𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄
— 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝒾 𝓈𝑒𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝑔𝒶𝒾𝓃 —

     𝐏𝐀𝐔𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓 the angel that lie so delicately in his arms, her golden locks tangled with twigs and mud, and her skin as cold as the severe wind that angrily ripped the remaining leaves from the trees surrounding them. Even unconscious, she shivered from the soaked dress that clinged to her petite body — he held her close, as if to warm her, all the while worried that with any slight dislocation, he might inflict more pain upon her. She had grown pale, and the natural flush in her cheeks had disappeared; with the discoloration of her skin also came a light purple tint that brushed at her lips in warning. Had he taken any longer to put on his clothing, the boy was sure that she wouldn't have been breathing, and for that fact alone, he was thankful. But with his newfound curiosity towards the girl that followed him through the woods, he felt an obligation to save her, and was making his way to the cottage in the clearing as quickly as he could without harming the fragile girl in his arms.

There was something unusual about her, though, and it was something he couldn't quite place. Despite the dirt that smudged her forehead and an irritated dark red that tinted her button nose, he couldn't help but stare at her closely — what about her, exactly, made him so anxious? It was her ankle, he thought, because even his warm hands had blood covering them. Seeing her drained silhouette in the dark, her breathing shallow, was a completely new experience than what he normally found in the forest. He had known from the moment that her scream echoed from the overgrown vines that he needed to go back for her, and undoubtedly felt the sting of guilt writhe in his chest as he hastily wrapped her within his embrace, hoping that they would arrive at Sam's before the combination of blood-loss and hypothermia took her life. The few minutes seemed to drag, as if the weight of the world had been placed on his shoulders for an unknown reason and he couldn't escape it. But once he broke the clearing, he found that his companions were gathered outside, speaking lowly under the dim light of the foyer. Upon hearing his footsteps, they all turned to him, and it was Jacob who first reacted to the sight ahead of them.

His lips parted, as if he couldn't quite believe the scene that was unfolding — Paul rushes forward, as if to show them the nearly lifeless girl curled against his chest, and his voice comes more shakily than he thought possible. "I was in the woods, and she came from this house and started walking towards me, so I panicked and took off before she got any closer. I didn't think she'd chase me — but after I shifted, she started screaming and—"

"Serenity," Laythe interrupts the faltering boy, shoving past Sam to place his hand in Serenity's. "Why did she leave the house? I shouldn't have left her alone, I knew something would happen, but I still . . . " He swallows heavily, shaking his head and squeezing his eyes closed to both block out his view of the horror, and to force back the tears that threatened to spill.

Paul could hardly believe that the doll in his hold was the very girl that his friends had spoken of earlier. The one of fragility — who Laythe feared would be harmed on the only night in which he dared to venture from his home. She was the girl they all admired, at least those that she had met, and the mere thought of her life deteriorating in front of them was a hard concept to face. He tried, to no prevail, no convince himself that he hadn't played a role in the incident.

"We need to get her to the hospital," Sam informs them, his eyes softening as they find her damaged foot. He moves forward, prepared to take her into his own arms until Paul pulls her closer to him.

"I'll hold her." Staring down at her tear-stained cheeks, his voice grows more steady, and even hints at gentleness. "This was my fault, I need to take responsibility for what happened."

Sam only nods solemnly, placing a hand on Paul's shoulder. "She will be okay. Take her to Laythe's truck, Jacob can drive and the rest of us will follow. I'll call Marina to let her know what happened."

Laythe impatiently pulls his keys from his jean pocket, shoving them into Embry's chest as he motions the boy forward. "I . . . I can't drive, not while she's like this. I'll sit in the back with the two of you, Paul." He couldn't break his gaze on her foot; although Serenity had always been unbalanced, he never would have thought her clumsy and unfocused ways would lead to an injury such as this. White bone poked from her torn skin, the surrounding tissue turning a faint shade of purple.

Embry, still staring at the girl, nods his head, and quickly makes his way down the gravel path to the truck. Jacob, without requesting to join the group, follows quickly behind him with and a pounding heart that threatened to escape his chest. "We need to go." Laythe's voice cracks as he places a hand upon the taller boy's muscular shoulder to insist his forward movement. "She's losing too much blood."

Breaking from his slight daze, Paul doesn't hesitate to pace towards the vehicle. His body was shaking now — against all normality, it wasn't caused by fury, but by his sudden fear that perhaps she would die, lying against his chest so innocently. "Please," he begs any higher power under his breath, "please save her."

Upon lifting himself into the truck that he noticed smelled strongly of cinnamon, he allows her body to lie across his lap, and places her head in his hands. As the boy beside of him begins to speak, he finds him self gently massaging her scalp, as if it would wake her.

"Why were you in the woods?" Laythe questions, removing his dark shirt to wrap it around the girl's mangled foot.

Paul hesitates, but complies with the truth. "I have the tendency to go into the woods at night," he replies, never removing his eyes from her tainted, porcelain skin. "I always go to the clearing — there's a house there, and I just stay outside. I don't know why I keep going back . . . it calms me to be there."

Laythe stiffens in his spot; he knew the house Paul spoke so fondly of, the tall, beautiful home that overlooked the forest and captured a view that no other could. He lived there, and yet he had never before known that one of his closest friends visited the surrounding woods every night, nor did he have the knowledge that he was compelled to be there. The Reagan boy didn't want to utter the words aloud, the ones that would suggest perhaps Paul felt a drawl towards Serenity for a reason he wouldn't understand until her hazel eyes met his golden ones. Instead, Laythe only embraces the silence until Embry spoke from the driver seat.

"You don't think Serenity could be your imprint," the boy gages Paul's reaction from the rear-view mirror, "do you?"

Paul pondered the thought for a moment, and could even envision a future in which they could have shared; a beautiful life for the both of them, one where he and the small girl would embrace one another's company as if it was the very thing that kept them alive. One where he didn't have to worry about his anger, because it no longer existed. She would have been the very person to change his ways, and he would have been forever indebted to her.

But Paul was different than the form of himself that he had envisioned. "No," he responds without falter, abruptly averting his attention to the dimly lit scenery outside, "I don't." His temper was far greater, and he despised any emotion that dared to overwhelm him. He would never feel for another again — living a life of loss and tragedy had taught him that he wouldn't want to wish the burden upon anyone else. And so he willingly became the monster that everyone feared.

All of those that he had ever cared for were lost, and had the girl in his lap been the thing he feared finding the most, he would eventually have to face the loss of her, too. The teenager had faced many in his lifetime, and the eventual dissipation of his soulmate would be the one to end him entirely. He wouldn't find her, he couldn't. And if fate truly decided he was destined for another, he would repudiate until the very moment in which the insistence no longer managed. The breaking of her heart, whoever she may be, would prove as a kinder act than the brutality his imprint would endure. She deserved better than to be bound by the lifetime promise of a monster's heritage and providence.

"Then why would you be drawn to the house?" Embry continues, persistent with his earlier suggestion. "Paul, you have to admit there aren't many possible explanations."

"Victoria could be around and my instincts influence me to protect the pack," the Lahote boy narrows his eyes at Embry, no longer subconsciously rubbing soothing circles upon Serenity's arm as his jaw clenches from frustration.

"The rest of us would have the same instincts," Embry argues, "this is so much more than a vampire, and you know that."

Beyond his exhortation, Paul understood what Embry was indicating, and it terrified him. His gradual realization had flourished into an undistinguishable vexation towards the very thought of his words being true. For the sake of Serenity, he closed his eyes and attempted to contain the irritation that had grown from Embry's persistence. He would not think of the suggestion again, because if he did, he worried the safety of the suffering blonde would be completely destroyed due to his own actions. He had saved her, in in that very moment, her life was the only instance that mattered. And so he did something that he had never before managed: he stayed quiet.

In his time of listening to the soft hum of the truck's ignition, he noticed that Laythe held Serenity's cold hand within his own. The two had a strong connection, it was an easy concept to grasp. His eyes were strained with fatigue, and Paul could easily hear his haggard heartbeat. Although he didn't want to, his mind wandered to the stability of Laythe if his cousin were to perish — he would never again be the same, but Paul conjectured that he would be the same person he once was. So why was it that Paul Lahote couldn't do the same?

The boy stares at the hospital ahead, not concerning himself with the low murmurs of Embry and Jacob. His only focus then was the slow, shallow breathing of Serenity as she fought for each wavering breath and still trembled from the cold. Paul doesn't hesitate to open the door and slide from the extended cab as Embry parks the vehicle, nor does he waste his time in walking carefully. Contrary to the fact that he wanted so badly to distance himself from the girl who was believed to be his soulmate, he already knew that, if needed, he would stay the night by her side.

And after, he would go — she would never know he was there in the first place.

Nor would she realize that he was the soul her devoted moon was pointing out all along.

❝ i love this bipolar boy omg, also
i lowkey wanna write an embry fic
because he's another fav of mine :) ❞