It was another shitty, rainy day when I ran into Rachel Black on the beach. Of course, I wasn't expecting her. I didn't even care about her before that day. And if it had happened before the change, I probably would have just kept on walking right by her.
The Rachel Black I knew before any of this shit happened was a non factor to me. She was one of Jake's older sisters. The nerdy, quiet one at that. I only knew her, because the whole damn Tribe put her up on this pedestal when she got that scholarship to go away to school. Even in tribal school, the teachers would bring her name up and say the rest of us needed to look up to her and be like her if we wanted to succeed in life after graduation.
But I just wanted to drink and party. I didn't really care about my grades or going off to some school. Then the change happened. I found myself hanging with guys like Jared Cameron. Someone I never thought I'd be friends with.
I had to leave my old friends behind when I joined the pack. Old girlfriends, too. My temper was a threat before I became a wolf and got even worse after. I was known for getting into fights on the rez. I always had a black eye or two. That was my life style.
But Sam tried to calm me down. I was no longer coming home at night bruised up because I'd gotten into fights, but rather I was coming home with scars from chasing some blood sucker. The change might have been subtle, but it was a change nonetheless.
The day I saw Rachel Black standing on the beach shoreline, like I said, was a rainy day. I hadn't really been paying much attention to her. I just saw this figure looking a the waves. But somehow my feet kept drawing me towards her back. As if there was something there that I needed to see.
I should have ignored that instinct. Because when she turned around, well, let's just say shit happened from there.
I didn't immediately go up to her once I saw her face. It felt more like I'd got the wind knocked out of me. I recognized her as Rachel Black, but I also saw her as someone else. She was surrounded in this haze. It felt as if I couldn't see anything else but her. I watched her as she walked back towards the lot where people parked their cars. I thought to stop her, call out to her. Actually, I felt like I needed to. But instead I turned and ran the opposite direction.
I knew I had just imprinted. And it scared me shitless.
I ran into the woods surrounding the beach and phased. Luckily for me, Sam was doing patrols. So, he heard my thoughts and knew what had just happened.
"Oh, boy"
"Shit man, that's crazy! Rachel Black?!"
The other two voices had belonged to Quil and Embry, who were also on patrol.
"Paul, head to Emily's. We're going to have to have a tribal meeting," Sam's voice had said.
And that night they called the meeting at Emily's house with Rachel present. Her dad had already been informed by Sue that I had imprinted on Rachel. Billy even kind of gave me the cold shoulder as they rolled him through the door. I knew he wasn't thrilled that I was the one out of all the pack members to imprint on his daughter. But I'm sure he suspected that Rachel would most likely be imprinted on (being Ephriam Black's descandent), however, I don't think I was the one he'd have chosen to do it.
The tribal elders had sat in a circle with me off to the side with the rest of the pack and with Rachel sitting across from her dad. Billy did most of the talking.
At first they told her about the legends and how they were real and true. I had watched Rachel's face the whole time. Even then I had the urge to be near her, but I held the instinct back. Fought it. Damned it even for choosing a mate for me even though I honest to hell didn't want it. And I knew she most likely wouldn't either.
She seemed to be spooked at the seriousness of what her father was claiming.
"What are you saying?" I remember she'd asked.
Then her dad had glanced over at the pack. All of us stood there looking tall and inhuman.
"They are our protectors Rach," Billy had told her,"Jake, too"
I remember how she had winced at the name of her brother. None of us had seen him in two months. I remember wanting to hold her when she flinched. And I damned myself for being stupid. Because now I had turned me into a love sick pup like Jake.
"And there's other things you need to know, as well," Billy had continued and then proceeded to tell her about imprinting and that she was my imprintee.
She hadn't taken any of the news well or bad. In fact she seemed to be weary of us and wanted nothing to do with what the tribe was telling her. Which meant that she wanted nothing to do with me.
It was agony. But at the same time I fought off that wolf thing that made me want to sit on the Black's porch steps and wait for her to throw me a bone.
I told myself that I didn't really care about her. And that she as hell didn't really care about me. It was just this animalistic, shifter thing that was saying we needed to be together in order to make the next generation of protectors. Which, honestly, had cracked me up.
I was pretty sure Rachel Black wouldn't go for,"Hey, I know you didn't ask for this and I didn't ask for it either, but let's not fight nature"
I had never been attracted to Rachel Black before all of this imprint crap. But after it, well, I found myself constantly thinking about screwing her brains out. To a point where I didn't even want other girls. Imprinting had taken away any other lust.
I no longer felt attraction to other women. All I cared about was Rachel Black, who I started to hear was planning on taking a job in Seattle. The whole Jake thing was the only reason why she had stuck around. She would leave the rez again when her brother was found.
Back then, I clung to the mention of her name. Especially since she never came around Emily's or hung out with the pack. And why would she have? She'd never did before.
I thought it was good that I didn't have to see her or she me. And I tried to continue on how I was before I'd ever saw her that day on the beach. But my instincts kept telling me that I needed her.
Then the day came when Jake came back from hiding. I was happy to see the idiot, yes. But I also knew that meant Rachel would most likely leave La Push now that her brother was back.
But one day I saw Rachel Black coming out of a shop on the rez with a paper bag in her hands.
I remember my stomach had dropped to my knees and even she seemed to be flustered as our eyes met. It was the first time we'd managed to see each other since the tribal meeting.
She'd given me a quick glance and a quick , polite nod before turning to walk to her car.
I watched as she struggled to get her keys to unlock the door.
"Need help?" I had said as I walked over to her.
She'd just looked at me unsurely.
"C'mon, give that to me"
I proceeded to take the bag from her.
"Thanks," She had said.
It was the first time we'd actually really spoken to each other.
She'd opened up her car door and then turned around.
"No problem"
I had said as I handed her the bag back.
She had put it in the back seat and then turned back around to look at me.
Our eyes had lingered on each other and then she looked away. I could smell a scent on her. She was nervous, I had realized. But not because she was scared. But because she was attracted...To me.
My eyes couldn't help but roam her. I studied her strands of hair, her eyes, her lashes, her nose...her mouth...
I couldn't help but notice that she did the same to me.
There was a long pause between us. The longer I stood there, the stronger her scent got.
She had cleared her throat.
"Thank you again, Paul, for your help," She had said with a polite smile.
Before she closed the door to drive off, however, I had held it with my hand.
"Rachel, wait"
She had paused and looked at me.
"Yes?"
"Is it true you're leaving the rez again?"
"Yes. I got a job offer in Seattle. I think I'll most likely take it"
I had nodded my head.
"Cool"
That was the only word I could think of to say.
Another pause had happened between us.
"Are you heading home right now?" I had asked her.
"I was planning to," She had said.
I was quick on my feet.
"Can you give me a ride?"
Rachel had bit her lip as if she was weighing her options. But from her scent I knew what she wanted to say.
"Ok"
I had grinned and walked over to the passenger door and got inside.
"I just need a lift to Jared's," I had lied,"It's right near the school. So, you can just drop me off there"
She hadn't questioned me and drove.
We had drove in silence for most of the ride.
When we got to the tribal school, she pulled over to let me out. But before I got out of the car, she had looked into my eyes and I had looked back at her.
"What is this feeling?" She'd asked me suddenly.
Somehow I knew exactly what she was talking about, because I felt it too. I'd been feeling it but at that moment I knew she was, as well. But I still didn't have an answer.
"I don't know"
"Imprinting?"
"I guess"
She sighed.
"I don't know if I like this," She had said quietly,"Honestly, it still doesn't make sense to me"
"Me either," I had admitted.
But the wolf in me had been satisfied just to be around her. I knew that there was no way I could ever go back to living without her. Everything inside of me felt peaceful the moment I came into her vicinity. That silent car ride had been all I needed to know that this was what my instincts had been trying to pull me towards. That feeling of peace.
Rachel had glanced at me again.
"I don't even know if I like you, Paul," She had said gently. She was just being honest. I know.
I had shrugged.
"Most people don't," I'd admitted.
She had laughed.
"Maybe we'll find out," She had said quietly.
I'm glad to report that we did, in fact, find out and we've been together ever since.