chapter 1; imprint.

embry.

The first time I saw her, I knew we belonged together. There was something in the way she smiled at me; like she knew how to solve all my problems. Her walk made her seem almost ethereal, as if she were my own personal angel. Her eyes, this unusual light green and prettier than any emerald, seemed to bore directly into parts of my soul that no one else knew about. I needed to know everything about her; I needed her to know about me. I'll admit, though I've only seen her once before, once is enough to know in our world. Jake thinks I'm crazy. Someone like her? Well, certainly she can't stand up to the statue that is Bella Swan in Jake's book. He says she's too happy, too carefree to know anything about what we are. More importantly, he says that I should stop thinking about her because he doesn't like hearing about her. That's funny; we hear about Bella on an hourly basis in some way shape or form. At least Quil's happy for me. He jokes that he just has to wait a couple of years and he'll be as love struck as Jake and I. Sam's happy about it, too. As happy as he can be, anyway, considering he and Emily know how dangerous we are firsthand.

I wish I could just talk to her. Passing her once on the way to Thriftway just doesn't cut it in my book. She looked so happy then, rounding up several children and escorting them inside. All under a giant purple umbrella. I couldn't see her face clearly, but I know it was beautiful. I could feel an aura of serenity wash over me, carried by the ever-present Forks rain. She smiled and herded what I assumed to be two little brothers inside the grocery store, smiling and laughing with them. They looked so perfect together. I wanted to stop the Rabbit right there and rush over, but shyness and self-control got the better of me. I just want to talk to her is all. Even if it's just a "Hello"; at least she would know I exist. I'd tell her that I need her and I want her to know how much she means to me. It sounds a bit stalker-esque, I know. But like I said, our love isn't like human love. We have a loyalty much stronger than any human will ever know.

It was another rainy day when I saw her again; Jake was driving the Rabbit as usual. A little too fast for my tastes, but it was his car and there wasn't much I could do when Jake was in one of his moods. The Volkswagen chugged along the dirt roads, kicking up mud and pebbles as the old wheels turned. We were listening to some CD that he had heard Bella listening to once, a long time ago. She and the bloodsuckers were all long gone now. They'd broken the treaty; Bella herself was the one who wanted it. From what I hear, they headed up north with some others of their kind. At one point, I'd actually thought she and Jake would end up together, the way she led him on; I actually considered her a kind-of sister. But Juliet needs her Romeo, I suppose, and as soon as Cullen came back she left us. I'll admit I'm a little jealous of the bronze-haired bloodsucker; he got what he wanted in the end. They both did. None of us got what we wanted, though. Especially Jake. He was inconsolable for a few months after Bella went vamp. It was hard enough tracking him down after he ran away. We found him a few weeks later in pretty bad shape (which he swore me to secrecy over the details). We were all pretty upset, I guess. Considering that Bella knew our secret and all. But life goes on, and Jake got better. He still loves her, of course, but he's trying to move on.

The group on the CD, which I'm assuming were girls because of the high-pitched shrieking, whined on about how much the world hated them. Again, not my thing, but it was best to just let it go. I stared out the window at the tiny houses, built almost in mimeograph, as we passed them. It was then that I saw her again; my wolf girl. My angel.

Jake sensed my sudden surge of happiness and groaned.
"We passed her, didn't we?" he asked, his voice more like a growl than anything I'd heard in a long time.

If I was in wolf-mode at that moment, my tail would have been wagging uncontrollably. I nodded and stared out through the rear-view mirror.
"Wonder what she's doing at the Clearwater's," Jake continued, slowing the Rabbit to a crawl. "I think I'll go check." I felt the car stop, and my stomach did a three-sixty. Jake's door opened slightly and he shot me a sinister smirk. With that, he hopped out of the Volkswagen, and practically skipped around to my side of the car.

"Come on before your girl gets stolen too," he added, a bit of bitterness tainting his voice.

Jake strode up the muddy sidewalk, a cocky air about him. This was the first time I'd seen him like this since he disappeared; since Bella died. Not died in the traditional sense, of course, but you know what I'm getting at. I hesitated to grab the door handle, wanting nothing more than to hide under a rock. I'm a pretty shy guy and the thought of talking to someone so utterly perfect was terrifying. I let my better judgment get the short end of the stick and followed Jake up to where perfection was staring aimlessly up into the clouds.

"Hey," Jake called, waving at her. "Who are you?"

My best friend and brother could be a little blunt sometimes, and I hid my embarrassment behind what I hoped to be a friendly-looking smile. The girl jumped, obviously not expecting company for a while. She turned around to face us and my stomach did yet another three-sixty. Her smile could've given the healthiest person diabetes; it was so saccharine sweet.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you Seth Clearwater?" she asked, her voice saturated with hope.

"I'm Charlotte Crosby. No relation to the hockey genius, although I wouldn't really mind. You can call me Gracie, though. Everyone does. Anyhow, your mother sent me to get these," she continued, pointing to a box at her feet. I nearly fainted; her voice was as angelic as her appearance.

"I'm not Seth. The name's Jake. Jacob Black," he said, stepping aside to then introduce me. He knew me too well; I'm such a chicken sometimes.

"And this is Embry Call."

I mustered up every ounce of voice I had in me, only to meekly introduce myself. "Hi. It's nice to meet you, Gracie," I said, stumbling aimlessly over my words. Another smile spread across her pale face. "If you're looking for Seth, he's down at the beach. We're…friends of his. He should be home soon, if you don't mind waiting a little while."

I may be shy, but I'm not one to pass up a good opportunity to speak if I see one. All I knew was that I was determined to have her stay here for a little while; forever if possible.

Her smile was directed entirely at me – ME! – and I turned as scarlet as my tanned skin would permit. A soft giggle escaped her lips before she replied: "I have all day Embry."

Her cheeriness melted me inside. I'm surprised I didn't look like a puddle of copper on the Clearwater's front lawn. I've never reacted to anyone in the world like I did to her. Forgive the terrible half-pun, but this was no mere puppy love – this was the real thing.