The Wolf's Vampire

Chapter Eleven

Emmett and Rosalie walk with Mkay as they approach the treaty line. They'd worked it out and allowed her to bring them for her peace of mind, it'll do nothing to ease the state of her mind, she is nervous, so much so that her entire body is vibrating with fear, Jasper might have been a better choice to bring with her. She can smell them first, and unlike the rest of her siblings she doesn't smell it the same way they do, it's not offensive or invading but to her it's earthy, and warming, and enveloping. And she rather likes it. She's never noticed before. Like a warm blanket. Like home. And the entire pack is there, Paul stood with Sam and Jared, his closest friends and brothers, then Embry and Quill and Jacob who linger at the back, the newest, the most likely to phase around vampires. Mkay slows approaching, her hands fidgeting in front of her, Rosalie stops at her side.

"Take your time" Rosalie tells her. "And if you can't....we'll go home" she assures her stroking her arm. "No one's gonna make you do something you don't want to do" Mkay nods and takes a breath, breathing in the wolves, it's...comforting. She takes a few steps closer before that long, deep seated fear is back clawing at her. She stares at the pack, there are eight people in her general vicinity, that's seven too many, it's also six too many men. She stops again, her hands trembling at her side.

"I can't do this" Mkay whispers, her entire frame ridged and tense, too many people, way too many people, too many men, watching her, she backs up into Emmett's chest and he wraps a protective arm around her, she look up at him. "I can't..." she tells him, he nods and lets her go, she looks to Paul who gives her a small smile and a nod, he understands. She turns and walks away. Quick. Paul looks down. Emmett crosses his arms over his chest and share a look with Rosalie who touches his arm softly and nods before walking after Mkay. Emmett looks to Paul.

"You know she has issues with men" Emmett points out. "Did you really think this would work in your favour?" he asks, Paul shrugs.

"I had faith in her" Paul admits.

"It's a very deep issue" Emmett points out. "One that is not going to go away"

"What the hell happened to her?" Paul asks, Emmett shakes his head.

"It's not my place to tell you, it's hers, and if she wants you to know.....she'll tell you"

"Why are you being reasonable?" Paul asks. Emmett shrugs.

"You made her smile" Emmett answers. "My little sister hadn't smiled since she was human" he turns and walks away. Paul looks down and sighs. Emmett stops and looks back to Paul. "70 years" Emmett tells Paul. "Since she was human....that's how long she hadn't smiled for" Emmett then does this time walk away. Paul shakes his head. Sam pats his shoulder and gives him a small sad smile.

"What are you going to do now?" Jared asks.

"Make sure she's okay, then maybe we have to do this one at a time...." Paul tells them.

"There's only one reason a girl reacts like that" Embry points out. "Especially around men...." Paul nods, he's starting to get it.

"Yep" he answers and then walks away.

...........

Paul finds Mkay at the lake, her legs pulled up to her chest, Paul sits beside her and crosses his legs, he looks to her as she stares out over the water.

"I'm sorry" Mkay whispers, Paul shakes his head.

"It's not your fault" he assures her holding out his hand to her, leaving it up to her her, she glances to it, her own hand twitches, she looks away, Paul sighs a little but she takes it, her entire body stiff and wired, coiled to run away, but he knows how much this means to her, how big a deal it is, he rubs his thumb into the back of her hand. "It was too soon. I just....I wanted you to meet the rest of my pack...I wanted to show them how amazing you are"

"I'm not amazing" she whispers. "I'm broken and it's a mistake"

"What is?" he asks her.

"The imprint....it made a mistake, I'm not.....I can't be..." Paul wraps an arm around her back and she looks down, fighting herself on this, she likes Paul, really likes him, but the touching thing, the he's a man thing, it's fight backing. Paul watches her reactions carefully, he leans closer to her, as if to kiss her, she jerks away, standing from him, her eyes wide.

"It's okay" he assures her. "I'm sorry" she shakes her head.

"No, no, it's not....you" she looks down and wraps her arms around herself. "It's me" Paul stands and steps towards her. "Paul" she begs lifting her eyes to his. He stops.

"When we first.....interacted, you could barely look me in the eye, I took a step towards you and you took one back, you took every opportunity to walk away..." he tells her. "Now you hold me hand, you smile at me, you..."

"You don't even know why I am the way I am" she argues.

"I'm starting to" he whispers, she looks away. "Someone hurt you, M" he tells her. "Someone really hurt you and you are still....recovering. I'm proud of how far you've gotten" he gives her a small smile. "And if it takes you ten, thirty, seventy, a hundred years to be comfortable with me touching you, then so be it"

"What if I never am?" she asks. "What if I can't...." she shrugs. "This is who I am.....I may never change"

"Then that's who you are" Paul whispers. "And I'll learn to live with it" he, slowly, raises his hand towards her, wiggles his fingers. "I promise you that nothing you do will scare me away" he assures her, she takes his hand and he pulls her closer to him. "Not ever" he touches her chin softly.

"I was engaged" Mkay admits, Paul raises an eyebrow at her. "Local boy, his father owned the stables....no, stables is not big enough, it was a ranch, they trained thoroughbreds for racing, respectable, with money......" she looks to Paul. "It was expected of me. Emmett was gone, my brothers were all growing up and working and marrying, my little sister...she was only 14....I had to grow up" she looks away again. "I was walking back from the store with my wedding dress, I was so excited, it was beautiful" she smiles. "I was going to look beautiful" he looks to her sadly. "Our home was rather far out of town, but I'd walked it many times before I thought nothing of it" she looks to Paul. "He and his friends followed me....." he strokes her cheek and she closes her eyes. "There were five of them" she admits.

"Shhh" he whispers shaking his head. He really doesn't need to know any more. "No wonder you hate men. I'm so sorry. Just....how..." she looks to him, as he starts to vibrate.

"Paul?" she asks, he tightens his jaw before looking to her.

"You need to back away from me M" he gets out. "Because I have a bad feeling" he releases her and takes a step back from her. "I don't want to hurt you" he whispers, strained.

"What's happening?" she asks.

"Some....hurt you" he answers, heat steaming from his skin. "Really hurt you...and I just...." he growls and she steps back....he lurches forward and she stumbles a little as he disappears and in his place a huge dark silver wolf stands before her, she stares at him.