no mountain, nor sea,

no thing of this world

could keep us apart,

because this not

my world...

you are.

'

Paul left to go patrol after their talk. Bella's stomach continued to flutter with butterflies long after he had left—her mind replaying their encounter—his soft caress, reassurance, his lips on hers. He awakened something within her that she didn't know existed, a fire, a longing of some sort that only he could quiet. She still had no idea how the heck to navigate a relationship, having never been in one. She never imagined that it could feel this way—the depth of her feelings and emotions for him frightened—it wasn't normal. How was it possible to continue to miss someone that was just with you mere hours ago?

Bella couldn't fathom how in just a short time, her life had completely entered a new dimension. She came to Forks to put distance between her and her mother, to rekindle with her father, and to pursue her education. But somehow, she found herself thrown in the middle of a supernatural world, meddled with vampires and wolves—with scary feelings for one special shifter. This was not anywhere in her plans but she was starting to learn that even her well-thought out plans were no match for fate.

She had homework to complete. She had gotten no work done, given the circumstances. With a sigh, she got up from her couch and made her way up to her bedroom to attend to her neglected work. A few days ago, she was unable to focus on her readings, her thoughts completely unsettled and riddled by the wolf. But now, her heart was at peace. And sure, she continued to think of him as she processed her reading yet she finally felt focused.

Finally caught up with her readings, she closed her heavy textbook, rubbing her eyes as exhaustion hit her. She looked at the clock sitting on her desk, 1:47am. She stayed up much later than she intended to. She tiredly crawled to her bed after getting washed up. That night, she dreamt vivid dreams, all starring her handsome wolf.

From afar, the wolf stayed by her house, listening to her breathing slow down. His girl. Part of him always assumed that he was incapable of intimately and faithfully loving someone—he thought he was too damaged, unloved for far too long to be capable of feeling the type of love he felt for this girl. He'd never been in love before, never felt an ounce of true feelings for any girl—all he knew was how to fuck. But, she was so different, so unreal—he feared it was too good to be true.

She was too good, too pure for him. This small girl could take his heart out and stomp on it and he'd still love her. Paul fuckin' whipped Lahote. All he knew was that he wanted to do whatever it took to make her happy, to bring a smile on her face, to protect her from all the bad in this world. She was everything he didn't even know he needed.

The next day, Charlie returned from his hunting trip and Bella resumed her normal schedule by attending class. Two lectures later, she headed to the campus library to get some more assignments done before heading home. Her phone buzzed in her hand—I hope you're having a good day at school. I miss you. Her heart fluttered in her chest as a rosy blush colored her cheeks.

Too eagerly, she texted him back, I miss you too… a lot. She felt so giddy and vulnerable, letting him know how she felt. Her heart longed to see him and she couldn't help but wonder if it would always be this way—the longing, the crave, the need for each other. They'd only just scratched the surface of their feelings for one another.

As she walked into the library, still looking at her phone with a soft smile on her face, she accidentally bumped into a hard, cold back that shook her out of her trance. Shivers automatically ran through her body, fear gripping her heart. Her mind flashed back to the car accident, the same feeling of helplessness and panic coursing through her body. She instinctively yelled out a sorry as the body of the man turned to face her. She could have sworn her heart froze in her chest. He was a beautiful man—eyes a potent like honey, he looked too perfect…almost inhuman.

His eyes were staring daggers into her with his nostrils flaring as he took in a deep breath. His face held a look of disgust as he held on to each breath he took in.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run into you!" she squeaked, terrified. He said nothing to her—he looked so on edge. His stony body drew closer to her and she instinctively stepped back. He suddenly bolted out of the library, bumping her as he did. She staggered, reaching out to the counter to steady herself. The wind was nearly knocked out of her. She was breathing heavily, a result of the push and the anxiety striking her body. Assignments long forgotten, she ran out of that library and straight to her car.

She sat in her car for a few minutes, trying to calm down. She couldn't understand why she was so worked up but she felt so unsettled. It seemed like she was overreacting and the best thing now would be to forget anything ever happened. Forget the honey eyed, stony man; forget the near full blown panic attack she almost had.

As her thoughts quieted, her phone buzzed—Come over.

'

She put her car in park and turned off the engine. But she sat there for a few moments, just trying to gather herself—she was a little too excited to see him and she wanted to contain the whirlwind of emotions she'd gone through in the past hour alone. With a deep sigh, Bella got out of her car and took the steps up his porch—right on que, the door opened revealing the one person who seemed to calm the storm within her.

He watched her, wanting to grab her body and hold her against himself. But he could tell something was off—a scent that made him release a growl from deep within his chest. Before he could ask her, she'd thrown herself on him, wrapping her arms around his neck, exhaling with an exhausted sigh. He wrapped his large arms around her, giving her a squeeze of reassurance. He picked her up lightly to bring her in his house but still she didn't let go.

Something was off.

"What's wrong, little girl?" he cooed her. The smell of leech was lingering in the air and he wanted to snap but he couldn't for her sake. She slowly withdrew from him, her eyes big like a little doe and she began to breath quickly. He gently led her to the kitchen, picking her up without warning to place her on the large island. She stayed quiet, her breathing escalating. He got in between her legs, cupping her face, forcing her to look into his eyes. She was scared. He was going to kill whoever made her feel this way.

"Talk to me, baby. I don't like seein' you this way. What wrong, huh?" he pleaded with her again. His wolf roared from within, wanting to make sure their mate was ok.

"It's silly, I'm overacting. Sorry," she whispered, her eyes downcast. She felt like such an idiot for making such a big deal out of nothing. She was already starting to feel better, his touch and presence soothing her being.

"Look at me. I know, it's something," he coaxed. Her beautiful eyes hesitantly looked back up at him.

"I…I just accidently ran into this guy but he didn't even say anything to me. I just…got scared, for some reason it reminded me of the accident, but it was nothing. See…silly," she explained. He automatically knew it was a leech she was speaking about—her natural instincts were warning her.

"It was a leech. Who the fuck was it? If it was at your school, it must've been a Cullen. I swear I'm gonna fuckin' kill them," he roared in anger, his body starting to shake. Bella jumped, not because of Paul but because of the mention of vampires. It was Bella's turn to reassure her wolfman. She rubbed his arms up and down—the tremors running through his body visibly calming down.

"I swear Paul, he didn't do anything. He didn't even say anything. I'm the one who ran into him—I didn't mean for it to upset you," she consoled. But, Paul knew Bella didn't understand the extent of the situation. For his mate to be going to a school with his sworn enemy, even one who was bound to their treaty, was his worst nightmare. The Cullen's, to him, were the worst of their kind—monsters who were in denial, who believed they could hang on to their humanity when it was long gone…who believed they were actually good. Fools.

"Baby, it's a Cullen, I don't wantcha anywhere near those leeches. If I had it my way, you'd never be returning to that school or nowhere that family lingers…"

She looked at him exasperated, pffft, she wouldn't leave school for anybody, no vampire, no nothing. "Geez and I thought I was overreacting," she said jokingly, trying to lighten up the mood. She could've kept this whole encounter to herself but no, she was never good at lying or lying about how she felt.

He could sense her trying to lighten him up, but Paul needed her to understand that she was his everything. His world would collapse and cease to exist if something ever happened to her. Instinctively, his lips crashed on hers, with desperation and need, begging her to understand the power she had over him. For a moment, she was taken aback by his urgency, but from the fervency of the kiss, the passion and emotion in it, she understood. She kissed him back with the same urgency, her arms and legs wrapping around his tall body.

They were soaking each other up, trying to quench their desire. Her small hand instinctively ran down his chest, softly caressing his toned body, finally disappearing underneath his t-shirt. He hummed at the skin to skin contact and kissed down to her neck, nibbling on a soft sensitive spot that elicited a moan from her lips. Bella tugged on his shirt, trying to take it off. Paul was happy to comply, but he recalled her wish to take things slow and like cold water had been poured on him, he pulled away from her.

"Don't start something you can't finish, little girl," he warned, teasingly. She looked ravishing, doe eyed, lips swollen, breathing heavily. Her face flushed listening to his words—she had gotten carried away.

She needed to put some distance between them. "Have you eaten?" she questioned, changing the subject.

"No," he answered, looking straight at her intensely. He could eat her.

"Want me to cook something?" she asked, hopping off of his island.

"Emily actually invited the pack for dinner. I normally just go grab food and leave but I know she wants to hang out with you. You alright with that?"

At the mention of the pack, she felt a pang in her chest—Jake. He would be furious but she had to face him at some point. He was her best friend, just looking out for her, but he had to accept the fact that being with Paul was not up for discussion.

"Yeah, I'd like that very much."

When they arrived to the Uley's house, the rambunctious noise of the other pack members could be heard from outside. Bella's nervousness could be felt in the air—there was no turning back after this. She grabbed Paul's hand after they got out of his car. He squeezed it reassuringly. Normally, Paul barely interacted with the pack at these events—he showed his face for Sam and Emily's sake—he never wanted to make it awkward for the other pack members either, no matter what they thought of him.

Bella's nervousness stemmed from what Jake's reaction could be. She didn't want to lose her best friend over this but unless he would be willing to understand the situation and support her, it would sadly come to that. It seemed like her whole life was wanting something at the expense of losing something else…someone else.

Before they entered the home, Bella uncharacteristically grabbed Paul's face and pecked him softly on the lips. His heart soared. She looked away and blushed profusely.

"We don't gotta go if you don't wanna, babe."

She shook her head, grabbing his hand once more. They walked up the porch steps and Paul pushed the unlocked door open. As soon as they entered, all eyes were on them prompting Bella to instinctively lean closer into Paul.

The tension in the air so thick, you could cut it with a knife.

"Come eat guys!" Emily broke the silence enthusiastically. Bella smiled back at Emily, thanking her for the invitation.

Bella's eyes finally made contact with the one wolf she'd been avoiding. He looked furious, staring at her. She looked away, sighing. She would talk to him but not now, alone. Paul squeezed her hand again, knowing that she felt was feeling down about a wolf that annoyed the shit out of him.

He led her to the buffet of food that Emily was so gracious enough to put together. Sam approached them both with a huge smile on his face. "Welcome to the pack, Bella." Suddenly, she was pulled into an enormous hug by the Alpha, prompting a somewhat playful growl from her mate.

"Don't fuckin' suffocate her, Uley," Paul snarled. Sam gave her a light squeeze before letting her go.

"Come hang out with Kim and I, Bella," Emily invited. They were sitting in the kitchen, waving her over. Bella reluctantly looked at Paul and he gave her an encouraging nod—though he had to admit, he hated to see her go. She joined Emily and Kim, leaving Sam and Paul to converse among themselves.

"So, Bella, how are you?" Emily asked sweetly.

"I'm good…happy," she admitted shyly.

'

The ladies talked among themselves, discussing various things. Bella rarely made good girl friends but it seemed that would change. She felt like they understood her or at least the situation she was in. Time passed and before she could stop herself, her eyes were searching for Paul. He was sitting away from the other wolves, with Sam, sipping on a drink. As if he sensed her looking at him, his wild eyes met hers—they were so in sync, everyone could see it.

Suddenly, a growl erupted from one of the pack members. Paul stood abruptly, angry with his nose flaring. Sam followed as the house got quiet.

"What the fuck, Jake," Sam roared.

Jake walked up to Sam, "It's not me you should be coming at, Sam," he spat, looking between her and Paul. She saw Paul getting angrier by the second—she felt the need, the pull to go over to him, to touch him and calm him down. So, she did. Her hand softly touched his forearm, trying to stop him from shaking. He calmed down a bit, the feel of her touch soothing his whole being.

"Jacob, you need to get through your thick skill that she's his imprint," Sam spat right back at him. The two wolves were both getting more agitated by the second.

"This is bullshit," Jake whined. Paul lunged at Jake, only to be held back by Sam before he could. This was the first time Bella was seeing Paul's physical anger—she felt the power that he emitted.

"Paul, don't," she pleaded. The last thing she wanted was for them to fight. Her heart felt like it was breaking but Jake truly overstepped and she felt like she played a role because she never spoke to him, never explained. Upon hearing her words, Paul stopped…for her. He would have destroyed the wolf, had it not been for her. He was tired of him.

"I need to talk to Jake—alone."

A/N: Thanks for reading. Leave a review, follow, and favorite if you like. Stay safe, 'til next time.