Leah paced back and forth, from the kitchen to the living room and back, resisting the impulse to bite her carefully manicured fingernails. She hadn't seen her cousin Emily in two years, and Emily was finally moving back to LaPush from her home on the Makah Reservation. She had just looked at her watch for the tenth time when she heard a heavy vehicle crunching up the gravel driveway. She flew out the door to meet Seth's battered pickup truck, flinging open the door and practically dragging Emily out of the cab.
"Mmmmph, Leah!" Emily gasped, laughing as she fought off Leah's smothering embrace. "I missed you too, but jeez!"
Leah laughed, releasing her and leading her into the house. Seth followed more sedately, shaking his head and chuckling. He stopped off in the kitchen, where Sue had laid out lunch for the cousins. The girls never noticed, chatting non-stop as they passed through without a sidewise glance.
"More for me," Seth grinned to himself, as he carefully constructed a huge sandwich and grabbed a can of soda. Just as he sat down at the table, contemplating his masterpiece of boiled ham, turkey, assorted cheeses, and tomatoes, the girls returned.
Leah cuffed Seth playfully, grabbing his sandwich and tearing off a large bite. "You could have said something," she mumbled around the food. "Mom said she left lunch stuff in the kitchen."
Seth bolted out of his chair, ramming his shoulder into Leah and knocking her on her butt while he expertly intercepted his sandwich. He inspected it for cooties, then shrugged and sat back down, leaving Leah to dust herself off and make her own sandwich.
A tap at the back door interrupted the scuffle, and Seth jumped up to open it. Sam Uley ducked under the door frame and seemed to suddenly fill the room. He was clad, as usual, only in a pair of denim shorts, and his rippling muscles and gleaming smile never failed to take Leah's breath away. The smile faltered slightly as he noticed the newcomer, and Emily smiled politely at him.
"Sam! This is my cousin Emily, the one I've been talking about. Emily, this is my boyfriend, Sam Uley." Leah ran to him and wrapped her arm around his waist, but he barely glanced at her. He seemed rooted to the spot, and his eyes strayed immediately back to Emily. Emily sensed the awkwardness of his rapt attention and glanced down, relieved when Sam turned back to Leah and kissed her forehead lightly.
"I thought I smelled food!" Sam smiled at Leah and sat down at the table, pulling her into his lap. But his eyes remained on Emily, as if tethered there by an invisible string, overpowering his attempts to look away.
Sam made himself a sandwich, and Leah moved to a chair next to him and ate her lunch in silence. It was obvious that Sam was uncomfortable, as he could not seem to keep his eyes off of Emily for more than a second. As soon as he finished eating, he muttered some excuse about "getting back" and escaped.
Emily looked from Seth to Leah, and it was obvious that they were as confused by Sam's strange behavior as she was.
Sam stomped into the Blacks' garage, where Jacob was tinkering with a pile of motorcycle parts. He glanced up, his dark eyes filled with concern, as Sam burst in muttering "Shit, shit, shit!"
Jake leaned the tire he was holding carefully against the wall, wiping his hands on a soiled rag. "What's going on, Sam?" he asked.
Sam kicked at the tire, sending it flying across the room, as he spat out, "I just imprinted on Leah's cousin. What the fuck am I supposed to do now?" He sat down on the bench, burying his face in his hands, and for a moment Jake thought he was crying. He tentatively reached out and touched Sam's shoulder.
"Tell me exactly what happened, Sam. Is there any chance you're mistaken?"
Sam shook his head in utter dismay. "No, Jake, there's no chance. I got the whole treatment – birds singing, bells ringing, the earth stopped moving in its fucking orbit." He moaned softly as he lowered his head again.
Jacob sat next to him, unsure of what to say. They all knew this was a possibility, and they had discussed the subject many times among the pack members. The dreaded imprint was irreversible, permanent, and omnipotent. From this moment on, Sam would be anything Emily wanted him to be, and the worst part was that he couldn't tell Leah what had happened to him. They both knew that this was a pack secret, not to be shared with humans for any reason.
"Well, how do you feel about Leah now?" Jake asked gently. "Have your feelings about her changed?"
"No," Sam said miserably. "Leah is the love of my life. She's my partner, my lover, my best friend. But I can't even look at her when Emily is in the room! How on earth am I going to explain that?"
"I honestly don't know, Sam, but you'll have to work it out. If it's that obvious when you're near Emily, try to avoid her as much as possible. We were all hoping this imprinting thing was just a myth, but now that it's happened you'll have to deal with it. It's uncharted territory, and I'm sorry it happened to you. At least Emily won't be staying at Sue's, so hopefully she won't be in your face all the time."
Sam was relieved to give in to the wolf as he left for patrol that night. His massive paws tore up the ground as he ran, letting his wolf nature take control and push his turbulent thoughts to the back of his mind. His heightened senses tracked the night creatures that prowled the forest, scattering in terror as the great black shape hurtled through the darkness.
Exhausted, Sam returned home at midnight when Jacob relieved him at the checkpoint. He phased to human form, dressing quickly and jogging back to his house. He was relieved to see Leah's silhouette framed in his front window by the soft glow of a lamp.
Without a word, Sam wrapped his arms around Leah and kissed her urgently. He peppered her face with kisses as he scooped her up and carried her to his bedroom. His ardor seemed to be contagious, and they tore at each other's clothes, popping buttons and tearing seams in their desperate rush to mold their naked bodies together. Leah tasted blood, panting as his lips crashed down on hers while his muscular body slammed into hers in an ever-increasing fury of desire and fulfillment. They both cried out as one, breathing hard and dripping with sweat, as wave after wave of incredible sensation rendered them both speechless and motionless.
Sam gazed into her eyes as he rolled on his side, touching her bruised lip gently with his fingers. Leah placed her hand on the side of his face and asked softly, "What's going on, Sam? I think I have a right to know."
His gaze dropped from her face, and he muttered, "Nothing, Leah. I hope I didn't hurt you."
Leah looked at him steadily. "You've never hurt me before, Sam, but why do I have the feeling you're about to change that? Is there somebody else? Talk to me, Sam!" He closed his eyes and shook his head miserably, and she quietly gathered up her clothes and went into the bathroom to dress. He was standing by the door when she came out, looking absolutely stricken.
"I'm not giving you up without a fight, you know," she said sadly as she walked by him, heading for the front door. He leaned his head against the door after she had gone, wishing he could tell her what was in his heart. But of course he said nothing, just watched sadly as she jogged down the dusty street.
The next day Sam went to the beach with Jacob and Quil, hoping to run into Leah. Sure enough, she was stretched out on a towel in the sun. He noted absently that she was wearing his favorite bathing suit – a leopard print bikini that complimented her lanky figure. His body reacted predictably, and he quickly dropped down in the sand beside her. She didn't open her eyes, but he noticed that she stiffened slightly. He leaned over and kissed her nose, but the smile froze on his face as Emily came trudging out of the water and laid her towel down in the sand next to Leah's.
Sam breathed deeply, his smile turning quickly to a silly grin as her incredible scent washed over him. She didn't seem to notice, as she picked up a bottle of water from the cooler and tried to unscrew the top without destroying her manicure. "Damn!" she mumbled, and before she could blink, Sam was at her side. He knelt before her and reached for the bottle, and as their hands touched, he would swear he saw sparks fly from her fingertips to his. He lost himself in her brown eyes and barely heard Leah's exclamation. He never saw it coming, but he felt the impact as her foot slammed into his back before she took off, running toward the woods.
Sam shook his head, dazed, and tore his gaze away from Emily in time to see Leah disappear into the trees. He had to physically rip himself away from Emily to chase after Leah. Emily stared after them, looking hurt and confused.
As she heard him crashing through the underbrush behind her, Leah turned and leveled her gaze at him. She was furious, and tears ran unheeded down her cheeks.
"Really, Sam? My cousin? How could you?" She advanced toward him, her fists raised, and he just stood with his hands at his sides. He let her have a few good swings, one of which split his lip, before he attempted to pin her arms at her sides.
At this point, she let out an unearthly howl, and with a cacophony of cracking and popping, erupted into a snarling, ferocious grey wolf. She stopped, even more surprised than Sam at the sudden transformation. "What the hell…" she hesitated, then ran at him again, snapping at him with her savage teeth.
Involuntarily, with a soft pop and a shimmering of the air around him, Sam phased into his own wolf, enormous and completely black. He easily pinned the smaller wolf to the ground with his huge paws, being careful not to hurt her as she struggled to get free. "Lee-Lee, it's okay. Just calm down and let me explain," he projected his thoughts soothingly at her. She continued to growl, snapping at his paws, until she finally realized she couldn't move him. She grew quiet, panting from the exertion.
Sam tentatively lifted his paw, and Leah immediately bared her teeth. She snapped at his tender underside and bit out a chunk of fur and muscle, spitting it on the ground. "That's disgusting!"
"Dammit, Leah, that hurt!" Sam swatted at her, trying to pin her down, but she was ready for him this time. She quickly grabbed his paw in her powerful jaws and bit down, hearing a satisfying crack as the bone gave way.
Sam had had enough. "Stop!" he thundered in his Alpha voice, and Leah froze. "Lie down," he spoke again, and she dropped to the ground, her chin resting on her paws, growling softly.
Sam sat down in front of her, still towering over her. He gently licked her muzzle. She tried to bite at him but was surprised to find herself powerless. "What did you do to me, you son of a bitch?" she growled.
"I'm sorry, Leah. I don't do that unless I'm forced to, but I am Alpha of this pack, and my commands must be obeyed. I just need you to listen to me for a minute, okay?"
Leah continued to growl. "Apparently I have no fucking choice, Your Highness," she spat at him with all the dignity she could muster from her position, cowering in the dust.
Sam sighed. "I'd rather have this conversation in human form, but since neither one of us has any clothes at the moment this will have to do," he began. "Now that you're one of us, you need to hear the rest of the legend. You know about the wolves, and now you know it's true, but you probably haven't heard about imprinting." His voice spoke softly in her head.
Leah howled, knowing that she didn't want to hear the rest of his explanation, but Sam just sat silently, waiting for her tantrum to run its course. Eventually she quieted, and he continued as if he had not been interrupted.
"Imprinting is beyond our control, Leah. When you imprint on someone, it's no longer gravity holding you to earth – it's her. And nothing matters more than her. You would do anything for her, and you become whatever she needs from you – a protector, a lover, a friend, a brother. Her choice." He shook his massive head sadly.
Leah stared at him, incredulous. "So what you're saying is, you're dumping me for your imprint? My COUSIN?" Her golden eyes filled with unshed tears.
"No, Leah, that's not what I'm saying. Listen carefully: I love you, and I always will. I'm not in love with Emily, but she just became my new best friend, for lack of a better explanation. And I'm not sure I'm allowed to explain this to her, so she'll probably just think I'm nuts!"
"Look," he continued. "Why don't you come home with me and we'll both get dressed, then we'll talk to Emily. Will you do that for me?"
Leah nodded morosely. She stood and shook out her fur, then trotted at Sam's side as he made his way back to his house. They traveled silently, each involved with their own thoughts. When they arrived at Sam's, he led her to the back door. He casually phased back to human form and opened the door, expecting her to follow. When she whined softly, he turned to look at her. "Don't tell me you're embarrassed to phase in front of me, Leah! We've seen each other naked dozens of times!"
She barked in reply, and he finally understood. "Oh, you don't know how to change back, do you?" He chuckled and went back down the steps, stopping to run his hand softly through her bristly fur. "Just relax; that's all there is to it." Apparently, that was easier said than done. She closed her eyes, trying to control her breathing and relax her body, but nothing happened.
Sam finally said, "Look, Leah, I'll go in and get dressed. Maybe you'll have better luck if you're alone." Sure enough, as soon as the door closed behind him she phased back. She ran up the steps, through the door, and didn't stop until she was in his room. She fumbled through the drawers, choosing shorts and a tee shirt, and quickly dressed.
As Leah walked into the kitchen, Sam looked up from his seat at the table. He wanted to take her in his arms and assure her that everything would be all right, but he wasn't sure that would ever be the case again. He looked utterly forlorn, and her heart melted. She went to him, enfolding him in her arms, and muttered, "I don't know how to handle this, Sam. I just don't know what to do." She winced as she noticed his broken hand dangling at his side, but it was already beginning to heal. She kissed the jagged scar that now marred his perfect chest.
They both jumped at Emily's tap on the door. She strode into the room, not waiting for an invitation, and faced Sam angrily. "I think I deserve an explanation, Sam. What the hell is going on here?"
Sam jumped up and pulled out a chair for her, as Leah rolled her eyes. He sat in his chair, their knees nearly touching, and he was obviously fighting a powerful urge to take her hand. He spoke softly, his voice dripping with concern. "I'm so sorry, Emily. I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I want us to be friends. I know what you mean to Leah…"
Emily finally looked up, staring directly into Sam's eyes as she interrupted him. "Well, thanks for clearing that up, Sam. Because if I didn't know better, I'd have sworn that you imprinted on me."
Leah was the first to find her voice. "What? How?" she stuttered, eyes wide.
Emily smiled wryly. "Well, you two sort of ruined my surprise. Didn't you wonder why I moved back here after all these years? Jared and I were tired of our long-distance relationship, and we're getting married! He explained all the legends to me, since I'll need to know what my husband's up to. And I finally recognized the imprint for what it is. I'm sorry, guys. I wouldn't have chosen this either." Her eyes twinkled as she added, "But I always wanted a big brother."
Sam smiled sadly. "You guys do know it won't be that simple, right?"
Emily returned his smile. "Since when was anything in life simple? We'll work it out, one step at a time."
Leah squeezed between Sam and Emily, snaking one arm around each of them. "Baby steps," she agreed somberly.