Solace & Solicitude // Paul Lahote

eight

Indie tucked tendrils of hair into her long black braid out of nervousness. The sleeves of her shirt allowed her tattoos to poke out and she wondered if she should hide them out of fear of making a bad first impression. Would he judge her?

"He's a wolf and a human. How much can he judge you?" She counteracted her inner nervous mantra.

The knock pulled her out of her reverie and she quickly ran to the door, cursing herself because he could probably hear her eager feet.

Holding flowers, stood the most handsome man Indie had ever laid eyes on. His short black hair appeared tousled, and his eyes were just like the wolf's, with a boyish happiness in them that she hadn't noticed earlier. His russet skin was if it had been kissed by the sun itself, and a small nervous grin broke out on his face.

"I'm Paul. Paul Lahote."

He smiled while looking at her, as if all he could see was her. It was deeply intimidating and Indie could feel a blush breaking out across her cheeks.

"Indie Rivera," she said as they shook hands.

"Come in," she told him.

He looked around her cabin as if he was taking it in with new eyes. She couldn't believe this man had been a wolf, yet she could see the resemblance.

"These are for you," he handed her the beautiful flowers.

She hadn't thought about a favorite flower before, but now that she had received her first bouquet, she couldn't help but think her preference would never change.

"Thank you," an ever present blush still on her cheeks.

The silence was awkward for a moment, neither of the two knowing what to say.

"I'm sorry, this is new territory for me," she joked, wanting the tension to fade.

He gave her a boyish grin again, as if she had made the funniest joke in the world.

"So what do you want to know?"

"So many things," Indie told him.

"Why me? Who was the red-haired woman? Are the boys at Emily's shifters too? How many are there of you?" Indie spouted off her questions at rapid pace, not waiting for him to answer before she asked another.

"Well, I hope I don't freak you out but we have a lot of ground to cover," he said gauging her reaction.

"The red-haired woman is Victoria. There is a vampire clan in Forks, they only eat from animals, but you know, they're still vampires so we start to change when they come near. One of them is dating a human girl and Victoria's mate became obsessed with her and the vampire clan killed him. That's why Victoria is so set on revenge. It didn't seem like she wanted you for food, more like she wanted you for something else, and we aren't sure what that is yet." Paul spoke casually, as if he was talking about the weather. Indie, trying to understand her own emotions, had already processed the idea of vampires and while the idea didn't sit well with her, she didn't find that she was overly shocked.

"There are five of us. Sam, Jared, me, Embry and Jacob," he said answering both questions.

"When we shift, we can hear each other's thoughts. It makes it easier to communicate messages but most of the time, you see things you don't want to see about your brothers."

Indie nodded her head, taking in the information and filling in the blanks of the information she had already read.

"What are imprints?" She questioned him with her head turned slightly.

His expression became wistful, "it's something you can't describe. You can call it soul mates, but it's so much more than that. It's a string to a person that can never be cut. That person is always at the forefront of your mind. They keep you sane, they can calm you with a touch, and it's a bond that's impossible to resist."

"And how do you know who you imprint on?" She asked, immersed completely in his answers.

Paul looked at Indie's emerald eyes and said, "you just look into her eyes. Suddenly, everything you ever knew fades away and this person you didn't even know is your gravity and you're her protector and she's the reason you get up in the morning."

They paused for a moment, the silence between them deafening.

"You sound like you know the feeling," Indie said, her heart feeling sad and not understanding why.

He looked away and cleared his throat, "I just get to see into Sam and Jared's head most nights of the week." He shrugged as if it was no big deal.

He continued explaining the answer to each question that she had until they had been sitting there for hours.

"Are you hungry," she asked him.

"I've been waiting for you to ask."

The mood between them was light and it felt like they had known each other for years after she had asked him a million and one questions. Putting some soup in a crockpot to heat, they decided to take a walk on the beach to stretch their legs. Since Paul had shifted, he was always itching to go outside even if it was in his human form.

She couldn't help but ask, the question had been eating at her since he arrived.

"Hey Paul."

He made a humming sound as if to ask her, "what?"

"Why did you show up on my doorstep?"

"Sam sent me to look out for you. He wasn't allowing me to go home, kind of a punishment for something I did earlier," he said sheepishly.

"I was hungry, tired, and dirty. You just seemed odd enough to accept a wolf into your home and you did. Thank you." He smiled fondly at the memory. She had welcomed him with open arms. He knew the imprint had something to do with it, but it was just her. She was just welcoming.

Indie didn't reply, mostly because she didn't take compliments well.

They walked quietly along the rest of the beach, basking in the comfortable silence that they shared. They became familiar with each other in only an evening, to her surprise.

At dinner, the conversation came easily and he was never full.

"Another wolf-trait," he had called it.

When the evening started coming to an end, Indie couldn't help but feel dread. Somewhere inside of her, she liked his presence and the way he looked at her as if he was really listening when she talked.

She heard a wolf's howl far off after Paul had helped her wash the dishes.

"Duty calls," he smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes she noticed.

He stopped in front of her.

"Thank you so much." Indie had no honest idea what for, but to Paul, she had accepted and welcomed him, fed him when he was hungry, and had listened to him without her eyes being clouded by judgement.

"Thank you," for saving me, she wanted to say.

"If wolfie needs a place to stay, you're always welcome," she told him honestly.

Paul smiled back at Indie, wishing he could do more.

Indie smiled when she heard the second wolf howl outside of her house. He was protecting her and that was his job. She turned out the kitchen light and retired to her loft room, smiling at the events that had taken place.