NINE. PAUL

"Eli!" Paul yelled after the girl as she ran out of the forest and towards her car. Her eyes were filled with tears once she watched him shrink back into his human form, naked and frightened. She had awkwardly handed him her pyjama pants, thankful for her bike shorts underneath. Then, she turned and retreated as quick as she could. "Eli, wait!"

Not looking back, Eli dove into the driver's seat and started the engine, rain starting to patter on her windshield. Her hands were trembling both from the cold and from fear, and her cheeks were wet from her crying. 

"Eli-" Paul opened the passenger door and let himself in. He opened his mouth to say something, before screwing his nose up. "It's smells weird in here."

Eli stopped and glared at him. "Really?"

Paul turned and sniffed the air, and Eli tensed up a little, feeling uncomfortable at the fact that a literal shape-shifter dog was in her car. Paul then clenched his fists. "One of them has been in here."

"What the fuck?" 

Paul opened the glove compartment and fell upon Rosalie's note. He read it, and his breathing grew heavy again, just like it had before. "You got this from Rosalie Hale?"

Eli recognised how he was acting. "If you're gonna turn into a freaky dog again, get the hell out of my car."

Paul's jaw hardened and he stared at Eli, who didn't looked particularly impressed. Still, there was fear behind her expression. He exhaled loudly and shoved the note back in the compartment, running his hands through his hair. "Fine."

Eli shut her eyes for a second and tried to get herself to calm down. It was harder than she thought. "I'm guessing this is why you haven't been coming to class?"

Paul nodded. Eli hummed and rested her head on the steering wheel. "Does anyone else know?"

"Sam, Jared..." he trailed off. "Nick."

Eli looked at him out the corner of her eye. "Is Nick...are they?"

Paul nodded again. Eli swore. Her shoulders began to shake, not because she was upset, but because she was freezing. Paul had taken her comfy pants, and the seats were leather. She shivered and reached into the backseat for her coat, her hand accidentally brushing against Paul's shoulder. He was radiating heat, and she had to pull away before she couldn't resist.

"Jesus, you're freezing," Paul commented, and Eli rolled her eyes. 

"That's why I'm getting my coat," she deadpanned. She put it over her legs like a blanket, and started the car. The rain was starting to pick up now, and she wanted to get home. "Are you coming with me or are you going back home and pretending I don't exist again?"

Paul put on his seatbelt. 

★☆

Instead of going home, Eli pulled into the parking lot at First Beach. She turned the heaters onto full blast, and Paul groaned. "What? Aren't you cold?"

"No," he mumbled, holding his hand out. Eli stared at it, and he sighed softly. "Just take it."

Eli reluctantly accepted his offer, and slid her ice cold hand into his warm one. She shivered once more as she felt the heat wash over her, and she released a shaky breath, before pulling away. "Well, lucky you."

Paul's shoulders dropped a little at the rejection, and he stared out the windshield at the rough waves crashing on the shore. His fingers fiddled with the string around the waistband of the pyjama pants he wore, and he listened to his racing heartbeat, comparing it to Eli's steady one. "You're not so nervous anymore, are you?"

Eli shook her head. "No."

Paul pursed his lips, trying not to stare at her too long. He knew what had happened earlier that day, but how was he supposed to tell her? "Do you know what I am?"

"You're a shapeshifter," she answered. "Like the ones in our tribe legends-"

"Tribe history," Paul corrected. "Eli-"

Thunder boomed loudly across the Reservation, and Eli jumped in fright. Paul instinctively grabbed her hand, and she looked over at him with wide eyes. "Dude!"

"I-I'm sorry." The popular ladies man pulled back his hand and looked away. Eli softened her expression. She could see he was conflicted. She reached back and awkwardly put her hand on his wrist. His eyes flickered back to her. "Listen, Eli. There's this thing that us shapeshifters do sometimes. It's called imprinting. It's when...it's like..."

He trailed off nervously. Eli leaned forward. "It's okay, Paul. You just turned into a wolf, I think I can handle whatever it is."

Paul scoffed, and then sighed. "Okay. Um, it's basically when we see our, like, soulmate. We're bound to that person for the rest of our lives, unconditionally."

"Okay," Eli nodded, not really understanding what he was getting at.

"When we see them for the first time after we change, we get this feeling...this gravitational pull towards them," he continued, trying to encourage her to figure it out. "It's like time stops for a minute and we would do anything to protect them."

Eli nodded, listening hard.

"You know, for someone so smart, you're pretty stupid sometimes," Paul ran his hand down his face. Eli narrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Paul groaned. "You're my imprint, Eli!"

"Wait, what?" she stopped, her eyes widening. "What did you just say?"

Paul composed himself. "You're my imprint. When you knocked on my door an hour ago to yell at me, I felt like suddenly I had something worth living for."

Eli went quiet. 

"You must have felt it too," he insisted, and she swallowed. She remembered how a strange warmth had spread over every inch of her body, rendering her numb but somehow safe. Her head fell, and she pulled away from Paul, opening her door and stepping out into the rain. "Eli, what're you doing?" 

"I'm walking home," she called over her shoulder. Paul got out after her, running over. She had lugged her coat back over her shoulders but she still trembled from the cold. She heard Paul's footsteps behind her, and she shut her eyes. "Paul, I came over to tell you about the English project, and now you're telling me that we're soulmates? I can't-"

"I know it's a lot, Eli," Paul caught up and turned her towards him. "And I'm sorry, for everything. I've been such a dick to you all these years, and now everything's changed."

Eli pushed him away. He looked like a wounded puppy, and it felt like she'd been stabbed in the heart, but she trusted her brain far more than her heart. "You think just cause you're some...magical wolf thing, doesn't mean you can suddenly feel like this about me. It's not fair, Paul."

Paul wanted nothing more than to hold her. "I know. But it's not my fault, and it's not yours either. But, I can tell you that right here and right now, you're the only thing I want."

"What if I don't want you?" Eli shouted over the torrential downpour. 

It looked like tears were forming in Paul's eyes. "Then that's something I'm gonna have to live with for the rest of my life."

Eli chewed the inside of her lip and looked down at her feet. "I need time, then."

Paul nodded. "Okay."

Eli crossed her arms over her chest and shivered, and Paul took a hesitant step forward, wanting nothing more than to help her. Eli shook her head and walked back towards the car. "I'll drop you back home."

Paul's face fell, and he followed her back to the vehicle, where they drove back to his house in complete silence. He would sneak glances at her occasionally, resisting the urge to take her in his arms and warm her up, but he didn't dare. He couldn't overstep boundaries, not when he wanted to earn her trust. 

He had always found her attractive, ever since they were kids. But, he had always gotten annoyed with how she seemed to know everything. She always had a witty comeback, and never let anyone push her around. She studied and got good grades, and everyone seemed to like her. Everyone except her mother and brother, though that was widely known among the community. 

There were so many things he wanted to ask her. It felt like this night was the only time they would have together. Tomorrow felt so far away, and he knew he couldn't wait. But he would have to. 

He decided he would do it for her.

★☆