The Phantom Wolf

Chapter 22 (Honest Feelings)

*3rd Person POV*

"I'd like to get to know you." Pearl stated firmly.

Before Bree could respond, Pearl continued.

"Without the supernatural bond getting in the way." She finished.

"So, like, becoming proper friends?" Bree asked carefully, wanting clarification.

Pearl nodded in confirmation.

"Okay. That sounds good!" Bree said happily.

"I investigated the whole imprinting thing, a couple of days ago. Found an ancient book that talked about something similar." Pearl spoke.

"You did? What did you find?" Bree asked, intrigued.

"It said that imprinting doesn't have to be romantic and that it just means that whoever is imprinted on, will be protected. The wolf will take on whatever role their imprint needs. Whether that be a friend, a lover, a sibling or a protector."

"Wow" Bree muttered.

"Yep. So... I'd like to be your friend, and I'm more than happy to become your protector as well. I already feel protective over you after all." Pearl smiled softly at Bree.

"I'd like that." Bree smiled back. "To be your friend, I mean." Bree quickly finished. "Not that I don't want you to be my protector, I do! It's just that, I'd feel bad if that's all you were reduced to." Bree said, clearly embarrassed by her fast rambling.

Pearl giggled at the girl, before replying.

"Don't feel bad. Like I said. I already feel protective over you, and I actually quite like that I now have a purpose."

"Huh?" Bree questioned, confused and slightly worried about what that may imply.

Pearl smiled slightly before continuing, "Before I met you in that clearing, I felt lost. I didn't really know what I was gonna do. I knew that I had to move on from my territory at some point. But I had no clue where to go. I believed that my existence was an accident, that I should have been dead. I had no real plan, or goal to follow. No reason to live. Especially for all eternity." She finished, joking slightly at the end and laughing sadly, looking down at the ground.

Bree frowned at her words. The coven members who were inside the house, having ease dropped on the conversation, grew quite concerned at Pearls declaration. Emmet and Rosalie more so than the rest, as they had grown quite close to the hybrid.

"You don't mean that." Bree denied sadly, trying to reassure herself and the wolf of her own importance.

"I do." Pearl grimaced. "That is how I felt." She sighed sadly. "I'd just lost everything, that ever held any importance to me. My family was broken by my dads death. The remaining members moved on without me. They didn't want me anymore. I mean, who could blame them. I wasn't the easiest person to be around. The person who had always loved me and supported me for who I was, was dead. He wasn't coming back. And the last thing I got from him, my beloved motorcycle, was destroyed when I was attacked... when I lost my humanity."

Bree went over to Pearl and wrapped her arms around her. Bringing the hybrid into a hug and giving her a tight squeeze, in order to try and comfort her. Having noticed that Pearl had started silently crying.

Pearl hugged Bree back gently, whilst letting her tears fall. She regained her composure after a few minutes and pulled away from the vampire in order to continue.

Sniffling softly before speaking, Pearl carried on, "My old life was gone. And I could never get it back. To be honest, I'm not sure if I even wanted it back. Whether I would have rather been dead, than this. And, the fact that I was all alone, in figuring this, all out. It was disheartening. I kept pushing forwards. I didn't give up. I kept telling myself, that there was a reason as to why I was here. Why I was still alive. But... it was a lot. And I couldn't really see the point in continuing a lot of the time. I'm pessimistic by nature. So staying positive, is quite a challenge for me."

Pearl took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. Stopping the tears from falling, as Bree looked at her. Waiting patiently for Pearl to continue.

"Well... that was until I ran into an odd scent that was crossing my territory. I was curious about it. And I had nothing to loose, so, I followed it. Of course, I'm not stupid, I did use my gift to hide myself while I did so." Pearl smirked at Bree, who smiled lightly in response.

"It took awhile. Turns out, I'm not the best tracker." Pearl admitted. "But, eventually, after getting on the right track, I made it to the clearing, and was able to witness the absolute chaos of that battle." She smiled whilst reminiscing.

"How long were you there for? I'm curious." Bree questioned.

"Hmm. I couldn't have been watching for any more than 10 minutes or so."

Everyone in the house was surprised by the answer. 'She was there for a whole 10 minutes and none of us noticed her. Pearls gift is really strong.' Was the collective thought they all shared in some shape or form.

"Wow. I mean, I wasn't even fighting, so I should have had a better chance at spotting and noticing you." Bree said, looking down at the ground.

"No. No one would have been able to see me. Even if I wasn't invisible, with my gift still active, my sense of presence would have been close to zero. The only way anyone would have been able to notice me in that case, is if it was completely silent and calm. And even then, everyone would have had to be paying a lot of attention to their surroundings. It's no wonder no one saw me during the battle." Pearl explained.

"Oh okay." Bree said with understanding.

"Anyway, when the battle was over. I actually turned to leave." Pearl admitted.

"You did?" Bree asked, confused.

"Yep. After finding out that my siblings and people I used to know, were shifters as well. It made me angry. It finally gave me some sort of explanation as to why my family changed so much, in so little time. And, I hated it. It made me bitter. In fact, I'm still bitter about it. Well... anyway, I didn't want them to know I was there, and, I especially didn't want them to know who I was. So, I turned to leave. I had no intention of returning either." Pearl paused and took a deep breath before continuing.

"As I was leaving, I ended up catching the eyes of a certain new born." Pearl smirked at Bree. "I don't know how that happened but, when I made eye contact with you, everything changed. I hadn't been certain about anything in a long time. But you. You were a first. You gave me a purpose Bree. A reason to stick around. A reason, as to why I'm still alive. For the first time in a long while. I felt like I belonged somewhere."

"You really feel like that?" Bree enquired, hope sounded in her voice as she did so.

"I did. And I still do." Pearl confirmed. "I'm happy when I'm near you Bree. I never thought I'd feel this way around someone else. I've always preferred my own company over others. But I was wrong about that. And, I'm so glad I was."

"I'd like to stick around. Be there for you. In whatever capacity you want. Now, i'm not gonna follow you around like a love sick puppy. Don't get me wrong, I like you. But, I still need my alone time." Pearl joked and Bree started laughing at the statement.

"Yeah that sounds good." Bree said, still giggling. She paused for a moment, thinking of what to say. "I want to be your friend." She said confidently.

"Your wish is my command, Bree Tanner." Pearl bowed dramatically in a teasing manner. Making Bree burst out laughing, Pearl shortly joining in thereafter.