Chapter Ten

"Riley? Honey, do you need any help?" Her mother's gentle voice floated down the hallway. The older woman was folding a wool blanket into a neat little square as she spoke.

Her daughter poked her head out of her room, "I'm almost ready." She was holding a hand over the receiver end of her phone. She retreated, bringing the device back to her ear, "Mads, I really have to go." Her best friend let out a dramatic sigh, "I get to go back to work for the first time tomorrow, come visit me?" Excitement laced her voice, her lips spreading into a smile at the words.

"I forgot about that!" Maddy exclaimed, "I'll definitely pop in and no worries, go spend time with your parents."

"Love you, Mads."

"Love you too, Riles." The girls hung up, Riley tossing her phone onto her bed so she could finally pull the t-shirt on over her head. It was still strange not having Pippen on her bed whenever she was in her room. He was with her father by the kitchen now, watching as the man packed various foods into a basket. It was relatively easy to get dressed now, as Carlisle had taken her staples out two days ago. It made life a lot easier for Riley, and she'd been trying to move around more often now, though she was still wasn't quite herself. Being cooped up in the house constantly hadn't been helping, no matter how many visitors she had. The pain was almost nonexistent now, so Riley had convinced Sue that she could start taking a few more shifts at work again. Tomorrow, her first day back, she would just work alongside Sue like when she first started. The Clearwater matriarch had said they'd work their way up from there.

Her parents were trying to help and make her feel better as well. They had noticed how, with each passing day, Riley's eyes were a little duller and her smiles weren't quite as wide. Zack assumed it was just being stuck in the house or a side effect of the pain killers she was still on. Maria knew her daughter better and had noticed quickly what the problem was about. Or, to clarify further: who.

Paul Lahote still hadn't come to their home since Riley had gotten back. In an effort to lift her spirits, her parents had told her that morning they planned to eat dinner on the beach. It pissed her mother off. She had thought he'd be more thoughtful than this. Especially since he was clearly infatuated with her daughter. She had seen the way he looked at her on the days when he'd pick her up to go to school. The way he always came to the front door to greet her, never simply waiting in his truck like so many people usually did. The way his eyes shone when he gazed at her? Maria wondered if he noticed anyone else at all. But now he wasn't around, and it was taking a toll on Riley.

Riley stood in front of her mirror, frowning at the loss of muscle definition. It was clear now, after a couple weeks of low activity. While running wasn't allowed for another two weeks, she figured she could start going for walks soon. Pippen would enjoy it at least. She shrugged at her reflection, turning and making her way out of her room. Her dog trotted over when he saw her, the tip of his tail swishing back and forth. Her parents were all packed and ready to go. "Can I carry anything?" She offered.

Her mom nodded her head in the direction of the couch, where a wool blanket lay folded neatly on the back. "Just that." Her father picked up the basket, opening the door to let Pippen out first. The rest of the family followed and were soon making their way down the street.

"Let us know if you start hurting." Her dad looked down at his daughter. The cast was still on her hand and she moved a little more freely now that the staples were gone. Zack hadn't really known what to think of the Forks doctor when he came to their house the other day. He was a nice man and was clearly very good at his job, but something just seemed off about him. The veteran had stayed glued to his daughter's side as the staples were removed, closely observing the doctor's every move. It didn't help that Jared, who had been over alongside Kim when Carlisle arrived, seemed to be on edge as well.

Riley ducked her head as she rolled her eyes, "I know."

"Just reminding you." He meant well; she knew that. Everyone was always asking her how she felt nowadays, it was getting old.

Riley just nodded, settling into silence as her parents discussed trivial things. What yardwork needed to be done. Should they repaint the house? If they did, then what color? What could they have for dinner next week.

As the beach came into view, Pippen bounded ahead, barking twice. Riley's eyebrows furrowed together, her lips pulling into a grin a moment later when she saw the group gathered on the beach. She shook her head as her mother's arm settled on her shoulders, "I quickly realized all the boys wouldn't fit in our house, so we all decided to throw you and your father a 'Welcome Home' party."

"We kept the surprise aspect for you. I was in on it."

"Is that why you were gone all day?" Riley asked, his smirk confirming her suspicions. Her dad had left mid-morning and had been gone through the afternoon. When she asked her mom where he'd gone, she just shrugged and said he must have gotten caught up somewhere.

There was a little more skip to her step as they crossed the street. Sure, she had seen most of the boys separately, but she hadn't been with the entire group for almost two weeks now. And they weren't the only ones in attendance. The elders were all gathered around as well. A few little kids ran around, kicking up sand as they went. Riley only recognized Claire, who she had seen in pictures a few times. Quil was chasing after her, a ribbon tied into his hair.

"There they are!" Seth's voice carried over, drawing everyone's attention to the approaching family. Riley blushed when she saw the table had a long piece of paper hanging off it.

'Welcome Home, Petrys!'

It was terrible handwriting and the exclamation point was two different colors, but she could make it out after a couple moments. Seth bounded over, embracing her in a hug even though he had just seen her yesterday. He accompanied Riley over to the fire pit as her parents went to put their basket alongside the rest of the food, where Sam was manning his usual station as grill master. She placed the blanket on one of the logs, relished the fact that her side didn't hurt as she leaned over. "My mom's here," Seth told her, "She's excited to see you."

Riley smiled, "I was just going to say hi to them all before heading down to Kim." She glanced over to where her friend sat, raising a hand up to wave. Kim beamed, waving back enthusiastically. As always, the rest of the boys were playing a game. Today was football.

Her eyes searched the group, "He's not here." Seth said softly, "I'm sorry, Riley. We've all been trying to convince him."

"That's alright," She lied, struggling to talk past the sudden lump in her throat. "Let's go." Seth gave a sympathetic smile, accompanying his friend over to the elder's.

Riley went around the circle, hugging Sue, Old Quil, and Billy all in turn. She paused when she turned, seeing a woman she'd never met before. Her features were familiar though, the bone structure clearly the same as Paul's. She held out a hand, "Hi! Nellie Lahote," She introduced herself, "I'm sorry about Paul, he's..." she paused, "Processing. And being an asshole about it, I'd like you to know that." Riley wasn't sure what she was expecting Paul's mother to be like, but she had been accurate in guessing she was an outspoken woman. Riley also got the impression that Nellie knew exactly what her son and the rest of the boys were.

"It's so nice to finally meet you." Riley ignored the apology, not wanting to broach the subject.

Paul's mother pointed to the other little girl, who now sat beside Kim and Emily, "That's Gracie." The older woman raised a dark eyebrow, "She's super excited to meet you. Paul's mentioned you hundreds of times."

"Hopefully, I meet her expectations." Nellie laughed.

"Go on, I don't want to hold you up from seeing the rest of the pack." Riley noted that she did know about the whole…wolf thing. She didn't press the subject, instead turning towards the ocean. Emily beamed upon seeing the younger girl as Kim kept on talking with Gracie. The girl was drawing patterns in the sand, though she looked up as Emily greeted Riley, pulling her in for a gentle hug.

Riley slowly sat down, stretching her legs out in front of her, "Hi," She said softly to the little girl. "You must be Gracie."

She nodded furiously, "You're Riley!" She said matter-of-factly, raising her little chin up into the air. Riley could help but smile. The young girl definitely had her big brother's bravado. "Paul talks about you all the time."

"Oh really?" Riley raised her eyebrows, playing along with the girl, "What's he say?" Kim giggled next to her as Emily watched fondly.

Gracie leaned back on the palms of her hands, "That you're the prettiest girl he's ever met." Riley blushed, "And how funny you are."

"Well, I think your brother's funny too." Riley leaned forwards, running her fingers through the sand.

Kim rolled her eyes, "Not all of us find him funny, annoying is a better word."

"He's not that annoying!" Kim just raised her eyebrows at her friend. It was good that Riley didn't find Paul annoying for obvious reasons. The older girl was happy with how well she seemed to be taking the conversation as well. Kim and Emily had both been worried about how Riley would react to meeting Paul's family when she hadn't seen him in so long.

"Me and Momma make fun of him a lot for it." Gracie said proudly, "She calls him a love-sick puppy." The phrase made Riley's features soften, prompting Emily to step in.

"Well, we can never be sure, can we?" Emily pointed to the sand, "What were you trying to draw, again?"

"A cat!" The girl stuck a finger in the sand again, moving it around in a circular motion. Kim put a hand on Riley's knee, a look of concern on her face when Riley looked up at her.

"You good?" Kim mouthed the words, Riley nodding once. She smirked when she saw Jared jogging over, the boy placing his hands on Kim's shoulders. He leaned down, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek.

"What're you girls talking about?" He asked, as if he couldn't hear their conversation before. He tilted his head to the side as he watched Paul's sister. "Grace? What's that? I can barely see it."

Riley let out a dramatic sigh, "A cat, Jared." She shook her head, "You don't have any artistic vision, do you?"

He didn't even hesitate, "Not at all." He looked to Kim again, "My parents should be here soon. I know my mom wanted to spend some time with you, she's mad at me for not inviting you over more." Riley had never Jared's parents before either.

"Are everyone's parents coming?" She wondered aloud.

Jared shook his head, "Only the ones that know." She knew exactly what he was referring too, "We've never had our families come to a bonfire before. Sam thought it would be nice for all of us. They all now the rules anyways."

"Who doesn't know?"

"Embry's mom." Riley remembered how Embry was always fighting with his mom. She would call him sometimes while he helped her study, ranting on how he needed to come home and stop sneaking out at night. She'd accuse him of doing drugs and insist that whatever he was up to at night; it wasn't good. "Kim's parents can't know, Emily's," He looked to her, "Yours can never know either. No one's allowed to be doing any wolf talk. The elders made that clear." He smirked, "Coolest secret ever."

Gracie suddenly looked over at Riley, her eyebrows furrowed. The older girl tilted her head, "What's up?"

"What's your favorite color?" The little girl asked her, as if it was the most important question in the world.

"Green." Gracie scowled, making Riley chuckle, "What's wrong with green?"

"There's too much of it." She pointed towards the forest.

"It's a life color," Riley told her, "It's a color of harmony and great healing in many cultures." Gracie listened intently, "You know war paint?" Riley asked, Gracie nodded once, "When it's green that's symbolizing endurance for the warrior."

"That's why it's your favorite?"

"No." Riley laughed, "It's my favorite because I think it's pretty, and I love the forest."

Gracie smirked, "So does Paul." Emily let out a laugh before glancing towards the rest of the adults.

"It looks like we're eating soon." She observed, "I'm going to go see if Sam needs help."

Kim and Riley silently stood up as well. Jared took Kim's hand, weaving their fingers together. Gracie jumped up next, looking up to Riley for a moment before holding out her hand. "Please?" She asked, her voice small.

"What!?" Jared feigned hurt, his free hand coming up over his heart, "You don't wanna hold my hand, Gracey cakes?" Riley got the impression that Jared was like a second brother to the little girl. He and Paul were the closest of all the wolves, so it would only make sense that Jared would be a prominent figure in her life.

The girl rolled her eyes, "You're holding Kimmy's hand." She pointed out.

"I have two."

"I wanna hold Riley's." Riley opened her fingers, Gracie slipping in to grasp them with her own. She beamed up at the older girl before skipping forwards. If Gracie was bigger, the pull would've hurt. Riley shook her head again, a grin playing on her lips as she was led back towards the rest of the adults.

Her father was in the middle of a conversation with Sue while her mom sat next to Nellie. The two mothers glanced over at their kids before sharing a knowing look. Gracie took Riley over to the women, looking quite happy with herself. "Momma, I like her."

"Oh good," Nellie smiled at Maria, "All our kids get along."

Riley didn't get to hear her mom's response, as Gracie started dragging her towards the food. Riley managed to slip her hand out of the girl's grasp, "I've gotta help, Em." She told the girl, who pouted but accepted her answer.

Jacob, who now stood beside Sam, rolled his eyes. "How're you going to help with one arm?" He looked pointedly to her cast. Riley watched as Sam piled the cooked burgers onto the plate Jacob was holding.

Riley snatched the tongs out of Sam's hand, "Like this." She told Jake, "Hey!" Sam stole them back easily.

"You get your food first," He told her, "Since you'll need help getting it."

"I don't need help."

"You will drop your food in the sand if you try and get it on your own."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do." Sam deadpanned, Riley's mouth opened and closed a couple times.

"Well," She started, "If it does then Seth would still eat it."

Jacob shrugged, "She's got a point." His gaze turned to her, "I can help you in two seconds." Sam piled the last of the burgers on, Jacob and Riley turning to deliver it to the other end of the table. Some of the adults and elders were already waiting at the beginning of the line.

Riley and Jacob cut in front, Jacob picking up a plate for Riley and asking her what she wanted. From behind him, her father clapped a hand on Jacob's shoulder, "You raised a good man, Billy." Zack Petry and Billy Black had hit it off right away earlier that night. The two had been trading fishing stories for the past forty-five minutes. Riley hoped that maybe the two would hang out together going forward. Her dad didn't have any friends in the nearby area, and she knew that Billy didn't hang out with many people either.

As they moved further down the line Jacob leaned in until his mouth was right next to her ear, "Your dad's drunk." Riley looked over at her father. He had a giant smile on his face as he laughed at something Old Quil had just said. But his eyes didn't shine quite as bright as they used to. There was another look there, one that was missing last she saw him.

Riley played it off aloud, "He's celebrating." Zack only had a water bottle in his hand now.

"Okay." Concern laced through Jacob's tone. The two teenagers followed normal routine and made their way to the bonfire area. He waited till she sat down to hand her the food. He flashed her a smile, "Save me a seat, would yah?"

"Course, Jake." He jogged off to join the line, arguing that he should get to cut some of the guys since he was being helpful. Riley chuckled as Embry and Quil pushed him back towards the end. The elders all took their places next, Riley's mind wandering as she ignored their conversations. She pushed her food around her plate with her plastic fork, staring off towards the woods.

I need you. She thought it for the hundredth time. He wouldn't come to her though, not like she had for him numerous times before. It wasn't fair and even though she knew that she couldn't make herself not care about him. Riley's chest ached when he was gone, she felt dull. It was as if-

"Hey." Kim suddenly sat beside her, cutting off her thoughts. She was pointing her fork in Riley's face, "What's up?"

"Nothing." Riley shook her head before patting the spot next to her. Kim took a seat, smiling as Gracie came over and sat in the sand in front of the two older girls. "Find anything good?" Riley asked her.

Gracie took a bite out of her burger as she nodded her head. All three girls went on to share their personal favorite foods. Gracie's was ice cream, Kim said orange chicken, and Riley argued that she didn't have a favorite food.

Kim called bullshit on her statement just as Jared was walking by. "Kim!" He glared at her, looking pointedly at the eight-year-old sitting in front of her. "She's right there!"

Kim looked up at Jared with an exasperated expression on her face, "Jared, she lives with Paul." She stressed, "I think she's heard words worse than bullshit."

Jared's lips pursed together for a moment before shrugging his shoulders, "I mean, maybe."

Gracie didn't even look up from her food, "I have." Riley smiled; she had learned some more…colorful phrases herself in the past couple months.

Jacob joined them then, sitting down next to Riley. Her side warmed up instantly. She had learned that was a wolf thing as well, it was just another thing that she should've put more thought into. She kept quiet as the conversation built around her.

Riley had started to notice how she was reverting to who she was before the boys came into her life. She preferred to be alone more, to be quieter and not participate in the conversations. The other day, she had even told Embry she didn't feel like hanging out that day after he texted her that he planned to visit that afternoon. He didn't say it aloud, but she knew she had hurt his feelings a little. What she didn't know was that it had sparked a conversation within the pack. It was another thing they'd used against Paul as a reason to go back to her.

She zoned out again, pushing her food around and around in a circle. Her parents noticed from across the now blazing fire. Embry had finished his food first and started it up. Her shoulders sagged, unaware that more adults were starting to notice. The elders weren't surprised, knowing the nature of imprinting it was bound to only get worse the longer the two stayed apart. Sam knew it too. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought of using his power as alpha to make Paul go see her. But that wasn't his place, they wouldn't make up if Riley learned that Paul had no choice in going back to her.

Riley startled as Jacob placed a hand on her arm. "You haven't finished your food." He sounded apprehensive.

"Here," She placed her plate in his lap, "I'm not hungry." For the first time since he turned into a wolf, Jacob refused food.

Placing it back on her lap, he shook his head, "You need to eat." He told her, "Riley, we can see that you've lost weight."

She grew irritated at the pushing, "I'm fine." Her words were sharp. Jacob looked through the flames at her parents. Maria's hands were folded in her lap as she met his gaze. Riley turned towards Kim, "Pass this to Seth."

"No." Riley's jaw set at Kim's refusal. "Jake didn't even give you that much to begin with, finish it." Riley's movements were sharp as she stabbed a potato with her fork, deliberately shoving it in her mouth dramatically.

Her dad closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his disdain for Paul growing just a little bit more.

The Petry's backyard was the largest part of their lot. About a hundred yards of open land separated the mobile home from the forest. A few lone trees were scattered between, left behind decades ago when the trees were being cut down. They had been Riley's personal jungle gym as she grew up. When she was five, she had climbed halfway up the oak tree that stood closest to the forest, just far enough away that you could argue it wasn't part of the forest itself.

Her mother had been at work at the time, her dad asleep in the lawn chair. He had been reading a book minutes before, but the dull material had lulled him fast asleep. Riley still remembered looking down at the ground and thinking of how far away it seemed to be from her perch in the air. But she had already climbed up here. The little girl had glanced to her father, then decided she could get down by herself.

Her attempt didn't last long, soon her little sneaker had slipped and she had fallen five feet to the ground, her back slamming into the ground. That was the first time Riley had ever gotten the wind knocked out of her. She remembered silently panicking over the fact that she couldn't breathe, couldn't will herself to even move.

Riley briefly thought of the memory now as she struggled to get air into her lungs. But she hadn't fallen from a tree. The pain wasn't coming from something physical this time. Unlike falling from the free, this feeling wasn't going away. She couldn't get enough air into her lungs. It was too much. Everything was all too much. Her room was suddenly too small, the entire house was too small for her.

Riley tried to turn her thoughts to something else, but it didn't go anywhere happy. Jacob had run off that morning and no one knew were he was. Embry had been the one to tell her, showing up soaking wet from the rainstorm at her bedroom window. He had come directly from patrol, figuring she'd want to know. Her and Jacob were extremely close, he knew she'd be pissed if they kept it from her. She was worried about it. What if he didn't come back? Just like Paul.

Riley needed fresh air, she uncurled herself from her ball and got up quickly. The fast movement stung a little as it pulled the bruises, but she ignored it. "Stay." She told Pippen. She wanted to be alone. She wanted Paul, but that wasn't happening. Riley tapped obsessively on her cast with her good hand, the motion bringing some comfort.

Seconds later she was outside, she turning to catch the front door before it could slam, she closed it slowly so she didn't wake her father. Of all places, she went to the very tree she'd fallen out of eleven years ago. She leaned against it, her back against the bark. She slid down to the ground, the scraping sensation a welcome, albeit brief, distraction from the chaos in her head. Mud soaked through her shorts and coated her legs. She couldn't bring herself to care. Her hands went to her face again, the heels pressed into her forehead as she clutched to the roots of her long hair.

"I only want to dance with the prettiest girl in school" Riley could practically see the memory in her mind without even trying. She could feel the warmth of him surrounding her as he pulled her close.

"Her mom told me she could come." She could hear his teasing tone; see the little smirk he'd flash her whenever he gave her a hard time.

"You'll never get hurt, not with me around." The promise he couldn't keep.

She closed her eyes, the memories flashing in rapid succession. Paul waiting against the lockers for her. Paul singing along to the radio in his truck. Paul carrying her around on his back, the two of them soaking wet from the ocean. Paul taking her hand as she dusted the exhibits in the museum, making her pause for a moment so he could spin her around.

The tears streamed down her face, her shoulders shaking as she let all her feelings wash over her. She couldn't take it. Nerves, anxiety, and uncertainty were three things she didn't deal with well. And the sadness. It was so strong her heart physically hurt. She ran her fingers through her hair, pulling at it slightly before letting go. Her breathing was rapid, and she could feel her heart racing. It was the longing for him that she didn't understand. The pull that she felt from her heart to just be closer to him. She thought she'd imagined it at first, made it up all on her own. But it only got stronger the more time she spent with him. And then weeks ago, when a little voice in the back of her head whispered a terrifying thought that she knew now was true.

The reminder made her press her lips together as she looked up to the sky, trying to make her cries stop. But they wouldn't, they just kept coming and she wondered if it was possible to run out of tears.

There was gentle snap to her left. It registered in the back of her mind, but she ignored it. But then it happened again, and she realized it wasn't a snap. It was a footfall. Riley slowly looked to the forest, her eyes scanning the darkness. Her chest hurt from her breakdown and she wiped her eyes with her good hand. She couldn't see anything at first, but then there was another gentle noise. One she could barely hear. She could slowly make out the general shape then of what was walking towards her. A wolf.

Though he was the size of a horse; his grey body and lighter face would make him nearly invisible to her if he weren't moving. She sniffled once, taking a deep breath. Then another. And then another. Just the wolf's sheer size was intimidating. His head turned slightly, his nose pointing towards the ground. The moon reflected off a large pair of brown eyes. She gazed into them, realization dawning on her a moment later.

"Paul?" It came out as a choked question, but Riley knew it was him. He nodded his large head, coming forward until he was halfway out of the woods. She met his gaze again. The familiar wave of calmness that she always felt with just him ran through her. The pulling in her heart lessened to a bearable degree. She stared for a while. Her hands shaking, she studied his paws, his legs, his fur. His ears swiveled around during her inspection. Slowly, her breaths came at a more steady pace, her heart rate lowered. Riley huffed before getting up, she paused doubled over as the pain came again. From his spot near the woods, Paul whined. "I've got it." She knew exactly what he was thinking. Riley grabbed onto one of the lower branches with her left hand to straighten herself up.

She faced the wolf, taking a step towards him. "I look worse than I feel." She could see more of him now. His head lowered at her comment, as did his tail. Her lips quirked upwards at the thought, Paul tilting his head in question. "You have a tail." His eyes narrowed, but he raised it higher, wagging it back and forth. He glanced at her hand, then back up to her face. Paul started to walk towards her, taking it one step at a time to see if she would panic and run. Not that she could run, her rib still hurt when she moved too fast.

She sniffled again. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her cheeks blotchy, but she stayed put. It's Paul, she reminded herself. He stopped a couple feet away. Riley's eyes took in every inch of his wolf form. His legs were as solid as tree trunks and her shoulders came up to his back. She took in the strands of his fur, even from further away she could make out his topcoat versus his undercoat. His fur around the sides his muzzle, all the way down the insides of his front legs and covering his belly, was almost white. Well, she guessed it was almost white. It was covered in mud. His fur was lighter than she remembered, and she wondered if it was as soft of it looked; her hand twitched slightly at the thought. Paul's eyes moved down to the motion, his ears perking at the same time. His tail was almost as long as his body, her lips twitched upwards again at the thought. She wasn't sure why she found it so funny. Her eyes kept roaming. His chest wasn't deep, but his muscling was intense. She could see it even through his coat.

In short, he was magnificent. He was beautiful. He was something she never saw coming into her life.

Paul started closer to her again, walking forwards until he was within arm's reach. Riley took a steadying breath, every cell in her body was screaming at her to run. But her heart was telling her to stay put. Her eyes welled up again, the reaction getting a whine from the animal before her. It's Paul. She reminded herself. Time felt like it no longer existed around the them. Nothing else mattered then to Riley except for the fact that he was finally here. And she couldn't bring herself to be mad at him for staying away as long as he had. Not in that moment, at least.

She raised her arm, stretching her fingers out as she barely touched his cheek. The wolf's muscles relaxed, he moved his head, pressing his cheek fully into her hand. He was gentle with her, waiting patiently for her to make her next move. When she didn't move for almost five minutes, he took a step back. "I'm okay." She whispered, her voice still wavering despite her words. "Don't go." Paul lay down, hoping it would make him seem less threatening. He whined again; his eyes soft.

Riley slowly sat down on the ground, "C-can you guys change back whenever you want?" He nodded his head. "Would you do that for me?" In response he crawled forward so he was closer. From a few feet away he rolled to his side, resting his head in her lap. Mud covered her thigh. Her heart raced and for a minute, she stayed perfectly still, simply gazing down at him. He didn't make eye contact with her for a moment.

For the past three weeks he had ignored the pull towards her. The intensity of it had grown with each day until he was almost in physical pain from it. He had been guarding her house, which wasn't a new thing for him, but it made him feel a little better. Now, he was finally content. He needed to touch her, to feel her beside him. Her next words made him shift his eyes upwards, "You're just as warm as a wolf." She observed, moving her hand slowly to bury it in his fur, just behind his ear.

Riley moved her fingers slowly at first, starting to pet him. "Is this weird?" Amusement laced her voice. Paul just let his eyes drift closed as an answer, it felt good. No one had ever pet him before in wolf form. Who would anyways? The only ones who got close to him in this state were his brothers.

She wondered fleetingly why he wouldn't turn back for her. Phase, she corrected, that's the term Sam had used. It only lasted a second before she casted it off, simply content that he was there at all after keeping his distance for so long. Riley found that petting Paul was a lot like petting Pippen, though it seemed to have a more calming effect on her. She was still a little uncomfortable and scared. The latter Paul could easily detect. A mixture of signals silently coming from her body. Her heartrate, her warm, slightly sweaty hands, her stiff posture. Other factors as well.

Riley moved her hand to between his ears, and he let them relax, falling to either side, eliciting a small smile on her part. Maybe this was okay, she thought, Paul being like this. But then moments of the attack flashed through her brain. The sound of fabric ripping, of her back slamming into a tree before falling to the ground. And the pain, sharp and intense.

He suddenly raised his head off her lap. The look in her eyes had changed now, fear shown through them as she looked at him. Riley stood up, backing away from him. She looked down at his paws, to his claws that had torn through her skin so easily. Her scars seemed to burn then, making her back up even more. "I have to go." She told him, suddenly turning and walking quickly away. He watched her go, standing up once she'd rounded the house.

Riley shut the door gently behind her, moving to the bathroom and sitting on the edge of the tub. Pippen trotted after her, the dog sitting in the bathroom doorway, just staring. Her breath hitched as Paul howled, the sound reverberating through her bones. The shepherd glanced behind him, otherwise ignoring the sound. She glanced down to her side, hesitating for only a moment before lifting the hem of her shirt.

The scars had only gotten more prominent. They were distinctly claw marks, much like the ones that covered Emily's face. Emily had talked to Riley about them when she first came to visit her in the hospital. Telling her how she had argued with Sam and he had lost control as well. Riley yearned to talk to her now, but she didn't want to bother her so late at night. Riley wanted to talk to someone who'd understand. She got up with stiff movements, going to her room and snatching her phone off the bed. A moment later, she was pressing send on her phone.

'Can I call?'

It only took Kim a minute to respond, 'Is everything okay?'

'I saw Paul' Kim's name popped up instantly, Riley pressing the accept button. She didn't know what to say. "What happened?" Kim's voice was soft.

"Jared's not with you?" She asked, "Is he?" Riley wanted this to be a private conversation.

"He's on patrol." He'd know what happened, but not her side of the interaction.

Riley nodded her head, "Good," She choked up a little, "Well, I went outside a little bit ago and he showed up."

"What'd you guys talk about?"

"Nothing, really, well, he didn't talk." Kim waited for her to continue on her own, "He was…"

Kim finished for her as she trailed off, "A wolf."

"Yeah. That." Riley drummed her fingers against the tub, "How'd you deal with it?"

Her friend snorted, "You don't deal with it, Riley." She told her, "You accept it. You embrace it. It's who they are. It's who our people are. You accept it and you love them for it." Kim's voice, albeit barely above a whisper, was strong, "The pack puts their lives on the line to protect us and ninety percent of the reservation doesn't even know it." Riley heard her friend take a breath on the other end of the line, "I know you're scared. Riley, you have every right in the world to be scared."

"I miss him."

"I know you do." Riley frowned, "It's going to take time. He came back to you tonight though, that's a step forward."

"I had to get away from him though. I was fine with it till I started thinking of the pain." Her tone edged towards frantic.

"Hey," Kim soothed, "Hey, it's okay. Riley, you're okay." The younger girl nodded her head, repeating Kim's words back to her, "Two steps forward, one step back. Still a positive outcome."

"Yah." Both girls went silent. Kim just let Riley sit and think, staying on the phone with her in case she needed anything. A minute turned into five, which rolled into ten.

Riley knew Kim was right, of course she was. The boys protected them all from vampires. While Riley was no match to take on a werewolf, she definitely wasn't a match for a vampire. Hell, she had punched a werewolf in the face. Not that it turned out well for either of them, but she'd still done it. The boys had a dangerous job and they did it with no complaint at all. Colin and Brady were only fourteen and regularly patrolled the rez. It was amazing.

"Hey, Riley?" Kim broke the silence, cutting through her thoughts. Riley hummed to let her know she heard her. "You know I love you right?"

Riley smiled, "I know." She admitted, "I love you too, Kim. I'll get there. I'll be okay."

"You will."

"I should go," Riley said suddenly, "I'm covered in mud." Kim told her she loved her again, reassuring her it would all be better. She made Riley promise to come over tomorrow morning, just so she could be with someone who understood.

Riley undressed, throwing her muddy clothes to the far end of the tub. She figured she should rinse them off, otherwise her mom would ask how she got them caked in mud. She turned the water as hot as it could go, letting it scorch her skin. It was a welcome feeling though, she barely noticed the heat as her thoughts ran wild. He had come back, just like everyone said he would.

Things were going to be different between them. She knew that before, but it seemed more clear now. Her mindset had shifted in that regard when he passively refused to phase for her. They would get there though, he'd come back. As a human, that was her new wish. He had too. Riley was scared, terrified, petrified. But she wasn't going to give up on him.

A/N: Ta dar! Had a bit of writer's block for this chapter, but I managed to get through it. I know where I want to go for the next couple chapters so hopefully those will be easier. Thank you all so much for all the reviews, favorites, and follows, you all are amazing!