.

" so, where is Bella?" Quil asked.

Paul looked up at Quil and shrugged.

"I don't know. I was asleep when I felt the pack's terror. I jumped out of bed and didn't look back. She was asleep on my couch last time I checked."

….

Old Quil watched his niece hum and cook up a storm as he watched her. Sue Clearwater quickly called him when she saw Bella entering Charlie's room at the clinic. With speed, he didn't know he had old Quil, so he went to the hospital to check on her.

To his surprise, though, she seemed perfectly fine. She was smiling and cheerful, even bringing him to Charlie's for lunch. But he knew it was just a façade.

"Bella?" he called.

Bella ignored him and continued to hum while she cooked.

"Isabella lahote." He barked.

This time, she turned to him—dark circles under her eyes and a sadness hanging over her.

"yes, uncle Quil."

"come sit down, girl; the food can wait."

She did so, and Quil squinted at her.

"Now, don't lie to me, child. How are you? Do you feel any different?"

He watched as she sighed—a trembling hand covering her eyes.

" I'm a wreck, Uncle Quil. My dreams are filled with wolves, and I can feel the pack and their emotions. I was awoken today by the feeling of terror; before I could do anything, Paul had jumped out the window. And to make it worse, he won't touch me unless he has to! The normal affections he would show me stopped, and I don't understand it. im feeling things I've never felt, im able to see farther than before and hear things that I shouldn't. I don't know what's going on."

"oh, thank The Almighty!" Old Quil sighed as he slumped back in his chair.

"wait-what?" Bella questioned as she looked at him as if he had a third eye.

"don't you understand what this means, Bella? The things you're experiencing mean that the marking worked! I had to do deep research before developing a theory, but when a wolf marks his mate, she becomes what he is. What I mean by this is that you are the pack's Beta female. Your second in command if something goes wrong. Paul is the beta, which means you, his chosen mate, is also the beta. The beta of the pack tends to be the one to carry the second burden. The alpha carries the first burden, communicating with his pack at all times, even when they are not phased; the alpha can telepathically call anyone in his pack, including the imprints. The beta, however, shares a similar gift. The Beta can sense all the emotions of his pack mates, including his alpha, and feel them wherever they are. The beta can also find any of his packmates, no matter where they are. This is why the AlphaBeta dynamic is so important. You can't have one without the other. They balance each other. Sam can call them, while Paul can sense them. Put these together, and you will have a pack that will stay in order. It's a pack that will remain calm; It's why it has recently felt so lost when Jacob is missing. Give yourselves some time to adjust to the changes, sweetheart. It's a lot to take in. Talk to Paul about how you feel. Did you ever think he can feel your stress whenever he touches you. he probably assumes it has something to do with him."

Old quil watched his niece bite her lip and think.

"that's a lot to process."

"I know, so I'll cook the rest of this lunch for us. You sit down and relax."

As he began to cook the meal Bella had started, his niece spoke.

"so, if Sam has the power to call anybody to him and Paul can sense their emotions, can't they just call Jacob home?"

"Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. First of all, Sam doesn't know he has this power. It's something he wasn't ready for at the time, and then when Jacob stepped up to become beta, I thought I didn't need to reveal any of the alpha's secrets to Sam because Jacob seemed ready to take up the mantle. But then all of that fell to pieces, And I admit part of it was my fault. The pack might have been stronger if I had revealed some of this earlier. So now I have to sit with Sam and Paul and tell them the truth."

"Uncle Quil!" his niece reprimanded.

"I know. I know. That was my mistake. I know. I was hoping the pack would never have to get to this point where they needed all the extra talents. And then the newborn war Charlie's heart attack and all the imprints coming along. it was a lot but not an excuse. I'm going to do better by this generation."

" I hope you mean that Uncle Quil the pack has been frustrated for some time. Knowing this information might put them at ease."

" I agree with you kiddo. Don't you worry I'll have the answer for them. Now let's eat."

That night when Bella went to work she was surprisingly swarmed with hugs from her boss and coworkers.

" Oh, Bella we were so worried about you!" Mrs . Badawi greeted her.

"Hi, Mrs. Badawi. I apologize for the no call no show I-"

Mrs. Badawi waved her excuse away and said "There's no need, we understood what was going on. Now go see Kareem."

Bella felt a weight lift off her chest when Paul's aunt told her that. She had been feeling guilty ever since she woke up.

His uncle Kareem has the same understanding. He hugged her and told her to simply get back to work, no harm no foul. The man even called her culinary school and was able to get her some time off.

Bella couldn't have asked for better bosses.

Before she knew it, she was involved in the hustle and bustle of the diner, cooking up orders like there was no tomorrow.

"pretty flower?" Amina called from the doorway

Bella put the chicken in the oven and turned toward her.

"yes, mam?"

"We are packed tonight do you think you could help us out in the front of the house?"

"of course!"

With that said Bella found herself shuffling through the diner, going to the various levels and taking orders. It kept her mind busy.

At the last hour, as she was wiping tables Bella felt a presence behind her.

She turned to see one of her co-workers, Laura. She had waist-length black hair and dark eyes.

"Hey Laura can I help you with something?"

" yes, you can. I want you to stay away from Paul."

"excuse me?" Bella questioned.

"you heard me White girl, stay away from Paul. He's mine."

Bella looked at Laura as if she had an extra head.

"And you think he's yours because?"

Laura opened her mouth to say something but Amina's presence was quick to shut her up.

"Laura, I believe making threats toward coworkers is a good reason to cut your pay."

Laura immediately clammed up and walked away.

Amina then turned to Bella.

"Why don't you head home Bella? I can finish here. And in the meantime, you should talk to Paul."

….

Bella yawned when she got to Charlie's turning on the light. When made her way to the kitchen she jumped startled by the presence in her kitchen.

"Paul." she greeted "You scared me."

Paul was sitting at her father's kitchen table, a cup of coffee in his hand. Another mug full of tea on the other side. When he looked at her, his eyes were bright yellow.

" I came home from helping the pack and you were gone. I've been waiting all day for you to come home. I cooked dinner and lit candles. I figured when you came home from work, we could sit down and talk. And yet…I find you here. You weren't going to come home were you?"

Bella opened and closed her mouth. Not knowing what to say.

Finally, she decided on the truth.

"your right… I wasn't going to come home. I just… it's not you Paul, you didn't do anything wrong. This whole process has been a lot for me, and for us…and... I didn't want to crowd your space. I mean…now that Rachel is home, I'm sure that Billy doesn't need me anymore, and now you're free of the imprint.. we can move on… I just… I feel so many things and I don't want to hinder your life and-"

Bella's depressive rant was cut short when Paul growled. The walls shook from the timber of his voice.

"do you hear yourself right now yahelo? What made you think that I-"

Paul stopped talking as a sudden revelation hit him.

Now that she was marked and he was free of the imprint, she thought he was going to leave her.

"you think im going to leave you don't you?" he questioned.

This time she wrapped her arms around herself. He took that as a yes.

"come here, Isabella." He commanded. There was a power in his voice that made her have no choice but to follow.

Bella did so, closing her eyes as Paul gently put a finger under her chin.

"Isabella marie lahote look at me. please, baby." He pleaded softly.

This time, Bella did meet his eyes, and when she did, both of them gasped.

Paul felt something push itself towards his wife. It was a binding. A tying of souls.

A bond that was finally complete.

Bella reached for him, her hands tangling into his hair.

"paul? what- that wasn't an imprint was it?"

" no…no baby, that was the marking completing itself. We did everything we needed to but we have been avoiding each other." He admitted. " I just didn't want you to resent me."

"and I didn't want you to leave me." she confided.

"I won't leave you yahelo."

"and I don't resent you rajli."

Paul's eyes widened and a big smile showed itself on his face.

"Someone has been practicing their Arabic." He complimented.

"I have, and I owe you an apology. I should have communicated to you how I was feeling."

"We were both wrong yahelo. I should have communicated to you how I was feeling as well. We have to make sure we make clear communication a priority. I have something for you."

Bella groaned.

"ugh..paul. no gifts."

"this one is special. It was my mother's."

Paul then pulled out a simple golden band. A small diamond in the middle.

" Will you wear this ring as a sign of our commitment?"

"as long as you promise to wear one when you're not phased," Bella questioned.

" I would be proud to do so," Paul told her as he slipped the ring onto her finger.

"it's beautiful." She told him as she looked at it in the light.

" not as beautiful as you. now, can you please come back home? To our home?"

Bella smiled.

"yes. I would like that very much. And while we do that, you need to tell me about Laura."

"Oh, that won't be a problem. You on the other hand can tell me about the changes you've been experiencing."

"Did Uncle Quil open his mouth?" Bella asked.

"you know he did babe. He got Sam and me together today. We almost wanted to take a chunk out of him."

Bella laughed.

"im glad you didn't."