Chapter 16
The beach looked very different from the day before. Despite the fact that the darkness of night made the sea interchangeable from the sky, but the empty and open shore was now crowded with bodies of La Push's youth. There were speakers blaring a popular hip hop song on one side of the party while the other was occupied by people either sitting on towels or picnic blankets. There were tiki torches lining the perimeter of the party, illuminating the site.
I parked the car further away from everyone else and we got out silently. Instantly my eyes searched for one of the pack members as we stepped closer to the party and the noise got louder.
"Is there alcohol?" Ryan asked loudly, eyes lit up at the scene.
"Probably" I replied, my eyes glancing over his excited expression. His eyes were dancing over the mass of bodies interacting or dancing together. I noticed in the distance a keg and pointed it out to Ryan, seeing as he seemed so interested.
"Oh, did you want one?" He asked, as he took a swig of the contents in his drink. I shook my head. I couldn't stand beer.
"Kira, there you are!" A deep voice called from behind us. I turned around and smiled with relief at the sight of Jacob and Embry making there way over to us. Both wore a bright smile as they greeted us and Embry let out a whistle as his eyes scanned the turn out. It was as though the entire La Push High was dancing on the beach. I was mildly surprised there were no authority here yet. Beside me Ryan was turning around to refill his empty cup and he seemed to have downed the first one without a struggle.
"Does this happen often?" I asked, my attention on the crowd of young La Push residents.
Embry chuckled. "No. Not enough goes on in town to distract the police, so they try and keep it small...but it never usually stays that way..." I couldn't agree more. This party was most certainly not small.
"Hey, I need to get something from the car. I won't be long" Ryan informed me with a gentle nudge to my forearm. I nodded and watched as he walked back towards the car park. Embry, Jacob and I moved away from the buckets of alcohol as we found ourselves getting in everyone's way and continued to talk about the small town. La Push differed from the suburbia of Australia that I had spent all my life and I wanted to know how these guys grew up knowing everyone business and simply being acquainted with the entire town.
After a short time had past while being at the party, I noticed Paul making his way over to us. Our eyes met with no difficulty and remained glued until he reached the group.
"Hey, Paul," Embry greeted him with a slap on the shoulder. "Came by to show these kids how its done?" Paul didn't seem to be in the mood for a joke though as he broke our eye contact and glared at his pack brother.
"No," He gruffly responded, his arms crossing over his chest as his eyes examined the group of party-goers, "Sam sent me here to back you two up. Jared's patrolling the area and Sam's keeping an eye on the perimeter. Stay alert."
"Stay alert for what?" I asked curiously. Paul's gaze met mine again and it hadn't wavered. He was still angry at me.
"Leeches. With everyone in one spot like this it's dangerous" Paul replied, his eyes lifting to examine the area over once more. I swallowed the lump in the back of my throat.
"It's like a feast for them" Embry mumbled with a scoff. Paul glared at him coldly.
"They would be stupid to try and get past Sam" Paul muttered in response. My eyes glanced over the kids partying with no worries, laughing in their groups of friends and drinking or dancing carelessly. They didn't know what lurked in the forest and it couldn't make me feel more like an outsider.
"I haven't seen Ryan in ages" I admitted to the group. My brows pulled together with concern as my eyes searched the people dancing by the speakers, the groups by the water... "He said he was getting something from the car, I'll be back." I walked up the shore to the car park and let out a sigh of relief when I hit the concrete. Walking through the sand in proper shoes was more bothering than I initially thought. Through the darkness I found the car in the distance and noticed two silhouettes leaning against it. As I neared the figures I took note of the proximity and figured it was a young couple trying to release some hormones, judging by their position.
Suddenly my feet halted only a few metres away from the car as I realised who was one half of the couple. Ryan's hands were comfortably resting over the unknown girls backside as she flirtatiously kept her hands on his chest. My first reaction was to feel surprised. I hadn't expected him to do something like this and, although I had no right to feel betrayed, I still felt shocked. My reaction slowly turned to irritation and annoyance, but only for a nanosecond. My final reaction was relief. Partially because his actions meant that he wasn't as emotionally invested as I thought he was, which (selfishly) made me feel less guilty for holding onto my strong feelings for Paul while I was supposed to be invested in Ryan all this time (even if it was a bogus deal between myself and my mum).
"What a rat" A gruff voice muttered from beside me. I glanced up at Paul, who I hadn't even noticed had followed me. His eyes were glaring daggers at Ryan.
"I can't feel that upset," I admitted, my attention turning to the couple as they leant into a sloppy kiss. I happily turned my attention to Paul. "My heart wasn't in this thing at all. It was...somewhere else." His eyes turned to mine and for the first time since our conversation in the forest, they softened affectionately.
"Does this mean he can leave now?" Paul wondered. I chuckled softly.
"He made my life ten times easier..." I admitted.
"I couldn't agree with you more" Paul lifted an eyebrow and approached the pair. I frowned with confusion watching him. His presence made the pair look over at him and while the girls expression was one of appreciation, Ryan's was one of surprise. Without a word Paul swiftly connected his fist with Ryan's jaw. I gasped as the sound of a crunch practically echoed throughout the car park. The girl also gasped and jumped back. I jumped forward and wrapped my hand around Paul's bicep, pulling him back from Ryan.
"Paul! Why did you do that?" I exclaimed. My mother was going to kill me. Paul chuckled darkly, his eyes glaring at Ryan's groaning form.
"Where do I start?"
I let out a sigh and stepped forward to help Ryan up. But he didn't seem to be on the same wave length and pushed me away from him. This didn't sit well with Paul as his arm pulled my behind him and stepped into Ryan's face again, a deep growl emitting from the back of his throat. It was deep and angry. Paul hadn't appreciated Ryan's actions.
"Don't lay a hand on her again, you hear me?" Ryan lifted his glare to meet Paul's. I attempted to step around Paul, but he only sensed that and stretched his arm out to pull me back behind him. I let out an irritated sigh.
"Ryan, get in the car. We are leaving" I warned him and walked around the side of the car and Paul. Ryan sent Paul a smirk and walked past him, opening the door and plonking his body into the seat with a smugness that further irritated me. I opened the drivers door and slid in, letting out a deep sigh. I was mildly surprised Ryan managed to get in the car without being stopped by Paul, who instead stormed around to my window with an irritated expression. This is what I should have expected. I turned the ignition on halfway, so that I could put the window down, and let Paul say what was on his mind.
"Where are you going?" He asked.
"Back to Emily's. Where else can I go?" I mumbled with a sarcastic chuckle that held not an ounce of humour. This situation was leaving me both irritated with myself and the position my mother put me in. I tried my best not to feel anything negative against Ryan, but couldn't help the slight irritation that bubbled in the pit of my stomach at his attitude towards his actions.
"I don't want him in the same house as you" Paul grumbled, his eyes glancing at Ryan. I let out a shrug.
"What am I supposed to do? Take him to the airport now, at this time of the night? Plus, I have to speak to my mum..." I let out another sigh and dragged my hands over my face with a chuckle at the mere thought of that conversation. "She's probably not going to even care."
"She really needs that deal" Ryan grumbled.
"Keep your mouth shut, kid" Paul snapped. I didn't even give Ryan a glance and instead turned the ignition on fully. The car started and a recent pop song blared through the radio.
"Can I talk to you tomorrow?" I asked Paul hopefully. His eyes met mine and softened.
"I'll follow you home," He said finally. "I want to keep my eye on him." I rolled my eyes and nodded.
"Whatever, let's just go." I put the car in reverse and waited for Paul to step away from the window before taking off.
"He seemed bothered," Ryan commented, as I pulled onto the main road towards Emily's. I was glad the trip wasn't going to be long. "He also seems...protective of you." I remained silent, not wanting to discuss Paul with Ryan in this moment. "Well, you sure are making this trip awkward."
"Let's not talk about Paul" I responded curtly, my eyes not leaving the road.
"Why not? It's an interesting topic."
"What's so interesting about it?" I asked in confusion. Why would Ryan care about Paul?
"You love each other. Don't you?" I scoffed and turned my eyes to him, only to assess how serious he was being. Ryan only returned my stare with a blank expression and shrugged. "Don't you?"
"No. I--I don't have to explain my relationship with Paul to you. Especially not right now." My eyes turned back to the dark road. Not too long now...
"We still have a few minutes of peace before Paul starts to control everyone again."
"Enough! Stop talking" I insisted sternly. Ryan attempted to make conversation for the final few minutes of the drive. I couldn't be happier to park the car in Emily's driveway and jump out. I walked quickly into the house and went directly to my room, closing the door and letting out a deep sigh as I leant against it. I had felt a lot in the past half hour and needed a moment to allow myself to feel everything.
I knew I couldn't be mad at Ryan for what he did. It's not like this relationship held anything real or substantial. Our conversations were poor and when we did hang out, it was quite mundane. I rarely felt relaxed around him and felt like I had to entertain him while he was here, all the while I felt like doing so was a chore. He mustn't have felt anymore comfortable and that is only confirmed by his desire to seek affection from that unknown girl. I didn't feel upset or hurt in the way that a real girlfriend would.
A knock on my bedroom door snapped me out of my thoughts. I pushed my hair out of my face and turned around, opening the door expecting to face Emily or Ryan. Instead, I was greeted by Paul.
"Hi."
"Hey, can I come in?" He asked. I nodded, stepping back to give him space to move into the room. I closed my door behind him, hoping that Ryan would get the message that I didn't want to talk. "How are you feeling?"
"Uh...I'm feeling quite a lot. This has really thrown me off," I paused to let out a humourless chuckle, "I feel hopeful, most of all." Paul frowned as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Hopeful?"
"Hopeful that this means that my mother will see that he is just as miserable and allow him to go back to Australia...even if it is earlier than she planned. I just don't want him here anymore, it's terrible! I brought a stranger into the packs safe haven! Everyone must hate me right now" I plonked myself on the end of the bed and buried my head in my hands in embarrassment.
"Hey, now, that's not true at all" Paul assured me and sat down beside me. I shook my head in disbelief and glanced over at him.
"I hate myself right now. This is a place where you guys should all feel comfortable to talk openly and be who you are, but I took that away from you all by bringing Ryan here" I told him, feeling my heart sink. The thought had dawned on me since my mother suggested the idea. I hated it and I hated that I'd taken away a portion of freedom from that packs lives. Paul took my hand in his large one and tightly squeezed it, making me frown.
"Stop it. You didn't take anything away from us. There is no fault here. Your mum doesn't know about us, so how would she know about how this decision would impact us? No one hates you, Kira. Not even a little. Plus, there are other places that the pack can talk openly. For example, Jacob's house or Leah and Seth's. Jacob's dad is a council member for the tribe and Sue Clearwater has stepped in for Harry. Sam has just been using those places as meeting spots in times that we need to discuss anything leech related" Paul explained firmly. I nodded, accepting his explanation and appreciating his comfort. I did feel slightly better knowing that this wasn't their only place to truly be themselves.
"Thanks, Paul" I smiled at him weakly. He squeezed my hand again and returned the smile.
"I don't want you to feel upset about this all."
"Too late," I mumbled. "Paul, I know I shouldn't ask this of you, but... would you be okay with spending the night here?"
"Didn't I already say that I wasn't going to leave you home alone with that kid?" Paul questioned. "Or did I imagine that?" I let out a weak laugh.
"Thank you, Paul. I don't deserve this" I squeezed his hand. Paul shook his head.
"You deserved better" Paul responded quietly, his eyes intensely saying back into mine. I let go of Paul's hand quickly and stood up from the bed, pulling my pyjamas from behind my pillow case and walking into the bathroom to shower.
Once I finished attempting to relax beneath the hot water, I put my hair into a bun and pulled on my pyjamas. After throwing my clothes next to the door (deciding I'll put them in the hamper tomorrow) walked back into my room and found it empty. Had he left? I wouldn't blame him if he did, in fact I wouldn't be surprised if he ran the second I closed the bathroom door. With a defeated sigh, I pulled back the duvet and slid beneath the covers, settling my head against my pillow. Without realising how hurt I felt that Paul had left, I felt a tear leave my tear duct and roll down my cheek.
The door of my room quietly opened and I looked up to find Paul stepping back into the room. He gently closed the door again, carefully stepping around the bed. I rolled over and watched him remove his shoes. His eyes met mine and the corner of his lips tipped upwards.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"I--I thought you had left" I mumbled, feeling stupid and a numerous other emotions. I quickly wiped away the stray tear, hoping he hadn't picked up on it. But his wolf senses were working against me. He climbed onto the bed and stretched his legs out. He laid back and rolled onto his side, facing me. His thumb wiped over my cheek.
"Never," He firmly assured me. "I was just making sure that kid was where he was meant to be." I nodded.
"Thank you, Paul" I closed my eyes.
I woke up to a shrill sound that I realised was a text notification from my phone. In my groggy state of mine, I thought that it was plausible to check. I reached over to my bedside table, where my phone was sitting face-down against the timber. The bright light instantly burned my eyes in their tired state and I had to squint to read the text from the unknown contact.
He may be warm, but he'll never warm your heart.