I bolted out of bed at top speed when my alarm had gone of on it's final warning. Shit. I needed to get my dumb ass in the shower and to Sam and Emily's house before they left without me. I would never hear the end of it, this show was incredibly important to Kim and Jared. Apparently, Kim has had this hidden singing talent that no one knew about until her cousin announced that she was going to be doing a few shows in the Port Angeles area and asked Kim to be her partner. Maybe it ran in the family? I don't know exactly what was going on but whatever it was I hope there's going to be alcohol and girls readily available because I definitely wasn't one for sipping girly smelling tea and engaging in casual small talk. I was also grateful that some of the other guys had been roped into it as well, Embry, Jared and Sam were all coming with and Jacob was going to see if Ness was down to hang out or not, meaning he would more than likely be showing up because Ness loved hanging with the other girls. Paul and Quil, of course, were able to get out of it. Assholes.
Hell, I don't even know how I had been dragged into this, to be honest with you. I wasn't imprinted on anyone that was making me go and I really didn't have to listen to anyone except Jake when he was giving direct orders. I suppose I was actually going to because Kim was scared to death of doing this show, mainly because no one had ever heard her sing before. Ever. I wanted to support Kim. It was the least I could do for them, Jared and Kim had helped me out numerous times when I had been thrown out of my mom's house for losing my cool, which has been happening more often than not recently. I've had a lot of pent up aggression and for some stupid reason I can't control myself. I'm turning into a younger version of Paul; unpredictable and destructive. Only he can get away with it because that's how he's always been. Not me. I've been getting shit about it since it started to manifest. It's not my damn fault that the change has been fucking with my system.
"Seth! Sam's here to pick you up!" Leah billowed through the house, I groaned and looked at my reflection in the mirror. I had let my hair grow out a bit longer than normal, now it's shaggy length was nearly covering my eyes. Sam and Jake would definitely have something to say about it. I quickly crossed the room and picked out a dark grey colored button up and my best pair of dark jeans, they had a hole in the knee from playing ball with Sam and Emily's eldest son but it would have to do for now. I didn't have a whole lot of money now that Sam had to fire me from the shop after I totally destroyed some kid's car after getting pissed. My life was a fucking hell hole right now. I jogged out into the living room, grabbing my steel toed work boots as I walked out the door, pulling them on as I jogged to the truck. Sam was shaking his head and chuckling at me as I opened the door and got in the cab.
"Another minute and you would have had your head blown off by Emily for missing your ride," Sam warned, his voice light but I could sense the irritation laced through it. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, trying to make it look somewhat put together.
"I had a late night last night," I replied, reaching down to tie the laces on my boots, hoping that Sam would stop giving me a lecture before it even started.
"You've really got to get your shit together, man. I know you're having a hard time, you know, with everyone imprinting and you haven't found the one yet-"
"Stop talking about imprinting, Sam." I growled, my mind clouding with anger as I closed my eyes and tried to regain focus. It never used to bother me that I was one of the only one's that hadn't imprinted but when Embry imprinted on Jessica, everything changed. Embry and I were the bachelor wolves, living it up, drinking every weekend, making money at the shop and bringing home the ladies, but when he told me he had imprinted, I knew I was alone. Not too long after, Leah imprinted on Hannah and Quil was finally able to start being integrated into Claire's life. I was the only one that was completely alone on a more final note than I liked to think.
"Alright, let's just have a good time today, I know it's not what us guys would picture as a good day but it's going to mean a lot to Kim that we're there. No angry out bursts until we get back to the Rez tonight, okay?" Sam asked as I finally was able to calm myself down. The only thought that calmed me was the hell Sam would have put me through for destroying his truck.
"Yeah, man, I hear ya," I nodded and closed myself off for conversation as we drove the remaining mile to meet up with the rest of the group before heading out.
Everyone was gathered outside when we arrived, they all waved as we got out of the truck and joined them. I chuckled to myself when I saw that all of the guys were basically wearing the same outfit, Emily and Rachel had bought all of us a nice dress shirt and a pair of good jeans for christmas because we never had anything to wear for stuff like this and apparently cut off jean shorts and no shirt just wasn't doing it for the girls when we went out.
"So how long is this going to be?" Jake inquired, receiving annoyed looks from both Emily and Ness.
"Don't even start with that, Jake…" Ness warned and then giggled, reaching for his hand and pulling herself to him. I turned my attention to Sam, who was now being assaulted with kisses by Emily. I couldn't look anywhere without seeing unwanted PDA between the wolves and their imprints. It was going to be one hell of a long night.
"So where is this thing?" I asked, trying to get the couples off each other so I could feel a little less uncomfortable. I looked to Leah, who was now giving me a sympathetic look as she held Hannah's hand. Hannah, in turn, looked at me while giving the same look. I don't know what's worse, the fact that Leah and the guys knew I was lonely or the fact that all of their imprints knew too. What a joke.
"It's at this cute little bar on the outskirts of Port Angeles called Antonio's, she's played there a few times but this is the first time I've been there. When we were younger we would always do small opening sets there but now she's the main act." Kim's eyes lit up when she talked about her cousin, I could sense that they were incredibly close,
"How old is she again, Kim?" Ness asked and I was glad she did, I wouldn't mind trying to take this cousin of Kim's to my bed. If she looked too much like Kim though, I would have to pass. I couldn't live with myself if she even looked slightly like Kim, that would be crossing so many boundaries.
"She just turned eighteen last week," Kim replied and Embry whooped, clapping me on the back,
"There you go, Seth, my man." He taunted and I flicked him off, looking to Sam so he could tell Embry off but he just laughed and shook his head. Kim let out a dramatic gasp and clapped her hands together,
"Seth, you'll absolutely love her, she's such a sweet girl. I can introduce you!" She said eagerly and her and Emily dissolved into giggles. They liked to play matchmaker way too much for my liking.
"I think I'm gonna pass on the generous offer, thanks though," I said awkwardly and cleared my throat.
"On that note," Leah interrupted the chatter after seeing the embarrassed look on my face, "we should probably get going, huh?"
The ride to Port Angeles was weird, I rode with Kim and Jared which was probably a mistake but they were the only ones with a car big enough for me. I had, for some stupid reason, grown another two inches and had gained about fifty pounds of muscle. Sam said it was because my body was finally catching up with my age since it didn't have time to fully develop before I shifted for the first time at age fourteen. Now I stood at an obnoxious six foot nine and my muscles bulged out of every fucking shirt I owned. Damn, I needed a job and new clothes. Bad. For the most part, Jared was able to keep the focus off me but Kim was able to veer back. We were just about to Port Angeles when Kim asked again about her cousin,
"So, I can definitely introduce you to her if you want," Kim prodded and looked at me with a wide smile on her face, I looked to Jared who shrugged and shot me an apologetic look.
"I don't know, Kim, I really don't want to be in any type of relationship right now and I don't want your cousin to think that I want to date her or anything…" I said apprehensively and Kim's face fell,
"Come on, Seth, you're never going to meet someone with an attitude like that," she said pointedly and then gave me a pouty look which may work on Jared but not on me.
"I just don't want to be the bad guy if I go on a date with her and then end up not liking her, it's about respect, Kim. I honestly don't want to disrespect someone that means so much to you. But I'll tell you what, if I change my mind, you'll be the first to know." I said and gave her a look of finality. Jared gave me a thumbs up behind her back and then turned his attention to the road.
"Look guys, I can see the sign for Antonio's from here!" Kim said, finally accepting that the conversation was over with and rekindling her nervous and excited energy.
Antonio's was packed and if Kim hadn't reserved us spots, we wouldn't have been able to get in. There had to be two hundred people here or more, I had never heard of her cousin at all before but apparently she was a popular girl around this area. I looked back at Ness who was trying to convince Jake to put her on his shoulders. Jake looked at me, asking for help.
"Okay Ness, up you go," I said and grabbed her by the waist, lifting her up onto Jake's shoulders. He nodded in appreciation as I turned back to Leah and Hannah who were whispering excitedly about something.
A man came out onto the stage, presumably the owner of the shop and quieted the crowd.
"Welcome everybody! I'm excited to announce that Chelsea Vera has brought an amazing guest to kick off her concert set, so let's welcome Kim Cameron to the stage!" The crowd erupted into applause as Kim came out onto the stage, her hair had been braided back into a loose braid and she had changed into a light pink dress. She looked nervous as all hell but as soon as Jared shouted words of encouragement from beside me her face brightened up and she cued the music, beginning to sing.
Kim was surprisingly good and as the song ended, the crowd was fully invested in her. Jared threw roses up on stage and wolf whistled his little heart out.
"I had no fucking idea she could sing like that and we've been married for three years!" I could hear him telling the random guy next to him. I rolled my eyes and I could feel my body spark with jealousy as I turned away and walked to the bar, itching for a beer... Or twenty. I knew it was a bad idea for me to come here. There was nothing but couples as far as I could see. The rest of the guys had extracted themselves from the crowd and had taken up seat by the bar as soon as they saw me heading there.
"Where's Jared?" Jake asked and Sam had pointed out that he had gone to wish Kim's cousin good luck and to retrieve Kim. We all sat in silence and watched the stage as they began to set up for this girl, Chelsea I think her name was? Not that it mattered, we could leave now and I would be happy but my ride was with Kim and Jared and they would stay until the very end. Fuck. I downed my beer and signaled the bartender for another one, the girl blushed and scurried around as she got me another. No doubt she was intimidated and attracted to me, it was hard not to be, honestly. Us guys in the pack had that effect on people, even after they imprinted they still attracted an enormous amount of female attention.
Pretty soon the lights dimmed again and a slim figure made it's way out onto stage, this was undoubtedly the cousin that Kim was going on about. The crowd seemed to respond to her with high energy, I was intrigued. I found myself unable to look away from the stage as the small figure settled in the center, sitting on a stool that was set up for her, it was like a magnetic force was gluing my eyes to the stage. I frowned and tore my eyes away so I could down another beer, soft music began to fill the room as the crowd went quiet again. It was a pop song, one that I heard on the radio all the fucking time whenever I got into my car. It was a song that the women sang along to and the guys dreaded but her soft lilting voice was gorgeous. I can't say I've ever been attracted to a voice until this very moment. The stage light flipped on, a pale yellow bulb cast a warm halo of light around her as she hopped off the stool and moved closer to the edge of the elevated platform she stood on. I followed her movement as she gripped the microphone and softly sang the lines to the song, the lyrics driving into me like needles,
"Not really sure how to feel about it,
Something in the way you move,
Makes me feel like I can't live without you,
It takes me all the way,
I want you to stay."
After the verse she hit a heavenly high note that drove me mad with… Lust? No, this wasn't just lust that was growing inside me, filling my veins with fire. No wonder why everyone liked to listen to her so much, she had a voice that did things to a man that were out of this world.
"Oh, the reason I hold on,
'Cause I need this hole gone.
Funny you're the broken one
But I'm the only one who needed saving,
'Cause when you never see the light,
It's hard to know which one of us is caving."
Who the hell is this chick? I managed to tear my eyes away just to down another beer, hopelessly trying to get drunk which I knew was to no avail. I eyed the exit which was just a short walk from the bar and contemplated how long it would take me to walk back to La Push. I got up and made my way quickly to the door and could physically feel the spell being lifted off me as I embraced the chill of the night air.
"Seth, where are you going?" I gritted my teeth as I heard Jared's voice coming from behind me.
"I was going to walk home," I said, deciding that maybe he would understand and let me go. Probably not because he's a dick but it didn't hurt to try.
"Come on, man. You're gonna stay," Jared said and gave me a look of warning, Kim looked upset.
"I'm not into this, I just want to go home, guys. It's nothing personal. I came to support Kim, which, by the way, you did an amazing job Kimmy. But now I'm going to go home. I have patrol duty tonight." I said, hating to hear the pleading in my voice. How pathetic was I? I didn't appreciate how this girl singing was making me feel, I hated being in big crowds, and I just wanted to go home and run off my feelings in wolf form; was that too much to ask for?
"Quil is covering for you," Kim said and looked up at me with her stupid puppy dog eyes that made Jared cave all the time. And then it finally dawned on me what she was trying to do,
"Kim, I don't want to meet your cousin! Damn, just leave me alone! Don't you get it? I'm meant to be alone, okay?" I couldn't help but let my anger out so they would understand that I needed to get the fuck out of here.
"How could you even think that?" Kim asked quietly as she clung to Jared's side. I scoffed and rolled my eyes,
"You couples that are imprinted will never understand what real life is like for everyone else now," I began, thinking of my words carefully, I was angry but I didn't want to hurt Kim's feelings. "Not everyone gets to fall in love and you know, maybe not everyone wants to. I'm completely happy with one night stands and being alone, in fact, I like it that way and I would enjoy it if I could stay like that for the rest of my life," I said stubbornly. But that's a lie and you know it, I thought to myself. In reality, I wanted nothing more than to have the kind of love that surrounded me on a daily basis with the couples in the pack but reality was slowly crushing that out of me. I had been shifting for six years now and I was tired of hoping that I would meet my imprint with every encounter. So, I took Embry's advice and started fooling around with any and every girl that would let me. When he imprinted I was hit with another wave of desire to be at that place with a woman that I loved with every ounce of my being but a year came and went and I realized it wasn't in my cards to fall in love. Then I became an ass hole and I'm happy with that, no one relied on me and I could do whatever I wanted. I was happy with myself. Kind of. As happy as I could be anyways. Miserable deep down but that was pushed aside with every woman I picked up from the bar.
"Just stay for a little while, Seth, I'll bring you home as soon as we see Chelsea and hang out for a few minutes. Come on, man, you don't want to run all the way home," Jared said and I sighed, dragging my hands across my face to calm myself down.
"Fine, you get ten minutes after the show otherwise I'm running home," I grumbled and allowed Jared to lead the way back into the bar.
The rest of the concert was unbearable for me. I ended up staying the whole duration of the event, which surprised me, I thought for sure I was going to be miserable. With every song she sang, I was more and more fascinated by this girl. I couldn't help but admire the way her lengthy strawberry blonde hair swayed with every step she took. The way her cheeks tinged with pink as the crowd applauded her after every song was incredibly adorable and I could feel my eyes following her across the stage as her long legs carried her back and forth as the music pounded out of the speakers. Finally, after a good half an hour, the music stopped and she resumed her spot in the middle of the stage, sitting on the stool once again, adjusting her thigh high black socks and her high waisted skirt.
"Thank you so much for coming to my show," her voice drifted across the packed room and silence fell across the crowd as they watched her. She scanned the people and then, without warning, her gaze landed directly in line with mine. She bit her lip slightly as she hesitated, her eyes never leaving me. I could slowly hear a heartbeat resonating through my skull, becoming louder and louder with every second passed as her eyes are locked on mine. "I'm going to sing you one last song, I hope you hear it with every ounce of your soul," she said this straight at me, her words battering me with feelings so foreign I couldn't describe them even if I wanted to.
I watched as she picked up a guitar and started strumming a mellow tune, the whole crowd was swaying, holding up lighters and their phone flashlights as she started singing.
"Loving can hurt, loving can hurt sometimes
But it's the only thing that I know
When it gets hard, you know it can get hard sometimes
It is the only thing that makes us feel alive
We keep this love in a photograph
We made these memories for ourselves
Where our eyes are never closing
Hearts are never broken
And time's forever frozen still
So you can keep me
Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans
Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet
You won't ever be alone, wait for me to come home
Loving can heal, loving can mend your soul
And it's the only thing that I know, know
I swear it will get easier,
Remember that with every piece of you
Hm, and it's the only thing we take with us when we die
Hm, we keep this love in this photograph
We made these memories for ourselves
Where our eyes are never closing
Hearts were never broken
And time's forever frozen still
So you can keep me
Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans
Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet
You won't ever be alone
And if you hurt me
That's okay baby, only words bleed
Inside these pages you just hold me
And I won't ever let you go
Wait for me to come home
Wait for me to come home
Wait for me to come home
Wait for me to come home
You can fit me
Inside the necklace you got when you were sixteen
Next to your heartbeat where I should be
Keep it deep within your soul
And if you hurt me
Well, that's okay baby, only words bleed
Inside these pages you just hold me
And I won't ever let you go
When I'm away, I will remember how you kissed me
Under the lamppost back on Sixth street
Hearing you whisper through the phone,
"Wait for me to come home."
I wouldn't have realized the song had ended if the crowd hadn't erupted in a sea of chants and cheers, I had been listening to the overwhelming sound of her frantic heart beats in my head, they had a sweet song of their own. I felt myself getting pissed off as they faded into the distance, I noticed that she had exited the stage which would explain why I couldn't hear them as prominently now.
"Seth!" Jake's voice invaded my mind like an alarm clock, "we're leaving now," he said and waved his hands in front of my face, I shook my head and realized that almost everyone had cleared out of the bar and I had been just staring at the stage for a good five minutes at the very least.
"Ah… Shit, yeah, sorry" I said and blinked a few times before downing what was left of my beer and following him out of the bar.
"Well, you looked like you were enjoying the show," Jake teased and I reached out to him, gripping his arm with all the strength I had,
"Shut the fuck up, Jake" I growled and felt myself dissolving into the shaking which was characteristic of the change. He fucking pissed me off.
"Whoa, man, sorry for bringing it up," he said, holding his hands up in surrender.
"I'm going to the car, let Jared and Kim know," I muttered and walked away from the group before things escalated anymore. I was feeling very volatile right now, I could explode into my wolf form at any moment and we needed to avoid that at all costs. Jared had locked the car so I leaned against it, folding my arms tightly across my chest and clenching my jaw. I closed my eyes as I tried to rationalize what had happened in the bar. There was absolutely no way I was drunk and even if I was, that wouldn't have made me fall madly in love with this girl I've never met. Even if I had been slipped a roofie by that floozy of a bartender my body would have burned it off too fast to feel any real side effects. The other possibility was that I haven't gotten laid in about a week so I could have just been really feeling this girl, she definitely wasn't hard on the eyes. I had expected her to look the same as every other Rez girl but she was completely different and didn't look like Kim even for a second. She had pale skin, so pale she could even challenge Bella in her vampire form, and with my enhanced eyesight I could see a light dusting of freckles spattered across the bridge of her nose. Her strawberry blonde hair fell in big waves past her tiny waist, settling just above the widest part of her hips. She also had incredibly long legs for such a short girl, standing at what I would guess was about five foot three inches, she was as short as I was tall. She was fucking extraordinary. I hadn't even known redheads were a turn on for me until I set my eyes on hers. I couldn't help but let my mind wander, imagining what color her wide, innocent eyes were, I hoped they weren't brown, like Kim's. I wanted them to be some exotic, beautiful color that would completely baffle me.
Just as I opened my eyes, I saw Jared and Kim walking towards me with her cousin in tow. I began to hear her thundering heart beat in my head again with every step she took towards me. Shit, I muttered under my breath and stood up straighter, Jared smirking at me as they approached. No doubt he knew what was going on, I'm sure everyone in the pack did.
"Oh my god, Kim this is so embarrassing. He probably doesn't even want to meet me," I could hear Kim's cousin whisper quietly. If I didn't have enhanced hearing I wouldn't have caught it, I relaxed my stance a little bit, trying to look a little less intimidating. I didn't want to scare her away, I wanted her to pursue me, I was tired of chasing after the girl.
"Hey Seth, this is my cousin, Chelsea!" Kim said excitedly and pushed Chelsea in front of her. I watched as her cheeks turned pink and she bit her lip nervously.
"You can just call me Ver or Vera," she corrected Kim and extended her hand to me, "we have like three other cousins named Chelsea so I just use my middle name." She explained when I gave her a confused look.
"Um, cool. Nice to meet you, Vera. I'm sure you know by now that my name is Seth," I chuckled and clasped her hand in mine, her's was so small mine enveloped her's completely. I could feel her long nails scraping the palm of my hand which weirdly turned me on, I quickly dropped her hand and adjusted my position so my now growing hard on wouldn't show against my jeans. Fuck. My. Life.
"Ver is gonna stay at our house for a while, her ex boyfriend is going to go to their apartment to clear out his stuff and she doesn't want to be there when that happens," Kim said and put her arm around Vera's shoulders and pulled her close, my chest constricted in jealousy as I watched Vera melt comfortably into her cousin's touch.
"Um… I know this is weird to ask but I kind of forgot how to get to the Rez so I was wondering if one of you would ride with me," Vera asked, I could tell she was trying to keep her eyes away from me but she ended up looking directly at me as she asked. I swallowed thickly, suddenly feeling very cotton mouthed.
"Seth, why don't you go with Ver? Kim and I are going to stop for ice cream here in town, I'll give you a house key so you can get in," Jared said and gave me a quick wink, Kim tried to hide a giggle but failed, dissolving into a fit as she got into her car. Jared took the house key off his key ring and tossed it to me. Vera walked over to the passenger side of the car to bid Kim goodbye as Jared closed in on me.
"Do me a favor and don't break the spare bed, we're gonna need that for Jackson when he grows up,"
"I'm not going to fuck her in your house!" I yelled in a whisper to him, Jared just shrugged.
"Don't promise things that you can't keep," he quipped and I let out a low growl,
"I'm not going to cross that line, she's Emily's cousin. I can't even think about fucking her at all, no matter where we are." I explained and balled my hands into fists as Jared barked out laughter and shook his head.
"You're imprinted, man. You have very little say in what happens next, honestly" Jared said and I almost dropped dead right then and there. I felt like someone had slapped me right in the face,
"What did you just say?" I asked calmly, ignoring the feelings that were coursing through my veins.
"You honestly couldn't feel it? I mean, come on, man. You basically stared a hole into her while she was up there singing and then continued to stare for five minutes after she left the stage. And man, you should have seen your eyes," Jared said, his face read nothing but seriousness. "Think about it, man, it makes sense…" He added and then got into the car. I blinked a few times before I realized that he was backing up, I jumped out of the way as he waved and turned the corner of the parking lot.
"Looks like you're stuck with me," Vera said nervously from behind me, trying to lighten the mood. I turned around, strangely knowing exactly where she was going to be standing.
"What a treat," I muttered, not knowing how to respond to all the information that was flying through my head at a million miles an hour.
"Sorry, I know you don't really know me and it's probably really weird to you but I don't need to talk much, I just need directions. I promise it won't be so-" she babbled but I cut her off,
"No!" I shouted, "No, it's okay, really" I added quickly, realizing that my last remark had sounded a little sarcastic.
"Okay, great! Um, my car's this way…" Vera smiled up at me, giving me my first glimpse of the color of her eyes. At first I thought I was seeing things, it must have been the light playing tricks on me? Her left eye was bright blue, just like ice and her right was deep green, the color of moss. They were both lined with thick dark lashes. Something about her eyes stirred something deep inside me that I didn't quite understand. They were better than I could have ever imagined. I felt my dick harden more, fuck, this was going to be a long car ride if this shit kept popping up.
Vera's heart raced as she lead the way to her car, I could see her peeking back every few seconds to make sure I was following her. She made no attempt at a conversation, which I was grateful for, I wouldn't know what to say besides confess my undying love for this stranger. And honestly, what are the chances that I really imprinted? Not very likely, if we're being logical. It says in the legends that most wolves don't even get the privilege of meeting their imprint so the fact that everyone except me has met their imprints makes it almost impossible for me to find mine. Statistically speaking, anyways. I would have to speak to Sam about it. He would know what was going on.
"I know you didn't wanna come tonight but I do hope you enjoyed yourself," Vera said, flicking her long hair over one shoulder as she looked back, blushing slightly. I didn't understand how one human being could be so fucking beautiful. I forced myself back on track and plastered a smile on my face,
"Yeah, it definitely surprised me." I said honestly, she and Kim had been a lot better than I had imagined and I found myself feeling rather proud… Of both of them. Vera giggled and smiled widely,
"I don't know why but coming from you, that's really means a lot." Her laugh caught me off guard, it was sweet and rang in a very girly high pitch that chilled me to the core, in a good way of course. I found myself speeding up to walk alongside her, wanting to observe her closer so I wouldn't miss anything.
She fell silent again as we approached an Acura TL, I frowned and looked down at myself, questioning if I was even going to fit into the car at all. I hated to say it, but I would be a little disappointed if I ended up calling one of the other guys to come get me while someone else got to ride with her for a whole hour. Not that I wanted to feel jealous. But I did and I couldn't shake the feeling that had now sunk into my core.
"It's a lot bigger on the inside than it appears," Vera said suddenly, probably picking up on my apprehension about fitting. I nodded, knowing that however tight a fit it was going to be, I was getting in that fucking car. At this point I really didn't care. Vera walked over to the driver's side and started opening the door,
"I'll drive," I said and opened the passenger side door, motioning for her to come to the other side. She shot me a relieved expression and scurried over to the passenger side to get in. She slid into the seat and I closed the door gently, crossing to the other side of the car and stuffing myself into the driver's seat after rolling the seat back as far as it possibly could go.
"I've been thinking about getting a truck at some point and this just solidifies it," Vera commented as I adjusted pretty much everything in the car that could be adjusted. I chuckled, giving her a critical look,
"I don't know if I can picture you driving a truck or not. It could be interesting," I smirked, imagining her small frame stepping up into my huge Ford diesel truck. Why is that image so fucking sexy in my mind?
"I'd like to try it! I suppose it would look a little funny though," she blushed again, placing her hand on her cheek to cool down her face. I continued to smile as I imagined what else we could do in that truck. I felt my dick think about it too and I tried to change the subject but since I'm not the best conversationalist, the car fell silent as we both got lost in our own thoughts. I watched out of the corner of my eye as she got distracted by a deer leaping through the tall grass of the ditch as she turned away from me, allowing me to get a really good look at her. I had originally thought her to be very thin but now I realized she had quite a bit of curvature going on. I could tell through her tight maroon top that she had a flat stomach and her waist was very slim but her hips flared out, they were wide in the sexiest way and her breasts were perfectly round, I would guess about a 'C' cup, judging by past experience. I also noticed that her strawberry blonde hair was streaked with blonde and a darker red color and her skin shimmered all over like she had bathed in glitter. I briefly panicked at the thought that she was a vampire but then I realized it was nearly dark outside and also overcast. That and the fact that she didn't smell sickeningly sweet. She smelled wonderful actually, I couldn't exactly put my finger on it but it was something like vanilla, mango and lavender mixed together in an aphrodiziac of a scent.
"How far is it to La Push, now?" Vera asked, catching me blatantly staring at her. I looked away quickly and shrugged,
"About ten minutes, give or take a few."
"Oh, okay," she nodded and continued to look at me, I frowned and turned towards her again. Her wide eyes were observing me, drinking in my appearance. My heart leapt into my throat at the sight of her doe eyes looking at me all innocently. Fuck. She's so beautiful. So innocent.
"Are you staring at me?" I asked, the corner of my lips tugging up into a ghost of a smile. Vera shrugged, looking down at her lap and picking at a gem that had been glued to her fingernail as part of her manicure. I could see the blush as it crept up her neck and colored her cheeks once again. Fuck, she was so adorably sexy. You know, in that innocent girl that could turn into a freak at any moment kind of sexy. And that was incredibly rare. I feel like most women try to act innocent but Vera was actually innocent, which I appreciated very much.
"Well, it's a good thing I don't mind a beautiful woman staring at me," I said before I could think about what was coming out of my mouth, I kicked myself for not using my brain, I was going to scare her away if I kept up the creepy complimenting. To my surprise, instead of being creeped out, she giggled again, which was quickly becoming one of my favorite sounds on this planet; including her heart beat, which is now permanently beating in my head whenever she's near.
"Ah, now I recognize where we are!" She exclaimed, pointing to the La Push population sign and giggling some more. Her energy was infectious, I found myself smiling as we crossed onto the Reservation. As we drove through town, I pointed out the houses of the people she had met,
"You met Jake, right?" I asked and she nodded so I pointed out the small brown house that he and Billy resided in, Vera looked delighted to be in on all of the knowledge. I had a feeling that she didn't have many friends in school, just by the way she was acting. I knew that from experience because I used to be the same way, before the change at least. Now I knew I always had a place in the tribe and in society in general. It was nice to have a purpose.
"... And there is Sam and Emily's place, I'm sure you met them too," I said and pointed out a house that was slightly larger than Jake's and covered in flora.
"Ooh, I love the flowers," Vera commented and craned her neck to see as we passed by.
"Last but not least is Kim and Jared's house," I said as I pulled into their yard and parked Vera's car. I clambered out of the car so I could open the door for Vera but she had already gotten out and was standing on the lawn, looking up at the house with happiness clearly written on her face.
"This is exactly how I imagined their house to look like," she said and sighed contently. Meanwhile I popped the trunk and gathered her bags, easily lifting them and walking them up to the porch.
"Where do you live?" She inquired as she rushed up the porch steps to help me, I waved her off and motioned for her to open the front door. "Um, I don't have the key…" She said awkwardly, eyeing the key ring that I had fastened to the belt loop on the front of my jeans. I clenched my jaw repeating to myself that I was going to be able to keep control over myself if she touched me so close to where I wanted her the most right about now. God, I was such a sick fuck.
"Er, you can just grab them if that's okay? It'll just be easier…" I said carefully, trying to hide the excitement in my voice as she shrugged, blush once again reddening her cheeks. Her touch was gentle as she unhooked the keys from my belt loop, only her knuckles brushed against my thigh but that was enough to engulf my body with white hot flames of desire. Something that I was completely unfamiliar with. Her wide eyes blinked up at me as she laughed nervously,
"Um, which one is it?" She asked as her voice cracked with nerves, it made my inner wolf growl with pride that she was reacting to me like this.
"The one with the blue cover on it," I managed to say in a calm voice, she fumbled a little with the ring but then brandished the correct key, shoving it into the lock and pushing the door open. I walked past her and placed her things in the spare room, which they had decorated for Jackson, who was about ready to sleep in his "big boy bed" as he liked to call it, he was an amazing little guy.
"Are you going to answer my question?" I jumped as I heard Vera's voice come from behind me. I whipped around and saw that she was standing just a few feet behind me. Fuck, no one has been able to sneak up on me since I had changed, I don't know what had gotten into me but I didn't like it. I steered my thought process to the conversation with Vera, keeping in mind that I would have to ask Sam about her being able to sneak up on me. It was definitely something I wasn't sure I was comfortable with or not.
"What was the question?" I asked, wracking my brain trying to remember what she had asked, I felt bad that I had forgotten.
"Where do you live? You must live close by, no?" She asked and I smiled at her, I loved the way she spoke, almost in a cadence that was close to someone from Britain. I would have to ask her one day if she had spent time overseas at all.
"I can show you if you want," I shrugged and eyed her luggage, "Or we could get you unpacked and see my house tomorrow?" I suggested, trying to feel out if she wanted to see me after I left today. She smiled,
"How about your house today and then you can help me unpack tomorrow?" She asked and cast an uneasy glance at her bags, "I really don't wanna unpack at this moment, to be honest."
"Sounds like a deal," I nodded and motioned for her to exit the room, "ladies first,"
"Thank you!" She said in a shocked voice, apparently she wasn't used to guys being real men. Even though that's what she deserved, a real man who would treat her like the queen she was.
I lead her down the road, deciding that it would be good to walk instead of taking her car again. I couldn't contain myself as I lightly placed my hand on the small of her back, making her tense up and then relax as I lightly drew patterns on her back with my thumb. I knew it probably was the wrong thing to do, if it were any other girl I wouldn't even imagine being so bold after just meeting hours before. Something about Vera made me lose all sense of rationality, I was losing my mind. The more she relaxed, the more I smelled something… Different- but mouthwateringly wonderful. It was a sweet and tangy smell, heat was rolling off her body the longer I touched her. It dawned on me that I was smelling arousal, her arousal to be specific. Vera was looking directly forward, her eyes wide and glassy and her eyebrows drawn together in concentration. I then felt my dick stand at attention, her arousal making me excited as well. I decided it was best for both of us if I dropped my hand from it's place on her back but I physically couldn't do it, my hand wouldn't budge. I thought about my options, I really should ask her if it was okay that I was still touching her but I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. Shit, why was I thinking about this so much? I never second guessed my actions with a woman but for some reason she was fucking me up a little. But, fuck it, I'm just going to ask anyways. It felt like the right thing to do at this point in time.
"Are you okay with me touching you?" I asked and her breath quickened and the smell of her arousal grew stronger yet, my dick pulsed, aching to feel her moving against me. Fuck. I was in deep.
"Y-yeah… It feels nice. You're very warm," her voice was trembling and breathy as she spoke. I could tell she really had to focus on keeping her breathing regular. I chuckled and pressed my hand a little harder to her back,
"My temperature naturally runs a little bit higher than normal," I said, dodging around the truth that I wanted to tell her so badly. I had never been tempted to tell anyone about me being a werewolf, so that was an incredibly new feeling. For some reason I trusted her and I felt like she could handle it.
"Oh," she said simply as another surge of her arousal reached my nose, I could feel myself letting out a low growl that, fortunately, was so deep in my chest that it was inaudible to normal humans.
We walked in silence for the last stretch of the way, my house was nestled farther in the woods than anyone else's since my dad was big into hunting and fishing. It was also a short walk away from the shore of First Beach, I could see the shore from the window in my room. I felt like Vera would like that a lot. I noticed that my mom's car was gone, I figured she was over at Charlie's. They had a weird relationship going which I was all for. If my mom was going to start dating at all, I would rather have it be with Charlie Swan than anyone else. Charlie had been close with my family for as long as I could remember, he also knew about us guys being werewolves. It was nice to not have to pretend around him.
"Is this it?" Vera asked, I could see her eyes shining with amazement. I nodded and she let out a gasp, "I love it!" She exclaimed and took a step closer. I breathed a sigh of relief, I probably had the shabbiest looking house but that's because Leah and I weren't around to help with the repair work now that dad was gone and we had our duties to the tribe.
"Yep, this is where I grew up. It used to be nicer but it's fallen into disrepair. A lot of things started going wrong since my dad… Passed," I said uncomfortably, I didn't talk about my dad being gone very often. I liked to ignore the fact that he wasn't here with us anymore. Vera looked back at me with a soft expression on her face, normally I didn't like sympathy but coming from her it was different. I could feel tears threatening to fill my eyes, I blinked them away.
"Oh, Seth, I'm so sorry…" She said, closing the gap between her and I, placing her hand on my arm and squeezing consolingly. Her hand was tiny in comparison to my forearm and her beautiful pale skin stood out and glowed against the russet color of mine. She looked like an angel, glowing brightly. No wonder Jake constantly thought of Ness' milky colored skin when he was in wolf form, it was heavenly.
"Do you want to go inside?" I asked, begging myself to keep in control of my emotions, I didn't want to think with my other head when we entered my bedroom. It would be so easy to close the door and make love to her right then and there but that's not how I wanted it to happen. Not before I figured out exactly what was going on. Vera nodded, her eyes shining brightly with excitement as I jogged up the stairs and unlocked the door, swinging it open and holding out my hand. She placed her hand in mine as I lead the way into the house, enjoying the wonderful smell of freshly baked cookies and burning sage. My mom must have just cleansed the house, she did this once a week for as long as Leah and I have been wolves, sage was incredibly relaxing to my sister and I for some reason. But I was beginning to think that lavender, vanilla and mango were going to be relaxing to me from now on.
It was strange seeing Vera in my house, I had never brought a girl to my actual house before, I usually just brought them to Kim and Jared's place after making sure they were gone for the evening, or I would go to their place.
"I absolutely love it, it's exactly what I was expecting," Vera whispered as she felt the course wood paneling that covered the walls and eyed the custom cabinets that my father had made from various woods he had found on his weekend getaways in the woods.
"My room is down the hallway if you wanna check that out," I said, not trying to sound desperate to get her into my room. I didn't know if it was particularly the best idea but it felt right. Although, it was hard to think clearly with my head when my dick was begging to slam the bedroom door behind us and fuck her brains out. That I definitely didn't want to happen, not yet anyways. I needed to figure things out with Sam and the elder's first, I couldn't just rush into this. She hadn't even been to a bonfire yet and that's usually when we were aloud to tell our imprint what we were; more than just humans. I wanted her to know I was a werewolf before I made love to her, she deserves to know what I am before being connected to me in the most intimate way. I lead us down the hall and into my bedroom, I managed to not shut the door behind us but that didn't stop Vera from grasping the brass handle and closing the door with a definitive click. I swallowed thickly, my mouth suddenly going dry. I watched as she stepped back from the door and looked around, playing with my graduation tassel that hung from my window and running her hand along the feathered headdress that I had inherited from my father who had in turn inherited it from his father and so on.
Before I knew what was happening, I had begun to walk towards her, backing her up against the wall near my bed, she held her breath; heart hammering rapidly in her chest as I closed in on her. I closed my eyes tightly for a moment, gaining what control I could before opening them again. My dark eyes found her bright ones, once again glazed over with desire. I let my eyes travel over her face, down her neck until they rested at the hollow between her collar bones. I could see her racing pulse there, pumping lust filled blood through her veins. As I was laser focused on her pounding pulse, I felt her small hand reach up and grasp onto my shirt tightly, as if she were holding on for dear life. She exhaled, her sweet smelling breath brushing over my heated skin. Her other hand then reached up, grasping my forearm and bringing it to rest on her small waist. Our eyes met again as she tugged me closer, want clearly visible in her eyes and in her body language. The smell of her arousal heavier in the air than ever. I dipped my head down as I felt her stretch upward to meet me halfway there, her body sliding deliciously against mine as she lifted herself onto the tips of her toes. Her eyes flitted down to my lips and then back up to my eyes, her pupils rapidly dilating. Our lips were just about to meet when I heard the front door open and my mom called Leah and I's names loudly to see if we were home. Vera squeezed her eyes shut tightly, I could feel the disappointment rolling off her in waves. I pressed my lips to her forehead and then backed away from her, realizing now that my hard on had been pressed tightly against her stomach, there was no way she didn't feel it. I was slightly embarrassed to have let myself get so out of hand but she didn't pull away, if anything, she wanted it just as much as I did.
"I'm in my room, ma" I called out in response to her call. "I guess you get to meet my mom," I said awkwardly as Vera ran her hands down her skirt as if she were straightening it out. She nodded, her whole face and neck bright red with embarrassment.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly as I reached for the door handle, I turned to her,
"Hey, don't be sorry, we were both into it, weren't we?" I asked, a hint of uncertainty seeping into my mind. Maybe she wasn't feeling what I was feeling,
"Y-yeah, I… Um, I liked it a lot," she admitted as she cast her eyes downward, picking at her nails again.
"You have nothing to worry about, then." I said and grabbed her small hand, leading her out into the living room area.
My mom was standing in the kitchen, preparing some chicken and potatoes for dinner when we walked out. She nearly dropped the knife she had in her hand when she saw that I wasn't alone.
"Seth!" She exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise, "who is this lovely young lady?"
"Hey mom, this is Vera, Kim's cousin from Port Angeles, she's going to be staying with Kim and Jared for a few days," I introduced as my mom washed her hands and came over to stand in front of us. After a second of hesitation, she pulled Vera into her arms, enveloping her in a suffocating hug.
"Vera! What a beautiful name, my dear. I'm Sue Clearwater, welcome! Are you two going to be staying for dinner?" She asked coyly, wanting another opportunity to question Vera some more. I shook my head,
"Nope, we're going to go to Kim and Jared's." I answered quickly, I felt Vera's hand come up and clutch my forearm. My mom's face looked disappointed but she nodded,
"Well, alright. I'll see you kids later on then. Oh, and Vera, don't be a stranger"
"Thank you, Mrs. Clearwater," Vera said as we made our way out of house. I closed the door behind me and sighed.
"Sorry about her, she's suffocating sometimes," I apologized, rubbing the back of my neck,
"Don't be! Your mom is sweet," she giggled and looked up at me, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
Vera and I headed back to Kim and Jared's house, I noticed that they were home now and I could smell something sweet being baked in the oven. Vera's stomach growled and she laughed, dropping her hand from its place on my forearm. I missed her touch immediately,
"I'm starving," she commented and ran up the porch stairs ahead of me. She looked back to see if I was following and then disappeared inside the house to grab something to eat. I leaned against Jared's truck which was parked in their driveway, letting the cool air calm me down a little bit while I recollected myself. I was disappointed that I had let things get so out of hand back at my house but I was also disappointed that it hadn't gone as far as I wanted it. I was battling with two sides of myself, the one who wanted to respect her and the one that wanted to do nothing but get her undressed and ravish her. I didn't know how to feed into both of them. I needed to talk to Sam immediately. I pulled out my phone and sent Jared a quick text, telling him to let Vera know that I would see her tomorrow but there were some things that I needed to sort out tonight. I could see Jared from the window as he opened the message and then giving me a look like he completely understood what was going on. He nodded and motioned for me to get out of here and figure my shit out. I dialed Sam's number as I began walking into the woods,
"Yeah," Sam answered on the second ring,
"Hey, we need to talk," I said,
"Do you want me to get Jake too?"
"No, don't tell anyone else until we get this figured out," I pleaded, knowing that I should invite Jake, who is my official alpha, to our conversation but I was too… Embarrassed?
"Alright, I'll meet you at the shop in a couple of minutes," he agreed and hung up the phone. I shed my clothes now that I was fully engulfed by the woods and changed into my wolf form, running to the shop. I couldn't wait to get this figured out.