Alex tried her best not to curl into Paul's body.

His warmth was too inviting—especially as the crisp, salty air nipped at Alex's exposed skin. The heat that practically radiated off of Paul had always been welcoming to Alex, yet unlike usual she had to refrain from clinging to him to gather warmth.

"Are you sure you two want to do this?" Embry asked almost skeptically.

Alex had no reply to that question from her best friend—because she knew if she answered then it would be a definite no. That would only please Jared more.

"We are," Kim spoke up for Alex, a small smirk on her face.

A snicker of laughter was heard from next to the mousy haired girl. Jared was the culprit, as he stood next to Kim with Paul and Alex right beside them. Embry was behind them, and Alex could only imagine that the boy was shaking his head in pure disbelief.

"You don't sound so sure there, K. How about you, Lexi, are you ready?" Jared spoke with so much amusement in his voice that Alex could swear it got swept into the air surrounding them all.

She didn't know why she stood on a cliff face with the majority of the pack. Well, actually Alex did know why, she just couldn't believe that a simple argument had gone this far.

Jared had made a simple comment about the pack's cliff diving trips, which weren't a secret but Alex had never been a fan of the hobby her friends had taken up since it sounded ridiculously unsafe. It was when the young wolf had thought to himself for a second, then laughed audibly at the prospect of either Kim or Alex doing what they do that the argument had started.

Both Kim and Alex got instantly offended at the insinuation that they couldn't do it—and that the thought was laughable. To settle it all Jared had bet that the girls wouldn't jump off the cliff face, which was how they ended up there.

Alex had been all fire and rage when the comment was made, yet now as she stood on the high up mountainous terrain she had many regrets. Jared was the only keen one at this point—both Embry and Paul had already expressed how stupid the idea was but that couldn't have stopped both Alex and Kim when they wanted to prove a point.

"Just shut up for once in your life," Alex replied sarcastically, although at the point she didn't know if she was joking.

The tiny brunette sneaked another glance down to the ocean below and instantly clenched her eyes shut. It was so far down—and the ocean didn't look inviting at all. Alex had never been a fan of the beach, but now it looked even more unappealing.

"This is so stupid. Can we just agree that both of the girls can do it and call it a day?" Embry pleaded from behind the paired off couples.

"Why are you acting like it's unsafe?" Kim asked rather importantly. "If you guys do this every day then it can't be bad if we do it once."

That raised a solid point that Alex could get behind. Paul's safety meant a lot to the girl, any inkling that he could get hurt doing this then she would plead him to not. It was hard enough to let him go off and be surrounded by vampires that hated his kind—the thought of actually losing him however wasn't something that Alex ever wanted to even think about.

"We're werewolves—"

"Doesn't matter. Safe is safe. This clearly is if Sam lets you do it every day so just let short stack and I do it, alright?" Kim's face was deadset in an emotionless grin. Alex didn't think she had ever seen the girl like this, and it made her proud. She was standing up for something—Alex just wished it wasn't something she was going to have to prove while jumping off a tall cliff.

"Go on then, Kimmy. Go for it." Jared, like his imprint, had a determined expression on his face. He didn't want to lose, that was obvious but Alex could easily feel the care that exuded off him. Despite what he was saying, Jared looked scared at the prospect.

Alex let in an intake of breath—filled with the smell of seawater. A hand caressed her cheek lightly, which made the girl turn to look right into Paul's dark eyes. The very eyes that she was always enraptured in, that filled her with both butterflies and calmness.

Alex was surprised to get this reaction from the boy. He hadn't so much as said anything since everyone had climbed to the top of this cliff. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to, Lex. I'll tell Jared to fuck off and shut up if I have to—I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

The brunette sighed at the angst filling his voice, not only that but the look of raw fear in his eyes. It made her stomach clench. "Kim's right. It's safe and I kind of want to rub it in Jared's face."

Jared let out an exaggerated howl—one that was almost comical considering that all three of the boys were capable of making one when they phased. He had moved to jokingly whack Paul on the shoulder, which Paul retaliated with by swinging his arm nonchalantly in his direction. "She's making you soft, Lahote. Let the girl jump already."

Paul however didn't seem to care about the comments made by his pack member. He hadn't once let his eyes leave Alex's. "I'm serious. Please don't do this if you don't want to."

"He has a point, Lexi," Embry voiced from behind the couple. He had his fingernails near his mouth—biting them was a nervous habit that Alex knew the boy had done for as long as she had known him. "It's just Jared being stupid as per. Ignore him—I usually do."

"Oh, fuck up, Embry. No one asked you."

Paul didn't dare look away from Alex however, his thumb brushed over her bare cheekbone. Not Jared's comments that disagreed or Embry's ones that affirmed his point made the boy divert his attention—even for a split second.

"I'll be fine," Alex swallowed down any nerves that bubbled up inside her, desperately trying to claw their way out. The only thing that made the girl truly want to do this was what Jordan had said to her right before he left for Ohio. He had told his slightly younger twin sister to try new things, to experiment and to live. She figured this was something her brother would be proud of her for. "I want to do this."

Without another word, Alex moved out of Paul's warm embrace, her skin tingling at the absence of his touch. But the brunette knew that if she didn't get away from his comforting touch then she would remain there—not doing what her mind was now deadset on.

She had a point to prove to Jared, to her brother but most importantly, to herself. Alex knew she had changed in the past few months, and the brunette felt like this would be the pinnacle of it all. The old Alex—the one that would rather sit at home and didn't have a friend beside her twin—wouldn't have ever dreamed of doing something so rebellious and dangerous.

The adrenaline surged through the girl at this thought. Alex Santiago was doing this for herself. No one else. Okay, maybe slightly for Jordan—but she was that close to her twin brother that he felt like an extension of herself.

Alex's hands gripped the edge of her tank top and tugged it over her head. She easily wiggled out of her denim shorts and slipped off her flip flops. Her simple black bikini now only covered the girl—that painfully obvious to her since the bitter wind now nipped at all of her exposed body.

Alex could feel a pair of eyes roam her newly bare body and she didn't even have to look to know it was Paul. When she did look however, she didn't think she had ever seen the boy that entranced in something. His eyes glossed over, but they didn't look bored in the slightest. He was transfixed—transfixed on looking at Alex, his eyes roamed her tan skin.

It didn't take long for Alex to recognise that she was the cause of that look. That she was what Paul couldn't take his eyes off of. The brunette had never been the cause of a look like that and although it made her cheeks tint red like the majority of Paul's affections, it also filled Alex with a newfound surge of adrenaline. Which was exactly what she needed.

Without a word and with Paul's eyes still spellbound, Alex walked over to where Kim was already waiting for her—right at the cliffs edge.

"Let's do it before I change my mind," Kim muttered quietly to Alex before the two intertwined their fingers.

Somehow, the pair that hadn't even met over a month ago, knew each other well enough to not have to count down. It made sense to Alex—Kim and her were almost the exact same. Both outsiders of the pack, although somehow included. Alex sometimes forgot how much it meant to have someone like her, someone that she could relate to.

Before Alex knew it, she had launched her body off the cliff with her hand gripping Kim's one tight. Her eyes now trained down to the dark water below, which was coming at her a lot faster than she expected.

What Alex expected even less was to enjoy the feeling that she got as her body soared through the crisp air. Her insides bubbled and felt like they moved up inside her as she fell down. The feeling of free fall was an interesting on, some would say unexplainable, and Alex didn't ever think a timid, small girl like her would enjoy it.

But enjoy it she did.

Alex's body collided with the deep water and suddenly she was submerged. Her body easily pushed itself back up to the surface from the water and the brunette had to push all of her sopping hair out of her eyes.

Arms wrapped around her from behind in a hug as Kim squealed into the embrace. "We actually did it, short stack!"

"Damn right we did," Alex giggled back. One of her hands gripped Kim's bare back, while she continued to laugh at what just happened.

She really just jumped off that cliff, lots of feet above the water. And she really did enjoy it.

Her gaze moved up to the cliff now, where three figures looked down at them below. Alex could easily spot Paul, who had an almost proud smile on his face.

Alex used her free hand to cup it around her mouth. "Suck on that, Jared!"

Her voice rang out loud as she shouted. Alex didn't know if Jared actually heard her, but Kim did and it made the pair break out into another fit of laughter—the uncontrollable kind that made Alex's stomach start to ache.

Three echoes of shouts bounced off the water, before the same amount of bodies crashed into the sea not too far from where the girls waded. Alex was sure that their calculated dives were a lot more graceful than her and Kim's, but she didn't really care.

The pair detached themselves from one another at the sight of the three boys popping out of the water. Paul, Embry and Jared looked like seasoned pros in the sea, their hair delicately stuck to their necks and easy smiles sat on their faces.

Alex didn't notice how cold the water was until right at that minute. Her teeth must have chattered for a while, and her arms instinctively wanted to curl around her body to retain whatever warmth they could.

Paul swam towards the petite brunette quickly, most likely having noticed her shivering before Alex did herself. That was always how Paul was—it always felt that he knew a whole lot more about Alex than the girl did herself.

The boy gripped Alex's bare back and pulled her frame into him. Alex could feel the warm tingles of Paul touching her bare skin even though the water around them was almost ice cold. Her arms wrapped around his neck easily, her legs following suit around his waist.

Alex had no shame in wanting to warm up—at least that was the reason she told herself it was so easy to be this close to Paul. Where her skin and his molded together upon contact.

"How was it?" Paul's voice was low near Alex's ear—that was how close the two were.

It was obvious what he was referring too. Alex's teeth had already stopped chattering at the warmth Paul's skin exuded onto her. "Fun, like really fun. I want to go again."

"Slow down, Lex. Take a breath," Paul joked to the girl now. Smiles beamed off of both their faces, matching each other more than the pair realised.

"Jordan would be proud of me," Alex stated rather to herself than the boy she was connected too. It was true—she had no doubt that her twin wouldn't be proud of what she had just accomplished. It was daring, dangerous and so out of character.

Paul clutched her side tighter. "More importantly, you should be proud of yourself."

Alex smiled at that, because she was. A lot of new things had happened in her life since Jordan left, but this one seemed like a milestone for some reason. No one pushed her to do it, only gave her the idea. The accomplishment of it was all Alex. And damn was she proud of herself.

Paul seemed to pause for a second, his eyes moved right around Alex's wet face. He was deliberating, thinking about whether to say something or not. Alex let her fingers dance across the back of Paul's neck, not pressuring him yet letting him know she knew.

Somehow, Paul realised this. Alex didn't know how, but the boy started talking. "Embry mentioned imprinting at the party the other night and I need to tell you what it means. Please don't freak out, you have to promise me."

Alex would be lying if she said she hadn't thought about that word. Embry had mentioned it in regards to why Paul and herself hung out so much, which only intrigued the brunette more. "Okay, I promise."

If it meant pegging her curiosity, then Alex wouldn't freak out. Or at least she would tell Paul that she wouldn't so he would spill the beans.

"It's a wolf thing. Like finding your soulmate. Wolfs imprint on one person and one person only, and it means that they are meant to spend their life with them. Not necessarily as a relationship thing, it could be as a best friend or even a brother like figure."

Alex noted again how Paul's eyes never left hers—something that happened more often than not. Her brain however spun at the amount of information that overloaded that sentence. Soulmates. Spending lives together. Forever. It didn't take long for the girl to put two and two together. "You imprinted on me?"

Paul let his grip on Alex loosen slightly, which the brunette hated. "Yeah—the day I first saw you outside your house. It explains why you always want to be close to me."

"No," Alex answered rather quickly, picking out the one part of that speech that her mind instantly rejected. "No, that's not why I always want to be with you."

Paul furrowed his brows at this which only made Alex want to explain herself more despite how vulnerable it would make her. "It's because you make me feel safe. You make me feel happy. You make me feel more like myself than I think I've ever felt—almost like you've helped me find out who I truly wanted to be away from my brother. I want to be close to you because you're you. Because I'm me. And somehow, for some reason, we fit. We just do, Paul. And I know that even without all that imprint stuff, I still would have found you and it would still be like this."

Alex hadn't ever seen a smile quite like the one Paul gave her after that. "So, you're not freaked out?"

"To know this isn't temporary?" Alex asked. She knew it was a lot to take in and to wrap her head around, but she would in time because Paul meant that much to her. It wasn't a surprising thing to be told, just something that the brunette would happily get used to. "That this is forever? I think, somehow, I already knew that. And even if I'm being delusional about that, then the thought of spending a long time with you is definitely not something I'm scared of."

Paul's eyes for once moved away from Alex's, only to glance briefly at her mouth. Their heads already inched closer together and the brunette felt her stomach pull. She didn't have experience, but Alex definitely knew that they were about to kiss—her first ever kiss.

"You're okay," Paul mumbled to the girl. His hands gripped her body tighter now under the water, Alex could feel a tingling trail of where the boy's fingers delicately caressed her skin. "I've got you."

It didn't surprise Alex at this point that Paul could sense her nerves—she supposed that was an imprint thing. Or maybe it was just a Paul thing. He seemed in tune to people, not just Alex.

When Paul's lips lightly brushed hers, Alex forgot every single thing that rushed through her brain. She wasn't concerned about her inexperience or how everyone described their first kiss as being horrific. All that mattered was her and Paul, there together.

His lips enclosed around Alex's. The one thing that did surprise the girl was how much emotion could push onto her when their lips met. It was soft and delicate, yet Alex could feel the care that Paul was putting into it.

She could feel his care not only for the current situation, but all that he felt for her. When Paul's warm lips reached hers. When their tongues molded together. When his fingers gripped slightly harder to bring her closer—through it all Alex could only feel the care that Paul exuded.

Alex didn't think she could like him more than she did right then.

The brunette let her lips pull into a smile then, which made Paul do the same. She didn't care that her giddiness made the boy pull away from her first kiss, Alex had a feeling it wouldn't be their last. Especially if they were to spend forever together.

"What's got you giggling? Am I a terrible kisser—because I have never been told that before and it was kind of my trademark. It'll be awkward if you tell me otherwise, Lex," Paul joked to the girl, an easy smirk planted on his face.

Alex let her forehead lean against Paul's, her arms tightened around his neck. She couldn't exactly explain all the laughing, it just happened. Maybe it was because she was happy, or the situation was almost getting too much for the brunette to handle. She didn't exactly know. "Everyone always complains about their first kiss, saying how bad it was. But that was good."

"Just good?" Paul dramatically annunciated the words, making Alex nearly want to burst out laughing again.

"Fine—breathtaking. Extraordinary. Unbelievable. Astonishing. Am—"

Paul freed one of his hands and used it to cover Alex's mouth. The girl still had her legs wrapped around his waist as they waded in the water. "Alright. No need to be a smart ass."

Alex cheekily let her tongue slip onto Paul's hand that covered her mouth, making the boy let out a disgusted noise as he removed it. The brunette had learnt that trick from the many times her and Jordan had fought—no one liked spit on their hand.

The smile wouldn't leave Alex's face, no matter how many times she tried. "It was really good, all jokes aside. Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me, Lex. I'm not doing anyone favours here. I'm in this, with you." Paul let his hand move to cup the brunette's cheek, thumb brushing familiarly across her wet cheekbones.

The girl scrunched up her nose at this and Alex was almost positive her cheeks were tinted red. A zoo of butterflies felt like they released in her stomach, Paul's words made her both nervous and happy at the same time.