Loca, Spider Monkey

79. Paul Lahote - Imprint

https://elvishmaiden.tumblr.com/

request: (y/n) is new to the supernatural world and figures out what an imprint is, then she decided to confront paul about it
pairing: paul x female reader
warnings: fluff
word count: 1061
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It was a chilly autumn night in La Push, Washington. The waves on First Beach reached the shore of the black sand in calm motions. The sun had disappeared behind the cliffs and stars were evident in the black sky.

(y/n) had her arms wrapped around herself as she sat next to Paul Lahote, a temperamental boy who seemed more mature than he actually was. He was tall, about six foot three and muscular, though he was only eighteen years old.

He caught (y/n's) eye and grinned in her direction, the light of the fire illuminating his dark onyx eyes. A slight blush rose to her cheeks as he scooted closer so that their legs were touching, Billy's voice on the background.

"Get away from me, wolf." she whispered, knowing he could hear her clearly.

"Were going that route again, are we?" Paul smirked, raising a brow at her.

"Hmm," she nodded, glancing at the fire with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Noted," he shook his head in amusement.

The two teens focused their attention back to Billy Black who was talking about a different part of the legends this night. (y/n) was first introduced to the legends three months ago, when she saw Paul shift right before her eyes, out of rage. Quil had made a stupid remark about her, trying to come off as funny, but Paul took it differently and got furious.

Later, he had invited the shocked girl to one of their bonfires and she had agreed to tag along. It was then that she realized what had happened a few hours prior. It had taken her several days to make up her mind, but she felt this pull coming from him she accepted the pack and they'd been all very close ever since.

But they weren't as close as Paul and (y/n) were.

"Tell us about the imprints, Billy!" cheered a young girl from across the fire.

"Alright, alright," the older man smiled.

Paul on the other hand started to fidget slightly, sneaking a glance at the girl next to him. (y/n) leaned forwards and listened intently as Billy began to speak. She had her hair brushed over her shoulders and the flames caused dancing shadows on her face.

"Imprinting is the involuntary mechanism by which a shapeshifter finds their soulmate. It is a profound, intimate phenomenon that exists among the Quileute shape-shifters." Billy began to tell the story.

(y/n) listened intently, biting at her bottom lip and holding her arms around herself, still. As he continued to talk, a frown covered her features and her heart started to beat faster than a few minutes ago.

"It's not like love at first sight, really. It's more like... gravity moves... suddenly. It's not the earth holding you here anymore, she does... You become whatever she needs you to be, whether that's a protector, or a lover, or a friend." Billy had ended his story and the young girl from before was giggling loudly as she looked at her mother.

The teen swallowed and leaned back, stretching her legs before her as she stared into the fire. It had all made sense now. Why they even bothered with her, why Paul didn't stay away from her and why she felt a pull towards him. But why hadn't he told her? It was messing with her mind.

You're just imagining things.

"(y/n), are you okay?" Paul leaned towards her and whispered, concerned.

"M'fine." she nodded with a shrug.

Why would they let her in their lives if he hadn't? It wasn't a secret that they would share with anyone, let alone the new girl on the reservation.

"Actually," she started, glancing at him nervously. "Could you take a walk with me?"

"Of course," he nodded, a frown on his face as he helped her step over the log.

He glanced back at Sam who nodded his head approvingly before joining her side near the water. It was silent for a few minutes, neither of them saying a word. (y/n) let out a shaky breath and turned towards him, an eyebrow raised.

"Do you need to tell me something?" she questioned. She could feel her heart beat in her mouth, too nervous to say anything else. When the shapeshifter didn't reply she got anxious. "Look, I might be completely wrong here and I want you to tell me if I am. But why else would I be here with all of you if you hadn't? I mean, I don't understand why I feel this constant pull towards you, Paul. I – just – I."

"I imprinted on you." Paul broke off her rambling.

(y/n) stood still, multiple emotions crossing over her face as she looked up at him. The guy she had met six months ago took her breath away from the moment she saw him. Their constant bickering, flirting and laughs now all made sense to her and she let out a shuddering breath.

"Why did you wait so long to tell me?" she asked, frowning.

"I didn't know how to." he confessed. "You know I fuck things up quickly. I didn't want to mess this up. You deserve the world and I wanted to tell you in the perfect moment so that I wouldn't scare you off."

"Well, that is strange." she breathed.

"You don't – ?" Paul felt his heart crush at her words.

"Oh no, I do." she smiled. "It's just weird to be the soulmate of a shapeshifter."

"It kind of is." he agreed, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "You're beautiful."

"So are you." (y/n) smiled, bring her hands up to his face.

"I'm beautiful?" he grinned, shaking his head in amusement as he leaned towards her.

"I mean yes." the girl nodded. "You know when you see an older women and you're like 'wow, she's beautiful.' That sort of thing."

"You're an idiot." Paul chuckled, bringing his lips to her forehead lovingly.

"Hmm," she hummed, standing on her toes and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Paul smiled brightly before bringing his lips down onto her own.

In that moment it was just the two of them. They couldn't hear the pack cheering from the other side of the beach, nor the waves crashing. It was just them surrounded by nothing but themselves. Their lips moved together and brought them closer than before.