It takes a while for the pack to return, long enough for Emily to fix you both a late lunch and all but force you into a chair at the dining table to eat with her. You’re slumped against the table, chin propped up on your arm as you sleepily listen to Emily telling you stories about the guys from their time as wolves when the back door swings open with a cacophony of noise. Voices and laughter overlap each other and you perk up to watch them come tumbling through. They’re all smiling, Sam beelining for Emily to press a kiss to her cheek while the other two head your way.
Jared pats your shoulder on his way by, heading for the couch in the sitting room to collapse onto. Paul stops next to your chair smiling somewhat bashfully down at you.
“Sorry about that, sunshine.” He rubs at the back of his neck with a quiet laugh. “Do you want to go outside? I’m sure you’ve got more questions for me now.”
”Just a few.” You stand trying to ignore the way everyone in the room is watching you both.
Paul nods to Sam wordlessly and tugs you out the front of the house, stopping only long enough to grab a shirt out of the back of Jared’s truck. You’re both quiet for a while, content to let the sound of your footsteps fill the air until you reach your cottage. You lead Paul around the back to the steps to the porch and pull him down to sit next to you.
“Are you okay?” You ask quietly. You hadn’t seen any damage to him when he’d come in but you’re almost certain he’d be the type to try and hide it.
“Not a scratch.” He confirms with a nod.
”That’s good.” You feel like you can breathe a little sigh of relief knowing he hadn’t been injured. “Can I ask, what is an imprint? And why did Jared say I was your imprint?”
“It’s a wolf thing.” He begins unhelpfully. “Kind of a confusing wolf thing. Legends say that it’s rare, but so far it’s happened to all of us. After we phase our wolf lives within us, sort of like we’re sharing space in our body with it. It’s why we sometimes react to things more strongly than necessary, or differently than we used to. When we imprint it only takes one look at the person for our wolf to do it, and once we imprint it changes everything. It’s like the center of our universe shifts and our imprint is the focus of it. We’d do anything, be anything for our imprint. I guess it’s sort of like soulmates, but different.”
”So that day on the beach, when you saved me. Did you imprint on me then?” A sour feeling has settled in your gut, unease at the way Paul’s describing imprinting.
“Yeah, as soon as our eyes met it happened. I thought it was the universe punishing me at first, giving me the one thing that my wolf truly ever desired to then just take it away. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t survived that day.” Paul reaches out to grasp your clammy hand as if he’s unable to continue without a physical reminder that you’re alright.
”Doesn’t it bother you though? Had you not imprinted you probably wouldn’t have stuck around so long in the hospital. You wouldn’t have felt the need to help me like you have been. You should resent me if anything Paul for essentially tying you down for the rest of our lives.” You can’t understand why he isn’t upset about the situation, can’t understand why he’s still looking at you like you hung the moon and the stars.
“I don’t think of it as you tying me down. You don’t make me feel trapped or stuck, sunshine, you make me feel centered. I feel like I’m finally whole, for the first time since I’ve become what I am I feel complete. When I’m around you my wolf isn’t angry and restless, you’re the one person in the world that I could never resent.” His voice has gone quiet, nearly whispering, his tone full of reverence.
“But how do you know that it’s your choice? Your feelings, not just what your wolf or the universe or whoever says you’re supposed to feel.” You can’t deny the warmth that’s blossoming in your chest at hearing how he feels about you, but you refuse to let yourself truly believe it without knowing it's his decision.
“It may have been my wolf that imprinted on you, but he’s still part of me. It is me, just a part of me I didn’t know about up until a few months ago. I’m still me, still hotheaded stubborn old Paul Lahote. It might have been the wolf that imprinted on you, but it’s me that’s choosing to pursue you in more than a friendly way. My wolf could live with it if we were just friends, but I can’t. I don’t want to be friends with you sunshine, I want it all.” Paul’s free hand comes up to cup your cheek, to make sure you’re paying attention to what he’s saying like he couldn’t take it if you didn’t believe him.
”I don’t want to be friends with you either.” You breathe, leaning up to close the gap between the two of you.
”Say it, baby.”
”I want you, Paul Lahote.” His eyes flutter shut at your words, breath leaving his chest in a soft exhale. “I want you to kiss me.”
He closes the final few inches between you instead of answering, thumb stroking your cheek like you’re something special, something to be treasured. You’re his whole world and as far as you’re concerned he’s your universe. Your anchor when you feel like you’re floating out to sea, lost in the tide of who you once were and who you might still be.
This kiss is worlds different from the first. It’s tender and slow like it alone is working to smooth out all of your combined rough edges. Your free hand tangles in his shirt, tugging at it to pull him closer even though you’re already pressed against each other on the stoop. Paul drops your hand in favor of wrapping his arm around your back enveloping you entirely in his warmth, in him.
You sigh happily against his lips when you finally part, eyes blinking open syrupy slow and foreheads pressed together like you can’t stand to get too far. He grins down at you, eyes dancing with relief and joy and a myriad of emotions you can’t quite name. A grin mirrors his on your lips, slightly reddened and swollen from your kisses.
“Does this mean you get to keep me warm at night instead of your quilt?” You ask with a quiet laugh when his eyes widen in surprise.
”How’d you know it was mine?” A faint flush draws attention to a small smattering of freckles over his cheeks and the strong bridge of his nose.
”Because it smelled like you.” You shrug, burying your face in his chest at his teasing laugh.
”There’s nowhere else I’d rather be, baby.” He smacks a loud kiss to your ear making you squeal and attempt to struggle out of his grip. He doesn’t let you go, opting instead to haul you into his lap and hook his chin over your shoulder. “We should probably check back in with the others soon, before they think you’ve skipped town.”
“We can in a little while,” you sigh, leaning into him fully. “I’d like to stay like this for a bit.”
“As long as you want.” He promises and you smile content to soak up the last of the sunshine with Paul.
hey so anyone else just, feel thin. sort of stretched. like butter scraped over too much bread. like you need a holiday. a very long holiday. and you don't expect you shall return? or is that just me and bilbo baggins
Whenever I see the popular phrase "not all who wander are lost" used for water bottles or artsy bumper stickers on Jeeps and credited to an ""anonymous"" author I get so annoyed. Like, excuse me, that line was written by famed hobbit poet and historian Bilbo Baggins, from his poem about Aragorn son of Arathorn, the long awaited Heir of Isildur, who is destined to restore order to the race of Men return glory to the White City of Minas Tirith. We know exactly who wrote this quote, nothing "anonymous" about it.
Make peace with needing attention, validation, love, encouragement, support and care from other people because it's not actually the character flaw which this hyper-individualist society is trying to make it out to be. Needing other people isn't the same as failing to be your own person, it's a part of the process
titsay
discoholicmusic
pixelskylines
annaxmalina
snowghoul
theartofmadeline
blakekathryn
