copy cat || paul lahote

darkness clung to her senses, thick and suffocating, but the voices surrounding her pierced through the void in sharp bursts. nora drifted between consciousness and unconsciousness, her body heavy, her side burning with a deep, relentless pain. every throb sent a fresh wave of agony rolling through her, and though she couldn't move, she could hear them—angry, frustrated, desperate.

"paul, stop being a stubborn asshole and help her!" leah's voice was sharp, cutting through the tension like a blade.

a low growl rumbled through the room, unmistakably paul's. "i'm not doing anything for her," he snapped. "she's not my problem."

"not your problem?" leah scoffed, her fury palpable. "you don't care that she's lying there in pain because of you? you really don't feel anything?"

"i didn't touch her," paul shot back defensively. "don't put this on me."

"no, but you fought that cullen, and now look at her!" leah hissed. "her body mimicked your pain, dumbass. she's taking the hit you should be feeling! you really gonna sit there and act like you don't care?"

a tense silence followed, the weight of unspoken truths settling over the room like a heavy fog. nora could feel it—the hesitation, the conflict, the way paul's breathing had changed, shallow and uneven.

sam's voice finally broke through. "leah, back off."

"back off?" she repeated, incredulous. "no. i'm sick of this! i'm sick of watching you all act like this imprint bond means nothing!" her voice cracked slightly, frustration and something deeper—hurt, maybe—bleeding through. "you think ignoring it makes it go away? do you think rejecting it changes anything?"

"leah." sam's tone carried a quiet authority that made even her falter for a moment.

but she wasn't done. "she's hurting, paul," leah continued, quieter now but still seething. "and you're just gonna sit there and watch? fine. be a coward. we can't do anything else to help."

the words hung in the air, suffocating and absolute. a heavy silence fell over the room. through the haze clouding her mind, nora could feel the battle raging just beyond her reach. paul's breathing had grown heavier, laboured like he was fighting something deep inside himself. she didn't understand the full extent of what was happening, but the tension in the room was suffocating.

then, after what felt like an eternity, there was movement. a hesitant step. the feeling of warmth, closer than before.

nora's fingers twitched as she fought to surface from the suffocating darkness. pain flared in sharp waves through her body, but it was nothing compared to the crushing weight of the voices pressing in around her.

she struggled to make sense of them, but only fragments reached her. paul. leah. anger. desperation. her name.

then warmth—close, hesitant. a presence lingering at her side.

through the fog, she forced her eyelids to crack open just a fraction, her vision blurry and unfocused. a shadow hovered above her, tense and unmoving. the warmth grew stronger, radiating across her skin. she knew who it was before she could even see clearly—paul.

she didn't have the strength to react, but she didn't need to. the moment she was aware of him, something shifted inside her, and the pain dulled—not completely gone, but no longer unbearable. her breath steadied, her heart falling into a more even rhythm.

a flicker of confusion crossed paul's face. she could see it now, the way his jaw clenched, the way his hands flexed like he wanted to pull away but couldn't. he was fighting it. fighting her. fighting whatever invisible force was holding them in place.

nora swallowed, her throat dry and raw. "why are you here?"

her voice was barely a whisper, but he flinched like she had struck him. his nostrils flared, and for a moment, she thought he wouldn't answer.

"you're not my problem," he muttered, but the words lacked the conviction they had before.

a weak, bitter laugh escaped her lips. "then go."

silence.

he didn't move.

leah scoffed from somewhere nearby. "yeah, that's what i thought."

paul's head snapped toward her, his glare sharp enough to cut, but it didn't matter. the damage was already done. whatever wall he had tried to put up between them had cracked, and they both knew it.

nora could feel it—him. the anger, the frustration, but also something else. something she didn't have the energy to name.

she let her eyes close again, exhaustion pulling her under. but before the darkness took her completely, she felt it—paul shifting just a little closer, his warmth lingering longer than it should.

and then everything faded away.

the tension in the room was suffocating, thick with unspoken grievances and barely contained aggression. paul stood rigid, his arms crossed over his chest, his jaw clenched tight. leah, however, was done holding back.

"you're literally wearing the clothes she bought for us," she snapped, gesturing at the shirt paul had thrown on carelessly. "maybe stop acting like she's the enemy when she's been helping us this entire time. it doesn't matter what her ancestor did to ours—she doesn't even know who she really is!"

paul scoffed, rolling his eyes. "so what? i'm supposed to just forget all of it? the stories, the warnings?" he shook his head, his hands tightening into fists. "you're way too trusting, leah. just because she's nice to you doesn't mean she isn't dangerous."

leah stepped forward, refusing to back down. "oh, give me a break, paul. you act like she's some kind of ticking time bomb, but the only one acting out of control here is you! she's done nothing but help. if anything, she's been more of a damn pack member than you have lately."

jared, who had been listening in silence, finally spoke up, his voice level but firm. "you wanna talk about trust, paul? you really think she's the biggest problem right now?" he folded his arms, eyes locked onto paul. "you're so good at pushing people away. yet you won't even break up with someone you don't truly love?"

paul's body went rigid. the air in the room shifted, thick with something almost electric. his hands twitched at his sides as his breathing turned heavier. "watch yourself, jared."

"or what?" jared didn't flinch. "you gonna run like you always do? you think hurting her first makes it easier?"

paul's control snapped. his eyes burned with fury as he took a step forward. "i'll break her like sam broke leah!"

the room fell into stunned silence. the words hit like a physical blow, their weight suffocating the space between them. leah's face darkened, her fists clenching at her sides. then, without warning, she lunged.

the shift was almost instantaneous. one second leah was human, the next, a furious grey wolf barreling into paul as he transformed just as quickly. their bodies collided with bone-jarring force, snarls ripping through the air as they tumbled through the doorway and outside.

snapping jaws, lunging bodies—leah wasted no time in attacking, her rage giving her an edge. paul responded in kind, his powerful form twisting and dodging before retaliating just as fiercely. the others rushed outside, but no one moved to stop them. this was a fight that needed to happen.

claws raked across fur, paws hit the ground with thunderous force, and guttural growls echoed through the trees. every strike, every bite, was an outlet for years of unspoken frustration, of wounds too deep to heal with words alone. leah fought with everything in her, and for once, paul didn't hold back either.

and inside, as the chaos unfolded, nora's eyes fluttered open. the pain that had gripped her body for hours was gone, as if it had never been there at all. her breathing steadied, her mind clearing as the distant sounds of battle registered. something had changed, but she wasn't sure what. all she knew was that she felt whole again.