The UnForeseen Fall of Lahote (A Paul/Bella Fanfic)

9. Strange Tides

Paul's POV

I wasn't prepared to see her invite someone closer to her when she had walked away from me. My wolf didn't understand it, although Paul Lahote the human did. I was being a flirtatious pervert who she didn't even know yet. Bella hadn't even walked away in a bitchy way. Rage at rejection was just so easy, too difficult to deny.

At the end of the day, the growl crept through my throat as a result of being Paul Lahote, the hothead of the pack. I hadn't put much work into rejecting that aspect of my personality before, never had a reason to. I lived alone and didn't have to deal with people that weren't pack. It occurred to me just then, that maybe it was time to put in more work because Bella, despite proving not being as fragile physically as everyone thought, looked frightened.

She could fight, but she wasn't a fighter.

I knew it just then at that instant, with her normally flushed cheeks going pale and muscles tensing almost imperceptibly under all those damn clothes she always wore. Bella had seen more fights than us, and she hated them. That revelation alone made my fury purge itself from my body.

"Paul, if you can't handle it, then get out. You know the deal." Sam's voice was hard, his patience growing thin with such an asshole maneuver displayed in front of Emily.

The others stared at me with old, tired eyes.

"I know, sorry. Good now." I held my hands up in surrender and tried best to keep the shame out of my voice. I turned to Bella, showing my best genuine smile, "Sorry about that."

Her face eased and her thin, frail-looking body gave a relaxed shrug. "You should see me on full moons." She joked.

"What happens?" Jared asked. Jared's eyes, always laid-back and happy, skimmed over the girl. My sort of imprint was pretty in a quiet, haunting way with her long dark hair and eyes that always whispered secrets. She wore a plain gray T-shift and jean shorts that were a perfect length to showcase surprisingly sleek, muscled legs.

I recalled my first analogy describing her as a rabbit. It fit.

Bella gave a big grin and flexed her bandaged arms cutely. "I get pretty hormonal."

Emily laughed and so did everybody else. I just wanted to know what kind of hormones Cousin It was packing, either good or bad, it all sounded intriguing. Everything about the girl I hated all but a week ago was.

Bella stayed behind with Emily when we left for patrol. Sam wanted to take her along for research purposes, but Bella had gently told him that her strength was at about half for another few days and that she would just be a liability. I appreciated her honesty, and again wondered at her selfless practicality. None of the pack, including Sir Alpha, ever told the others when they weren't suitable for a job. All of the times that I had fallen asleep when I'd been alone on patrol paid testament to that.

Jake was already phasing back as the rest of us shot off to our routes and was excited in seeing Bella. The only bummer to his mood was that Sam had ordered him to give me and Bella space to explore our bond. Apparently the fellow Neanderthal couldn't share either, but I had taken more initiative to at least try than he had. I was an interloper to his Bells, the inhumanly beautiful fantasy girl that didn't even resemble my imprint. He needed time to get over it, and a chance to understand that the fantasy did not exist.

I still felt like shit about it though because Jake's feelings were, for the most part, justified.

That hadn't stopped me from sneaking into the Black house and getting her number from Billy's phone book the day after I saw her eyes.