"I can't do it." Dani stated decisively and turned towards the forest for what seemed like the millionth time, fully intending to walk straight back through the woods and take another cave nap. Two buff, tanned bodies blocked her path and she scowled at her best friend and her Paul- whatever he was this week. "You know, I think I liked it better when you two hated each other and Paul was the unreasonable one."

"Like I said, things are more interesting now." Paul shrugged, smirking at her as he crossed his arms over his chest, purposefully flexing his biceps and grinning in triumph as Dani's stressed, angry scowl slipped into a dazed expression, her eyes fixated on the planes of his chest and the swell of his arms. "Get used to it, babe."

"But…they're going to be mean to me!" It took every inch of her willpower to stop herself from stomping her foot in the dirt, knowing they'd never let her live it down. "You know what the Elders are like separately; imagine them all in one room ready to examine me like I'm the tribe freakshow!"

Embry sighed, reaching out and grabbing her hand gently to reel her in before she lost control. "Come on, we'll go too." After all, Paul was a part of this mess as well and someone would have to be there to make sure he didn't lose control and keep the promise he'd made to Dani in the cave. If anyone was capable of going wolf and gobbling up their chief without regret, it was without a doubt Paul.

That perked her up. "Really?" Her eyes flickered up to Paul's as if to confirm he was a part of this we Embry spoke for.

Begrudgingly, sending a distasteful sneer towards the little red house, he nodded. "Yeah. Let's go see the firing squad so we can go home and sleep."

'My thoughts exactly.' She smiled and leaned up on her tiptoes, throwing her arms around his shoulders as he crouched automatically so that she could hug him properly. "Thank you! Thank you both!" She pulled away after a moment and repeated the action with Embry, the contact of her skin against theirs making something deep in her mind practically howl in contentment.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go." Paul crossed the lawn quickly with long, purposeful strides, leaving Dani and Embry to catch up. Their bare feet sunk into the muddy ground and Dani scrunched her nose up as she felt it squishing between her toes.

"I'm a wolf now, not a heathen. This is gross." She deadpanned, peering up at him before he threw an arm around her shoulders and scooped her up bridal style; she let out a loud shriek as she was lifted unexpectedly, then giggled as she clung to his neck and swung her feet playfully.

"Actually, I'd argue that we're both." He wiggled his brows at her suggestively, then laughed as she shook her head and awarded him with a bright smile. "But look at it this way- you get to track mud in Billy's house."

"That is a very interesting way of looking at it, thank you." She sighed as they reached the porch far too soon for her liking and Embry crouched, letting her down gently as Paul opened the front door for them. "So…off to see the wizard?"

"More like the wicked witch." Paul grumbled, earning a snicker from his companions as they stepped into the cool, slightly stale air of the Black house. The screen door banged shut behind them and Dani inched towards the living room, looking every bit the frightened wild animal she felt like as Billy's rich voice rang out, "Dani?"

"Y-Yeah…and Paul and Embry are here too!" She added in a hurry as both boys stayed behind her, ready to either catch her if she tried to run or swoop in and protect her if need be. She had never felt so loved, feeling their silent strength at her back.

Billy gave her a stern, level stare as she finally came into view, a vision of the wilderness with tousled hair, a wrinkly dress, and muddy feet as she lingered in the doorway. On the couch, Harry Clearwater sat sandwiched between Old Quil, who looked like he had taken a quick taste of the shine before coming over, and Daniel Lahote, who looked as though he had been awake for days and was staring vacantly at the dark screen of the big TV perched against the wall opposite the couch. "You were meant to come earlier, Danielle."

"I was asleep." She muttered meekly, her head bowed as she felt her defenses rising automatically. It tended to never end well when she had official dealings with the Council. "Sorry."

Billy hummed low in his throat before dropping the subject for now, reaching for a thick, old leather-bound book balanced on the side table by the arm of his wheelchair. "We may have found some information that will be of use to us in this situation."

'Great, I'm a situation now. My life's dream is complete.' She sighed softly but nodded, stepping forward and giving her father a small, uncertain smile as he looked up at her. "Hey, daddy…"

A moment passed and she shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably before the man's brain finally caught up to his surroundings and he lifted his eyes to meet his daughter's, giving her a soft, apologetic smile. "Hey, baby girl. You okay?"

"I'm okay. They made sure I was." She made sure to give the credit to her boys, reaching back to feel both of them as they flanked her, settling into a loose V-formation in the entrance. "I'm sorry."

"No harm done. Just glad you're okay." That seemed to deplete whatever energy he had, and his head dropped as Billy cleared his throat, eager to take the reins of the meeting.

"Old Quil, here, has found a brief mention of something interesting, possibly even troubling, in one of the history books." Billy paused, pursing his lips as Dani gnawed nervously on her bottom lip as she awaited his next words.

It seemed he wasn't going to make it that easy for her, however.

"Now, you live on the Quileute Reservation solely as a favor for your stepfather; you are not of Quileute descent and we typically do not allow outsiders to live here, let alone have such free access to our histories and secrets." He cast her a disapproving glare, then barreled on when she opened her mouth to defend herself. "You had no right to go digging through our history books, let alone take any of them outside the building. Now, to begin your punishment, I will have Sam draw you up a patrol schedule befitting your actions before you settle in to your regular shifts-"

"Hold up there, Wild Bill," the nickname slipped out before she could stop it, and the chief narrowed his eyes at her, peering out from under his trademark black cowboy hat. "Shifts? Patrol? What the hell are you talking about?"

"As a tribal protector, you will be assigned shifts by your Alpha and you will be expected to follow that schedule or face harsher punishments for each infraction-" Billy shifted in his chair and Dani could practically see his chest puffing up with righteous, authoritarian blah blah blah.

"Alpha? You mean Sam?" She let out a choked, humorless laugh and shook her head, knowing that he had been told about her lack of connection to the Quileute pack. "There is no way in hell I would ever let that douche-nozzle dictate my life. As you stated, I am not Quileute and I have never been accepted here; yet you expect me to sacrifice my time and energy traipsing around the forest in my newfound fur coat, protecting people who don't give two shits whether I'm here or not and getting punished like a badly behaved dog if I don't?"

"Your role as a spirit warrior is a great honor and you cannot-" He began again and Dani cut him off, again, before his head could get any bigger. It was turning a hideous shade of crimson as it was, and she was glad that the other Elders were around to make sure he didn't pop a brain vein or something.

"You haven't even told me why I phased. Outsider, remember?" She waved at herself as if somehow, they hadn't noticed her pale skin and green eyes. "I'm not your damn warrior. Tell me what I need to know so I can go back home and sleep or I swear-" 'Woah! Holy testosterone, since when can I do that?' Her voice had lowered several octaves, coming out as a rough, deep-timbred growl that hung like smoke in the air between them; Paul and Embry's stance shifted on pure instinct, eyes roaming the room as if calculating their attack if needed as their wolves thrashed against the mental restraints they'd constructed.

Billy's face turned ghost white and he looked away from Dani as a tremor racked her body, her dark eyes smoldering as they stared him down. "Yes, well…" His fingertips faltered as he opened the book in his hand, flipping to the page Old Quil had bookmarked for him. "Here, in the time of the last pack, the Wolves reported some strange scent trails in the woods up near the Makah reservation. The scent of wolves, primarily."

"We do live in a forest, Wild Bill. Are wolves that uncommon?" Dani couldn't help but snark at the older man, smirking as he let out a heavy sigh and passed the book to Harry with a look that clearly said, 'I can't do this shit.'

"What Billy is trying to say, oh so tactfully," Harry chuckled as he opened to the page in question and passed Dani the book so that she could read it herself. Billy made as if to argue but was silenced as his two oldest friends glared at him in warning. Both of them liked Dani, and she was right. They had welcomed her onto their land only to shun her, and that seemed worse than if they had turned her away outright. "Is that we have reason to believe that we are not the only tribe with the ability to shapeshift."

Dani's brows furrowed in question as she stepped forward, the energy around her crackling in the humid, stuffy air of the living room. Daniel smiled as she perched on the arm of the couch at his side and he nudged her gently with his arm to let her know he was close. He got a small smile back from her before she returned her gaze to the passage in her hands. "But that doesn't make any sense. The legends said we were the only tribe with the magic-"

"We were not." Old Quil rumbled, shaking his head as he reached for the book with an old, weathered hand. She gave it up respectfully, crossing her arms across her chest as she waited for him to continue. "Long before we ever had the ability of the wolf, our tribes had mastered astral projection."

"Isn't that the stuff you do when you're on LSD and you feel like you leave your body and I'll be quiet now." She quickly stopped herself as all the adults in the room turned an eye towards her, some amused and some reproachful as she fiddled with the hem of her dress.

"Not quite. LSD is merely a hallucination; projection is much more complex- but thank you for the enthusiasm." Old Quil gave her a small grin, suddenly seeming spryer than he let on as he thumbed through the old volume of text. "Our tribe could leave their bodies, take their spirit form rather than their corporeal forms. The bodies were left behind under protection of the women of the tribe, while they attacked enemies as spirits."

"But if they were noncorporeal, they couldn't touch or harm other people." Dani grinned as she looked up at Embry just in time to say it with him, "Buffy taught us that."

"Exactly. They could not harm others, but they could manipulate nature. Create harsh winds, ravage the enemy with storms, send wild dogs after them, et cetera." Old Quil pushed his glasses back up on his nose as he peered down at the words in front of him. "As I was saying, however, we were not the only tribe with this magical ability. We were, though, the only ones who adapted, taking the form of the wolf. Or so we had thought until recently. I'm sure you remember the legend of Utlapa and Taha Aki?"

"Yeah, Utlapa was a jealous douche and took over Taha Aki's body, so Taha Aki made a deal with a wolf to share its body so that he could have a body again." Dani frowned as she saw where this was going. "You think the other tribes followed the Quileute's example?"

"Perhaps not intentionally. After all, the wolf protectors have been a close-guarded secret for many centuries; however, the Makah may have found themselves in a similar situation and bonded themselves to wolves as well." He reached into his back pocket and produced a crinkly old grocery list, passing it down the line of Daniel and Harry to Dani.

"Eggs, batteries, and cornmeal?" Her eyebrows raised in question as she looked up from the list just in time for Old Quil to wave his hand, gesturing for her to turn the paper over. "Oh, an address in Neah Bay?"

"We have a few contacts on the Makah reservation. They'll be expecting you within the next few days, so I suggest you get a good night's sleep and set out in the morning." Billy spoke up again, having seemingly mended his damaged pride for now, at least long enough to assert his authority and adjourn the 'meeting'.

"You want me to walk for two hours alone to a reservation I've never been to, to discuss my new wolf abilities with a bunch of crusty old dudes with superiority complexes? No offense, guys." She added as an afterthought, smiling at Harry and Old Quil; they had never held her lineage against her, even though they probably had full right to do so as an Elder.

"None taken, sweetheart." Old Quil chuckled as he reached for his walking stick, clearly done with the little power-party Billy had tried to throw and failed. "Meredith Webster works at the museum up there; she'll know where you need to go. Just go to that address and tell her I sent you."

Dani nodded and sighed softly as she stood, stretching out of habit now that her bones didn't feel like they were trying to tear through her skin. "Alright. I guess I'll leave in the morning." The thought of finding her way alone, through the forests that may or may not be teeming with supernatural entities and finding herself on an unfamiliar reservation terrified her and it was clear as her hands trembled and her voice wavered.

"She can't just go alone!" Paul growled, vibrating as he fought to control himself in the little doorway, knowing Billy would rip him a new asshole if he destroyed his house. "That's a two-hour trip at least by car, and she's only phased once!"

"What would you propose then, son? We cannot spare any of our wolves, not since the Cullens have returned." Billy spoke, smug and sure that Paul would have no comebacks.

Boy, he underestimated him.

"So you would send one of your own wolves, and you've already tried to claim her as one of your precious warriors so don't try to take it back now, off to a strange place, without control over her phasing, while there are vampires lurking about, just so that the wolves you actually care about aren't endangered?" Paul spoke seriously for once, leaning nonchalantly against the doorframe with his arms crossed, though his body radiated power and authority like it never had before. "She is not yours to command, old man."

"He is her Beta." Harry murmured in awe, having never seen anything quite as messy as this before. He had no idea why it was Dani and not Embry to have started the Makah pack, but it was clear why Paul had defected from Sam's ragtag group. Maybe it was their imprint bond, maybe it was their familial ties, but anyone could detect the power radiating and mingling around the two. Billy chose to ignore that power, puffing up his chest and smirking as he was determined to get the last word in.

"What would you suggest then?" He gestured to the other two wolves as Dani leaned back into the warm comfort of Embry's body, having returned to the formation by the doorway. "Sending Embry along? Would you really trust your imprint with a man she's been with so intimately?"

Paul stiffened, sparing a heated, pleading glance at Dani as she froze, her eyes as wide as a deer in headlights as Embry tried to calm her down with soft whispers in her ear. "I would trust them both with my life, and I trust him with hers. They are both Makah, they both deserve to learn their history."

The shockingly wise and mature response shocked Billy into silence, his mouth flapping as he scrambled to think of a response. He had been so sure Paul would fly off the handle, especially if he brought up Embry and Dani's relationship, and that would have immediately discredited this new, powerful pack that was emerging right under his nose. It wasn't the way things were done; tradition decreed that a Black descendent would be chief and, by extension, Alpha. A Lahote in power would bring nothing but shame and trouble.

oooooooooo

"Hey, mom?" Embry called out as he crept into the dark house, hearing his mother's steady heartbeat in the back of the house where her bedroom was. There was some shuffling before he heard the bedroom door open and the sharp saltiness of tears assaulted his nose. "Are you okay?"

His mother appeared in the doorway, clutching her robe closed in front of her as she wiped at her puffy red nose with a tissue. "I-I'm fine, baby. Where have you been?" She sounded exhausted, defeated almost as she leaned against the doorframe, as though just dragging herself out of her bedroom had taken its toll on her energy.

"Spent the night with Dani and Paul. Dani and her dad got into a fight." He replied shortly, gritting his teeth against the urge to comfort his mother. As sad and broken as she looked right now, he had to remind himself why. Her married lover dumped her, to be a better man. She had to answer for what they had done.

"Oh…is D- are they okay?" She corrected herself quickly, reminding herself that Daniel wasn't hers to worry about anymore. She shuffled over to the sofa and dropped onto the cushions with a heavy, pained sigh.

"As good as they can be." Embry crossed his arms, gazing at his mother with a carefully constructed blank mask. "She knows."

A hot flash of shame shot through her as she realized what he meant, her head snapping up to meet his dark, unreadable eyes. "She…she knows what?" She turned away once more, trying to change the subject as she focused on tidying up the end table that served as a catch-all area. "I've been meaning to stop by the hospital soon, maybe check on Amanda before one of my shifts or something-"

"And tell her you've been screwing her husband?" Embry cut her off coldly, watching her reaction closely. He knew for a fact what his mother had been doing; he could smell it every time he entered the house and had been unlucky enough to hear it a few times. If she tried to lie to him about this, he would lose the little respect he had left for his mother.

Tiffany stiffened, hands stalling on the stack of magazines as she tried to straighten them. "Embry…Why would you say that?" She knew her son. He never spoke out of turn like that, especially about something so serious, unless he had the facts to back up his argument. She just needed to know how much he knew.

"Dani came over, looking for me one day. She saw him here." He shook his head, pushing off the doorframe as he approached his mother, towering over her as she shrunk against the arm of the couch. "Never mind the fact that every time I come home, I can smell it. I can hear it if I come home at the wrong time. People around the rez talk about it, you know; his truck just popping over on his lunch break when it never has before."

The silence drug on between them for a long while, faint tremors running through his arms as she gazed down at her hands, tears blurring her vision. Finally, with a soft sigh, she spoke in a mere whisper, "We didn't mean to take it that far."

"Is that why you had to leave Neah Bay? Did you try to steal the wrong person's man up there?" He didn't know where the sudden anger came from, or why he was spitting such venom at his mother when she was already down, but he couldn't stop himself. "Am I the bastard kid of some married man who didn't want to stick around?"

"No, Embry! How could you think that?" Her eyes were wide and hurt, her heart aching as the brunt of his words hit her. She felt betrayed that he could even accuse her of it, but Daniel had warned her about what would happen if their kids found out. She had just been too naïve, too wrapped up in her own selfish dreams to realize it.

"You've been fucking my best friend's dad while her mom is dying!" He spat, struggling for the first time since his transformation. Every inch of his body ached as he trembled, his wolf demanding he do something. Anything to get away.

"Your dad loved us!" She cried, curling up and pulling her legs up to her chest as those memories she had buried so long ago came rushing to the front of her mind. "He loved us. He loved you."

"Who is he?" He stared at the top of her head as she gripped her hair, tugging at it to alleviate some of the pain. The man in him wanted to comfort her, to take back all his harsh words, but the wolf refused to let up. He needed answers and he was done coddling her, letting her keep her secrets when they affected so many people besides her.

"His name was Aaron." She whispered, rocking herself gently as she kept her head down. "He was a baseball player at our high school."

"He wasn't married?" His brows furrowed as he tried to regain his control before he inched closer to his mother, knowing one wrong move would spook her and she would clam up just as she was finally giving him the answers he had always needed. "Why didn't he…if he loved us…"

"I had told him about you, and he was excited. He wanted a life with us, Em. He would have given us a good life." She whispered the last part to herself before she squeezed her eyes shut, one solitary tear travelling down her flushed, tan cheek and dripping down onto her terrycloth robe. "There was a car accident after one of the last games of his senior year. It was raining and dark, the boy behind the wheel lost control. Wrapped the car around a tree. He lived, but Aaron…Aaron took most of the damage."

His heart thundered in his chest as he comprehended what his mother was telling him. "That…doesn't explain why you came here. If my dad was Makah…" He couldn't lose his focus now; it would cost him what might be his only chance at learning where he came from.

"Half." She slowly brought her eyes up to meet his, gasping softly as she saw the yellow creeping into his nearly black irises. "He had some family here, and after my parents found out I wasn't allowed home. By the time I got here, though, his family had scattered. The only reason they let me stay here was because Old Quil vouched for me."

"Why would he do that?" He felt the tremors subsiding slowly and gradually, though his mind was still in turmoil. He thought he understood more about the new pack, however, and that at least gave him something to cling to for the trip tomorrow.

"His niece is your grandmother." Tiffany murmured as she patted the seat beside her gently. "Come sit, please? I'll try to explain it as well as I can…"

Tugging at the restraints holding his wolf back, just to make sure he was under control, he gently lowered himself to the cushion beside his mother, gazing at her in confusion as she laid a hand over his.

oooooooooo

Dani felt numb as Paul walked her home. She barely felt herself mumbling a goodbye to Embry as he parted ways with them to go home, both to ask his mom once more about his father and to inform her about their field trip tomorrow. She hardly registered the twigs and rocks beneath her bare feet as they traversed that familiar trail towards their house. Paul guided her along with a warm, comforting hand on her lower back, reminding her constantly of what Billy had exposed at the meeting. 'Paul imprinted on me.'

She had figured out what imprinting was from the legends; it was the creepy, forced love spell that had bound Sam to Leah's cousin and destroyed their happiness. It took away the man's choices and worst of all, they were too blinded by the magic to be angry about it.

"We need to talk." Her throat ached as her voice came out, hoarse and rough from hours of not speaking. After the revelation, the meeting had continued around her with Paul negotiating the terms of their trip and fighting the Elders to protect her rights. If she hadn't been so shellshocked, she probably would have been proud.

Paul sighed, nodding as he let them into the cabin and let her step in ahead of him, partly so that he could stop her if she tried to bolt. "I know. My room?"

"Living room." She knew the effect Paul had on her now that she had phased; if she thought she needed him before, it was nothing compared to the raw craving rooted deep in her belly, that low, gravelly voice whispering at the back of her mind to just take him. If they went to his room, she wouldn't stand a chance at controlling herself.

Paul didn't argue with her decision, following behind her with his head bowed and his shoulders slumped. She took a seat on the couch, perching on one end as she stared down at her pink toenails, wiggling them against the thick, woven rug under her feet. "Should I start, or did you want to?" Paul murmured after a few minutes of silence passed, sprawled on the other end of the couch and watching Dani.

"When did it happen?" Her voice sounded so foreign, even to her own ears. It was low and rough and emotionless; she knew she was barely keeping herself calm, but she couldn't afford to freak out again.

"That day in the record room, when Sam and I showed up to scare you." He sighed as he let his head fall back against the couch behind his head, remembering the day vividly. "But…I didn't imprint like Sam did."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Her eyes snapped from her toes to his face as she was confronted with yet another supposed tradition that she had found a way to fuck up. "Imprinting is supposed to be the end all, be all of everything in the legends."

"I didn't get the creepy forced love. The wolf didn't demand I drop everything to pursue you." His lips quirked up in a tiny smile, but she was practically having a panic attack as she considered the implications.

"Y-your wolf…It doesn't like me?" She shook her head, pulling her legs up to her chest and curling up on the end of the couch, rocking herself gently. "How can it be an imprint if you don't love me?"

"Now when did I ever say I didn't love you?" Paul slipped off the couch, kneeling in front of her as his hands gently parted her knees, creating a space for him to rest against her as he looked into her exhausted, worried green eyes.

"You said…Your wolf didn't want to go after me…" Dani was at a loss. On one hand, she was glad. She was happy Paul hadn't had his choices violated like Sam and Leah's were. However, she also knew that if his wolf didn't like her, she had no chance at all with him.

Paul chuckled, resting his chin gently on her thigh where her dress had ridden up. "Again, when did I ever say my wolf didn't want you? In fact, just last night, what did I tell you about old Grey?"

Dani tried to rack her brain, letting him gently lace their fingers together as she sucked gently on her bottom lip. "You said you were a wolf…and your wolf liked me."

"Bingo, baby." He grinned, leaning up to press his lips against hers, only to frown as she pulled away and his lips skimmed across her ear instead. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" She laughed maniacally as she pushed him away, not unkindly, to get up. He fell back on his haunches obediently and watched, bewildered as she began to pace the length of the living room, wringing her hands in front of her. "You think you have some sort of tribal voodoo bond with me, but without the side effects, and your wolf doesn't want me but he likes me, like that's any type of logical, and I keep having this stupid voice telling me to give in to you but I don't want to but I do and I don't know what to do and," She paused, taking a long breath as she ran out of air and finally turned to face him, her lower lip quivering though her jaw was set in determination. "Paul?"

"What do you need?" He rose to his feet, nostrils flaring as he was suddenly assaulted with the most glorious, tantalizing fragrance he had ever encountered. His wolf howled possessively, the chains holding him back weakening as man and beast struggled, lust against propriety. Trying to abide by the rules she had set had been tough before because he knew she wanted him, but he knew she wanted to trust him more than she needed him. Now, though, she was just as much an animal as he was, and their animal instincts didn't heed to things like trust and past betrayal; even without the completed imprint, he had chosen her.

"Kiss me." She whispered, her chest heaving as she took a deep breath, that warm, spicy scent that always clung to him filling the room as he rushed towards her. One heated hand cupped her cheek, the other arm wrapping around her slim waist and pulling her flush against his body as he sealed his lips to hers.

Her arms wound up around his neck, pushing herself up onto her tiptoes as she tried to get closer. As soon as his lips touched hers, she was gone. All voice of reason or any protest she might have been able to come up with flew out the proverbial window as his heated hands caressed her body, only adding to the growing wetness between her thighs. As if knowing, he crouched and clasped his arms behind her thighs, picking her up easily. As he turned to the couch, she wrapped her legs around his hips and squeezed gently, pressing against him so closely she would have worried she was hurting him if he was human.

He let out a low, appreciative purr as he fell back onto the couch, hands kneading her ass as her sundress rode up higher on her thighs and she sat up, chest heaving as she panted for breath. Her heavy-lidded eyes searched his as her tongue darted out to moisten her bottom lip; his eyes, a golden ring creeping into the normally dark brown irises, followed the movement enraptured. His fingers kneaded the tense muscles in her upper thighs as she found herself rocking gently against him, hissing quietly to herself as the cool material of his cargo shorts brushed against her most sensitive of places.

Suddenly, she was hyperaware that Paul had not brought her any underwear that morning; the only thing separating them was those shorts that were already sporting a damp spot from where she sat astride his thick thighs, her dress bunched up over her hips. "Paul?" She whispered softly as some of the frenzy died down, allowing her to think clearly about what they had been about to do.

"Yeah?" His hands continued gently caressing and kneading her thighs as her hands slowly explored the hard, defined planes of his chest and abs. As muscular as Paul had been before, the change had transformed them both. Dani had barely taken the time to notice, so caught up in everything else, but she had finally hit that growth spurt she'd always joked about. She was still petite, just a few inches taller and filled out more; her willowy body now held subtle curves and toned muscle where none had existed before.

"What are we doing?" This time, instead of the low, lustful voice of before, he could hear the terror bubbling up inside her and knew she was close to breaking down.

Quickly, he raised up to look into her eyes as she trembled, her hands frozen on his abs as he wrapped his arms around her waist innocently. "We kissed, Dani. Nothing is wrong-"

"A few weeks ago, I was still with Embry." She muttered to herself as though he hadn't spoken, her wide eyes trained on his body beneath hers as she tried to calm down. "I was still…and now…I was ready to just dive into bed with you."

Paul tried to hold her as she jumped out of his arms, hurriedly shoving her dress back down over her thighs as she practically ran across the room to put some distance between them. "Dani, I don't think normal rules apply-"

"I'm a terrible person." She cried, covering her mouth to hold back a sob as she watched Paul stand. "I led him on and then you finally want me but I can't-"

"Dani, listen to me." He spoke softly, staying away from her to give her the space she needed as she clutched the doorframe that led to their bedrooms. "You aren't a horrible person. The whole phasing thing fucked everything up; we're wolves now. We have wolf instincts now, and I don't think wolves have any consideration for the unspoken rules of teenage dating."

"But…I'm still human too." Her big, watery eyes gazed up at him, pleading with him to understand as her body sagged against the doorway.

He nodded, slowly stepping forward until he was close enough to reach out and swipe a tear away with his thumb. "I know, Dani. You're still you and I'm still Paul, but it isn't just black and white anymore. You aren't doing anything wrong by listening to your instincts."

She stayed quiet, letting his hand linger on her cheek as she turned automatically to nuzzle her nose against his palm. "I need to shower…"

"I'll wait in here for you then." He didn't want to push her anymore, not after everything else she had been through already today.

To his shock, she shook her head and brought a hand up to grip his wrist, as though to stop him from moving. "Will you come with me?" At his surprised stare, she hurried to clarify. "I mean not for that but…being near you or Embry makes me feel secure. It keeps Wolfy from being a pain in the ass."

"That's what you're calling it? Wolfy?" He joked as he stepped closer, slinging an arm carelessly over her shoulders and directing her towards the bathroom down the hall. She jabbed her elbow against his side but smiled hesitantly as he switched from lustful to caring as soon as she needed it. She knew it wasn't fair to tap dance on his control like she had, then expect him to be her security blanket, but he had done it. For her.

She stayed quiet as he led her to the bathroom and stooped over to turn the faucet on, letting the bath water run as she leaned against the sink cabinet. "Paul?" He was busy squirting her favorite jasmine shower gel under the water, letting it create a thick layer of floral scented bubbles on the surface for her to nestle in.

"Mhm?" He turned just in time to catch her as she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest. "Woah, what happened?"

His arms wound around her waist tightly, holding her as he pressed a soft, tender kiss to her temple. "I don't deserve you taking care of me." She mumbled and he could smell her tears as they dampened his skin, though they evaporated almost instantly with their combined heat.

"You're right. You deserve more." He whispered to her as he gently slid his hands up to help her out of her dress, humming contentedly as she didn't fight him. "I fucked up a lot, Dani. I'm trying to correct that."

Once the tub was filled, he held her hand as she stepped into the warm water, sinking under the bubbles with a happy sigh and relaxing as she felt the heat soothing her aching muscles. To her surprise, rather than leaving, Paul dropped to the floor beside the tub and leaned back against the wall, mirroring her position as he rested on hand on the side of the tub. He was relaxing, simply content with the rainy, floral scent surrounding him and the sound of her steady heartbeat, when her small, wet hand found his on the cool porcelain of the tub.

His eyes opened, seeing the soap and bubbles trailing down her arm as she laced her fingers with his and squeezed ever so slightly. When his eyes found hers, she smiled at him, a soft blush on her cheeks. "I'm happy your wolf chose me. I really am, even if I do freak out occasionally."

"Me too, Dani." He returned her smile, then laughed as she broke the heartfelt moment by blowing a handful of bubbles at him.

oooooooooo

Embry was pacing back and forth in the cave Paul and Dani had used as shelter; after dropping all her bombshells on him, he knew he couldn't stay with his mother tonight unless he cleared his head. A quick run had brought him here where he had phased, just to check in with the others before he tried to relax.

Radio silence greeted him.

Even though he knew for a fact someone would be on patrol tonight, his head was blissfully clear, and he didn't know which he preferred, the loud chatter of the others or the peace and quiet. After all, peace and quiet came at the cost of confusion and the unknown.

He had his theories though, after finally learning his bloodlines. He was not only Makah, he also had ties to the Ateara and Black lines as well. Therefore, although he had been the first wolf of Makah descent, he still had a place within the Quileute pack and his wolf hadn't needed to split away from them. Dani, however, had no ties to Sam's pack, through blood or respect. Her wolf saw them as outsiders, threats; he and Paul had been the exceptions so far. That was something he hadn't figured out yet.

He huffed as he lowered himself to the ground and peered out of the cave entrance at the sky above, resting his head on his paws as he watched the stars overhead, wishing he had the answers for what was happening.

I just want to thank everyone who left me a kind review last chapter. I don't mean to complain or make it seem like I'm the only one suffering, it just kind of all hit at once; one day, there were memes of people hoarding toilet paper and the next, everything got real. Again, I hope all of you lovely people are safe and healthy.

I wanted to thank one guest in particular for making me smile and being the major factor that made me get up this morning and ignore my aching bones to finish this chapter (I learned yesterday I am a very weak individual who should not make a career out of moving furniture, from a dorm or otherwise). Your review meant a lot to me and thank you so much for the encouragement and the confidence.

So, this chapter was about 6800 words, which is almost double the usual, but I really wanted to end it here so that next chapter could focus on the trip to the Makah reservation. I hope no one minds the length. All the legend information I used in this chapter was taken from several Twilight wikia pages, so hopefully I got it as accurate and clear as possible. As always, thank you all so much for the kind reviews and thank you for sticking with me; I'm happy so many people have enjoyed my story 3 Next chapter may be up in a few days after I catch up on some schoolwork.