𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟐

𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚

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╰┈˚ · ° .    IT WAS A FEW HOURS AWAY FROM DAWN when I stepped inside the house. It was so different from the one that I grew up in. Here, in Sam's and Emily's home, I felt like I could breathe. It was a warm and homey house, with panels of wood on the walls that alternate to cream colored paint. There was an oak parquet, sometimes covered in more than few spots with hand-knotted carpets that were passed down in her family. The kitchen was big enough to move in comfortably, an open-space that connected it to the rest of the ground floor. There was a round table just before the kitchen island where we would usually all eat together, and through the sliding French door— that acted as a front door more than the actual one— the sun shined through making the room feel light and warm.

Down the hallway from the living room, there was my room. The door was of stained oak, and wooden handmade suns, stars and moons dangled from a nail as decoration— a gift from Emily when I first moved here. Like all she had done wasn't more than enough already.

Before I even twisted the knob I knew who I would find on the other side. The decoration lightly banged against the surface, wood-on-wood as I opened the door and entered the room.

We had probably only thirty minutes— at most, an hour— before we would be needed again.

The new members of the pack and coven were both passed out. For Layla it wasn't unusual after the over exhaustion of unlocking her element. Amelia had told us that the new witch had all thought that she was drowning, water filling her lungs and crawling down her throat and stopping her from breathing.

Embry, on the other hand, was a bit of a surprise. A funny story, to be honest, one that no one would forget anytime soon. I'm sure Jared and Paul are already plotting jokes to his expanse. Embry had panicked once shifted, the wolf had been out of control and had run head first into a tree successfully knocking him out cold.

My socks covered feet were almost silent on the pavement as I walked in my room. I took the time to take off my leather jacket, eyes not leaving the exhausted form of my boyfriend.

Paul was sprawled on the bed, the fluffy burgundy covers of the bed almost swallowing him whole. He was shirtless, as always, the muscle of his powerful back highlighted by the way he was positioned— with his forehead pressed in the crook of his arm, face buried in the sheets.

I brushed my hands on his back, the warm skin underneath my palm made me sigh in relief. I layed down on him, needing to feel him as close as possible to me, wrapping my arms around his middle as much as I could in this position. "Hey." I whispered knowing that he was awake from the way he breathed— not slow enough as when he was asleep.

Paul shifted slightly, showing me half of his face as he pressed his cheek on his arm. "Hi." He whispered back. He looked... soft. Paul was pretty much all hard edges, at least that is how he liked to appear. It was rare to see him without an arrogant smirk or a set in his jaw. Paul knew how to be angry, he had only known that since before he shifted.

He didn't have a simple life. He was born in Tacoma, but his parents' marriage had been filled with angst and animosity since he could remember. It took a lot of time for him to open up about it, it still hurt, I could see it.

"They were always shouting at each other, they didn't even care if I was present or not. They just shouted and fighted." Underneath the stars of New year's Eve, we had spent the night talking. He hadn't glanced one in my direction as he said that, never glancing away from gleaming stars above. "There was only rage in that house, it was all I have ever known. It wasn't hard to be angry too."

His parents had divorced when he was 8, and his mother hadn't blinked nor fought for him. His father had packed their bags and moved back to his hometown— La Push. There had been calls in the beginning, becoming few and sparse as he grew up until he was twelve and the communication had ended altogether, "I'm pretty sure there was a fight with who of the two I would remain with, and not because they both wanted me. "

My heart ached at the pain that he tried to suppress. How could a parent do this to their child?

His father, once back, had thrown himself in his job. He worked for some company in Seattle, and coming home became more of a rare thing the more years passed.

"It's not like I care anyways." He cared though, even when he said that, I could see that he cared. "Why would I care about people who didn't for me? Why would I care if they never loved me?"

He had been alone all this time, he surrounded himself with friendship that has no real value and lost himself in anger and girls.

"You have me now." I had whispered to him. "I'll take care of you."

He chuckled like it had been a joke, smirking arrogantly to hide how much he couldn't believe that that could ever happen. "You are my imprint, shouldn't I be the one to take care of you?"

It softened and pained my heart further to see how he didn't believe himself worthy of being cared for. "I'm yours, Paul. You have my heart and not because you imprinted on me." I had closed the space between us until a breath only separated us, "I love you, I'll take care of you."

When I looked at him, with the heavies of the last weeks pressing heavily on him, he looked back at me with a soft smile and eyes half lidded with sleepiness. My heart skipped a beat, he was mine. Mine to love, mine to take care off. I had given him my heart as much as he had given him his.

"What?" He asked, "I can feel you staring."

You are cute. I wanted to say. But that would have been the fastest way to make this moment disappear. "I love you." I said insted.

His cheeks took a rosy color as he flushed at my words. "Beatrice." He half groaned, once again hiding his expression from me. He wasn't used to people showing him care. He wasn't used to people loving him.

"What, it's true." I chuckled with a stupid smile that wasn't going anywhere, my fingers threading through the black strands of his silky hair, my fingers scratching lightly his scalp in the way I knew he loved.

He relaxed further under my touch, grumbling under his breath, "Stop it."

"I don't think I'm going to." I replied with mirth.

One second I was on his back teasing him, and the next he was hovering above me, staring at me like I was the only thing he had ever needed in life. Like I was the oxygen that his lungs needed. He pressed his chest against mine, leaving a trail of kisses until he reached my mouth.

"I love you." He whispered against my lips. "I love you."

As much he had said those words, it still felt like the first time. Loving him was the best thing that ever happened to me.

We stayed there, with his body on mine, his head on my chest so I could continue to thread my fingers through his hair, almost soothing both of us asleep.

It was peaceful. But in this life, peace didn't last long, and ours was bursted when Jared reached through the coven-pack link to alert us that both Embry and Layla were starting to wake up.

Both Paul and I groaned at the same time, and as he tried to get up, I whined, yanking him back to me, "Noo."

"Yes." he laughed, prying my hands away from him, "Come on baby."

"I'm tired." I was one second away from climbing him just to not walk.

"I know, I know."

Suddenly, my tiredness was long forgotten as I sprang up on my feet with a love-sick smile that was sweeter than sugar itself and crushed against my boyfriend, my arms wrapping around him never wanting to let him go.

"Uhh, Beatrice?"

Paul knew me enough to know that something was different, and thankfully, when he touched my cheek, I was back to myself.

I swayed slightly, "Oh shit. You gotta be kidding me." I groaned, resting my head on his chest.

"What just happened?"

"You'll see." I said, intertwining our fingers together as I led him to the living room.

Kim and Jared were there, both tasked with the job of keeping an eye on our newest members. Sam was there too, behind him, by the kitchen, there was Emily.

We arrived just in time to see Embry falling on his knees, sprawling on the floor, looking with wide eyes, pupil blown, up at Layla.

"Mine." He whispered in astonishment, his wolf half in control as he blinked heavily. "So gorgeous."

Layla squeaked in disbelief, and when Embry sprang forward to touch her, water smacked him right in the face coming from the glass on the coffee table in front of the couch. She watched it as it curled around her hand in total disbelief after leaving a stunned, and even more awestrak Embry.

We were all so stunned that we could all just stare.

Layla squeaked again, eyes blinking fast twice more before they fell completely shut. If it hadn't been for Embry that sprang on his foot immediately to catch his imprint, Layla would have fallen down on the floor as she passed out once again.

✎˗ˏˋ 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 ˊˎ˗

Hello everyone! 

This chapter is as sweet omg. I think that traumatized characters are my to go. Paul's backstory is canon btw (of course, I added much to it but yes, he was born in Tacoma and his parents divorced and he moved to La Push with his father.) I love love love Beatrice, and her taking care of him is melting my heart. 

Welcome Layla, we have been waiting for you!

We have a new imprint guys, Emby my love, welcome to the family. Layla slapped him in the face, queen behavior. She was panicking, like who is this creep that is suddenly calling me his and gorgeous? I can't wait for you to read about Layla and Embry! Who knows if there will be other imprints and couples later on. 

Let me know your thoughts!

Thank you for reading this chapter, I'll see you on Tuesday! 

˚ · ° . 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 . ° · ˚

𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 

𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞!

– 𝐋𝐨𝐥𝐚 ☾