Prowl

Written by AndiCullen104

A/N- Thank you so much for the reviews on the prologue!

She sat in her parked truck in front of Billy Black's home not yet moving out of it because she was dreading having to live with strangers, especially in her current state. Though her father had been friends with him for such a long time it didn't ebb the wariness Bella was feeling at having to spend God only knew how long with them.

Yes, she and Jacob had made mud pies together in her childhood, but he still was a stranger to her.

Bella couldn't get over that fact and she didn't want them judging her for odd behavior as they no doubt would do just that. She sighed wishing that Charlie had let her stay in their home in Forks but some part of her understood his hesitance in leaving her alone.

So she hadn't fought her father on his decision but it didn't mean she liked it.

Finally, Bella decided she couldn't hide in her truck forever so she grabbed the bag she packed and got out into the light rain that was falling from the dark clouds as she trudged up the gravel driveway to the front door.

She stopped midway as that all too familiar sensation of being watched again came back to her and she cast her eyes out to the trees trying to figure out who had been watching her.

The feeling of eyes upon her was gone in the next moment and she realized she had never felt more alone than she did then.

There was something comforting in the fact that she wasn't drowning by herself that some presence was with her.

Bella knew that she didn't feel it all the time but when it was there it gave her a feeling of something she couldn't yet describe. She shook her head, clearing away those confusing thoughts, and stepped up to the door gently knocking.

The door swung open just as she was lowering her hand and a red flush graced her cheeks at the thought that they had been waiting for her to come out of her truck this whole time.

"Hey Bella," Jacob greeted with a thousand watt smile that she couldn't help the small lift of the corner of her lips in response.

"Hey," Bella stood there awkwardly.

"Right! It would help if I invited you in, sorry," Jacob said quickly moving out of the way so she could walk in. "Here, I'll take your bag and put it in the twins room."

He took her bag from her hand before she could respond and he hurried down the hallway.

She sighed as she thought that this was going to be so awkward.

After taking a deep breath, Bella moved into the living room to see Billy watching a game with a beer in his hand.

"Hello, Bella. Nice to see you come inside," he said with a playful twinkle in his eye.

"Uh, yeah."

This is so mortifying she thought to herself.

"Why don't you go settle in, we're calling in for Chinese tonight, so I hope you're hungry."

Bella merely nodded but silently thought that she was never hungry.

It wasn't because she had an eating disorder at least she didn't think so.

The real problem was that she didn't have much of an appetite and when she did eat she couldn't really taste it. The girl knew she was losing weight so much so that her clothes were starting to hang off of her, however, she just couldn't stomach a full meal in her sensitive belly.

Jacob had gone into the garage and so she was given a moment of solitude in her unpacking and getting the room she would be staying in more comfortable for her.

They ate dinner together in the living room with the TV on softly as Jacob chattered away to her about his friends and the trouble they had managed to get into. Bella wasn't really listening as she picked at her food but gave all the responses that was needed to look like she was paying attention. When she was about to retire to her bedroom, Billy asked if he could talk to her alone dismissing Jacob from the room.

Bella looked at him expectantly trying to think of why he needed to speak with her.

"Tomorrow after school, I was hoping you could make a trip out to see Old Quil."

He asked but she could hear the subtle authority in his tone that only a parent could master. She thought that Charlie hadn't mastered that voice but then again he never had time to practice it since she never lived with him before. Bella didn't want to think about the abandonment that her mother had made her do when she was little as she couldn't help but remember the time she broke his heart when she left for Phoenix to escape James.

"Why?"

Billy sighed as he folded his hands together in his lap.

"He's an elder and I think he'll be able to help you in your situation."

"I don't need any help."

He gave her a pointed look before telling her in a tone that left no room for argument.

"Bella, I'm telling you that you'll be going to see him tomorrow. I'm not Charlie so you can't push me out of my decision. Old Quil is not a shrink but he knows a thing or two."

She wanted to argue with him but she knew it would be useless.

"Fine," Bella conceded and left the room hoping to get away from all of her problems for just one night.

It was a hopeless attempt as she burrowed under the blankets shivering because she was always so cold.

~~~~~Prowl~~~~~

The gray wolf paced in the forest outside of the Black home as he listened to his mate settle in for bed. He was restless for the sole fact that he hadn't been around his Swan that was close enough to inhale her delectable scent of berries and cream.

Paul not only wanted to take in her scent but leave his all over her in the process.

His wolf thought that it would help ward off other males as they would find out that she belonged to him and only him. Realistically, Paul knew that Sam and Jared would be the only ones who could pick up his scent on her, but the wolf didn't care for that fact. It wanted to do everything in his power to make her his.

He knew that he would need to make plans soon to start making his presence in her life known and to let her know that he was not going to leave her. That thought alone sent an angry rush through his body at the thought of not seeing her anymore. He wanted her so badly that it literally was consuming him slowly.

Though Paul knew that he would have to wait at least till Bella saw Old Quil tomorrow before putting himself in her life. She was still going through bloodsucker withdrawals and the only hope for her would be the tribe's medicine man.

That was another thing that ate at him the fact that Bella had been involved with those things but he knew that at least she wouldn't be any longer. He was grateful that they left but he wished it wouldn't have had such a drastic effect on his Bella.

He also knew that she hadn't been taking care of herself and that was certainly going to change once he involved himself in her life.

Paul was going to do everything that he could to make her his and help her overcome the struggles she faced.

At the moment he was keeping this to himself as his brothers didn't know that he would be taking Bella as his mate.

He didn't care for their thoughts on the matter because he knew no matter what Bella belonged with him.

Paul moved away to finish his patrol knowing he would check on her again later that night.

A/N- Thanks for reading! Reviews as always makes my muse happy ;)