Note: I seem to have a thing for beach parties because this chapter also has one! 😂 I was super close to having this in the final draft, but I ended up liking the scenario I published a lot more. This one is still nice to think about from time to time, so I thought I'd share it. The plot would've happened regardless of how Paul, Sam, and Jared initially met Marshall.

This scene was supposed to be a huge leap for Paul and Marshall's relationship because it would've been the first time the wolves, as a larger pack, got to witness how important and impactful the relationship actually was. Doing so would've inadvertently proved that not all vampires are as they seem, and just because Marshall is a vampire doesn't mean his species says more about who he is as a person than his actions could.

This scene also would've shed light on how serious Marshall and Paul were about being together. It was something that was supposed to come as a genuine shock to some of the wolves because of Paul's previous habit of never staying with the same person for more than a couple days.

With that being said, let's get into it!

***

The sound of breaking glass did little in terms of getting a rise out of Paul. He actually found the situation to be rather comedic, and he couldn't hold back an amused snicker.

A quiet laugh seemed to exacerbate Jacob's rather emotional outburst.

"You're crazy! No- absolutely, bat-shit insane!"

Emily took a single step forward, her hands clasping in front of her chest. "Come on now, it's not that serious-"

"His imprint is a vampire! He's been fucking a goddamn leech!"

Paul put up a finger to get everyone's attention. Once he had it, both shoulders were raised in an uncaring, nonchalant shrug. "Technically, that's not true."

"Wow, what a relief-"

"More often than not, he fucks me . Two completely different scenarios, really."

Jacob and Embry weren't sure what to say when hearing that. Instead, they stood side by side with eyes wide and mouths agape.

"Hey, you guys are the ones getting all up in my business. I'm just setting the record straight."

Paul leaned against the wall, his arms crossing over his chest. The change in position gave him a wonderful, strong whiff of cologne—one that didn't belong to him—which had seeped into his shirt after a...special meeting with a certain vampire. They'd parted ways hours ago; yet a rich aroma of bergamot mixed with the slightest tinge of lavender remained, having made a claim on Paul's person.

A bundle of warmth erupted in his stomach at the thought. And any negative emotions attempting to rush to the surface were pacified with another delicate inhale.

"Look, instead of giving me some dumbass lecture on why me being with Marsh doesn't work, how about you guys meet him yourselves. Maybe doing so will help you get past your prejudiced views on him. I'm planning on seeing him again tonight during a party at the beach. I'm sure he wouldn't mind meeting more of his growing family."

Rude sucking of teeth was met with a deep frown.

"Leech or not, he's my imprint. Regardless of his vampirism and my heritage, we've chosen to be together. And whether you guys like it or not, he's a proud member of this pack and will continue to stay in it. If you've got any problems with that, you can take it up with the alpha."

*

"This has got to be one of the most ridiculous things I've ever agreed to. I still can't wrap my head around it. I mean, a vampire? Really?"

Paul clenched his jaw to keep himself from lashing out. "Jake. Knock it off."

"It's just crazy! I mean, seriously, a wolf and a vampire? And you guys wanted us to meet in a public setting?"

"Yes. Because being in a public setting gives us all common ground to be civil. And it also gives him a better opportunity to walk away and catch a breather if you guys continue acting like dicks for no fucking reason. I get it, this is weird to you and Embry. But it didn't take long for the shock to wear off for Sam, Jared, and Emily. And if Sam, our alpha, has met Marsh and is fine with him, I don't see why there should still be any problems from anyone else."

"Dude-"

"Jacob," Sam cut in, a frown making its way onto his face. "Enough. If you keep being confrontational, I'm going to make you go on a solo perimeter run until the sun comes back up."

Even though the threat wasn't pointed at him, Paul couldn't help but grimace at the thought of running a ten to twelve hour long perimeter run. Their normal shifts were only six hours each with breaks sprinkled in between. It was also customary to do those shifts as a pair to lessen a possibly heavy workload.

Being on guard duty for double the amount of time, without help, sounded like an absolute nightmare.

Paul didn't dwell for too long on it though. Not when a message was sent to him from the man he was more than excited to see.

Marshmallow:

Hey baby. Just letting you know I'm near the dance floor with my friends

You almost here?

Paul smiled down at his phone. He made sure to keep taking quick glances upward so he wouldn't trip while walking.

Big Tiger:

Should be there in a few minutes

Newbies are *dying* to meet you

Actively trying to get them to play nice

Marshmallow:

Well you know me

If someone pisses me off enough I won't hold my tongue

Big Tiger:

Oh I'm counting on it

It'd be hilarious to see you put them in their place with a single sentence

Marshmallow:

I am a man of many talents

And that's one of my best ones

Shaking his head, Paul sent a series of kissy faces coupled with numerous hearts before pocketing his phone again.

From his position, he could already hear thumping tunes coming from a short distance away. Ocean soundscapes were dampened by well-known songs, muffled conversations blurring into one another, and glasses being clinked together. A mouthwatering aroma of cooking food got stronger and stronger the closer he got to their destination.

Hopefully, everything would go well; giving Paul the opportunity to grab something to eat right away like he wanted.

"What's your boy toy look like?"

Embry's question, backed by his hostile tone, proved that things weren't going to be so simple.

"Boyfriend, not boy toy. And he stands out a lot, so there shouldn't be an issue finding him. I know his scent will give him away before his appearance does, but either way. He has black hair, golden eyes, tattoos, and piercings in his ear and tongue. He's usually seen with his leather jacket with braided chains too."

"...Are rough edged people who look like they could be on the cover for a magazine about motorcycles a kink of yours or something?"

"One of many."

Chuckling to himself, Paul motioned for the group to stop walking. He took a few extra steps forward to create a small distance between them. 

Brown eyes scoured through an ocean of bodies before finding a certain group of familiar faces.

Marshall was facing Brad, so the vampire's back was to the wolves. From his position, it was easy to see how his bangs were pushed back to reveal his face completely. A signature leather jacket shifted with each minor gesture. Black jeans were tucked into a pair of dark gray combat boots.

A certain black band from a previously gifted choker was snug around his neck where it belonged.

"Hey, Marshmallow!"

The call of his name made him turn around.

And as soon as he did so, a few surprised gasps came from the wolves who hadn't seen him before.

Marshall said something to his friend group before walking away from them. The change in position showed off a red V-neck with a silver dog tag dangling from a chain over the smooth skin of his upper sternum. He held onto a red plastic cup with one hand, while the other flew upward to wave.

"There's my big Tiger!~"

Paul chuckled when he was pulled into a tight hug. He reciprocated the gesture by wrapping both arms around a smaller waist. Both men pulled back after a short moment to meet for a playful kiss.

"Missed me, darling?"

"Always." Smiling, Marshall offered the cup still in his grasp. "They brought out the Irish cream liquor a few minutes ago. I snagged you a cup because I know it's one of your faves."

"Aww, you spoil me, Honey Bun."

Paul accepted his beverage alongside another swift kiss. He gazed knowingly into stunning irises, searching for any signs of emotional turmoil. Via shared eye contact, it was easy to notice a few miniscule traces of nervousness.

"I'll be by you the whole time. You don't have to worry about a thing."

Letting out a small puff of air, Marshall nodded. He allowed for a larger arm to wrap around his shoulders in a caring display of affection.

Together, they approached their fellow pack members.

"Sam, Jared, it's good to see you guys again. Emily doing well?"

"Same here. And yeah, she's great. She wanted to apologize for not being able to make it tonight."

"Ah, it's fine. She deserves to have some time to herself. I can catch up with her during tomorrow's movie marathon."

A faint scoff was loud enough to get the vampire's attention. A friendly expression turned playful and challenging when meeting the penetrating gaze of two newcomers.

"I know that I'm handsome, but you guys don't have to stare so hard."

Marshall couldn't help but chuckle when his statement was met with reddened cheeks and random sputtering from embarrassment.

"Relax, I was joking. Partially. Either way- I know this is a bit of a strange situation for us- with the whole interspecies imprint thing and all. I'm not expecting you guys to push aside your natural instincts in one night. I know it doesn't work that way. But I'm hoping we all can at least attempt to get along." Pursing his lips, Marshall leaned further into the body pressed against his. "I really care about the pack. I really care about Paul. We've been able to move past the engrained stigma our species are meant to have toward each other. I'm hoping the two of you can do so as well to give us a chance to be friends. Maybe even family."

Such an honest, rather heartfelt statement was met with varying degrees of genuine shock.

Embry was the first to react. "You...really are different from other vampires."

"Not too sure if that's a compliment, but I'll take it as one."

Marshall also took it as the ultimate win when everyone, aside from Jake, broke out into quiet laughter.

"Enough serious talk," Paul cut in, taking a swig of his drink. "I'm starving, and I'd like to stuff my face while our options are still available."

*

Paul pushed Jacob's judgmental commentary to the back of his mind, instead choosing to focus on Marshall as he was mingling with his friends on the dance floor.

Everyone had large, radiant smiles. Joy-filled laughter was mixed into hearty cheering. Jovial movements ranged from casual swaying to jumping to following each other around in a fluctuating conga line. When songs became a bit more sensual, gestures did the same. Innocent dancing became more sultry, shown via hands running along bodies, shaking hips, and daring gestures of people sandwiching themselves together to operate as a single unit.

Marshall paused his teasing yet enthralling movements when Brad held up his phone to take a photo. Multiple other people were caught in the background committing to silly poses, but the two standing in the foreground simply leaned into each other's shared space with bright grins.

Paul noticed how Brad's body was slightly swaying from side to side, thanks to a slowly heightening inebriation.

A mental note was made to give the invitation for him to sleep over so he wouldn't have to worry about driving home in his current tipsy state.

Paul also made a mental note about how beautiful Marshall was when surrounded by so many people who helped make him thrive.

His cute laugh was sincere and heartwarming. His gorgeous smile caused his eyes to crinkle in honest happiness. His excitement when sharing fun stories was contagious. His overall form stayed relaxed, discomfort and tensity continuously straying away from him.

Marshall was at his most stunning when he was that content. That free.

Unfortunately, shameless gawking and lovestruck thoughts were halted when yet another unnecessary jab was made.

"Jake, seriously, enough. You're starting to give me a headache," Sam grumbled.

"I'm just saying- even if it's an imprint bond, we don't know how serious they actually are about being together. Paul's notorious for sleeping around."

"Paul used to be notorious for sleeping around. They've been together for a long time already and are both fully committed."

"So? Even the shiniest toys lose their luster after a while. It's only a matter of time before the leech is cast aside."

Paul's head darted in Jacob's direction because that was a degrading comment that wouldn't slide.

"What the fuck did you just say?"

"I said-"

"That it's the perfect time for me to intervene."

Marshall interrupted the argument about to happen by grabbing both sides of Paul's face, making him look away from the person currently getting on his nerves.

Cold hands against his skin made festering anger simmer down a lot quicker than it initially built up.

He didn't attempt to hide how much he was affected, openly leaning into the delicate touch.

"You wanna come dance with me, sweetheart?"

Jared's chuckle made the couple look at him. "You still on that mission to get Paul to dance? It's going to take more than just asking him to get him to actually do so."

Snickers turned into full blown laughter when Paul's expression went from inquisitive to deadpan in the span of a second.

He turned around when hearing a soft hum.

And he wasn't prepared for an adorable pout to be pointed directly at him.

"Don't make me beg, honey. Even though I know you love it when I do."

The comical but very true statement was enough to make Paul calm down completely.

All of the other pack members were genuinely surprised when he allowed himself to be pulled onto the crowded dance floor.

Rather than being met with more shock from Marshall's group of friends, Paul was welcomed by loud cheering and growing smiles.

Wanting to relax further, he placed both hands onto a set of pronounced hips. Colder, smaller hands braced themselves against his shoulders. Since they weren't directly on his skin, both appendages didn't immediately warm up like normal. Instead, a frigid temperature passed through the sleek leather of his own jacket.

It felt divine.

Holding onto Marshall and breathing in his intoxicating scent felt divine.

"What happened to not worrying about anything?" the vampire asked, his voice low and calm.

It received a short sigh in return. "I know. You're right. I just- I hate hearing them talk about you like that. I hate that our relationship keeps getting invalidated because it's seen as unnatural."

"I know, Tiger. But..." They pulled each other closer, resting their foreheads against one another. "I love you with everything I have. And I know you do too. At the end of the day, that's all that really matters, right?"

Paul deflated in total relief. "Right."

Golden and brown eyes took in each other's most minute details before closing, their owners meeting for a long, passionate kiss.