"There you are," Paul said, wrapping his arms around my waist the second I was back in the door.

"Well, my dad needs to eat," I said. "He won't if someone doesn't take him food."

"Paul," Emily said. "I know you're like in love with her, but Kim's not here yet and I need a sous chef."

He quickly kissed my cheek, causing my cheeks to become a bright red. I returned to baking cookies and making other picnic foods for the bonfire. It maybe only the beginning of May, but around here, people have bonfires when there's snow on the ground if they can stand it. Luckily, there isn't. 

We, well, I finished helping out at 4:30 about an hour after Kim arrived, and since we didn't have to be at Billy's until 6:00 I decided to take a nap while the guys were out.

"Go lay down before you collapse in my kitchen," Emily said, motioning to the couch in the living room. I'm not sure if I passed out before or after I hit the couch, but for some reason I was exhausted.

"Alright you two lazy asses," Jared said, waking me up. It was only then that I realized   there was another person sleeping on the couch with their arms around me. Paul.

"Shut the hell up, Cameron," Paul yelled, but it was muffled by the blanket someone had thrown over us.

I rolled over to face him and buried my face in his chest. "God, you're so warm."

"I know," he said, holding me closer to him.

"Come on, lovebirds," Emily said. I tried to move, but Paul wouldn't let me up.

"Paul," Sam said, warning clear in his tone.

"Alright," Paul groaned.

I could feel myself shivering even under the extra jacket I was wearing. Paul had disappeared off with the guys, so I was talking to Kim. The guys were hooting and hollering about something when they returned. We both turned just in time to be almost tackled by the guys.

"What's going on?" I asked, out of breath from giggling.

"C'mon Billy's about to start," Paul said. He stacked a plate with food before heading over to the logs that circled the now blazing fire.

"The Quileutes have been a small tribe from the beginning," Billy started and I was immediately sucked into the stories. The tribe histories as told by Billy Black are the best oral stories you'll ever hear, if you're lucky enough to hear them. Jake has always told me they were secret, like top secret.

"Come on," Paul said as Billy finished the story about the third wife. "We need to talk."

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Just trust me," he said, and headed off into the woods, dragging me behind.

"What's going on Paul?" I questioned. He finally stopped and turned to face me.

"Don't freak," he said, holding my hands as I started shivering from the cold.

"That is a good way to get me to freak," I said, stepping closer to his extremely high body heat. "Are you running a fever?"

"Nope, but that has something to do with what I'm about to tell you," he said, looking into my dark brown eyes. Staring back into his eyes, those deep chocolate brown orbs, I felt drawn closer to him. Something was keeping us connected on such a deep level that I knew no matter what happened between us, I'd always love this boy.

"What's going on?" I whispered, not wanting to break the silence.

"The stories are true," he said. "I'm a shape shifter, and that bond you feel is the imprint. Imprinting is what happens when a wolf finds their soulmate. And I imprinted on you Elizabeth Rain Swan," he said.

"It's all true?" I asked, stepping closer as he nodded his response. "Em's scars aren't from a bear are they?"

"Sam phased and she was standing too close," he said softly. "Sam hates himself for it, but he was still out of control at that point. Sam now refuses to let anyone other than the pack be around a new wolf until they have their anger in check."

"Is that-?" I started but couldn't finish the question. It hurt too much the first time he left, and I wasn't about to relive that.

He only nodded at first, but soon started to explain. "Sam didn't want you to get hurt, and neither did I. I thought that cutting you out of my life was for the best, but then you showed up at the beach that day with Jake and Quil. I met your eyes from afar and saw the sorrow in them, but our life together was speeding through my mind and I knew that no matter what I did I'd always want to protect you. Sam started to use you as my own form of anger control. Whenever I got angry, he'd tell me to focus on you to calm down. And then six months ago Sam decided I had calmed down enough in my year of work with the pack that I could finally see you again. That's when I started showing up to your games."

"You disappeared to protect me?" I asked. He only nodded, so I stepped closer and wrapped my arms around his waist, soaking in his body heat.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you when I left," he said.

"Don't," I said. "Don't apologize. Please, just hold me."

"Anything for you, babygirl," he said. We'd been standing there a few minutes when Sam walked up behind me.

"You're father is looking for you," he said.

"I'll take her home in a minute," Paul said.

"So she accepted?" Sam asked.

"Accepted what?" I asked.

"The imprint," Paul said.

"Why wouldn't I accept?" I asked.

"Some don't," Sam said.

"Well, I'm not losing this butthead again," I said. "It was too painful the first time."

"Come on," Sam said, laughing at me and nodding back in the direction of the fire.