Preventive • Paul Lahote •

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen.

Brown and gray clashed as the wolves continued to fight within the dense trees on the reservation. The sound of teeth clashing with fur, whimpers, and snarling resounded through the small area as the three wolves took turns nipping and biting at their opponent. The longer that the trio fought the less it became about one verses the other and the more it shifted into the gray and light brown trying to subdue the shaggy deep chocolate wolf.

Paul and Jacob's anger seemed to have subdued, but Maddison was still fighting with everything she had. The boys both knew that a first shift can be scary and emotional and hard to come out of, but the longer the three continued to fight, the more it seemed like Maddison was not even aware of the change that she had went through. Paul and Jacob were taking turns nipping at her legs and her neck, trying to get her to tire or weaken but she just kept charging and biting with a ferocity that aligned with the primal need to fight. The boys tried to communicate with her, through the pack connection, but -whether it was intentional or not- they could not get through to her.

Paul grew tired of trying to tame his imprint, every whimper and growl caused a deep ache in his chest. Imprints were made to better each other, to protect each other, to be whatever the other person needed them to be, and all he was doing was causing emotional and physical pain to his. Letting out a pitiful whimper, Paul shifted back. On hands and knees, exhausted, he was resigned to his fate, even if that meant Maddison tearing him apart.

Maddison's wolf saw the opportunity, and overcome with blind rage, took advantage of her opponents' weakness. That is, until Jacob intervened. Mid stride towards Paul's prone figure, Jacob let out a deafening roar that echoed through the tree line. Even if Maddison was not utilizing enhanced hearing of a wolf, the sound still would have shaken her to the core. The roar echoed through her head, causing a sudden shift, and she placed her hands tightly against her ears while she let out a cry in pain.

Paul looked at Jacob, for the briefest moment in awe, before quickly hurrying over to Maddison. She was lying on the ground, still crying out from Jacob's roar that pulled her back from an uncontrollable shift, as the two boys approached her. It kept playing in flashes in her mind, pure anger, rage, and lack of control. It was like she was watching herself make a horrible decision, but she could not stop her limbs from what they were doing. Pulling and fighting and biting, until hands turned to paws and fingers turned to claws. Maddison raked her shaky hands off of her ears and down her face, before holding them out in front of her. Her hands looked normal, now. The long black claws that had been there only moments before were back to regular fingers with chipped blue nail polish; no signs of her ever being a monster.

Wide and terrified blue eyes raised from looking at her hands to look at Jacob, and then Paul. Looking at Jacob, she couldn't help but feel like he was the reason that she was not currently tearing herself apart. She knew that, whatever was wrong with her, he would help her control it. It was instinct; knowing that Jacob was the leader in whatever this was. But when she looked at Paul... her whole world shifted.

It would be cliché to say that she felt warm, fuzzy, like butterflies were dancing in her stomach, and that looking at him made everything seem okay.... But it was the truth. Just like how she knew that Jake was a leader, she knew that Paul was something; More than something, he was everything. That was the only thing she could think, he was everything, even after all the lies and hiding. That realization caused her to look away, before she became angry again.

Looking back to Jacob, she could tell that he was worried. His chest was heaving from the exertion of their fight, but he still was approaching her with his hands out in an attempt to not startle her.