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Taking Time—Fifty Four

Home is a person

Word Count: 12,959

Trigger Warning: Mentions of Abortion (I will bracket where it starts and ends in an obvious manner so you can avoid if needed <3).

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Every step home has felt right so far. Maybe it’s just because I’ve been away for so long, but it feels like something has changed or shifted. And as I get closer, that feeling only gets stronger. Now, as I sink into that undeniable warmth, it’s hard to think otherwise at all. Soft, warm breath spans gently across my hair and I reach for the warm body nestled next to me. It must be Paul. How he knew I was here, I’m not sure, but in the halfway point between sleep and wake, I’m not sure of much. The soft body grunts and rolls closer to me, making soft sounds that lull me deeper into sleep. I want it always to be like this: sleepy mornings, just peace, before the sun cracks me open like an egg and burns me from the inside out.

Maya rolled toward the low rumbling groan coupled with that hardy warmth she’d come to know so well when she was home. Paul was so soft. She ran her hands up and down his sides to a pleasant smacking sound coming from his lips. She burrowed closer for warmth, still in that holy toss between dreaming and awake and felt his warm breath flow over her hair. It almost felt wet. Maya inhaled a deep breath savoring his smell only to be met with a warm mildewy scent of dried fur and the forest. He must have only just phased back from rounds and the smell of his wolf form simply clung to him. It didn’t matter. Maya leaned her head up and was met with the his soft, warm, wet lips. Really wet. He kissed and dampened her entire face with his mouth, his tongue.

Maya leaned back and groaned her dissent, but the onslaught kept coming, possibly even more eagerly than before, until her entire face was coated in saliva. Paul really had it coming. Maya’s face twisted into a grimace as she opened her eyes, only to be met with the towering dark frame of Leah’s german shepherd.

“Blegh!” Maya managed before the dog continued with vigor to her dismay. She braced her arms across his chest and tried to push, but the thumping of his tail wagging only seemed to make him stronger as he continue to cover Maya’s face in fervent licks with delight that she was awake.

Maya heard a laugh from the door before Keye said,”Yodel, that’s enough. Come here!” Yodel immediately hopped off the bed and hurtled toward Keye, standing at attention at her feet with his tongue lolling to one side. Keye dropped her hand to stroke his head affectionately, “I thought we said no more kissing dogs after that trip to Seattle when Becks convinced that forty year old bouncer she was old enough to get in by her expertise?”

Maya rubbed her dog-drenched face on the pillow before rolling over and beginning to rub her eyes, “I remember that being you, not Becks.”

“Oh, yeah,” Keye replied lazily as if the thought hadn’t occurred to her until now.

“Come on, Leah’s making breakfast,” Keye stated from her place leaning up against the doorframe. As she plodded away softly, Maya heard Yodel following her dutifully down the small hallway to the kitchenette.

“Okay, but you still have a lot of explaining to do,” Maya called after her as she sat up and ran a hand through her disheveled hair. She didn’t even attempt a glance at her phone. The soft, gray morning light of Seattle pulled her eyes toward the window and Maya let out a soft sigh and let the day breathe her in.

Leah’s apartment was bright and airy. The kitchen and living room sat in a lofted space with high ceilings that allowed large industrial air ducts to span it. The bright beach wood of the rafters above seemed to capture light and sprinkle it down across the warm butcher block island where she was preparing another omelet, this time for herself, after making one for Keye and Maya. They tucked in around the island on carefully crafted wooden bar stools that Maya had a sneaking suspicion were the handiwork of her boyfriend. Maya peered over shoulder to look out the floor to ceiling narrow windows covered in a gauzy, white curtain. The living room was a collection of well loved, mismatched furniture pieces, all softened by time and use.

Maya hadn’t fully recognized the neighborhood they were in when they drove in but she wondered how close they were to Paul’s workshop. Leah was laughing at Keye as she exclaimed how she’d never thought to add spinach to an omelet, or any vegetable to any dish for that matter, when Maya zoned back into the love fest unfolding before her.

“You need to eat more vegetables, I keep telling you, or you’ll never be able to hold up a bike at a stop light. Even a little one,” Leah’s face was all sunshine. She tore off a piece off her omelet and handed it to a waiting Yodel at her feet.

“She’s got a thing for bikes,” Keye hummed around a bite.

“I do not,” Leah tried to bemoan, but it only came out as soft embarrassment, her neck flushing with a hint of pink. That was hard to dispute considering Leah’s apartment was stationed above a bike shop. Her bike shop in fact.

“Crotch rockets, some call them,” Keye quipped, shooting Maya a gleeful look.

“Stop,” Leah replied breathlessly with a laugh, “They’re not called that.”

“She rode up on one to Seth’s wedding, what was I supposed to do? Not fall in love with her?” Keye goaded, shooting a bright smile in her direction. Maya lit up at this—she wanted to know everything about how Leah and Keye met, how the imprint happened.

“So, it was at Seth’s wedding then?” Maya leaned onto the counter, trying to quell her excitement. Leah looked down at her omelet with a soft smile as if just recalling the memory overwhelmed her with joy. Keye blushed and shoved another bite of gooey omelet in her mouth.

“Yeah, it was at Seth’s wedding,” Leah started softly, “Gah, I still can’t believe that little twerp is married. I swear I was helping him with his homework only last week,” she shook her head, still lost in her moment of nostalgia.

“Uh, I’m pretty sure you were helping him with his homework last week, babe. You guys were debating the merit of classic authors still being considered the classic norm in a postmodern world in this very kitchen.” Maya giggled at that and Leah looked up at Keye with such soft eyes that Maya thought she’d explode on the spot. Keye held her gaze for as long as she could before blushing and looking back down at her omelet, playing coy while continuing to eat.

Oh, so it was that kind of imprint.

“Yes, we met at Seth’s wedding,” Keye continued for her after a few bites as Leah started cleaning up. Keye launched into the story like it was well known and been written down for years.

She said it was instantaneous. Much like Maya and Paul had, Leah and Keye and locked eyes and that was it. But most of the guests had been distracted and the pack was thoroughly drunk on special Quileute brewed beer so no one was really paying them any attention. No one had even really realized, except for Keye and Leah. They had sat there and stared at each other, across the dance floor for a cool minute or two. It could have been eons for all Keye knew.

Leah’s face, which had been schooled in a cool complacency for most of the night as she muscled through her baby brother’s wedding, had shifted to something bright and surprised. Breathless, she had strode across the dance floor in her pale cream suit, sparkling under the carefully hung lights as she weaved her way through couples. Her eyes never left Keye’s and Keye had stayed glued to the spot, her heart beating wildly. Nothing would stop Leah from getting to her, and as she startled to a stop in front of her, Keye let out a loud exhale as if breathing again for the first time.

“It’s you,” Leah had said, so surprised yet relieved, “It’s you. Y-you…you are so…you’re my—,”

“Keye,” she interjected, relieving the stuttering Leah. She held her hand out somewhat awkwardly, but it had felt like the only thing she could do. “I’m Keye,” she said again.

Leah slipped her hand into Keye’s, not shaking it, but just holding it there for a moment before threading her fingers purposefully through hers and nodding. “Yes, you are.” Leah’s whole face brightened into one of incandescent happiness as light tears shone in her dark eyes. Keye was on the verge of losing it and letting this wave of joy rush over her and spill from her tear ducts.

There she was.

Shortly after, Keye skipped town that night with Leah and sealed her fate. She just disappeared. No one even realized she was gone, and her parents just thought that she went back to campus early. Leah was prone to disappearing spells, so there was no connection made there either apparently.

Maya’s head swum up out of the story and looked over at Leah who was leaning against the sink with her hands outstretched next to her, smiling softly at Keye.

“And after I moved in, I took this semester off—” Keye continued after a moment.

“Wait what?!” Maya snapped out of it and jerked her head toward Keye, her eyes wide with shock.

“My, come on,” Keye groaned, “What is it with you and school? It’s not that big a deal.” Keye said half heartedly.

Just because Maya had a vice grip on school didn’t mean everyone else needed to maintain that level of intensity to make school an important part of their lives. Just look at what it did to her and Paul. She willed her body to relax as she shook her head, glancing quickly at Leah for any back up and finding none.

“No, no,” Maya tried backpedaling, controlling the features on her face to remain impassive, “I just mean, I didn’t realize! I should have realized.”

Keye leveled her with an expectant stare, a small smile on her face. Maya was trying to keep her lips clamped shut so she didn’t ask the question she really wanted to ask.

After about thirty seconds though, Maya burst: “But why though?!”

So much for self control.

Keye couldn’t help but throw her head back and laugh. Leah looked on with a bit of concern on her face.

“Sometimes, things just work out that way, My. But don’t worry, I’ll go back and finish up,” Keye proclaimed, “Just for you.”

Maya smiled and shook her head. That soft concerned look was still pulling at Leah’s features as she continued to watch Keye carefully.

Maya spent the day putzing around Seattle with Leah and Keye visiting some of their favorite local haunts. They even stopped in a few local bookshops and let Maya wander for as long as she liked. She discovered some old chemistry books that she fell in love with and was thoroughly brightened despite the low hanging clouds over Seattle as they walked down hidden side streets.

The three grabbed lunch at a little sandwich shop not far from Leah’s bike shop. When Keye got up to use the bathroom, Maya casually stayed behind to Keye’s chagrin. Leah was trying to stuff the butt end of her meatball sub fully into her mouth, sauce dripping down her chin in an endearing way as she hunched her shoulders over the low table.

Leah had been pretty tight lipped about her estrangement from the pack but now that Maya had her alone, she wondered if without Keye’s constant frown whenever the pack was brought up, she could ask her about it.

“What?” Leah said around her mouthful. Maya hadn’t realized she had been staring, marveling even at this intensely, wonderful woman who had captured Keye’s heart and taken care of her best friend so completely.

“Nothing, sorry, I—” Maya stumbled and ran a hand through her shaggy hair, frizzed by the gentle rain they had walked through to get here. Maya exhaled through her nose trying to gather her thoughts about how to ask but instead, Leah spoke:

“You’re sure you want to go back?” Leah chewed valiantly and Maya couldn’t help but let her mouth hang open a bit in surprise. That wasn’t…. “No offense, but you seem torn. And I never try to make hard decisions when I’m on the fence.”

Maya closed her mouth abruptly and shook her head to try and clear any confusion that Leah could see in her eyes, “No, I…I need to go home. It’s time to go home. Not forever, but..just for now.”

“Tortured him enough, then?”

Maya’s eyes shot up to meet Leah’s in shock, but that feeling quickly faded when she saw that gleam of mischief in Leah’s eyes. She hadn’t meant it the way everyone else would have.

“I guess,” Maya shrugged. “I do miss him, though.” That was an understatement.

“Of course you do,” Leah tucked back into the table scavenging chips from Keye’s plate. “Regardless of what you know, and regardless of what you feel, the imprint should always show you true north,” the sound of crunching chips perforated Maya’s concentration, “Or so they say.”

“What do you think then? About the imprint, I mean, now that you have it?” Maya challenged. Leah took a moment, always thoughtful, never rash in her conversation. Just clear and true and decided.

“I think the imprint is different for everyone. So if anyone tries to tell you what to do with it, you should take that with a grain of salt. Listen to what it says to you, trust that,” Leah shrugged.

Maya paused at that and really tried to let that sink in. Everyone had tried to tell her what the imprint was meant to do, what it was based on legend. But it had been hard between her and Paul since the beginning. Some parts were easy, when they were just together and there was nothing else, but most other things were hard—harder than the other imprints at least. So much so, that Maya and Paul had wondered for a while if there was something wrong with them.

“I will say though,” Leah’s voice suddenly turned serious. Maya met her eyes and was taken aback by the sheer intensity at which they bored into her, “While I don’t know how your imprint works, I do know Paul.” Maya gulped, “And I can say without a doubt in my mind that he loves you with every cell in his body.”

Maya let out a sigh. She knew that of course and so she could only say as much, “I know.” Her voice came out hoarse.

“But he’s also a bit of an idiot. Emotionally, I mean. The guy was abandoned by everyone when he was a kid and then was swallowed by anger for most of his adult life. He’s only found his way through in maybe the past five years. That’s still no excuse for how he’s been with you, but still. That man comes with baggage and I do not envy you that task of unpacking it all,” Leah brushed her hands together to get off the excess crumbs.

There wasn’t enough that Maya knew about Paul’s past. He’d told her the basics, but she’d gotten more information about Paul’s dad from her own mother and that was a wobbly source.

“Speaking of members of the pack,” Maya said quickly, “do you think you’ll ever come back to the rez?”

Leah let out a gentle laugh and shook her head, “Not unless they need me.”

“Do they not need you now?” Maya quirked an eyebrow. Leah once again leveled her with that intense stare.

“Cute girls are always too brave for their own good,” Leah leaned back and stretched her arms behind Keye’s chair just as she slid back into it.

“You guys can stop talking about me now,” Keye said dramatically as she shook her hair away from her face. She shot Maya a knowing look to which she rolled her eyes.

Leah leaned forward just enough to kiss Keye’s shoulder and said softly, “Never, babe.”

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—-<<Trigger warning: mentions of abortion in this next section>>---

Maya and Keye cuddled up in the guest bed that Maya was sleeping in with a laptop between them that night watching an old 90’s vampire movie. Leah had disappeared downstairs into her shop to get some work done.

As one of the main vampires looked out over a burning city, Keye readjusted her head on Maya’s shoulder as Yodel let out a soft sigh at the end of the bed. Somehow, it had felt like no time had passed at all.

“Are you nervous about tomorrow?” Keye asked softly. Maya stared at the screen as she tried to reconcile her worry into something else.

“I think so,” she breathed in and about before continuing, “It feels like the right time to go back. I don’t know how to explain it.”

“True north,” Keye muttered softly.

“Jesus, you guys really are in deep, huh?” Maya joked and Keye giggled.

“I don’t know, probably. She was there for me when everyone was either busy or gone. I don’t think that was the imprint either, she just…knew I needed her and she stayed,” Keye was quiet. Maya’s heart rate picked up as she realized her mistake in shutting everyone out. Even if Keye had said that she had understood why Maya did it, she knew she had hurt people who didn’t deserve it for the sake of her own peace. Keye, and a lot of others deserved more than that.

“Keye, I’m sorry I wasn’t here. I should have stayed in contact, I know that. It all just felt hard and this was easier. But I shouldn’t have done the easy thing….not when it comes to you or Becks,” Maya scrunched in closer to Keye.

“It really is okay, My. I get it. I disappeared too, you know. Just…tell us next time.”

“I promise,” Maya breathed. “But I don’t plan on disappearing again. I didn’t even mean to fully disappear before, it was just….easier that way. But it wasn’t fair to your or Becks, so I promise.”

The vampire on screen looked wide eyed at the little girl who was drinking from an older woman. She looked so small, so innocent. Her too-young youth, eternally frozen in time.

“I have to tell you something,” Keye breathed, her voice hitching at the end as if she was unsure.

“What?” Maya said softly, looking down at the side of her face. Keye sat up and Maya turned toward her, realizing that her face was pulled tight with pain. “What is it?” she reached for Keye’s hands that were clasped tightly in her lap but pulled back when she flinched slightly as if being touched might be too much at the moment. “Are you okay?”

“I am..I am. I really am. I need you to know that I am okay going into this,” Keye’s voice wobbled slightly as she sat up straight, before leaning back against the headboard.

“You’re kind of scaring me, Keye,” Maya said slowly as she pressed pause on the movie and sat up too, crossing her legs in front of her and turning her whole body to face Keye. The looks that flitted across her face were hard to read but as Keye bit her lip, Maya knew this was something more.

“I…” Keye began slowly, her eyes on her hands that fidgeted in her lap. Maya leaned over and covered both of her hands with her own. Keye swallowed hard, tears forming at the corner of her eyes but never falling before looking up at Maya.

There was silence, strong and solid between them, and Maya just let it hang there to give her the space to say what it was she needed to say.

“I left the rez because something h-happened,” Keye’s voice was quieter now and Maya listened carefully as soft rain started to patter on the windows above the bed. It was another few moments before Keye continued, “Colin and I were still dating and we were…things were going okay.”

A cold feeling slid into Maya’s stomach, but she held her breath to keep from thinking the worst.

“He and I were…well it doesn’t really matter, but things were going well and it was like…four days before Seth and Sadie’s wedding and I wasn’t really feeling good. Just kind of off you know?” Keye took in a breath and Maya heard the sound shudder through her, “And I…I thought that maybe I was…Fuck,” Keye wiped the tear that had escaped from the corner of her eyes and coasted down her cheek.

“You were what?” Maya asked softly, concern laid plainly on her face. Keye tilted her head and gave Maya a knowing look as she frowned. Maya waited.

“That I was pregnant,” Keye hiccuped softly and Maya let loose the breath.

“Oh.” The word came out small and barely there. Just above a whisper. Keye stared down at her hands again, playing with the tips of Maya’s fingers. “Were you?” Maya prompted gently, leaning her head down to capture Keye’s eyes.

Keye shut them tightly and the tears fiercely rolled now as she nodded.

“Okay, okay,” Maya looked over her shoulder toward the door wondering if Leah knew…if she knew Keye was… Her gaze flitted over Keye’s body to try and discern how far along she was, but she looked entirely the same. “How far along are—”

Maya was cut off by Keye shaking her head slowly, as hot tears continued to roll down her cheeks. Maya furrowed her brow, confused. Everything was coming at her so fast and she was just trying to piece every part of the puzzle together but felt like she was missing information. When realization dawned on her, her eyes widened with sadness, “You lost it…” she breathed. “Oh, Keye—” Maya reached out to stroke her shoulder, scooting closer but Keye stopped her.

“Not exactly.” Keye said, wetly. She swallowed hard and forced herself to sit up straight. Her eyes were harder now, and through the tears Maya thought she saw Keye watching her carefully for any reaction that would make her shutter completely. Maya’s mouth hung open again in momentary confusion before she said even softer, her breath barely a whisper, “Oh.”

She blinked rapidly as it all sank in. Of course. Maya kept her face neutral, soft, and open as she watched Keye watching her. Keye’s eyes flicked all around her face, trying to scan for any disapproval, or upset, and that made Maya worry that she had encountered some judgment from her circle.

Maya reached out and grasped Keye’s hand softly in hers and gave her a soft nod, “It’s okay, Keye. That’s totally your decision.”

But Keye was silent, watching her as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. Maya let the air hang between them a moment longer before she said, “Do you want to tell me about it?” Keye grimaced. “Or tell me why?” Keye crumbled slightly at that. “Let’s start with an easier question… And you don’t have to answer anything at all if you don’t want to. But, I want you to know that any answer you do give is enough reason and enough justification for the decision you made.” Maya dipped her head to meet Keye’s eyes. Only then did she see her gaze soften with trust again. “It’s enough,” she reinforced. Maya tried to emphasize that love with her eyes as well and held Keye’s gaze.

When Keye finally nodded, sagging with relief, Maya scooted closer so that their knees were touching, “When did you find out?” She wiped gently at Keye’s tears.

“Just after I met Leah…Like I said, I hadn’t been feeling great up until Seth and Sadie’s wedding, but after I met Leah, it was like I needed to know, you know?” Maya nodded and just let Keye go.

“I drove out of town to get a pregnancy test. That whole fucking tribe has eyes everywhere you know and I didn’t want to risk it getting back to…well, I bought three and I was in a fucking gas station bathroom in Beaverton with a full bottle of gatorade just…waiting for what felt like forever,” Keye stopped then and gulped down air.

Maya was pushing her hair out of her face and stroking her thumb over her hand. “And then it was like…everything stopped you know. It was real…three times it was real. And I….I panicked,” Keye was looking around the room now, the guilt just absolutely pulling her in different directions. “I didn’t want anyone to find out. At least until I could just think for a bit you know. You know how they are about babies, if they had gotten wind that I…and it was Colin’s? No way, game over.”

A fresh sob broke through Keye’s chest. She opened her mouth a couple of times to speak and couldn’t so Maya let her breathe through it, allowing her the space to continue or stop. But she carried on as if she needed to say it out loud, “I knew I didn’t want it, My. And I just felt….bad. I felt bad because, I don’t know…fuck I don’t know why should I feel bad, you know?” Maya just nodded. She understood guilt like that. “I didn’t know what to do, but I knew I couldn’t go back to the rez. And so I…I called Leah and she came and got me, no questions asked.”

Thank god, Maya thought. Thank god for Leah, because Maya could just see herself so clearly mirrored in this same situation. She was so grateful that her best friend had someone like Leah to come and protect her the way she needed to be protected.

“It took me a week to tell her. And she was just…ugh,” Keye reached for a tissue next to the bed and blew her nose before saying, “She was just perfect, you know? She knew just what to say and what to do and…” Keye’s eyes sparkled for a moment as she looked at Maya. Maya couldn’t help but give her a sad, knowing smile back.

“Yeah, yeah, imprints are great,” she joked, rolling her eyes before squeezing her hand. Keye smiled sadly, looking down at their joined hands.

“She told me that whatever I wanted to do, it was the right decision. And that I didn’t need to tell anyone if I didn’t want to, because it was my body. She was just…there. All the time for me. I-I don’t know if I could have done all this without her but…she held my hand through it all and I…” Keye looked up at Maya, her eyes sure and firm now, “I don’t regret it.”

Maya shook her head, “You shouldn’t. That was your decision, and I still love you just as you are.” Keye smiled, bigger this time and nodded.

“Still fucks with me though,” she said, resigned.

“Yeah well, they never said being a woman would be easy,” Maya pulled her into a tight hug. Keye held on so hard, she thought her ribs popped, “I love you.” Maya breathed into her hair.

For a while they just sat there, hugging, listening to each other breathe. Maya hoped her decisions

— << end trigger warning>> ---

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November, 1 year ago….

Go see the elders.

Jacob’s voice echoed and roiled in Paul’s ears as he worked away at the lower deck in the back garden. The cool November air whipped round Paul as he worked at setting wood planks on his foundation. The chill did nothing to bring down his temperature though. Paul was running more than hot these days—he was constantly burning up, as if an unbreakable fever clung to him since Maya left.

Left him.

Paul stalled, his hands stilling on the wood as he closed his eyes tightly against his last memory of her, tear stricken and shaking her head at him. I won’t. She had said to him that she wouldn’t stay. Not for anyone, not even for him. And that tore him to pieces and set him on fire. And ever since, he’d been burning.

Paul forced his eyes back open and worked to refocus them on that task at hand. Work on the house always gave him some temporary peace, but he could never truly escape that hollowness that deepened and ached, threatening to drive him mad before the first snow would melt.

He couldn’t even bring himself to go on rounds at this point. But no one blamed him. No one even came looking for him. He chalked that up to Jacob, citing space, citing time, citing…whatever it was Paul was supposed to find during his time of abandonment.

Because that’s what it was, anyway you shook it out, he was simply abandoned. Again.

Go see the elders.

Jacob’s voice persisted in his head, sounding firmer, angrier each time that Paul refused whether internally or externally. What would the elders do for him exactly? They got him into this mess in the first place. Setting unrealistic expectations, putting pressure on them, coaxing them along with arbitrary milestones. They wouldn’t let up with their pleading eyes and knowing conversations until Maya was pregnant. Jesus. Paul skated quickly away from that thought and continued working on the deck.

Plus, what could the elders say to him now? Maya was gone, and all he could do was hope that she’d come back. A ripple of anger ran down Paul’s spine as he gritted his teeth. Suddenly he felt like he was six years old again, sitting on the stoop of his dad’s double wide as thunder promised rain overhead. Waiting for someone who might never return. He hated that feeling. And what he hated more was how that anger that he once thought was well and truly tempered began to roil viciously within him again.

Go see the elders.

Jacob’s tone turned into a rough growl in his head and Paul couldn’t stand it anymore. The hammer that had gone so still in his hand now shook and he reared back before hurling it with all his might without a care of where it landed. It connected with something far off, a tree perhaps, that shook its occupants free and had them flying off in a hurry.

Paul let out a harsh breath as he tried to swallow the well of emotion building in him. If he was being honest, he hadn’t done so well since Maya had left. To be fair, that might actually be an understatement. As hot, unshed tears brimmed his dark eyes, he stood with his hands lightly rested on his hips.

“Fine,” he said to no one in particular, “I’ll go see the elders.” Paul headed off in the direction of his lost hammer.

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The next morning, Maya and Keye stumbled into the kitchen together after having fallen asleep, exhausted from their conversation the night before.

Today was the day Maya planned to return to La Push and she would be lying if she wasn’t a bit nervous.

But, even more nerve wracking was Keye’s request to drive her into the rez. After last night, Keye had woken up feeling better, but she had told Maya sleepily that she needed to go home to fix some things too.

It only made sense that she would come with her, but still, the thought of Keye having another conversation last night made Maya ache, especially if she wouldn’t be as accepted by the others—least of all the council.

But Keye had assured her that Leah and her had talked about this and that she felt ready after unloading a little on Maya last night. She could do it and even more so, she felt like she needed to, to continue to heal and grow past it.

Now, hunched over their individual bowls of cereal as Leah watched from her place leaned up against the counter, both women held an air of dread about them.

Leah took a bite of cereal and said suddenly to Maya: “You know he’s going to know you’re there as soon as you cross the boundary, right?”

At this, Maya couldn’t help a small shiver run through her. He’d know she was there, but what he would do about it was still up in the air.

A few hours later, Keye pulled up the familiar, neatly paved driveway to the house. If it wasn’t for the familiar blue stone, Maya might not have even clocked that they were at her house. There’s been so much work done to it, almost as if someone frantically decided to build with unbridled purpose and determination.

“Holy shit,” Keye breathed as she looked through her windshield of Leah’s Subaru. They both sat in stunned silence for a moment, mouths slightly agape. Then Maya replied weakly,

“Yeah.”

The little blue house wasn’t so little anymore.

“Did you know he was—uh,” Keye faltered to complete her sentence so Maya just answered:

“No. This is…” Maya was lost for words.

“Yeah,” Keye breathed. Finally, she tore her eyes away from the house and looked over at Maya. “So, are you ready?”

“Are you?” Maya said back just as hesitantly. Keye considered it for a moment and then just shrugged.

“Yeah, why not?” She answered with a small smile. Maya exhaled a breath through her nose and nodded. Why not.

She pushed open the door and stood slowly on the dark paved driveway that was dotted with solar lights that would guide her in at night. She grabbed her duffel bag and backpack from the backseat and shut both doors with purpose.

Keye only pulled back up the driveway once Maya had opened the front door. But Maya stayed frozen on the threshold for a moment, marveling at what lay within.

The quaint front entryway had been completely opened and transformed into a wide open expansive living room that wrapped around the staircase that was now exposed on either side. Off to the right of the living room where there had only been a stone wall before, Paul had put in a cozy office, the entryway was arched and held two driftwood french doors, the glass mingling perfectly with the hand carved wood.

Maya peeked in, her eyes coasting over the back wall behind the raw edged desk that was packed books in the floor to ceiling bookshelves. An oversized, plush chair was nestled neatly next to the bookshelves and the bay window that looked out into the woods. A small iron fireplace had been installed in a free corner. It was…perfect for lack of a better word.

Maya spun on her heel and carried on toward the back of the house. The kitchen had been further expanded, a large warm wood island stretched across the expansive green tile. New appliances had been installed, the cabinets fitted and hand carved with intricate designs to heighten the simplicity of the sleek and soft kitchen around it.

Someone had been busy. Maya wrapped her arms around herself and glanced across the space. It was all so beautiful and different. But it still somehow felt like her home. It held the exact warmth and memory as before, just opened more to welcome new memories.

Outside the sun was beginning to sink lower in the sky into the late afternoon. She pushed aside the long sliding glass door and stepped out onto the deck. A hanging bed flocked in white gossamer curtains and shaded by a partially covered pergola hung seductively off to the side. The deck had been expanded to include three levels, each holding a different space to gather with cozy chairs, firepits, and hand carved weather-proofed wooden tables.

The most impressive thing that she had seen thus far though was the renovated workshop. Paul had completely rebuilt it, expanded it, and settled it a little further back onto the neighboring property. It almost looked the size of his studio in Seattle now, but he had built the entire front with reclaimed antique windows so that she could easily see into the intricate workspace within.The beveled glass glittered in the winter sun and made the entire backyard sparkle. It even held a second story loft that looked out toward the ocean.

The cold November breeze rolled over Maya and she took a deep breath. She knew the kind of frenzied state he must have been in when he started building all of this. As a distraction. To keep him from feeling that hollowing pain that she herself felt almost every day when she had left. It was heartbreaking what they’d done to each other. But there was no getting around it now.

Still, the most surprising thing was, he wasn’t here. Maya looked over her shoulder back into the house. Maybe she could find the keys to her Jeep, now neatly tucked away in the newly built two-car garage in the adjacent lot that Paul must have purchased to make all of these renovations.

With Paul nowhere in sight, she let out a long breath. She guessed she could go to Emily and Sam’s and look for him there. That’s what she needed to do—she needed to find him.

------------------------------------------------

February, 9 months ago…

Paul stood on the aging and worn steps of the last elder front porch in the icy rain that was oscillating annoyingly into sleet. As he looked around the front porch, shirtless and drenched in cold rain that steamed off of him, he noticed the wood rot close to the house where the porch met and made a mental note to come back and repair it once the weather cleared.

After a few more seconds, Elder Ti’Hal slowly pulled open the door, a wool woven shawl hanging heavy over her shoulders. Her bright white hair was braiding neatly into two plaits.

Elder Ti’Hal was truly ancient. And Paul didn’t mean that in a negative way at all. She radiated the distilled essence and teachings of their tribe. She was an elder before Paul was even born and he’d never known her without her bright white hair framing her wrinkled, warm face.

She still managed to move fairly quickly and with agility that wouldn’t normally be attributed to someone of her age, but that was the mystery of elder Ti’Hal. She also never attended council meetings or bonfires anymore, and instead preferred to stay in her quiet cottage in the forest that she had shared with her husband before his passing over two decades ago.

“Paul Lahote,” she said softly. “To what do I owe this very wet appearance?”

Paul scowled off to the side, his jaw clenching so hard he thought his teeth might crack. He hadn’t realized it, but he was breathing heavily, his shoulders rising and falling with the effort of it. When he didn’t answer she just nodded gravely.

“Come in,” she walked back into her small, warm, wooden home and Paul only hesitated for a second in the cold rain before he ducked under the tiny threshold and entered. “Let me get you a towel,” she grumbled.

“Don’t bother,” he said, his tone coming out harsher than he intended.

“For my couch then,” she was already digging in the small linen closet and produced a worn, threadbare towel that she draped across her couch for gesturing to it. “Sit.” she commanded.

Paul had forgotten how bossy the elders were. He trudged across the living room, careful not to trip on the woven Quileute rug before he slumped down onto the couch in a huff. A warm fire crackled off to his left and Elder Ti’Hal had disappeared around a corner into her tiny kitchen and was clanging around with a kettle.

“Do you want to start or should I?” Elder Ti’Hal called from the kitchen. Paul was still breathing heavily, the ache in his stomach crescendoing to a harsh beat. He may have groaned painfully in response, but he was too distracted by the unrelenting pain the imprint was causing him. “Right,” Elder Ti’Hal came around the corner with two hand thrown mugs in her hand steaming with what Paul hoped was something stronger than tea.

She handed him his mug and when he took a whiff, he nearly threw it begrudgingly into the fire.

“What pains you today, Paul Lahote?” she began. Paul shook his head, trying to find the right place to start, but nothing came to him, so instead he said,

“Why do you always do that?”

“Do what?” she sipped slowly from her mug.

“Call me by my first and last name. It’s not like you haven’t known me before I was born. Both names seem overkill don’t you think?”

He shifted uncomfortably on the warm, plush couch as she leveled him with her gaze and took her time answering.

“It’s more to remind you than me,” she said cryptically. Paul scoffed:

“Oh believe me, I know who I am.”

“Do you?” she replied quickly. Paul glared at her full on now and leaned forward, his mug still cradled between both hands.

“She didn’t come home for Christmas. She didn’t come home for Seth and Sadie’s wedding. Nothing. Not a fucking peep from her,” he could feel the tension in his body snap, the anger flowing through his veins freely now. He trembled slightly—this wasn’t his first time having to channel unchecked rage through himself and he doubted Ti’Hal would appreciate him exploding into a giant wolf and shredding her comfortable living room to pieces.

Instead, Paul glued his eyes to the fire, trying to let the anger move through him and then out of him to be consumed and burned away by the fire. But every time he breathed in, it felt like ash flooding his mouth, the embers of that anger still hotter than anything else within him.

“What does one do with so much anger?” she posed the question suddenly. Paul looked up at her wide-eyed as if shocked by the fact that she could see it on him. He was naive to think that much anger wouldn’t still be palpable to someone as attuned as her. Paul rolled his jaw and sat staring at her, waiting for the anger to ebb, but it wouldn’t.

Fuck.

Elder Ti’Hal settled back into her large armchair covered in different soft, worn blankets. When it was clear he wasn’t going to respond, she glanced out the window, watching the rain settle into a gentle drizzle.

“What do you think the imprint is, Paul?” her voice was warm with a gentle thrum to it like dried maize kernels pouring into a stone bowl. Comforting, consistent. It was maddening to say the least, so Paul continued in his aggravated tone, feeling the heat rise on his skin.

“An anchor for packmates. A promise for imprints. It’s a reason to stay.”

“Hmm,” she breathed, her eyes still on the window watching the rain make trails to the muddied window ledge. Paul huffed, rubbing his hands against his knees with impatience. A fucking waste of time, he thought as he clenched his jaw. “But it wasn’t reason enough for her to stay?”

When her eyes slowly drifted back toward him, Paul looked ready to burst into flames.

“Clearly not. I can’t go get her because I’ve been ordered to stay away, but also….she doesn’t want me to come,” his voice was quiet. He waited for her to speak again but she just stared at him sadly. A deathly calm rolled over him and he thought that if Ti’Hal didn’t say something soon, he might just give up and collapse in on himself like a dying star.

“What is it then? The imprint?” Paul asked, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice.

Ti’Hal smiled slowly, warmth creeping into her eyes as she tilted her head to the side and surveyed Paul thoroughly. She took her time before she finally said:

“A choice.”

Paul tried to quiet the tremors radiating through his body. If the imprint was a choice, then Maya had clearly not chosen him. Never. Not even from the start. The thought of it made his blood boil. His face twisted in rage before he spat out.

“What the fuck does that mean? How is it a fucking choice when it’s supposedly pre-ordained from the ancestors? That makes no fucking sense, you know that right?” Paul was on his feet without remembering when exactly he stood up. His hands were curled into fists and his chest was rising and falling quickly. He needed to calm down. If he could just calm down he could…

Ti’Hal just watched him with that serene look on her face, as if nothing fazed her anymore and the anger of a full blown werewolf couldn’t even shake her. Paul tried breathing, closing his eyes, counting to ten, but nothing could quell this desperate anger that spiraled and felt like lead dropping into the bottom of his stomach.

Why was it always like this? This anger? It was like a tide that he couldn’t escape. Like clockwork it would just rush over him and pull him under in seconds and there was nothing he felt like he could do about it. It was an exposed wire in his veins just ticking and twitching with so much heat and sharpness that he felt his skin would burn away and leave him exposed and vulnerable.

“Have you given her a choice?” Ti’Hal’s voice cut through the raging quiet like a whip, but her voice still remained calm. He tried to focus on that—that there was calm to be achieved and he could reach it. He could reach the shore if he just stayed calm. He was panting, losing his breath every moment he kept himself solid and here.

“I thought I did…but I wasn’t given one either,” he thought back to the moment the imprint had happened. Seeing her there across the fire. It was like an instant salve to a long forgotten pain. And then in the next moment, he was all resistance and rage again. Nothing felt like a choice when it came to the imprint. “We…we didn’t have time to make that choice,” Paul tried to slow his breathing. Calm, in and out, just like the waves. Not sinking but drifting.

“Some see the imprint as a gift, but that’s also just a choice wrapped up in a nice bow, in my opinion. It is a choice, Paul Lahote. You’ve made plenty in your very short life so far, but it is one that you give to her and wait until she makes it. It’s a question, and not a command and it can take many forms. You’re part is making sure you ask her the right one,” she watched his body language shift ever so slightly. “Miss Sunriviere was told that you were her imprint, told that there was to be in a relationship, and then told what her life would most likely be, in so many words.” Paul opened his mouth to retort but she continued anyway, “You are her choice. So ask the question and be patient for once. And most importantly, be vulnerable to her answer,” Ti’Hal took a moment to sip her tea. Paul tried to let those words sink in.

He was vulnerable with her. Her absence had nearly destroyed him, was that not vulnerable enough?

“No, not that,” Ti’Hal responded as if she could hear his thoughts. Paul’s eyes widened.

“What’s the question, then? The one I should ask?” Paul said desperately, his voice rasping as he realized he had been holding his body tensely throughout Ti’Hal’s speech.

“Start with the answer you want and work your way back from there,” she gave a cryptic smile and stood, disappearing behind her kitchen door and singing softly to herself, unceremoniously excusing him.

Paul stood there for a while longer, rapidly breathing, and listening to Ti’Hal singing the songs of his childhood in her kitchen, muffled and sweet. ------------------------------------------

The door to her Jeep shut with a sharp click as Maya shrugged on her cropped puffy jacket. Much as she had suspected, the keys to Maya’s Jeep were in the sun visor, as if waiting for her. The whole drive to Sam and Emily’s felt…calm. As if she were driving toward something rather than into something. There was no sweeping dread, no overwhelming nervousness—she just felt ready. She chocked that up to just time. The time away had made her ready for home, refreshed her.

Sam and Emily’s looked the same as it always did—warm and inviting with a steady stream of smoke coming from the chimney. It was familiar and as she took in a deep breath, the cold November air spiced with pine and fallen leaves, with a hint of the salty Pacific sent a pleasant reassuring thrum through her body.

Maya stood by her Jeep for a moment just taking it in, before the potential chaos—whether it would be angry or joyful—would be wrought on her. Just the quiet creak of the forest, a distant river rushing toward the sea, and muffled laughter booming from within the home.

Maya took a deep breath and took a couple of steps forward, her feet crunching on the wet gravel. She hadn’t made it more than a few steps when the screen door opened and Paul walked out slowly onto the porch, hands in the pockets of his dark jeans. Maya halted, her breath caught in her throat as her eyes met his.

She braced herself for whatever awaited her, but still that pulsing calm spread through her. It all felt…alright. And she hadn’t felt that way in so long. She watched in for just a moment as he stood on the top step of the porch, his face neutral before it broke into an earth shattering smile.

Maya could have sobbed at the sight of it. He sauntered down the steps toward and it took all of her self control not to break into a full on sprint to quickly close the distance between them. Somehow she managed a quick walk and nearly crashed into his body, but he held her fast, one arm coming out to wrap around her waist as his other hand cupped her jaw. He peered down at her, that warm smile still spilling sunshine in every direction and she stared up at him, eyes glittering with unshed tears.

He shook his head lightly and smiled, as his thumb reached up to gently brush across her lower lip, parting them softly.

“You came home,” he said gently, the emotion clearly wavering in his deep voice. Maya nearly crumbled at his touch. She was home.

“Yes,” she said simply, her voice barely above a whisper. “I thought it was…time,” she paused when he raised his eyebrows at her, a hint of humor and warmth in his eyes then quickly clarified: “For a visit.”

But this didn’t seem to faze him. He just nodded gently, humming in acceptance with that warm, pleased look on his face as he took her all in. There was a palpable vibration happening between them, what Maya could only assume was a physical manifestation of the imprint’s tension.

The last time she had seen him on the rez was over a year ago. And yet, time washed away and parted to let them stand there together again as if nothing had passed, as if this was any other day. Comfortable.

Maya’s hands shook she gripped the sides of his abdomen. She’d come all this way to say….to say what exactly? Her mouth parted softly but nothing came out. She needed to say something, anything. The silence stretched between them and Maya just couldn’t let it hang there any longer. How could she? After he had left her in that hotel room, and how it had felt coming home again—she needed to tell him everything.

He was tall, god so tall, he towered over her really, and yet she felt like his matching pair.

“Welcome home,” he said gently, his nose nuzzling hers gently.

Maya looked up at him curiously, her eyes slightly narrowed as she took him in. His dark beard was closely trimmed to his face, and his hair was a bit shorter than the last time she saw it. He looked good. Well, he always looked good, but this was different.

His eyes seemed bright, not clouded with the anger or jealousy she had seen back in the spring. No, this Paul felt solid, for once. The light was shining on his face, his color back to its warm russet, flush with heat and health. Everything felt simpler.

And with the confusion and despair that had once clung to that hollowness in her stomach from the imprint’s ache clearing completely, she felt like she could see clearly for the first time in awhile. She was worried momentarily that maybe it was just the trick of the imprint, beckoning her in—a salve to her burning anxiety.

But staring up at Paul, there was an openness there that hadn’t been there before. Something that she wanted to discover and ask him about. For now though, as his hand slowly threaded into her hair and pulled her close, this was all that she needed.

Finally, after watching her with such intensity, such heat, as if trying to rememorize every part of her face he lowered his head toward hers and crashed their lips together. It was like coming up for air after swimming beneath a current for too long. His kiss pressed new life into her and she arched her body fully into his, her curve slotting into the shape of his body just so as he held her against him.

Paul moved his mouth over hers, slow and wanting, washing the ache of their absence away. There was no succumbing this time, just an equal measure of elation at being together again, and Maya felt that familiar sensation of something clicking into place and she saw it for what it was: being in the right place at the right time.

She sighed into his mouth and heard him give a soft groan of pleasure before the air rang with the hoots and howls of his brothers. He pulled back gently, his eyes hooded and soft as he looked at her. Paul glanced over his shoulder at his pack crowded onto the porch and gave a gentle laugh before looking back, his eyes shining with something new as he said gruffly, “I guess they missed you too.”

Maya swallowed thickly and laughed, not willing to let go of him first. But he took her cue and said, “Come inside, I’m sure they all have a million questions.” Paul kissed her forehead before turning and slotting her neatly into his side as they walked the short distance to the porch.

“Hey, hey Ivy League!” Jared crooned.

“Welcome back, My,” Seth said softly.

“We needed a little more brains around here,” Colin laughed as Brady shoved him lightly.

“Maya?!” a soft, female voice floated out from the front door as Maya and Paul climbed the porch steps. Becks pushed her way through the pack crowded on the porch and started sobbing instantly upon seeing her. She was heavily pregnant, and Jacob wasn’t far behind her as she nearly dropped into Maya’s arms in a hug, squeezing her so tightly she thought she cracked a rib.

“Oh my god!” she cried into her shoulder. Maya chuckled and rubbed soft circles on her back as she looked over her shoulder at Jacob who shrugged and looked lovingly at his hormonally devastated wife. Becks pulled back to look at Maya, her face puffy and tear stricken, “You absolute JERK!” Maya barked a laugh at that and tried to wipe some tears away from Becks’ cheeks. “Don’t ever disappear on me like that again. I thought— I thought—,”

“I know. I’m sorry,” Maya said, pulling her best friend back into a hug. “I should have texted.” Becks hiccuped a sound of disapproval, “Or called.” Maya corrected. When she pulled back, Becks nodded, seemingly trying to get herself calm as Jacob settled a hand on her lower back. Maya’s eyes widened as she took in just how pregnant she was.

“Yeah, I know,” Becks said disappointed, “He’s like a week late.” She truly looked exhausted and the size of her belly stretched to almost painful extent. Jacob rubbed her back and leaned down to kiss her temple.

“He’ll come soon, babe,” he promised. “Plus, Maya’s here. That’s literally all the good luck we need to induce your labor. Like last time.”

Maya laughed again and shrugged, “Just no vampire delivery this time, right?” she quipped. Jacob rolled his eyes.

“Jesus, I hope it doesn’t come to that. But, Carlisle is on standby if the water birth stalls or we need quick intervention,” Jacob said nonchalantly.

“What the fuck is a water birth?” Brady whispered to no one in particular.

“Come inside, come inside,” Becks waved a hand and with Paul’s hand on her waist gently, Maya let the warm, comforting Uley home swallow her up.

They stayed at Sam and Emily’s until late in the evening, laughing and swapping stories. Paul stayed next to her, his presence relaxed and content, which was so unlike the tense and overwhelmingly protectiveness he had always exhibited before she left.

She glanced over at him a couple times, and each time, he caught her eye and gave her a smile. One that promised nothing but exactly what he was in that moment. And it made her…happy.

When she started to yawn, Paul took that as an opportunity to lean over and whisper softly against her ear, “Let’s go home.”

Maya nodded immediately and they said their quick goodbyes to those remaining there, promising to come back tomorrow for lunch and babywatch.

When they pulled up to the house in Maya’s Jeep, she couldn’t stifle her laughter quickly enough before Paul looked toward her amused and said:

“You don’t like it?” he asked, not even a little offended. If she didn’t know any better, there might be a slight teasing tone to his voice.

“No, no! It’s beautiful, I—,” she shut her eyes tightly to quell the rising emotion in her stomach from burning behind her eyes for too long. “It’s beautiful, Paul. You’ve clearly been busy, but I’m not sure why you did all this work.” Liar, the voice inside her quipped.

The corner of Paul’s mouth pulled up in a smug grin beneath his closely trimmed beard, “Bullshit,” he replied, maybe to that voice in her head. Maya blushed and shook her head at the soft teasing tone.

They hopped out of the car and came around the front into each other’s sides, arms weaving effortlessly over each other’s waists like magnets pulled them together, as they walked toward the house.

“Well, why else would you feel the need to renovate our entire house? It’s not like we needed to. The house was…fine, before,” she swallowed a gasp on the last two words as Paul confidently reached for her hip and tugged her closer, pulling her body flush with his. He stopped her, his other hand came up to rest on the side of her neck and threaded through her hair at the nape of her neck.

He chuckled and Maya felt the warm rumbling vibration of it stumble through her body and land in her belly. “Shut up,” he said with a gentle smile. Maya couldn’t help her returning grin before she quickly wiped it from her face.

“Seriously, if this is what happens every time I leave, I’m going to have to have someone confiscate your power tools,” his warm breath fanned across her face as he sighed, his eyes dancing around taking her all in in this light. How did he do that? Look at her like he was seeing the most incredible thing he’d ever laid eyes upon for the first time, and yet, the familiarity of his gaze said he’d known her forever, lifetimes before even. She let her hands rest on his chest now as she looked up at him.

“I forgot how much of a little shit you are,” he teased.

“Me?! Really, you're a menace to homes everywhere—” Maya was cut off as she shrieked with delight as Paul growled, squeezing her hip and biting her neck, his rough stubble tickling beneath her chin as he backed her over the threshold of the house and kicked the door shut behind him.

Once inside, he grabbed her under her thighs and carried her effortlessly up the stairs toward their bedroom, his mouth never leaving hers. Maya wrapped her arms around his neck, letting herself sink deeper into the kiss. Nothing was hurried—for once.

When he lowered her gently onto the bed, his hands coasted across her thighs and unbuttoned her jeans. He peeled them off her slowly, kissing down her body and pausing to press an open mouthed kiss to delicate V between her thighs. Maya watched him, her eyes hooded with desire as he took his time kissing back up her bare legs once her jeans were discarded, pulling her shirt up now and peppering the expanse of her belly with warm pecks.

Maya sighed, a small moan escaping as made his way up between her breasts, swiftly pulling her shirt up over her head and burying his face in her neck, the stubble scraping against the soft skin and making goosebumps rise across her breasts.

Paul was slow and methodical in how he worshiped her, his hands touching every part of her, pausing to measure just how well she fit in his hands. Maya felt it too and an overwhelming sense of contentment rushed through her. The imprint bond that normally rang so clear through her during a time like this was completely silent. She didn’t pay it much mind though as Paul quickly unsnapped her bra and pulled back the delicate lace before encasing her nipple in his mouth. Maya’s back arched off the bed and Paul’s hand traced the shape of it.

His thigh nestled neatly between her legs and Maya couldn’t help but seek friction desperately there, grinding down on him and rolling her hips as he tugged gently at her nipple with his teeth, biting softly across the swell of her chest to her other breast.

Maya was panting with desire, rolling her hips as her eyes flutter shut to simply exist in this moment with him. She heard the soft swish of his t-shirt coming off and the familiar hum of his zipper. When she opened her eyes, he was standing and discarding his clothes, fully naked at the end of the bed and he simply looked—gorgeous. Maya’s breath caught in her throat as she leaned up to look at him. His throat bobbed in equal adoration as he leaned over her, his fingers ghosting across her hips and slowly slipping her panties down her thighs. He kissed her bent knee as he slipped the lacy garment over it and when she was fully naked beneath him, he let out a well deserved sigh. His eyes raked in every inch of her as if drinking her in. Maya was propped up on her elbows, her eyes softened as she slowly let her knees drop to either side, baring herself to him.

She was already dripping—she knew that. Paul licked his lips and kneeled between her, not wasting anymore time as he bit gently on her thigh before leaning in to devour her. His tongue, flat and warm, seemed to touch every part between her thighs and Maya threw her head back, letting out a sharp moan. He let her settle on his tongue, tasting her, relishing her scent, as he held her there, his hands anchored firmly on her hips. His mouth sucked and pulled at her clit, his tongue darting into her opening, as a groan rumbled from his throat and through her body.

Maya was cresting, light bursting behind her eyes as she whimpered through her release. She twitched against his tongue and only then did he lean up, his eyes glazed with lust and love so intertwined that she thought she’d melt into the mattress.

Paul ran his hands over her body again, reverently, as if to prove something to himself and Maya shivered. The ache growing inside of her was present, persistent, but he leaned down slowly, taking her mouth over his and she sighed into it. Their breath mingled, mixing, and Maya felt like she was coming home all over again.

He wrapped his arm down around her back and shifted her up the bed, but before she could settle onto the pillows, he whipped her over him and Maya straddled his abdomen. Her eyes sparkled, and she couldn’t help but smile. Paul almost always preferred to have her beneath him when he claimed her, but in this moment, his eyes shone with a desire to see her claim every part of him.

Maya let her hands run down his chest, memorizing the hard expanse, the ripples and lines that made him strong and immovable. His chest rose and fell in quick breaths as if her fingertips were tracing some new pattern of love into his skin. Maya slowly traced over each dip and line of muscle, her eyes trained to each small freckle or scar, taking him all in.

His hands gripped her hips tightly, kneading the soft flesh that creased between her hip and thigh and she smiled. “You are torturing me,” he rasped, his eyes dark and desperate. Maya glanced up at his face and just smiled softly.

“I’m just remembering,” she replied barely above a whisper. Paul pressed his thumbs into that delicate crease where her hips met each of her thighs and pressed. A shot of lightning struck between her legs and a soft gasp fell from her lips.

“Remembering what?” he asked, so soft, so gentle. A sweet juxtaposition to the hard bodied, giant man that lay wanting and ready beneath her. Maya’s fingers paused over where his heart lay thumping wildly in his chest.

“What it feels like to come home,” she replied, as she lifted her hips and pressed him against her center. She slid down onto him slowly, feeling the warm stretch of him. A feral groan ripped from Paul as she sank onto his hilt, her hips neatly connected to his. She feel his hands flex as they gripped and loosened on her thighs. Maya braced herself on his stomach, taking in deep, stuttering breaths as she tried to get used to the sheer size of him again. As he twitched inside of her, she let out a soft “Ah!” as she clenched around him. She was so sensitive. Being fully in control had set her body alight and Paul waited for her to move, groaning each time she inadvertently squeezed him inside of her.

When she lifted slightly, Paul braced her between his hands, helping to raise her hips. His eyes were glued to where they connected as the sheen of her slick coated every exposed inch of him. Maya raised herself halfway up his shaft before slowly settling back down onto him working herself into a slow and languid pace.

Maya watched his eyes, sharp and dark as they took in every bit of movement. He was in absolute awe, completely taken by the shape of her and Maya felt completely in control.

Her mouth hung open in unadulterated want as she quickened her pace on top of him. Rolling and sliding her hips against him. Paul’s hands tightened and loosened of their own accord as if he had to remind himself to let go a little so he wouldn’t bruise her.

With each roll of her hips, that ache was replaced with warm relief and she felt a whole body shiver rush through her as Paul started chanting her name. She needed him closer, as she felt her tits swell and ache from her impending release. As if he heard her, Paul leaned up, connecting their bodies. His chest pressed flush against hers, but Maya didn’t stop bucking her hips against his. Paul wrapped his arms around her body, nipping along her collarbone, his moans echoing across the room as Maya threw her head back, panting and cursing.

She felt him release first, and it took her over the edge. Paul’s eyes were closed tightly as he shuddered through his release and Maya curved in on herself as she let go, her body clenching to him tightly with wave after wave of pleasure as if she was trying to rinse herself through.

Finally, she collapsed on top of him, breathing heavily into the crook of his neck. He placed a hand behind her head and stroked gently, kissing her temple as he tried to slow his breathing.

Still, the imprint was silent. Maya wasn’t complaining, it was just…strange.

“Welcome home,” he breathed. Maya chuckled and buried her head in his neck as she let sleep overtake her in one fell swoop

The next morning, Maya awoke slowly. She was keenly aware of Paul’s body behind hers, his arms wrapped lightly around her waist. Rain pattered gently on the windows and she had to admit that she hadn’t felt this content waking up in a long while.

Paul stirred gently behind her, kissing her shoulder as Maya rubbed her hand over his forearm. They stretched into one another, Paul groaning sleepily as she turned in his arms.

“Good morning,” he said gently, his eyes barely open. Maya bit her lower lip and smiled.

“Morning.”

“Do you have plans today?” he asked nonchalantly. Maya quirked an eyebrow and stifled a laugh.

“No, I don’t think so. These are my plans, what about you?” she said in only a slightly teasing tone.

“Yeah, I want to show you something,” he opened his eyes fully now, looking down at her and Maya looked at him carefully. Not a bit of hesitation in those eyes, she noticed. “Will you come?”

“Sure,” Maya breathed. She didn’t know why but her stomach erupted with butterflies. He gave her a warm smile and closed his eyes again pulling her closer as he settled back into sleep.

Later that afternoon, once the rain had stopped and Maya was bundled in her heavy winter coat and rain weathered hiking boots. Paul was dressed simply in jeans and a black t-shirt, his hair neatly coiffed to the side as if he had tried to tidy it up just a little bit.

Paul drove them into the woods and parked in a clearing. He led her through the forest and they walked for nearly an hour along sloping pathways and fern covered earth. Paul carried her over fallen trees and helped her down rain slicked slopes until the pathways went decidedly up and up.

“Where are we going?” Maya laughed as she breathed in the briney air, her cheeks flushed red with heat and exertion. Paul looked back at her over his shoulder and squeezed her hand.

“Almost there,” he reassured her.

Once they broke through the treeline, Maya knew where they were headed and her heart began to race.

It was the cliff from her dream all those years ago. Where the wolf had beckoned her forward.

“Paul what are we—” she began as they started up the slope of the cliff.

“When you were gone, I went and saw the elders,” he began not looking at her. Maya stopped and her hand fell from his.

“Oh?” she couldn’t say that that filled her with the reassurance she was hoping for. The elders had been incredibly intrusive throughout their relationship. “What for?” she probed.

Paul took a few more steps forward toward the jutting edge of the cliff that pulled out over the water. “I was looking for advice and they didn’t really offer me much…until I saw Ti’Hal,” Maya’s eyes widened at that and she followed him a couple steps onto the cliff.

“Ti’Hal?” She was shivering, not from the cold but from something else. Nerves? She couldn’t place it. No one ever went to Ti’Hal. She was the tribe’s oldest advisor, never came to council meetings anymore, and was a recluse for lack of a better term. Still, she was revered within her community and if you did seek her out, there needed to be a very good reason. She didn’t give away her time easily.

Paul looked out over the cliffs, the wind whipping around him as he put a hand in his pocket. “I was trying to figure out what to do about us.” Maya’s stomach dropped at that. Paul still didn’t look at her and she felt like she was waiting for other shoe to drop, “I was miserable without you Maya, I think you know that.”

“Paul—” Maya tried again.

“No. Let me get this out,” he breathed harshly, turning to look at her finally, his eyes were burning. “Let me, please.” He nearly begged. Maya swallowed hard and nodded. He looked out again for a couple of heartbeats before he continued, turning to look back at her but staying close to the cliffs edge.

“I was miserable without you. I had no idea what to do about the imprint, how to get you back. It was driving me insane. Actually insane. I didn’t phase back for a few months because I couldn’t handle being without you and lending myself to that animal side was simpler. But that started to make everything worse….I felt like..I was dying without you. And that terrified me.”

Indeed his eyes were pained and dark and Maya thought the pain of it would reach out and shatter her. That the imprint would begin to tug her closer. But it didn’t. It was odd.

“I just wanted it all to stop. If you wanted to stay away, be without me, I wanted you to have that and for me not to feel this way anymore. So, I tried to figure out the bond the imprint made. At one point I even asked…I even considered…trying to break it,” his voice was so defeated and Maya couldn’t help a soft sob from escaping her throat at the thought of it. “I was in so much pain, I just…”

Maya took another small step forward and he continued, determined. “Still, the elders had no advice. The imprint would pull you back to me. There would be no other option but that. And then I saw Ti’Hal. I realized after talking with her that I got the imprint all wrong. I got us all wrong,” his eyes were hard now as they looked past her, through her.

Was this some sort of sick joke? Fear shot through Maya as she thought the absolute worst.

“Paul, wait,” Maya said, holding her hand out.

“No, My,” he shook his head, “Let me finish.”

“I don’t want you to,” she nearly had to yell over the wind, “Please, let’s just go home.”

Paul shook his head, a smile now bursting over his face and Maya had to swallow her tears to keep from letting the panic sink in.

“You have no idea how much I love you,” he said gently. Maya’s eyes widened and she took a step forward. Please don’t let it be bad. “I realized that because of the imprint and because of what everyone thought it meant, you were never given a choice in all this. I was never given a choice in all this.” Maya started to shake her head to stop him, to make him listen, he couldn’t leave her like this. It wasn’t fair.

“Please,” she choked.

“I decided I wanted to make a choice in all this. And you deserve one too,” his eyes on her were hard. And he took one step forward but then, he shrank from her eyeline getting onto both of his knees. He was actually kneeling before her, his hand now out of his pocket holding something. “I want you to choose me because it’s what you want. I want a life with you and I want us to create that together. Not because of the imprint or because of what is expected. But because you love me and I love you. I want…I want so bad to marry you, My. Will you marry me?”

The shiny glimmer of tears caught in the corners of his eyes as he stared up at her. Maya took the last few steps toward him slowly, her mouth open in shock as tears flowed freely over her cheeks now. The ring glittered in his hands, a large oval shaped diamond set in a delicate gold band. Maya was crying completely now, the tears beginning to blur her vision and she couldn't quite catch her breath.

“Will you—” he tried again but Maya cut him off quickly.

“Yes, yes I will! Yes, Paul. Yes,!” she sank to her knees before him and he tugged her forward, kissing her through her tears as the waves crashed and roiled below them.

Next > >

#twilight fanfiction #taking time #paul lahote pairing #paul lahote #paul lahote x oc #twilight fanfic #the twilight saga #twilight wolf pack #trigger warning #maya and paul #chapter fifty four #jacob black #leah clearwater #twilight

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graceloveswolves · 2 years

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Never in a million years would I ever think I’d live to see Daryl Dixon put his knife to Paul Lahote’s throat…

This is like a random dream my brain makes up after writing a Paul lahote one shot while watching the walking dead.

#TWD #twilight #Paul lahote #Daryl Dixon #Paul lahote x reader #paul lahote preferences #Jacob black #wolfpack #Daryl Dixon x reader #daryl dixon angst #daryl dixon fluff #Rick grimes #twilight imagines #twilight x reader #twilight wolf pack #the walking dead #Daryl TWD #paul lahote x y/n #paul lahote x oc

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jupiterwrites99 · 1 year

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You're On Your Own, Kid

Chapter 5

Word Count : 4075

The night had come a lot of faster than Sage had anticipated. Dinner with the pack was eventful to say the least. She wasn’t used to that level of noise yet and a headache was quick to form. She had excused herself, more so snuck out of the dining room, to have a hot shower to relax her constantly tense frame.

No one had come to coax her back out of the room and she was grateful for the quiet.

She heard the heavy footsteps before the knock on the door, and if she hadn’t already memorised his scent she would’ve ignored it and pretended to be asleep.

Opening the door, she was met with a smiling Paul. His eyes drifted from her face to the shirt she had changed into after her shower. His shirt, she could tell from the lingering scent of his cologne.

“I snagged one for you.” He huskily said, his eyes had darkened as they met hers again.

She looked away reluctantly to the plate in his hands, a singular cupcake sat on the plate and she couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks.”

She gently took the plate from him and opened the door wider, inviting him in as she made her way back to the bed where she had been watching reruns of her favourite show. “Paul?”

“Hm?” He hummed, sitting in the chair next to the bed again. Paul smiled down at the bedside table at where she had organised the things she had found at the beach. Including the little pinecones he had stopped and collected from a tree on his way back to Sam’s after his conversation with the woman whose name she still didn't know.

Sage hesitated, before saying gently, “You should go home tonight.”

“What?” Paul's brows furrowed as he looked at her with confusion.

“You’re only staying here because of me, right? You don’t have to. I’ll be fine.”

She quickly said, “Your…family probably misses you.”

He shook his head, telling her, “I live alone.”

“Still.” Sage looked at him pointedly. She didn’t want to take him away from his life because of her own issues. Even if he was the only person here who made her feel safe.

She watched as he locked his jaw, looking at her with hard eyes before he asked, “You want me to leave?”

“I don’t want you to feel obligated to stay, I mean, you’ve done more than enough for me already.” She said honestly. Sage liked being on her own for the most part.

Paul looked at her with a knowing look, “Sage, I just want you to feel comfortable.”

“I am comfortable.” She wasn’t lying, per se, but she wasn’t exactly telling the truth either. Sage was as comfortable as anyone would be when their lives had been flipped upside down for a second time.

“You only talk to me.” He pointed out and she wanted to yell at him, that wasn’t true. She had spoken to Leah, as well. He just wasn’t there.

“I’ll do better.” She mumbled.

“That's not what I’m saying..I’ll leave, if that's what you really want.” His eyes were searching her face, like he was looking for a sign to stay. But, just from the sight of him in that chair, the chair that was two sizes too small to even be remotely comfortable for him, she knew she was making the right decision for him.

She nodded her head.

----

Regret.

That's what Sage felt as she laid awake in her too soft of a bed. The blanket wasn’t nearly warm enough for the cool fall air, nor was the tshirt and sweatpants she wore as pyjamas.

Sam and Emily had gone to bed long ago, and she could tell from the loud snores that Sam was completely out.

She regretted telling Paul to leave. He was her heat source the night before, she had felt it when she had drifted off during their movie, and even more so when she slept on the floor beside him on the couch.

As quietly as she could, she got up and slid her shoes at the foot of the bed on her feet.

Maybe a walk will help, she hoped.

It was a quiet walk. No cars were on the roads and especially no people were milling about.

She pulled the sweater she had found hanging up tighter to her body as a particularly cold gust of wind hit her like tiny frozen darts. When she noticed headlights approaching, instinctively, she wanted to hide.

But as the car drove past her, she let out her breath and kept walking.

The sound of the tires screeching against the asphalt as the car did a u-turn in the middle of the road made her speed up. She was searching in front of her for places to go, the woods being the safest choice but she didn’t want to risk phasing. Sams was too far to go on foot versus the car.

Maybe you could steal a car, the wolf suggested. Sage rolled her eyes at thought.

“Hey!” A man's voice shouted from the driver's side.

That voice is familiar.

She looked to the car that was now slowing to a roll beside her to see the man she had been laying in bed thinking of.

“Get in.” Paul said roughly, she ignored him and kept walking, causing his anger to rise, “Get in or I’ll put you in myself.”

The wolf whined at her. It's what she wanted.

But she also didn’t want to go back to Sams. Back to that cold room where she would just be staring at the ceiling until the sun rose.

Choosing not to fight him, figuring he would actually put her in the truck if she refused, Sage got in sluggishly. She immediately noticed Paul was shirtless in a pair of gym shorts, “How did you--”

“Sam called me.” He cut her off.

His voice was deeper than usual.

Huskier, even.

“I wasn’t running away.” She tried to explain, but he was quick to cut her off again. His anger was clearly getting the best of him and even she knew not to push it while trapped in a car with an upset wolf.

“I didn’t say you were.” He looked at her and she could see the stress in his eyes. Like he was really trying to keep his composure. She didn’t want him to be angry with her.

“I wouldn’t leave you.. Not without saying goodbye. Okay?” Sage said honestly. She knew what would happen if they were to be separated for a long period of time, she had seen it with her own mother when her father had died. She shutdown completely due to her grief, leaving Sage on her own to navigate her way through their pack dynamics.

“Good to know,” He scoffed lightly , the crease between his eyebrows deepened as he shook his head.

Clearly that was the wrong thing to say.

Sage had been too busy looking at Paul and trying to gauge his emotions to realise they had pulled into an unknown driveway. A new sense of panic set in, was Sam sending her somewhere else because she kept leaving?

“Where are we?” She asked Paul with wide eyes.

“My house.” He answered as he pulled his key from the ignition. “You can sleep in my bed, I’ll take the couch. I’ll drop you back off at Sam's tomorrow.”

Thank God, she breathed a sigh of relief before realising what he had said.

“No.” She shook her head, she would not be sleeping in his bed. That was his!

“Sage, I’m not arguing with you about this.” He said through a yawn.

She grabbed his hand, forcing him to look at her, then down at their hands intertwined, “I don’t want to sleep in your bed.”

He takes a deep breath, “Why not?”

“It’s yours. I’ll sleep on the ground.” She stated, and rushed out of the car, pulling her hand from his in the process.

Paul let out a sound of annoyance, “You’re not sleeping on the ground.”

“I always sleep on the ground.” Sage rebutted, rolling her eyes in the process.

Paul cracked his knuckles, and stayed quiet. No longer arguing with her as he muttered “Let's go.”

He placed his warm hand on the small of her back ushering her up a small flight of stairs and into his home. He had clearly been asleep before Sam had called to inform him of her leaving. That much she was certain as she walked into his room. His bed was unmade, the comforter slung to one side and the lamp closest to the door was the only light in the room.

“What do you need to be tucked in?” He asked, looking over his shoulder at her. He had walked past her, plugging his phone back into its charger.

She shook her head, the guilt dwelling in her mind, “I’m sorry for waking you.”

��It’s fine. Now are you going to stand there all night?” She just blinked at him, feeling uncomfortable, “Look, Sage. I’m tired, you look tired, just get in the bed.”

“It’s yours.” She mumbled. Shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

“I’m aware.” He sat on the edge, “You can have that side, I’ll have this one. Your own little territory.”

She nodded in compromise, waving off the slight jab he had made. And quickly made her way to the side he deemed hers. She tried to make herself as comfortable as possible as he turned off the light, muttering a rough goodnight to her.

The heat emitting off of his skin was exactly what she had been looking for, allowing her to drift off to a dreamless sleep.

Though it wasn’t enough to fix the uncomfortableness of the bed as she tossed and turned on the cloud like mattress. She missed the hard ground.

Sage grumbled to herself as she awoke for the second time due to the bed, though this time there was the weight of an arm around her waist.

Paul had crossed the territory.

She could feel his breath on the back of her neck, fanning it with hot air. His arm was comforting, like a warm, weighted blanket. But it wasn’t enough to put her back to sleep, no, she wanted to lay on the ground.

She fully intended to until Paul tightened his arm around her waist and he mumbled tiredly, “Don’t go.”

She settled back into his arm, her back flush against his chest as she looked over her shoulder, “You’re really hot, you know.”

A sleepy smirk formed on his face. His eyes were still closed and she couldn’t help but marvel at his beauty. Sage groaned, “Not like that.”

Sage rolled over and faced him. She traced with her index fingers the sharp points of his face. Still getting used to skin to skin contact again, before sighing, “You’re quite pretty,”

“Pretty?” He blinked his eyes open. She smiled guilty, she really didn’t mean to wake him again.

“Mhm.”

“What time is it?” He asked lowly.

She shrugged. She assumed it was early morning from the birds beginning to chirp outside his window.

Paul let her go to grab his phone off of his nightstand, the numbers reading 4:23am in a bright white font. He dropped his phone down again before readjusting his arm around her.

“Back to sleep, Sage.” He said quietly as he reclosed his eyes.

She scoffed lightly, “Easier said than done. You’re in my territory.”

He groaned, and if his eyes had been open she had no doubt he would have rolled them, “C’mere.”

Paul used his arm to pull her closer, her head directly on his chest. The sound of his heartbeat was serene.

He moved his hand to her hair. Raking it gently with his fingers as she fluttered her eyes shut, sighing in contentment, “This bed is too soft.”

“Hm?” Paul hummed.

Sage explained softly, hoping he would understand, “I slept on the ground for five years, your bed is like a marshmallow compared to it.”

“If this doesn’t work we’ll sleep on the ground, how ‘bout that?” He offered, shifting slightly so that their legs became a tangled mess beneath the sheets.

So much for having their own territories.

Though she wasn’t complaining. It was a much more comfortable position than she had been in previously.

She nodded her head in response to his offer, yawning as he combed through her hair with one hand the other rubbing circles on her back.

Her eyelids felt heavier and in his arms, it was the safest she's felt in years. This is what she had always thought it would be like to have a mate. Not what had been forced on her back in her old pack. Sage shuddered at the thought.

Leaving him would be heart wrenching, but she knew eventually she would have to if word got back to her old pack that she was seemingly a traitor.

------

Paul had dropped her off on the doorstep of Sam and Emilys home, almost as if he was making sure she actually made it through the door. Though he didn’t hover, leaving to go on patrol as soon as she stepped through the threshold.

Now she regretted coming back as she eavesdropped on Emily's conversation with the unknown woman from the beach.

“It’s not right, Em and you know it.” Sage could hear the unknown woman's voice through the open window, “This girl just shows up and suddenly he's capable of all the things I asked of him. He made me so many promises, promises that he was going to do better, that he was going to change, and he didn’t.”

“You know that neither Sage or Paul had any say in this.” Emily retorted.

It didn't take a genius to understand that this woman, who she didn’t even know the name of, was talking about her. Why, was something she couldn’t understand. Paul said he lived by himself, and there was no evidence of this woman in his house that she had noticed.

And now she was here, venting to Emily about her arrival.

“But he just gave into it, how many times did he say that if it happened he would fight it? That it wouldn’t matter to him?” The mystery woman ranted.

What was Paul supposed to be fighting? Sage questioned herself. There were no threats here.

“I don’t think this is how he imagined it to go, Rachel.” Emily’s soft voice tried to soothe the tension escalating on the other side of the door. “It’s a complicated situation that we are all adapting to. He’s just trying to make sure she’s okay right now.”

Rachel was her name.

Nobody had ever mentioned Rachel before.

“What about me? It's all Sage this, Sage that, as if we haven’t known each other since highschool. He’s known this girl for a week!” Rachel exclaimed loudly.

Sage frowned.

All this drama because she crossed the treaty line she didn’t know existed.

If Rachel wanted Paul, she could have him. She didn’t want to be here anyways. The smell she had caught a whiff of in the grocery store with Paul still stuck in the back of her mind. It belonged to a hunter who had been terrorising her pack since she was a child. She never thought she would catch the scent again after leaving the territory claimed by the Marshall pack. Though, she also didnt think that there were any packs along the coast of Washington, yet here she was.

The wolf in her growled at her thoughts, it didn’t like the idea of leaving Paul.

“Ignore her.” Leah spoke from behind the younger girl, Sage turned to face her, startled by her sudden appearance, “Rachel couldn’t take a hint if it hit her in the face.”

Sage smirked at the older woman's words.

“Sam wants me to take you along the perimeter, show you the treaty line and all that.” Leah continued, “We can walk it if you’d like.”

Sage nodded. Jokingly, she said, “I’ve missed being on two legs.”

She was just starting to get used to being on two legs again, and she liked that people could understand her now. Even if she didn’t talk much.Something she was determined to work on after Paul commented on it the night before.

PAULS POV

As soon as he had stepped through the backdoor, Sage was in front of him. A sheepish smile adorned her face as she quietly asked for his help to make the hot chocolate he had promised her.

Though his legs ached for him to sit down, and the onset of a headache after listening to Quil babble for the last 10 hours urged him to shut his eyes in search of peace and quiet, he agreed.

They had resorted to asking questions about each other while they waited for hot chocolate to cool down. More so than Sage firing them off, than him.

If it had been anyone else delaying his post patrol nap he would have told them to fuck off, but she was talking to him. That's all he's been wanting since they had found her, he’d be damned if he let his own arrogance ruin it.

Especially after she had bolted the night before after telling him to leave her alone for the night.

It ended up working out for him though, spending the night with Sage in his arms where he was absolutely sure she was safe and sound, even if it meant being woken up before the birds because of her tossing and turning. He wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Fuck, he thought, It’s been a week and I’m already in deep.

Paul had never wanted to imprint. The idea of his life revolving around one person, being at their beck and call, all because his ancestors told him to be, was never appealing.

But when it happened, everything just made sense.

Like the earth had shifted and everything was brighter. He was no longer living in black and white.

Only problem was, he didn’t have the patience. Paul was too much of a physical person, touching was his love language. Though he kept that to himself. He was jealous of his brothers for reasons he couldn’t say out loud.

He had been so relieved to find out she was twenty two. Only four years younger than him, yet, she had been a wolf for the same amount of time. They would have phased for the first time in the same year, how odd is fate?

Paul was shocked to learn how young she was when she had first shifted, the fact that she had her own pack was also bewildering. From the sound of it, she had grown up knowing she was going to eventually join the rest of her pack. Unlike Paul, who had been completely blindsided.

“Uh, green.” Paul said, after realising he hadn’t answered her most recent question.

“Like the trees?” She asked.

“No, more of a moss green, with just a little bit of gold in it.” His eyes scanned hers as he figured out how to put into words just how beautiful the colour of her eyes were. They were brighter than the day she was found, less wary. More trusting. It made his wolf beam to see her trust them. “What about you?”

“Silver,” She said without missing a beat.

“That's not a colour,” He teased, though he wanted to know why silver was her favourite colour. She had spent so much time seeing the world in black and white, stuck as a wolf, surely there was another colour she enjoyed more than silver.

She rolled her eyes playfully and Paul grinned as his wolf howled within from witnessing her blossoming personality.

Sage's eyes flicked around the room as she hummed in thought, “Fine, um, red.”

“Red?” He asked, looking for an explanation.

“Yep, all my favourite things are red. My first bike was even red, my mom had to hide it from me because I used it so much it was falling apart.”

Paul's eyes flicked down to the hoodie she wore.

His hoodie.

It was more than ten years old and he outgrew it when he began the shift. The faded school logo was barely legible now. Nothing about it was special.

But it was red.

The two wolves were interrupted by the heavy feet of Jared entering the kitchen, Paul couldn’t help but scowl. He didn’t want Jared to push Sage back into her shell and as he was about to tell him to get lost before that could happen, he was stopped by the mousy voice from the girl across from him.

“Hi,” Sage mused, a bright smile on her face that could brighten anyone's day.

Jared chuckled at her enthusiasm, or maybe the fact that Paul's eyes nearly bugged out of his head at the greeting.

“Hi, Sage.” Jared responded, before asking, “What are you guys up to?”

“I’m going to the beach.” She piped, before looking at Paul and continuing, “Paul helped me make hot chocolate, do you want some?”

Jared grinned, looking from Sage to Paul. The familiar feeling of simmering rage began to take over him, or maybe it was jealousy as he bit back a growl.

They made the hot chocolate together, for them, now she wants to share?!

“Can I--”

Paul interrupted him before Jared could finish his question, standing up abruptly. Grimacing as he startled the young girl. “No, come on, Sage. The suns going to start setting soon.”

“Bye.” She said just as enthusiastically as she had greeted Jared and Paul ushered her out quickly. The thermos of hot chocolate clutched tightly in his hand.

SAGES POV

“You’re a little minx.” Paul said from beside her as they made their way down the familiar path to the beach. Sage furrowed her eyebrows, looking up at him with a squint as the setting sun shone in her eyes.

“I don’t know what that means.”

He lets out a laugh that sounds more like a scoff, “I make one comment that you only talk to me, and now you’re replacing me.”

“I could never replace you.” She said earnestly. And it was true. She could, and never wanted to replace Paul. He was her first friend, the first person who tried to help her get her life back.

Sage walked ahead of him, straight towards the largest rock she could find.“This is a good spot.” She said before sitting in the sand. Sage looks up at Paul when she realised he hadn’t sat with her. “What?”

“Nothing.” A hint of a smile on his chiselled features, “Do you want to sit down there or on top?”

“It's safer down here,” She remarked, sinking her fingers into the cold sand.

He nodded and sat down beside her before asking, “How is it safer?”

“I can hear everything from here, but nothing can see us. Or at least me, you’re kind of big to hide.” She explained, only to be met with a frown. Her eyes widened in worry, maybe she was wrong and this wasn’t the safest spot on the beach.

“Sage..You’re completely safe right now. Hidden or not.” Paul spoke gently,

“But--” She begins to argue but remembering, there's no one hunting them,“Right, nevermind.”

“It’s just going to take some getting used to.” He reassured her.

Quietly, she asked, “Can we switch?”

He nodded and the two stood to their feet before figuring out how to fit the both of them on the rock. The settled with her legs draped over Pauls, she was grateful for this position given how cold it was getting next to the water.

After sitting in silence, indulging in the hot chocolate he had handed her in the thermos cup, she asked, “Do you always phase back?”

Paul nodded, “Depends on if there's threats or not. The longest I’ve stayed as a wolf was three weeks.”

“That's it?” She asked in shock.

He chuckled, “Yeah. It's a good thing we’ve crossed paths, if i need to stay in wolf form any longer than that, I’ve got you to show me the ropes.”

Paul nudged her gently and she smiled up at him.

Her wolf whined at the prospect of him being in the same situation they were in.

“It’s not that hard.” She said nonchalantly before taking a sip of her hot chocolate, “Just avoid the hunters.”

“Noted.” He laughed before looking out at the water. The sun just upon the horizon, making a rare, glowing sunset. It was so peaceful. It almost made everything she was going through worth it.

“Paul?” She asked.

“Hm?” He hummed, looking down at her.

She fiddled with the thermos as she asked, “Do you have a phone I could borrow, there's someone I’d like to try calling…”

“You said there wasn’t anyone.” He commented, a hint of skepticism in his voice

Sage grimaced as his tone shifted, “I didn’t lie.”

“I never said you did.” He pointed out.

“I don’t know if he’ll even remember me, it's been so long..But he’s the only person who may actually believe me.” She explained, and it was true. The last time she saw him was at her fathers funeral.

The older man's tone was serious and slightly intimidating as he said, “Sage, you can’t tell anyone.”

She furrowed her brows, looking up at Paul, “But I trust him.”

“Well I need you to trust me,” He shifted his body causing her legs to fall off his, “It’s not safe for you, or the pack. No one can know.”

“I trust you.” She spoke honestly, before she asked, “How am I supposed to explain where I’ve been for the past five years?”

Paul sighed, running his fingers through his hair, “I’ll figure that out for you, then you can call…”

“Josh.” She said quietly. She missed him a lot. He was the only outsider she was allowed to be around, the only real human. Both of her parents trusted him as well. Sage regretted not telling him she was leaving the pack.

“Josh.” He repeated with a scoff.

She raised her eyebrow at his tone, “I think you two would get along, honestly.”

A nearby howl interrupted whatever Paul had opened his mouth to say, but she could tell by the look in his eyes, he disagreed with her statement. He didn’t even know Josh and he had already formed his opinion. The thought of him not liking her uncle made her frown. He was family, the only one she had left.

“I should get you back.” He muttered, standing up and reaching out for her hand to help her.

“Patrol?” She asked, “Leah explained it earlier.”

“Yeah, Sam’s just getting off so you won’t be alone at the house.”

“Im tougher than I look, you know”

“I know.” He said with a slight smirk, “It’s more so for my own sanity.”

He helped her down off the rock, his hand lingering on her waist as she returned the lid of the thermos.“Well, I had fun. Thanks for bringing me.”

“Sage?”

“Yeah?” She looked up at him expectantly.

“If your bed is too soft tonight, try the couch. It’s a little firmer.” He said, and she smiled for the tip he had given her. Though that meant he wasn’t planning on spending the night again.

“Where are you going to sleep?” Left her lips before she could stop it. She had slept so well in his bed, and the regret of sending him away still lingered.

“I’ll be out all night.”

“Oh.”

“Is that okay?” He asked gently, bringing his warm hand up to her cheek to make her look him in the eye.

“Yeah.. It’s just..” She trailed off, “ Nevermind.”

“What is it?” Paul asked, concern evident on his face.

“Emilys house is really cold at night.” She mumbled sheepishly.

Paul smirked, it was slightly arrogant but loved it anyway as he told her, “I’ll see what I can do about that.”

#paul lahote fanfic #paul lahote x oc #paul lahote #twilight wolf pack #paul lahote smut #paul lahote imagine #twilight fanfiction

120 notes · View notes

samblackblog · 2 years

Text

7. Tempest

⎔ MASTERLIST ⎔ REQUESTS ⎔ TWILIGHT ⎔ BOUNDARIES ⎔

Word Count: 6.5k

Warnings: angst, anger/fighting, kind of smutty but not really, slow burn

A/N: How long has it been? Honestly no clue. Thank you so much for the continued support, even in my absence. I don't want to make excuses for the lack of updates but, this story is far from over and I will be updating more regularly. I'm recently out of hospital after losing all mobility so I'm relearning to use my hands so typing is hard, due to this updates will be slow (although faster compared to the wait between this chapter and the previous!) There are likely to be grammatical errors to due to this. I've tried correcting them all - bare with me.

also couldn't decide on a GIF, send me a better one and I'll replace it but maybe also might give another reward.

I've created a TAGLIST add your name if you wish to get updates

← Chapter 6 ▪️ Chapter 8→

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His answer echoes through every corner of your brain, exciting your heart once again, as you walk hand in hand to the edge of the forest and stare out at the house. The feeling lasted but fleetingly as dread overwhelmed the senses. Paul staying for dinner would mean meeting the parents and you’re not entirely sure you’re mentally prepared for the event. Infact, you’re not sure you ever would be. A squeeze to your hand brings your attention back to the present moment.

“I think I can handle parents” he teases with a second reassuring squeeze of the hand. You stare up at him, confusement present on your features.

“How did you know I was thinking-”

“Call it an educated guess,” he laughs as light twinkles in his eye. “Besides, I wouldn’t have said yes if I wasn’t prepared for the inevitability of meeting family.”

“At least one of us is prepared” you joke, exhaling deeply. Before another word could be spoken you started towards the house, giving him a small tug on the arm to follow so you couldn’t talk yourself out of it. Quick like a plaster was your mantra as you marched through the quagmire that had developed in the afternoon rain. Only briefly do you brace yourself for the onslaught of questions and then begrudgingly drag your feet up the stairs of the back porch. Relief washes over you at the sight of the empty kitchen as you push through the back door of the house, but it is short-lived as your mother makes an appearance in the archway that connects to the living room.

“Thought I heard someone” she sounds cheery as she moves to give you a hug. She gives a tight squeeze and then takes your face in her hands and looks deep into your eyes “how are you feeling sweetie?” She continues to inspect your face, for any clues as to what's going on in your mind.

“I’m good mum” you take her hands in yours and remove them from your face to give her a sweet smile. She accepts your answer, content that everything seemed well as she busies herself with the kettle on the stove as it starts to whistle. “In fact, I was wondering if perhaps… well, it’s just that…” the words start to stick in your throat as you realise this was the first time you were bringing a guy home. “Is it okay if I have a friend over to eat?”

“Honey, you know it is-”

“We don't even have to eat them.” Frank’s voice takes you by surprise as you turn to see him in the archway, his arms folded as he winks at you.

“Frank!” Your mother scolds, earning a chuckle from him. “Is it Sarah?” Your mother looks up from pouring the boiling kettle water into her mug as she asks the question.

“More likely to be the man who’s loitering outback” once again Frank surprises you as your mother’s face screws up into a questioning stare. You start to open your mouth to question him but Frank once again beats you to it “Who is the young man then?”. He’s got his official tough guy voice on, the one you’ve only heard a handful of times when he’s answered a work call. “Wouldn’t be the same one that brought you home unwell and drugged up from that party?” Your mother’s mouth drops open as you completely ignore Frank’s questioning and rush to the door as a feeling of loneliness spreads through your chest. Paul’s back disappears into the treeline you both had emerged from only minutes ago. The emptiness that engulfs you rips through painfully as it threatens never to be replaced by joy or happiness again. It commands your feet to run, splashing muddy water at your body as you slog through the mire. The shouts of Frank from the porch are nothing but white noise as the panic rises through you, cascading through your body in waves of numbness.

“Don’t go!” you try to shout but it comes out as a croaky whisper. “Don’t go!” you find your voice and start yelling at the top of your lungs as you come to halt in the growing darkness of the forest. “Paul?” you cry out, desperate for his presence to return. The darkness inside is swallowing you whole, not even the rustle of the bushes and the pounding of feet is enough to drag you from its depths and make you run. Instead you watch, numb and unmoving as a beast charges you.

You wake sitting bolt upright. Sweat beading across your forehead and running in rivulets down your temple. Hair sticks to the dampness created by the all to vivid dream. Your eyes scour your room searching for that beast in the morning light that creeps through the drawn curtains. After a few minutes you calm yourself and lay back down in the damp sheets, thinking over the events of the dream. Being in the forest, alone with Paul, the steamy kiss that felt so real you could almost feel it lingering on your lips; the echo of a ghost. You lay for a while trying to fall back asleep but feeling too deeply distracted. In a mood you force yourself up from bed, pulling yesterday’s clothes on which had been discarded in a heap on the floor. You make your way downstairs to grab some breakfast, knowing you should eat but finding the contents of the cupboard totally uninspiring so settle for a coffee. You lean against the kitchen counters sipping the hot brown liquid trying your hardest to fight the urge to get in the car and drive back to the reservation.

“What would you say you idiot?” You muse aloud, trying to convince yourself not to do it. “‘Oh, I’m back because I can’t stop thinking about you and a steamy kiss that never happened.’ no, I can’t…” you laugh at yourself while the memory of how close you’d come to kissing in the cabin pops up in your memory. You start busying yourself by washing up your mother and Frank’s breakfast dishes, looking out the kitchen window at the back yard, noting how unlike a quagmire it currently is and not at all like the dream when your eyes register a shape in the distant treeline. The breath in your lungs catches followed by a sharp inhale. The great beast is a dark grey brown in colour, blending in with the surroundings. You would have completely missed the creature if it wasn’t for the familiar feeling that licked at you and drew attention to its presence. Your view of the outside world is temporarily blocked by the kitchen wall as you move from the window to the door. Disappointment hits hard as you stand in the cold morning air on the porch, looking at nothing but trees.

You jump, startled by the clear ringing of the doorbell as it sounds around the house. With a sense of elation and the sound of drumming feet you race through the house to swing the front door open, hoping it’s him.

“Sarah?” You couldn’t hide the shock and annoyance at your friend being on the other side.

“Could sound a little less displeased!” She jokes barging her way into the house. You shake your head, realising you’d been rude and try to clear all thoughts of Paul away. You can’t help but smile at your friend as she makes herself comfortable in the kitchen, readying two mugs for coffee. The idea of making the drink causes the realisation to hit that Sarah should be at work. “What’s up?” She questions after spotting the look on your face in the window reflection.

“Shouldn’t you be at work?” You prop yourself against the door frame awaiting an answer.

“You’re one to talk!” She glares in a half joking way but you detect an undertone of seriousness. “Not that you have a job anymore anyway…” she trails off leaving you straining to hear.

“Sorry?” You squeak out. Sarah busies herself moving the drinks to the kitchen table with an awkwardness as if suddenly uncomfortable in her own skin. Her bum plonks down onto a chair and she forces herself to take a sip of the far too hot liquid, you know she’s burnt herself as her face screws up in pain.

“Look,” she starts trying to piece together what to tell you. “It’s not for me to say” she tries to blow it off which earns her an eyebrow raise from you. “It’s really not my place-”

“Well you made it your place” you snap. “Tell me what happened to my job, please.” Your patience was running thin now. Sarah drums her fingers into the table top before finally speaking.

“The diner is currently closed, so there’s that aspect” she looks up at you from beneath her lashes, resentment etching her features that she was finding hard to hide. The diner being closed answered why Sarah wasn’t at work today.

“I’m sensing there's more to this” you probe while taking the chair opposite.

Sarah responds by ironically rolling her eyes “Well the only difference between our situations is mine’s temporary. Benny sees it as your fault, he’s mad-”

“At what?” You sit forward leaning on the table, eyes wide, wanting to know what your boss thought was your fault. “Why have I lost my job?” You start to shout.

“I totally agree that Benny deserved what he got, he was being a total ass, but Paul should have gone easy-”

You didn’t wait to hear what Paul had done. The gnawing feeling in your gut was all you needed to send you flying through the room, wasting no time in grabbing your shoes and keys. Sarah grabs your shoulder as she turns you to face her. She can see the wildness tearing through your eyes as fury rises. “Confronting him isn’t a good idea, surely what happened to Benny is enough for you to see how dangerous his temper can be-”

“His temper?!” You almost laugh, “Maybe he should be afraid of mine,” you almost snarl “Mine most certainly is match for any mans and if he thinks i’m going to roll over and let him-”

“Geeze okay, I’m coming. You’ll need all the backup you can get.” Sarah pushes aside her feeling of unease and the urge to say I told you so, wishing you’d left Paul alone when she warned you, and follows hot on your heels out the house.

Sarah actually ends up driving as her head is much clearer than yours. You pay little attention to the journey, focusing only on what you’re going to say. The desire to hold your ground floods your veins and drives your instincts, so much so that when the car pulls up in front of the familiar cabin you immediately jump from the vehicle and head towards a track on the opposite side of the clearing. Sarah’s voice calls after you from the driver's side of the car but it goes unheard as you march to the thumping of your heart in your ears. Emily, who had been preoccupied inside the cabin, heard the commotion caused by Sarah and appeared in the entrance way in time to see you trudging off towards where she knew the boys to be. Sarah and Emily share a brief worried glance before rushing to follow.

The sound of your feet slapping against the earth barely registers as you start running. Despite not knowing where you’re headed, you know it’s towards him. Explaining the feeling inside would be almost impossible; it’s deep, magnetic, instinctual. It’s like a moth to a flame, but also so much more than that. You’d have to experience it to know properly. A sweat starts to break out on your forehead or so you think, until the wetness starts feeling heavier and cold and realise it’s the start of rain. Not caring about getting wet, you carry on with your fast pace, putting some distance between you and the girls. Eventually the path you took emerges on the edge of a beach, the transition in terrain striking you as odd. The mud trail just stops and turns to sand, a few grass patches sporadically placed here and there. The sound of crashing waves dulls any other noise there might have been and for a brief moment you feel calm as you step out onto the beach and take a deep breath of sea air. If it wasn’t for the radar inside going off alerting you to his presence closing in, you would happily stay here and enjoy the scene. A familiar gnawing sets in as butterflies swim around your tummy. The ones you get every time he’s nearby, closing your eyes you can almost imagine the warmth of him as he wraps arms around you and the scent that sends heat rushing through your veins. It’s almost powerful enough to sweep aside the anger.

Almost.

You turn your attention to look up at the wide stretch of beach. Far off in the distance you believe you can make out shapes, or is it that feeling which confirms he’s there? One foot at a time you trudge through the sand that grows ever wetter by the second as the skies open even more. What was soft rain starts to pound down and run in rivlets down your face, soaking everything it touches. It drips from the tip of your nose and snakes its way down the neck of your top. Soon shivers set in so you wrap your arms around your torso to conserve heat. After five minutes the shapes in the distances have grown exponentially, you could make out their faces. It helped that they were moving towards you, probably heading to the cabin to seek sanctuary from the deluge. You stop moving since he’s coming towards you, not wanting to waste energy. A strong wind blows in off the sea and whips your hair around your face in a tangle of wet matts. Desperately you try to pull it off your damp skin and become increasingly frustrated. The frustration builds until it pushes you over the edge. It forces you to march up to the group, closing the last few metres. Paul stands in the middle, the smile that had etched his features dispurses as he registers your emotions. In hindsight this next move probably wasn’t the best decision, but you’re cold, soaked and quite frankly, fed up. Planting your feet into the sand you muster all the strength you can before shoving Paul in the chest. To say it catches him off guard is an understatement. It was so unpredictable it actually knocked him back a step or two. If he’d landed flat on his arse you’d have been happier but you think your point got across, loud and clear. To be extra sure, you allow yourself to shove him again, this time though he doesn’t budge. His hands shoot out to grab yours, stabilising your body, stopping any further movement to attack him.

“What the hell were you thinking?” you shouted through gritted chattering teeth, rain flying as your hot breath steams against the cold air. Paul’s breaths come in ragged sharp inhalations as he tries to remain calm. He releases the pressure on your wrists but doesn’t let go. “Let go of me,” you try to wriggle free from his restraints.

“What’s wrong with me?” he questions in response to the outburst, “What’s wrong with you?”. It wasn’t meant to sound harsh and judgemental, he really was concerned about you and whatever had caused this, but you took it the wrong way.

“You have no right, none whatsoever.” You hurl at him without actually knowing the full extent of the events. “Stay away from me.” This time he allows you to pull free from his grip, the force of which sends you stumbling. Quicker than what felt humanly possible he grabs your waist to stop you from falling. “Get off me!” Your voice grates hoarsely through your throat, as you give him one final shove. His silence irritates you, but perhaps it’s for the best. Walking away would be so much easier. Turning away from him sends pangs of guilt and hurt through your chest, as if you were physically tearing yourself apart. The feeling soon dissipates as he breaks silence.

“We’re not done here.” His voice bounces off the air sending waves of electricity over your skin. The hairs on your arm raise in response and the air in your lungs catches. It’s a tone of dominance hinting at a silent command to stay. Immediately you stop in your tracks. You should feel even more irate but the anger has been replaced by intrigue. Butterflies once again swarm your tummy as you bite back the lump in your throat. It’s the biggest betrayal, your heart beating your mind in this tug-of-war. Turning on your heel you catch the briefest of glances between the other guys as if they were sharing a silent conversation. Without giving you or Paul another glance they all carry on, their voices trail off into the distance but can be heard laughing and joking around for sometime. He waits, with the rain battering down on you both, until they’re out of earshot to speak again. You hadn’t noticed until now that he was once again shirtless, the rain running in perfect streams over his carved muscles. Despite the weather, heat rushes to your cheeks flushing them a pale pink colour as all kinds of thoughts sweep over your mind. You have to force yourself to look him in the eye to concentrate on the matter at hand. You see his mouth moving but struggle to hear the words over the sound of the rising winds. Forcefully you whip your head in an attempt to move hair off your face, the pressure of the wind growing stronger as it blasts you in the side. A glance at the sea reveals giant crashing waves pounding into the shoreline and despite being only the middle of the day, the sun hides behind sullen grey clouds, resembling late evening more than anything. You hug yourself as the cold really sets in, your bones feeling painful as they rattle inside.

“Come with me” you hear him this time as he shouts from beside you, his face mere inches from your ear. Having not noticed him move closer, this takes you by surprise. He looks down at you with all traces of anger removed and his features once again soft. He unhooks your hand from your side causing a gasp to release from you at the contact. The heat that radiates from him brings you back to life, you move to cling onto his arm. He wastes no time in leading you off the beach. Instead of heading to the trail that leads to the cabin he takes one that crops up sooner. You enter denser woodland following a less used pathway, neither one of you uttering a word but you’re silently thankful as the tree canopy protects you from the worst of the rain. The wind follows you, creating eerie noises as the trees groan under the pressure. Paul leads the way, his hand still enclosed over yours. You watch his back, the way the muscles contract with use. You can tell from the way his neck is tense that he's clenching, the tension between you undeniable. Thinking it was best to talk before arriving back at the cabin you try to break the silence by speaking his name. Whether it went unheard or deliberately ignored you had no clue. Silently you both march on until the trees grow thinner and a clearing starts to form. Soon you realise it was more than that; a meadow, sodden and now very much boggy, with long grasses scattered here and there. Although the rain was at its thickest, you could just about make out a cabin at the far end. Unlike Emily’s this one was not lit up, making it feel cold and unloved. If it wasn’t for the fact Paul acknowledged your apprehension with a gentle reassuring hand squeeze, you may have run in the opposite direction. Squelching through the mud you soon find yourself looking up at the two story building as it grows closer. From afar it had appeared to be small in size, and despite being smaller than a house, was substantial in comparison to Emily’s. Paul wastes no time in pushing open the front door, which you noted had not been locked. Upon closer inspection you realise the door doesn’t even have a lock. You push the door shut behind you, fighting against the wind but eventually winning, and find yourself in gloom. Instinctively you reach for a lightswitch. Finding one and giving it a flick you discover it doesn’t work.

“The power lines need reconnecting,” his voice breaks through the silence of the house as he appears from a different room carrying an LED Lantern. It casts a small warm glow as he walks around the main room, turning on a few more lanterns which reveal a sparsely furnished lounge-diner. Dust sheets cover the sofas and remnants of kitchen counters cling to the far wall. Sadness fills your heart at the realisation of what you see.

“Do you-” you bite back the lump that rises in your throat. “Do you live here?” you question.

“Sometimes” He shrugs, not wanting to open up. Who can blame him, not even an hour ago you’d hurled insults and physically attacked him. “You must be freezing” he changes subject and gestures for you to follow him through to the other room. Your surprise is evident at how different this room appeared to be. From the massive king sized bed standing in the centre and the chest of drawers, you knew it was a bedroom, but the cleanliness and orderly state didn’t match with the ramshackle, almost derelict appearance of the rest of the cabin. The walls had been freshly plastered and curtains hung from the windows. The bed had been left unmade which indicated he did live here. Another lantern turns on from within another doorway which reveals a large but plain bathroom. You stand dumbfounded in the middle of the room while Paul busies himself. You hear taps turning and the rushing of water before he comes back into view.

“The water’s on and there’s a clean towel…” he trails off.

Not knowing quite what to say and sensing the tension was still hanging thick, you thank him and enter the bathroom. Annoyingly you find there’s no door to the bathroom, but a quick peek showed that Paul was nowhere in sight. Stripping your wet clothes off seemed okay until it came to our trousers, which decided they wanted to cling to you. After wrestling with them for sometime you were finally free. The shower was fitted onto a tiled wall with a drain in the concrete floor, obviously the idea was for a wet room. Gingerly you turned the shower tap and jumped back as cold water hits you. With no sign of the water heating up you pluck up the courage to submerge yourself beneath it, managing to hold back the shriek that desperately tried clawing its way out. At least you could wash off the rain, somehow you always felt like rain was sticky. Soon you were exiting the cold water stream and wrapping a towel around your goosebump covered body. You quickly dried hoping that would warm you, but it didn’t.

Oh.

It dawned on you that your clothes were soaking and wouldn’t easily go back on. Securing the towel tightly around your body you peer into the bedroom again not knowing what to do. Lightning crashes outside, temporarily casting the room in pale blue light and causing you to jump. The shriek you’d kept at bay earlier finally makes an appearance. Thunder rumbles in the distance confirming this storm was far from done. Footsteps entering the room brings your focus back to reality, your eyes travelling to find him.

“You okay?” he eyes you worriedly.

“Lightning caught me by surprise,” your hands hold the towel with a white knuckle grip, afraid it would fall and expose everything. Sensing your awkwardness Paul diverts his gaze.

“I got you some dry clothes, they’ll be big on you but they’ll be warm.” he explains, moving over to the bed where a folded pile waits for you.

“Thank you.” It’s barely audible above the noises from outside but he manages to hear.

“Yeah well, least I could do.” he tells you nonchalantly, as if it meant nothing. He leaves you alone as he heads into the bathroom. Instantly you hear the shower and a blush creeps to your cheeks at how he obviously doesn’t care if you see anything. Not wanting to be indecent you move further into the bedroom and grab the clothes, you sift your way through them finding a long sleeve top, sweater and a pair of his underwear. You feel embarrassed as you slide your legs through the boxer shorts but know it’s better than nothing and are reassured by the thought that they probably look like regular shorts as they’re so big on you. The shower shuts off in the bathroom alerting you that soon you’d have company. Quickly you pull the top over your head followed by the sweater, which honestly was long enough to be a dress - not to mention hide the boxers! Your hair was a matted mess half covering your face, you squeeze as much water out of it using the towel before trying to run your fingers through it not wanting to look like a mess, especially when you sensed the fight from earlier would resume at some point. Feeling as though you looked half decent you sat down on the edge of the bed facing away from the bathroom towards the window. It had grown increasingly dark outside, between that and the rain you couldn’t make out much so resorted to staring at your hands in your lap.

Feet pad across the room behind you followed by the sound of drawers opening. For all you know he could be completely naked but you give in to temptation and glance. Your cheeks flush again as you take in the sight of Paul in nothing but boxers, an identical pair to those you have on. Feeling bad, you avert your eyes but not before he registered your gaze on his back and the change in your mood which floods his senses. As much as he’d kill to entertain the thoughts presently burrowing into your brain, he can’t ignore what happened earlier. Your words had stung. He leans back on the drawers, hands gripping the surface. He studies you for a second, watches as you bring your legs up towards your chest and plant your feet precariously on the bed frame. Protectively your arms wrap around your legs. He knows how vulnerable you feel right now so decides to take a gentle approach.

“Talk to me” he prompts, trying to coax out of you what had happened.

“Or you tell me” you throw back, sounding rather childish. Your chin comes to rest on your knees in defeat. You take a deep breath in, Paul’s scent overwhelms you as it lingers on the clothes, and you decide being angry is exhausting. “Tell me why I lost my job.” You mumble.

“Son of a bitch” you hear him sigh. Turning your head slightly, you see him rub his eyes in frustration. “I can’t believe…” Your eyes bore into him and in response his grip on the furniture tightens. There's a sound of creaking wood, aside from that of the wind on the building, your eyes widen in shock at the realisation. You jump up and find yourself walking towards him with your gaze fixated on his hand. He releases it as you grab his fingers, pulling them towards you for closer inspection.

“What the hell… how?” you look at the wooden drawers and sure enough there’s a split running along the top. Surely his hand would be hurting. “I don’t understand-”

“Your boss needs to learn to keep his mouth shut.” If you were anyone else he’d have snatched his hand away, but he liked the softness of your skin on his. More importantly he liked your concern for him. He hadn’t exactly believed you wanted him to stay away but your words had caused a wound, which did seem to be healing itself in your presence. Despite wanting to know what had happened to your job, you didn't press for information. It appeared Paul was more than willing to share, perhaps it was the calming feeling you were flooding his senses with or the fact that your touch was bringing down his tough exterior, but right now he couldn’t refuse you anything.

“He was going around saying you couldn’t handle your drink, that underage drinking should be punished and some bullshit about you getting off because of your stepfather.” The words start tumbling from his mouth as he becomes distracted with the hand on his. He flips the roles, taking yours in his gigantic palm, tracing circles over the back with his thumb. He won’t look you in the eyes as he continues. “Told him to mind his business, that he had no clue what was going on but he didn’t like that. He never really liked me but especially not after I punched him.”

“You what?” your mouth drops, “No wonder I’m fired!” Your voice rises as you realise this will get back to Frank and it sure as hell will look like it was done on your behalf. A groan escapes your lips.

“He deserved it, that’s all you need to know.”

“All I need to know?” you scoff, “Don’t presume to know what I do or don’t need to know” you try to scold but it comes across too gently.

“Trust me,” he finally looks you in the eye, not once breaking the hand contact. “Don’t make me repeat some of the awful things that the bastard said '' his jaw clenched tightly whilst his eyes dilated, filling you with sadness. He’s hurting just as much as you and although you’re more than capable of handling your own battles, he doesn’t know that. “I feel very protective of you” he says softly, as if reading the thoughts you were having. His eyes are trained on your face, trying to read how you had taken that information but all of a sudden you have the best poker face anyone has ever had. For the first time, Paul couldn’t read the situation and it frustrated him to no end.

You close off the last few inches that had separated you from each other. His grip on your hand tightens as he feels your body against his and the change in your scent, which suddenly gives your intentions away. You reach up on tiptoes in order to level the playing field, if Paul hadn’t been leaning on the drawers he’d be towering above you. Gingerly you bring your face to his, your breath hitching as excitement courses through you. You don’t hesitate too long, afraid the nerves will get the best of you. Quickly you place a chaste kiss upon his lips before retreating. You look up at him before bursting into laughter and bury your head in his chest.

“Sorry, that was meant to be so much more but I… I’ve never… I don’t know… I just wanted that not to be lame and it so was…” you mumble against his chest, trying to hide the embarrassment you feel. The laughter had surprised him, temporarily making him think he’d missed the punchline of a joke, or that perhaps he was the joke. Within seconds it dawned on him and he finally understood. He knew you were different to any of the other girls he’d been with, the biggest of those differences being that you two were destined for each other; his mate, his imprint. The other, less noticeable, difference was in your scent. An undertone that was delicate yet addictive, which had been driving him crazy trying to work out. Finally he understands. It may have gone unspoken but you know he’s worked it out from the way he delicately holds you and pushes the hair from your face to how he lowers his face to the crook of your neck and takes a deep breath in.

“It’s okay,” He whispers reassuringly, “There’s nothing to be sorry about.” The effect of his breath hitting your neck drives you crazy. Tingles traverse your spine and it takes every ounce of control not to let your knees buckle. Your fingers grip his thumb tightly in an attempt to keep you grounded but it doesn’t work. Short rapid breaths leave your mouth as you turn your face to his, causing his heart to thump in his chest as he tries to remain still. He gives in a little, moving just enough to allow him to see into your eyes. Your nose brushes his chin as you move up once more to tip toes, your hand which was free comes to rest on his abdomen for extra support. You become aware that his hand is on your hips to keep you flush to him, so that you can feel his rock hard muscles and the way they move. You only break eye contact briefly as you glance at his lips. You know he’s watching every move intently but this time it doesn’t bother you, doesn’t make you nervous or shy. Instead it boosts you, knowing he wants this just as much by the way you can feel the pound of his heart. You make the connection, your soft lips meeting his with the lightest of touches. It quickly deepens as you grow used to the feeling of Paul against you, leaving you craving more of him. Your mouth moves against his as your hand travels to his neck releasing his thumb, allowing him the use of that hand to steady you as you reach up higher on your toes. The grip on your waist tightens as pressure hits your hip bone which encourages you as it sends electricity raging through the nerves. If it wasn’t for your ribs, your heart may have broken free of your body due to the pace it was currently keeping. A pain enters your lungs as if they were on fire causing you to break the kiss. You suck air in greedily as you remember how vital it was for survival.

“Don’t forget to breathe” he whispers, also breathless. Briefly he touches his forehead to yours as you sink back down onto your feet, fighting the lightheadedness. It doesn’t take long for his face to refind the crook of your neck and place a kiss on your collar bone. Behind his neck your fingers lace into his hair as he places kisses along your jaw before finding your lips once more. You're ready for his assault and welcome it as you suck in his lower lip, instincts taking over completely as your fingers grip tightly in his hair, eliciting a soft moan from him that resonates through you. His hands release themselves from your waist and find the hemline of the jumper on your thigh, his fingers graze over your skin and leave goosebumps in their wake as they travel higher. You move your thighs tighter together upon instinct, as pressure builds, but also as a silent warning for him to leave there well alone. Paul, being a decent guy, had other ideas anyway, his hands roamed further than your thighs and came to reside on your back, the skin on skin contact sending more shivers up your spine and a gasp from your mouth. His mouth once again travels back to the crook of your neck. Here your scent is sweetest and he can feel the beat of your pulse travelling your jugular. He smiles against your skin as he revels in the idea that he caused this effect on you. You hadn’t noticed the slight graze on your skin from stubble earlier but now, as you're left anticipating his next move, you’re aware of everything. His breath is hot and heavy like yours but perhaps better regulated and you can’t help but wonder why he’s smiling, all thoughts are soon banished as he plants a kiss, the graze of stubble making your eyes flutter at the sensation. You whisper his name and in response his hand moves to your waist, letting cold air touch your skin as the movement stirs the jumper. It all adds to the pleasure. You want his hands to travel further up, to feel his touch on your breasts, but he’s holding back. Instead he starts littering more kisses along your neck before sighing.

Oh god. Why’s he sighing? What’s wrong? You start questioning everything, getting inside your own head.

“Why did I give you a jumper?” He lets out a little chuckle as he leaves a kiss by the neckline of the fabric, unable to go any further. You respond with an involuntary whine at the thought of not feeling his mouth continuing it’s decent. Hearing the noise escape your lips stirs something in Paul that makes him grip your hips so tight it makes you gasp, which doesn’t help his control in this moment. He forces himself to go slowly as he once again goes back to that sweet spot, fueled by primal instinct. You’re his and he wants everyone to know it. He places one final gentle kiss before attaching his lips in a suction over your soft skin. To his delight you let out a moan as he continues to suck at the spot. After a minute he gives up his position and leans away from you, taking in your appearance. You're staring up at him with big doey eyes and lips swollen and parted. His hands slide out from the jumper and move to the neckline, pulling the material aside for optimal viewing. A wicked smile dances across his lips before his hands move to find yours and hold them, giving them a squeeze as a blush creeps onto your features.

“You okay?” He asks, bringing one of your hands to his lips and placing a kiss on top. As you come back to reality the events flood back in and you start to over analyse, wondering how stupid you must have sounded moaning or if you did anything incorrectly. “Hey,” he snaps you away from your thoughts “Stop” he whispers and places a kiss on your forehead before asking “Do you overthink everything?” You feel his mouth move into a smile as he teases you.

“Yes” you say through a shaky breath, not yet fully recovered. You swallow to regain yourself “something you’ll have to get used to” you try to match his joky tone but he manages to turn it serious once more.

“I look forward to it.”

---

Taglist:

@britty443 @superheavymetalunicorn @yepimthatperson @punkmccqll @krispypotato @the-chaotic-cow @forkscult @navs-bhat @xxx-wounded-angel-xxx @kytootana @lendeluxe @grcgrace @hallecarey1 @lilbluewave @alwayshave-faith @convolutings @vendylewin @meri-soni-meri-tamanna @yoongitoo

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randomwriting-misc · 2 years

Text

Endangered | Chapter Ten

Paul Lahote x OFC

Endangered Masterlist

Summary: Vampires and wolves are not the only supernatural creatures to walk the earth, and they are certainly not the only ones in Forks, Washington when Charlotte Annabeth Swan, "Anna", moves in with her uncle after the unfortunate demise of her parents.

Some may misidentify her as a witch, but that’s fine, she would rather them think that anyway. But the Volturi know the truth, and they are closing in on her.

A/N: We are getting spicy here friends. 18+ warning for the end on this chapter

Warnings include: penetration, fingering, oral (fem receiving), cursing, Paul being a simp

MINORS DNI!!!!!

Charlie made me cry one more time that morning, by ordering pancakes from the diner and bringing them home for me, continuing the tradition I was sure would be forgotten since Bella’s birthday. It was just us at the table, but that was okay, it was always just the two of us nowadays.

It's now almost 11:30, and I’m in front of my mirror, staring intently over the clothes I had on. I didn’t want to wear my usual jeans and t-shirt, but the corduroy skirt I was wearing hugged my curves in a way I hadn’t exposed in a while. I was more inclined to be bundled up lately, still not acclimating well to the cold. I had tights on, and after debating for a few more minutes, I figure that if I really get cold, Paul’s 108-degree body heat could help. Sliding an oversized beige sweater over my head, I tucked it into the skirt. Satisfied, I adjust Paul’s bracelet, so it wasn’t under the sleeve, I liked being able to see it.

I added a gold pendant on a long chain that belonged to my mother. It was a sun stamped into gold, and the protection magic in it was actually hers. I am pulling on wool boot socks when I hear Paul knocking on the front door.

I rush to open it, but as I open my bedroom door, Bella walks out into the hallway at the same time, stopping me in my tracks.

“Hi,” I say as she looks me over quizzically. She nods, about to walk past me to the bathroom when she stops.

“Where are you going?” She asks, surprising me. I couldn’t remember the last time I heard her actual voice.

“Oh, uhm... I’m going to my birthday party.”

She flinches at the mention of birthdays, and I move to head downstairs, not wanting to cause Charlie more strife tonight by reminding her of the last time she saw the Cullens. As I reach the top step, she calls my name.

“Anna? Happy birthday,” there’s a tinge of regret in her tone, and I force myself to smile and say thank you.

Charlie has beaten to the door where Paul stands in jeans and a Henley shirt. They are engaged in what seems to be a meaningful conversation, Charlie’s hand on Paul’s shoulder. Charlie is speaking lowly so I can’t hear, and Paul’s face is void of any telling emotion. I clear my throat to announce my presence.

“Ready?” I ask. They both turn to face me, and I can feel the relief Paul feels from my interruption, followed by another emotion I can’t discern as he looks me over.

“Yeah,” Charlie says, “I hope you have a good time Anna, be safe, be responsible, no peer pressure and all that.”

“Got it, Uncle Charlie. No intravenous drugs, just the tame stuff,” I say, walking over to Paul in the doorway, putting an arm around him.

“Haha, very funny,” he says dryly, “Happy Birthday kid, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Nodding, I grab my bag that was already by the door. I’m not sure how Paul got Charlie to agree to stay overnight with everyone, but I’m sure Emily had something to do with it. I say goodbye as we walk to Paul’s truck.

“You look gorgeous as always,” he says helping me up into the passenger seat, that same discernible feeling thrumming through my chest.

----------------------------

“Happy Birthday!” A chorus of voices greets me as I enter Emily’s house, making me shriek back in shock, then laugh. Sam and Jared are in front, with Emily and Kim by their sides, and scattered around the room are some of my friends from school, Mike, Eric, Angela, and Jessica. With Bella isolating herself so much, we had all banded together, bonding over our concern and feelings of abandonment from the other Swan. In her absence, Mike had even turned some of his flirty attention on me, I’m shocked Paul invited him.

Emily’s house has a gorgeous open concept, with large French doors leading to the backyard, where everything is decorated. Smiling faces crowd me one by one as they take turns giving me hugs. On the table, Emily has laid out an array of food, I can smell something on the grill in the backyard.

I thank everyone and they shortly break off into smaller groups, Sam and Jared go back outside, and to my surprise, Eric and Mike follow. I turn to Paul, wrapping my arms around his neck in a hug.

“Thank you,” I whisper, “You were right, I would have been sad without celebrating today.”

“Of course, love,” he says lifting me off the ground for a moment. When he puts me down, he tells me he’s going to check in with Emily and Kim, making sure there wasn’t anything else they needed help with, and instructing me to go see my friends, and to not lift a finger.

Jessica and Angela are giggling on the couch, and they pull me between them when I approach them.

“Anna, you have been gatekeeping,” Angela says.

“Yeah,” Jessica chimeds in, “At first, I was kinda pissed when you kept blowing us off, but now? If I was surrounded by multiple tall, darks, and handsomes, I wouldn’t be hanging out with us either.”

I throw my head back in a laugh, “It’s not like that. I love you guys. I just don’t get to see Paul all the time with his schedule.”

“Mhm, sure, do any of them have single friends or brothers?” Jessica asks.

“Not that I know of, but if I meet anyone who fits that description, I’ll let you know,” I wink, sending them into another fit of giggles.

Paul steps out of the kitchen talking along with Emily and Kim, when his eyes land on mine, he winks, and I know he heard our conversation. Rolling my eyes, I lean back as Emily and Kim join us as he walks outside.

“Like I said, "Jessica whispers, “I get it. I don’t know what is about you Swan girls seducing the hottest people in town, but I would like some of it.” A small surge of jealously runs through me, but I laugh it off. Excusing myself, I go out to see the boys surrounding the grill.

“Are you all supervising?” I joke, pushing Jared away to stand next to Sam. Jared playfully shoves me back before letting me into the semi-circle the boys had made.

“Well, who else is going to make sure Sam doesn’t burn anything?” Jared says sarcastically.

“Are you doubting his mad skills?” I say, feigning shock. Paul's arms wrap around my shoulders from behind me, kissing my head.

“We would never,” Paul says, a smile evident in his voice. Eric and Mike agree, and I’m happy to see everyone is getting along. Soon, the food is ready, and everyone comes outside as Jared starts a bonfire.

It’s a perfect afternoon, full of laughter and joy, something I was worried I would lack today. In the middle of Eric recounting a story about how Mike tried and failed, to surf a storm surge on La Push Beach, Paul nudges my shoulder, getting my attention.

“Come with me,” he whispers. Helping me up, I follow him to the front of the house.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“One of your birthday presents just got here,” Paul says like that would explain everything. Before I could ask what he could mean, Jacob steps out from behind a car, and I freeze. I had missed him so much in the last few months but wasn’t willing to let him continue to act like that towards me.

Looking at Paul skeptically, he nods, and I break out in a smile.

“Hey Anna,” he says timidly, “Happy Birthday.” I run to hug him, catching him off guard and he grabs onto me, the breath knocked out of him.

“Hi Jake,” I mumble.

“I owe you an apology,” he says sincerely, and I pull back from him.

“Yeah, you do, but later? I’m just happy to have you here as long as you can play nice.” I poke the center of his chest.

“Scout’s honor,” he says holding up his hand. I smile and grab his hand leading him back to the fire to introduce him to the new faces. Paul follows beside me, and I open a connection to him briefly.

This means the world to me, thank you so much.

Anything to see you smile, he replies.

Jacob is just in time for Emily to bring out the cake, and I hope that this will show him that there isn’t anything nefarious going on in our group. The rumor that Sam started a gang was absolutely ludicrous.

The “Happy Birthday” song is loud and terribly off-key, but somehow it just makes it better. I laugh so hard I almost can’t blow out my candles, as cheers erupt around me at the table. Paul kisses me on the cheek and leads me away from everyone as Emily passes out pieces to everyone.

“I wanted to give you your present,” he says softly, holding out a small, wrapped box.

Curious, I open it, trying to not rip the paper, which makes him chuckle.

Opening the box, my breath hitches, revealing a necklace. There’s a dainty gold chain, a singular pearl in the middle.

“I wanted to give you a little piece of home to keep with you,” he says showing me the name of the company, located where I grew up.

For the third time that day, a few tears fall down my face.

“Thank you,” I whisper, “This is more than I could ever ask for.” He silences me with a kiss, taking the necklace out of the box. I turn around and lift my hair up so he can secure the clasp, before turning around. My hands find the sides of his face and I pull him in for another kiss, his soft lips against mine, he holds me close. His lips part slightly, deepening it as I run a hand through his hair.

“I love you,” he breathes, breaking the kiss, peppering small pecks across my cheeks and nose. Suddenly, the discernable feeling from before clicks, love. I knew on some level we loved each other, but to hear him say it made my heart soar.

“I love you too,” I admit, giggling as his lips ghost over a ticklish spot on my neck. Picking me up, my legs lock around his waist as he kisses me feverishly, hands steadying my hips. The feeling of love pulsing between us.

I whisper his name as little breathy moans escape me, his lips making their way down my neck.

“Would you like to stay the night with me? At my place?” he asks, switching to kiss the other side of my neck, I lean my head back in a gasp.

“What about-?”

“He’s gone for the weekend, it’ll be okay.” He reassures.

I nod and he lowers me back to the ground as rowdy noises from the living room are heard.

“Let’s go back before the start wondering where you are.”

Flustered, we walk back to the group. I sit on the couch, and Paul walks over to help Emily. I pout at the distance, but Jacob sits down next to me.

“Hey Jake,” I smile.

“Hey, how ya holdin’ up?” He puts an arm on the back of the couch behind me, and I lean my head on him, turning to face him. His skin is warm to the touch. I wonder how long it’ll be before Jake is put through the change.

“Surprisingly well, it would have been a lot worse without them,” I say, looking over at my friends. Sam is messing with the frosting, getting some on Emily’s nose as she tries to chase him off, Paul is talking to Eric and Jared, laughing about something I can’t hear. Jessica, Angela, and Mike are talking to Kim, with smiles on their faces.

“You really like being around them?” He asks skeptically.

“Yeah, I love it. They are really amazing Jake,” I say, crossing my arms and lowering my voice, “I don’t know why you seem to hate them so much.”

“They just act like they are in control like the Reservation is theirs and only theirs,” He says, “But hey, whatever makes you happy.” He throws his hand up in defeat. I can tell he’s still not happy about it all, but it’s better than having him hold animosity towards me.

“Paul makes me happy,” I say confidently.

“Well, let me know if he fucks up, I’ll defend your honor before saying anything snarky.”

Laughing, I push him away, and he falls back dramatically.

“Sure, I’ll keep it in mind Jake.”

He laughs, and my heart warms to have Jacob back in my life, even if it might be a tentative process.

As the sun sets, things wind down and people start to leave, saying goodbye to everyone on their way out. I try to help Emily and Sam clean up, but she shoos me away.

“No, we got it. Go, I’m sure Paul wants some time alone with you,” she says with a grin.

“Are you sure?” I ask again.

“Positive.”

“Thank you so much for everything today, Em,” I hug her, “it really means a lot. I love you all.”

“We love you too sweet girl, I’m happy we got to help make today special for you,” she squeezes me again.

Paul is leaning against the doorframe, silently waiting as I say goodbye and thank you to Sam. Paul has already gathered the presents, I haven’t opened yet in his truck from everyone at the party, and even Charlie.

The couple waves us off as Paul pulls out of the driveway.

------------------------------- 18+ -----------------------------

The air is thick with tension on the drive over, and the radio playing lightly is the only sound. Paul’s hand is on my thigh, the other on the steering wheel. My thoughts are chaotic, ranging from innocent to lustful. There had always been an unspoken intimacy with Paul, one of us was always touching the other without thinking about it too much.

It’s not like either of us were particularly virginal, but it felt like first kisses, first dates, first anything held more weight with him. I didn’t want anything to be rushed, and we both had been so busy, that sex was something that I was comfortable waiting for until we were both fully present, with no distractions or worries to call us away.

It was at the forefront of my mind now though, every touch of his thumb grazing my thigh felt like electricity through my body. There was a knot in my lower stomach, and warmth between my thighs. I was focused on breathing, trying to not make it so obvious how much he was affecting me.

Paul’s emotions seem to match mine, but there’s a distinct feeling of anxiety that worries me. Pulling up to his house, he gets out and opens my door, just like always, but I stop him before he steps back, pulling him close. My breath stutters as my knees settle on either side of his waist. Something flashes in his eyes before he closes them, taking a deep breath.

“Hey,” I whisper, “Everything okay?”

He nods, forehead leaning against mine.

“What are you thinking about so hard,” I question quietly. It takes a minute, but he finally admits his concerns.

“I love you,” he starts, hands sliding up my thigh, over my skirt, “I want… this, but I don’t want to hurt you.” His eyes won’t meet mine with his confession out in the open.

I tilt his head up, making direct eye contact, “You won’t break me,” I say.

“You don’t know that.” His brow furrows, but I hold him steady, caressing his cheeks.

“I do Paul, I trust you implicitly, with every part of me.” Lowering my hand, I guide his to my waist.

“Anna,” he whispers.

“Paul,” I whisper back, moving closer to him, the fabric of my skirt bunching up my thighs.

“You don’t understand how much I want you,” he admits.

“Then show me.”

One arm wraps around my waist, lifting me out of the truck like I weigh nothing, as the other slams the door shut. He carries me into the house, and I’m too focused on him to really notice my surroundings as he pushes my back against a wall.

“Promise me you will tell me to stop if I hurt you.” He pleads with me.

I hold his face in my hands, “I promise, but you won’t.”

I roll my hips into him slightly, and he groans at the friction, his head rolling back, giving me access to kiss down his neck. At his moans, I slightly nip at his shoulder as he emits a growl.

“Anna,” he says breathily.

“Yes?” I say, continuing to kiss his neck, hands slipping underneath his shirt.

“You’re killing me,” he moans.

“Tell me to stop.”

“Never.”

I lift his shirt, and he raises his arms, letting me take it off all the way. He catches my lips in a passionate kiss, holding me gently as he moves from the wall to what I assume is his bedroom. I kick off my shoes as he lays me down on a bed. I rest on my forearms, looking up at him.

“God, you’re hot,” I sigh, making him smirk. Kneeling by the edge of the bed, his hands slide underneath my skirt, he pulls off my tights agonizingly slowly, kissing the exposed skin from my thighs down my legs. I swear I can hear my heartbeat.

“And you,” he says, pulling my shirt up, kissing my stomach, “are absolutely perfect.” I lean up to take off my top, and once it’s over my head, he kisses me again, this time more passionate and needy. I wrap my arms around his neck and part my lips, inviting him deeper. I moan into him as his fingertips run up my sides, giving me chills, as he unhooks my bra and I let it fall off my shoulders.

I trace down his chest with my hands, his hardened abs underneath them, down to his waistband. Unbuttoning his shorts, I feel him straining against his boxers as he takes a sharp breath when my hand slips underneath the elastic, wrapping around him.

“Fuck, Anna,” he rasps.

I smile, his reactions forming a tightness in my core. He takes a step back off the bed, letting his pants and boxers fall, and looks at me with hungry eyes. Pulling off my skirt, I can’t help but stare. It really was unfair how attractive he was, and my heart leaps when my eyes trail down to his hips, his impressive length hard against him.

“Oh, fuck me,” I mutter, head falling back on the bed, “You’re unreal.”

He lets out a small laugh and comes back to the bed leaving sweet kisses on my ribs and chest.

“Are you sure?” he asks.

“I’m so sure,” I say, running a hand through his hair.

He grasps my hip tightly, and in response, a gasp rips through me, and he looks up in concern.

“It’s okay,” I say, “I’m not that fragile.”

Nodding, he kisses down the valley between my breasts, thumbs ghosting over my nipples, hardening them as his hands trail down, making me arch my back in a moan.

“Rude,” I whisper as he continues down, nipping at my hips. Spreading my legs slightly apart, I inhale as his finger glides in between my folds, eliciting a moan from both of us.

“You’re so wet me for, baby,” he whispers as one finger enters me slowly, all my words are lost as his tongue laps at my clit, sending a shock through my spine. I bucked my hips against him, and he moans, his voice deep, sending vibrations to my core. He steadies my hips with his other arm, pushing them into the bed.

“Oh, fuck Paul,” I moan, and I feel him smile as his tongue moves in circles, and I continue to struggle to move for more connection. My hands run through his hair, and I’m pleased with myself when he moans when I tug at it.

Pressure builds, and I feel myself tightening around his fingers, holding onto his hair, he’s relentless as the pressure breaks, waves of pleasure rocking through me. I’m breathless as he kisses back up my body.

“I love you,” he says, biting my neck gently. I finally catch my breath, hands running down his back.

“I love you too.”

He kisses me gently, and I can still taste myself on his tongue. I can feel the tip of his cock, rubbing up and down the length of my entrance, and moan.

“Please,” I beg, and a growl slips from him. He nods and moves to retrieve a condom from the bedside table, I take it from him, and he stands upon his knees. I slowly pull the condom over his length, purposefully taking my time as he stares down at me, biting his lip. Then, he lightly pushes me back on the bed.

Slowly, he pushes in, stretching me out with every inch, I arch to pull him closer, bottoming him out in me with a gasp.

“God, Anna,” he groans, “this is unfair.” He holds still for a moment, breathing deeply before moving out and back in one time.

“It should be impossible for you to feel this good,” he says, an arm reaching underneath my back to pull me close to him, skin to skin.

“I think that’s all you baby,” I say, my thighs already trembling around him.

With slow movements, he finds a rhythm, whispering encouragements into my ear as he picks up speed.

“You feel so good.”

“Such a good girl for me.”

“My pretty baby.”

His words strike a chord with me, not only arousing me, but warming my heart, and once again he pushes me to the edge. I can feel how he feels even more now, bliss running through my body and his.

I’m a moaning mess when his hand slips between us, his thumb brushing against the sensitive bundle of nerves, unraveling me.

“Paul,” I cry, “I’m – I-” I stutter.

“Fuck baby, me too.” He says, keeping the pressure on my clit, gasping when I tighten around him rolling my hips one last time.

He collapses against me, breathing hard. Gasping as he slowly pulls out of me and laid next to me.

I lay my head against his chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat.

He kisses my head, hands lazily running up and down my back.

“Are you okay?” He tentatively asks.

“I’m amazing,” I say pushing his hair back, “You’re amazing.”

He smiles, relieved.

“Have I told you I love you?” He asks and smiles.

“Maybe, but I don’t mind hearing it again.”

--------------------

Taglist: @abaker74 @sunsetevergreen

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the-twi-light-zone · 1 year

Text

My Rain Drop

Paul Lahote x OC

~~~~~~~

The weather in Forks was never a mystery, so looking out the window in the morning and seeing the pouring rain was no surprise to Maya. She welcomed the rain and the days spent inside or in the greenhouse just down her stone pathway. Day after day she looked forward to the gloomy weather and has on more than one occasion taken shower outside in the summer months in the confines of her private home tucked away in the thick of trees. Her quaint home a haven she could never get tired of even when she works from home. Running her own small business that has steady business as she sells to Port Angeles and some smaller shops in Seattle.

Maya was happy here and when she had a blooming relationship with a man on the reservation. Paul and Maya had a rough start, but she was glad she decided to take the chance to date the hot-headed boy who has slowly taken hold of her heart. He would show up and bring with him the winds that came with the rain. He was just what she needed to keep her on her toes, he was expected and unexpected. He filled her with emotions that no one else could.

~~~~~~~

“Hey Em, I think you might be busy but I have your Portrait of you and Sam. Let me know when you want to pick it up or I can drop it off. Talk to you later I gotta go, I got paint all over and I think it’s time for a shower...” I end the line and hang the landline back up on the kitchen wall, the dull pink phone stained with different colored paints. Sighing I grab the rag hanging on my shoulder and wipe the rest of the wet paint from my hands. Tossing it into the hamper beside the entrance to the office off of the kitchen. Making my way over to the stairs I go up to my bedroom and make my way to the bathtub, filling it with hot water and adding some bath salts.

I strip and step into the steaming water sighing as my muscles loosen. Bathing in soaps of lavender and citruses scrubbing paints and dirt from my skin. Finishing I step out and grab a giant fluffy towel from the side of the tub and run to get dressed in one of Paul’s over sized hoodies that he doesn’t wear anymore and a pair of black leggings. Fuzzy socks go on my feet and a pair of slippers accompany them. Flinging my hair up into a messy bun I make my way back downstairs.

Getting lost in the way the rain drips from the tree outside the porch I stare and enjoy the solitude. These moments of calm something she would never give up. Warm arms wrap around my torso and I smile as Paul’s musk wafts to my nose. His head rests on my right shoulder and I lean back into his warmth. A kiss is placed on the side of my head. “Did you finish anything today?” Paul’s words float into the quiet making me smile as I replied. “Yes I completed the finishing touches on 8 paintings including Emily and Sam’s and touched up some other quilts today. How was patrol?”

My question has Paul huffing a laugh out before he speaks, “it was good lots of peace and quiet, the rain keeps it that way.” He squeezes my waist as we continue to watch the rain. “I think you’re the only person that likes watching the rain as much as I do.” I say and look over to see his face relax as he sways us back and forth. “That’s because the rain reminds me of the first time we met, how wild your hair was as you were walking through the woods in the storm. I’ll never forget the first thing that came out of your mouth though. ‘Where’s your shirt’.” We both laugh at the memory

“Well I don’t know what I would do without the cloud that always holds me tight.” I say softly looking into his eyes. “And I don’t know what I would do without my rain drop.” He whispers back, and finally I close the gap and bring my lips to his. Sweet and tender I feel all of our love for each other and oh how sweet it is with the clouds and rain drops all around us.

#twilight #twilight imagines #twilight imagine #paul lahote #paul lahote x reader #paul lahote imagine #paul lahote x oc

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hmspogueobx · 10 months

Text

Everything to me (Paul Lahote)

Everything to me Masterlist

Chapter One: Reunions

Chapter Two: Bonfires and six burly men

Chapter Three: New old friends

Chapter Four: Fallen logs

Chapter Five: Jealousy’s flare

Chapter Six: Anguished eyes

Chapter Seven: Wrath and profanities

Chapter Eight: Questions

Chapter Nine: A grave lapse

Chapter Ten: Enchanted

Chapter Eleven: Made for it

Chapter Twelve: Fighting newborn vampires for dummies

Chapter Thirteen: Earth-rumbling

Chapter Fourteen: Everything to him...

#paul lahote #twilight #paul lahote x oc #paul lahote fluff #fluff #twilight fluff #werewolves #jacob black #embry call #jared cameron #sam uley #seth clearwater #leah clearwater #newmoon #eclipse #breaking dawn #paul

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since02fanficrecs · 2 years

Text

"I need you to understand this so please hear me when I say it...you’re it for me. Whatever happens, this is it. You’ll always be my responsibility, and I will always take care of you. No matter what."

#paul lahote #twilight #paul lahote fanfic #paul lahote x oc #twilight fanfiction #paul lahote imagine #twilightfanfiction #taking time #moodboard #twilight moodboard

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wolfpackss · 9 months

Note

Hi!

Can I ask for a Sam Uley sister reader who got imprinted on by Paul and how Sam would react? Maybe some smutty things involved and they get caught in sam’s house or something?

“Dinner’s ready!” You almost didn’t hear Emily yell out to everyone, with your head in Kim’s lap as her fingers braid softly through your hair. She’s been practicing fishtail braids and she insisted your hair was perfect for it. Your peace being disturbed by a bunch of half naked guys running towards the kitchen, hoping to be the first to grab some food. “One last strand of hair, there! Finished!” Kim reaches out for a mirror and shows the you the finished look. “You did great Kim, as always!” You grin at her. “ now let’s get something to eat, before the guys eat everything.”

You both walk into the kitchen, laughing at something Kim said and you bump shoulders with each other before being dragged into your boyfriend’s lap. He starts filling your plate and his with food while leaving small little kisses on your neck. During dinner, Paul keeps his one hand on your inner thigh, caressing your skin with his thumb, sometimes giving it a soft squeeze to remind you he’s watching you as you laugh and talk with Emily and Kim.

After dinner you excuse yourself to pack your bags, with Paul fast behind you. You stayed the night at your brothers house to help Emily with wedding preparations. You were kind of weary about Emily in the beginning but that’s because you have a good relationship with Leah and the way their relationship ended wasn’t one you agreed to. But after learning all about the legends, imprints and shifters you decided to give Emily a chance. It’s not that you two were best friends now, but you like the woman and your brother loves her so who are you to stand in the way of fate.

Your daydreaming is cut short when you feel Paul’s hands on your hips, squeezing softly and pulling your ass into his crotch. His one hand wanders over your stomach, to your breasts, stopping only to softly pinch and twist your nipple, before stopping at your neck. You feel his fingers widen and clutch around your throat as he pulls your upper body to his. “Feel what you do to me, baby?” His grinding never stops and you can feel his hard cock straining beneath his shorts. “Fuck baby, need you.. Need you now!” A whimper escapes your mouth and that’s all Paul needs before he pushes you so your hands fall on the bed as hitches your dress up over your ass and pulls your panties to the side.

“Such a pretty pussy, all wet and glistening for me” you hear him mumble his words as he runs a finger through your slick folds and stops at your entrance. He pushes in a little bit before removing and slipping two fingers back inside you. The moan that comes out of you has him go feral. With one hand he keeps finger fucking you into oblivion while the other works at his belt and pants, trying to get them off. He pushes his pants and boxers to the ground and guides his cock to your pussy. He slides it between your folds, flicking your clit with the head, making you see stars. “You ready baby?” He slowly pushes in and let’s you adjust to his size. “So fucking good, so fucking tight” Paul grits his teeth as he starts moving faster, gripping your hips and pulling you back into his cock.

“Ey, y/n! Have you seen the folder with wedding dresses? Emily cant find them and she thinks you-“

You and Paul stop as both your head turn towards the door where a frozen and furious looking Sam stands. He opens his mouth to say something but closes it before slamming the door with a bang. You look over your shoulder at your boyfriend who clicks his tongue. “Well, that kinda killed the mood”

#paul lahote #paul lahote imagine #paul lahote x reader #paul lahote x you #paul lahote smut #paul lahote fluff #paul lahote x y/n #paul lahote x oc #twilight imagine #twilight

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atlas-of-a-human-soul · 1 year

Text

Wildest dreams, pt. 19

Summary: The pack is looking for Paul.

Warnings: angst, mentions of a forest fire

Wildest Dreams Masterlist

————————————

The wolf’s ears perk up as he smells a familiar scent – one that he’d gotten accustomed to in all the years of knowing his pack brother. He’s in human form, Embry can tell.

I’ve got a trace. Embry tells Jared and Seth who’ve joined him and Sam in the hunt for Paul. It’s faint but he’s been here.

What is he doing all the way here? Seth wonders, changing his direction to where Embry is.

Better question is: why would he leave Y/N to worry without a warning? Jared reiterates.

He can’t remember ever leaving someplace without checking in with his imprint first and it’s not because she forces him to or because he’s ‘on a short leash’ as Paul used to tease him, rather because he senses Kim’s worries. It’s not a pleasant feeling to mirror, but Jared’s learned it’s a much lighter weight on his heart when he explains where he’s going and why; she breathes easier and his mind is free. So why did Paul go into the forest so far from where his home without telling his imprint? Doesn’t he feel Y/N’s worried sick?

That’s something he’ll have to explain to Y/N, not us. He doesn’t owe us anything. Embry exclaims, hearing Jared’s monologue.

Considering I left Kim alone with the kids, he better have an explanation for me too.

STOP! Sam exclaims, the rest of the pack falling silent. Paul’s close. Looking around, Sam makes sure the rest of the pack can get a sense of where he’s picked up a stronger, fresh scent. I don’t think he’s hurt. Or so he hopes. There’s no smell of blood in the air, but there are ways of injuring oneself without a single drop spilled. And worse…much worse.

It doesn’t take long for the rest of the pack to catch up, all of them taking different directions in the area in hopes of finding Paul.

He’s gone closer to the beach. Seth informs, following the invisible trail toward his friend.

Maybe he went for a stroll and we’re all overreacting? Jared questions only for Embry to remark.

If by ‘WE’ you mean Y/N, then you better get your thoughts under control. Even if she mistook the empty bed for a stroll, she’s in actual distress emotionally and that’s not something we ignore or judge. Unless you want a reminder of that time we all had to follow you to Canada because Kim swore you were abducted.

She didn’t mean to alarm you guys.

Embry snorts. She dragged me out of bed by my ankle and forced me to call the pack.

Okay, okay, I got the point. Jared grumbles as Seth stops, pointing his snout down a small hill.

I think I found him. Seth huffs as he angles his head to get a better look underneath the hill toward the narrow, overgrown path. I’ll shift.

Seth didn’t wait for the rest of them to respond before taking human form. Untying the shorts from his left leg, he covers up quickly.

“Paul?” Seth tries, hoping Paul would respond and he wouldn’t have to go down. Hearing nothing but birds chirping in return, Seth sighs. At least there are no vampires lurking or the birds wouldn’t be singing. They’d run in fear to the nearest shelter, just as any other sane being. The wolves are not quite as bright as them.

Considering climbing down, Seth furrows his eyebrows. It wouldn’t take long, but it would still waste time. The path seems clear enough for him to jump, the drop is barely 9 ft. Jumping is simpler, he concludes before taking his thoughts and acting on them.

After the rain of yesterday, Seth could see the dark mud of the path, yet the pine needles on top were already pale and moving with the breeze. Blinking fast, he looks ahead only for his lips to part.

Ahead, in the overgrown bushes that lay underneath the pine trees, sat Paul with his head in his hands and his knees supporting his elbows.

“Paul!” Running toward him, Seth places a hand on Paul’s bare shoulder. “You got us breaking a sweat today”, he chuckles. “I was genuinely terrified thinking about going back to Y/N without you.”

At the sound of her name, Paul flinches and his head snaps up to meet Seth’s relieved smile. It’s all that took for Seth’s smile to retreat and for his heart to drop.

Before him sat Paul, but his eyes are damp with tears that left streaks down his cheeks; all the way down to his chin from where the tears have dripped onto the soil. His lips are chapped and quivering as though he wishes to scream but he can’t breathe, robbed of the ability to use the oxygen that surrounds him. His body is trembling and if Seth didn’t know how hot wolves run, he’d think he’s freezing.

“What happened”, Seth sits beside him, his eyes unable to comprehend the devastation in Paul’s gaze.

“This is it”, Paul grimaces as if the act of speaking inflicts unbearable pain.

“What is?”

Looking ahead, Paul nods toward a tree a few steps away. “It’s where I saw her die.”

“That won’t happen”, Seth is quick to object. “We won’t allow it.”

Biting his lower lip, Paul shrugs. “It doesn’t matter what we do, this is where she’ll close her eyes for the last time.”

“How can you be so certain?” Seth narrows his eyes at him. “We aren’t giving up. As long as she’s breathing, we have a chance to save her!”

“I see it all the time”, Paul says quietly, “sometimes it’s different but the end is always the same.” And it drives him insane. One moment he’s holding her warm, bare body against his, the next she’s cold, limp, lifeless in his arms.

“Different how?”

“The first time I only saw her die, but now? I see images that lead to it.” Closing his eyes shut, Paul sniffles. “She’s running from something”, he chokes up. “Sometimes I’m with her, a few times I’ve seen Jacob, Embry once, but she’s alone most times”, Paul pauses as a shuddered breath passes his lips. “She’s terrified and I can’t protect her”, he grimaces. “And then she’s in my arms and I’m looking into her eyes and there’s nothing looking back at me.”

Covering his mouth, Seth stares at the spot Paul showed him. If that’s where Y/N dies, then maybe he has a way to make sure it doesn’t come true.

Digging into his pocket, Seth pulls out a lighter before standing straight.

“What are you doing?” Paul jumps to his feet as the flame dances at Seth’s command.

Raising his brows, Seth pulls out a folded sheet of paper from his back pocket. The grocery list isn’t as important as this. “If this is where she dies in your vision, then I’ll destroy it. If there’s no tree or path, how can she die here?”

Frowning deeply, Paul shakes his head. “You’d probably only change the spot where it happens.”

Snorting, Seth shakes his head as he holds up the lighter toward the paper. “Why were you here then? Why’d you leave Y/N alone just to come sit here?”

“Because I dreamt of it again! And for once, I knew where to go.” Running his hand down his face to wipe the tears, Paul purses his lips as he gnaws at the inside of the bottom one. “I needed to see it for myself. To find where it is.”

“So you’d know it’s real”, Seth nods. “Well it is.” He smirks, “And I’m willing to make sure it’s not anymore.”

“Do it”, Jared orders from the hill. “We can try it. We have to.”

“And if the whole forest sets on fire?” Paul turns to Sam who stood quietly.

“We will find a way to contain the fire.”

A small smile appears on Paul’s face as he looks Seth in the eye and nods. “Burn it all.”

While Paul had found a way to ease some of his worry, Y/N couldn’t sit still. She managed to find the few cleaning supplies her dearest wolf owns in Paul’s bathroom and decided to keep herself busy…as well as Jacob.

“Do I really have to”, Jacob whines as he pulls out a little bit of hair out of the drain. “You know I hate this stuff!”

“The girl from Ring will not appear and murder you”, Y/N deadpans. “She’s not real”, she reminds him before pausing, her eyebrows furrowing. “She’s not, is she?”

Chuckling, Jacob shakes his head. “I’ve only ever heard of vampires, shape shifters and rumors about witches.”

“Like Salem?” Her eyes widen. “They were real?”

“Something like that.”

Scrubbing the tiles, she bites her lower lip. Living her whole life as a devout bookworm, Y/N never imagined the things she read about could ever become reality. Older she got, less magic she found in the world. It’s like age siphons it out of you, replacing it with sarcasm and bitterness that settles roots inside the heart in order to flourish for years to come.

Paul feels like the cure to the toxins this tree has been secreting into her bloodstream. She’s been poisoned for so long that her mind became an abyss nothing light could ever penetrate.

She sees the light now, for the first time in a really long time, Y/N sees the end of the famed tunnel everyone’s been stuck in at least once in their life.

“He’s coming back, right?” Her voice is small, laced with fear and self-doubt Jacob wished she could shed.

Swallowing thickly, he turns to look at her, catching her eye in the mirror. “He’d be a damn fool not to.”

“I need him to not be a fool then”, she states and Jacob nods, reassuring her.

“He’ll come back.”

_______________________

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PART 20

#paul lahote #paul lahote x oc #paul lahote x reader #twilight #twilight saga #twilight fanfiction #Twilight series #twilight fandom #paul lahote series #jared cameron #embry call #sam uley #seth clearwater #jacob black

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runwithwolvcs · 2 months

Text

Addicted To You

Play With Me

Words: 2500

The Past

“Sulli?” He called for her, sitting on her bed to wait for her to come out of her hiding spot, “Guess I’ll have to eat these cookies by myself,”

She stuck her hand out from under the bed, he quickly grabbed it and slid her out. “No! Paul, stop!”

“No more hiding under the bed.” He told her. The older boy helped her up to her feet before handing her a cookie.

“I like it there.” She said, “It's safe.”

“You are safe with me too,” He reminded her, before motioning her onto the bed, “C’mon”

“Leah and Sam were arguing again,” She told him quietly, leaning into him. Sulli had found his feverish skin to be something of a comfort in her time at the Clearwaters, and always sought it out, even in the other boys when they were around. None of them made her feel as safe as Paul, although Embry was a close second. She liked how quiet he was compared to the others.

Paul sighed,“I heard,”

“When my mom used to get mad at my daddy, she would throw things at him and one time, i tried to help my daddy and got cut by the glass and now I have this scar,” She pointed to the faded scar just below her eyebrow. “He was so mad after he made me go to the bathroom and told me to hide in the tub until he came to get me,”

“No ones going to hurt you here.” Paul told her softly, matting down her hair that had gone all messy due to her hiding under the bed, “We’re family, we all love each other,”

She tore a piece off her giant cookie as she told him, “My mom said love hurts and you just have to deal with the pain.”

“That's not true, Sulli.” He scoffed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, “The people that love you will never hurt you.”

“But she loves me,” She insisted, although Paul had never questioned her mothers love for her. Sulli still felt the need to defend her.

“Love is about happiness.” Paul said quietly, “You do things to see the person you love smile and that makes you happy, you don’t want to see them in pain, or hurt.”

“Oh,” She asked curiously, “Are you in love?”

He chuckled at her innocent question and nodded his head, “Yes,”

“You have a girlfriend?” She asked, though she frowned as she said it.

“I don’t.” He denied with a small chuckle at her reaction. Sue had joked that Sulli had a small crush on Paul, to which the little girl denied. She said she couldn’t possibly have a crush on him because he never wore shoes outside and was constantly covered in dirt.

“So how are you in love?” Sulli asked with her typically wide eyes of curiosity.

“You don’t need to be in a relationship to be in love.” He explained, adding, “I love a lot of people. I love my dad, I love the pack, I love you, Sue, and Emily. That's why I protect everyone, because I love them. I don’t want to see the people I love hurt or sad.”

“I don’t know,” She shared with uncertainty, “My mom and dad do love each other, and they love me.”

“Okay, Sulli.” He wasn't going to argue with her, Paul was constantly reminding himself that he was talking to a kid who couldn’t see things as anything other than black and white.. She would know when she's older what real love feels like. He would make sure of it. Paul stood up with a small sigh and took two long strides towards the door.

“Where are you going?”Sulli asked, her lip jutting out slightly, making her seem like the kid she was rather than her normal stern look she wore. She was a mini Sue in the making.

“I’m going to have a nap,” He told her. Paul had taken residency in the guest room across from Sullis. While he had been there the week leading up to her arrival, it was starting to be a more permanent fixture in the Clearwater house. “I’ve got work later,”

Sulli frowned. She thought he’d at least be home for dinner, but recently he was gone all morning and all night. With a distinct tone of disappointment, she asked, “Again?”

“Yeah,” He nodded, frowning to match her own.

“You can sleep in here,” She offered with a sense of hope. Sulli didn’t want to be left alone anymore, not after Paul's reassurance that Sam and Leahs argument wouldn’t lead to anything more serious. “I even have a new book to read to you so that you can sleep well.”

“You sure?” He asked with his hand lingering on the doorknob as he watched her grab a new book she and Sue must have got at the library. It was more of a novel than the little books she had been reading before, though everyone in the Clearwater knew she had a more advanced reading level than any eleven years old they knew.

“Yeah,” Sulli confirmed before climbing back on her bed, leaving space for him beside her before she was patting the spot as an invitation. “C’mon, now.”

------

The Present

“Are you just going to stand there?” He grumbled through the dark. His head didn’t even lift to see who had opened the door, allowing the hall light to shine into his dark room. “Or, are you going to join me?”

A smile teased at Sullis lips. The sound of his deep, sleepy voice made butterflies erupt in tummy. She had many sleepovers with men after getting a little too drunk, but none ended up with her waking up alone in a bed that was not her own. She was dressed in Paul clothes, the scent of his cologne lingering and slightly wondered how much of a fight she had put up with him while trying to get her out of her tight, little dress, “Not with that attitude.”

“C’mon,” Paul groaned, turning onto his back and slinging an arm over his eyes after peering over at her. The light is most likely burning them.

Sulli shut the door to the hallway and padded her way over to him. The older man held up the duvet, allowing her to join him under the warmth. Paul's house was as cold as Sues was, and with the temperatures quickly dropping as winter approached, she was thankful he had put her in sweatpants and a hoodie.

Paul gave her space in his bed, nearly a forearm's length apart. It was space that she didn’t want. All she wanted were his comforting arms.

“I’m overwhelmed,” She whispered into the darkness as she laid on her side, looking at his silhouette.

Paul moved onto his side, facing her before responding, “Why?”

“If I let you get close and then you disappear again,” Sulli stopped, tears filling her eyes as she choked up, “I can’t go through that again. Not with you.”

“That's what you're worried about?” He chuckled, as if it were the most dramatic thing he had ever heard.

“God, you are such a jerk,” she sat up, disgruntled and the start of a headache starting to build left her with zero patience for a man who couldn’t handle her emotions.He had been so good with her when she was younger, always sitting with her and letting her talk to him like a friend. Now, she really had no clue who Paul Lahote was. Sulli moved to get off the bed before she was pulled right into his chest, their faces mere inches apart. She could feel his chest rise with every breath he took, as if his own actions caught him off guard.

“I’m not going anywhere, Sulli,” He murmured quietly.

Though the younger girl was no longer having his charming ways, she wanted him to be real with her. Just once. Shifting onto her back, allowing him to keep his grip on her waist, she brought up something that had nagged her from childhood, “Paul, you could find a wife and start a family and forget all about me within a year.”

“Not going to happen.” He refuted, his hand left her waist and began to travel up her arm, leaving her skin tinged with heat as he did.

“Your wife could hate me.” She pointed out.

“Not likely.” He denied, his hand brushing over her shoulder before moving up her neck. His index finger tracing her jawline.

“Paul,” Sulli sighed, looking back to him

“Sulli,” He mocked, cupping her jaw and keeping her gaze on him,“What if I told you that you were the only girl for me,”

She laughed at the ridiculousness of his suggestion,“I’d say you're full of shit and trying to get back on my good side.”

“You’re my imprint.” He said, an emotion she couldn’t detect in his tone. Though the word was familiar from the night before, he had yet to tell her it's meaning. Or at least, she doesn't remember the conversation happening, if it did.

“I still don’t know what that means,” She spoke quietly, bringing her own hand to his face, tangling their limbs. She swiped her index finger across the bow of his lips, mesmerised by him. She wanted him, all of him, in an explainable way. Though she figured this was what he was trying to tell her. An imprint, a mark made by someone that had the potential to be long lasting, depending on the surface.

“It's a wolf thing,” Paul answered, his eyes searching her face for a reaction as he continued. He seemed uneasy. As if he could possibly scare her off. Sulli was the most at ease she had felt in years, maybe it was the comfy mattress she was currently on, or the clothes of the man in front of her that engulfed her body. Most likely, it was the heat of the man who had once saved her from her own mind, allowing her to be a kid in a situation that should have never involved one, “Our imprint is our anchor, I guess. A reason to keep hold of our humanity, but also a reason to continue phasing. Someone to protect, and love. ”

“Like a mate?” She asked, she had read about wolves having one mate for their life span. Building and growing with the pack, but never leaving their one true mate, even if one were to die.

“I guess, yeah.” Paul agreed, mentioning, “It has to do with our ancestors, or at least that's what the elders say. They think imprints are beneficial to their wolf. We are whatever our imprints need us to be for them, a brother, friend, lover..Our imprint is the force that keeps us grounded, it's like we no longer need gravity. Just them. ”

“But I was a kid.” Sulli brought up her sole focus on his use of the word lover.

“I know,” He reassured, stroking her cheek as he thread his knee in between hers, binding them even more. “Until you kissed me, I never saw you as anything but a little sister to me.”

Sulli nodded. Her mind worked overtime to keep up with what he was saying, to make sense of it all. Looking at him with bashful eyes, she couldn’t help but ask,“You’re not going anywhere?”

“Not unless you tell me to go.” Paul's face softened, a look he had rarely on his face now, but was in a constant state when she was a kid.

“And if I do?” She asked curiously. Not that she would ask him to leave, she had plenty of reasons and opportunities over the past month, and yet she felt herself being drawn to him like a magnet even more. The imprint, she supposed.

Paul's brows furrowed as he thought about what she asked, “I don’t know..That's never happened.”

She sighed, “I don't want to hurt you, Paul.”

“Hurt me how?” His eyebrow raised in question.

“What if I'm not what you're expecting.” Sulli asked surly. She was a lot of things, but damaged was written in bold and underlined twice in her book.

“I spent ten years feeling every bit of pain you were in,” The older man pointed out, “I thought you were stuck in one shitty home, not multiple. I know what I’m expecting, and I’m okay with giving you anything that you need. Do you need a punching bag? Hit me. You need to scream? Go for it. You want space? I’ll give you it.” His tone was as serious as she had heard it, letting her know that he was all in to reclaim his spot as top wolf in her life. “I just need you to tell me what you want. I can’t read your mind.”

“My coping method is sex,” She noted. It had been since she was fifteen. It allowed her to escape for as long as she could, masking the pain through pleasure and faux affection.

Paul grinned boyishly,“Great, I love sex.”

“Paul!” She giggled, “My therapist doesn’t think it's great. She thinks I’m an addict.”

“Partially my fault.” He added, and she looked at him in confusion.

“Hm?”

“We are tethered, we feel everything the other feels.” He explained, moving his hand back to her hip to give it a quick squeeze before slipping his hand beneath her sweatpants and caressing one smooth globe a flesh, “So, if I was hooking up with some girl, you’d probably get horny too.”

“And we both know you were a horndog.” Sulli teased, “Mr. I Don’t Have A Girlfriend.”

“I didn’t have a girlfriend,” He murmured, leaning his forehead against hers. He was so close she could feel his breath against her lips. So close she could kiss him.

“Mhm,” Sulli tsked, “I know a player when I see one,”

Brushing his lips against hers quickly, and teasingly, Paul mumbled as he pressed his pelvis into hers. His hormones on full display like a teenage boy in bed with a girl for the first time,“Hmm, I only want to play with you though,”

She breathily moaned at his touch, “I’ll play with you.”

#paul lahote fanfic #paul lahote #paul lahote imagine #twilight wolf pack #paul lahote x oc #twilight wolves #twilight #paul lahote smut

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since0202 · 10 months

Text

Taking Time: Fifty-Three

Missed calls

Word count: 6,443

There’s always a crushing weight that settles around my shoulders when she looks at me like that. I never know what’s exactly going on in her head, what she’ll say next. And that’s what I’ve loved about her. She’s always kept me guessing, kept me paying attention and focused. It was one of the easiest ways I found to temper my anger when it flared up around anyone else. Even if she didn’t know it, she helped keep me on solid ground when I’d felt like I’d been adrift for so long. But now, I’d give anything to know what was going on in her head. She was furious with me about enrolling her in UW, I know, but I couldn’t risk losing her. It felt like there was danger all around us and the only way I felt like I could keep her safe was here with me. I knew she wouldn’t like it. I knew she would fight against it. But if I could just make her see that I wasn’t trying to ruin her life and that it was actually temporary, just until the danger died down, and she could go back to New York soon, she’d understand. But then she wasn’t there when I came back this time. And in the next second, I felt the earth fall out from under me.

The soft click of the hotel door behind him was the only thing that reminded him his feet were on solid ground. Paul staggered down the hallway only a few steps before his mouth burst open taking gasping breaths.

It felt as if someone was hollowing out the pit of his stomach with a jagged edged spoon, ripping and tearing at everything inside of him until he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. His hand shot out to grip the wall and keep from sinking to his knees.

It’ll pass. It’ll pass. It’ll pass. He chanted to himself in his head.

This undeniable pain of the imprint felt just as raw as it did when she first left him. She’d not broken the bond when she’d left, but still nearly cleaved it in two. The only thing holding the bond together was a dangerously thin connection that reacted like an exposed nerve whenever disturbed by simply the thought of her. Which for Paul, was all of the time.

And right now, that nerve was being ground with sandpaper as he walked further away from the door. This earth shattering ache was something that always echoed within him, to the point where it had nearly driven him crazy back on the reservation.

Maya had disappeared from his life that night and every day since. The imprint had been begging for him to get her back even if he knew what she needed—space and time away…from him. Paul tried to catch his breath, his hand coming to wind around his abdomen as he was reminded of the night she left him—the pain so acutely similar to that first night:

A little over a year ago…

Paul’s feet pounded on the forest floor, his breath huffing from his mouth in great bursts. All he could hear replaying in his head on repeat was her refusal, pushing him away, and he couldn’t stand it anymore. Paul knew he should have stayed to talk it through, to reassure her that the plan he’d made for them would work if she’d just tried it, but deep down he knew it all felt wrong—making her stay, holding her to him like this. And so, when she refused, he let himself fall into the familiar rush of the phase.

Soon enough, the weight of his mounting anger would be easily channeled into each limb as he dashed through the dense forest. There would be nothing left to feel once he was there and when he came back, she’d be there to talk it through and they’d figure it out together. But right now, his mind was a mess and he couldn’t see anything past the resounding anger that swelled and grew and wanted to rip every part of him to shreds.

Paul didn’t know how long he ran for, but the air grew cooler as he made his way further north, scaling mountains and focusing on anything but the anger pulsing in his chest. If he could just get some distance, it would subside. That’s how it always worked in the past. He remembered distinctly when he first phased and how that visceral anger he’d felt every day as a kid suddenly subsided as he would wind his way through the forest. He had finally found relief from the pain of that anger all these years. Through his mother’s absence, his father’s violence, and the falling away of every family he’d ever come to know before he was left all alone the one thing that remained was that anger. Like a companion, an old friend. But when the phase hit him, he realized there was something else for him to do. And Sam made sure that he made use of that anger, channeled it in a way that could help the pack rather than hurt them. He’d still slip up sometimes though, barking commands at his brothers, taking one too many risks when they were hunting down bloodsuckers. But it didn’t matter. Paul was all at once freed from himself when he phased and he truly had nothing to lose.

He went through a similar period as Jacob and Leah where he simply didn’t phase back for awhile. The relief from the anger was just too much and so he had leaned into it. But when you phase for too long, the world starts to get wobbly. You lose touch with your human senses and the wild can pull you under faster than you realize. When Sam had to pull him out after a Quil phased, he felt more feral and angry as ever when he was human. But he worked through it. Made a name for himself, put more energy into his work and his pack. And that anger stabilized.

But then came Maya. His Maya. The world stopped, no ground to a startling halt when he saw her and that anger took a new shape, seemingly it evaporated. But something happened as they grew closer. That anger swelled into jealousy, possessiveness, and the imprint took hold of a brand new side of him. One he didn’t quite feel in control of.

As he wound his way through the forest, crossing the border into Canada and sliding to a halt as he overlooked a stark cliff off of Britannia Beach, he felt lost. For the first time since Maya, he felt well and truly lost within himself. Paul stayed that way, gazing out over the cliffside into the dark swirling ocean below, waiting for some clarity, some reprieve from that mutated anger, but none came. He just felt exhausted. Night turned into day as he ran and now it had descended again. He watched the moon grow and change across the sky.

When the sun rose over the horizon, Paul felt stiff from his lack of movement. He hadn’t even laid down to rest, just let himself stare endlessly trying to find out where that anger ended and where he began again. A soft crunch behind him set him on high alert though and he growled and bared his teeth before whipping around.

He was faced with a towering russet brown alpha—Jacob. Paul slowly relaxed and waited for Jacob to say something, but it felt like he was trying to assess the situation. Figure out what part of Paul he was dealing with. But he was lost to himself, so he had no idea what Jacob would find.

I know what you’re going through. Jacob’s voice buzzed through Paul’s brain. He never minded his brothers communicating with him this way. Their overlapping voices made him feel much less alone in those early days. Still, the voice in Paul’s head growled in response. Jacob sighed and took a moment before carrying on. Paul tried to gather what the images flickering through Jacob’s head meant, but it was all moving too quickly it blurred and he couldn’t make anything out clearly. There’s never going to be a good time to let go, he continued. You’ll never want to truly let go. But this is how you lose her, Paul.

Paul felt his chest rumble with pain. But there were no words that came to mind. Just Maya’s face, broken and crying as he told her again and again that she couldn’t leave. Not like this.

She’s gone. Jacob said suddenly in response to that image. That got Paul’s attention. He whipped around to face Jacob, a sudden feral rage coursing through him. Uncontrolled, as usual. She went back to New York. With protection. You will not interfere with that. The last sentence was an order, an alpha command. And a carefully phrased one at that.

Jacob knew he was unable to order any of his brothers to stay away from their imprints. It was the one thing his commands couldn’t touch. But this was different.

Interfere? Paul seethed, his teeth bared, shoulders squared and his feet spread wide as if he was about to lunge. Jacob bared his teeth in response and mirrored Paul’s stance.

That’s right. You’re not in control right now and that puts your imprint at risk. This is for your own good and for her safety. Jacob continued firmly.

Her safety? Paul felt his entire body tremble with rage. He felt like he was going to explode out of his skin any moment, his fur rippled in waves down his back. If she’s not safe with me, then who is she safe with?

An image flashed in Jacob’s mind, just briefly, but Paul caught it. Golden eyes, blonde hair, and the tall stocky build of the blood sucker he knew all too well after a close call so many years ago. This was too much though.

Paul snapped, lunging for his alpha in one quick moment, his jaws clamping around Jacob’s throat as they tumbled backwards into the forest, crashing through trees and undergrowth. Jacob responded in kind, and quickly twisted away from his grip before pinning him between two broad paws. Paul writhed and snapped at Jacob, but he held fast, the blood from his gushing wound closing quickly.

TRAITOR! Paul bellowed at him. But Jacob held strong, holding his writhing form beneath him.

Listen to me! Jacob begged. It wasn’t an order, but a plea. But Paul was too far gone to hear much beyond the rushing rage blocking out all sound. She will be safe. You need to figure this out. Whatever this is Paul, it won’t work. You can’t keep her like this. It’s not fair to her or you. If you have any hope of her staying with you, you need to change whatever this is. This fucking monster inside of you. Get a fucking grip!

Paul snarled, snapped his jaws and found an opening. Jacob slipped and Paul righted himself quickly before bashing headfirst into Jacob’s chest. Jacob howled, thrown back by the sheer force of it and crashed a hundred feet away into a tree. Paul steadied himself, the blood pumping in his ears. He had to get back to Maya. Had to get to her, make her stay, keep her safe.

She’s gone! Jacob responded again to the flurry of thoughts rushing through Paul. He whipped his head back and howled in agony as a fresh pain ripped through him. He could feel it now, that absence, her absence, growing and pulling him apart from the inside. And so he did the only thing he thought he could do. He charged toward Jacob in the forest, blind with fury, thirsty for revenge, for blood, for sending her off with those fucking bloodsuckers.

Jacob was ready for him though and when Paul crashed into him a second time, he remained like a stone wall. Paul rammed against his frame again and again and again, feeling the bones breaking in his body. But with each slam against Jacob, he was losing ground. Jacob edged him closer to the cliffside. He wouldn’t win, but it didn’t matter. There was nothing left for him.

Go see the elders. Jacob said calmly. And with that, Jacob rammed at him, making him topple over the cliff and hurdle into the crashing water below, limp and broken.

Paul tried to catch his breath now outside of the hotel room door. He could do this. He could walk away and let her come to him. He’d practiced this for he didn’t know how long at this point, but it always seemed to get harder leaving and now that they had come back to together, the ache of the imprint seared through every part of his brain.

He turned toward the door, his hand hovering over the knob as he reached for the key card. Maybe he could just go back inside and explain everything and she would understand.

But he knew he couldn’t do that. It’s not what the elders had advised. And they had gotten him this far. When he heard Maya talking on the other side of the door into her phone, it solidified his resolve to leave, however agonizing it felt, and he walked off down the hallway toward the elevator.

-----------

The soft buzz of Maya’s phone rumbled beneath her. It must be Rose, or Emmett, trying to find out where she was. She hadn’t exactly planned on not coming home last night.

Without looking at her phone, Maya answered.

“Hello?” Her voice was low from her general disorientation and the best sleep she’d had in a year.

“Well, well, well, look who decided to come crawling back into my DMs,” the voice on the other line drawled conspiratorially.

“Keye?!” Maya let out a huff of surprised breath and tears immediately pricked the back of her eyes.

“Now, I thought that when we all watched Gone Girl that one time, we decided that if we ever had to fake our own disappearance, we would at least send a signal of some kind to one of the group. You know, to remind them that ‘hey! I’m not actually dead, just disappearing for a while’ kind of thing,” Keye continued rambling sarcastically. A sob broke through Maya’s throat and she put a hand over her eyes at hearing her best friend’s voice for the first time in a year. “Or, did you forget the moral of that story?”

“Keye,” was all Maya could get out as the tears fell in earnest. But Keye wasn’t even listening as she carried on, making Maya start to giggle.

“You know I can keep a secret. I never told anyone about that time Ashley Halliweth took me and the two Lake brothers to skinny dip at the rec center and Ashley gave Joey Lake a blowjob on top of the noodles that the elders use to do their swim aerobics.” Keye was talking a mile a minute and all Maya could think about was how good it felt to hear her voice.

“Keye, you literally told half our spanish class in ninth grade and Mrs. Gostavos,” Maya scoffed, still shaking with comforting laughter.

“No! She wasn’t there, I’m pretty sure,” Keye deflected and carried on rambling. Maya settled into the warmth of relief she felt at just hearing Keye’s voice and wondered if she had made a mistake cutting everyone out for so long. Especially Keye and Becks.

She glanced toward the closed door of the room and felt a pit drop in the center of her stomach. Had she made a mistake there too? He really just fucking left? The voice inside her head spat. Maya tried to drop back in and focused on Keye’s rambling before she took a huge breath and said,

“Anyway, what’s up with you?”

Maya burst into laughter and stared up at the ceiling.

“Honestly, babe. Nothing,” she replied nonchalantly. That made Keye erupt with laughter and for a few minutes, they just devolved into complete happiness, easy in their comfort with one another. Once they finally settled, a comfortable silence fell between them.

“Paul’s an idiot,” Keye said sighed. Maya nodded even though Keye couldn’t see her.

“I’ll say. He just one-night-stand-ghosted me,” Maya admitted, petting her own hair back against the pillow.

“What?!” Keye shouted. Maya shifted the phone away from her ear from the screech and then hummed in affirmation.

“I’m currently butt ass naked in a hotel bed. He just left after thanking me for the lovely evening,” Maya groaned, “I’m such an idiot. I folded like a road map.”

“No, you didn’t,” Keye interjected with a tone of annoyance.

“Yes, I did, ugh, I just fucking slept with him because I couldn’t help it and now he probably thinks—”

“No, My, you fucking didn’t. He’s being an asshole and you reacting to the imprint is not you being an idiot. You didn’t fold or fall for anything. Honestly, babe, it’s a little manipulative what he’s doing to you,” Keye said harshly. Maya stared at the ceiling in confusion.

“Wait, what do you mean?” How was Paul manipulating her? They were coming back together and he was…what was he doing? All of it made Maya’s head spin—the imprint, Paul, all of it.

“He’s blaming you for a decision he forced you to make!” Keye nearly screeched. Maya scrunched her forehead in confusion.

“Keye he…” Maya paused and really thought about it for a moment. She could feel Keye nearly boiling across the line as she thought through her last few interactions with Paul.

The chance encounter at the art museum, the meeting at the club, the lunch, and now her pseudo one-night-stand. He was mad sure, but manipulative? Maya couldn’t quite piece it together.

“Keye, he’s just mad and reacting to the imprint. It’s fucking driving me crazy too,” Maya defended. Why was she defending him again? As the words came out of her mouth, they even tasted wrong.

“Jesus…christ, Maya. I thought you were the smart one in our group. Listen, he literally forced you to run from your home because he was going to keep you here under some insane idea that he was protecting you. Then, he shows up in New York to ‘work’ and now he’s making you feel like a one-night stand?” Keye exclaimed. “Tell me how that’s not manipulative.”

“I—,” Maya paused again, trying again to piece it together, Maya really sat and thought for a moment. Paul loved her—she knew that as much as she knew how to breathe air. But sometimes, the things he said and did didn’t feel like love at all.

She hadn’t liked how the last year had gone between them. And when she really thought about it, while being around him these last few times had been like a welcomed salve to the raw emotions from the imprint, after she had just felt…empty. And confused. Most of her relationship had felt like a tug of war with him and her mind flashed back to when Paul had admitted that things were not this difficult between his brothers and the other imprints. That proclamation had always worried Maya and now it hit her full force in the chest.

Maya scrunched up her face in irritation and let out a huff of breath. She knew what she wanted with Paul, but this hadn’t been it. And now she wasn’t entirely sure how to fix it.

But she was determined to fix it. Whatever it took.

“Fuck,” she let out with an exasperated sigh. “I know. I know, Keye. Fuck. I just get so wrapped up in this shit and I can’t think straight when he’s around, sometimes. I thought the space would help, I really did.”

“It’s okay,” Keye said softly, “But babe, this can’t be your life. Running from home whenever Paul does something stupid. Break him so he doesn’t break you,” she said fiercely. Maya laughed at that. She didn’t think it would take that, not to mention, she didn’t want or even mean to break Paul. She just wanted to find the rhythm again. A rhythm with boundaries that they had never quite managed before.

“Okay, okay, I hear you. I’ll work on it,” she breathed out and then said swiftly, “What’s been going on with you?” Maya asked. Keye clammed up suddenly, and was completely silent to the point where Maya thought the line had gone dead, “Keye?” she said, pulling her phone back from her face to check and make sure the call hadn’t dropped.

Keye cleared her throat and then said in a rushed voice, “ Everything's good on my end. You know me.” Her voice sounded strained.

“You okay?” Maya asked slowly, “Is someone there with you?” Maya sat up in bed suddenly worrying about what Keye may have gotten herself into.

“No, no of course not. I’m at my apartment and I just—,” she cut herself off. Maya listened intently and thought she heard sniffling on the other end. But before she could point it out, Keye piped up, “I need to get some stuff done for this stupid class. And I just miss you. Any chance you’ll be coming this way soon?” A hopeful lilt in her voice put pressure on Maya’s heart.

“I—,” Maya choked. She always choked. Shutting her eyes tight with a hand to her head she took a deep breath.

“You can’t stay away forever, you know,” Keye laughed a little, but it sounded hollow. Maya’s suspicion piqued again.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Keye was always so straight with her, but now, it felt like the distance between them was hiding something else.

“Yes, My. Just think about coming home. Not a trap. You can even come stay with me in Seattle if you want,” Keye’s voice was clipped, but wrought with so much emotion that Maya thought she could hear the strain in the back of Keye’s throat trying to hold back a sob.

“Okay, yeah. I’ll think about it,” Maya said with a soft smile in her voice.

“Good. Good,” Keye said, her voice thick with spit.

-------

Two months later…

Maya watched the rain come down from her spot in Arden’s office. She was perched on the couch with a stack of papers to grade. Arden sat dutifully at his desk, answering emails and outlining his next lecture that Maya had already sent him her thoughts on for updating.

A soft fog rolled over campus, uncommon in the heated heart of the city. It made Maya ache for home more than ever. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t drag her eyes away from the window as she let herself get lost in the feeling of being home.

She and Keye had talked a bit more after that initial conversation and Maya knew now more than ever what she needed to do. Ever since she had made her decision though, she had begun craving her home, the beach, her family in La Push with new fervor. And this weather really didn’t help.

Maya blew out a soft breath and hadn’t realized she had been absently tapping the uncapped tip of her red pen on an unsuspecting student’s paper until her had nearly covered the cover page in marks.

“Everything okay?” Arden’s voice, usually so calm and soothing, jolted Maya from her reverie, causing her to jump and papers to slide from her lap onto the floor.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. Arden kneeled down in front of her to gather the papers, setting them neatly back on her lap and resting his warm palm on her denim clad thigh. Maya sucked in a sharp breath as she watched the look in his eyes change from concern to something darker. “Sorry, I…I was lost in thought,” Maya explained, shifting her legs and moving them under her body so that Arden was forced to drop his hand.

Arden stayed kneeled in front of her, not letting her out of it that easy. “You sure you’re okay?”

Maya gave him a small smile and nodded after a beat before patting her hand on the papers. “Just trying to get everything squared away before fall break. Plus, I have that interview coming up. I don’t know, it might just be getting to me,” she was trying to come across as reassuring, but Arden’s gaze tugged at something deeper she wasn’t willing to admit.

He hummed in acknowledgement, his eyes dropping to her mouth for a moment as if considering the last time they were this close on this couch in his office before rising back to his feet. “Well, be sure to get those graded before the week ends. I’ve got another batch of quizzes to give you once you’re finished and I don’t want it cutting into your coursework too much.” His tone was kind, if not a bit firm. Maya nodded and made a show of getting back to work.

But after a few minutes, once Arden had settled back at his desk, Maya’s gaze lifted to the shadowy gloom outside as she dipped back into her thoughts of home, her friends, her family, and most of all…of Paul.

------

“MY!” a sharp knock sounded on her bedroom door. Maya snapped her attention to the door and away from the long floor to ceiling windows that were streaked with rain in the warm lamp glow of the street below.

“Yeah?!” Maya called out just as Rosalie entered her room, eyes glued to her phone.

“Emmett was going to swing by that Thai place that you liked to check in on Bastion, do you want anything?” she glanced up quickly at Maya before letting her eyes fall to the massive fan of papers across her bed. “Still grading? Do you want my help?”

“Ah, no I think I can handle it. Thanks though, I’m just having a hard time focusing with the rain and all,” Maya explained, not quite sounding like herself even to her own ears.

“Okay,” Rosalie replied with a hint of skepticism. “So, Thai?”

“Yes! B4, spicy noodles, extra sauce please,” Maya stated matter of factly before looking diligently back at the papers on her bed. Rosalie shot off a text to Emmett and quietly exited her room, closing the door behind her. Letting out a deep sigh, she glanced at her phone, the screen inactive on her bed.

It had been a month and a half since she’d heard from Paul. And the text exchange that she had attempted made her feel…unsatisfied. She had written:

Hey.

To which he nonchalantly responded:

Hi. Everything okay?

Everything’s fine.

Maya hadn’t known what to say. Why had she texted him again? It was late and she had been sinking into herself, lost in that feeling he had left in her that night after the Met. And suddenly, she was in bed, texting him. She watched as the typing bubbles appeared and disappeared on Paul’s end a couple of times before a text finally popped up that read:

What can I do for you, baby?

Maya bit her lip as an aching need pulsed between her thighs. She couldn’t let him get to her like that with just a simple, seemingly benign text and promised herself that she’d have to work on that. So, she promptly turned off the screen on her phone and tried to sleep.

A few weeks later, Maya was in her room grading papers, a glass of wine in her hand, and clad in just her Columbia t-shirt and some black panties.

The unanswered text from Paul laid open on her phone, and Maya bit her lip. She had been contemplating texting him back but had no idea what to say. What did she need? For him to talk to her? For him to lure her back to the reservation? No.

But she did miss him. And that ache had steadily grown with every silent second he let tick by. She was used to Paul being ever present, almost overwhelming so, and this past year was a testament to how much he had let her be. Maybe he was finally getting it.

Or maybe it was a trick. The thought had crossed her mind a few times. That maybe he was doing this all as some elaborate way to get her to come back. But she couldn’t see the end of the game. If things were just as they would be before, she knew she’d leave again. She’d done it before.

But this somehow felt different. So, maybe it was different.

Maya grabbed her phone after downing her wine and setting the empty glass on her nightstand. She stared at the text: What can I do for you baby?

The longer she stared at it, reread it, heard it in his voice, warm and deep, the more that thrumming, tingling sensation welled up in her chest. She wanted him to feel that unsatisfying end as much as she felt it now from those seven little words on the screen.

Maya leaned back on the bed, tapping open the camera and twisted her body so that her ass jutted out and her waist twisted. She thumbed at her jutted bottom lip and quickly snapped the picture, sending it before she even had a second to reconsider.

And then she waited. Five. Ten. Fifteen minutes. He hadn’t even opened the text. Maybe he was on patrol. Maya’s eyes flitted to the clock on her nightstand but it felt too early for rounds even with the time difference. When the realization set in of what she just did—basically an open invitation to come and get her—Maya quickly hit unsend on the text.

He hadn’t seen it. She was sure of that. But still, she turned off her phone to avoid any further temptation and swallowed hard as the feeling of rejection swirled loosely in her stomach.

----

“I think I want to go home for fall break,” Maya said without any pretense, “To visit.” She rushed to clarify.

Emmett looked at her with a teasing smile and glanced nearly imperceptibly at Rosalie.

“Are you sure?” Rose asked gently, setting down her book.

Maya took a deep breath, still clutching her phone in her hand, “Yes,” she said firmly and nodded. “I want to visit my parents and…I’m going to have to go home eventually. Why not break the ice now?” Maya prompted. Rose watched her skeptically as Emmett began to shake with silent laughter.

Maya’s gaze fell to him and her eyes narrowed into a glare. Doesn’t mention Keye and what she suspects might be wrong.

“What?!” she finally prompted.

“Are you sure this isn’t a dick visit?” he joked. Maya let out a groan and Rosalie shot Emmett a glare.

“Emmett,” she whined in annoyance.

“What?!” Emmett feigned innocence. “All of the sudden she wants to go home on a whim? We know you and Paul had a little rendezvous after the Met thing, don’t lie,” that sly teasing grin fell across his face.

“That’s not it, it’s something else,” Rosalie said with a knowing, pointed look, “What’s going on Maya?”

Maya sighs and shakes her head, “Nothing that you two should be worried about. I’m mostly going on a hunch, but if I need a way out to get back here, will you help me again?”

“I don’t think it will come to that. Paul could have easily taken you back during any of the times that you’ve spent with him recently. Plus, Alice hasn’t mentioned the Volturri coming to visit in months, I think we’re in the clear in terms of danger for now,” Emmett said.

“Are you sure this is a good idea…for you?” Rosalie said gently. Maya pondered that for a moment, clutching her phone tightly.

“It’s important for me to see my family. And I’ve stayed away long enough,” Maya paused and let out a soft breath. Rosalie smiled gently and gave Maya’s arm a reassuring squeeze. She could feel the ice cold of her elegant fingers through her thick wool sweater. After a beat, Maya said softly, “I’ll be careful.”

To which Rosalie nodded and glanced at Emmett who had his arms crossed, leaning against the kitchen island.

“Then, we’re in,” Emmett confirmed. Maya sighed in relief and smiled.

She was finally going home. Maya could already feel a small part inside of her sag with relief. However, another larger part cinched anxiously around her heart. Home.

-------

Maya crossed her legs as she waited at the gate for her plane to start boarding. She had decided to forgo the private jet route that Rosalie insisted on to stay a few extra days and wrap up some last minute grading and planning projects with Arden.

Fall break felt different this year—gloomier somehow. Her cohort was in a tizzy regarding a new vetting process for landing internships affiliated with the university. Students had brought up the potential for favoritism to play a role, which had led to increased requests for office hours. Arden had been swamped with student meetings to reassure them that that wasn’t the case, but still, the last month had been stressful.

The need for additional meetings also meant that Maya had spent much less time alone in Arden’s office and more time at the library or at Noah’s. It had kind of been a relief if she was being honest with herself. Arden was picking up on Maya’s shifting mood as she got closer to heading home for the first time in over a year. Unfortunately for Maya, she couldn’t say she particularly enjoyed Arden’s increased perceptiveness.

She was nervous, sure, but mostly, she was just…excited. For what, she wasn’t sure. Because if there was one thing she knew it was that she was returning to the same, old complicated situation, if not worse. At least before she had people on her side. Now? She wasn’t sure considering she had iced everyone out for over a year.

Still, Arden’s attention to her had grown more invested and more affectionate. Before, it probably wouldn’t have even fazed her, but now, with the promise of her home on the horizon, she was feeling boxed in. How ironic, she thought to herself.

The intercom buzzed with a soft announcement and Maya lifted her head to listen carefully before her eyes settled back to the screen on her phone. The last text from Arden received just moments ago had shifted in tone rather quickly and Maya was still mulling over exactly how to tackle it:

Arden: Are you sure you can’t stay over fall break? There’s so much to get done before finals.

And then..

Arden: Plus, I miss seeing you in my office.

Maya bit her lower lip and turned off her phone before gathering her things hurriedly and walking toward the gate. She’d have to deal with that later. Right now, her biggest focus was getting to Keye and then getting home.

With a heavy sigh, Maya boarded the plane and said under her breath: “Here goes nothing.”

------

SeaTac airport was a well loved airport for Maya. She wove confidently through the throngs of tourists looking around confused about where to head as she made her way to the arrivals pick up area. She knew who she was looking for.

Maya let out a loud breath when she exited the airport, breathing in the briney, cool Seattle air. Nothing quite smelled like home like La Push but this would do for now. She let her eyes coast along the line of cars waiting to pick up their passengers. And no sooner had she reached in her bag for her phone did she hear a familiar squeal.

Keye hurtled toward her at a break neck speed, her face cheery and bright, her hair tied off in two braids down over her shoulder. She leapt at Maya when she was close enough and Maya caught her, the tears already coming.

“OH!” Keye screamed as she hugged Maya tightly. “You’re here! You’re real! You did it!” When Keye finally pulled back to look at her, Maya was sure she looked a mess with her puffy eyes and tears streaming down her cheeks. Keye was crying too and as she cupped her cheeks and smiled, she said in that bright, way of hers: “Welcome home, Maya.”

This wracked Maya with renewed sobs and Keye let out a wet laugh as she reach on Maya’s shoulder for her backpack.

“Come on, we’re holding up traffic.” Maya nodded and gripped tightly to Keye’s hand as she wove through crowds toward the light blue Subaru parked a little ways down. The trunk popped open and Maya heard a reassuring, warm voice coming from the driverside.

“Everything okay?” the strange, soft voice asked.

Maya wiped her eyes quickly. Keye hadn’t told her she’d bring someone else to come and get her and she was mortified at the thought of embarrassing Keye in front of one of her roommates.

“She’s fine. Just a little homecoming breakdown, you know how it is,” Keye quipped. Maya laughed and raised her eyes to the owner of the voice who had now come around the Subaru to help put Maya’s bags in the trunk.

“Sorry I—,” Maya said before swallowing, “It’s been awhile since I’ve been home.”

“It’s okay, I get it,” the woman looked familiar and her mere presence felt a little more like home to her.

“I’m sorry, who are—” Maya began slowly.

“Oh god, sorry!” Keye cried, “I forgot! Maya, this is Leah. Leah Clearwater.”

Maya’s eyes went wide as the name registered in her foggy, tired brain. Leah Clearwater? As in Seth Clearwater’s older estranged sister? As in the one pack mate who had left and not returned?

“Leah?” Maya said incredulously.

“The one and only,” Leah said almost begrudgingly.

“My girlfriend,” Keye said proudly. Maya nearly fell over.

“Oh!” she gasped as she looked from Keye to Leah and back again. Leah rolled her eyes as she slammed the trunk of the hatchback shut.

“Come on. Seems like we have a bit of explaining to do,” Leah said as she climbed into the car, the ghost of a smile on her face.

Maya remained frozen on the pavement for a second before looking hard at Keye.

“Is she?” Maya couldn’t bring herself to say it, but Keye’s face said it all.

Imprint.

Next > >

#taking time #paul lahote x oc #paul lahote smut #twilight wolf pack #twilight fanfiction #paul lahote #twilight #paul lahote pairing #twilight fanfic #maya and paul #the twilight saga #chapter fifty three

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