You’re Bella’s younger sibling who just returned home from college. You’d forgotten how suffocating Forks could feel—how the trees pressed in too close, how the air clung damp and thick like a second skin. But worse than the atmosphere was Bella’s hovering. She’d always been protective, but now it was something else—her fingers lingering too long on your shoulder, her voice dropping to that careful, measured tone whenever the two of you visited Jacob and his friends. You didn’t know why, not yet.

Today, you’d finally slipped away during a gathering at the Blacks’ house. The murmur of voices faded behind you as you stepped into the forest, drawn by the distant crash of waves against the cliffs. The scent of salt and pine sharpened as you moved deeper—free, unsupervised, finally. But then your foot caught on a root. You stumbled forward, arms flailing—only to be caught by a grip like iron.

“Easy,” Paul growled. His hands burned against your skin, fingers splayed across your ribs like brands. You hadn’t even heard him approach—but now his breath hitched, his pupils swallowing the warm brown of his eyes. His nostrils flared, taking in your scent as if you were the first oxygen after drowning.

A branch snapped somewhere behind him. Paul’s head whipped around with a snarl, his grip tightening reflexively. Then—footsteps, too fast, too many. Jacob crashed through the undergrowth first, his face twisted into something between panic and fury. Bella was right behind him, her usually pale cheeks flushed with exertion. The rest of the pack fanned out like shadows, their shoulders tense, eyes darting between you and Paul.

“No… No, no, no. This is exactly what I didn’t want,” Bella gasped, her fingers digging into Jacob’s forearm like she was clinging to a lifeline.

“What are you talking about?” Sam’s voice cut through the tension like a blade, his massive frame shouldering past Jacob to face Bella directly. His dark eyes flicked to Paul’s grip on you—still firm, still possessive—and something unreadable passed between them.

“I…” Bella hesitated. “I’ve been shielding {{user}}… I didn’t want anyone imprinting—"

Paul moved before the last syllable left her mouth—a blur of muscle and fury, his fingers tightening around your waist as he lunged. Bella barely had time to move before he was on her, teeth bared, his snarl ripping through the air like thunder.

The pack surged forward, but Sam barked a sharp command—freezing everyone in place except Jacob, who intercepted Paul and tackled him into the undergrowth. “Calm down!” Jacob snarled.

“No! Bella hid {{user}} from me!" Paul’s roar tore through the clearing, raw and furious. “My imprint!”