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goldeneyedgirl · 7 months

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AILess Whumptober Day 1: Drugged/Poisoned

Happy October!

And with October comes the beloved fic event: Whumptober. I'll be working through some of the @ailesswhumptober prompts this October. Some of them will be Planned and Thoughtful. Others will be random rambling little bits of nonsense for fun and enrichment.

How many I get done is unknown because I also have schoolwork, so we'll just see.

First up is Drugged/Poisoned, set in Hybrid-verse. No idea if this will become canon to that fic, we're just here to have a good time right now.

raw (day 1: poisoned/drugged).

twilight, alice/jasper, pg, hybrid-verse. no warnings.

The building is dark and cold, and very, very quiet now that the power is off. It’s not a large building, but large enough that he needs to find Alice immediately and get her out. They don’t know enough about who this person is and what they want with her to take any extra time. Rose took down the wifi and any backup cameras when she shut off the power, so there’s zero chance of witnesses.

She’s in the room just at the junction of the building; the door is double-bolted and it takes no effect just to break the lock at the hinge and step through.

It’s a grey cinder-block of a room with a fine layer of filth - dust, dirt, dead flies and debris - on all the surfaces. There’s a rusted metal chair in one corner, and an ancient cot with a split, rotting mattress half-on it.

Alice is there on the cot, with her back to him; her shirt is torn open and he can see her spine and the wide bruises that has bloomed against her skin.

And she’s not moving.

Jasper’s never moved so fast in his life. She’s still alive; he can hear her sluggish heartbeat if he listens carefully. But he’s never see his girl so still; even asleep, she twitches and wriggles and moves around.

“Alice? Alice?”

He’s too rough when he grabs her shoulder he realizes as he rolls her over; there’ll be a bruise and he immediately hates himself. But she doesn’t flinch, doesn’t make any sound or indication that he’s hurt her, or that she felt it.

She’s unconscious and utterly limp, but the state she’s in… it’s almost hard to look at her. Around her mouth is blistering, raw and red; there bruises across her face and cheeks in various stages of healing. There’s an angry cut so close to her eye that it makes Jasper feel oddly sick. She looks so fragile and broken, and he needs her to wake up so he can fix this. Everything will be fine if she wakes up; she’ll tell him what to do, where it hurts.

“Alice,” he says quietly, pushing his gift against her, trying to trigger her into stirring. Anything. He just needs one indication that she’s with him, that they can get past this. He doesn’t know a goddamn thing about first aid, about a medical emergency.

(Even worrying about her for the last week and a half… he thought he’d covered every possibly scenario but now he’s facing this, he’s realizing a whole new world of terror and horror that he never considered.)

“It’s gonna be okay, Alice,” he murmurs, as if he’s not trying to reassure both of them. She’s so clammy, even in just a torn t-shirt and a thin skirt with the cold of the building.

That’s when he notices the vomit; foamy and unnatural, stuck all over one side of her face and the mattress, with faint pink streaks of blood - the scent blotted out by something sharp and caustic.

He’s not sure if Alice has been poisoned or drugged, but either way, alarm bells are going off in his head. He’s out of his depth; a few bruises and cuts he can deal with. But this… this isn’t right. This is something much bigger and scarier than he anticipated.

(He was the one that insisted he go alone, that the rest of them wait at the cabin. That it would be faster, less detectable if he was by himself. And now he’s here with no way of calling for help, for advice. He’s alone and Alice is clearly hurting and he’s got a 30 mile run with her - in sheets of ice-cold rain - to manage and he doesn’t know what to do.)

There’s a reeking blanket on the floor, but it’ll do. He wraps her in his sweatshirt before the blanket; she might be clammy now, but the rain is icy and some vague voice in his brain that the shock of cold is a bad thing. He needs to hold her head up too; if she vomits again, she might choke.

Her heartbeat and her breathing are both sluggish, the raspy puff against her lips ominous. She needs Carlisle now. She needs everything he can throw at her, every medication and tincture and aid. She’s so fucking thin, and he carefully crossing her arms over her chest before he wraps her in the blanket so that there’s no risk of injury because he’s going to run so very, very fast…

Whoever, whatever did this to her - stole her from her family and trapped her in this place and poisoned her and left her alone in the dark - are going to have to look him in the eye and beg for mercy, spill out every single plan and motivation, before he lets their pain stop.

And even then, their life is the price they’ll pay for laying a single finger in malice on her. He cannot let them walk free for this.

Their departure from the building is swift and efficient; he is no longer trying to be quiet or unseen. If there is anything left to track him, to record his presence, he no longer cares. Let them come, let them confront him.

As they reach the outside, he looks down at Alice, her face grey against the black of his sweatshirt. But she is no worse, and that is enough. But before he ventures back into the rain, he tucks the blanket around her face to protect it.

And then he runs.

(He’s never had anyone that he loved who could get hurt in such a way. Who could be broken like this. He traps the panic right down, to deal with later. He needs to stay calm, he needs to think clearly. They need to get home, to Carlisle and Rose, so she can get medical attention. And then he’ll call her family, let them know she’s been found. After that, that’s when he can fall apart and let the fear and panic devour him.)

(She’ll be okay. She has to be.)

#AIlessWhumptober2023 #ailesswhumptober prompt 1: drugged/poisoned/sick #my fic: whumptober2023 #jalice #alice cullen #jasper hale #human/vampire au #jasper expecting alice to be wounded but mad #and like giving him instructions #nothing scares him more than alice unconscious because there's no one to boss him around #my fic: hybrid

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volturiwolf · 1 year

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Dandelions - A Paul Lahote x fem!reader Story - Part 2

A/N: For some reason, the letters wouldn't show up at my "goth rave" theme, so I had to change all letters to purple, paragraph by paragraph.

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Part 1

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Taglist: @xxx-wounded-angel-xxx @venusdelaroix @morganaah @paisley-37 @idkanymor3e @b-tchymoon @patychieffi @pinkdragonfandream-blog

(Y/N)’s POV

I would have never expected Bella would become the middleman between Paul and me. Though I got why Paul would end up asking her to help: besides being the link between the wolfpack and the Cullens, she was also the only one whose thoughts were safe from Edward. I, on the other hand, had to actually try hard to not think about Paul, so Edward wouldn’t know what was about to happen and give me away to my parents.

Bella was also my cover for going out of the house. I just had to tell my parents I wanted to go with Bella to Port Angeles, somewhere away to clear up my mind and not think about the upcoming battle that was putting my family in danger. The weather was ideal: sunny and warmer than the previous days, just before the snowstorm that was expected up in the mountains.

Mom did not like this at all - she still didn’t trust Bella enough to let her alone with her 16-year-old daughter, but dad was more than excited. He liked Bella a lot, because, even if she didn’t look like it, Bella held a chaotic energy similar to Emmett’s. It was like dad had finally found his own sibling within the Cullen family to match his energy with, just like mom had Jasper, and Alice had Edward.

Everything was settled and arranged, so Bella came to pick me up with her truck on a beautiful, sunny Saturday, and we drove up north, towards Port Angeles. What my parents or any of the Cullens did not know was that, instead of continuing straight ahead towards Port Angeles, Bella turned to the left, driving straight towards La Push.

We made a deal that she would drive us to La Push so I could meet up with Paul and she could spend some time with Jacob, without having Edward take her car apart again. Mom made sure to check the truck thoroughly; she didn't want me to get into an accident with “that old thing”.

Bella was quiet throughout the drive to La Push. I wondered if she regretted driving me up there, or if she was worried about Edward’s reaction if he found out that she went behind his back.

“Hey, thank you for driving me up here. Don’t worry about Edward. He will come around eventually. He cares about you too much to ever get mad at you.”

“Honestly, I’m not really worried about Edward.”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “Then why do you seem perplexed and ‘deep in thought’?”

“I’m confused as to what I’m going to do with Jacob. He is a great guy and I love him, but…”

“But you love Edward more?”

“Exactly! Jacob’s a great guy and I don’t want to hurt him, but I can’t go on like that. I feel like his expectations for our relationship are not what I want them to be.”

“Then tell him how you feel. He may not like it, but you don’t have to please everyone or do anyone any favor. Do what you want with your life. If you want Edward, tell the truth to Jacob. If he loves you like he claims he does, he should understand that and move on. He surely has to move on. It’s been..what? Like over half a year that he’s been actively after you? And another year before that that he was trying to get closer to you? That’s creepy, and tiring, for sure.”

Bella smiled a bit. “Thanks, (Y/N). You seem to understand me pretty well.”

“Oh, please. I grew up watching Edward drown in his misery. You seriously are the only thing that has ever put a smile on his face. He won’t ever truly get mad at you, no matter what you do or what happens. But this is a two-way relationship, not a three-way, so you have to make sure your message gets across.”

Within a few minutes, we had finally reached La Push, and Bella drove us straight to - what I assumed was - Emily and Sam’s house. The house was smaller than the house I lived in, but it felt like a home, warm and welcoming. It was also surrounded by woods, and all these elements together made the house look like the perfect place to live.

Bella parked beside a silver jeep that looked a lot like dad’s jeep. Before we even stepped out of the truck, most of the pack came running out of the house, having heard us already. When we stepped out completely, they grimaced, most probably because we ‘reeked’ of vampires. Paul came out last, looking more reserved but still smiled widely when our eyes met.

Bella greeted everyone quickly, before she and Jacob walked out, towards the beach, probably to talk or fight - I didn’t know which was more plausible at the moment. I had never been around here, so it was awkward, to say the least. Everyone seemed really friendly and welcoming, especially now that they were in their human forms, but I still couldn’t fully let myself enjoy the moment and the company of the wolfpack and their imprints.

With the exception of Seth, who was only a few months younger than me, I was the youngest person around, and I didn’t know how to connect with the others. I used to hang out with Jared, Paul, Embry, Jacob, and Quil, and a year ago, our 1-year difference wasn’t an issue. But, after their transformation, it looked as if they got too old too quickly, physically and mentally. And it’s been only months since then.

I didn’t know what I was doing here, so, after the initial introduction to everyone I didn’t know - Sam and Emily, Kim, Seth, and Leah - I sat down on a couch, having nothing to do or say, just fiddling with my fingers, waiting for Bella to come back.

I felt the couch sink next to me, and I turned my head to look into Paul’s eyes. All the nervousness suddenly washed away, and I felt my heart beating faster.

“Are you feeling okay?” There was a small worry in his quiet, calm voice. I just nodded in response. “You know, you don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to. I can drive you back home whenever you say so.”

“No, it’s not that. I want to be here, with you and the others. I just don’t know if we’re still on good terms with everyone, and I don’t want to upset them unnecessarily. Plus, my parents don’t know I came here, at least not yet. I don’t know what they’ll do to you if you drive me back home, and I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.”

Paul only mumbled an “Mhm”, before he took my hand and encouraged me to stand up. I followed him, away from the living room and the kitchen, walking out of the back door which oversaw the woods nearby. He calmly walked me through the forest which was cooler and more humid than the house, and it brought me an instant sense of calmness.

Paul turned to look at me. “Feeling better now?”

“Much better,” I replied with a calm and quiet voice.

Paul turned around to sit on a boulder that was covered with moss and lichens, as he patted the spot next to him for me to sit. I smiled and took a seat beside him.

In this part of the woods, you couldn’t hear anything but the rustling of the leaves, as the wind blew in between them, and a few owls hooting and cooing. Every sound that came from the house or the surroundings was muted by the woods around us. It was stupefying, and I wished we could stay like that, but I had many things to say to Paul.

“I’m sorry for how everything went down last time. My parents overreacted. They usually do. They are overprotective of me, even when it’s not necessary”, I told him, bouncing my right leg and fiddling with my fingers once again, as I usually did out of nervousness.

“I’m sorry about how I reacted. I knew they would try to protect you from me. They are your parents after all. But I continued the whole thing, attacking your father and family. I am sorry about that. Truly.” I now looked at Paul whose eyes were apologetic and kept a deep sadness in them.

“You know, I saw how my dad attacked you first. So, there’s nothing to apologize for. You defended yourself, and your family defended you. You don’t have to feel sad or guilty or whatever it is you’re feeling about it.” I coyly and slowly put my hand on his, feeling his warmth, as electricity moved briskly through my body. He looked at me, now smiling, and his hand embraced mine in return.

"You know, I'm really glad you came. I didn't know who I'd have to talk to, to bring me in contact with you. And when I asked Bella, I was worried about how she'd react or what if she told your family. I'm not gonna lie, I was scared they were gonna lock you in a cell or something and never let you out until you're old enough to become one of them.", Paul chuckled as his imagination was running wild, and I laughed along with him.

"Well, you definitely have a wild imagination, so we'll get along just fine,” I smirked. “Also, I don't know what you heard about vampires but they don't have cells where they lock people. Or vampires. At least, my family doesn’t; I don't know about the Volturi, but I'm pretty sure they do have dungeons. They must have. And…you're wrong about the "me becoming a vampire" part." I chuckled awkwardly, as I expected him to ask why.

"Why? Are you not going to become a vampire? Isn't this what your family does? Turning people into vampires?" Paul was confused and so clueless about what was really happening inside my family.

"No, they don't. Grandpa - Carlisle - only turns people he deems they should be saved and turned into vampires. He doesn't go out randomly biting people. He…He feels damned, and he wouldn't wish that upon anyone who has the chance of living a normal life."

"I don't think I get it. In my mind, vampires just bite and turn others randomly. I can’t imagine choosing specific people to turn into one of them. Can you elaborate on that?"

“Well, Carlisle, just like Edward, feels like being a vampire — it’s like a curse that condemns your soul; you’re a lost cause, God hates you, and all that stuff. Even when he was bitten, Carlisle hid under sacks of potatoes because he didn’t want others to hear him screaming in pain. When he finally turned, he tried to starve himself, because his nature told him to kill people, but that was just not him. And when he had the chance to save others, he studied medicine, because he wanted to help. And when he found Edward, Esme, and Rosalie, he saved them because they were dying. And he transformed Emmett when mom brought him to Carlisle because he also was dying. Carlisle would never bite a person unless he simply had to, to save them.”

“Well, still, I see your point, his point, but he still bites people. He doesn’t give them the chance to choose if they want to be saved or not.”

“You’re right, and that’s where the guilt begins: he thinks he saves someone who eventually may not want to be saved. That was the case with my mom. She didn’t want to be saved; she wanted the pain to go away, but she wanted to die because she was feeling guilty when she shouldn’t have. When Carlisle bit her, the pain was unbearable for her, and she wished she was dead. She was wishing she was dead for a couple of years; that was until she met dad. Mom had never tried human blood, and when she found dad mutilated by a bear, she said there was something so familiar with him that she felt like she had to save him. She said she reminded her of Henry, her best friend, Vera's son.”

Paul grimaced. “Ehm, that sounds weird and creepy.”

I laughed at his remark. “Well, to her, it felt like she could finally have a piece of normality with Emmett like Vera naturally had Henry. But mom now couldn’t have children, so dad somehow managed to bring some normality to her now immortal life. Before he came to the family, everyone was moody and awkward, and uncle Edward was brooding as always. But Emmett was goofy and careless, and he seemed to be the only one who actually enjoyed the vampire life. He brought life to a family of dead people, and mom never stopped loving him, no matter what he did to - unintentionally - upset her.”

Paul raised one eyebrow. “What did he do to upset her?”

“Simple things that dads would do, like tossing me in the air, but imagine using the strength of a vampire like Emmett, or even sticking me to the wall with duct tape, so he could "watch me" and play “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” at the same time.”

By now, Paul was laughing so hard that he literally rolled off the boulder, and I could only watch him with amusement. “It wasn’t funny. It was tragicomic. I was less than 2 years old! Mom said she tried her best to pull the tape apart without hurting me, and it took her weeks to make sure I wasn’t traumatized or anything. But, honestly, I didn’t even remember it. Alice, Jasper, and Edward told me everything.”

Paul sat straight, now leaning against the base of the boulder, and turned to look up at me. “You had quite a childhood, huh?”

“You don’t say. So, what about you? What’s your trauma?”, I looked at Paul whose happy face suddenly frowned.

“Well, I had a harder childhood, if you may.” He looked forward, lost in thought.

I slid down the boulder and plopped down beside him. “I would like to hear it if you’re comfortable sharing.”

Paul sighed, before taking a deep breath. “I’m probably the only one of my pack mates who wasn’t born in La Push. I was born in Tacoma, and I only came back here when my parents divorced. I was 8 years old and didn’t really understand why they had to divorce. For years, I thought it was my fault they did; that I caused them to fall apart and hate each other, and yell, and finally divorce. It was quite recently that I started coming to terms with the fact that it wasn’t my fault; it was just the fact that my parents fell out of love with each other, and divorcing was the best thing they could do for both themselves and me. And it was okay they did. It was the right thing to do.”

It was weird hearing Paul being so self-aware and so mature, but it was also refreshing, and it made me feel a deeper attraction and connection to him.

“I didn’t know anyone around the tribe personally. I wasn’t close to Sam or Jared growing up. It took me several years to start hanging out with Jared, Jacob, Embry, and Quil, and I still wasn’t fully open to them. I was an asshole sometimes - well, most of the time, mostly because of my anger issues, but they still hung out with me, and it was nice having them around. And then you came around and it was weird having you around, but, after a while, we all wished you could spend more time with us, stay for sleepovers, and such.” He looked down at his feet.

I touched his shoulder, trying to show him that I felt the same. “I know. I wished I could, too. Still wish I could.”

Paul huffed, laughing a bit. “You know, the first time I ever shifted was when I found out you left town, back in September.”

“Why?” I was genuinely unaware of Paul’s first transformation.

“I thought you left; that you left me, forever. Some time after meeting you, I thought I liked you, and when you left, I knew I liked you. A lot. And you left without any explanation, and I didn’t know why you left, or where you went, or if you’d ever come back. I had all these images of you in my head, and then I pictured you leaving me and I was so desperate. Day by day, I got angrier and angrier that you left as if you didn’t care about me, and that was when I first shifted: with your image on my mind.”

Something inside me cracked, just with the thought of what Paul had been through the past few months because I wasn’t there. I wasn't going to lie: I had a great time with my parents, but I still missed my friends, especially Paul, who was almost always on my mind, as I wished he was there with me, enjoying all these moments together.

“Thankfully, I had Sam and Jared to calm me down and try to contain my anger and sadness. The thought of you never coming back again was the only thing that fuelled my transformations, because, at some point, I thought it was my fault that you left. And then I learned about your family and I was angrier at you for being the enemies’ daughter. I’m gonna be honest: I didn’t know if I wanted to see you after that; I wasn’t sure if I had the mentality and the emotional stability to see you again. I wanted to see you, but something inside me was telling me to be careful, not because your family could hurt me at any point, but because I could hurt you. I was scared of myself not being able to control my nature and attacking you. It would kill me if I did anything to hurt you. And that was before the imprinting. Now, I’m even more scared, but your presence alone somehow has managed to calm me down.”

I leaned against him, placing a small kiss on his cheek, as I leaned my forehead on the side of his head. Paul sighed again, but it sounded a bit more optimistic, as he wrapped his arm around me and brought me closer.

We stayed like this for a few hours, enjoying each other’s company without saying a word. It was peaceful and calming, and it seemed like nothing to an outsider, but, to me, it felt like I felt every powerful and positive emotion so many times more intense than I had ever felt. It was the simplicity of the nothingness we were experiencing together that was so fulfilling and made me feel complete.

It must have been around 9 or 10 p.m. when Paul told me that it would be better for us to get inside, as it was getting dark and a bit chilly. Of course, Paul didn’t mind the cold and wouldn’t object to hugging me to keep me warm, but he was worried as it had been hours since the last time I ate.

So, he quietly led us inside, where there was only Emily, Sam, Bella, and Jacob left, sitting around the table. Paul and I sat next to each other, and Emily smiled at us, as she put two plates full of food in front of Paul and me. I looked at her, questioning how she knew.

“Sam and Jacob heard Paul getting worried about you not having eaten, and thankfully, the boys had left enough food for the two of you. Everyone else already ate, so don’t worry. Eat while it’s still edible. Enjoy!”

Emily went to sit on Sam’s lap, but she still looked closely for my reaction to her cooking. I grabbed a bit of everything on the plate and took the first bite. The flavors just popped into my mouth. I closed my eyes, trying to enjoy each separate flavor: sweet, salty, spicy, and sour, all together mixing harmoniously. I had never had such a tasty home-cooked meal; my family, not being able to decipher between tastes, served bland food most of the time.

I tried to take up cooking so I could cook for myself, but my mom was constantly scared I’d hurt myself. That’s why I could only cook whenever she wasn’t around. I loved her, but her overprotectiveness was getting in the way of my normal life - the kind of life she always wanted for herself and me, as well.

I tried not to think of my family right now, but it was impossible. Even within this small group of people, I felt so comfortable, and it felt like I was home, even after such a short time knowing the others. It was Paul who made me feel so comfortable and like I could trust the others, and there was a warm and fuzzy feeling inside me. I didn’t want to leave, and I was surprised my parents hadn’t called me yet, asking where I was.

As if on cue, my phone started ringing. I picked it up from my back pocket to see it wasn’t my mom, it was actually aunt Alice. “Alice? What’s up? Why are you calling me?”

“(Y/N), tell me the truth. Are you with the wolves? Are you with Paul?”

I looked at everyone around me. “Why? What’s happening?”

“Tell me, are you? Rosalie and Emmett won’t get mad at you. They aren’t mad at you.”

I looked at Paul, sighing, putting my phone on speaker. “Yeah, I am with Paul, Bella, Jacob, Emily, and Sam. Will you tell me now?”

“Oh, thank God! Can you please stay there? On the reservation, I mean.”

We were now all looking at each other. “Why? Can’t I just come back home?”

“Well, we’re all going out tonight to fuel up for the battle, and we think it’d be better if you stayed on the reservation, where you’ll be safe. Bella, too. It’d be better if you both stayed there. Then, in the morning, Jacob can bring her to the field, and the plan will resume from there, okay?”

“Yeah, I guess, but we didn’t ask Emily and Sam beforehand. I don’t want to get between their feet.”

“Nonsense!” Emily spoke up, “We’d be happy to have you around.”

“It’s arranged, then. Thank you, Emily. Thank you, Sam. I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night!”

“‘Night, Alice.” I hung up, looking at my phone for a few seconds, biting my lip out of habit.

Why did Alice ask me to stay on the reservation? The call was totally random and unexpected, but I guess, if it wasn’t for the vampire army roaming around the area, they would have let me stay alone at home. Still, staying here was much better than going back home, so I was happy about that. Plus, I didn't get yelled at for lying about going to Port Angeles. Yet.

"So, I guess I'll be staying here tonight." I shrugged, looking at Emily.

"Or..", Paul shrugged, too, "You can come and stay at my place for tonight. If you want to, of course, I won't pressure you to accept."

"Uhm, I don't know, Paul. I mean, I'd love to, but what about your dad? I don't want to make him feel uncomfortable. Also, I did tell Alice that I'd stay here, but if you're all okay with that, I have no issue staying at your place for the night."

"Trust me, my dad won't have any issues. He's… actually been meaning to meet you ever since I told him about you. He may or may not be at home anyway, so, either way, we should be good. Don't worry, I'll be by your side if things get too interrogative."

I let out a nervous laugh, my face cringing a bit at the idea of having to start a whole conversation with Paul's father who I had never met or heard of before. But I still wanted to stay with Paul, at least for tonight, where I could feel safe and secure while chaos ensued around.

"Okay, let's go." I smiled reassuringly, pushing my chair back and standing up. Paul's face lit up with a smile, and he followed suit. I hugged Emily, then Sam, then Jacob, and Bella. "It was really nice meeting you, guys. Bella, I'll see you soon. Thank you for bringing me here." She smiled widely in response, and we held each other's hand for just a couple of seconds, before Paul and I finally walked out of the house.

We were walking beside each other until Paul sped up a bit just to get to the car before me and open the door for me. His little awkward moves and face were adorable. He was clearly nervous, but he was also really trying to hide it. I thanked him for opening the door for me, and I tried to climb into the car but had difficulty doing so. I wasn’t as graceful moving around as my vampire family was.

"Please, let me help you." Paul wrapped his arms around my hips, lifting me effortlessly, and helping me sit on the front passenger seat. As soon as I did, he closed my door and ran around his car to get in the driver's seat.

Paul had an innocent excitement, like a child waiting for the little treat they were promised. He was nervous, but his smile was vibrant and it warmed my heart. I smiled, too, out of instinct. Paul turned to look at me, as he held out his hand for me to take. I grabbed his hand and in return, he caressed mine before he pecked it. It was such a subtle but meaningful kiss, and I felt my heart skipping a few beats, then speeding up quickly.

I had never seen the "stubborn-but-sometimes-smiley" Paul get so excited and nervous over anything. He turned to look back towards the road as we drove off, and I couldn’t help but stare at him. He now had a calmness on his features that seemed so natural and unpretentious, like he was finally calm and collected for the first time ever. I felt so empty and so full at the same time; empty because I was completely numb and lost, looking at Paul’s perfection; full because I felt so happy, calm, and secure with him beside me.

Nothing mattered: not the feud between the Cullens and the wolves; not the battle with the newborns tomorrow; not even the constant threat of the Volturi. Only Paul. Only Paul and I. It was weird to think of Paul and I possibly getting together - because, despite the imprinting, we hadn’t really talked about what we really were. But, just the thought of actually being with Paul got me excited. I liked him from the beginning, so knowing he liked me too was just unreal.

All my life I was surrounded by vampires who raised me and wanted to protect me. Now, I also had werewolves wanting to do the same thing. Though this time, it felt like the wolves and the imprints could be my escape to a world of reality. Yes, they were still supernatural beings, but they held a humanity within them and they showed it too. They were the warmth and care I needed, and they felt like a newly found family; one that seemed normal; one that didn’t have to pretend, or move around to fit in with the humans.

The intensity suddenly scared me. I was used to being unconditionally loved by my parents, but to have someone else actually love me unconditionally, with the purpose of being - eventually and most likely - in a relationship with them was suddenly worrying me. Unfortunately, I didn’t go unnoticed by Paul, who stopped the car at the edge of the road and turned to look at me.

“Hey, hey! Are you okay?” His hands grabbed my face gently, and his eyes, full of worry, started examining my features to find the tiniest indication as to why I was suddenly feeling off. “I can feel your worry. What is happening?”

“Yeah, I just… I just don’t know. Don’t you feel like all this is too intense? Like I heard about the mate bond before, but the imprinting also seems like…a lot. Too many intensified feelings, and all that.”

Paul let go of me, and leaned back into his seat, looking saddened. “You regret all this, don’t you? You regret being my imprint.”

“No, I don’t!” I grabbed his hand, and he turned to look at me as a reflex reaction. “I do not regret being your imprint. It was a relief actually because I liked you all this time and now, I get to have you like me back. I just hope you like me because of me, not because of your genes, fate, or whatever says you have to like me.”

“(Y/N), I liked you before the imprinting. I have liked you pretty much since I met you. It wasn’t hard to like you. You always looked so happy and you were always so nice to all of us.” Paul took both of my hands in his and lowered his head to peck them lightly. “I am lucky to have you as my imprint. Because, honestly, I wouldn’t wish for anyone else in my life. I know it sounds intense and all that, but we can be as slow and uneventful as you want. If you want us to be just friends or friends who secretly like each other I have no issue with doing whatever you want, and being whatever you want us to be.”

"I guess…that's all I wanted to know." I smiled, looking back at Paul.

His eyes were shining, and there was an infectious glow on his face that was coming from within. He didn't stop looking at me for a second, and I felt so attended to. I finally felt the attention of others on me - I felt Paul's attention on me, and it felt amazing, almost heart-stopping.

It felt natural when I leaned forward to peck his lips. He responded immediately, as his hand caressed my cheek. It felt like all the butterflies in my stomach exploded at once, and I felt my heart stopping for just a second. My mind went blank, and my heart sped up, beating loudly in my ears.

Even when we leaned back a bit to take a breath, our lips were still hovering over each other's, foreheads leaned on each other. We were still looking at each other. It wasn't an awkward moment; on the contrary, we felt so connected to each other in a sort of magical way.

I laid back on my seat, and Paul took my hand in his, giving it a few pecks before he started the engine once again. He drove steadily, probably wanting to get us to his place without getting into any trouble in the meantime. There was still the danger of the vampire army lingering in the air, though none of us spoke a word about it, not wanting to ruin the few moments of peace we had together.

I felt my eyes getting heavy and I decided to close them just for a few moments. The seat was comfortable; the car was warm - probably mostly because of Paul. It wasn’t difficult to fall asleep within a minute, and so I let myself enjoy a few minutes of sleep before I had to get out of the car and go sleep on an actual bed.

The next time I opened my eyes, I was laying in a stranger’s bed, with the hall’s light being the only thing lighting up the room just enough for me to be able to see around. I turned around to see I was lying there alone; Paul was nowhere to be seen. I panicked a bit but quickly collected myself. I was used to living - and sleeping - in an eerie silent house, so why was that any different?

I slowly got out of bed, and walked out of the room, through the hallway. I looked around a bit for signs of someone sleeping in one of the rooms around me. When I didn't find anyone, I started slowly walking down the stairs, careful as to not make a sound.

The staircase was directly across from the living room, and I could clearly see Paul sleeping on the couch now. He was laying across the furniture, part of his legs sticking and hanging out of it. I laughed to myself but I was also worried he'd have back pain or something later.

I walked towards him, as he moved around a bit, probably having heard or smelled me. "Paul. Hey, Paulie," I tried to shake him a little, "Hey, you better head to your room, okay? You need some good rest. I'll sleep on the couch, okay?"

Paul slightly opened his eyes in response. "No, (Y/N)." His voice was raspy and made my insides shiver. "You'll stay in my room. I'll be sleeping here, okay? You need a good night's sleep."

I sighed. I knew how stubborn he was and how he wouldn't let me switch places with him, no matter how much I'd try to convince him. The couch, though rather short for Paul, was big enough to sleep two people. So, I just went for it, and slowly climbed onto the couch and into Paul's arms.

He was taken aback a little, but he quickly relaxed and wrapped his arms protectively around me. His embrace was really warm and welcoming, in contrast to my parents' and family's cold arms. It was so welcoming and warm actually that it didn't take too long before I fell asleep once again.

#paul lahote #paul lahote x reader #paul lahote imagine #twilight saga #the wolfpack #the twilight saga #twilight #twilight renaissance #twilight post #emmett cullen #rosalie hale #rosalie cullen

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malereader-inserts · 4 years

Text

Naive

Fandom: Twilight Pairing: Jasper Hale x Male!Reader Summary: You weren’t oblivious to each other’s crushes, it was more naivety, then again, you could say it’s all the same Word Count: 1,301 Request: Jasper Hale/M!reader w/ sarcasm 17, comfort 6 and love 18 (for reader) :O Prompts: comfort 6 “You came back for me.” “What’s you think I do, leave you there? Nowhere in hell would have I left you.” love 18 “I have never loved myself, but you? Oh God, I love you so much I forget what hating myself feels like.” sarcasm 17 “Careful, you might not like me when I’m angry.” “Bold of you to assume that I would like you in the first place.” Warning: Bullying, blood. A/n: When you mean for reader, I’m assuming that it’s been spoken by the reader????

You and Jasper have a funny relationship.

And, truth be told with you, you don’t exactly know what the relationship was. Because, on some days, he acts like he’s your best friend, on other days? Well, it seems like you’re at each other’s throat. You do everything to spite him, you do everything in your power to at least radiate some sort of annoyance energy from him. His family finds how this small weak human had so much power over him.

“Morning, (Y/n),” Jasper greeted at your locker, you send him a tight-lipped smile, “I can sense your annoyance already, has my presence-”

“Shut up,” You mumbled, Jasper smiles brightly at you - whilst his smile is somewhat terrifying, you were the only one that could bring it out of him, “Morning to you, Jasper, have you done the English essay?”

“The what-?” Jasper looked at you with wide eyes.

Your lips quipped upwards forming a smirk, “The English essay? Due in for tomorrow?”

“(Y/n), you little shit-” Jasper shouts at you as you walked away with a shit-eating grin, as Jasper makes a small little jog towards you, to walk by your side, on the way to your first shared class, English, “Careful, you might not like me when I’m angry.”

You scoffed as you entered the classroom, “Bold of you to assume that I would like you in the first place.”

Jasper likes you, he really does, because you’re the only human he can feel human with. The only human he can be around without wanting to suck you dry, despite the teasing and pretending to hate you. He liked you a lot and you knew of it. Perhaps it was the reason why you liked teasing him, to ward him away from a fragile heart of yours.

Jasper liked you a lot, he would never say it to your face, god - whilst he might have blood to rush to his face in embarrassment he can still feel, and that’s the last thing he wanted to be feeling. He recalls exactly what you had told him when you figured out he wasn’t human.

“Vampires, amirite?” You say one day, walking down the stairs with Jasper to the next lesson you had shared with him.

“What about them?” Jasper asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion, wondering where you were going with this.

“So, how was the civil war, Jasper Hale?” You asked, raising an eyebrow, “I’m not an idiot.”

“Debatable,” Jasper concluded as you stopped in the middle of the stairway, crossing your arms over your chest and raising an eyebrow, whilst Jasper sighs, “You’re smarter than you lead on.”

“If it wasn’t for your family, I’d be the smartest boy in our year,” You say bitterly as Jasper looks at you in disbelief before laughing.

“That’s what you’re mad about?” Jasper laughs, attracting people to look at him, they never seen a Hale twin laugh so hard before, “Not the fact that were-”

“No?” You questioned him, shrugging your shoulders, “Scared? Yeah, definitely, but mad? No. Do whatever you want, dude.”

Jasper gets brought back into reality as you wave your hand in front of him. Whilst he’s made out of marble, he has a soft space for the boy who was so much smarter than he leads on.

“What’s got you smiling, cowboy?” You asked him, raising an eyebrow, five minutes before the lesson had started. On your desk was your notebook, pen and book.

“Nothing,” Jasper replied in a sing-song tone as you narrowed your eyes at him, scoffing, “Nothing to concern yourself, (Y/n).”

Jasper had noticed that you were missing out on school lately, usually it was him whenever the sun was up and bright but you were never one to miss school, no matter how much you had gone on about it, pissing you off.

Here’s the thing, you weren’t missing class, you weren’t skipping school. You were just good at avoiding Jasper. They say the Superman disguise won’t fool anyone, but it fools a vampire. You sit in the back, wearing clothes that had been festering in the back of your wardrobe, glasses and styling your hair was also another factor.

Jasper hadn’t recognised you in the shared classes with him, you didn’t sit at the table you usually sit. Until, Alice had pointed out to Jasper that you’ve been at school, just avoiding him. Being a smart student has its price, being an average strength human has its price. And you were paying for it. You could handle bullying, that’s what you had thought, but it got progressively aggressive to the point - you had wondered why you even bother trying to fight back.

Jasper only found out that you were getting bullied when he had heard begging and violent sound effects being made around the back of the school. He went to investigate, upon arrival of the scene, what he hadn’t expected to see you getting a blow to the stomach.

“Hey!” Jasper shouted, his voice was almost commanding.

The three boys that were there, stopped. You looked up from the ground and saw Jasper. Jasper’s eyes were threatening, as the two boys that were holding you up let go of you.

“Fuck, it’s Jasper...” The guy said who was doing to blows to you, “Fucking run-”

The three run off, but Jasper wasn’t going to let them off easily. You watch him dash after them, you sighed. pulling yourself into a sitting position. Your back against the wall with your head between your legs. Spitting blood occasionally, you don’t know how long you’ve been sitting there or when you were going to get up but you felt someone put a hand on your knee.

You snapped your head up, not expecting to see Jasper in front of you crouching, you sighed in relief, “You came back for me.”

“What’s you think I do, leave you there? Nowhere in hell would have I left you,” Jasper responded, his accent slipping through as you smile softly.

“Is that a soft side I see to you, cowboy?” You asked teasingly as Jasper brings out a handkerchief to clean up some of the blood, “Jasper, the blood.”

“Don’t worry, yours doesn’t do anything to me.”

“I’m slightly offended?” You questioned, head tilted to the side as you watched him delicately move around your wounds and clean up the blood, “God, I love you.”

Jasper tries to ignore your words, but it was harder when the emotion was emitted from you, if he had a working heart, his heart would be racing. Jasper sits next to you, the two of you sit in silence.

“Why did you never tell me that you were getting harassed?” Jasper questioned as you shrugged your shoulders.

“Because I somehow deserve the pain,” You responded, along with a bitter laugh, “I have never loved myself, but you? Oh God, I love you so much I forget what hating myself feels like. Getting beat up, it brings me back to the reality that you could never love me. I hate myself, I’m unlovable.”

“That’s where you’re wrong (Y/n),” Jasper stands up and offers you a hand up, “I’ve loved you from the moment you got better grades than me in history, the civil war paper.”

You looked at him, flushed cheeks before accepting his hand up. He pulls you up and looks in your eyes, there was genuine happiness festering within the evil creature he was.

“I have a soft spot for boys who teases me relentlessly.”

“Aw shucks, you do have a soft side!” You exclaimed as Jasper huffs out, annoyed with an eye roll, but meeting you with a grin on both your faces.

“Come, let’s get you home. Carlisle will fix you right up.”

#jasper hale #jasper hale imagine #jasper hale x male reader #x male reader #twilight #twilight imagine #twilight x male reader

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littlemisswolfie · 4 years

Text

i can’t help but care

Bella should’ve figured something was going to happen soon. Her life’s been too good lately.

Sure, finals and graduation are looming, and that sucks, but Leah is amazing, and they haven’t slept apart since the night they first had sex. Even on school nights, Leah sneaks in through Bella’s window, and even if they don’t have sex (which they do, more often than not; Bella’s eighteen and horny and Leah’s an animal half the time), she curls up around Bella and they sleep together in the purest sense of the word. Her touch and presence ground Bella in a way she hadn’t realized she was missing.

The pack’s pretty great, too. For one, it’s great to have Jake back as Jake and not a hormonal teenage boy. They laugh together and he shoves seaweed down her shirt and she steps on his toes when he’s being annoying, and it’s just like when they were kids, which is all Bella ever really wanted from him. And all the other guys are just as brotherly as Jake, and when she and Leah told them about their little house by the cliffs, Sam called in some favors with the construction company he works for to get some quotes.

It’s all looking like it’s actually possible now.

(Of course, Bella will have to figure out something to tell Charlie about her suddenly moving into a one bedroom cabin with another woman on a reservation white people generally aren’t allowed to live on, but that’s a problem for future Bella, not now Bella.)

So it really shouldn’t come as a surprise when her phone rings and she sees Alice Cullen’s name flash across the screen.

Leah’s out on patrol for a few hours, and Bella’s all finished up with her homework when the call comes, and her hands shake as she accepts the call. “Alice?”

“Bella? Oh, thank God, I’m so glad you’re alright!”

Just hearing Alice’s voice makes Bella’s mind want to melt. It calls out to the pleasant memories Alice is a part of, and it says love me like you used to

But Bella remembers the pain Edward caused to her, the pain their whole coven caused the pack, and she steels herself.

“Why are you calling me?” she asks. “Edward said it would be like you’d never met me.”

There’s a pause, like Alice wasn’t expecting Bella to be so cold to her, before that melodic voice continues. “Victoria is back.”

Bella bites back a bitter laugh. “Yeah, I know. She’s been running around the woods here for months, killing hikers and trying to get to me.” Then, just to be a bitch, she adds, “Thanks for the heads up, though.”

Leah would be proud.

“We thought you were dead!” Alice says. “Bella, I haven’t had a vision of you in months!”

Bella scoffs. “You shouldn’t be looking. You guys are the ones who left me, remember? You don’t get any say in my life anymore.”

Alice makes a mournful noise, and Bella’s mind so desperately wants to reassure her, to tell this beautiful voice that it’s not her fault, but she holds herself firm. “We didn’t want to leave you. Edward thought it was the best way to keep you safe.”

Her former love’s name feels like it should hurt, but it doesn’t. Leah could never fill the hole Edward left, and she’s never tried, but she healed the wound, took away the hurt, and gave Bella enough peace to move on with her life. “He shouldn’t have made decisions for me if he was going to regret them down the line.”

“Bella, you don’t understand. Your future is all black now. What did you decide?”

What did she decide? What a load of bullshit. None of them ever cared about her decisions before. “I decided to be happy.”

“And I’m happy for you,” says Alice, “but we’re coming back to make sure you live long enough to be happy.”

Her strength melts away. This simple statement--it’s a threat, of the blackest kind. It’s easy to be cold to Alice over the phone. She can’t see her beautiful face or feel the touch she would inevitably give her. And that’s just Alice. If she sees Edward again, she has no idea what she’ll do.

The fear that cuts through her does two things. It tells her that the Cullens did indeed have some kind of unnatural hold on her. Maybe it was unintentional at first, but it was there nonetheless. It also lets Bella know that she needs Leah, right now.

Maybe it’s a dumb thing, but Bella reaches for that bond that glows bright in her chest and tugs.

“Bella? Are you there?”

Shit. Alice is still on the phone. “I wish you wouldn’t come back.”

“But we are. I just wanted to give you a heads up.”

“When will you be here?” Bella asks, mouth dry. The bond tugs back, and she bites back a gasp.

“By the end of the week, everyone will be home. I just landed in Seattle.”

Thanks for the heads up, Bella thinks, rolling her eyes. She feels Leah getting closer to the house, too fast to be running in her human form. If Leah hears Alice, she’s going to flip. “Look, I can’t talk about this right now. Things aren’t the way they used to be. We can arrange a meeting or something when everyone’s back. But please don’t call me until then. Please.”

And then she hangs up before Alice can respond.

It’s barely a minute later that Bella hears her front door open and that familiar warmth blooms in her spine. She’s on her feet, tears springing to her eyes, and then there’s Leah in her room, taking her in her strong arms and trembling with worry. “What happened?” she asks against the crown of Bella’s head.

“Alice called me.” Leah doesn’t say anything, so Bella pulls back and sees the confusion in her face. “One of the Cullens,” she amends, and Leah’s face immediately darkens.

“What does she want?” Leah growls.

Bella leans back forward and rests her forehead against Leah’s shoulder, breathing in her soothing scent. “She says they’re coming back. All of them. By the end of the week.”

“Are you okay?”

“No,” Bella says. Because she isn’t. And she knows Leah won’t begrudge her for it.

Leah’s arms tighten around her, completely encompassing her, keeping her safe. “We need to talk to Sam,” she says. “The pack needs to know.”

“I know.”

“I won’t let them touch you. They’ll have to kill me first.”

That’s what I’m scared of, Bella thinks, and she holds on just that much tighter.

The pack is, of course, furious when Bella and Leah tell them about Alice’s phone call.

“The fuckin’ balls of them,” Paul seethes, “to think they can just come back after leaving someone in the fucking woods--”

“More of the kids are gonna start shifting because of those assholes!” Jake yells.

It’s a mess of loud, angry voices, and Bella knows she would have been scared of any other group of angry men, but she knows these angry men won’t hurt her, so she doesn’t let herself flinch. She sits next to Leah on the couch, their fingers interlocked. She’s Leah’s partner.

Sam quiets the yelling with a barked, “Enough!” and Emily’s living room goes silent. “Bella,” he continues, “what can you tell us about them, in terms of their abilities?”

Bella takes a deep breath to steel herself. “Well, they all have enhanced senses and physical abilities, obviously. Jasper is an empath. He can feel and influence emotions. Alice can see the future, though what she sees changes depending on the choices people make. And Edward can read minds.”

Leah’s head whips around. “He can read minds? Did he ever do that to you when you were dating?”

Bella shakes her head. “No. He can’t hear me. He always said that was one of the reasons he was so interested in me.” Involuntarily, her free arm moves so she can hug herself, like she’s trying to keep herself together. “I was the only person whose mind he couldn’t read.”

Leah lets go of her hand to wrap and arm around her shoulders and squeeze. “I’ve got you,” she whispers in Bella’s ear, and Bella feels herself relax.

Sam crosses his arms. “If they call you again,” he tells her, “give them my number. There’s absolutely no reason for you to have to deal with them when you’re part of my pack.”

“I’ll probably see them at school,” Bella says.

“Then we’ll have someone patrolling near your school during the day.” Embry plops onto the couch on Bella’s other side and bumps their shoulders together. “You’re our sister. Bella. We protect our own. Those sparkly twigs aren’t getting anywhere near you.”

Bella nods and tries not to cry, and she’s grateful when no one comments when she does.

Leah takes Bella out for a walk later, after the meeting, to the place they’re thinking of building their house.

“Billy says the land is ours whenever we want it,” she tells Bella, arm wrapped around her and fingers playing with the exposed skin just above the waistband of her jeans. “The back door can face the woods so the pack can come in after runs. Our bedroom window can look over the cliffs.” She points towards the crashing waves with her free hand.

Bella smiles a little. “Maybe we can have a little garden in the front,” she suggests. “Just some fruits and veggies. That way we can eat fresh stuff without having to go to the store all the time.”

“And we’ll park your truck there, under that tree.”

“We’ll have to put down some gravel, or else Jake will bitch at me about getting mud on the tires.”

“That’ll be our driveway, then. Maybe I’ll get Paul to build a carport so birds don’t use your windshield as target practice.”

“That sounds nice,” Bella says, leaning more of her weight into Leah.

Leah presses a kiss into Bella’s hair. “Now are you gonna tell me what’s bothering you?”

“Besides everything?” she asks. When Leah gives her a bland look, she sighs. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I just... I wish they didn’t affect me so much.”

“The Cullens?” Leah asks.

Bella nods. “I’m happy. I know I am. But when Alice called, for just a second or two, I wanted them back.” The admission stings Bella’s throat, but she knows it needs to be said. “I hate that I still want them when I have you and the pack.”

Leah squeezes Bella’s hip. “It’s okay to be conflicted, Bella. I’m just happy you told me.”

“You’re not mad?” Bella asks.

“I think it’s impossible for me to be mad at you.” Leah turns Bella so she can lean down to press a soft, lingering kiss to her mouth. “You have a choice. You always have a choice. All I can do is hope you choose me.”

“I do!” Bella says desperately. “I choose you!” Then, her point made, she lowers her voice to say, “You just have to help me remember that when they’re here.”

Leah’s gaze sharpens. “What does that mean?”

“Vampires have these--pheromones, I guess? They can draw people in, make them trust them and love them, that kind of stuff. Edward said it’s what makes them the perfect predators. They make their prey feel safe first.”

“So they’re basically walking roofies?”

“I--I guess?”

A grunt falls from her lips. “Of course. As if our jobs weren’t hard enough.” At odds with her tense words, her hands run soothing circles down Bella’s back. “Don’t worry. I’ll be beside you every step of the way.”

Bella breathes her in and relaxes. As long as she has Leah, she doesn’t need to be afraid.

Hopefully.

#twilight #leah clearwater #bella swan #leah/bella #bella/leah #my writing #my post #mine

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atlas-of-a-human-soul · 6 years

Text

T&L part 9: Desire

Warnings: drinking, blood

Word count: 2653

Part 8

Everyone else isnt you. It turns out thats a huge problem for me.

- Clementine von Radics, Things I Do When I Cannot Hold You

Two weeks have passed since that day on the parking lot.

Paul spent every night sleeping under Arya's window and every day trying to either get his mind off her or to get her to talk to him.

Apparently telling Sam about her working with a vampire started a brother/sister fight that Arya blamed Paul for and got even angrier at him, refusing to even acknowledge his existence.

Their dispute was bringing pain, both mental and physical to not only them, but the pack as well. In hopes of mending their bond and ridding themselves of their constant whining, the pack decided to throw a beach party.

While Paul had been growing distant from Rachel, Arya grew even closer to Embry. She didn't view him in a romantic sense, more like a best friend she never had, however Paul wasn't happy with her fondness of the younger wolf.

Paul's temper was worse then ever. Every little thing ticked him off which caused a lot of impromptu shifts, one even inside his house.

On the other hand, Arya was eerily calm after her initial fight with Sam two weeks ago. Sam broke out his big brother card and forbade her to return to work which caused a rift between the siblings. It would be safe to say Sam wasn't in her good graces either. Emily played a mediator a few times, but each time it would end up in a screaming match.

'I am a grown woman Sam, you will not tell me what to do!' she yelled only for Sam to respond 'I promised you I'd protect you and this is ME protecting YOU! He's a vampire Arya, what do you think would happen if he lost control even for a second? Huh?! You'd be dead and it wouldn't be just your demise!'

Even after the pack explained to her everything about vampires: their cold, pale, flawless, hard as concrete skin, their immortality, the red eyes which she immediately connected to those that often plagued her dreams, but also the amber eyes of the entire Cullen clan that was apparently tied to their diet, she still insisted Carlisle was not a danger to her.

'Not all monsters do monstrous things Sam. All of you are monsters in a way, the bad guys in any fairy tale I've ever read, and yet you're not running around ripping people apart. They aren't either. I doubt they chose that lifestyle anymore than you did. The Cullen's are using their actions to prove that just because nature made you a predator you don't have to be a killer. That matters. Their choice of food matters. Why can't you guys understand that?!'

But each and every time that would end up with a room full of shaking boys running outside shifting soon after. It hurt her that not only were they so close-minded but that they also didn't trust her judgement. Seth seemed to be the only one who actually trusted her as he often sided with her, while she stopped talking about it with Embry completely, all in order to preserve their friendship.

As she got ready for the beach party, putting on shorts because it was strangely warm outside for this time of year, grabbing a 'Slytherin pride' jumper she walked outside to meet Embry.

„Hey Ems!“ she greeted him with a hug he eagerly returned. Some would maybe mistaken this action for a romantic gesture but neither truly felt more than a strong, almost brotherly connection. When he laid his eyes on her face he saw deep, dark circles under her eyes informing him of her long, sleepless nights. She was pale and her mood sullen, but she did a really good job covering it with a small fake smile she put on for the world to see hoping to avoid any questions. But she couldn't fool him for he already knew her better than that.

Embry could tell her fight with both Sam, her brother, and Paul, her soulmate was taking it's toll on her. Unfortunately he was forbidden to tell her about Paul imprinting on her or divulge anything directly about the recent Seattle situation that was going to soon involve them as well, but he needed to do something to help his friends finally find common ground.

Walking to the beach with their pinkies hooked together he noticed Sam and Emily were already by the grill making sure no one would starve today. Seth and Leah were playing volleyball, Quil was with Jacob and Bella on a log while Paul was sitting with Rachel a bit away from the crowd. Embry could see he was staring blankly at the crashing waves before him while Rachel went on and on about something Paul probably didn't give a damn about. He felt his friend tense next to him as she saw the couple as well, her lip quivered slightly as she turned to him.

„Please tell me there is alcohol here?“

Embry raised an eyebrow as a smirk grew on his face „have you ever had any alcohol before?“

„No, but it seems like a good day to start drinking“, she quickly replied with a strained smile.

He grabbed a few beers and watched her take a sip. Just as she took her first sip she choked up and started coughing which drew the attention of the pack as well.

„Wow. Didn't expect it to taste like that.“

„What did you expect it would taste like then?“ he looked at her with amusement. Truth be told he only ever had one beer a year ago and he grabbed it at a party he crashed with Quil and Jacob.

„I don't know, but not like...that!“ she points at the beer with a genuine smile spreading across her face. Regardless of her previous complaint she continued to down the beverage, finding she rather enjoyed the cool burn spreading down her throat to the stomach.

Embry guided her to Bella as he challenged the guys to play soccer with an agenda of his own.

The pack was running around, laughing and clearly having some well deserved fun while Arya and Bella conversed about the Cullens. They quickly bonded over their mutual understanding and beliefs regarding the family. Bella told her of Esme's nurturing side, about Emmet being a gentle giant, Rosalie's hard exterior, Alice and her visions and mad fashion skills, Jasper with the mood control abilities and finally her own soulmate Edward, the mind reading virtuoso. They were so engrossed in the conversation they barely noticed when Embry collided into Paul causing the latter to fall straight onto a big rock ending with a big, nasty cut. Rachel screamed and it drew the girls attention to the beach. Noticing a hurt Paul on the floor Arya broke into a sprint showing up seconds later. Dropping to her knees she inspected the injury while asking the boys what happened. The injury was deep and needed stitches, but her bag was back in the house.

„We need to get him to the house, I have my suture-kit in a bag with sterile gauze and bandages.“ She urged.

„Don't worry, I'll heal, it's not a big deal“, he responded as she looked at him, already getting red in the face, but this time it was from anger not embarrassment. One look from her was enough to know she wasn't joking around and it shut him up instantly. For weeks he longed for a moment alone with her to plead his case and now he would finally get it. She put a beach towel on his cut to absorb some of the blood and to put a bit of pressure on the wound.

She helped him up and offered herself as a crutch of sorts for him to lean on.

„I'm coming with you“, Rachel stated before they even made a step.

Paul mentally groaned but thankfully Embry stepped in, „Rach, he's in good hands, she's a trauma specialist. Besides you faint at anything more than drawing blood.“

Rachel walked away, but everyone could see how pissed she was. Jacob tried talking to her but it only angered her more. She could feel Paul slipping through her fingers. He'd been distant from the day that girl walked into their lives. She often asked him if there was something going on between them or if he imprinted, but he denied everything. She knew better tho'. Paul never looked at her the way he looks at Arya and it hurt her deeply. There was always hope that one day he'd feel just as strongly for her as she did for him, but from the looks of it, those dreams were dead and gone.

Meanwhile, Arya was walking with Paul, since the house was not that far away from the beach. Paul leaned on her just enough to make her believe she was really helping him walk, but he knew if he truly leaned on her they'd both fall straight to the ground.

Finally getting to the house Arya sat him on the couch and quickly disappeared upstairs only to come down not a minute later.

„First I'll have to clean the cut and it might sting a little.“ She said with her eyes concentrating on his leg, her gentle hands already in white gloves holding a dark brown bottle in one and a gauze in the other hand. She started cleaning the cut making him wince in pain.

She looked up to him with a smile playing on her lips „sorry tough guy, told you it might sting.“

God, he knew he'd take any amount of pain just to be near her as long as possible. Her lilac perfume filled his nostrils and helped him relax. Oh, how much he'd give to be able to nuzzle into her neck, to kiss her lips, play with strands of her wavy hair.

„I'm gonna give you an anesthetic to numb the area before I do the stitches. Werewolf or not, that will hurt.“

„I'm sorry“, he said suddenly.

„If you're apologizing because I'm about to go near your leg with a needle and a thread then you'll need a better apology then that“, she said with a cool and almost amused tone as she injected the anesthetic into the wound.

„No, I mean I really am sorry. I'm sorry about your car“, he continued while she looked at him with wide eyes, „about that fight, about getting Sam on your case too and about anything I might have done to hurt you. Hurting you was never my intention.“

He saw the shock register on her face before she could hide it. A small smile played on his lips, but it wasn't what he said though, his words were like pudding, sweet in an ordinary sort of way, it was the richness of his tones; luxurious and warm that drew her to him in way no one else could.

Before she could say anything he continued, „Don't get me wrong, I am still very much against you going near those leeches and there is no way in hell I'm letting you get hurt by them, but I am sorry about the way I went behind your back to tell Sam and the rest of the pack.“

She nodded and started sewing the cut shut. Her fingers worked fast and delicately. It was easy to see why she was a prodigy in her field, her talent clearly showing. After she was done with the stitches, she used another dark bottle with a darker, brownish liquid to drench a gauze she put over the stitches and a long white bandage to secure it. Just as she finished Rachel walked in with Embry following close behind. She ran up to Paul and hugged him in an excessive way that Arya couldn't help but roll her eyes at.

„Oh baby, you're okay“ she repeated during the hug which only irritated Arya more causing her to grab her things and leave the room.

She walked back to the beach with Embry next to her, grabbed the first beer she could find and downed it in seconds. Finishing the beer she grimaced, grabbed Embry's hand and plopped them both down on the sand.

It was already sunset and the romantic setting made her heart yearn for a certain wolf she swore to never think of again.

As the sun disappeared on the horizon she saw the fire was already lit, music was playing in the background and more importantly Paul was back with Rachel. She snorted grabbing her third beer of the day, already feeling slightly tipsy and Embry looked in the same direction.

„You okay?“ he asked.

„I’m drinking a cocktail of depression, anxiety, and insecurities“, she replied, not aware of a certain hothead listening in.

„You know, he doesn't love her“, he stated making her look at him with furrowed eyebrows.

„Before the shift, he was the biggest flirt in school, a player. Every week he'd date a different girl. He was short-tempered and got into fights and was a big ass to everyone. It all changed when he shifted. He had to control his anger better because one mistake could mean someone's life was done. That's why Sam gave us all orders not to talk to people outside the pack unless they were family or an imprint... So a player finds himself unable to talk to all the girls throwing themselves at him and a girl that knows of us rolls into town, what does he do?“ She looked at him confused and he shook his head in fake disappointment.

„He's with her because she is the only girl in on the secret that isn't a) related to him or b) someone else's imprint and c) because he's a stubborn ass.“

„Doesn't change the fact she's there rubbing herself on him.“ she spat out.

„Perhaps, but I know he's an idiot, because you're a catch.“

„Thanks Ems.“ She replies resting her head on his shoulder.

„Why must you call me Ems, it's damaging to my manhood“ he states with a light tone in his voice.

„Because your other nickname would be Bry, I'd be happy to change it if you want to“, she replied with fake innocence.

„Oh, you cruel woman“ he said dramatically.

„If you think that's bad, just remember I call Seth Puppy“, she claimed making him laugh.

„I'm good with Em and Ems......pun intended“ they both burst into fits of laughter.

A little further away Paul stood watching his imprint drinking and laughing with a different man. Rachel was practically rubbing herself on him, trying to kiss him a few times but what she didn't understand was how her touch was making him physically sick. He wanted Arya to touch him, not in a sexual way, , never anywhere other than his face, his hands, his hair. His warmth would seep into her being and he would comfort her without ever opening his mouth. She'd melt into him like ice-cream on a warm porcelain bowl, because she belonged next to him just as he belonged next to her. And each time before they parted the aching to be in his arms would begin anew.

He knew this wasn't working anymore. He long lost the fight, not with the bond, but with her. Her kindness, intelligence, laughter, innocence and many many other things called to him. He longed for her in every sense of the word. He knew what he had to do. Sparing one last look to the one that captured his heart and soul, he took Rachel's hand and guided her away from the crowd.

„Rachel, we need to talk.“

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