Stabilize.

Stabilize: become unlikely to give way or overturn, or become unlikely to change, fail, or decline further.

Pain and loss affects us all, but how we stabilize is what defines us. For Bella, the catalyst is the loss of Edward and to pick up the pieces of her shattered future she'll need to learn to love again.

Paul has had a rough life. From the death of his mother, to the abuse dealt by his alcoholic father. To top it all off all his aspirations of getting the hell away from the Rez, and all the bad memories tied to it, are now impossible.

He never asked to be a werewolf, and he didn't want to be some 'Protector' against vampires, when he could not even protect his mother or himself from his father who was human.

Two struggling souls bound through the red ties of fate, but will they fight the pull of destiny or grow together and accept the potential future they could share. Paul/Bella Imprint.

Prologue: New moon.

"You're far away, when I want you around

And you leave me lonely when I'm feeling down

Do your ever wonder or worry about me?

Did I ever love you, did you ever love me?"

Fleetwood Mac.

In retrospect, Bella should have known something was wrong from the moment she received Edward's call. His voice had been too level, too natural and calm. But her elation at the thought he might want to spend even a few mere extra moments with her blanketed all other thoughts and concerns. Bella's naivety was to be her downfall, but her feeble human stamina, she thought, was the reason he'd slipped away.

Curled up, lost, broken and soaked to the core, Victoria found Bella, alone and defenseless.

Chief Swan was a mess. It had been well over thirty-six hours and still no sign of his daughter. Worse however, was the blood smears and scraps of cloth that had been found strewn through the forest the Pack had been obliged to report back to the police and search party.

Apparently Bella had been missing for twelve hours before anything could be done, and fourteen hours before the Pack was been contacted by Harry and Billy. And the only reason the Pack had been called in to help in the first place, was Billy's fear that it had something to do with the disappearance of the Cullen's. Forks resident Leech family.

Though the Pack had been scouring the forest in shifts ever since they'd been brought in to help they could not seem to locate the girl. They'd found her blood smeared jacket, and tuffs of long brown hair, the girls, but not her.

The rain, blood and the stink of various vampires was throwing off their keen senses and making it impossible to get a clear ping on where the girl was.

Paul was with Harry, watching a grief-stricken Charlie run himself ragged when a howl sounded off in the distance.

Sam was on current 'hunt' duty, and that howl could only mean one thing. Bella had been found. Whether she was alive was a different matter entirely.

Of course, Poor Charlie had freaked out the second he heard the howl. Face pale as he stared off out into the tree-line.

"What… What if she was hurt and…"

"We'll find her Charlie."

Paul could heard Billy trying to console his friend though he looked a little shaken himself.

Not moments later, Bella emerged from the forest like a ghostly figure, swirls of mist lapping at her bare feet and ankles. Her long hair was a knotted, blood-mattered mess of twigs and leaves. Her jeans shredded and her thin camisole hanging off her in crimson soaked ribbons. She looked like she'd lost a wrestling match with a wood-chipper.

What the fuck had happened to her?

She was deathly pale under layers of grime and grit. The surrounding onlookers stared in stunned horror as she tottered and wobbled towards them unsteadily, tripping and stumbling as if she were a zombie and not a eighteen-year-old girl in her prime. Her eyes were vacant, her body smeared with blood and mud and she had deep, dark red gashes and cuts from head to toe.

But… she was not with Sam.

Sam who had sounded off the 'alarm' that she'd been found.

Where the hell was their alpha?

The chaos that immediately erupted was thunderous. Charlie bursting into a sprint towards his daughter with doctors close on his heel. Cameras flashed in fit inducing bursts and voices rang out over each other in a wave of noise.

Harry turned to look towards the woods, eyes narrowed and Paul followed his line of sight.

There, in the tree-line, was Sam, lurking within the shadows as he watched Bella carefully. Lips peeled back over his teeth.

What the fuck?

With a disgruntled 'whuff,' Sam caught Paul's eye and inclined his head, a clear order to join the other.

After a quick look around to make sure no one was watching, Paul slunk off towards the trees. He shucked his clothes once sure he couldn't be spotted and, as easy as breathing a sigh of relief, slipped his human form.

The second his paws hit the ground he took off, following the scent trail left by his alpha. His thoughts a confused jumble as Sam's own turbulent mind bled into his own.

'Sam, what's going on?'

'Nothing. And for now there is nothing left for us to do here.' Sam voice was a dangerous growl that threatened Paul to push the matter further.

'Sam, Harry and Billy are furious. The girl looked like she could barely stand, let alone walk, and you left her to find her own way back. What the hell were you thinking—'

'She's been bitten!' Sam spun on his paws and snarled at Paul, savage fangs snapping not inches from the other's face. Paul reared back, both in alarm and shock. Neither were directed at his alpha's outburst, however.

'What! Why hasn't she turned? How recent is the bite? Why didn't you kill her?'

'Silence!' Sam roared, and Paul backed off, tucking his head with a huff. 'The bite is old… I think, but it's spreading. We've never seen the transformation from human to vampire, so we have little information about how long it takes. And we don't kill humans. You could see she was still human, for now at least. Instead… we'll watch her for a while. Wait until she turns, and then…'

'Then we'll deal with her.' Paul finished his alpha's thought, knowing the other must have found the whole thing uncomfortable. While Paul didn't much care what happened to the idiot girl who'd chosen to tangle with Leech's, for Sam, the first to shift and feel the full brunt of what it meant to be a protector, it must have been hell to wait out and watch.

Paul turned to look over at the leech-lover, who now hung, limp and lifeless from her father's arms. Paul frowned, narrowed his eyes and took in a deep breath. No, not dead, yet, just conscious.

He crinkled his nose at the smell of her. Under all the blood, Bella's aroma was sweet, crisp and clean, however, lurking over the scent of freesia was the stink of death and decay. Barely there, but clear and unmistakable to his finely honed scenes.

'Such a shame,' Sam thought, his eyes locked on the girl just as Paul's were.

'This will break Charlie's heart. He only just got the kid back.'

Paul turned to look at his alpha curiously before turning back to the chaos gathered out-front of Charlie's residence.

'What do you mean only just got her back?' Paul asked curiously.

'Harry and Billy often talk about Renee, Charlie's flighty ex-bitch wife and how she took off with their kid. Apparently Bella used to spend every holiday here with Charlie, then one day, as she got older, she refused. Charlie hadn't seen her in years before she moved here and had barely spoken to her on the phone. The kid seemed almost brainwashed by her mother. Hating Charlie because her mother did. As if it was his fault Renee pulled a runner, and not the other way around.' Sam actually looked a little disgusted by the notion as he spoke, and Paul felt sorry for Charlie, and even his idiot kid.

'That's fucking rough.' Paul conceded softly, awkwardly. He didn't really do… family drama. His own upbringing had been far from sun-shine and roses.

Sam gave a nod of his massive head, silently understanding Paul's reluctance to speak on the matter.

'I want you to watch her Paul. The second she turns, I want you to put her down.' His alpha's voice was firm and authoritative, as if he already knew Paul was going to argue.

And Paul really did think about it. About complaining that this was not fair and he had his own shit going on. Dark eyes slid back to Charlie's pale face and the frail form of his half-dead kid hanging from his arms, and knew he couldn't refuse.

'Damnit Sam, Jared would be a better choice.' Paul grumbled, feeling uncomfortable and… unworthy.

'Jared is new to the change, Paul. No, I want you on this. I trust you.'

I trust you. That one sentence meant so much more to Paul than he'd ever openly admit, and Sam fucking knew it.

'You're an arse-hole, Uley.' Paul groused with no real venom, slumping into a sitting position with a grumpy glare. Sam shot Paul a cheeky, wolfish smile. And then it fell, and it left the two in the heavy, awkward silence of what the future held for those that dwelled within the Swan household.

'I need to report to the Elders.' Sam sighed dejectedly. Paul was immensely glad that duty did not fall to him. The Elders pissed him off too much to stay in control.

'Don't kill anyone.' Paul joked, dragging a reluctant laugh out of his alpha.

'Don't tempt me.' Sam replied in jest before vanishing into the same blackness he'd emerged from.

Goodluck… you'll need it, Paul thought silently after he'd shifted back into the confines of his human form, before turning to return to the chaos.

Today had really fucking sucked.

A/N: So the prologue is bit slow and short I admit, but it will pick up pretty quickly. The next chapter will be split between Paul's Pov and Bella's Pov, so I will see you there!

Peace out, Kinky.