Chapter One
Brian
My mother had been from the Quilute tribe but had left when I was still unborn. I was fully of the tribe from my inky black hair to my equally black eyes. I was however completely American and didn't know one thing about my heritage.
"Brian." My Mom said stopping my wool gathering.
"Yes Mom." I reply looking out the window, she had tried to teach me but I was not an easy student. Mom had had me with an Native American of the Lacota tribe off the reservation, he had promised forever for a girl scarcely out of her teens. He was of similar age but their marriage didn't last longer than a year after the twins were born he left us. I spent some summers with him when I was younger but as I had gotten older and he increased his attempts to drown his troubles in alcohol my mother decided that it was best that we move.
We first moved out of Texas and then to California and finally we are coming back to the reservation that I had never been on. I had no desire to go to either, I wished that I could simply continue working on cars instead of starting over in a new town and new life.
"We are here." She says effectively breaking me from my reverie. The house was small and had a resent room added on. It was my Uncle Billy's house. I had never before met him. It was odd for a seventeen, tall weed of a boy to be meeting my Uncle for the first time.
Apparently he had a son that was six years older than me. the difference between twenty three and seventeen could be measured in miles. Especially since I had always been immature and well sometime my anger got the best of me. It was my anger that had my mom returning here.
You see I turn into a werewolf, its really cool I have white and black fur with dots on either sides. My mom calls me ying yang sometimes out of fun. My personality is two edged like my pelt. Both darkness, moody and angry sometimes and light funny and caring. The problem was that even I didn't know which way my personality will go. She had contacted her brother and he told her that his son was in a wolf pack. A wolf pack!
I got out the car sheepishly taking two of the bags with me. A young man was waiting at the door and I smiled he was buff. I put down the bags and stuck out my hand. "Hi I am Brian." He smiles at me the smile slow to reach his eyes.
"Hello Brian my name is Jacob."
"Come on Brianna and Breena." I say and they both exit out of the car. They are both sixteen and very pretty.
"Hello." He says and helps us carry in the bags.
"Mom, why are you here with me anyway? I mean I can manage myself, I am getting better and I would have help." I tell her.
"You are too young to be unsupervised." My Mom said in reply.
"Too young, rather you don't want to let me go. Let me be my own person my own man. Yes I am a man, a young man but still a man." I yelled the last and ran into the forest, having enough control to throw off my clothes first before turning into a werewolf. I howl, I didn't want to be treated like a little kid. I wanted to be treated like the young man I was. My mother however would have me young forever if she had her way.
I stayed in the forest for a while before changing back into my clothes once more. I walked slowly back to the house sheepishly, I had showed how little control I had to my cousin no less. I enter the house and apologize. "Sorry." I say gruffly.
"I understand." He says. "Its a lot of changes all at once." I howl and my sisters giggle.
"That's our big brother wolf." Briana says. Which had everyone laughing. Brianna was a mild girl with a sense of humor, she was loyal and brave. Breena however is a tiger in sheep's clothing she had however gone to the restroom and so we were spared her bite.
The door opened and a young man stood outside it. He was at most three years older than I. "Hi Jake." He says and grins. "Sam wants us." He smiles at me and my sister. "You can come too if you wish."
"That sounds like fun." She says in reply and the young man grins at both of us before going back the way he had came. My sister steps out of the bathroom and together the four of us go to Sam's. I would meet my pack now for the first time.
"They are a fine lot if you don't anger them. Sam is the head of the pack." Jacob explains and I nod smiling.
"I get it, when he says fetch we do so, right?" I said and Jacob laughs.
"Exactly. Now do your sisters have, hairy problems."
"You can keep your hairy problems to yourself and gladly." Breena says but I know how much she truly wants to be a wolf. She doesn't have the spark however, not yet at least. I see a glimmer on occasion but no more than that. Briana is a sheep among wolves so caring and kind but she has no inclination to being a wolf at all. Nether does she want to be one.
"Hairy problems?" He asks and laughs. We all smile and Brianna shoves her sister playfully. Breena shoves back and they shove each other laughing they looked exactly alike on the outside but were so different on the inside. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, A rose by any other color would be as beautiful. Brianna is a red rose and Breena is a white but they both are wonderful and I love them both in different ways.
"Race you there Brianna." Breena said and they take off running.
"Should we?" I ask and Jacob nods, we catch up with them easily and Jacob wins only because he knows where he is going. We stand outside the door as he knocks. A man answered it.
"Hi Jake, these must be your cousins. Welcome, come on in." He says and I see at once that this is Sam. I walk into a door and then I see her. Her face is turned away from me and she is talking with our messenger. Suddenly the world narrows and I see only her. I can feel her energy crackly and wonderful, I could hear only her heart beat and know that I simply had to see her eyes or else I might die.
I move closer as though in a dream until I stand beside her. I cannot speak cannot think besides feeling the need for her to look at me see me for who I truly am and make our two souls one. She turns then and sees my face and stares at me. I smile weakly and so does she it is so beautiful that it makes my own smile widen and hers does too. The room is coming back into focus and it is silent. I smell her and she smells of roses, a double edge beauty and thorns. Like me so like me.
"Hello."I say but I had to know her name her voice her everything. She stares at me in wonder.
"Hello." She replies her voice sounds like a symphony of music. I would look at her forever if I could.
"My name is Brian, what is yours?" I say and her eyes light up and she smiles even broader.
"Leah." The most beautiful words I have ever heard.
"Leah." I breath. "You are so beautiful." I take her hand and she blushes. I relish the moment in which our hands touch. I know that I could not spend a minute without her at my side. I feel like calling out her name over and over, that heavenly name that heavenly sound.
"You are too, beautiful I mean." She says and my heart swells and breaks and reforms making room for her to reside within it with me forever. I sit down on the couch and gently put a hand to her face trying to memorize ever couture. She smiles at me a beautiful smile a wonderful smile. The world should stop and stare at that smile. The world however continues without us. We are born away on a current of these strange new emotions.
I do not know how long I simply stare at her but my sister's cry breaks me out of my reverie. My sister is afraid. I get up and see the same look in Seth's eyes and he is trembling a hair's breath away from her. I run and scoop her up in my arms taking her out of harms reach. She puts her arms around me and shrieks this is my Brianna? My fearless sister? Breena is happily talking to a man, and I see the same look in his eyes that were no doubt in mine. In Seth's as well. She calms down enough and I set her down upon the couch.
"What happened Brianna?" I ask her.
"He comes up to me and pledges his undying love. I don't even know him." She said. "I told him that he needed to back away from me and chill out, I am not the sort of girl to go for meaningless words." Brianna says. "He then starts trembling all over like you do, I know that I can't run fast enough and the next thing I know you are carrying me away." I stroke her hair gently and she burrows her face into my chest starting to sob. Breena comes over to my twin and puts her arm around it.
"He doesn't mean anything by it." She says. "He likes you. Embry said the same thing to me and I knew that it was right somehow." She smiles at my twin. "I am sure he would never hurt you."
"What of that woman then she has werewolf marks upon her cheek." Brianna is hysterical, I do not blame her at all, but both Sam and Emily's eyes fill with pain.
"Could I have some water for my sister?" I ask and Jacob brings me a cup. "Drink this." I say and add some of the drops I carry with me that my mother made for me to calm me down. My mother is an herbalist among other things. I then put the drops under her nose and she breaths deep. She drinks the water and starts to sob. She is unable to protect herself against monsters, my sister it is my duty to protect them and I failed I failed them. "I am sorry I failed you." I whisper to her.
"You can't always be our protector brother." My sister says, I smile at her but know that I have failed my sister. "You got there in time."
"But not before you was in danger if I had only gotten there earlier." I say. "I shouldn't focus on pretty girls. I need to protect you." More than pretty beautiful wonderful girls, but my duty is to my sisters. My father will not protect them and so I will. I am both father and brother and friend by turns, at least that is how I see myself. I stroke her hair gently so glad that I had gotten there in time. That I was able to stop the attack before it was too late, before she was scared or... No I would not think of that. I couldn't be the romantic my sisters need me more than anyone else. They cannot protect themselves so I will for them. I continue to stroke her hair.
"Flowers in a meadow, stars in the sky. The moon rises above us just you and I. The birds sing for you calling your name, the stars dance for you, Oh my sister if this could ever remain the same." I sing.
"The wonderful beauty of you in the night, always by my side the frogs sing in the grass. A wolf howls in the distance celebrating the dance. As we sit upon a sea of grass." Breena sings.
"Stars in the sky, moonlight shines skin, just you and I." We sing together and it takes me a minute for us to realize that my sister is asleep and everyone is staring at us. "What can't I comfort my sister?" I ask and gently stroke her curls.
"You actually manage to tear yourself from your imprint dive and save your sister from Seth?" Sam asked. Seth had not turned into a dog and he had managed to control his rage.
"What is an imprint?" I ask. "I just know that my sister needed me." I smile down at her sleeping soundly. "I am just glad that she is alright."
"An imprint is our second half. When you find them the world reforms to be only them for a short time. Admittedly the first time makes fools of us all." Sam said and Emily went up to him putting a hand upon her back. I feel the same bonding between them that there is between me and my Emily. That means that Seth and this Embry have imprinted on my sisters.
"If either of you ever hurt them I swear I will shave your fur and beat you black and blue. If they do not want your company you are not to stalk them seek them out or anything of the kind. They have a choice in this and if you ever again threaten them, or look at them the wrong way it will be bad for you." I growled and set my sister upon the couch all gentleness lost no one can threaten my sisters no one. My fists clench and unclench of their own accord but the next thing I know Leah is beside me and I feel instantly calm. It is strange and it makes me even angrier, that she a stranger have so much power over me. I felt my self grow in rage too close I am too close. Think of a meadow. I take the bottle out of my pocket and smell it breathing deep it calms me down and feel the trembling stopping. "You almost killed her." I said and broke down in tears this was all too much. Leah comes over to me on one side and my sister on the other. She must be realizing that I am only seventeen despite how much I want to protect her.
"Its alright." She says gently. "She is fine, you are fine." She puts her arm around me.
"I was almost too late, I almost failed to protect her." I sobbed like an infant.
"You are only one year older than us brother, everything doesn't have to rest on your shoulders. Its not your fault or her imprints or my sisters. Everyone is fine and that it the impotent thing." She could always calm me down, so sweet my little sisters.
"You always know what to say." I continued to sob. "That doesn't change the fact that I am a monster." I tell her.
"Brother, you are no more monster than anyone here, you aren't like father and will never be. You don't have to worry about that. You are kind and brave and you always know how to cheer us up."
"That is you." I sob and I feel another hand upon my back. I stiffen at once. "Because of you because of what you do to me, I almost was too late. I almost didn't get there in time. You are so beautiful and so terrible. I have no choice in who to love but for some reason I don't care. What the hell is wrong with me? WHY CAN'T I JUST BE NORMAL."
"Normal is ordinary, what we can do its extraordinary. We protect the tribe and in return have the second part of our souls returned to us." She said and the next thing I knew I felt something warm and smooth touch my cheek. She had kissed me. I turn to her and smile at her, she smiles back my queen of snow my queen of sun. My light and my darkness. Two sides of steel, the sword was broken and now it is fixed. My heart was heavy and now it is light.
"My Queen." I say and kiss her lightly on the cheek forgetting the world in that light kiss. I stroke her hair so light and short. It should be long it was so beautiful. Every bit of her skin every single hair even the imperfections were perfect. Then softly, so softly that the others could not hear. "My beauty." She blushes but in the next second her arms were around me. I sigh and relax into her arms letting myself become only me not a brother or a father or a werewolf just Brian. I hug her back and kiss her lightly on the cheek.
"Well this has been interesting." Sam said and smiled. "Will you make us some stew Em?" He asks. Two young women leave one carrying a one year old little boy. "I believe introductions are in order." He says smiling. "My name is Sam, my wife is Emily. The woman and child in the kitchen are Hope and Victorious."
"I am Paul, Hope's husband." A man says and I smile at him.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Brian Black, my mother is Billy's sister." I tell them. "My sister is Brianna Black."
"I am Breena Black." She said.
"Jared." Jared says the one who seemed nice.
"Embry." I try not to growl at that.
"Seth." That man says and I let out a growl being unable to help it. I blush embareced.
"Quill." Another young man says.
"Brandy." The final young man says and I grin at all of them a grin that showed teeth.
"I don't envy the poor boy that imprints on our child." Leah said and laughs, putting an arm around me and suddenly I felt like the world was alright after all. No pain or fear could exist in a world with Leah. I realize that feeling as I do that neither Embry or Seth. "My brother doesn't know quite how to take you." Her brother and then I see the family resemblance and groan. I had made a fool out of myself.
"Thank you for saving her. I don't know why that happened but I couldn't control it." Seth said. He just thanked me? I am both surprised and pleased.
"Your welcome." I said and realized that I had both been kissing his sister and rescueing his imprint from him. He is thanking me? I would not do so in his place, perhaps he is not so bad. Food wafts into the living room and my stomach clenches. Luckily however it doesn't growl that would be too embarceing.
"So where were you before you came to the reservation?" Seth asks.
"Texas and California." I reply. "We didn't however aquire the slang or accent. As both our parents were from elsewhere."
"Oh." He said. "I have lived hear all my life."
"My markings are unusal." I say. "You must know now that they are both black and white."
"Can I see them?" Seth asks in intrest.
"Why not let me just go into the other room for a minute." I tell them and go into the bathroom where I change into my wolf form. I come out and sit beside my Leah.
"You are beautiful," she says."So beautiful." I lick her face and she hugs me and starts to pet my coat. She moves lower and finds that involentary weak spot all dogs have. I kick at the ground not caring how silly I look. She stops after a time. "You should go back into human form, before we eat." I nod and go into the bathroom changing quickly and returning to my Leah. I smile at her and in return I receive another smile. It lights my world. My sister is snoring softly unaware of the world around her. I go over to her and lightly kiss her on the brow. She is such a good little sister. I cover her with a blanket and her hands clutch around it. While we were growing up it was often just the three of us Mom had to work two jobs to provide food for all of us. I then walk into the other room smiling at Breena.
"No point in trying to wake her." I say. "She always get so cross when you actually manage it." That made Breena laugh. I was given a steaming bowl of soup as big as a punch bowl. My sister is given a smaller but no less full bowl. "Thank you for making this for us." I say to the two women, Emily and Hope?
"Doggy." The little boy says. "Doggy." I smile down at him wondering if he had seen me. I put him in my lap and gently bounce him. He giggles and chortles as I eat my soup and grab some bread and cheese ripping it into small peices. He takes them and grins at me a grin that is nothing but gums but for two little pearly teeth.
"Do you mind?" I ask Hope and she shakes her head obviously bemused. I eat my soup as I bounce the child. I finish the bowl after everyone else even my sister who is impossibly slow. The last of it isn't quite so hot and gently blowing on it I give some spoonfuls to the boy. He smiles up at me taking the soup. I gently wipe off some at the corner of his mouth. Call me a sap but I love little kids, ironic because I am so scary so tall and gangely but I have alot of mussles. I can never go over and asked the age of their children without fear. I smile down at the little boy as he finishes the bowl and lets out a satified belch. I smile down at him wanting my own children someday.
"You like children?" Quill asks.
"Yes very much." I reply as I pass the little boy back to his mother. He wails as he leaves my arms but soon is quieted by a gentle singing. "I suppose that I would be considered something of a sap." I smile at Leah and my sister. "Now that we have eaten, why did you call Jacob here?"
"Vampires have invaded." He replies. "They are here." I hear myself growl and the little boy seems frightened. I let out a bark and he smiles and claps his hands.
"Vampires, I fought some off when we were in california. The lost coast, I almost lost my whole family there." I sigh and smile. "I was able to defeat them however." I grin again.
"We run patrols trying to find them." Sam said. "Would you be willing to join us."
"Of course, I would be, but could I not do so tonight? I am still a bit tired from travling."
"We wouldn't dream of asking you to do it tonight. No tonight's patrol will consist of Leah, Jacob and Seth. What I am asking you is if you would be willing to join our pack."
"Yes I would be." I say in a instant, it would be a way to spend more time with Leah. I feel happy inside, we could spend days together as I finished high school early and nights as well in time. "My mother will expect us back soon." I say knowing that it is true. "Will you excuse us?"
"Yes of course." Sam replies and I smile. I go into the other room and gently fold up the blanket. I then gently pick her up in my arms and nod to my other sister. Together we leave. Breena starts to shiver not expecting to be out that late. I smile, "Do you want Embry to walk with you?"
"Yes." She replies her teeth chattering.
"Embry." I call loudly knowing my little sister to be able to sleep through many things.
"Yes." He answers within the door of the house.
"Could you walk with us, my sister is cold." Cold is an understatement her lips are blue and she is shivering. He grins and dashes up next to us putting a careful arm around Breena. She smiles at him in thanks starting to warm up. The four of us return to the house and Embry smiles outside our door.
"I enjoyed walking you home." He says and vanishes into the night. I smile unable to help myself and go into the small room that Billy and Jacob have cleared for my family until we have enough saved up for our own. My mother is asleep on one of the mats and I gently put my sister down on another. I strip to my boxers and lie down on the third closing my eyes. At once I feel myself slipping into darkness and dreams.