Only the "Strong" Survive | Paul Lahote |

*chapter twenty*

Life is a rollercoaster and this rollercoaster, my rollercoaster, just got even more twisted than before. Sam looked back at me apologetically before he walked to the words and I watched him turn into a wolf too. Jared helped me up the stairs and into the house, as I wiped my eyes taking deep breaths feeling cried out. Feeling really fucking confused. He brought me to the table and sat next to me rubbing my back, Emily entered immediately putting a kettle on the stove for tea.

"Are you okay Joni? Did he hurt you?" Jared spoke softly.

I shook my head, "He, he tried again. He held me to the wall. It was him the whole time it was him..."

Jared's eyes were soft, sad even. I knew he didn't know what to say, looking over at Emily she didn't either.

"Paul..and Sam. They're wolves?" I asked confused looking at them, questioning myself if maybe it was just something I imagined to cope with what had just happened, "the stories, they're all real?"

Emily nodded at me with a small smile, "I'm really sorry you found out this way. But yes honey, it's all true."

"What the fuck?" I whispered just loud enough for them to hear.

The kettle was going off and she got up to grab some cups, I couldn't do anything but stare at my hands. Knowing my makeup was ruined, my hair was a mess, my breathing was rough and short still. All I could do was sit and try to process that this was the chaos I walked into when I came to La Push. But oddly enough, it was the only part of the night that I felt okay with it.

|PAUL|

I was pissed. Seth had tried to block me out of his head and I knew there was a reason why but I didn't think it was this. I had taken over for him on patrol, and he wouldn't answer me through the mind link. Even simple questions like if he'd seen anything, if the redhead had been on our land. So I did the only thing I could think of, I pounced on him biting onto his leg and he yelped.

"I have a date tonight." Seth thought and the picture of Joni standing there looking so pretty popped into his head.

"I'm sorry Paul, I'm really sorry." He thought to me and I let him up.

Seth walked to the bushes and shifted back, pulling on his shorts and looking at me with the saddest smile. It wasn't his fault but what the fuck? I thought Joni liked me, I thought we had something. Well I know we have something she's my imprint, she's mine forever.

I was angry, running through the woods hoping to find something that I could rip the head off of. That stupid blonde guy, no doubt in my mind it was him. The way she smiled at him, the way her eyes looked - happy, excited. Fuck that guy.

"It's past your shift Paul." Sam thought to me, making me stop running for the first time in hours.

"I'll take Leah's too. Send her home." I thought back to him, taking off again.

"I'll gladly go home." Leah chimed in.

"Enough!" Sam thought, pulling alpha rank making me physically stop.

I couldn't even run anymore. I always hated how he could play that card whenever he wanted. Making us do anything he wanted us to do with just a tone of voice. I found my clothes and shifted back, he met me at the edge of the words by the house having also shifted back.

"Can't be mad all night, she has a right to do what she wants Paul. Emily made lasagna, come eat."

I only nodded and walked in the house, Jared, Sam, Emily and myself sat awkwardly around the table for a while. It was quiet except for the faint whisper of Sam telling Jared about our training tomorrow, it would be his turn to run patrol during it so he would miss the whole thing. Lucky him. After dinner we moved to the living room, I forced myself to calm down. Repeatedly reminding myself that Joni was my imprint, and thus no matter who she chose to go out with tonight she was meant to be mine in the end.