The Crying Game

Chapter Five

I was getting nowhere.

He lied about wanting to work together on this. Yet, I can't be mad at him like I should.

Unlike Tyler, Paul can't control how feels. His life is fixated on loving a woman that is no longer here, and somewhere it says that he has to die with him. That's the sad part because it is said that every shifter that would experience this, would accept it. So far, Paul has really been the only one. Apparently, there had only been some close calls.

It was getting to the point where I was feeling emotional because of it. The more I stayed around Paul to try and help him, I felt as if I was just torturing myself. To watch this man suffer, I still don't know how I handled Tyler when he was about to phase. Paul wanted nothing to do with me. He made it clear that he loathed me now. But for some reason, I stayed. I kept trying and he wasn't pleased with me.

"I fucking told you I don't need you here." He fumed, "don't you fucking get it? I can't stand you! You're nothing but a fucking nut-job! Get the fuck out of here!"

He slammed the door in my face. At least that was progress for him getting out of bed. Thankfully he at least began to shower.

"I wish I could say he was never like this." I turned to see Sam standing in the hallway, disappointed and looking just as exhausted as I was. "But that man has always had anger issues." The man said defeated. "Come."

I followed him down the hallway and outside to his truck. I was just happy to finally get out of there. Being near Paul for so long was rubbing off on me and I found myself getting pissed off for no reason.

"We hoped that Rachel would be the one to calm the storm, but she had a different outlook on what an imprint was. She hated it in fact." Sam explained, now pulling out the driveway and driving towards his house. "When she found out Paul was falling for her because of an imprint, she viewed it as something arranged. She felt that Paul's love for her wasn't legitimate. Paul worshiped the ground she walked upon, and she hated walking on it."

"Yeah, he told me about her brutality." I sighed.

"Rachel was a good woman, but she was stubborn, and that's why we believed that she was meant for Paul. But they clashed way too much, and Rachel resented him rather than embraced what the imprint was supposed to do."

"It was supposed to make her love him?" I asked.

"Yeah, in a way." He sounded unsure, now parking the truck and getting out so I could follow him. "That's where we were left confused. Rachel hadn't felt any of the imprint's effects, and Paul was -none of it was making sense. We figured in time, but even after a while, we began to wonder if Rachel really was the one meant for Paul."

"What about the determined imprint?" I asked while Emily offered me a coffee. I shook my head and accepted the muffin.

"The elders still have no clue what that means, and Brandon..." I looked up at him concerned as he sat across the table, "well... I brought you here because the council is now beginning to question your abilities. They're beginning to doubt that you can do anything to help Paul."

"Is that your opinion too?"

"No, but I am confused." He admitted. "I've seen your powers, but they seem to be more on the physical side."

"Because it's not that easy tapping through someone's mind when they won't let you. If I were able to get to Paul mentally, then I could see just what he's feeling... I honestly don't want to know."

"Well the council thinks that maybe you should step back and Jacob and I order him under patrols to get him back." He didn't sound sure saying this either, "hopefully it will help him."